NEWTON, Kan. — The former south Dillons Store in Newton will soon be coming down. Newton City Commissioners have approved a $160,000 contract with Dondlinger Construction of Wichita to tear down the building at 320 North Main which has been vacant for over a decade.
In 2015, the City of Newton had purchased the property with the intent to build a new police station there. The following year, soil samples from the site were found to be contaminated from an historical fuel spill in an adjacent rail yard. Since then, the city and BNSF Railroad have been in negotiations regarding cleanup.
As part of the demolition, the railroad has agreed to reimburse the city for incremental additional costs of disposing up to 250 tons of “special water” which under Kansas law requires special handling and disposal.
