Progress continues on the 25-acre site where a new PrairieLand Partners’ facility will be located at the northwest corner of U.S. 169 and Oregon Road.
Iola annexed the land in early 2023.
PrairieLand Partners plans to spend an estimated $14 million on the new store, which serves as a John Deere farm implement dealership.
“The building pad is in place and all of the utilities, other than sewer, are in place,” said Iola store manager Dale Lalman. He noted that they are getting ready to run power via Heartland Rural Electric and place the transformer. “We’re scheduled to get the main building delivered at the end of this month, but we’ve almost completed the combine storage shed.”
Iola Council members voted at their Sept. 25 meeting to split the cost with PrairieLand to extend a new sewer line to the facility at a projected cost of $69,552.70. The project is currently in progress. “The sewer line hasn’t been completed yet,” said Lalman. “We’re having a meeting this week to discuss its progress.”
Lalman added that the construction project’s completion date has been pushed back a month, from November 2024 to December 2024.
“Currently, we’re waiting on rebar refractions to come back,” Lalman said. “Then we’ll dig the footings and get the concrete poured. It’s ideal to get the concrete work done in warmer weather.”
The new facility will be 74,000 square feet and include a second floor.
