Johnson County officials are looking to convert the old Kuhlman Diecasting plant at 159th and Mission into a trail hub. Photo credit Roxie Hammill. Thirty years ago, the old Kuhlman Diecasting plant just south of 159th Street and Mission Road was abandoned, gradually becoming a toxic eyesore and a danger to the school children who made it their forbidden playground. Now, after years of frustration, the plant’s demolition and environmental clean up, local officials are considering making the site a trail hub that would connect bike and nature trails in the area and, they hope, improve the Blue River watershed. Johnson County Park and Recreation board members last Wednesday took a first look at some park use concepts for the Kuhlman site in unincorporated Johnson County and adjacent land owned by Overland Park. The 35.15-acre Kuhlman plant sits near a bend in the Blue River, separated from the water by a levee, but still vulnerable to flooding. It was abandoned in 1990 after the company underwent bankruptcy and it is still privately owned.
Source: Shawnee Mission Post
