 City crew patching potholes on South Spencer Road
At Tuesday night’s meeting, the City Commission approved plans for the reconstruction of South Spencer Road between East First and Southeast 14th Streets.
Spencer was constructed about 25 years ago. During the construction of the First and Broadway interchanges on I-135, highway traffic through Newton was detoured onto Spencer, so the Kansas Department of Transportation provided most of the funding for Spencer’s construction. The concrete pavement has not held up well to traffic, especially at the joints where cracking and spalling are evident.
City Street staff have been patching the road constantly in recent years, and many area residents and businesses have expressed concerns about the condition of the road.
The project will be built in three phases, starting with the section from East First to Southeast Third Street this fall and the other two phases next spring. Each phase will take 6-8 weeks to complete. Traffic will remain open during construction for southbound traffic only.
Total cost of the project is estimated at about $3.6 million. The City plans to use $300,000 in federal fund exchange dollars toward the project and bond the remaining cost.
An open house is planned for 5-6:30 p.m. Aug. 20 at City Hall for affected residents and businesses to ask questions about the project and learn more.
The Commission set a bid date of 11 a.m. Sept. 17.
 Dining room chimney (left) and kitchen chimney (right)
The Commission also approved repair work on the four brick chimneys and limestone portico at the Warkentin House. The City owns the Victorian house at 211 E. First St., and its museum is operated by a volunteer board of directors. Recent inspections showed that the house’s chimneys are in urgent need of reconstruction. Because the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, removing the chimneys is not an option, as they are significant to its historic architecture. About 16-20 stones of the portico on the west side of the house are also deteriorated and need to be replaced.
The estimated cost of the project is $210,000, to be funded using sales tax dollars allocated for economic development and infrastructure. The Commission approved hiring Sutherland Builders to complete the work.
- Appointed Terry Cook, Marilyn Schill, Joshua Bargdill, and Dyan Roberson to the Convention & Visitors Bureau Board; and Gloria Arellano to the Harvey/McPherson Counties Community Corrections Advisory Board.
- Received the second quarter financial report.
- Approved a request to close West Sixth Street on Sept. 28 for the United Way Chili Cook-off.
- Adopted the 2024 editions of the Uniform Public Offense Code and Standard Traffic Ordinance.
For more information, please contact Communications Director Erin McDaniel at 316-284-6055 or emcdaniel@newtonkansas.com.
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