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ST. JOSEPH – South county projects look to be moving forward after some hiccups over the last year or so, Berrien County Commissioners reported Thursday.

        Commissioner Dave Vollrath told fellow commissioners that work in progressing on both a new south county radio communications tower and the relocation 9-1-1 and Emergency Operations Center offices to the former AEP building in Buchanan.

        Vollrath said 9-1-1 officials told the board’s Administration Committee earlier Thursday that work has started on taking down the old tower with work to erect the new one to start soon. He said there are a few more details to work through for the tower project but it appears that construction will start soon.

The county had to go back to the drawing board last year when Native American artifacts were discovered on land adjacent to the AEP center. The county then looked to move the tower to a nearby location near the Buchanan Township Fire Department station on North Main Street.

Berrien County received a $5 million state grant two years ago to help pay for the new 800 megahertz communications tower which is expected to improve emergency and other communications along the state line. The entire project is expected to cost $7.8 million.

Vollrath also reported that the county has finally closed on the purchase of the former AEP building at 500 Circle Drive in Buchanan. The building is expected to house the 9-1-1 and EOC operations after renovations are completed.

The 500 Circle Drive building could host other offices for other county departments such as the County Clerk’s election division as well as provide space for a south county conference room for county board meetings.

County officials had also talked last year about offering space to the City of Buchanan for some city departments but those plans appear to be on hold. County Administrator Brian Dissette said this summer that he had not talked with city officials since the departure of Heather Grace as city manager earlier this year.

In another action affecting the south county, County Commissioners approved an amendment to the contract between the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department and the Brandywine school district. Brandywine officials initially contracted with the sheriff’s department in 2021 to provide one school resource officer to the district.

The contract amendment approved this week adds an additional sheriff’s deputy to the contract. The sheriff’s department will now provide two school resource officers to the district during the school year. The contract will go into effect after it is approved by the Brandywine Board of Education.

Commissioners also approved applying for a community violence intervention grant. The Berrien County Health Department plans to apply for a $1 million grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to pay for programs to identify high risk individuals and breaking the cycle of violence through interventions.

The health department is working with the sheriff’s department, the prosecutor’s office and the Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor to apply for the grant. The deadline for the grant application is Oct. 23.

The resolution also orders the health department to develop a plan to reduce violence in the community along with submitting the grant application.

Commissioners tabled a similar grant application for federal funding in April after some commissioners questioned the scope of that grant program.