SOUTH DEERFIELD — The few hundred feet of undeveloped land between Industrial Drive West in Deerfield and Fairview Way in Whately, which separates the two communities’ industrial parks, was once jokingly referred to as the “DMZ,” or demilitarized zone, by Whately’s former police chief in 1995.

For decades, Whately has requested to work with its neighbor to use that strip of land to connect the two industrial parks, which could reduce tractor-trailer traffic on the tight corner near residences on Pine Street and, potentially, spur some economic development for both towns.

Now, after repeated denials from Deerfield — Whately or businesses in its industrial park have requested the connection in the 1990s, in the early 2000s and again in 2013 — the two towns will again take a look at the prospect of connecting the parks, with Deerfield taking the lead.

“It’s important to work together. We’re all together in so many aspects of what we do,” Selectboard Chair Trevor McDaniel said Thursday. The two towns partner on operating South County EMS, the Frontier Regional and Union 38 school districts, and Tri-Town Beach. “What’s right for the region is we get economic development in the region.”

On Wednesday evening, the Deerfield Selectboard/Sewer Commissioners authorized the production of a feasibility study examining the possibility of connecting the Deerfield and Whately industrial parks by road and through the wastewater treatment system.

Deerfield received a $100,000 Community One Stop For Growth Rural Development Grant to fund the work. The board approved a $75,450 contract with DPC Engineering to conduct the feasibility study and an additional $23,500 contract with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB) to conduct a traffic study.

The Deerfield Economic Development & Industrial Corporation (DEDIC) has supported pursuing the study and will await the results, which will showcase the cost estimates, cost-sharing formulas and other considerations, before taking any stance on whether to take action on the park connections.

DEDIC member Chris Harris noted the board was open to the study because it is funded by a grant and doesn’t immediately impact taxpayers.

“My personal attitude is that whatever the issues were in the past, are the past,” Harris said, referring to past denials from Deerfield. “The main interest, for me personally, is it’s looking at options for regional economic development. I think that’s the interest I had in voting to support this study.”

The pursuit of the feasibility study is welcome news in Whately, according to Town Administrator Peter Kane.

“We believe both industrial parks will benefit,” Kane said. “We’re excited at the potential and how it can help both of us.”

Before the DMZ is decommissioned, though, DPC Engineering, which has worked with Deerfield on constructing the South Deerfield Wastewater Treatment Plant, will examine how the road and wastewater connections could benefit both communities. If the study proves the project is viable, it will still require political support from both towns before it could move forward.

“There is an opportunity for both communities to benefit from enhanced road and wastewater connections between the two towns. The provision of sanitary sewer could help lower the bar for development in Whately, both in the existing industrial park and the Exit 35 area,” DPC Engineering’s proposal reads. “Increasing the underlying number of users will help defray some of the debt associated with major improvements to Deerfield’s treatment plant, benefiting Deerfield ratepayers and other taxpayers, and restoring borrowing capacity to make other needed public investments.”

DPC Engineering expects to present its completed feasibility study to Deerfield within four to six months, according to the company’s proposal.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.