Town officials and residents raise safety, tourism and funding concerns about Mid‑States Corridor

Commissioner Chad A. Blessinger briefed the board on information he gathered about the Mid‑States Corridor and read responses he received from INDOT, then opened the floor for public comment. Multiple residents and Holland officials urged the county to consider local impacts before supporting the project.

Public commenters highlighted several concerns. Jason Heile (Cass Township) and Terry Brown spoke against the AES Solar Park and raised safety and property‑value issues. Melanie Barnett of the Town of Holland expressed concern about features of the corridor — including j‑turns — and about emergency‑medical‑service response times. Landowner David Ring said he served on a previous countywide zoning committee and questioned the corridor’s benefits, saying construction could cost local tourism and that a road might "only save approximately 3 minutes of travel time." Sheila Wendholt said she would be impacted by both the corridor and the solar park and questioned how people would get to work and school during construction and how fire protection would be maintained. Roger Pund stressed funding concerns, warning that local taxes such as LIT or wheel taxes may increase to cover corridor costs.

Commissioner Blessinger said he attended meetings both for and against the corridor and had exchanged questions with INDOT Project Manager Kyanna Wheeler; he read Wheeler’s responses to the board and public. The meeting record does not show that the commissioners took a formal position at this session; public commenters requested greater clarity on mitigation, emergency response and funding before the county endorses or facilitates corridor work.