The Rundown – City approves final plans for wetlands park

City of Newton, KS sent this bulletin at 10/26/2022 04:20 PM CDT

The Rundown with image of City Commission bench

The Rundown is prepared by the City of Newton Communications Office to summarize the City Commission meeting and does not represent official Commission minutes.

Oct. 25, 2022 Newton City Commission meeting

City approves final plans for wetlands park

At Tuesday night’s meeting, the City Commission approved final plans for a new public wetlands park. 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 two years to develop the new 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. The City cannot grant full public access to the site, however, because when the city gets very heavy rains, raw sewage can occasionally be discharged to the wetlands for some minor natural treatment before it flows to Sand Creek.

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.

The Newton-based R. Michael Rhoades Foundation stepped forward as a major funding partner with the seed money of $100,000. Mr. Rhoades was a Newton native who had a deep appreciation for the outdoors and wildlife.

KAWS has been helping to design the project and pull together multiple other private funding partners, including 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 State permitting process is currently underway. The City Commission on Tuesday approved the plans and authorized staff to set a bid date likely in early 2023 when the State approvals are complete. The public can follow updates on the project on the KAWS website.

In other action, the City Commission:

Approved a request from Newton Lions Club to close Main Street on Dec. 1 for the Parade of Lights.
Dissolved the Accessibility Advisory Board, which has been defunct for many years. The board was created in 1993, when the Americans with Disabilities Act was new. The City now has a staff person responsible for accessibility issues and a complaint process in place.
Rezoned the old gas station at 400 E. Eighth St. to C-2 commercial district. The new property owner intends to reopen the building as a small event space.
Approved a Planned Unit Development zoning classification for property at 1010 S. Kansas Ave. With a PUD, the property owner will have to submit a plan for the specific use of the property to the Planning Commission for approval.
Approved the court-ordered demolition of the home at 303 S.E. Fourth St., which was damaged by a fire and years of neglect. A bid date was set for 11 a.m. Nov. 10.
Approved employment contracts for 2023 for the city manager and city attorney.
Changed the times for the Nov. 22 and Dec. 27 City Commission meetings to noon.

For more information, please contact Director of Communications Erin McDaniel at 316-284-6055 or emcdaniel@newtonkansas.com.

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