NEWTON, Kan. — At Tuesday night’s meeting, the Newton City Commission awarded a contract for construction of the new public wetlands park to Vogts-Parga Construction for $261,373.86.
Funding for the new park will come from private donors and grants. The Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams (KAWS) has been working with the City, the R. Michael Rhoades Foundation, and various other partners over the past few years to develop the park.
The 7.2-acre park will be built adjacent to the City’s existing manmade wetlands. Those wetlands, which were built along with the Sand Creek bank restoration project in 2009, are fed by effluent water from the adjacent Wastewater Treatment Plant. The area is very popular with wildlife, especially waterfowl, and bird counts have logged over 150 different species at this location.
This new wetlands project will be fed by stormwater runoff rather than effluent. Its public access will include a walking trail with elevated boardwalks, interpretative signage, and some higher berms so visitors can view the wildlife in the existing City wetlands. It will also include additional parking that will accommodate school buses for field trips.
KAWS has been helping to design the project and pull together multiple private funding partners, including the Rhoades Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Evergy, and others. A donation from Newton Lions Club will help fund accessibility and signage for low-vision users who do birding by ear, and a grant secured by Newton Rotary Club will fund a series of bird murals by Newton Murals & Arts Project.
The public can follow updates on the project on the KAWS website.
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