Agreements show Heartland to spend millions on Sullivan County infrastructure

SULLIVAN COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Documents signed this week on a $65 billion deal detail how millions will be spent in Sullivan County and govern work on a road project and a land donation. The two agreements, a community enhancement agreement and a road use agreement, were signed by the Board of Commissioners of Sullivan County and the leaders of Heartland Industrial Park. The new 1,000-acre industrial park will be located between County Road 400 West and the Merom Generating Station. According to Heartland's website, it is designed to attract attendants in "light manufacturing, data centers, logistics, and advanced technology." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WTWO obtained the agreements on Wednesday. The Community Enhancement Agreement outlines how millions in payments will be sent to the county and how the money will be spent. "The Community Enhancement Payments will be used by the County, in its discretion, to pay costs released to the completion of certain infrastructure improvements, such as a fire station and fire service expenses, wastewater utility improvements, road improvements, educational improvements or expenses, and other infrastructure and provision of services to County residents or other public or governmental purposes in the county." The agreement adds that these payments are not a replacement for the taxes the company will also owe local, state, and federal governments. Advertisement Advertisement "The company shall make a contribution in the amount of $1,500,000 to each of the following three organizations … Brown Baggers School and Food Program, Sullivan Park & Lake, and College Hall Merom Camp & Retreat Center," the agreement states. Those payments must be made by July 1, 2026. The agreement also states that the county may create a tax increment finance allocation area, "containing all or a portion of the site of the project in order to capture tax increment revenues for the County." That money would then be spent on "improving infrastructure and the quality of life in the county, thereby aiding the company in and attracting and retaining employees, creating a better educated workforce as well as improving company logistics, which, but for such an investment, might otherwise be impractical." Finally, Heartland has agreed to donate 15 acres of land on the south side of W. County Road 100 S and the east side of S. County Road 400 W. The donation has to be done no later than the start of the first phase of the project and will be used for "a fire station or other governmental purpose." Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the Road Use Agreement delves into the issues surrounding the construction of the facility. That includes construction times and noise limitations. "Noise emanating from the project must not exceed hourly sound level of 55 a-weighted decibels (as measured at the outer edge of dwelling on nonparticipating property between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. during construction." However, "These limits do not apply to construction noises, noises emanating from safety signals or warning devices, … and transient noises from moving sources such as motor vehicles, railroads, and aircraft." Construction is limited from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Advertisement Advertisement "Developer, its contractors and subcontractors shall be allowed to use the road known as W County Road 200 S between US Route 150 and S County Road 550 W … and S County Road 400 W between W County Road 200 S and W County Road 100 S." The agreement calls this the Access Road and lists the responsibilities of Heartland to the area. "Prior to the commencement of construction of the project, Developer and County shall identify any upgrades, repairs, or improvements to legal drains of the County … that are required to complete the project. … Developer shall be responsible for determining whether such culverts or drains are capable of sufficiently carrying the loads associated with construction traffic." The agreement adds that Heartland will be required to make any upgrades or repairs before the start of the project. Advertisement Advertisement Heartland will also be responsible for reconstructing the access road between the western right-of-way of US Route 150 and the eastern right-of-way of S County Road 550 W. That work must be done within two years of the completion of the project. Heartland has to pay at least $250,000 to the county for field review and inspection of the project, and it has to put up a surety bond of $500,000 per mile of access road. As the documents show, the commission and Heartland have been quietly working on this massive project for some time. "We've sat with the commissioners and council people for years now and had conversations; we wanted to listen and see if this was a good fit", Executive Vice President for Heartland, Ilich Vahimi, said this week. "The infrastructure and when it came to power, large amounts of power, and large land, that's why we came to Sullivan County." Advertisement Advertisement Documents from the agreement is provided below: 2743_001 Download Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyWabashValley.com. About Our Ads