BERRIEN COUNTY TASKFORCES RECOGNIZED AS MODEL TO FOLLOW FOR ENTIRE STATE

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH – Berrien County Commissioners received updates on two ongoing projects at last week’s Board of Commissioners meeting. Commissioners heard updates on broadband expansion as well as the opioid settlement funds the county received.
County commissioners have been working for several years to expand broadband to rural and unserved parts of the county. Those efforts have included challenging Federal Communications Commission coverage maps as well as leveraging American Rescue Plan Act funds to expand internet services.
BC Bit Taskforce member and County Commissioner Jim Curran noted that the taskforce continues to meet monthly as they did in early January. “We’re still moving right along with broadband in the county,” he told fellow commissioners.
County Administrator Brian Dissette noted that Berrien County’s efforts in the area of broadband expansion have not gone unnoticed. “Berrien County has been recognized by the Michigan Association of Counties as a statewide model,” he said. “We want to keep that momentum going. It’s a point of pride for us.”
Commissioner and Vice-Chair Teri Freehling chairs the BC Bit taskforce. She said the taskforce is currently looking at how to assist internet service providers in applying for new state and federal funding. She said the application period for BEAD grants opened Thursday and runs  until April 9.
She said the grant program allows internet service providers put together plans on how they will reach all remaining unserved households. She said there has been discussion about hosting a meeting with local municipal officials and internet service providers to facilitate possible grant applications.
Dissette noted that the county’s BC Bit web page has up to date information on broadband service in the county. The map shows what areas have broadband service, what areas are in the process of getting service and what areas remain unserved.
“The good news is that we’re getting close,” Dissette said. “My gut feeling is that this is it for funding. It’s shocking how far we’ve gone in five years with broadband brought to thousands of addresses.”
The current broadband expansion effort comes from an earlier ROBIN grant program. Michigan Energy and Communications, based in Cassopolis, won a multi-million dollar award in 2023 to bring broadband to over 5,700 homes in Berrien County. Berrien County as well as local municipalities contributed part of their ARPA money to that effort and work is ongoing.
Last week’s county board meeting also featured a discussion of the county’s opioid settlement taskforce and subcommittees. Dissette noted that the county’s share of the nationwide opioid settlement is $8.2 million over 18 years with funding going to organizations involved in drug treatment and addiction programs.
The county is currently seeking members for the committee tasked with the annual review of the organizations receiving the settlement funds. Dissette and Commissioner Julie Wuerfel said that the county has only received three applications for 10 openings on the committee.
The county is looking for members of the public as well as representatives of treatment, mental health, education, clergy and medical care organizations. The application form is on the county’s website.
In action last week, commissioners approved the brownfield redevelopment plan for a new TSC store in Benton Township. County Community Development Director Dan Fette said the property is on 10 acres of vacant land on Fairplain Drive in Benton Township, near the site of the former Orchard Mall.
The new TSC store is expected to be 21,930 square feet in size and employ 50 full and part time workers. Construction is expected to start early this year and be completed in 18 months. The brownfield redevelopment plan allows the developer to help defray some of the costs of cleaning up the contaminated site.
Fette noted that the land where the new store will be located was once an orchard and that arsenic was used on the land. While the amount of arsenic found in the soil is only slightly above the levels where remediation is needed, some soil will have to removed to satisfy environmental rules.
The brownfield designation allows taxes to be captured over 20 years to offset the costs of the clean up, he said. The costs are estimated to total nearly $1.04 million with $931,668 captured in local, county and state taxes.