[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6467098,"mediaKeyId","5810508-85943f3a5c844a87f59eff1b043a5ed0","parentId",5810508,"title","Residents and commissioners urge coordinated response to homelessness after vandalism and encampments at Benton Harbor parks","audioSeconds",755,"startMs",5090000,"endMs",4335000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5810508-85943f3a5c844a87f59eff1b043a5ed0&start=5090&end=4335","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5810508-85943f3a5c844a87f59eff1b043a5ed0/thumbnail_5090000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6467098/Benton-Harbor/Berrien-County/Michigan/Residents-and-commissioners-urge-coordinated-response-to-homelessness-after-vandalism-and-encampments-at-Benton-Harbor-parks","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6467098-931bad95a584760a576c1c13a95ba52b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445345&Signature=aYUsvHETEJFkhoEMEUuLWBVS4~qIVnInUUwoeTH2gGHNh0X4n~0t88r55ztWxfBVnTr1TdEbuP9w5c5fpK0vyjUNBa0kF5rUQJdCDpqGJh1g2zNeCLPm2cSCY4G9q9D8lBplwGAGggH63lzTe-qHo4z8YOLvIntXi6l7VW3DWbbHQESLaiua0CpaxMWb23crSdgMtM7BN6E~6U63UG-sbHCwoBclD5Zku2VvDYYCuzDPFp5RAvrNXKavKDSjGDKslKJuEhjtWG2KFuSLzH9MU8dJE2d3c7~L9XIafuX-l0ipj6XhIIeRCCGTwA1o7Qlm6mFOq8g9XnnEjxyztart~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Benton Harbor","date","2025-08-28T00:00:00Z","article","Several residents and commissioners at the Benton Harbor City Commission meeting pressed city leaders for a clearer, coordinated response to homelessness and related public‑space vandalism.

Multiple speakers described tent encampments near downtown locations, Martin Park and other public spaces. Angela Berry, a resident who identified herself as someone with recent experience of homelessness, said she and others assist people at Sunday gatherings near the park and urged the city and service providers to work together on longer‑term solutions. \"A lot of these people, homeless people, they have lost their jobs,\" Berry said. \"They helped pick me back up, you know?\" She asked for information about services and training that could help people regain stability.

Commissioner Mary Alice Adams and others described recent vandalism to newly installed park signage and said recurring feedings and gatherings have enlarged the population using the park, creating sanitation and safety concerns. City officials said the health department had observed unsafe food handling at informal feeding sites and that regular park hours and signage would be enforced where appropriate.

City staff and law enforcement said they had encountered people who declined offers of shelter or other services. The city manager said staff and social‑service partners are pursuing options; commissioners asked staff to work with county and nonprofit providers to identify shelter placements, job‑training opportunities and hygiene resources. One commissioner referenced regular service provider coordination meetings (Housing Resource Network, Michigan Works) and asked for follow‑up.

Residents also urged expanded camera coverage and more durable restroom access in parks. City staff said park bathrooms are operational but temporarily locked in response to vandalism; porta‑potties have been provided for scheduled events and staff will explore funding options and partnerships for longer‑term restroom and camera solutions.

Ending: Commissioners expressed sympathy for people experiencing homelessness and directed staff to continue interagency coordination, pursue service placements and report back with recommended next steps to reduce encampment impacts and protect public amenities.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Economic Development & Parks 8.27.25","oneSentenceSummary","Several residents and commissioners at the Benton Harbor City Commission meeting pressed city leaders for a clearer, coordinated response to homelessness and related public‑space vandalism.","taxTitle","Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan","taxId",70841,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6467106,"Peninsula Fiber Network outlines under‑lake fiber route through Jean Klock Park to connect Benton Harbor directly to Chicago",2723,103000,2826000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5810508-85943f3a5c844a87f59eff1b043a5ed0&start=103&end=2826","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5810508-85943f3a5c844a87f59eff1b043a5ed0/thumbnail_103000.jpg","/articles/6467106/Benton-Harbor/Berrien-County/Michigan/Peninsula-Fiber-Network-outlines-underlake-fiber-route-through-Jean-Klock-Park-to-connect-Benton-Harbor-directly-to-Chicago","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6467106-d2d2e93b6f28ce7321117afa7a1924b9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445345&Signature=g0ZZ8isLitYd94~ZBBv-H-p1mpIMt-i67ldOlM4erWleBl9Cn~a0cJgntBfA9K2AX8SA-a94SQSh~MmJfaHilo9JgFXDwESUT4NYhMA-GC~H8gZuiY~9Ynq~4d96CaWJAFqiQqu8lP2EEVpOVyHLH~p0Q5-YYH0q608SfcTSJYvBlx4ZL9bLlRASLEWl6WVvvJxB372HmLDyO0zQg884mv2NLOF4VjEszBsk~GwtwNks~1OMlZ839kVfvDo0gmHAQ4ytwY2Ps0wf7LOLBoq-gB7TCQPFYpdZEc-iiZmNvs80VWo~f6wlEpRrvYrnoh~~yqRC8xw353RunMK1uuJQjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Peninsula Fiber Network representatives told the Benton Harbor City Commission that a federally funded middle‑mile fiber project would be routed under Lake Michigan from Jean Klock Park and bring a direct connection from Benton Harbor to Chicago.

Jennifer Greenberg, vice president of government affairs for Peninsula Fiber Network, said PFN received a $61,200,000 federal grant and that the full Route 1 project is estimated at $87,000,000, with PFN and partner 123Net providing a $26,000,000 private match. She said PFN has already received $27,000,000 in grant disbursements and that the route would total about 535 miles and pass 35,000 previously unserved locations.

