Tag Archives: featured

Bourbon County, Business, Entertainment, Food, Fort Scott, History, Youth

Shead Farm Homestead Festival: Learning To Produce What You Need AND More

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Since the pandemic, many people have been looking at a lifestyle that includes purchasing local products and growing their food, or at the least, knowing nearby local producers.
The fourth annual Shead Farm Homestead Festival event will happen on May 18, southeast of Fort Scott. This educational and family-fun event has attempted to help those people.
Photo opportunities will be available at the festival. Submitted photo.
Homesteading is moving towards food security by means of producing one’s own animals and gardens.
Larry and Vickie Shead and their extended family have provided people with an event where people can gather tips on gardening, homesteading,  grafting fruit trees, beekeeping,  orchard care, and soap-making, and many others.
Vickie and Larry Shead, 2020, from her Facebook page.
This year over 50 vendors related to homesteading, along with family activities are scheduled.
Besides new vendors and activities, there will be a speakers’ tent where people can listen to a question and answer time on various homestead topics.
“A chapel is provided for those who may need prayer or just want some  Biblical insight,” Vickie said.
Over 150 volunteers have been working to create a memorable time, on Saturday, May 18, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.  Tickets are $5.00 each or $25.00 for a family of five or more.
“There will be good old fashion and exciting, memory-making events that young and old will not want to miss,” Vickie said.  “There are plenty of places to sit down and relax for a good visit with old friends and neighbors while watching the exciting activities taking place.”
Historical demonstrations to view: blacksmithing, broom making, butter making, wooden spoon making, leather working, rock wall building, and a weaver who demonstrates on an 1864 old barn wood loom, as well as showing how to spin. There will be a Model T Ford and a Model A Ford for viewing with early 1900s music playing on a Victrola nearby.
Educational vendors will share information on growing microgreens, making butter, washing clothes without electricity, creating with macrame, making goat milk soap, milking a cow, making jams and jellies, and creating pictures with pastels.  One can also learn about making pottery, sourdough bread, and how to harvest maple syrup.  And many beautiful quilts will be on display, she said.
“Children can enjoy the Children’s Center’s huge tent full of new, fun, educational, and exciting activities,” Vickie said.  “The little children can gather bugs in their bag and turn them in for a prize.  Face painting and a Story Station give a moment of rest for children. New this year will be a huge sand pile with treasures to find.  New, also a Kids’ Corner Store with many farm and educational toys.”
An Animal Arena displays donkeys, goats, dogs, cows, sheep, and a pig. Poultry will be roaming the area with peacocks, chickens, guineas, ducks, turkeys, and quail. Children and adults can learn the techniques of roping along with other fun animal activities, and additionally, there will be kittens, rabbits, and quail.
The Food Court has expanded to include pulled pork sandwiches, as well as the festival’s famous Walking Tacos, she said. Snacks are in abundance with kettle corn and homemade potato chips, cotton candy, and bakery bargains. Snack Shack items are dried candy fruits, and many other snacks.
“A variety of refreshing drinks will be available such as hot and cold coffees, cocoa; lemonade, and homemade refreshing root beer,” she said.
“Hope to see you all for this wonderful family and friend’s event,” she said.
An aerial view of the Shead Farm Homestead Festival. Submitted photo.
Fort Scott

Fort Scott Downed Power Line: Power Is Fully Restored

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The powerline was near the Taco Bell restaurant in Fort Scott.

Seventy-two customers and many townspeople were affected by a power outage that started with a downed power line in Fort Scott on April 16, according to customer service at Evergy, the electrical utility.

The power is fully restored to Fort Scott from yesterday’s outage which happened about 12:15 p.m., according to Fort Scott City Manager Brad Matkin.

The wind blew down a power pole on the north side of Landmark Bank across from McDonald’s Restaurant at the corner of Hwy. 69 and 23rd Street, according to Matkin.

