Osawatomie completes $7M infrastructure project aiming for economic growth ...Middle East

KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.

The City of Osawatomie completed construction on its $7 million downtown roadway renovations, the biggest in the town’s history.

The 6th Street Project began in December 2023 replacing water lines.

Over the course of a year, improved sidewalks grace the entire corridor, shared-use pathways in certain sections funded by a $1.5 million grant from KDOT, improving traffic flow and pedestrian crossing, and on-street parking availability.

Will Shaw/KSHB

“6th street would be our north and south arterial. It’s the only street in town stretching from the south city limits to the north city limits,” explained Michele Silsbee, the deputy city manager for the City of Osawatomie. “When we took the road out there was old highway, brick, and all kinds of different layers. It’s brand-new concrete now, north and south.”

Will Shaw/KSHB

6th Street runs through the heart of Osawatomie’s Commercial District. ADA-compliant sidewalks offer downtown shoppers better access to local businesses.

The year of construction posed some challenges to nearby businesses.

“It’s hard to get down here when the roads are blocked,” said Ashley Kertz, the owner of Downtown Nutrition.

Will Shaw/KSHB

Traffic is running down the 6th Street Project as it normally would. Only a week since it opened, Kertz noticed an immediate financial shot in the arm.

“We have really picked up,” she said. “We actually had a group from New York that was driving by killing time before a Chiefs game stop and visit us. The only reason that is possible is because the road is opened back up.”

Will Shaw/KSHB

KSHB 41 has followed Osawatomie’s infrastructure development push since late summer. Including the city receiving $48 million in federal loans and grants to build a new water treatment facility.

KSHB 41 also featured the impact the railroad moving the Kansas City had on the local economy.

Osawatomie, Kan., gets funding for new water treatment plant

“The city went through a rather extended period after the railroad left, where there wasn’t a lot of growth and improvements. One of the things we are trying to do is bring the infrastructure back up, to show people there is still life and growth capability here in Osawatomie,” Silsbee added. “This is one major way that we can welcome people into town and they can drive down a brand-new street, see sidewalks and what we are about.”

Osawatomie, Kansas, relives railroad past with visit from Big Boy Locomotive No. 4014

Outside of the KDOT grant, the project was funded by bonds, Miami County Road and Bridge sales tax revenue, and the remainder in temporary notes and the City of Osawatomie’s voter-approved sales tax dedicated to street repair.

Additionally, the City of Osawatomie was awarded $1.5 million in the Federal Highway Administration’s “Transportation Alternatives” grant program to develop the bicycle and pedestrian trails intersecting with the 6th Street Project.

Will Shaw/KSHB

City leaders additional projects to ensure Osawatomie does not fall behind its declining infrastructure.

In October, “The Solar Project” was launched contractually between the City and Evergy. The goal similar to is water production, to create independence and fair opportunity for residents.

“The solar project meets almost our daily load when the sun is shining,” City Manager Bret Glendening told KSHB 41.

Will Shaw/KSHB

The City of Osawatomie operates under five guiding principles:

The 6th Street and Solar Project is filling the city’s buckets of rebuilding its community.

Will Shaw/KSHB

“It’s a 30-year power source, guaranteed price,” Glendening added. “In small towns, you’re always looking to get the most bang for your buck… The 6th Street Project is already having an impact, with people looking to their own businesses and saying, ‘You know what, if the city is going to maintain its infrastructure and maintain its property, I should do the same.’”

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