HOLLAND, Mich. — There was no ceremonial shovel today. No golden sledgehammer or red ribbon. Just flags — six of them — planted outside a quiet brick building once home to Ottawa County’s probate court.

More than 11,000 veterans call West Michigan home. Today’s events marked something historic: the official groundbreaking of Ottawa County’s first-ever dedicated Veterans Services facility.

“This won’t be your typical groundbreaking,” said Jason Schenkel, the county’s Director of Veterans Services, kicking off the event. “There’s no dirt to dig, no sledgehammers to swing… Instead, we’re going to do something more symbolic and meaningful. Today, we place our service flags in the ground to represent our collective commitment.”

The future facility — housed in a soon-to-be repurposed government building on the Fillmore campus — will serve as a centralized, purpose-built hub for benefits access, job support, and mental health resources. Until now, Ottawa County veterans were served out of a modest office in Holland, often sharing space and lacking the privacy required for complex claims work.

“This space allows us to have critical conversations about their care — mental health, physical health, financial needs, and public employment,”

said Schenkel, who took over the department in January 2024. “This is the first time we’ll have a facility that matches the size of our staff and the scale of our mission.”

The groundbreaking represents not just a logistical upgrade, but the fulfillment of a public promise nearly a year in the making.

In November 2024, the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners approved a funding package to renovate the facility — a long-awaited move that turned years of advocacy into real dollars. Most of the $225,000 renovation cost is being covered by remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, with additional support guaranteed for enhanced staffing through 2028.

“It was a pivotal decision,” said Kendra Wenzel, Chair of the Ottawa County Veterans Committee. “And now, standing here today, we see that vision becoming a reality.”

Wenzel praised the County Board, administration, and local citizens for their shared commitment. “This purpose-built, centralized space has been thoughtfully designed to foster connection, provide essential resources, and serve as a symbol of our community’s deep appreciation for its veterans,” she said.

The new center will feature private offices for veteran service officers, technology access for job applications, and event space to host resource fairs, partner programming, and community gatherings. It will also enable greater geographic accessibility. “We’re now within 20 minutes of nearly every corner of the county,” Schenkel noted.

‍

‍

Rep. Hillary Scholten takes partisan shot at President Trump during her remarks.

Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) emphasized the importance of supporting veterans during the ceremony, stating, “We are the home of the free because of the brave.” She expressed her concern about the reduction of veteran services in Washington, asserting,

“At a time when we are seeing services for our veterans cut back — something I strongly oppose — it is important for us to recommit ourselves to our veterans here at home.”

Despite the federal funding concerns raised by Rep. Scholten, Jason Schenkel offered a more grounded view from the county level. “Right now, we don't have many concerns,” he said in a one-on-one interview. “We do very well here in West Michigan. The federal VA supports us extremely well. We have two really nice health clinics, one in Muskegon and one in Wyoming. They're beautiful facilities, fully staffed, and they support us extremely well. Being county-funded, we haven't felt any funding issues at our level, but we're just really here to advocate and make sure that our veterans do get the services that they earn. So we'll continue to do that.”