By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
ST. JOSEPH – Last week’s Berrien County Board of Commissioners meeting featured updates on the county’s upcoming move into the old AEP building in Buchanan and a new tri-county materials management plan, as well as Berrien County Sheriff’s presentation of the Lifesaving Award.
Berrien County Interim Sheriff Chuck Heit presented the Lifesaving Award to Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Goff for his actions earlier this year to save the life of a Watervliet Township woman.
Goff was dispatched to the call of a medical emergency at a home in Watervliet Township. He found a man administering CPR on an unconscious woman and was able to hook up an AED device and give her one shock. He then assisted the man with CPR until a pulse was found and she was breathing on her own.
“This Lifesaving Award is presented to you with Honor and Gratitude for your actions in the Township of Watervliet on March 14, 2024, where you arrived on scene for a medical emergency. Your rapid response in administering one shock from the AED device and assisting with high quality CPR was crucial in restoring a pulse and ultimately saving the life of Cammie Hernandez.”
Undersheriff Greg Sanders noted that doctors at the hospital credited Goff with saving Hernandez’s life. She is expected to make a full recovery.
With the former AEP office building in Buchanan, County Commissioner Jim Curran reported that the county is preparing to seek quotes this summer on renovations. The building, dubbed “500 Circle” (also the building’s address) will house a number of county offices.
Curran reported that the full county board will be formally applying for the $3 million grant U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg’s office has already informally secured for the county to help fund renovations to the former AEP building. The county purchased 500 Circle Drive in 2022.
An initial evaluation of the three-story building space showed that existing bathrooms, elevator layout, and building access/approaches needed redesign. There was also an investigation relative to the operational needs of the county departments moving to the space.
The county plans to move the 9-1-1 Dispatch/Emergency Operations Center offices to 500 Circle prior to other departments. Later a south county branch of the County Clerk’s office will follow.
Information provided by Curran and County Administrator Brian Dissette noted that the contractor awarded the bid will be asked to assess opportunities to best leverage any unallocated spaces of the building that remain after locating the 9-1-1/Emergency Operations Center there.
Companies interested in bidding on the project must submit their bids/quotes by July 10 with county board action coming Aug. 1. Work is expected to start no later than Nov. 11.
A new $8 million 800 megahertz communications tower is in the process of being placed on property near the 500 Circle building. The tower is being constructed behind the Buchanan Township Fire Station on North Main Street outside of Buchanan. The county received a $5 million state grant in 2021 to pay for the bulk of the costs to erect the tower.
Last week’s county board meetings also featured an update from Community Development Director Dan Fette on new state laws regarding solid waste management that will require more county oversight of landfills and efforts to reduce waste streams.
Fette said the state is requiring counties to come up with materials management plans. Berrien County has already begun drafting a joint agreement with Cass and Van Buren Counties. The group will also receive help from the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission.
Next steps will be to approve the three-county agreement and then to establish a materials management planning committee to draft an official plan for the three counties. That committee will be made up of elected officials as well as representatives of area landfills and related businesses.
Fette told commissioners that each of the three counties will be getting $510,000 from the state to pay for the committee work over the next three years. He said it’s still unclear whether there will be state monies available to actually implement the plan. The county currently gets revenue from tipping fees paid by area landfills.
He said that with the new state laws, the county will have some enforcement duties that are now being done by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. He gave the example that the county may have to inspect and enforce rules about diverting waste from landfills to recycling.
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