I '
--------- City names Economic PevelOpment
BENTON HARBOR - The
Benton Harbor City Commis­
sion voted unanimously Mon­
day night, Nov. '28 to create a
department to handle increased
demands for an economic
development program and
problems. In doiogso, the Com- .
miuioo reorganized the Com­
munity Services Department
Kathy Bagley, grants
program manager, was named
head of the Community
Development Department.
Aaron Anthony, curre tly
director of Community Se ces
took over as Econo ic
Development director as of
Tuesday, ov.19.
City Manager Steve Man­
ning stated that Anthony's
salary will remain at S33,OOO a
year, but Bagley's pay will be in­
creased by $3,<XXl, making her
salary $32,<XXl a year.
Also, the commission ap­
proved b dget amendments for
a Community Development
Block Grant in the amount of
$1,111,714 for the fY88.
Unspent funds from pre­
vious years are being added to
the S490,(XX) grant .
The budget includes: ad­
ministr tion, $181,445; recrea­
tion, $32,380; aime prevention,
$89.00; demolition, $150,000;
. street imprOYement, S250,OOO;
code enforcement, $84,668;
rehabilitation, $126,184; and
economic development,
,$287,008.
In other matters the commis
sion voted unanimously to ap­
prov � moratorium on hiring
and pay ina-eases.
The commission directed the
city manager to submit for its
approval any new hiring or pay
increase prior to employing any
new employees, replacing per­
sonnellost to normal attritio or
giving any pay increases or
fringe benefit increase except
those required by current bar-
I ead ..;..___�;___�-
ganiDg agreemeo.ts. ficers will come &om orth of improvement project at Harbor
Manning said, the Main Industrial Park onies, Towers senior citizen apart-
moratorium wjJllast through the which already ha\'e been ap- ment building. Executive Direc- '
end of the 6scal year, June 30, proved by �e U.S. Department tor D��thel Whitfield. at �e
1989. of Housing and - Unban COmDllSSlOn's' pre-meetmg said
Manning also stated that the Development", said nning, the improvements include
city aurently has 102 employees . "The funds for the additional replacing the boiler, leaking val­
and that one exceptio to the irefighter would co from Yes, a ne trash compactor and
moratorium· the public safety monies turned over to e city thermostats for each apart­
department, where the city was from the Downtown Develop- ments.
I I in the process of hiring more ment Authority (DDA) and the - Appointed Commissioner ,
police officer and one addi- Tax Increment F nance Charles Yarbrough as chairman
tionalfirefighter. Authority (TIFA) B ds," he and Commi sioners Steve
added WOoden and erry Shannon 0
Commissioners also: work on a committee with
- Approved. a plan by the Yarbrough to determine .the
Benton Harbor Housing Com- process by which the city wpJ
mission to undertake a 155,000 See "DH Oty,·' -21
. What's the
difference between
an 800 lb. angry
·gorilla and an
electric power
'lin€r
• I
,
You might be able to .reason with
, the gorilla.
Play it safe around eleclricity,
at home and at work.
Call us for a free booklet
of electrical safety tips.
ECO OMIC
DEVELOPMENT FUNDS
FO POLICE
"Funds to hire the police of-
Berriem Coun. bus gran
'lex ands se ·
By Gri
Capital News Service
LANSING - Getting a ride
to a Greyhound bus station in
Berrien County is going to be a
little easier in the future, than
to a government grant.
Berrien County is one of
seven counties in the state that
will be receiving $200,000 in
federal funds to link rural
transporta ion systems to inter­
city bus lines, said David Sucha
of the Bureau of Urban and
Public Transportation
(UPTRAN).
The grant, which· partly the
idea of Greyhound Bus Lines
President Fred Curry, aUows
rural public transportation sys­
tems to pi ck up riders at their
homes throughout Berrien
County 'and deliver them to
Greyhound and Indian Trials
bus terminals in Benton Harbor
and st. Joseph.
. SpecificaUy, the money will
be used to increase the opera-
tion of the Twin Cities
Transportatio Authority and
Berrien Bus, the two public
transit operations in th county,
as well as for advertising to
promote the systems tHemsel­
ves.
. In addition, Greyhound will
pay a ��ion to the �ier
for bringing the passenger to
them.
Sucha said the system will be
in operation sometijne in
December. The pilot p ogram
will run for a year wh n the
Department of Transpo tation
will evaluate its perfor ceo
The problem with rural
tr# portation programs n a
lack of riders, but not enough
hours of operation, said Dennis
chub, director of planni g and
public works for Berrien un-
ty. '.1
Studies ha shown tnat the
times of highest bus ridership
are from Friday evening tb uo­
day evening, while in Berrien
County the buses do not run at
these times.
The granl will increase the
hours of operation by th ee
hours from onday through
Friday, while extending b er­
Vice from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m, on
Saturday and un day.
chub, . d that rural coun-
ties such Berrien have suf-
fered in th past few years be- -
cause of bus line deregulation.
"In the past the bus stopped
in every town, be said. " ow
they just tay on 1-94; ther is
only one place to top."
He said that ticket agen
now will tell customers on
Greyhound that they will be abl
to have a bus waiting for them in
Benton Harbor that wiD take
them anywhere in Berrien
County - for a fee.
"I thin the fee fro Benton
Harbor to Coloma is $2." he
said
Berrien County was selecte�
by the stale because of the way
its bu ystem w rks, Sucha said
\ "They have a proven' track
record in regard to running
their system," he said. "They can
gel beh ind it and m ke it
wor . "Schuh said that both sys­
tems will eliminate the equired
24-hour advance reservation, s
well
Berrien Bus, which andles
all county transit 0 erations
outside th twin cities has be­
tween 11,000 and 15,000 each
. month.
I
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. SIGN ME UP 0 'the
MlClllGAN CITIZE
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_________ � __ St_ ZIP __ ..... \_
Mail this 10,,", with payment to.,
Ml n Cilia
P.O. Box 3560
H land Park, MI 48203