Plans to convert the former MKT Rail Yards on Broadway Boulevard in Sedalia will soon take their next step when the proposed Memory Lanes bowling alley will go out to bid.

The facility will be the first of four facilities the city plans to build on the site, which has drawn concern from residents over contaminants that may remain in the soil after nearly a century of use as a maintenance yard. Sedalia Parks and Recreation Director Amy Epple says a series of soil tests have taken place that have given her confidence that the site will be safe for public use.

Epple says she looks forward to the new bowling alley, as well as an outdoor aquatic center that is also planned for the site.

The Sedalia Parks and Recreation Board recently announced a delay for the planned aquatic center by three to five years. The city is also planning for a new Central Fire Station and fire training facility at the site.