At Thursday’s City Commission meeting, KemperSports Regional Manager Chris Tuohey, who has served as Sand Creek Station’s general manager since its opening in 2006, announced that he will be leaving the golf course in mid-February.
“I cannot put into words how hard of a decision this was to make,” Tuohey said. “It’s just how special this community this is to me and how welcome you guys made me feel when we came up from New Orleans, Louisiana, after losing everything in the hurricane. … I will be forever indebted, and Newton will always hold a very, very special place in my heart.”
Tuohey will remain with KemperSports, managing two golf courses outside Louisville, Kentucky. He will continue to be involved in planning for the 2024 U.S. Adaptive Open that Sand Creek Station will host next July and plans to return to Newton for the event.
Tuohey said the move will allow him to advance within the company and the timing is right, with Sand Creek Station’s staff and programming in a solid position.
The Commission thanked Tuohey for building such an effective team at Sand Creek Station and for all the success the course has had under his leadership.
The City-owned Sand Creek Station has been ranked among the best golf courses in the state by Golf Digest and has been No. 1 in the U.S. in overall customer loyalty for 15 years in a row.
The City Commission continued discussion of a request to forgive a portion of a loan for the development of Lincoln Park Apartments.
In 2002, the City received Community Development Block Grant funds from the Kansas Department of Commerce that were issued as a loan to MetroPlains Management to help finance the redevelopment of Lincoln School into income-qualified apartments. The company has since paid about $6,000 on the $200,000 loan.
Earlier this month, Gary Stenson, chief manager of MetroPlains, asked the City Commission to consider partial forgiveness of the loan. He argued that the monies received were intended to be grants and only structured as loans to make the deal work for tax purposes. Stenson said the company has a contract to sell the property that is contingent on the loan forgiveness.
Commissioners expressed concern about whether forgiving the loan would be a benefit to the community or only a financial boost to the developer. City staff will continue to communicate with MetroPlains and work to set up a meeting with the potential buyer to learn more details about the sale and the buyer’s plans for the property.
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- Awarded a contract for Washington Road water and sewer improvements to Dondlinger & Sons Construction for $268,481.
- Awarded a contract for Fox Ridge Phase I water, streets, and drainage improvements to Pearson Construction for $2,849,995.95. The City will pay for 5.51% of the street improvements; the remaining costs will be paid by the property owners via special assessments.
- Approved plans and specifications for Cow Palace sewer line extension to serve Full Vision and set a bid date of 11 a.m. Jan. 18.
- Rezoned the property at 1010 E. 12th St., site of the City’s new park maintenance facility, to C-2 (general business district) from P-O (professional office district).
- Approved the service of complimentary alcoholic beverages at Carriage Factory Art Gallery at events promoting the arts in 2024.
- Selected the Newton Kansan as the official newspaper for the ensuing year.
For more information, please contact Communications Director Erin McDaniel at 316-284-6055 or emcdaniel@newtonkansas.com.
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