Roberta Lehmann said it’s been difficult to brace for the impact of Panasonic since the city isn’t seeing the influx yet and it’s hard to imagine what will happen.
She’s concerned, like her fellow city commissioners, about making sure growth in Eudora is natural and not overpopulating the area.
“That would be my concern – is that we grow too rapidly and we’re not prepared for it. And I don’t think we’re going to have a choice. I think this is the way it’s going to be, so we’re trying to stay on top of it,” Lehmann said.
One year out from production starting at the $4 billion battery plant promising 4,000 new jobs in the area, The Eudora Times spoke with every city commissioner and School Board member to ask them if they feel the city is prepared.
In the midst of doing these interviews. Gov. Laura Kelly’s office announced Wednesday another 180 new jobs in De Soto through H&T Recharge, one of the largest battery component manufacturers in the world.
Any time there is potential for significant growth or change, it would be foolish to not have some level of concern, School Board member Joe Hurla said.
The concern is less about the growth itself, and more about what challenges it will bring since Eudora does have a specific culture that has brought people to the city, he said. Hurla said they want to keep that core culture while evolving and adjusting for new community members.
Other city and school representatives agreed it is hard to know what to expect, but the growth will likely start slow because of the limited housing available in the area. Many agreed more affordable housing is needed, but the process – and ongoing development – will take time. Most agreed there is still a lot of unknown as the opening date for the plant nears.
The Times asked Panasonic for an interview for this story. A spokesman said “the realities of busy schedules” meant no one could talk to the press in the four days provided to give comment.
An emailed response said Panasonic was still on track to open its first wing in early 2025 and that 125 employees now work for the plant, with the number expected to reach 1,000 by next fall. There are now more than 2,500 tradespeople working on site every day.
Below, city commissioners weigh in with their thoughts on the economic development impact of the plant, followed by comments from School Board members.
City Commission: Housing, traffic and communication
Mayor Tim Reazin said not being aware of what the full impact of the battery plant will be is a big part of the challenge.
Reazin feels good about recent steps the city has taken to increase housing in the community, to grow economic development through the Nottingham Center and to explore a potential STAR bond district sports and entertainment complex.
To continue to prepare for Panasonic’s opening, Reazin thinks it’s important to be good partners with the school district, county and state, as well as township and library boards. These conversations will help to make sure everyone is on the same page and nothing is negatively influencing other jurisdictions.
Reazin said personally, and as the mayor, he is a little scared of the unknown. He feels like the city is doing what it should be to prepare.
Because technology is constantly changing, it is hard to know how long the electric vehicle battery plant will remain in De Soto, he said. Reazin gave the old Sunflower Ammunition plant as an example, saying that it brought a lot of people to Eudora and eventually closed after many may have assumed it would be growing long term.
The Panasonic plant will be significantly bigger, so it is important to think about both positive and negative impacts, he said. Although he has no specific reason to think Panasonic would do this, some other corporations in other areas have left after tax breaks end, Reazin said. He wouldn’t be doing his due diligence if he didn’t think about all these possibilities, he said.
Reazin also said he’s concerned about the additional traffic to Eudora streets and to K-10. He’s hoping the state jumps ahead on its timeline and widens K-10 sooner rather than later.
Over a decade ago, when the city first applied to add a pedestrian bridge across the Church Street corridor, they were denied since the state was considering widening the road and didn’t want to have to tear down a new bridge project, he said. Recently, the city did get approval for this bridge and the project should be coming soon, he said.
The city did receive a significant federal grant to make changes to widen Church Street, but Reazin said he feels the road should be four lanes instead of three to help plan for future growth.
City staff and Reazin have been attending some of the Economic Development Council Lawrence and Douglas County meetings, where they receive information on Panasonic construction, hiring and other updates.
Above all, Reazin wants to make sure the city doesn’t have negative impacts and hopes the state is willing to help Eudora when growth comes. These changes are things the city couldn’t budget or plan for since they didn’t know it would be coming.
With thousands of people going to work at the plant each day, and the additional businesses that may join Panasonic, the traffic changes could create an additional burden to the roads, he said.
As a K-10 commuter to the metro himself, Commissioner Tim Bruce is already seeing more traffic through De Soto related to workers building the factory.
The City Commission is trying to be forward thinking and make decisions as more information becomes available, Bruce said.
He said he feels good about Eudora’s planned growth so far. Panasonic gives the city a wider base to help organically grow with retail and restaurants, he said.
As far as how many people are going to want to buy homes in Eudora, the city just doesn’t know what to expect yet, he said.
“I think it’s easy to say, ‘Oh, you know, this is going to have a huge impact on us’ and while I do feel like it is going to have a huge impact on us, I don’t know that we really know what that impact is until that impact starts to hit and they start to really bring those jobs online and we start to see, you know, the traffic difference,” Bruce said.
