Rep. Meerman is one step closer to securing state funds to repair the 5.5 miles of Blackmer Road between Mortimer and Wilson within Michigan’s 2026-2027 fiscal year budget.

“Locals know that this area or Blackmer is in a serious state of disrepair,” Meerman said. “And unfortunately, it requires a complete reconstruction from its foundation.”

That’s because when the road was originally paved in the 90s, it wasn’t installed with a standard sand and gravel base layer, causing the road to deteriorate rapidly. Since the road is missing that base layer, Meerman said the options are either reconstruct the road beginning at the foundation, or to grind the road down into a gravel road.

With a population of about 3,000, the township lacks the taxbase to levy the funds to repair the road. Since it’s not considered a primary road, the county road commission is unable to schedule the road for maintenance, and converting it to a gravel road is the only option without state funding.

“My funding request would simply reinvest state tax dollars back into the Ravenna community by repairing this road that is so heavily relied on by residents and local agriculture,” Meerman said. “Regardless of politics, we can all agree that the provision, maintenance, and safety of public transportation and infrastructure are a core function of our tax dollars. It’s a modest request from our community, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure this special funding remains in the final state budget that gets signed into law.”

The Republican-introduced House budget proposal was approved last Wednesday night and now moves to be considered by the state Senate.