(The Center Square) – A $250,000 earmark in the new Michigan state budget is raising concerns, with little information about its use beyond a building rehabilitation project.
Event planner Tatiana Grant told the Detroit News she requested the funding to restore the St. Columba Episcopal Church, which has been closed since 2003. However, nonprofit Invest Detroit, which holds the grant funding, says there is no ownership agreement with Grant.
The private investment is a part of a broader $400 million allocated toward special projects, particularly relating to economic development in Detroit. While Grant claims she worked with House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, and Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, to receive funding, no one in the state legislature has taken accountability for the project.
“The fact that no one will vouch for this earmark isn’t surprising given the clear lack of information about who owns the building, what it would be used for once developed, and who will be responsible for developing,” state representative and Conservative Caucus Chair Jay DeBoyer, R-Algonac said. “As a legislator, these are all serious red flags to me. Who is in charge of the budget? Neither Speaker Tate nor Appropriations Chair Witwer have shown any accountability or leadership in this clear oversight of public dollars.”
Grant is the founder of multiple public relations groups, including Farmington Hills-based Infused PR, who has planned events for companies like General Motors, BMW, Blue Cross, Comerica and Nike.
St. Columba was opened in 1927, boasting a Gothic Revival style near the Jefferson Chalmers district. Shuttered for more than 20 years, the building would need extensive stucco work, new wood flooring and repairs for potential water damage. The church closed due to a lack of parishioners in the early 2000s. The property was listed for sale in 2019 for $1.75 million in the DBusiness Journal.