OTTAWA — The Ottawa city and Franklin County commissioners finalized an agreement this morning to buy 303 acres for a new industrial park south of I-35 and east of U.S. 59 On the southeast edge of Ottawa. The $1.61 million deal is expected to be closed before the end of the year. The cost will shared by Ottawa and Franklin County. The city will extend water, wastewater, electric and broadband utility services to the site and Franklin County will improve Montana Road on the east side of the site and Kingman Road on the south side of the site and make bridge improvements on Kingman Road, Ottawa Mayor Linda Reed and Franklin County Commission Chair Steve Harris said. The utilities and I-35 are the keys to the future success of the new industrial park, Franklin County Development Council’s David Lee told the commissioners during a joint meeting this morning at city hall to wrap up the final details. “As a city and as a county, we have explored ways to keep our community progressive,” Reed said. “We have looked at what we are contributing and building that our children and the next generations will find important enough to fight to keep. This is one of those important and big, bold dreams.” Officials looked at more than 100 sites in the county for a new industrial park. The process began eight years ago after Hill’s Pet Nutrition couldn’t find a suitable site in Ottawa and built in Emporia, City Commissioner Blake Jorgensen said. “Although we still have a few small tracts available in our current industrial park, companies are looking for much larger tracts upon which to build now.” Work on the new site announced this morning took about four years. “Multiple landowners were needed to create a land acquisition of this size and each of those partners willingly participated in this process,” said Blaine Finch, a former president of the Franklin County Development Council and who did much of the legal work and negotiations for the project. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the vision that each of the landowners has for their community and their willingness to help move the community in the right direction.”
Wednesday, Dec. 3, noon
