May Friendship Day breakfast will be held Friday, May 4 at 9:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church. Least Coin offering will be taken.

Athletic Banquet

is holding an Open House April 26, 4-6 p.m.

Need concession

For more of 'What's Happening' subscribe to The Akron Hometowner!

Akron's Quasquicentennial Celebration Schedule

Classifieds

Obituaries

A gorilla in the midst of Union County

Ask anyone in Union County these days and they'll tell you what they've heard: a gorilla is settling down in Brule and Spink Townships just a few miles west of Akron and Westfield. It isn't a large hairy ape though; it's an enormous economic development monster with the Elk Point Economic Development Corporation holding its hand. Because of its reported size and the secretiveness of this economic venture, it's been dubbed “The Gorilla Project.” Rumors are flying as fast and as high as an ape swinging through jungle vines. On a list of economic development wonders people are guessing at, an automobile manufacturing plant and an oil refinery top the list. Out in Pierre, South Dakota's capitol, Governor Mike Rounds will only say, “It's a large manufacturing facility.” But in Elk Point, the Union County seat, the ape remains relatively silent but every once and a while rumblings are heard. At the Jan. 16 Union County Commissioners' meeting, Land Use Administrator Dennis Henze said there wasn't enough information to know if the newly revised zoning ordinance would affect a heavy industrial project. Henze told the Commissioners of a “potential project” which will include the purchase of 4,000 - 5,000 acres, of which 800 - 2,000 acres will be covered with building. There will be 1,500 - 2,000 employees and 10,000 construction workers to get it completed. There will be 12 million gallons of water a day taken out of the river for cooling purposes. Also, a couple of county roads would be greatly affected by this if it is west of Elk Point on Burbank Road and County Road 26 (324th Street), he said. Henze reported he was told there would be “some sort of” announcement about the heavy

industrial enterprise soon. To date, there has been no such announcement. However, on March 28, the first of eight “Real Estate Purchase Agreements” were filed at the Union County Register of Deeds.

By Julie Ann Madden

“We need help,” said Union County resident Burdette Hanson, who is opposed to selling his land

to realtors representing the Gorilla Project, which is a secret economic development project being planned for Spink and Brule Townships in rural Union County. The family's fourth generation

is farming land Hanson's parents, Alfred and Elodes Hanson, purchased in about 1929. That farm

is just two miles west of where Burdette has lived for the past 34 years. “I was born a mile west of here,” Burdette told The Akron Hometowner after speaking with the Union County Commissioners at their April 10 meeting. “I lived one-half mile east of here from age 21 to 51.”

Burdette and his wife, Gladys, have four children. Three of the four own land in the two townships.

The oldest son, Gerald, farms one of Burdette's original farms. Their second son, Arden, and his wife Bridget, live on Burdette's original farm one-half mile east; and his daughter, Sylvia and her husband, Mark Tuttle, have Burdette's parents ' farm. Their third son, Robert, lives in Minneapolis, Minn. Kendall Hanson, son of Arden and grandson of Burdette, farms Burdette's land with his father. “I've been here all my life,” said Burdette, “and I'm going to be 85 years old in July.” The Hanson's have a significant amount of land realtors are seeking for the Gorilla Project, said Burdette. “There is no way we'd sell our land. We'd lose our homes.” They are worried that they and others in the area who refuse to sell could lose their land through condemnation and eminent domain procedures. The Hansons told The Akron Hometowner they were first approached in mid-February by two realtors, one of which was Chuck Molestad, who is the notary witnessing signatures on the eight Real Estate Purchase Agreements other landowners in this area have

signed. “I told them they didn't have enough money to buy us out,” said Burdette. “We wouldn't sell to you at any amount.” According to Burdette, the realtors are seeking an area of land 5

miles by 4.5 miles in the Brule and Spink Townships. “South from Highway 48 to Highway 50 and from the Hanson place west to Interstate I-29,” explained his son, Arden. “It's a good chance for those who are almost ready to retire and their children have no interest in continuing on the farm.”

“It's going to cause a lot of hard feelings (between neighbors),” said Burdette, “and I don't like that

but there is nothing better than our land. It won't go away. It won't burn up but it goes up and down in value. It's still the best thing we've got.” The realtors said the Gorilla Project people want 5,000 acres – 2,500 in the middle to develop with a 2,500-acre buffer around the edge, said Burdette. There will be 2,500 workers there. “Supposedly we couldn't live here – we'd lose our homes,” said Arden, “but we could continue to farm the buffer area.” We were told this is all a secret, said Burdette. “I'm 100 percent against it.” One of the secrets is who is behind the Gorilla Project. Since the Real Estate Purchase Agreements are “options to buy” land, the actual buyer is not listed – only Richard E. White, authorized agent of the Elk Point Economic Development Corporation is listed as the buyer. The agreement states that the listed buyer does not have to inform the landowners who the final buyer is. “There are four things that concern us,” said Hanson's neighbor Bob Brink, who is a retired Elk Point banker and lives on the edge of where land is being bought for the Gorilla Project. First, the size of this thing without knowing what it is.