Intermodal and Logistics Park Information

Intermodal Update

--June 2008
The Kansas State Legislature passed out of both houses a bill that would have provided the City of Gardner a mechanism to fund the public infrastructure.  The Legislature combined this bill with the bill for the coal fired power plants that the Governor had previously vetoed.  In late May, the Governor also vetoed the combined legislation.  The City Council will discuss options related to this project later this summer after completing its 2009 Budget.  

--May 2008
The Kansas Legislature is still working on finalizing its yearly session. As part of the conclusion of the session, the Legislature is considering several items, including approval of Senate Substitue for House Bill 2412. This bill includes the financing mechanism necessary for the infrastructure for Logistics Hub KC. As of May 6, 2008, the Senate had approved the bill and sent it to the House for consideration.

--April 2008
On March 12, 2008, the Gardner City Council voted to approve a Concept Finance Plan for the Logistics Hub KC project. The Council endorsed the concept plan so that representatives from the Kansas Department of Transportation introduce a bill to allow for State backing of the loans necessary to complete the public infrastructure need for the site, which totals approximately $63 million. SB 693 was introduced to the Senate Commerce Committee on March 19, 2008, which creates an intermodal revolving loan fund, similar to the State's transportation revolving load fund. This fund would be used for financing the $63 million in public roadway improvements, such as Waverly Road, 191st Street, and overpasses. This legislation does not include funding for the new interchange, mentioned below that is estimated at $20,000,000 or improvements to the Gardner Road interchange at approximately $2 million. The interchange improvements will be financed by the Kansas Department of Transportation.

SB 693 was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee on March 31st, 2008 and passed by the Senate by a 34-4 vote on April 2, 2008 and has been introduced into the House of Representatives. If signed into law by the Governor, this will allow the City to enter into final negotiations for the project. It is estimated that a development agreement and annexation request would occur in June 2008.

--November 2007
The draft Break-in-Access Study for new I-35 interchange was submitted to the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) on November 7th, 2007 by HDR Consulting. The Break-in-Access Study indicates the need for a new interchange somewhere in between 199th and Homestead along I-35. KDOT has also provided the City of Gardner with an agreement to complete upgrades to the Gardner Road interchange as an interim step while a new interchange is being constructed per the Break-in-Access Study recommendations. Additionally, KDOT continues to work on other plans for I-35 due to the growth of Southwest Johnson County, which include possible additional lanes, working with the Kansas State Patrol to move the weigh station further south into Miami County and other improvements to provide better traffic flow into the future.

On November 5th, the Gardner City Council authorized a pre-funding agreement with the Allen Group of Kansas for the cost of the City’s consultants for work done in relation to the proposed KC Logistics Hub. This includes IRR, City Attorney Hubbard, Olson Engineering, and Kutak Rock bond attorney. Per the City Council approval, this agreement does not allow for reimbursement for Springsted Financial Advisors, they will be paid from other City funding sources. The pre-funding agreement pays for the cost of the service to review the proposals from BNSF and the Allen Group related to financing of roadway and other necessary infrastructure improvements and does not charge the tax payers of Gardner for those services. The Allen Group pays the City a down payment for which the City draws down upon as it receives invoices from the parties listed above. This is a typical type of arrangement in major development projects, where the cost for reviewing information can be very high for a local government to bear.

Other items of note:

• BNSF announces the use of electric cranes at the KC Logistics Hub, which are considered to be far more environmentally sound than diesel cranes.
• BNSF and the Allen Group have entered into an agreement related to development of the KC Logistics Hub in late April. The Allen Group has several milestones to meet in satisfying their arrangements over the next couple of months to a year.

Intermodal Correspondence --2007
This portion of the site contains key communication between the City of Gardner, BNSF, KDOT, and attorneys. To read correspondence visit the Intermodal Correspondence page.

Intermodal and Logistics Park Maps and Pictures
This portion of the site include maps of the proposed site for Gardner. It also contains photos taken at the Alliance, Texas and Elwood, IL facilities.

Intermodal Review Committee --2006
The Gardner City Council appointed a committee in April 2006 to review the proposed BNSF Intermodal and Logistics Park concept. The Committee met through June and compiled information related to the project, which was submitted to the City Council on July 10th, 2006. To read the committees findings and related information visit the Intermodal Review Committee page.