DURAND, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Vernon Township in Shiawassee County and nearby township residents voiced their concerns for a proposed megasite that would be located within the City of Durand at Monday evenings township meeting. 

“We want to keep Durand (Shiawassee County) a rural farm community!,” said Shelly Ochodnicky, a Shiawassee resident at the meeting, “Not an industrial park full of traffic, trucks and trains coming in and out all day long. We do NOT want to take the chance on these companies having CCP ties like the ones in Big Rapids & Marshall.”

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According to Ochodnicky, the proposed megasite was discussed during the meeting, but there was no new resolution or vote. 

“They were doing some minor evaluations of the site,” she said during an interview with Michigan News Source, “[assessing] water and other typical things you do when looking at a site, to prepare it for a company of any sort to come in.” 

The Durand City Mayor expressed his disinterest in having a megasite come to the area, but rather wanted funding from the state to go towards infrastructure projects involving sewer, water, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Fire, Police and other areas according to Ochodnicky. 

Another source of contention with elected officials was that some had voiced concerns regarding the proposed site’s location. 

“The township leaders had told them that they did not want this across from Durand Middle School, but that looks to still be the proposed area, so they don’t feel like that was probably heard,” said Ochodnicky in the interview. 

Other concerns beyond potential security threats for potentially partnering with a Chinese owned company, extended to many other areas of the project. 

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“There are concerns for water, for contamination, materials where do they come from to make EV batteries,” she added, “We can call it American made but if the materials are not here then it’s truly not American made, if we’re getting the materials from China.” 

The Vernon Township meeting comes a week after the Durand City Council voted 6 – 0 to withdraw from their partnership with the Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership (SEDP) who has been working with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to place another megasite in Durand. 

Part of the decision came up in discussion ahead of the vote when council members discussed how the SEDP President and CEO Justin Horvath and SEDP Board Chair Bryan Marks had signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with Factorial Energy, who then proceeded to meet together without the Durand council members or township officials because they hadn’t signed NDA’s.

Current Durand City Mayor Jeff Brands expressed at the August 7th meeting his displeasure about having to leave a July meeting due to the fact he had not signed an NDA, and told the SEDP that he no longer trusted them according to Michigan News Source. 

Other council members shared similar disappointments and also their own reasons for opposing continuing the partnership. 

“I’m a veteran…I’m gone, I’m not having some plant coming in here turning this to Flint,” said Councilman Patrick O’Connor. 

Those who attended the Vernon Township meeting also expressed their concerns for the project as it related to the ongoing Gotion and Ford Blue Oval Battery Park Projects which are under scrutiny for ties to foreign companies and the potential security risks involved. 

Michigan News Source reached out to Mayor Brands for comment regarding the township meeting but did not hear back ahead of press.