\"This is an open access network,\" Greenberg said. \"Yes, we'll own and operate it, but other providers have access to it and can utilize the resources that it brings to the network.\" She added the line would improve redundancy for next‑generation 911 and create economic development opportunities by linking local users to a major Chicago internet exchange.

Jim Bednarik, PFN CFO, described the marine engineering: a horizontal directional drill to install a shore manhole and sleeve at Jean Klock Park, plus a marine cable pull and protective burial on the lakebed. He said the Benton Harbor ingress/egress location was chosen after a two‑year site review and that drilling would require staging in the south parking lot of Jean Klock Park and the installation of a small telecommunications shelter in the freshwater pump station compound.

PFN provided a high‑level schedule: permitting and environmental studies through late 2025 with terrestrial construction beginning in 2026; the marine pull into Lake Michigan targeted for 2027 and service turn‑up aimed for mid‑2028. PFN said it had completed an audit tied to the federal program and that the project was part of the federal middle‑mile program created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Commissioners and residents asked about speeds, local benefits and environmental safeguards. Greenberg and Bednarik said PFN provides middle‑mile capacity (the trunk network that connects last‑mile providers to the wider Internet), not the last‑mile connections into individual homes. They said the company can deliver high‑capacity transport — “pipe” that local internet service providers would use to serve customers — and that speeds available over middle‑mile fiber far exceed the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband benchmark (25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload).

PFN representatives and city officials stressed that the marine work requires multiple federal and state approvals. Commissioner Mary Alice Adams and other residents asked for additional community briefings and a site tour of Jean Klock Park. PFN said it would continue outreach and that permits from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, federal agencies and Chicago authorities would be required for the lake crossing.

PFN described the construction footprint at Jean Klock Park as limited to a shaded perimeter in the south parking lot for a 6‑ to 8‑week drilling window and said the company would restore disturbed park areas to equal or better condition, leaving only a small manhole lid visible after construction. PFN said the telco shelter would be prefabricated, require scheduled monthly maintenance and include a backup generator.

City Manager Alex Little clarified that the PFN project is a middle‑mile build and will not, by itself, deliver fiber to individual homes; the city is exploring ways to maximize local benefit and to work with PFN and partner ISPs where feasible.

PFN provided contact materials and asked residents to direct follow‑up questions to the city clerk; PFN said the full presentation and maps would be posted online.

Ending: Commissioners thanked PFN for the presentation and asked staff to continue negotiating permits, a potential lease or easement at the pump station site and next steps for further community engagement.","Peninsula Fiber Network representatives told the Benton Harbor City Commission that a federally funded middle‑mile fiber project would be routed under Lake Michigan from Jean Klock Park and bring a direct connection from Benton Harbor to Chicago.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6467102,"City manager to move $3 million Eagle Grant allocation to water plant for Administrative Consent Order work, manager says",189,2870000,3059000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5810508-85943f3a5c844a87f59eff1b043a5ed0&start=2870&end=3059","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5810508-85943f3a5c844a87f59eff1b043a5ed0/thumbnail_2870000.jpg","/articles/6467102/Benton-Harbor/Berrien-County/Michigan/City-manager-to-move-3-million-Eagle-Grant-allocation-to-water-plant-for-Administrative-Consent-Order-work-manager-says","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6467102-ce4e20e0748967192980dd04e351a64c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445346&Signature=I4jNLQH9LwIJ5H5q8zQ6ndmY7DwCAhzhDG2HXrrj6T9~oYb~auG--xzxsKV0wIqKrz3D0AYTro7gzu4yCJcslj2JEbM4gCeHvC-fRbmn9SfRuOVNWKm57Zh0Ais8DH33XW0KNG7TUSg4EM4LbCN2CXs3HjnbACDDYs5FdKLXtxQq~0wzEQUosh1jD04GsA8GdzsEUxVyPaGst~auB1SNKVvV74jNLHzLvxpXy9q2NSf2O573K2azBi83L8dKL4Oq9H0GaNYJ-VKfxhac4AVuhWXFHpLdps-IxDBlu~73m6uyeeQC0a-O4D2Z6WjgYnl-1yeFmDNW1IilaCR4qt~tSA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City officials in Benton Harbor told the City Commission that the administration will transfer $3,000,000 within the city’s Eagle grant funding to cover repairs and improvements at the municipal water plant required by an Administrative Consent Order.

City Manager Alex Little said the transfer moves funds that had been allocated for utility replacement into the water‑plant project to address specific ACO priorities. \"We're simply transferring it over to address these administrative consent order concerns,\" Little said. He told commissioners the transfer would not require additional taxes or new millages and that the city had coordinated the change with Eagle grant administrators.

Commissioners asked whether the transfer would deplete other utility‑improvement projects. Little said the transfer would not exhaust the account and that other utility projects would continue to be funded from remaining Eagle grant allocations.

Commission discussion referenced a recent presentation by a consultant, Jason from Abbott Marsh, who had described the items on the ACO list. Little said he had provided commissioners a full listing of ACO items previously and that staff would continue to report on progress.

Ending: The commission advanced the matter for administrative implementation with staff direction to continue regular updates on ACO compliance and project spending to the full commission and the public.","Benton Harbor city staff told commissioners the city will transfer $3,000,000 from an Eagle grant allocation originally set for utility replacement to water‑plant repairs to address items in an Administrative Consent Order (ACO). City officials said the transfer will not increase taxes and will not deplete the utility improvement account.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Residents and commissioners urge coordinated response to homelessness after vandalism and encampments at Benton Harbor parks

Peninsula Fiber Network outlines under‑lake fiber route through Jean Klock Park to connect Benton Harbor directly to Chicago

City manager to move $3 million Eagle Grant allocation to water plant for Administrative Consent Order work, manager says