By TIM CARPENTER
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids grabbed a shovel and flipped a chunk of dirt with state and local officials to mark the start of a $61 million road project in support of the 4,000-job Panasonic Energy electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant.
The state’s Eisenhower transportation construction fund and required matching contributions from municipal government were earmarked to address a 4.5-mile stretch of road needed to handle the surge in traffic around the manufacturing plant. The goal is to finish in 2024 conversion of a two-lane asphalt road to a divided four-lane roadway with curb, gutter and sidewalks near the Kansas 10 building site.
“Folks traveling to the Panasonic plant in the future will be able to do so safely and efficiently,” said Davids, a Democrat who serves the 3rd District that includes the Panasonic location. “Panasonic’s $4 billion investment is a game changer for our community, but we must make sure our public systems, from housing to education to infrastructure, can keep up with this growth.”
She was joined at the event Thursday by U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, Gov. Laura Kelly, De Soto Mayor Rick Walker, Johnson County assistant manager Aaron Otto, Clarkson Construction president Bill Clarkson, and Allan Swan, deputy leader of Panasonic’s Global Mobility Energy Division.
“This project is a testament to the state, county and city working together to invest in the success of Panasonic and attract new businesses to the area,” Moran said.
Davids said the photo-opportunity ceremony was a physical reminder of the elevated level of coordination necessary to make the best use of massive private and public investment in the Johnson County battery plant.
In May, Davids initiated a series of conversations among local officials, community leaders and federal administrators with community development expertise relevant to the Panasonic project. The first in the series involved Angela Belden Martinez, regional director for U.S. Economic Development Association’s office in Denver.
Davids said the objective was to build bridges so local officials had the best opportunity to learn about and secure federal aid. Sometimes, she said, cities and counties didn’t learn about availability of federal funding until it was too late to apply or experienced frustration with the cumbersome application process.
The Economic Development Association, for example, could support city governments with project planning grants, Davids said.
“I’m doing everything I can to make sure the federal government is an active partner in moving this project forward,” she said. “One of the key ways I can do that is by convening national, regional and local stakeholders to keep things on track.”
Kelly said the Panasonic project announced one year ago represented the largest private investment in Kansas history. The state of Kansas, through a series of economic development programs, was expected to provide about $800 million in incentives to Panasonic.
“This De Soto project is one more example of why Kansas is truly a winning investment for companies small, large and mega-sized,” the governor said. “Kansas is delivering the transportation infrastructure improvements needed to support the Panasonic facility during its construction and to serve employees, suppliers, and shippers once it is up and running.”