The opening of Lawrence VenturePark certainly is worthy of a community celebration.

City and business officials gathered at the former Farmland Industries property last week to mark the completion of city improvements that have prepared the 220-acre site to accommodate new businesses. The city has issued about $8.5 million in debt to build roads, utility lines and other needed infrastructure at the park. With that work complete, City Manager David Corliss pointed out, the city now can quit showing business prospects the plan for development and start “showing them what we’ve built.”

The vision for VenturePark started to take shape after the Farmland fertilizer plant went bankrupt more than a decade ago. The abandoned plant was an eyesore at the eastern entrance into Lawrence but it also presented some tantalizing opportunities. The cost of dealing with environmental problems caused by years of nitrogen fertilizer spills on the property was a major concern but appears to be under control. The city received $8.5 million in remediation funds from the Farmland bankruptcy settlement. It has spent some of that money but still has about $6.5 million left to deal with future costs associated with monitoring and pumping groundwater at the site.

The opening of VenturePark is a promising step for local business development. The park is broken into 18 sites ranging from 2.5 acres to 78.7 acres to accommodate a variety of business uses. It is located right on Kansas Highway 10 and adjacent to a rail line. The completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway also will provide easy access to Interstate 70 west of Lawrence and to U.S. Highway 59 and Interstate 35 to the south.

According to local economic development officials, VenturePark is drawing interest from manufacturers and distribution centers. Hopefully, the opening of the park soon will attract additional jobs to the community. More and more, local residents are realizing that Lawrence is a better place to live if it’s also a better place to work. VenturePark could e a huge benefit to the city by creating new jobs and building the city’s tax base.

The table is now set. When the jobs and business investment arrive, local residents will have real cause for celebration.