Terre Haute Area Economic Development Corporation

“Line 6 explanation - Any person, association, corporation, partnership, foundation or legal entity having an interest in the objectives of the Corporation shall be eligible for one of the 4 classes of membership.”

“Line 7a explanation - All primary members are given one vote on matters that require a member vote.”

“Line 11b Explanation - The completed return was given to the executive committee for review before filing.”

“All other employee compensation adjustments occur during the annual budgeting process which includes significant Executive Committee involvement. The President's compensation is reviewed and revised by the Organization's Executive Committee. The Executive Committee includes members that have access to peer data. Minutes of Executive Committee document the discussion and decision.”

“The governing documents and financial statements are available upon request. These documents may be requested by contacting the corporation directly by e-mail or telephone, through their website, or from Sackrider & Company, Inc., where the records are held.”

“It should be noted that ENTEK will be manufacturing battery separator material at its new facility currently under construction in the Vigo County Industrial Park II. Battery separators are a very important component of a battery, but it is not the entire battery. ENTEK's customers are battery manufacturers who incorporate ENTEK separators into the final battery product. With the above in mind, a bit of additional detail regarding battery separators is in order. A battery separator is a thin membrane (constructed of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in the case of ENTEK separators) that contains "micropores" that are uniformly spread throughout the separator material. Placed between the cathode (positive electrode) and anode (negative electrode) of a battery, the separator prevents direct contact between the cathode and anode while also allowing the passage of ions (atoms that have lost or gained electrons and have become electrically charged) back and forth between the cathode and anode. As noted in last year's annual report, a large portion of the ENTEK project is being financed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), with loan funds authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). After a nearly two year application and review process, ENTEK achieved complete financial closure with the DOE on November 22, 2024. However, as we all know, President Trump upon taking office on January 20, 2025 issued an Executive Order freezing all Federal funding disbursements while the new administration has the opportunity to evaluate thousands of previous IRA grant awards, as well as other Federal funding outflows and programs. This Executive Order has caused ENTEK to temporarily slow its construction until the company's Federal DOE loan funds are, once again, released by the Department of Energy. The ENTEK team is quite optimistic that the hold on their particular DOE loan will be lifted in the very near future. ENTEK representatives have been working very closely with the DOE and the company's equity investors in this regard since Valentine's Day. ENTEK owns approximately 80% of the domestic market for the manufacture of lead acid battery separators. Regarding the lithium-ion separators that ENTEK will be manufacturing in Vigo County, the company's products will be used in nearly everything that utilizes a lithium-ion battery . . . everything from mobile phones to utility battery storage to electric vehicle batteries to all kinds of battery-powered tools and equipment. If a product contains a lithium-ion battery, chances are good that the battery will contain separator material manufactured by ENTEK. As demonstration of ENTEK's on-going work to remain the industry leader in battery separator technology, ENTEK received the 2024 BCI (Battery Council International) Innovation Award, ". . . for its solvent-free separator technology, providing a more environmentally friendly alternative that does not sacrifice strength or performance." In his comments regarding the BCI Innovation Award, Dr. Rick Pekala, Chief Technology Officer for ENTEK International, offered the following comments, "Innovation is a core value and centered in ENTEK's culture and passion for using material science expertise and technical capabilities to solve the industry's most complex challenges. ENTEK is developing technologies for the next generation of separator products to help our customers manage increasingly stringent regulatory and societal challenges for producing high performance energy storage products." The Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation has worked with ENTEK representatives regarding its new lithium-ion separator facility in the Vigo County Industrial Park II since October, 2022. We are looking forward to ENTEK's construction getting back to maximum speed in the very near future. The Rise of the AI Data Center According to the website Brittanica.com, "The earliest substantial work in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) was done”

“Prepare and Advance Terre Haute (PATH) 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan The Terre Haute Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) serves the West Central Indiana Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA) that includes the City of Terre Haute, the Towns of Seelyville, Riley and West Terre Haute as well as the urbanized and rural portions of Vigo County. Metropolitan Planning Area boundaries are typically adjusted after each decennial census based on the urbanized area boundaries drawn by the U.S. Census Bureau. In our FY 2022-2023 Annual Report, we discussed the process for updating the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. The preparation and maintenance of a Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) is one of the core functions of any MPO. Metropolitan Planning Organizations are charged with the development of a long-range transportation plan for the metropolitan area covering a planning horizon of at least twenty years. The MTP is designed to foster (1.) mobility and access for people and goods; (2.) efficient system performance and (3.) a positive quality of life for the citizens of the MPA. Terre Haute MPO Transportation Planning Director Jeremy Weir further advises that, "The MTP is the long-range transportation plan that guides planning, construction, operation and maintenance of the integrated, multi-modal transportation network in the MPA. It sets the regional transportation vision and priorities through a variety of principles and strategies, providing a foundation for all of the tasks and projects delineated in the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The MTP is reviewed and updated at least every four years in air quality nonattainment and maintenance areas and every five years in attainment areas." Work on the 2050 MTP commenced in March, 2023 (hence the "Prepare and Advance Terre Haute (PATH)" phraseology/acronym used to describe the work product during the planning and drafting process. As with any significant public planning initiative, public participation is a vital part of the MTP process. The MPO followed a four-step, public participation planning process in regard to the PATH 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. Step 1 identified needs and challenges via the gathering of general ideas and issues from the public and stakeholders. Step 2 involved the distribution of surveys to define transportation needs and vision as well as the continued solicitation of broader public input. Various proposals, coupled with their potential benefits and drawbacks, came into play during this part of the process. Step 3 involved the release and evaluation of a draft document, including maps and implementation strategies, following the evaluation and prioritization of the various options. It is important to note that the evaluation and prioritization of various options follows the ranking of proposals/ideas to ensure the proposals resolve identified transportation challenges. Step 4 of the public participation aspect culminated in the development of implementation strategies via the creation of a process summary and timeline, as well as the identification of responsible parties and potential funding sources. Without question, the public participation aspect drove the PATH 2050 MTP planning process. As one can imagine, the entire MTP process is quite complex. Due to the complexity involved, the MPO Policy Committee sought proposals from professional transportation planning and engineering firms. Miami, Florida-based The Corradino Group was selected to provide professional planning assistance in regard to the process. More specifically, Dr. Johnny Han, PhD, PE and Technical Vice President of The Corradino Group guided MPO staff, various stakeholders and the public throughout the process. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has provided its approval of the PATH 2050 MTP document. The 2050 Metropolitan TrPrepare and Advance Terre Haute (PATH) 2050 Metropolitan Transportation”