Dan Fette, Community Development Director for Berrien County

Dan reviewed all the activities needed for maintaining the St. Joseph Harbor and River, ensuring they remain open for both commercial and recreational boating. The Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the Inner and Outer Harbors by keeping them dredged for commercial traffic. The Bicentennial Bridge separates the two harbors. The Outer Harbor is relatively uncontaminated, and the cost to dredge is significantly less than that of the Inner Harbor, as the silt from the Inner Harbor must be trucked out to the Airport.

That dump area will be filled up soon, but no one has had the authority to find a new spot. To remedy this problem and, in addition, to handle dredging for recreational boating from the inner harbor to the Napier Bridge, the St Joe Harbor Authority was created. It consists of Benton Harbor, St. Joe Township, and St. Joseph, with Berrien County as the Administrator. This body has the authority to identify a new fill site for the Inner Harbor and to manage the dredging of the St. Joseph River, up to the Napier Bridge.