The groundbreaking ceremony for a new, full-service truck stop south of Audubon was held indoors this (Wednesday) morning, due to expected wet weather. The event was held inside the Audubon County Economic Development Building.

Members of the Handlos family and other local dignitaries.

The Lawrence Handlos family, along with City and County officials, and members of the Audubon County Economic Development Board were on-hand to talk about the $18-million construction project, which is expected to employ about 70 people.

Sarah Gomez, Executive Director of Midwest Partnership Development Corporation, said there are other economic aspects to the project. She says it will create a ripple effect of 12 other jobs, such as child care workers, stock and clerk file orderers, teachers and assistants. The payroll of which will likely amount to $300,000 per year.

Brian Handlos, General Manager/CEO for the property, said there are already two maintenance people hired while construction is underway. The project, he said, encompasses an area roughly the size of two football fields. He said there’s approximately 200,000 yards of dirt to move on the site, or about 11,000 scraper loads. There’s about 250 tons of rebar coming in, 6,850 feet of storm water pipes, 16,000 yards of cement, and 80,000 square feet of buildings under roof.

When complete, Waspy’s Truck Stop will include a convenience store, the Feed Mill Restaurant, a two-story 33-room hotel tentatively called “Bluegrass Inn and Suites,” (although that may change), a  truck & car wash, and a diesel repair shop.

The facility is owned by Lawrence and Doris Handlos, along with their children, Brian and Beth, who are assisting with project development. Work on the project is expected to be finished in less than 18-months.