ERIN MCDANIEL
City of Newton
NEWTON, Kan. — At Friday’s meeting, the City Commission authorized paving of Hillside Road between East First and Southeast 12th Streets to serve GAF’s new manufacturing facility and other upcoming industrial developments.
The GAF development is under construction on the southwest corner of Southeast 12th and Hillside. When it’s fully operational, it expects 150-300 trucks in and out per day, along with traffic from 130 employees. There are also two 42-acre industrial sites along the west side of Hillside at Southeast Ninth being actively marketed for development.
The road, which is currently dirt, will be paved with concrete to industrial standards with gravel shoulders and storm sewers. The estimated total cost of the project is $4.1 million, to be bonded and paid for using economic development sales tax funds.
Because the road is the boundary between the city limits and the county and the improvements will benefit county users, the City requested earlier this month that the Harvey County Commission consider sharing in the construction costs, but the County declined. The City has also requested Cost Share grant funding from the Kansas Department of Transportation several times and has not been successful.
The Commission set a bid date of 11:30 a.m. Jan. 30. Construction is expected to begin in late spring or early summer.