Hillside Road closed
Hillside Road between SE 12th and East First Street has been temporarily closed because of poor road conditions caused by recent rains.
The emergency closure is in the area of Hillside that's currently under construction, which is exacerbating flooding issues. A number of large trucks have gotten stuck.
Drivers should find an alternative route and are encouraged to take Spencer south to 24th Street to get back into town. Spencer is currently open southbound only for a separate construction project.
The Hillside closure will be re-evaluated on Monday, as more rain is expected this weekend. Please watch weather forecasts and follow the National Weather Service and Harvey County Emergency Management for flooding updates and alerts.
 GAF Construction
GAF reached a milestone in construction of its new Newton manufacturing facility: The first of many prestressed concrete panels went up at the Kansas Logistics Park site. The plant is expected to begin production in 2027 and reach full production capacity by mid-2029, creating more than 130 high-skilled manufacturing jobs, spanning management, engineering, and operations.
The Greater Wichita Partnership featured the GAF project in a blog post this week focused on the reasons the company chose our region for their new, world-class shingle manufacturing facility.
City Desk
Are you new to Newton? Have questions about City services? Stop by City Desk during Newton High School’s Open Enrollment event — 4-6 p.m. Thursday, July 30 at NHS, 900 W. 12th St.
We’ll be there with info on City utilities, upcoming events, how we communicate with residents, and other helpful resources to get you connected and settled in.
The City Desk series is a chance to chat with City staff, ask questions, and learn more — all in a relaxed, informal setting. We’d love to meet you!
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 East 12th Street is reopened to all traffic after a mill and overlay.
Public Works
This week, our staff:
Streets & Sanitation
- Worked on curb and gutter repairs, asphalt patching, and slurry seal in Area 1.
- Finished the West Fourth Street repair caused by a water main break.
- Junk-Free Curbs program: July 14-18, our inspector tagged 27 locations. Five scheduled a bulky item pickup and were charged $10, 11 were charged $20, and 11 were taken care of by the resident.
Building/Zoning/Engineering
- Completed 60 building inspections.
- Continued to oversee contractor work on Hillside and Spencer.
- Completed the East 12th Street repaving project and opened to traffic.
- Opened 12 new environmental control cases.
Parks & Cemetery
- Cleaned broken glass out of the sand at Caperland Park.
- Worked on the lights at the Blue Sky Sculpture.
- Worked on mulch containment around the newly installed swing sets.
Water & Wastewater
- Put the second new First Street water storage tank into service.
- Replaced the 18-inch effluent mag meter at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
- Repaired four water leaks.
 We're Hiring!
Looking for a career where you can make a difference, work with great people, and help our city thrive? The City of Newton is hiring for several key roles — and we’d love to have you on the team!
- Building Maintenance Specialist
- Police Officer
- Water Maintenance Worker
- Utility Supervisor
- Finance Director
Learn more or apply
 Hygiene Item Drive
The City is happy to participate in Peace Connections' Christmas in July personal hygiene item drive! The tree is waiting for you to scoop up a coconut with requested items, located in the Utility Billing Office on the first floor at City Hall.
Swing by to grab a coconut and help us fill a community need! Some info from Peace Connections about the drive:
Folks just have to "pick a coconut" representing a personal hygiene item they are willing to bring back to the collection box. All items will be distributed to friends who attend the monthly free laundry night, LAUNDRY LOVE, where we also provide a free meal alongside the dignity of clean clothes. Peace Connections is blessed to be part of such a giving and caring community.
Upcoming Events
- City Desk, 4-6 p.m. July 30 at NHS Enrollment Fair.
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Harvey County 4-H Fair, July 31-Aug. 4 at the Fairgrounds, 800 W. First St.
- Senior Center talk with Fire Inspector Jared Bergner, noon Aug. 4 at Newton Area Senior Center.
- Coffee with a Cop, 9-11 a.m. Aug. 5 at South McDonald's.
See all of the upcoming events at our Community Events listing on Choose-Newton.com.
Meetings & Reminders:
- 6 p.m. Aug. 4 – Planning Commission meeting
- 7:30 a.m. Aug. 7 – City Commission agenda review
- 7 p.m. Aug. 12 – City Commission meeting
- 7:30 a.m. Aug. 21 – City Commission agenda review
- 7 p.m. Aug. 26– City Commission meeting
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