BERRIEN COUNTY COMMISSION UPDATE

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH – Berrien County Commissioners handled a number of matters at their meeting last week, including hiring a new veteran services officer and previewing the purchase of the old AEP building in Buchanan and plans for a new juvenile center.
Berrien County Commissioner Jim Curran reported that a purchase agreement for the property will be presented to the county board this week. The property is located at 500 Circle Drive on the north side of the city off of Main Street. Curran indicated that the county is planning to buy the property from AEP for $200,000.
County Administrator Brian Dissette said the county will use the property several purposes but will also maintain space for AEP as well as for the city of Buchanan which may house some city offices there.
“This is the future home of the upgraded Emergency Operations Center and 9-1-1,” Dissette told commissioners at last week’s county board meeting. “We will also build out the conference room there if the board wants to have more of a presence in the south county.”
“We will be maintaining space for AEP’s emergency operations center so they will have a footprint on the site if something happens at D.C. Cook (nuclear plant), they work side by side with Capt. Adams of the Sheriff’s Department,” he added.
“There’s still a lot of work to get through but getting title to it will allow us to start construction of the 800 megahertz tower first and then the buildout of the EOC and the 9-1-1 center as we hope to get state funding.”
The county has been looking for a location for a new tower in the south county to improve emergency radio reception along the state line for the last few years. The county received a $5 million state grant to help pay for the tower project last fall. The entire project is expected to cost $7.8 million.
Commissioners heard a presentation about the county’s new Juvenile Center. The board is expected to hire Wightman & Associates along with the DLR firm to do site planning and design for the new center.
Dissette noted that the current juvenile center in Berrien Township has reached the end of its life. Commissioners earlier this year concluded that the best choice is to build a new center on county owned property on Napier Avenue in Benton Township rather than invest in the Berrien Township property.
Commissioners discussed the juvenile center project earlier in the day in a committee of the whole session. The main concern raised was what locating the juvenile center there will mean to future plans to establish a campus of county offices including moving the county seat from St. Joseph to here.
Currently, the Napier site is home to the county’s Animal Control and Health Department buildings. Dissette noted that other counties that have built new juvenile centers in recent years have built them near county jails and at least the family divisions of court operations.
Berrien County Commissioners hired a new department head for the second time in as many weeks. Two weeks ago, commissioners hired Buchanan Township resident Mark Heyliger to be the new road department director. Last week, they hired Maureen Adams to be the new Veteran Affairs Administrator.
Adams has been with the department since 2016 and previously served as an assistant veterans benefits coordinator. She replaces Lee Lull who retired last month after a long career with the county. Her salary will be $49,915.
Prior to joining the Veterans Services Department, Adams was as an administrative assistant and bookkeeper for Stephen Ross & Company in Stevensville. She also worked in administrative roles for organizations in Sault Ste. Marie and Southfield.
In her new role, Adams oversees the county’s Veterans Services Department, providing administration, direction and management to staff, assisting veterans and their family members with obtaining benefits and emergency assistance while advocating for them at the local, state and federal levels.
“Maureen is a compassionate, knowledgeable team member with a passion for helping our veterans,” Berrien County Administrator Brian Dissette said. “She has been a wonderful asset to the Veterans Services team over the past six years, and we are excited to watch her continue to make an impact in this expanded leadership role.”
During her tenure with the department, Adams supported veterans and their families through the benefits and claims processes, created resources for them and served as an authorized agent for the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund, which provides emergency financial assistance.
Adams is an accredited veteran service officer with the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans.
Adams discovered her passion for advocacy when navigating special education as the mother of a child with special needs. This led her to Berrien County and a career in helping others find the resources they need.
“The highlight of my job is the trust veterans and their families place in us,” Adams said. “The work we do can be life-changing for a veteran. It is an honor to have the opportunity to provide that level of service to our community. I’m excited to continue supporting veterans in Berrien County through this leadership role and look forward to expanding our programs.”