I think everybody but late-night comedians and attention-craving 400-pound hackers are ready for this presidential election to be over. Lawrence economic development leaders may have another reason to root for the finale: They still haven’t heard anything from Menards officials about if or when the home improvement retailer plans to start a project to build a new Lawrence manufacturing plant.

“Our hope is they would take a harder look at the project after the election is completed,” Larry McElwain, president and CEO of the Lawrence chamber of commerce, told me.

In case you have forgotten, Menards in January received approval to build a manufacturing facility on about 90 acres of property in Lawrence VenturePark. The facility — which would manufacture trusses, stone blocks and other products — would employ 100 to 150 people.

But work has never begun on the project, and the company has never activated its approximately $2.3 million in incentives that were approved for the project. In May, local leaders told me the company had notified them the Lawrence project was indefinitely delayed.

The idea that the project could get moving again after the election is more guesswork than anything else. McElwain said he still believes the decision to delay the Lawrence project had nothing to do with Lawrence in particular but rather was part of a broader national outlook. Often companies delay some investments if they are nervous an election will affect the economy.

“They told us that they would tell us if the project is no longer viable,” McElwain said. “They haven’t told us that. We still feel like it will occur. But it is on their timing, not ours.”

It would be a great boost to Lawrence economic development efforts if the Menards project moves forward. Officials need a project to blaze a path for new development at Lawrence VenturePark, which is the industrial park located on what used to be the Farmland Industries fertilizer plant in eastern Lawrence.

Local leaders held the ribbon cutting for VenturePark in October 2014. Back then there was great optimism for the center. There certainly was realistic hope that a project would be in place by the time the South Lawrence Trafficway was completed, which will make the park much more accessible to Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 59. But it has been two years since that ribbon cutting, and the park continues to be empty. The trafficway will open by Thanksgiving.

Fortunately, city and county leaders did not bet the farm on the success of the project. The city received the land for free, plus gained access to a multimillion dollar trust fund to pay for environmental cleanup of the property, which had been contaminated by years of nitrogen fertilizer spills. But the roads, water lines and other utilities that were needed for the park were built with public money. The city has spent around $7 million on that infrastructure.

But the dollars probably aren’t what weighs on local leaders the most. Instead, the question of why the park hasn’t attracted tenants is the real nagging issue. It is not like the Lawrence economy has been in a standstill for the last two years. Sales tax collections have been on the rise, and Lawrence posted its best ever construction year — in terms of the dollar value of projects constructed — in 2015. Nationally, job totals have risen during the time period.

Perhaps you noticed J-W reporter Rochelle Valverde’s article about the city’s plans to hire a consultant to study economic development. It looks like most of the consultant’s studying will be about incentive packages that are offered to Lawrence projects. That’s a topic certainly worth studying, but figuring out why VenturePark hasn’t had more success is also one worth exploring. If the city has a lengthy debate about whether it is too generous with economic development incentives, and no discussion about why its new business park is empty, that would be a shame.

• One person who could provide some insight into Lawrence’s strengths and weaknesses in economic development is the Chamber’s vice president of economic development. That position has been empty since the sudden resignation of Brady Pollington in May. McElwain, though, tells me the Chamber is getting closer to making a hire.

McElwain said the Chamber’s search committee has basically narrowed the field to two candidates, although a third candidate who “is not directly in economic development right now,” also may be considered. The position drew 65 applicants.

McElwain confirmed none of the candidates under consideration is local, but all are from the Midwest.

“I think we are better off when we search in the Midwest where people are perhaps more likely to understand our values and our community,” McElwain said.

The position is the community’s top salesperson in trying to attract new companies to town, and also serves as a key contact for existing businesses that want to expand in the community. Connections in the economic development world — knowing the site selectors that companies use — is a key attribute. McElwain, though, said there are skills the committee is looking for other than a great Rolodex.

“It would be good to have somebody who understands the economic development process we use in Lawrence and who can adapt to that process,” McElwain said.

McElwain said he thinks a hire could be made in the next 30 days.