(KAIR)--Improvements totaling just under $1 million dollars are completed, and to highlight the upgrade of Holton's Industrial Park, a ribbon cutting will be held Tuesday. 

Holton City Manager Bret Bauer says the idea behind the upgrade was a joint effort, with the City expending the needed funds to bring the makeover to reality. “The Holton City Commissioners and staff, and also the business owners that are currently out there, in our industrial park, worked together to find a way to make improvements to the street surface that was out there. It was in dire need of improvements,” Bauer tells MSC News. “We were able to save our pennies and be able to do that project this past summer, and it was paid for out of pocket. We didn't have to take on any additional debt.” 

Bauer says the improvements included more than just the estimated three-quarters of a mile worth of roadway in the industrial park. “That street improvement project also included extending city utilities to the west side of our industrial park, which is where the vacant lots are located, and also some additional storm sewer.”

The reason behind the upgrades is simple, Bauer says, with business growth, in the name of economic development, the intended outcome. “The ultimate goal would be to get new businesses to fill those vacant lots that we have.”

The reconstructed roads are a collaborative effort between King and Associates Engineering and Topeka's Kansas Heavy Construction. 

The ribbon cutting is planned for 1:30 Tuesday afternoon, at the industrial park, just north of the Holton city limits, on U.S. Highway 75. 

The public is invited to the ceremony, which will provide the City with the chance to give residents a first hand look at how their tax dollars are being spent in the name of economic growth.