28 July 2005

Governor Kathleen Sebelius Announces Agreement to Clean Up and Redevelop Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant

“After years of negotiations and false starts, I am excited to announce today that an agreement has been reached that will transform the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant into a powerful engine for economic growth in Northeast Kansas,” said Governor Kathleen Sebelius today.

More than 2600 acres of land will be open to use for parks and a research park, in addition to the 6000-plus acres that will be used for a planned community and extensive economic development. She continued, “That’s great news for the City of DeSoto, Johnson County, both the University of Kansas and Kansas State University, and the people of Kansas.”

Building on federal legislation, cooperation among several governmental units, and a public-private partnership, the Sunflower site will become the home for KSU forestry research and a major KU life sciences research park, to be developed jointly with private bioscience firms.

Governor Sebelius said, “With this agreement in place, the Sunflower Redevelopment LLC firm can move ahead on transforming this site, with its ammunition production history, into a center for world-class scientific research and innovative economic development that will benefit all Kansans.”

“Senator Pat Roberts, Congressman Dennis Moore and the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, led by Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh, have done a wonderful job in moving this project ahead,” the governor noted, “and it’s been a great pleasure to work with them.”

Congressman Moore said, “After years of uncertainly, I’m pleased all the parties involved in the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant transaction have come together to enhance the economic development potential for our community.  This deal will protect the federal funding necessary to clean up the site.  Now we can move forward with plans to develop Sunflower into a place to continue the growth in Johnson County with opportunities for new homes, new businesses and increased parkland.”    

Governor Sebelius said, “For years I’ve driven along K-10 and envisioned ways that this great expanse of land could be used productively. Today’s transfer of the property to SRL takes us one big step closer to realizing the dreams that many Kansans have had for this site.”

“I know that we’re still in the early stages of this project,” Sebelius said, “but if we get the same cooperation in the future that we witness today, I’m certain that we will demonstrate how a site that helped us win World War II can be reborn as an engine of growth and knowledge for many decades to come.”