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Business may be coming to Leavenworth
An additional business could be moving into a Leavenworth industrial park.
Steve Jack, executive director of the Leavenworth County Development Corporation, said a sales agreement for a three-acre lot in the Gary Carlson Business Park may be approved next week by the Leavenworth County Port Authority.
According to Jack, officials with a business from the Kansas City area are interested in constructing a 10,000-square foot building on the lot. This could result in 21 “high salaried” positions at that location.
Jack reviewed the potential business coming to Leavenworth on Thursday during a meeting of the LCDC Board of Directors.
The Leavenworth Times
Leavenworth County commissioners plan to form a committee to address issues related to the Leavenworth County Development Corporation.
Commission Chairman Mike Smith suggested the formation of the committee Wednesday as commissioners met with representatives of LCDC.
LCDC receives funding from the cities of Leavenworth, Lansing and Tonganoxie as well as the county government. The organization also receives money from the Leavenworth County Port Authority, which is provided funding from the county government. LCDC also receives support from private sector partners.
Basehor previously provided funding to LCDC, but the city recently withdrew from the organization.
Smith said Wednesday he wants LCDC to be successful. But he also wants county officials to feel they are getting a return on their investment.
Outgoing president: LCDC maintains momentum
A year ago, Leavenworth County Development Corporation President Harland Russell talked about building on LCDC’s momentum.
Not long after Russell spoke at last year’s annual LCDC meeting, the world was besieged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Russell reflected on what happened during the past year Friday while speaking at LCDC’s 2021 annual meeting.
“We didn’t stop the momentum,” he said.
He said LCDC shifted a little bit in response to the pandemic. The economic development organization created a page on its website with information to help businesses during the resulting economic crisis.
Russell noted that Leavenworth County businesses received federal loan assistance that totaled more than $18 million. He said these loans, many of which are forgivable, saved 3,106 jobs.
Former Lansing mayor dies
A former Lansing mayor died earlier this month.
Loren Russell also served on the Lansing City Council and the Lansing Board of Education, according to his son, Harland.
Russell died Dec. 12 at the age of 74.
Lansing’s current mayor, Mike Smith, said Russell was “an all-around good guy.”
“His community service was always first,” Smith said. “You could tell by the things he did in his life.”
Russell joined the Lansing City Council in 1975. He left the council in 1978 to take over as mayor after that position became vacant, according to Harland Russell.
Loren Russell served as mayor from September 1978 to April 1979.