Demolition on Renewable Energy Groups’ partially constructed biodiesel facility may begin soon.
During the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas Board of Directors’ monthly meeting Friday, President Kent Heerman announced that demolition of the facility in southeast Emporia may begin as soon as Tuesday, weather permitting. An exact timeline is not readily available, however, per recent conversations with all parties involved Heerman estimates it could take roughly a month for the demolition to be completed.
This follows the Emporia City Commission’s termination of an incentive compliance agreement dating back to 2007 after construction began in 2008 and was halted shortly after due to the Great Recession, changing regulations and other issues. The full scope of the project will see the biodiesel facility brought down to ground with the removal of underground footings, piers and the backfilling of a borrow pit taking place.
The land will then revert back to Emporia Enterprises to be used for future development projects.
In other business, Heerman also offered an update on Fanestil Meats’ move from its current location out of the Cottonwood River floodplain. According to Heerman, owner Dan Smoots may be moving forward with phase two of the relocation effort by early August pending approval of a pre-disaster mitigation (PDM) grant through FEMA.
The grant, according to Heerman, will provide funding, roughly over $1 million, to cover up to 75 percent of the property’s cost, the cost of demolition and renovation of the area. Heerman says there will be no new residential, commercial or industrial use facility coming to the area following Fanestil’s move.
Fanestil has been seeking to move out of the floodplain for several years and managed to relocate its processing facility to just south of Emporia in 2014. Due to its location in the flood plain, the company has had to halt production any time there is significant flooding in the area.
Separately, RDA Board Chairman Jon Geitz announced the RDA’s search committee — the committee tasked with locating Heerman’s replacement following his retirement in the first quarter of 2022 — will have its first meeting sometime next week.
The RDA Board will hold its next meeting on Friday, Aug. 13 at 7 am inside the Trusler Business Center.
