This week, Lawrence and Douglas County officials will be asked for financial support for a new technical training center in Lawrence. This is a project that has been needed in the community for many years, and is a good investment for the two government entities.

The Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center is being spearheaded by the Economic Development Corporation of Lawrence and Douglas County, which is a partnership of the chamber of commerce and city and county government. The EDC already has invested about $1 million in the building and has another $200,000 it plans to spend on renovations for the training center, which will be located on Haskell Avenue just north of 31st Street.

The city and county also are being asked to contribute $500,000 each to help cover the building renovation costs. The project also is seeking loans of $150,000 each from the city and county to renovate a section of the building that will be used to house the Lawrence Workforce Center, which is moving to that location. To complete the package, the EDC is seeking a rebate of the $64,000 in property taxes paid for the building in 2014 and industrial revenue bonds, which would give the project a sales tax exemption for construction materials purchased for the renovations.

The $500,000 grants being sought from the city and county aren’t insignificant, but they seem like a reasonable investment in the Peaslee Center, which will train skilled employees needed by both existing and prospective businesses in the county. In the long run, the center needs to stand on its own financially, but the one-time grant requests will help the project get up and running.

A lot of questions are being raised locally about tax incentives, but the tax rebate and IRBs being requested for the Peaslee project don’t seem out of line — especially for a project that will benefit the community as a whole and not just an individual developer.

Providing a skilled workforce is one of the keys to attracting and retaining businesses and jobs in Lawrence. The Peaslee Center is a promising step in that direction that needs and deserves city and county support.