Category Archives: Fort Scott

Fort Scott, Government

FS Commission Agenda For Oct. 6: Updated

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NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR
MEETING OF
FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
CITY HALL, 123 S. MAIN STREET
OCTOBER 6, 2020
6 P.M.

Updated agenda adds:

 

Appearance by Mark McCoy – Letter of Support for the 1% Sales Tax

 

Director Update:  Michael Mix – Update on Lake Intake Valves

 

Call to Order

I.Roll Call:

K. Allen P. Allen Mitchell Nichols Watts

II.Flag Salute:

III.Invocation: Led by Paul Martin, Community Christian Church

IV.Approval of Agenda:

V.Proclamations/Recognitions: None

VI.Consent Agenda:

  1. Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of September 1st. special meeting of September 21st, 2020, and special meeting of September 28th, 2020.

  1. Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1272-A totaling $500,184.22.

  1. Certificate of Appropriateness – Downtown Walking Trail – signage

  1. Request to Pay – HDR Engineering – River Intake Structure – $6,001.05

  1. Request to Pay – SAM, LLC – GPS/GIS Project – Water Utility – $35,000.00

  1. Pay Request #13 – Crossland Heavy Contractors, Inc – River Intake Structure – $21,401.91

  1. Request to Pay – Insituform – Sewer Rehabilitation – $126,592.72

  1. Request to Pay #4 – Home Center Construction – Water Treatment Plant Fire – $9,320.00

  1. Request to Pay – Buildet, LLC – Water Treatment Plant Fire – $45,000.00

  1. Request to Pay – MIH – R-II Concrete – $46,417.05

  1. Request to Pay – Rory Chaplin – $1,229.93

  1. Request to Pay – Lauber Municipal Law, LLC – August – $16,607.50

  1. August financials

 

 

 

VII.Public Comment:

(Sign up required. Comments on any topic not on the agenda and limited to 5 minutes per person, at Commission discretion)

 

VIII.Old Business:

1. Discussion of Pit Bull Ordinance

2. Update on Parks Advisory Board Ordinance

 

IX.Appearances:

Alison Leach & Kristy Bowman – Proposal for Bridal Veil Park

Paul Martin – Community Christian Church – Halloween Alternative

 

X.New Business:

Downtown Building Improvement Grant – Sharky’s

T. A. Grant and Resolution of Support

Approval to update CDBG-CV Grant Parameters

Approval to apply for a grant from Fort Scott Area Community Foundation on behalf of Pioneer Kiwanis for a friendship swing

5. Recommendation from Lake Advisory Board to remove the sale of all City property at Lake Fort Scott

6. Recommendation from Lake Advisory Board to approve Ordinance No. 3566 amending terms of the Lake Advisory Board members

7. Recommendation from Lake Advisory Board to allow private buoys be placed in front of residences at Lake Fort Scott, but that the City purchase the buoys so they match what the State require

XI.Reports and Comments:

Director Reports:

Nate Stansberry, City Engineer:

Consideration of recommendation from the Street Advisory Board to add two (2) additional laborers so additional manpower can assist with street maintenance

Flood Plain Permit Request from Greg Schick

Susan Bancroft

Commissioner Reports and Comments:

City Attorney Report and Comments:

City Manager Report and Comments:

XII.Executive Session – if requested (Please follow script in all motions for Executive Session)

  1. XIII. Adjournment

Food, Fort Scott

Breakfast on the Bricks Oct. 3 Starting at 8 a.m.

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Fort Scott American Legion Auxiliary Unit 25 will be hosting Breakfast on the Bricks at Skubitz Plaza Saturday morning, October 3 starting at 8 am.
 
Stop by for a cup of coffee or snack and meet other Legion family members. Bring a prospective member. I’ll be there helping and always have the time to recruit a new Legion family member.
 
 
Carl Jowers. Post 25 Commander.
Fort Scott

Fort Scott American Legion Family October 2020 Activities

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Saturday. October 3. Fort Scott American Legion Auxiliary Unit 25 hosts Breakfast on the Bricks at 8 am.

Monday. October 5. Fort Scott American Legion Post 25 meets at 7 pm in Memorial Hall.

