Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) recently received the Association of Defense Communities’ Congressional Leadership award for his efforts to create economic opportunity after the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant was closed.
“I am honored to receive this award,” Roberts said. “I want to thank Ann Charles of the Great Plains Development Authority and the team she assembled to ensure the redevelopment of the KSAAP would benefit the region for generations to come.”
The plant was slated for base realignment and closure in 2005. It was expected to be one of the first properties to transfer over to the community, however, the transfer was delayed for seven years.
Roberts said he spent seven years addressing the delays that were created by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army and that he continued to lobby on behalf of the people who were directly impacted by the shuttered plant.
His efforts helped create a new industrial park that Roberts said will provide growth and opportunities for Parsons, Labette County and other local areas.
Roberts attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Great Plains Industrial Park in October 2012.
The Association of Defense Communities is the nation’s premier membership organization serving America’s defense communities. ADC represents 200 communities, states and regions with a significant military presence and partner organizations.