BasehorInfo.com

The Leavenworth County Port Authority is continuing with its development of virtual spec buildings. But in order to move ahead with a new virtual flyby of the 40,000, 80,000 and 120,000 square foot buildings, the spec building committee is going to have to cut down a few trees. Well, virtual ones.

At the Aug. 27 monthly port authority meeting, Ed Chapman III, the committee's chairman, updated the board on the virtual spec building project. As part of his update, Chapman showed the board a video of a three-dimensional rendering of a 120,000 square foot building.

The virtual flyby showed the renderings from different angles and from different heights. The video and other renderings of the buildings will soon be available on the Web as a way to lure businesses to the Urban Hess business park.

"Some of the ideas we have on the Web site are being able to Google the area. We felt it was important to pinpoint locations of local businesses, gas stations hotels, restaurants and those other types of things that could be of interest to any potential client," Chapman said.

The virtual spec building idea would be used to let business owners choose a building that would best suit their company without incurring the cost of constructing the building without an owner. The building would have designs, permits and contracting bids already in place.

The Web information would also include a verbal narrative and contact information.

Steve Jack, executive director of the Leavenworth County Development Corporation, said it was still working on the look of the 3-D rendering including reducing the number of trees so the building would be viewed more easily.

Port Authority chairman Terry Andrews asked Chapman about a timeline for completion, but Chapman said the committee did not determine a timeline at their last meeting.

Jack also said he was awaiting requests for proposals from different contractors to bid on the virtual buildings.