Benton Harbor City Commissioners are seeking a new grant to restore and reopen the Bobo Brazil Community Center.
The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission’s Marcy Hamilton tells us she’s helping the city apply for a $500,000 Environmental Justice Impact Grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. The grant helps eliminate blight, and Hamilton says it could be used for a variety of work at the community center that’s been shut down since 2009.
“We don’t have exact improvements yet, but it’d be fixing the roof, fixing the windows, looking at the heating and cooling systems, and what kind of upgrades those need,” Hamilton said. “All those types of improvements would be eligible.”
The city was previously awarded a $1 million Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity grant to reopen the center. Hamilton says it’s working with engineers to develop a plan and determine a cost. She says the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission is glad to help.
“The community doesn’t really have an indoor community center since this one closed up. So I think it’s just something the community would like to have in terms of a place to gather and to have programming available for people.”
The center is located near Ox Creek, and Hamilton says the Bobo Brazil project would be a nice complement to all the work the planning commission is doing to help restore that resource.
The grant application is due by July 15 and the state will announce grant recipients in August, so Hamilton says time is of the essence on this effort.