Monday. October 5. Fort Scott Sons of the American Legion Squadron 25 meets at 7 pm in Memorial Hall.

Thursday. October 8. American Legion Auxiliary Unit 25 meets at 6 pm in Memorial Hall.

Thursday. October 8. American Legion Post 25 Color Guard meets at 7:30 pm in Memorial Hall.

Saturday. October 10. Fort Scott American Post 25 Color Guard hosts Breakfast on the Bricks at 8 am.

Saturday. October 24. American Legion Riders Chapter 25 meets at 10 am in Memorial Hall.

Friday. October 30. Fort Scott American Legion Family hosts a Halloween themed community dance at Memorial Hall from 7 – 10 pm. This event has been approved by the City but might be cancelled due to changes in COVID 19 guidelines.

The Fort Scott American Legion family welcomes all prospective members to attend our meetings:

General Eligibility Guidelines.

American Legion: Any honorably discharged Veteran who served one day of active duty since December 7, 1941 is eligible to join the American Legion. Any active duty military is also eligible to join the American Legion.

American Legion Auxiliary: Any immediate female family member of active duty military or an honorably discharged Veteran is eligible to join the American Legion Auxiliary.

Sons of the American Legion: Any male descendant of an honorably discharged Veteran is eligible to join the Sons of the American Legion.

For more information about eligibility to join the American Legion family, call Post 25 Carl Jowers at 620.215.1688.
Fort Scott, Schools

FSHS After School Choir Enrollment Open

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Students attending FSHS are invited to sing in the FSHS After School Choir, directed by MJ Harper.
Performers will further grow vocal abilities, musical knowledge, and choral repertoire. This ensemble will also
prepare students for district and state auditions and the spring musical. COVID guidelines will be observed.
Rehearsals will begin October 13th and will run 3:30-4:15PM Tuesdays and Thursdays at FSHS. Students
wishing to participate can enroll by scanning the QR Code on posters or by emailing
[email protected] , deadline October 9th.

Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Downtown Meet and Greet: All Things Downtown

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Sharky’s Pub and Grub restaurant, 16 N. National, with below “before” photos on the left and “after” photos on the right. Submitted photos.
The next meeting to converse on all things downtown is Oct. 6 at Sharky’s Pub and Grub, 16 N. National Avenue.
The Fort Scott Downtown Quarterly Meet and Greet was started on January 11, 2011, by the Chamber of Commerce.
“These informal, quarterly meetings are hosted by the Chamber for downtown business owners, representatives and community members to network and share ideas on events, promotions and anything related to downtown,” Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison said.
Those who are downtown business owners or building owners are invited, along with anyone with an interest in downtown Fort Scott, Madison said.
The group meets the first Tuesday of each quarter in the year: January, April, July, October from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., unless otherwise announced.  The event is hosted by different downtown locations.
“The Oct. 6 meeting will be hosted by Sharky’s Pub and Grub for everyone to see their recent renovation,” Madison said.
Lindsay Madison. Submitted photo.
Madison listed the following as on the agenda for the Oct. 6 meeting:
  • “We are reviewing plans for the Halloween and Christmas Parades, decisions have not been made yet.
  • The Holiday Open House will be held Thursday, November 12th from 5-8 pm where stores are open with drawings, refreshments, and great finds for holiday gifts and decor.
  • The Chamber and CVB have designed a Mystery Mug Drawing Shopping Card where visitors pick up a discount card at the Chamber or other participating location and spend at least $5 in four locations and return the card for a monthly drawing for a Fort Scott mug with a mystery gift inside.  We have always had a discount card for visiting groups, but are looking to more widely provide these discount cards to visitors to encourage shopping in our local businesses.
  • New businessess downtown in the last quarter are Hound Nutrition, G-N-R Healthy Living, E3 Ranch Store.
  • Downtown has been blessed to have a great amount of private investment injected over the last couple of years to preserve and renovate multiple historic properties.  Yes, there are still opportunities for improvement, but significant progress is being made.”
COVID-19, Fort Scott, Schools

St. Mary’s School Makes Changes for Pandemic

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St. Mary’s Catholic School students have some classes outside. Submitted photos.

