State ran out of money to fund lab
HOUGHTON -- Despite local efforts to save the U.P. Regional Public Health Lab, the Houghton facility is set to close this Friday.
It's a surprising decision considering word last month that the Western U.P. Health Department would take control from the State.
Guy St. Germain, Executive Officer of the WUPHD, said that both sides simply agreed it was no longer a good idea.
But Representative Mike Lahti mentioned the transfer would have required additional certification, and there wasn't enough money.
The lab has been in Houghton for more than 20 years and has served as the U.P.'s resource for water testing.
James McCurtis of the Michigan Department of Community Health said the final decision to close was made late last month because they ran out of money.
Three people will be out of a job when the lab closes. Still, Representative Lahti isn't giving up.
Lahti said the House Appropriations Committee approved $350,000 for the lab, but it still needs to pass in the Senate, who won't vote on the issue until at least early December.
McCurtis said they couldn't comment about the possibility of reopening until the time came, but he also said it'd take about $600,000 to fund operations for year, so even that probably wouldn't be enough.
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