NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce CEO Debra Teufel is encouraged thus far by the collaboration between Reno County and the cities of Hutchinson and South Hutchinson regarding getting infrastructure in place for a future industrial park off of K-96 south of South Hutchinson.
"Infrastructure is probably the most expensive piece of this," Teufel said. "It's the most vital, because no industry is going to come without a sure source of water and wastewater treatment for the future. Both cities have come to an agreement that is the best path forward, that Hutchinson deliver the water and sewer, because they have the greatest volume of both of those services and treatment plants to accommodate that."
The intent is to annex the new industrial park into Hutchinson.
"The elected officials of Hutchinson, in order to do that in a responsible manner feel like the most practical means to assure taxpayers of Hutchinson that this is the right thing is that the site get annexed into the city of Hutchinson in an island annexation," Teufel said.
By statute, an island annexation must have 2/3 approval of the Board of County Commissioners.
"There are some things that need to happen with the surveying of the site and some technicalities," Teufel said. "We're putting it on as fast a track as we possibly can."
The hope is that the decisions can come before the various governing bodies by the first of the year.
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