The Benton Harbor Brownfield Redevelopment Authority voted Jan. 8 to reapply for a U.S. EPA brownfields assessment grant and to include $5,000 in the budget to pay consultant Fishbeck to prepare the application.

Theresa Searls, the Authority’s Brownfield consultant, told the board the prior application had “scored quite highly and narrowly missed enough points to receive award,” and she described what additional documentation and priority-site checks would be required under the updated guidelines. “Fishbeck wrote and was successful in helping our clients secure several successful grants in Michigan,” Searls said when asked about capacity to prepare the application.

Board members discussed the compressed timeline — applications were due Jan. 28 — and weighed paying a flat $5,000 fee to secure Fishbeck’s work this round. The board moved, with a second, to have Fishbeck prepare and file the application and to include the $5,000 budget allocation with the understanding that Fishbeck would be paid whether or not the Authority received the grant.

If awarded, the grant would provide assessment and cleanup planning funds — staff noted it would not pay for cleanup itself — and could unlock roughly $400,000 over a multi-year period for assessment activities in priority areas. Staff said the application must be submitted through the city (the board lacks a unique entity identifier) and that administration would be through the Authority if the grant is awarded.

The motion to reapply with a $5,000 application budget passed on roll call.