Benton Harbor OKs 75-year ground lease with Peninsula Fiber Network to bring high‑speed lines to public buildings

The City Commission approved a 75‑year ground lease with Peninsula Fiber Network (PFN) that, according to staff, will bring a one‑gig fiber line into city hall, the library, the Bobo Brazil center and the water plant. Mayor Pro Tim Turner moved the approval and Commissioner Isam supported the motion after staff said the legal property description would be corrected before signing.

City officials and commissioners discussed the tradeoffs: PFN will install the underground lines at an estimated city‑facing construction cost of about $320,000 to run lines to the public buildings, and the city will receive seven years of free connectivity to those facilities. PFN will also pay taxes on the building and will provide an additional line to the Bobo Brazil center that the city could later use to resell wholesale service to residents, if the commission chooses to pursue that model.

Speakers framed the project as part of a larger regional fiber build that commissioners described variously as a roughly $72 million project (one speaker) and, in another remark, part of a much larger regional investment; commissioners said Benton Harbor’s location on the lake route makes it strategically important for fiber routing through Southwest Michigan and beyond.

Several commissioners requested clarification on the length of the lease and the long horizon (75 years) in exchange for seven years of free service; staff said the 75‑year term reflected negotiations that secured longer-term community benefit in exchange for an extended site lease. The commission approved the motion pending an amended legal description that staff will finalize before documents are executed.

The vote carried after a roll call; staff will complete the legal description and move to execution.