School started for St. Mary’s Catholic School on August 27.

 

But with the COVID 19 Pandemic, this year is not school as usual.

 

“We have moved our 3rd/4th grade combination classroom into our gym space, to ensure that there is at least six feet between all students,” Josh Regan, St. Mary’s Principal, said. “From the very beginning, one of our top priorities has been to make sure that there is adequate social distancing in every classroom.”

 

Regan knows the school is fortunate to be small enough to be able to social distance, and that not all schools have this ability, he said.

 

Regan is thankful for the cooperation of staff and the community in setting the school up for the start of school.

 

“I want to commend our 3rd/4th grade classroom teacher, Amber Russell, for her hard work in creating a classroom space in just a couple of weeks,” Regan said.  “She really went above and beyond in making that space not only conducive to learning but also inviting and comfortable for kids.”

 

Amber Russells’s 3rd/4th class allows social distancing in the school gym. Submitted photos.

“We also want to thank Matt Ida and Brian McGowan at Extrusions Inc. for their generous help in constructing temporary walls for that classroom,” Regan said.

The administration and staff want to maximize time the students can be without a facemask, one of the ways they are following government guidelines to stop the spread of the disease, he said.

” We want to maximize the time that kids can be kids, without the restriction of a facemask that we feel strips away part of our God-given human connection with others since we cannot see concealed faces,” Regan said.  “Communication is damaged and relationships are much more difficult to build when we cannot tell whether a child is frustrated, sad, happy, or somewhere in between based on their expression!!”

“So much communication is nonverbal, especially in how a teacher reads the emotions of students and how kids interact with each other,” he said. ” Our kids wear masks as mandated, but we have worked hard to maximize time outside where they can remove masks safely and laugh, talk, and enjoy the time with their friends! ”

Students bring beach towels to school each week to spread out on the school’s lawn to eat lunch.

St. Mary’s students enjoy lunch outside. Submitted photos.

” About a month before school we also started asking school families, parishioners, and community members to allow us to borrow any picnic tables that we could get our hands on,” he said. “A couple of our families even anonymously bought and donated outdoor tables.”

“Our teachers frequently take classes outside and use the tables to distance kids with masks off,” Regan said.

In addition, the school has all its’ physical education classes outside.

“It has worked out great for us, mostly because God has blessed us with beautiful weather so far this year,” Regan said.

Students at St. Mary’s learn outside. Submitted photos.
Fort Scott, Schools

USD 234 Early Release Day on Wednesday, October 7, 2020

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There will be an early release day for students on Wednesday,

October 7, 2020.  Students will be dismissed at the following times:


Fort Scott High School and Eugene Ware School – 1:01 p.m.
Fort Scott Middle School – 1:11 p.m.
Winfield Scott School – 1:06 p.m.
Fort Scott Preschool Center and New Generation Preschool – 11:05 a.m.

 

There will be no afternoon preschool sessions and no after-school child care.

Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet Oct. 6

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Join us for the Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet, Tuesday, October 6th, 2020!
8:30 am to 9:30 am
hosted by the Chamber at Sharky’s Pub & Grub
Rita Schroeder, Administrative Assistant
Lindsay Madison, President & CEO
620-223-3566
These informal, quarterly meetings are hosted by the Chamber for downtown business owners, representatives and community members to network and share ideas on events, promotions and anything related to downtown. Coffee, juice and light refreshments will be served.
Masks and social distancing are encouraged at your discretion.
Food, Fort Scott

Doughnuts For Dictionaries: Deadline Oct. 2

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Rotary Announces
Doughnuts for Dictionaries
Krispy Kreme Fundraiser
Place your order today!
Deadline October 2nd at noon
$10 per dozen
Choice of:
Glazed
Chocolate Iced
Raspberry Filled
Pickup will be Friday, October 9th
6am-10am in front of Memorial Hall
Friday morning pickup makes them perfect to share with your office, customers or friends!
Dictionaries for all 3rd Graders
in Bourbon County
Each year, the Fort Scott Rotary Club
donates a dictionary to every 3rd grade student
in Bourbon County. Fort Scott Rotary has
delivered nearly 3,000 dictionaries over the
past 17 years. All proceeds from
The Doughnuts for Dictionaries Fundraiser supports this local Rotary service project.
Options for ordering:
*Contact any Rotarian
*Call organizer Kathy Dancer at 215-0637
*Order at the Chamber of Commerce
*Order online at fortscott.com
Thank you in advance for your support of this
Rotary service project!
Sharing some pictures from the 2019 distribution of dictionaries to
Bourbon County 3rd graders. More distributed than pictured below!
Fort Scott, Health Care, Mercy Hospital