In February 2023, Panasonic North American Energy President Allan Swan told The Times that Panasonic’s prior experience in Nevada provided a lot of experience from which to draw. At the time, he said, “We’ll definitely be talking to the communities and tell them what we know and what we’ve learned, kind of good, bad and ugly, to be honest.” He said to expect more outreach and communication in the second half of 2023.
Bruce, who is the vice mayor, said he has not had conversations with Panasonic officials. Commissioner Alex Curnes said communication is always something that could be improved.
Although representatives from Panasonic do a good job of communicating with Johnson County partners, he’s not sure Douglas County is as well represented. Curnes would love to have a better partnership and be more involved with them, he said.
Similarly, Curnes pointed to a state transportation study that stops at the Johnson County line. These conversations should include Eudora, he said.
Bruce said he feels that, even if the city learns new information that puts them a little behind, the commission is agile and able to quickly adjust.
“I think we are pretty open minded, and we are willing to try to hear everyone out as long as it’s for the greater good of the community,” Bruce said.
Curnes said Panasonic brings opportunities for the community. Increasing the housing availability and continuing to diversify the city’s tax base will help provide more success, he said.
Commissioner Jolene Cullen said although the battery plant’s opening feels like it’s a long way out, it will be here sooner than it seems.
Cullen said it’s been good to see how the area, including realtors and Douglas County officials, have come together to plan for what they can. Traffic is at the front of her mind, as is housing.
Affordability of housing is a major component to make sure people can move to Eudora, she said.
“I want to keep consistent community standards that we have in Eudora and to do that, safe quality, affordable housing is going to be key,” Cullen said.
It can be hard to see the vision when everything is just dirt right now, but the process of preparing for growth is underway, she said. She pointed to the RAISE grant, which will expand streets and better the flow of traffic near Church Street and the high school. The city’s possible STAR bond district with a sports and entertainment complex would also be a regional draw, she said.
Overall, in the midst of pending growth, Cullen said she wants to see the city retain its charm.
Lehmann said the city is headed in the right direction as it has been proactive about growth even before learning Panasonic was coming.
She also said the biggest thing to prepare for is housing, which is already on the city’s radar. It takes a lot of time to build significant housing, so it’s a concern, but it’s being worked on, she said.
The development with Alcove that is supposed to bring in over 100 houses puts the city in a better position, she said, but it just takes more time than the city has before the plant opens.
Although the city needs growth, the high cost to build homes may deter many from trying to move – not just to Eudora but everywhere, she said. That ensures growth will happen at a relatively slow pace, she said.
Lehmann said the city’s foresight in purchasing land for a new wastewater treatment plant also puts the city in a favorable position for future growth. Being able to also keep a schedule for road maintenance will help with maintaining city standards, she said.
Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel said the growth offers new opportunities for development and a big impact on the region. Being proactive about new city services will be a priority, he said.
On Monday, city staff and commissioners will collaborate on a work session during their regular meeting to further discuss what priorities are important as preparation continues. Daniel said the meeting could discuss all aspects of city staffing, infrastructure and other needs for commercial and residential growth.
Daniel agreed the RAISE grant is a step in the right direction to help improve congestion in the high school and Church Street area, especially as more commuters are coming in and out of Eudora.
The residential opportunities the city is considering, as well as the Shadow Ridge North subdivision west of the high school, will help with the housing shortage, he said.
Making sure growth – whether a result of Panasonic or not – only has net positive effects on the city staff is important, too, he said. He thinks the commission has done a good job of taking growth into its own hands and making it happen on the city’s terms.
School Board: Prepared for additional students
From the schools perspective, Hurla said he’s excited about the potential the Panasonic announcement brings to Eudora.
Hurla said the district has put itself into a position that allows for flexibility and to be agile as growth may come. Quickly adapting and incorporating new students and families is something the School Board will be able to do, he said.
“I think everyone is pretty much on the same page that growth is almost certain but that the timing of it is very unclear. I think there’s a lot of speculation as to whether that’s going to be explosive growth in the immediate future, [or] gradual growth over time,” Hurla said.
Hurla said at this point he doesn’t see anything the school district needs to do since the district’s bond – although it was planned before the announcement of the battery factory – will address some needs to help with safety and maintenance, he said.
The district doesn’t want to build anything that anticipates a massive amount of additional students, but wants tomake sure the current facilities have flexibility for future needs. More houses being built next to the high school may also lead to more students, he said.
“We really want to be very measured in our steps, just because it can be a tax burden if we ask existing taxpayers and community members to construct things in the hope that there’s going to be more growth,” Hurla said.
The RAISE grant helping with the entrance at the high school will also improve increased traffic, he said.
Board member Claire Harding said there is still a lot of information to learn, but the prospect of growth is exciting. Harding said educators, administrators and the board are united in that every student has a place in the district.
More students and new families give opportunities for more innovation and creativity, she said.
