By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH, MI – Berrien County Commissioners handled a number of matters at their meeting last week and also heard news about lifesaving awards and a new finance director for the county.
Commissioners voted to move ahead with a project that will make major improvements to the water system at the Berrien County Juvenile Center on Dean’s Hill Road in Berrien Township. The work is anticipated to be completed by March 20, 2026.
The county wants to get the work done sooner rather than later since the system is near the end of its useful life. The hospital building will soon be empty as the Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center will be moving to a new facility in Oronoko Township. Officials have mentioned that a failure in the system would force the county to move the juveniles housed at the center to another facility or release them.
The vote to approve the contract was 10-1 with one commissioner absent. Commissioner Julie Wuerfel of St. Joseph told fellow commissioners before the vote that she intended to vote no. It wasn’t the first time she has spoke out about work planned for the juvenile center, suggesting last May it would be cheaper to buy, develop or take care of another building.
Dissette and Curran stressed the importance of doing the work now, saying it’s a safety issue.
Also last week, the county board approved extending the listing contract through the end of the year and reducing the price for the sale of county owned land in Three Oaks called the Schwark Drain Drainage District. The county’s six-month agreement with realtor Brian Savage ended recently with no offers received.
The 36-acre site in Three Oaks on U.S. 12 is the site of a failed residential development. The land reverted back to the county for unpaid property taxes totalling over $500,000. The county paid off the debt and bought the site in 2024, putting it up for sale at that time.
In a preview of this week’s county board meeting, commissioners and Dissette talked about the appointment of a new county finance director after the retirement of Doug James.
Commissioners reported that over 20 people had applied for the position and that interviews had been conducted last week. They said that Jake Litaker, the current assistant finance director, was the choice of the interview committee. Litaker has been with the county since 2013 and moved up through the department over the years.
Dissette said he will bring a formal resolution to the board to hire Litaker at this week’s county board meeting.