Dear ,
The purpose of this report is to update the Board on the activities of the EDC and the general economic development
activity in the area impacting Southwest Johnson County.
New Prospects:
Project Traders: This project is a distribution project. The proposed building is 300,000 square feet.
Project Grain: A grain company is looking for a location to transfer grain into empty containers for shipment back to the west coast and the Far East.
Project Container: This project involves a developer looking for a site to store and distribute containers. The cities of Gardner and Edgerton and Johnson County are considering regulations for these types of facilities.
Project Update: The following is an update on existing projects:
Sale of the Soccer Building: Johnson County Parks Department has purchased the 88,000 square foot building at 515 New Century parkway for use as a recreational facility. The building originally planned as an indoor soccer facility will now be a multipurpose recreation facility including soccer fields, volleyball and basketball courts.
Project Fast: This distribution project is developer driven and has slowed down. They had identified a site on New Century for a 100,000 square foot facility but, recently indicated they have not finalized the agreement with the end user.
BNSF Intermodal:
The planning and preparation to begin construction of the BNSF Intermodal Facility has been moving forward. With the State of Kansas providing $35 million in bonds through the 2010 Transportation Bill, the BNSF is required to begin this year. The bid requests should be going out this month. The State of Kansas is working to have the Homestead exit on I-35 open when the intermodal is ready. Skip Kalb will be giving an update at our next quarterly luncheon on September 1st.
SmartPort Marketing Trip: SmartPort staff and a group of Partners will travel to Chicago this month and host consultants, developers and brokers on a trip to Kansas City by train. While on the trip from Chicago we will have time to discuss the market changes/updates on activities in Kansas City such as the BNSF Intermodal.
WERC Conference: We attended the WERC (Warehousing Education and Research Council) conference last month. The meeting of logistics professionals was both educational and a good source of contacts. We again partnered with SmartPort and John Smith from LS Commercial Real Estate also attended.
Legislative: Last year the legislature passed a bill called PEAK (Promoting Employment Across Kansas). This bill was
designed to help Kansas be competitive in the economic development market. The bill provides qualifying businesses with a rebate on withholding taxes for qualified employees. The Legislature also passed the Transportation Bill which allows the State to issue $35 million in bonds to jump start the BNSF Intermodal. The bonds will be repaid through the state taxes generated by the power used on the site.
The 2010 Business Appreciation meeting, jointly hosted by the Gardner Area Chamber of Commerce and Southwest Johnson County Economic Development Corporation, was held Wednesday, June 2nd at the Gardner Edgerton High School-Commons Area, seventeen new businesses were recognized. The Business of the Year was Price Chopper. They were recognized for their years of service and support for the community. Special thanks to our underwriters: BNSF Railway, CenturyLink, City of Gardner, Continental Title Company, Gardner Bank, Johnson County Airport Commission, KCPL, McCownGordon Construction, Metcalf Bank, Olathe Health Systems, Peridian Group and TradeNet Publishing.
The 30th Annual Johnson County Airport Commission Invitational Golf Tournament at Prairie Highlands Golf Course was held Friday, June 25th, Prairie Highlands Golf course. Thanks to the sponsors and players it was another successful event. Special thanks to our sponsors: BNSF Railway, Burns & McDonnell, Coffman Associates, Danisco, Johnson County Airport Commission, LS Commercial Real Estate, Metcalf Bank, Midwest Air Traffic Control Services, New Century Air Service, Southwest Johnson County EDC, and The Commerce Trust Company.
Mark Your Calendar for the next Southwest Johnson County EDC Board and Quarterly Membership meeting at noon on Wednesday, September 1st, to be held at the Ball Conference Center; 21350 West 153rd Street, Olathe, KS 66061. Speakers, Skip Kalb, Strategic Development Director for BNSF Railway will give an update on the BNSF Intermodal facility and Doug Davidson, President for CERI, Inc. will give an economic overview. Buffet menu cost is $25 per person. Call (913) 713-6002 or go online to RSVP. www.thinksouthwestjohnsoncounty.com/events.aspx.
Tom Riederer, CEcD
President
Southwest Johnson County Economic Development
P.O. Box 456
Gardner, KS 66030
913-715-6007
913-715-6008 fax
913-220-3105 cell
tom.riederer@jocogov.org
