NEWTON, Kan. — Newton City Commissioners this week approved an agreement with BNSF Railway for preliminary engineering on a portion of the planned extension of the Sand Creek Bike Path, which on completion will fill the remaining gap in the trail, from the Sand Creek Dam south to SW 14th Street.
This will create a trail that will connect Sand Creek Station Golf Course and Bethel College. The city last year accepted a $3 million KDOT grant for the project. The agreement with BNSF was required because construction will be happening in their right of way, specifically crossing under railroad trestles south of First Street.
The Commission also authorized water, street and sewer improvements for the APAC development at Kansas Logistics Park and an engineering agreement with PEC for design. APAC will pay for these improvements through special assessments, which are not affected by the 10-year property tax abatement that is part of the up to $8.5 million in industrial revenue bonds for the project it also approved at Tuesday’s meeting.
In other business, the Commission approved use of Centennial Park for a Parents as Teacher Touch a Truck event May 15, set an April 7 bid date on improvements for the Sand Creek Station 5th Addition, an agreement with KDOT and Harvey County allowing use of city right of way connected with a county project to replace a bridge on SW 14th Street.
