Clarkson Construction, a Kansas City construction company and one of the contractors for the Interstate 70 widening project, is hoping to build a facility in Truesdale. 

Clarkson plans to build on the western portion of the former Good Game Sports Park property on Veterans Memorial Parkway. That lot has sat vacant since GG Sports Park closed in August. 

The Truesdale Board of Aldermen fielded questions from constituents about what that facility would look like and what type of work would be allowed if it moves forward at their April 9 meeting. 

Plans for the facility have been slowly making their way through the city’s permitting processes and were discussed at the April 16 planning and zoning meeting. 

Mayor Jerry Cannon said while they had only held preliminary discussions with Clarkson, it was his understanding that they planned to make additions to an existing building on the property to use it as an office and maintenance facility for equipment. 

“They want to be here permanently. They want to be on this side of the state now, they’re from Kansas City, but they want to have a footprint here, and do more work from this side of the state,” said Cannon. “So they want to be in for the long haul.”

Robert Fry, vice president at Clarkson, said they did plan to build an office and maintenance facility on the property, which they are currently leasing. 

He said they hope to close on the property by the end of this month although they had to resolve some title issues and conduct an environmental study, which slowed the process. 

He continued saying outside of the office they planned to use the property to store materials and equipment which would resemble the lot of a heavy equipment dealer. It would be surrounded by a fence. 

Clarkson had also agreed with the city to construct a berm on the south side of the property and plant trees to help obstruct it from the view of homes nearby. 

“They have promised to fix it right,” said Cannon. “They say they have the equipment and the ability, the skills to make that right.”

They also agreed to construct a portion of a walking trail the city has been considering on the southern portion of their property. 

Several residents in the Heritage Hills subdivision, which adjoins the south and east side of the property expressed their concern at the development. 

Fry conceded that while the permanent use of the property would not include any milling or rock crushing, they would be conducting rock crushing in the early stages of construction. 

He said they would be crushing rock at the facility to pave a portion of the property, some of which would be used on I-70 as well. He did emphasize that rock crushing would be a temporary use and they did not plan to conduct that work at the property past April 2026. 

There were also concerns with what permits were required since Clarkson had already moved a mobile office and two storage containers onto the property. 

City Clerk Elsa Smith-Fernandez said she had sent a permit application to Clarkson for those structures and the city would wait until they had received more information to see what additional permits may be required.

She emphasized the city has had open lines of communication with Clarkson. 

“We’re planning on being here and we’re planning on being good neighbors,” said Fry. 

Fry was also in attendance at the February, March and April planning and zoning meetings. 

Cannon also stressed that citizens’ concerns would be addressed and the city’s planning zoning commission was created for exactly this purpose. 

He said planning and zoning could be used to reach agreements about hours of operation, lighting and noise from the site. 

Finally, he urged citizens to remain engaged and attend city board and P&Z meetings to make their voices heard.