Podcast of Fort Scott Losing Mercy Hospital Begins Sept. 29

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Sarah Jane Tribble. Submitted photo.

A new audio file will be available for Fort Scottians to download to a computer or mobile device about the demise of Mercy Hospital in 2018.

It will be a series, which can be subscribed to, entitled “Where It Hurts.” The first season is “No Mercy.”

The author of the series is Sarah Jane Tribble, a Kaiser Health News Senior Correspondent.

 

Tribble returned several times to Fort Scott following Mercy’s closure, to interview residents.

 

She spent more than a year recording the lives of people and how they changed.

 

“Their stories are full of grit and hope. Along the way, Tribble finds that the notion that every community needs a hospital deserves questioning,” according to the press release.

 

“The reporting for this project began just weeks before the hospital closed in December 2018 and ended with a final trip in December 2019,” Tribble said. “Throughout, I was reminded of the resilience and strength of people in southeastern Kansas.”

 

 

Each episode spends time with people in town, Tribble said in an email interview.  “In one, I take the listener to a (Fort Scott) Chamber Coffee, in another, we travel to the cancer treatment center. I truly believe every person in this podcast is worth meeting and spending time with.”

 

Tribble asked “uncomfortable questions of (Fort Scott) town leaders and the Catholic nuns who once ran Mercy to find out why the hospital, like so many others in rural America, fell upon hard times and ultimately shut down,” according to the release.

 

Tribble in the first segment on Sept. 29, interviews Pat and Ralph Wheeler, Dave Martin, Roxine Poznich, Krista Postai, and Reta Baker.

 

Mercy’s Importance To Fort Scott

 

The loss to the community was not just health care but Mercy Hospital was one of its largest employers and had some of its best-paying jobs according to a Kaiser Family Foundation press release,  New Podcast “No Mercy” Features Fort Scott.

 

“Mercy Hospital served as a mainstay of the town for 132 years and was a constant presence until faltering finances forced its doors to close in December 2018,” according to the press release. “The town felt abandoned.”

 

 

To subscribe to the podcast, click below: http://whereithurts.show

 

The new podcast is a collaboration between Kaiser Health News and St. Louis Public Radio.

 

When KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal read Tribble’s stories of Fort Scott, she knew it should be a podcast, according to the press release .

 

St. Louis Public Radio General Manager Tim Eby said in the press release  “The powerful stories from ‘Where It Hurts’ will help listeners, no matter where they are, understand the health care challenges facing our nation. These are stories that bring context and humanity and need to be heard by audiences.”

 

Series Begins On September 29 With Weekly Episodes

 

The series employing a narrative storytelling approach, debuts Sept. 29, with episodes to be released weekly through Nov. 10.

 

They will be available on major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and NPR One.

 

 

About the author, Sarah Jane Tribble

Tribble was born and grew up in Parsons, Kansas. Her parents still live on the 10-acre farm she was raised on.

Sarah Jane Tribble, in a winter scene in her younger years in Parsons, KS. Submitted photo.

“My love of journalism began when I joined the high school newspaper staff,” she said. ” I went away to college, took a job at the Wichita Eagle, and then followed a journalism career path that took me from coast-to-coast.”

 

She first heard of  Fort Scott Mercy Hospital closing from her mom in one of their frequent conversations, Tribble said.

 

Doing the background for the story, Tribble was alarmed by the health statistics.

 

“As someone who grew up in the region, I was initially surprised and alarmed to learn of some of the poor health statistics in the area,” Tribble said in the email interview. “The data shows there are higher rates of diabetes and obesity as well as higher rates of smoking and childhood poverty than other areas of the state. It all adds up to people dying younger.”