Helping with the problem were the Fort Scott Police Department, Fort Scott Fire Department, and Evergy, the utility company, he said.

The estimated restoration time was delayed because of strong winds, the Evergy Customer Servicewoman said.
Typically outages don’t last more than a few hours, but when there are several outages around the state, they could take longer, she said.
Hwy. 69 was shut down and 23rd Street going eastbound was closed, according to the Fort Scott Fire Department Facebook page, yesterday,
U.S. 69 was for a time closed to through traffic between K-7 and U.S. 54 at Fort Scott, according to a Kansas Department of Transportation Facebook page.  KDOT was flagging motorists through the scene

 

Business, Fort Scott, Jobs

Will’s Gutter Service: Outside Handyman

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Wills Gutter Service. Submitted photo.

William Billings has been mowing yards since he was a child growing up, and started with a push mower as a kid.

Now he has a truck, trailer, and a zero-turn mower, with chainsaws and weed eaters to tackle any job.

Will’s Gutter Service provides weed eater service. Submitted photo.

He has over 15 years of experience mowing and worked for LACO Seamless Gutters for four years as a gutter specialist until the company shut down, he said.

Billings started Will’s Gutter Service last year in Fort Scott.

“The services I provide for the community are mowing yards, gutter cleanouts, gutter inspections and maintenance, tree trimming, leaf and debris clean up,” he said.

 

William Billings, the owner of Will’s Gutter Service, mows a yard. Submitted photo.
To contact Billings call 620-418-3491.
Billings started the business last year to make extra money for his family, he said.
He is a Turner High School graduate from K.C., Kansas.
William Billings is the owner of Will’s Gutter Service and has four years of experience in gutter clean-outs, inspections, and maintenance. Submitted photo.
Entertainment, Fort Scott

Free Car Show On April 21 at Riverfront Park

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Submitted photo of last year’s Rumble on the Bricks car show.

Rumble on The Bricks is a local car show organized by Fort Scott residents,  Austin Alfaro and Dakota Rusk.

“We present ourselves as a car community but this is for anybody who wants to come out and have a good time, see friends, and promote small businesses/ideas,” Rusk said. “All vehicles are welcome, bring whatever you’ve got, just come hang out.”

Their first car shows were in 2023 and one is scheduled for April 21 at Riverfront Park, north of the orange-colored bridge on North National Avenue. The event starts at noon and will last about three hours, Rusk said.

Dakota Rusk with his son at the car show in 2023. Submitted photo.

“This is a family-friendly event, food trucks are welcome to come,” he said.  “We’ve had Over Yonder BBQ bring some amazing food last year.”

Last year’s Rumble on the Bricks car show. Submitted photo.

They hope to bring the community together and give people something to do, once a month when the weather is nice, Rusk said.

 

Austin Alfaro, submitted photo.

“My main goal is to bring the community together and have fun,” he said. “This is a car show, just for fun.”

Admission is free.

A motorcycle was part of the show in 2023. Submitted photo.

 

 

Bourbon County, Food, Fort Scott, Government, K-State Extension, Kansas

Kelly Perry: Kansas State Food Fellow Offers Free Workshop For Local Food Sellers

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Kelly Perry. Sumbitted photo.

Kelly Perry answered a job ad from the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team posting in October, 2023 for a local food fellow position.

“I was so excited and quickly applied and in January was interviewed by Amanda Lindahl, Local Food System Program Coordinator with Kansas State, and Rachel Carpenter with HBCAT,” she said. ” I love food, small business, and local so this was right up my alley.  The duties were pretty vast for an 18-week program that is brand new across the state…and I landed this awesome opportunity!”
“As part of my job duties, I am required to hold an educational workshop,” she said. “I wanted to focus on food labeling at the farmers market. I know our local Fort Scott Farmers Market is growing like crazy, pun intended. I figured it would be a great topic for people to learn what the state requires at pop-up shops, festivals, bake sales, and farmers’ markets. I also wanted to cover the proper food licenses required by the state.”
“The main reason for this is that I receive about three calls, texts, or messages a week asking food-related questions from everyday people who own, run, or are thinking of starting a business full-time, part-time, or occasionally,” she said.
Kelly and her husband Thadeus Perry own Perry’s Pork Rinds and Country Store in Bronson.

