Iam writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed MnDOT project involving highways 371 and 210. While the intention to improve infrastructure is understandable, this plan threatens the long-term health and vitality of our community.

My family has proudly invested in Baxter for more than 60 years. In 1961, my grandparents, Leonard and Eunice Watland, purchased Steak N Taters on Washington Street. They later built Baxter’s first KFC and the A&W that once stood where Days Inn & Suites is today. My parents, Scott and Terri Watland, built that hotel in 1989, and today, Watland Hospitality continues that legacy through Baymont Inn & Suites, Days Inn & Suites and Rapid River Lodge — employing around 60 people. Over the decades, our family businesses have supported thousands of resident

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