She’s mostly concerned about the new families having a place to live, which was a problem before Panasonic announced its new factory, she said.
Open enrollment gave the district an idea of how many students could fit within the current capacity, especially as models show class sizes are not naturally growing in Eudora.
The work being done with the bond is not to accommodate Panasonic growth, and is meant for the population already in the building, she said. The district is ready to make changes or shift things or have a large build in the future if it’s needed, she said.
“I do think that we need to stay involved, and I think that our leadership is,” Harding said.
Board member Eric Votaw said the bond will help with some of the buildings’ deferred maintenance and security, which will in turn help as more students enter the district.
Because of the increased flexibility and new uses for space, as well as enrollment trending down, the district is more prepared now than it would have been at any other point in the last 10 years, he said.
The district is capable of handling growth now, and as market conditions change, it will be able to further handle growth in the coming years if it’s necessary, he said.
Before the plant’s opening, Votaw said there needs to continue to be partnerships built between the district, the city and Panasonic. The opportunities for students to receive job training, internships and other exposure to the skills at the factory are exciting, he said.
Making sure infrastructure can stay up to date as numbers grow is going to be important for the district, he said.
School Board member Zach Brooks said he’s new to the board, so is still learning more about the factory opening. He said he’s waiting for more information to see when and where development will take place and how many families end up moving to the area.
Brooks said he feels the School Board and city are in a similar position trying to make decisions based on what is known.
Kelley Woods, another new board member, said the potential of new families is exciting. Woods said the state opening district borders for the upcoming school year will also help to prepare for more growth. Once the district sees how many students come with the new law, it will help the district remain flexible and prepare for the Panasonic changes, she said.
She said the district is as prepared as it can be, but not knowing how much things can fluctuate, there isn’t much more to do to prepare. New construction as a result of the bond will help with these changes, like the new auxiliary gym and additional classrooms.
Heather Whalen has a unique perspective on the opening of Panasonic. Not only is she a School Board member, but she also lives on the east side of town closer to Evening Star Road.
People who live near Whalen tend to have more anxiety or concern about it and the increased traffic with trucks and vehicles, she said. She’s already started seeing changes on that side of town, she said.
Whalen said she has been impressed with the city and school’s leadership and how quickly they started engaging in conversations with other entities.
She felt good about Superintendent Stu Moeckel and Board President Mark Chrislip’s conversations with officials in Reno when news of the plant first came online. Those conversations helped spur a lot of the first conversations for the board, she said.
She said there isn’t much more the board can do right now other than keep conversation open and ask as many questions as possible. With the passing of the bond, the district is in a good position, but it doesn’t account for much future growth, she said.
The city working on more housing options is a good start, she said. There are a lot of different opinions about what should or shouldn’t happen, so listening to those conversations is one of the biggest keys right now, she said..
Superintendent Stu Moeckel said the board vision for students isn’t going to change no matter the size of the district.
“This board has been very outstanding in trying to remain as flexible as possible when it comes to what the future looks like and not paint ourselves into any corners,” Moeckel said.
Like many communities in the area, Eudora needs more housing, he said.
“We have people that want to be members of this community and families that want to be members of the Cardinal family. There’s just not affordable housing for them,” Moeckel said.
Moeckel and Eudora Schools Foundation Executive Director Shanda Hurla recently met with the Panasonic community outreach liaison to get to know each other and discuss future partnerships. Moeckel has also attended Douglas County Economic Development Council meetings to hear updates from Panasonic officials.
Moeckel agrees the growth will start as a slow trickle and could eventually open up larger growth in the future. He feels the district has put itself into a flexible spot, especially with bond updates that allow for more space for existing students.
As for expanding the district with more buildings, the district would have to see a solid number of people moving to the area as a result of Panasonic before thoughts on a new school would begin. Moeckel doesn’t think those changes would be coming within the next few years.
There is room in the buildings for additional students, especially with smaller class sizes.
Many in the community are concerned with keeping the small town feel, and Moeckel said that even with more people, he doesn’t think the town’s culture will change.
Chrislip said the district is taking a “wait and see” posture. There are a lot of unanswered questions about when and where the growth related to Panasonic will take place.
The district’s enrollment is declining, so there is room for growth if more families move to the area, he said.
Chrislip said he expects growth to be gradual due to the limited housing.
“We need housing that is priced at a place where first-time buyers can comfortably move in,” Chrislip said.
Chrislip has attended a meeting with other cities and school boards from around the area where they received an update on the factory. He said there has been some interaction between Panasonic and the district, but there is potential for more going forward.
Chrislip said growth for the district is always positive. He hopes projects like the potential STAR bond district and the city’s reinvestment housing incentive district next to the high school will help move in the right direction.
“Well, I think it’s an exciting time for Eudora. It’s an exciting time to see future growth, and we’ll just have to take a wait and see,” he said.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
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