Grafco bringing jobs, building new facility

Another business soon will call Newton home.

Grafco LLC is looking to build a 10,000-square-foot facility in the Newton Industrial Park.

On Tuesday evening, the Newton City Commission approved entering into an agreement to provide incentives for the company to locate here.

Grafco, owned by Jan and Andy Cowles, is a supplier of oxygen and nitrogen.

“We supply oxygen to large home health-care companies who provide oxygen to customers in their homes,” Andy Cowles said. “Nitrogen, on the other hand, has a variety of uses that we supply for.”

He said they supply the product to places such as coffee manufacturers, meat-packing plants and tire shops.

The company moved to a temporary facility in Salina before deciding to build a permanent structure in Newton.

“The people here have been wonderful,” Andy Cowles said. “We were really looking at building in Salina until we met people here.”

The 10,000-square-foot facility will consist primarily of manufacturing, storage and distribution space, as well as some office space.

Construction will cost about $1 million.

Initially, Grafco plans to employ five people in the first year of operation with an annual payroll of about $225,000.

The Cowles are looking to move forward with construction as soon as possible on the new facility.

Mickey Fornaro-Dean, Harvey County Economic Development Council director, said the Cowles have hired a local contractor for the construction project and purchased a house for their daughter, who will be working at the new facility.

The commission approved waiving, paying or reimbursing the special assessments against the property in the industrial park for the recent extension of water and sewer utilities and streets. The city granted a 10-year tiered tax abatement.

The Newton City Commission also approved several street improvement projects.

Suzanne Loomis, public works director, said the city is split into six maintenance areas.

Each year, one area is focused on. This year, engineering department and street maintenance staff has analyzed all street in maintenance area three, which is the northeast part of the city and determined what needs to be done in the area.

“Anytime a major connector street or arterial street is in need of overlay, we are forced to request additional funds through the capital improvement program, so the residential street maintenance program is not sacrificed,” she said.

The commission approved work to be done on Spencer Road from 12th Street north to city limits, Broadway from Walnut to Kansas, Old Trail Road from Magnolia to 12th Street and Old Main from Slate Creek to South 14th Street.

In other business, the commission:

· Adopted the South Newton/Interstate 135 Corridor Land Use Plan as a Newton addendum to the Comprehensive Plan for the city.

· Authorized a Kansas Water Pollution Control Revolving Loan Fund agreement for phase one of the waste water treatment plant improvements.

· Approved filing an application for a waste tire grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for playground resurfacing.