St. Joseph County approves MOU with Mishawaka for Capitol Avenue utility upgrades

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 10 approved a memorandum of understanding with the City of Mishawaka and the St. Joseph County Redevelopment Commission to guide water and sanitary-sewer extensions in the Capitol Avenue economic development area.

Bill Shalio, economic development director for the county’s Infrastructure, Planning & Growth office, told the board the MOU lays out roles and responsibilities: the county or its agents will pay for utility extensions, Mishawaka will help define scope, assist with design and coordinate the project, and the county will construct the work. "Once completed, the county will turn the project back over to City of Mishawaka to manage that specific utility," Shalio said.

Shalio said the MOU is a component of a larger agreement that officials expect to bring back to the board in the coming weeks and that it is necessary now so roles can be plugged into that larger utility-expansion contract. He also confirmed that other nearby utilities referenced in discussion would require separate agreements if their systems were to be extended under a different scope.

Commissioners Hazen and Maxmeier voted to approve the MOU; the motion passed 2-0.

The vote clears the way for staff to coordinate design and funding steps that Shalio said are intended to support economic development along Capitol Avenue. County officials said further details, including project scope, schedule and any associated funding commitments, will be provided when the comprehensive agreement returns to the board.