Herald Palladium- It will take major communication and cooperation among officials from three communities to make the
Twin Cities Sustainable Harbor Project a success.
But if the long-talked about development spanning parts of Benton Harbor, St. Joseph and St. Joseph Township becomes a reality, it will bring all three municipalities in the region great benefits for years to come.
That was the message delivered Monday by a consultant on the project, and St. Joseph Township officials agreed.
“There’s not a huge spot of land (in St. Joseph Township), but if you develop the harbor, you’re going to draw other development. This is a regional project and it will be a plus for all of us,” St. Joseph Township Manager Denise Cook said at a board workshop.

Herald Palladium - 

There is a great opportunity for the Twin Cities to catch a wave of growth along its waterfront over the next 20 years, according to a consultant who has been studying the issue for several months.

“You have a tremendous resource right in your backyard,” commented Don Carpenter, with Drummond Carpenter, conducting the final community discussion on the harbor plans at Kinexus in Benton Harbor on Tuesday.

The Twin Cities Harbor Sustainability Initiative, encompassing Benton Harbor, St. Joseph and St. Joseph Township, has been put together over the last 15 months with public gatherings, focus groups, meetings with government officials and other efforts to collect ideas for the waterfront. It is sponsored by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s Office of the Great Lakes in partnership with Michigan Sea Grant, Lawrence Technological University, the Harbor Conservancy and other groups.

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission recently honored the Paw Paw River Water Trail Project with its 2020 Graham Woodhouse Intergovernmental Effort Award.

The award is presented annually to projects that exemplify cooperation between and among governments, nonprofits and private entities. It was established to recognize and reward the partners who execute complex, regional problem solving that optimizes limited resources.

The Herald Palladium - 

A family packs up and heads to the beach on Lake Michigan for a long-planned vacation. When they get there they learn that the water has been closed to swimmers because of contamination by E.coli, which can cause illness if swallowed.

This is an aggravation and an inconvenience for the family, but it is also a symptom of the larger issue of water quality in the rivers and streams that flow into Lake Michigan, the source of our drinking water.

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, based in Benton Harbor, has posted a new website, BetterBeachesSWMI.org, that outlines the goal of improving water quality from Stevensville to the Indiana state line.

Herald Palladium - What do you know about water?

That’s what the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission wants to learn through its “Keep It Blue” online survey for
residents in Berrien and Cass counties, that will assess the community’s knowledge and level of concern with local water quality issues

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission recently honored Teri Sue Freehling with its 2020 Welch-Lackey Leadership Award.

Freehling has been a SWMPC member since 2016. She became vice chair in 2018, and has been SWMPC chair since February 2020.

Moody on The Market - In a day and age when “governmental cooperation” is sometimes considered an oxymoron, especially at the national level, the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission continues to search out exemplary collaboration in Michigan’s Great Southwest through their annual Graham Woodhouse Intergovernmental Effort Award.

Last month when they conducted their most recent commission meeting to wrap up the year, the commission presented the award to the Sink Road Bridge Replacement Project in Pokagon Township of Cass County.

Herald Palladium - Napier Avenue, between the bridge over the St. Joseph River and 450 feet east of Union Avenue, is expected to be reduced from four to three lanes by the end of the year.

The Berrien County Board of Commissioners approved the second leg of the Napier Avenue project Thursday.

The Leader - Cass County community members poured over large maps inside of Southwestern Michigan College’s Fred L. Mathews Library Conference Room. Working in groups of five or six, those in the library labeled the maps in different colors to indicate where pedestrian and biking paths currently exist the in the county and where community members think they are needed.

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission visited SMC to host a non-motorized transportation summit. The summit allowed for residents to participate in a discussion about the potential for bicycling and pedestrian facilities in Cass County. Facilities can include paved shoulders on existing roads and off-road trails to be used by cyclists and pedestrians.