Representatives of the Imagine Benton Harbor campaign and the Michigan Black Summit presented an outreach and marketing proposal to the Benton Harbor Brownfield Redevelopment Authority on Oct. 9 that would use billboards, digital advertising, a website and partnership events to market the city to investors and visitors.

Presenter Trenton Bowens framed the campaign as a complement to the city’s master plan, saying the proposal aims to attract investors, highlight redevelopment opportunities and build civic pride. "Imagine Benton Harbor is not just a marketing effort. It is a forward-looking strategy designed to complement and elevate the city of Benton Harbor's master plan," Bowens said.

The presentation included proposed placements from highway billboards to digital ads and suggested partnering with statewide groups that attend the Michigan Black Summit. The packet listed a total program budget in the range of $59,000, which campaign staff acknowledged is larger than the authority’s typical marketing allocations.

Board members praised the concept but questioned specific line items and scale. Member Ivy Chandler suggested cutting newspaper ads and reducing the number of billboards; staff recommended providing a lightweight web presence linked from the city site rather than a standalone expensive site. Member Mary Alice Adams urged data on media reach and noted the authority’s limited discretionary funds after recent reimbursements and budget approvals.

Therese reminded the board that any Brownfield-supported marketing must be consistent with statutory constraints on how brownfield funds are used and that the authority should consider partnerships and other funding partners (for example, MEDC or private sponsors) rather than being the sole funder of the full campaign.

No vote was taken. Staff said the campaign team and board would continue discussions and that if the board wanted to consider a contribution, staff would evaluate what portion of the proposal aligns with allowable brownfield-supported marketing and recommend a scaled option.