ESCANABA - The Upper Peninsula State Fair conveyance legislation is headed to Gov. Jennifer Granholm to be signed today. It was unanimously passed in the Michigan House Thursday.

Vickie Micheau, executive director of the Delta County Chamber of Commerce and current U.P. State Fair Board member, said residents and fair stakeholders alike are excited about the legislative action.

Thursday's House action passed the bill from Sen. Mike Prusi, D-Ishpeming, unanimously. The state Senate first passed the legislation several weeks ago.

Micheau said she got the news Thursday night.

"Based on the information I received the House passed it unanimously," she said. "We've had overwhelming support, and we are grateful for the efforts of so many people."

In the meantime, U.P. counties and local organizations have not been idly waiting for the legislature to move on the legislation, albeit they did move quickly, Micheau said.

"We have been in anticipation of this and we've been working very closely with the commissions to get the representatives from each county named to the new authority," she said.

The Governor's U.P. Advocate Ann Jousma-Miller said this morning the economic impact of the U.P. State Fair facility is around $16 million per year, and one of the largest single contributors to local tourism.

"You either recognize the impact early on and step up to the plate, or you stand back and allow it to be lost, and our community stepped up," she said.

Jousma-Miller said overwhelming community support allowed the legislation to be completed so quickly.

"The Department of Management and Budget said to me, 'We have never seen a land conveyance bill come through so clean or so quickly,'" said Jousma-Miller. "(The reason) it was so smooth is because the community and the transition team said 'We can do this,' and I am so proud of them."

Micheau said fair stakeholders expect the new authority,

which will include board members from each of the 15 counties in the Upper Peninsula as well as tribal officials from the Hannahville Indian Community, to meet for the first time sometime after Aug. 1, but prior to the 2009 fair. The 2010 fair will be run by the new authority, rather than the state.

"There are so many events being scheduled beyond Oct. 1 when the authority will take over for the state," said Micheau. "People are looking forward to events at the fairgrounds far into the future."

Micheau said it is her hope the new fair board will meet with the current fair board to discuss operations.

The Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress (UPCAP), and director Jon Mead, were also instrumental in the conveyance of the fair and formation of the new authority.

The fairgrounds and operations of the fair would be conveyed to Delta County under the legislation passed Thursday by the house. Both the U.P. and Detroit State Fairs were cut from the state budget in February by executive order of Gov. Jennifer Granholm, due to huge deficits in the state's general fund, among others.

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Audrey LaFave, (906) 786-2021, ext. 145, alafave@dailypress.net