City hoping to draw businesses to industrial park

With road reconstruction work getting ready to start at the Holton Industrial Park, there’s no better time than now to use the prospect of new roads in enticing new businesses to put down stakes there, Holton City Commissioner Erich Campbell said Monday.

During the city commission’s regular meeting that evening, Campbell urged commissioners and other city officials to “look at the possibility of someone wanting to move into the industrial park,” noting that once road work is completed at the park, other businesses will begin to show more of an interest in filling the park’s four available lots. The industrial park is located north of the city on U.S. Highway 75.

“I have confidence that once the road is in there, there are going to be other businesses that will want to start developing,” Campbell said. “I don’t want to be behind the ball on this.”

Campbell also encouraged city officials to look at using a real estate agent to market the four available lots at the park. Holton City Manager Bret Bauer responded to Campbell’s comment by saying the city would have to pay for an agent’s services.

Campbell also asked whether the four available lots could be split to accommodate more businesses that might express an interest in land in the industrial park. Bauer noted that the lots, which range in size from 0.69 acres to 3.75 acres, could not be subdivided any further because of the way the park is platted.

Any prospective new business looking to relocate to the industrial park may purchase multiple lots as long as the purchase fits in with the park’s regulations, Bauer said.

Preliminary road work is likely to get started this week, according to Bruce Rinkes of Holton’s King Engineering, which is overseeing the road construction project. Digging of sanitary sewer lines was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Rinkes said, and street grading will start “probably next week.”

Rinkes also noted that a low water crossing that connects the industrial park with the Holton Community Hospital parking lot will need to be blocked off, noting that surveyors for the road work project had some problems with traffic using the crossing.

“People do fly through there,” Rinkes said.

Campbell relayed a comment from an HCH employee about the crossing, saying that it was not meant to be a permanent fixture, and that “the sooner we shut it off, the sooner people will get used to it.” Rinkes also offered to place some fill dirt or perhaps a barricade to block the crossing.

In other business on Monday, commissioners heard a concern from Holton resident Tara Milburn about rust problems with a gazebo at Rafters Park. Milburn said she placed a reservation on the gazebo at the beginning of the year for a wedding in September, but attempts at getting parks and recreation personnel to do something about the rust in the gazebo were resulting in “frustration” for her.

Milburn then told commissioners that she had talked with a parks and recreation representative in recent days and was told the department did not have the budget or “man hours” to take care of the problem. Bauer noted that repainting the gazebo was “not a planned project for this year,” and that if rust is that problematic, the gazebo will have to be sandblasted.

While sandblasting the gazebo structure would be better in the long term, Milburn said, she would prefer to have something done immediately. Commissioners appeared sympathetic to Milburn’s concern, with Mayor Robert Dieckmann saying there was “no need to let it rust away,” and Commissioner Dan Brenner adding that Milburn “did the right thing by making us aware” of the rust problem. 

Dieckmann said he and other commissioners would take a look at the gazebo and “do everything that we possibly can” to accommodate Milburn.

“No promises, but we’ll try,” Campbell added.

Commissioners also:

* Noted the absence of Commissioner Tim Morris.

* Approved the minutes from the commission’s Aug. 3 meeting and budget appropriations made since that meeting.

* Approved renewal of the city’s contract with Waste Management for residential garbage collection for one year, starting Oct. 1. Bauer said Waste Management officials did not seek any change in collection rates for the coming year.

* Approved a resolution revising the city’s personnel policies and guidelines manual to correct spelling and grammar errors found in the previous manual, which Bauer said was approved five years ago.

* Noted that the next city commission meeting would be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8 at Holton City Hall due to the next regularly scheduled meeting date falling on Labor Day.

* Approved requests from the Holton/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce for two alcoholic beverage special event licenses, pending approval of the licenses at the state level. The two licenses were sought for the Chamber’s “Second Saturday” events on Saturday, Sept. 12 (Jazz and Blues on the Square) and Saturday, Oct. 10 (Fall Fest).

* Heard a comment from Brenner on the repair of a stop sign at the intersection of Kansas Highway 16 and Lowell Drive.

* Heard a comment from Brenner reminding people to be aware of children crossing streets to go to and from school, now that the 2015-16 school year has begun.

* Heard a comment from Commissioner Twila White thanking Street Superintendent Rex Cameron and his crew for repairing potholes around the city.

* Heard a concern from Campbell over a reported opening in the fence around the Holton Elementary School construction site where children could enter the site. Bauer said city staff would contact the construction manager about Campbell’s concern.

* Heard comments from Campbell and Dieckmann about the positive turnout for a skiing event for handicapped and special needs children held recently at Prairie Lake.

* Adjourned the meeting at approximately 7:30 p.m.