A city committee in Benton Harbor has advanced a plan to install solar energy systems in three municipal buildings, despite the cancellation of a federal grant that was to have paid for the projects.
At a meeting of the Economic Development and Parks and Recreation Committee this week, City Manager Alex Little told commissioners the EPA previously awarded a $20 million Community Change Grant to the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission for workforce development, energy efficiency, and community resiliency programs in Benton Harbor, but then the Trump administration later clawed it back. Still, the city was left with another $1.5 million grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy for the solar project.
“Even though EPA canceled their project, we went back to the state and said, look, let us utilize that money since it’s already been appropriated to get a designer that can design the system for the three buildings that we had in that grant and prepare construction-ready plans,” Little said.
The resolution before the committee was to authorize a contract with Charthouse Energy, LLC for design of the systems at a cost of $129,000.
Little said the design being put together under this contract will ensure the city has shovel-ready projects prepared, just in case funding to complete the projects is secured.
The solar systems would be at city hall, the water plant, and the Bobo Brazil Community Center.
