The Next Hot Spot Up North: East Jordan Part 1 in our quarterly Small Towns on the Rise Series
By Ross Boissoneau Paths, trails, a bridge, high-speed internet, a revitalized downtown: What might sound like a few dry infrastructure projects is actually a part of a substantial series of thoughtful investments positioning East Jordan, a town of about 2,300 in Charlevoix County, to become the next hot spot Up North for visitors, residents, small businesses, and investors. “The energy and momentum right now — it’s fantastic,” says Mary Faculak, a business owner and CEO/president of the East Jordan Area Chamber of Commerce. “New businesses, new owners — there’s been a lot of ribbon-cutting.” Of course, Faculak has a vested interest in the once-sleepy town at the end of the south arm of Lake Charlevoix. She’s both the head of the chamber and a business owner in East Jordan. But it’s the latter role that might provide the best measure of her confidence. She owns the East Jordan Shop, as well as Mary’s of Boyne City. Faculak has watched Boyne City — similarly positioned as East Jordan, albeit at the end of the east arm of Lake Charlevoix — to grow and expand over the years. She says she anticipates the same happening in East Jordan as more retail and restaurants and recreational opportunities have developed and more people are discovering the “other” town just 15 minutes southwest of Boyne City. There are concrete reasons for Faculak’s optimism for East Jordan, and they go far beyond geographical positioning and lakeshore access. Among the town’s highlights — perhaps the biggest highlight — is the September opening of the Joining Jordan Project, a pedestrian bridge spanning across the Jordan River that has expanded accessibility to East Jordan’s natural assets for both residents and visitors. BRIDGING THE GAP East Jordan City Administrator Tom Cannon says the pedestrian bridge was
seen as the first and most necessary step to revitalizing East Jordan. “We were behind where we wanted to be. We began a master plan … and planned for expansion,” he says. Those expansion plans included some not-so-sexy-but-necessary elements, like a new wastewater plant and a new water tower (replacing the original one from 1909) — but the biggie was connecting the two parts of the city. While there has long been a bridge across the Jordan River, it was not pedestrianfriendly, and the result was that people would get in their cars and drive from one side of town to another. Or not. Either way, the limits of its usefulness divided the city into two parts, militating against casual strolling or shopping throughout the downtown. The new pedestrian-friendly bridge, though seemingly a small change, made a big impact on the community. It connected two parks, created a boardwalk on formerly blighted property, and prompted the creation of a new boat launch. “The river and lake are beautiful but [they were] an obstacle. You could throw a softball across, but it was not bike or walkfriendly,” Cannon says. Enabling people who drive into town to park on one side and simply walk to the other has not only created much more foot traffic — a helpful factor for the community’s existing businesses and, in time, an enticing one for prospective ones — but also a significantly more community-like vibe and sense of place in the downtown. Improved access to and more recreational and cultural opportunities have been key to increasing East Jordan’s tourist draw and boosting the quality of life for residents. “Being on the water is obviously a major deal,” says Tom Teske, chair of the Downtown Development Association. But the town looked beyond the beauty of the water to capitalize on its surrounding forests and rolling hills. Just last month, East Jordan officially
10 • september 27, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly
opened Brown’s Creek Pathway trail, a fivemile mountain bike trail located on Elm Street near the East Jordan Middle/High School. It is situated on 20 acres of properties that are owned by the City of East Jordan and East Jordan Public Schools. For walkers, there is a substantial cultural addition: The state provided a grant that led to an art walk with seven sculptures on the connection between Memorial Park and Sportsman Park. Teske says the project provides another lure for those who want to slow down and take in all the town offers. BUT WHAT ABOUT JOBS? Teske is vice president and general manager of EJ Group, formerly East Jordan Iron Works, the construction castings company that has served as the backbone of the town (and the nation and now world’s)
construction castings needs like manhole frame and covers, tree grates, fire hydrants, and more since its founding in 1883. The company announced plans to relocate to a new facility just outside of town at about the same time as the city’s master planning process began. Rather than look for a more affordable place elsewhere in the country or outside it, EJ — which owns and operates three other foundries in Oklahoma, Ireland and France and supplies products to infrastructure projects on six continents — moved to a new location in East Jordan, just 14 miles away from its prior location, retaining every one of its 350 local workers and hiring more. “EJ’s commitment to East Jordan was a trigger [for the city to invest in improvements], but there were a number of factors,” Teske said.
