By Joe Bachman

A motion was approved on Monday night to allow the construction of a storage building for use by Wisconsin Dehydration and Processing (WDP), located at 2721 Industrial St. in Wisconsin Rapids.

The proposed building will provide a controlled environment where potatoes can be warehoused 24 to 48 hours and allow for gravity dewater, and will allow for 24 hour processing.

According to a press release by WDP, “the reduction of water present in the material will provide an immediate improvement throughout, without altering current production flow, as well as improve the appearance and cleanliness of the facility.”

The storage building will be 72′ x 288′ in size, and in addition, there may be plans to install outdoor storage bins to replace the current process of bagging and warehousing finished product.

The company, which established a local presence in 2014, currently produces dehydrated vegetables, including potatoes and carrots.