Traverse City Record-Eagle

Michigan

December 30, 2012

Snyder vetoes advisory board

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ST. IGNACE (AP) — It was just a two-page bill, passed with widespread support, to create an advisory board to guide the future of a 58-acre site in the Upper Peninsula that honors famous explorer Jacques Marquette.

Gov. Rick Snyder, however, saw a possible burden on the Michigan Treasury and vetoed the bill Friday.

"While the intent of the bill is worthwhile, the bill implies a state commitment to assist in the financing and operation of a new museum which will cost millions of dollars to construct and maintain," the governor's office said in a statement.

Snyder said a group outside of state government could be formed to work for private and community support for the project.

Marquette was a Jesuit missionary priest and Great Lakes explorer in the 1600s. In the Midwest, cities, counties and even a Milwaukee university are named for him. There are statues or markers in Marquette, Mich., Detroit and Ludington, Mich., where he died in 1675.

In St. Ignace, where Marquette established a mission, there is a memorial dedicated to him, complete with walking trails, picnic areas and good views of the Mackinac Bridge.

A museum there was destroyed by fire in 2000.

Under House Bill 5415, the advisory board's job would have included advising the Department of Natural Resources on expansion plans and applying for grants or seeking other sources of money. The sponsor, Rep. Frank Foster, R-Petoskey, could not be reached for comment Saturday. His phone was unanswered.

In May, when the bill first cleared the House, Foster said the goal was to rebuild the museum. He said the park is a "great asset" but has suffered as a tourist attraction because of the lack of a museum.

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