Benton Harbor city officials are working to address issues at the Harbor Towers apartment complex after the building experienced flooding and a power outage over Christmas weekend. City commissioners heard Tuesday from a resident who said there was water up to her knees and that it was difficult to get a response from anyone who could help. Public Safety Director Dan McGinnis said issues with the complex have been known for some time. HUD officials were in town this week and improvements are coming.
“It looks like it’s either going to be they’re going to move everybody out, get them in other locations and put money into that building and revamp it,” McGinnis said. “It’s got to be totally gutted, totally gutted. It’s all types of things going on. Vermin, mold, broken pipes, you name it.”
McGinnis said the building may have to be razed. Mayor Marcus Muhammad said the storm of 2022 broke Harbor Towers, which was already an old building with known problems.
“I believe that although the saga and the story of Harbor Towers has come to a breaking point and many people have suffered over the years, I believe that there’s a good God and that He’s going to take a situation that’s terrible, and that he’s going to bring something good out of it,” Muhammad said.
Muhammad said staff are already working to find hotels for residents while an estimated $5 to $7 million in work will be done to the building by HUD. He called the situation a “travesty,” adding Harbor Towers will be restored to what it once was, and for seniors age 55 and older only.
