May 18, 2012

New KS House districts proposed

Proposal for redistricting in Johnson County/map courtesy of Kansas

Danedri Thompson dthompson@gardnernews.com Johnson County will likely add three new representatives to the Kansas House of Representatives next year. A redistricting proposal, which easily passed a House committee on Monday, would separate Gardner, Edgerton and Spring Hill into three separate districts. Currently, all three communities are part of the 43rd District and are represented by [...]

Intermodal bids come in below estimates

Mark Taylor mtaylor@gardnernews.com Construction bids for road improvements serving the intermodal logistics park came in below estimates, Johnson County Commissioners were told Feb. 2. Hannes Zacharias, county manager, said bids were opened by the Kansas Department of Transportation on Jan. 19. The bids for the county’s share of improvements to 191st Street, Homestead Lane and [...]

Stacks of tracks

Staff photo by Mark Taylor

Staff photo by Mark Taylor Railroad tracks are stacked up at the corner of Sycamore and Warren streets as workers prepare to install new tracks that will allow trains to enter and exit the intermodal logistics park in Edgerton. The intermodal, which has one warehouse tenant identified so far, is slated to open in late [...]

Intermodal protest

Staff photo by Danedri Thompson

Danedri Thompson dthompson@gardnernews.com A contractor for a BNSF administration building on the intermodal site is the subject of a local protest. Laborers from the Unified Brotherhood of Carpenters daily sit beside a large sign stationed near the Gardner Road exit to Interstate 35. The sign reads, “Shame on Crossland Construction.” Ed Rousch, a union member [...]

Gardner Police Dept. investigating copper theft

Mark Taylor mtaylor@gardnernews.com Gardner police are investigating the theft of more than $2,500 in copper cable from a BNSF intermodal track construction site. Ilena Spalding, spokesperson for the police department, said officers were dispatched to a location in the 330 block of East Park Street where the theft was discovered. Spalding said the copper cable [...]

BOCC to consider extending planning agreement with Edgerton

Mark Taylor mtaylor@gardnernews.com The Johnson County Board of Commissioners will consider renewing a contract with the city of Edgerton for planning services on Dec. 8. The city and county entered a one-year agreement in December 2010 for planning review and zoning code enforcement related to the intermodal logistics park under construction in Edgerton. The 440-acre [...]

State of Kansas weighs in on intermodal

Danedri Thompson dthompson@gardnernews.com Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt weighed in on the Intermodal project last week filing a brief with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver asking justices to reject a lawsuit to block construction of the project. The lawsuit, filed by environmental groups, including Hillsdale Environmental Loss Protection (HELP) and the National [...]

Edgerton council to vote on sewer system for intermodal

Mark Taylor mtaylor@gardnernews.com The Edgerton City Council is expected to approve a wastewater treatment system to serve the intermodal logistics park on Nov. 10. During an Oct. 27 work session, the council reviewed five options for extending sewer service to the development which is expected to open in late 2013. The council in July approved [...]

Commission may condemn 191st Street

Mark Taylor mtaylor@gardnernews.com The Johnson County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 29 voted 5-2 to condemn right-of-way along 191st Street between Four Corners and Waverly Roads. The condemnation follows a December 2009 agreement with the city of Edgerton for road improvements to serve the intermodal logistics park, which is slated to open in late 2013. [...]

Intermodal construction on schedule for 2013 completionfrastructure

A building for maintenance and hostler trucks is the first structure under construction at the intermodal logistics park. Members of the Southwest Johnson County Economic Development Corporation toured the intermodal logistics park following the organization’s quarterly luncheon on Sept. 14 at Mildale Farm in Edgerton. Staff photo by Mark Taylor

Mark Taylor mtaylor@gardnernews.com Southwest Johnson County Economic Development Corporation members took part in a  bus tour of the construction site following their quarterly luncheon meeting on Sept. 14. John Hovland, director of marketing and facility development, served as one of the tour guides. Hovland said the initial construction calls for 48,000 feet of track, 1,810 [...]