ERIN MCDANIEL
City of Newton
NEWTON, Kan. — At Tuesday night’s meeting, the City Commission took three actions to continue spurring industrial development in Newton.
First, the Commission approved a listing agreement with Lange Real Estate to market about 87 acres of land on Oliver Road just west of the Newton City/County Airport. The one-year agreement is non-exclusive, and the broker will receive a 6% commission only on sales resulting from his own efforts. Harvey County Economic Development will continue to generate its own leads on potential buyers. The land will be listed for $15,000 an acre.
The Commission also extended the expiration date of K&O Railroad’s option to purchase property in the Kansas Logistics Park until Oct 1. K&O optioned about 23 acres of property from the City in April of last year. The company said it hoped to build a railyard with capacity for 120-200 rail cars, with the ability to serve current and future development in the park. If K&O decides to exercise the option, all option payments ($45,000) will be applied as a credit to the purchase price. If it opts not to purchase the property, the City will retain the payments.
The City Commission also approved a funding resolution for a rail extension at the Logistics Park. Earlier this year, the City approved a grant agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation for about $3 million to fund 75% of the cost of construction of the extension, which will serve the planned GAF manufacturing facility. The City will bond its portion of the construction costs.
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