A $25 million project aimed to make Clare a healthier community has been put on hold by the state health department.
The Complete Health Campus on the north end of Clare will feature not only doctor offices but facilities for the community to stay fit year round. That is, when it is finished.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services paused the project indefinitely due to red flags. The state gave a $25 million grant to the project, under the supervision of then Speaker Jason Wentworth, Clare’s state representative.
The man who received the money was the former county chair for the Republican Party and he bought the land from the current state representative for the area, Tom Kunse.
Kunse says the deal was struck and agreed upon well before he took office and he was actually the one who asked for a state audit in the project due to rumors of excessive spending and confusion over the history of the deal.
“We sold land to a nonprofit for a health park. That’s what we did. Some constituents in the 100th District brought concerns, not just to myself but to Senator Houck,” said Kunse. “So Senator Houck and I met with DHHS, on March 21. That was the first time. We met with them and said we have some concerns. Tell me who is watching this? Who is monitoring this project? At that point we asked for help.”
There is no timeline on the pause from the MDHHS.