“People know me and know I’m willing to help if I can,” she said. “Sometimes people get intimidated or scared of the inspectors or do not know who to contact to ask the questions so that leads them to me. I, for one, have had to attend countless seminars, online Zoom meetings, and hours of reading to learn about my family’s business Perry’s Pork Rinds, and our food laws and regulations.”

“I remember having the state Inspector show up at our front door needing to look over our home-based business back in 2018,” Perry said. “I remember the federal meat inspector showing up as well, due to the product we make being a meat product. I cried each time someone would flash their badge at the front door and I’d panic. After years of visits, and our yearly renewal inspections I came to realize food inspection, safety, and visits were not intimidating or anything to be scared of.”
“They had a job to do and if we were doing something wrong they would answer questions and tell us what to do to fix it and be in compliance,” she said. ” It’s in the state’s best interest to HAVE business in operation and to generate revenue. They want the businesses but they also have standards and regulations to help keep us all safe, both the consumer as well as the producer.”
“I figured a food license discussion would help so many who were just unsure, curious or didn’t know where to start,” she said.
The workshop is FREE to anyone from any part of the state, from 6-8 p.m. at the HBCAT offices, 104 N. National Avenue on Monday, April 15.
“We ask that you register so we can make sure to have enough handouts and packets created,” she said.
“We are so fortunate to have From the Land of Kansas’s very own Robyn Dolby attend and present a slide show and answer questions,” Perry said. “We will also have the K-State Local Food System Program Coordinator Amanda Lindahl coming to discuss the Local Food Fellow Program as well.”
Robin Dolby, From the Land of Kansas Marketing Coordinator, Kansas Dept. of Agriculture. Submitted photo.
Amanda Lindahl from her LinkedIn page.
“My goal with this Local Food Fellow position and HBCAT goal is to provide knowledge, access to resources, and networking,” she said. “We can then grow as producers, growers, suppliers, and a community! HBCAT always has the saying  Stronger Together and it is just that simple.”
 A description for the position she accepted is
– Update the Bourbon County Wholesale Food Directory
– Create a storytelling campaign on food-related business.
– Organize an Educational Workshop in Bourbon County.
– Complete the final report to be submitted to the K-State Research and Extension Local Food Systems Program Coordinator
Fort Scott, Legacy Health Foundation, Mercy Hospital

Community Discussion of Proposed Sales Tax to Fund an E.R.

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Mercy Hospital Fort Scott signed an agreement with Ascension Via Christi to provide equipment and furnishings for emergency room services in 2019. Ascension Via Christi ceased operating the E.R. in 2023.

The Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department ceased operations in December 2023 in Fort Scott, and since then many in the community have been seeking solutions.

To view the announcement by AVC:

December 20: Ascension Via Christi Closes Emergency Department in Fort Scott

The Bourbon County Commission recently proposed a community vote to see if they will support a one-quarter sales tax to help fund an emergency department. That vote will be on May 14.

On April 11 about 75 people attended the meeting facilitated by a newly formed group called Citizens For An ER. It was held at the Fort Scott Community College Ellis Center.

Members of the group are  Jamie Armstrong, Craig Campbell, Lynda Foster, Charles Gentry,  Mark McCoy, Randy Nichols, and Doug Ropp.

Dr. Nichols listed some of the reasons the community needs an ER and the importance to the community.

Charles Gentry then explained the ballot proposal, explaining that the additional sales tax would add 25 cents for every $100 spent, so a $10 meal would cost 2.5 cents more. The tax would start on October 1 and run for 5 years.  Voters could choose to terminate it before those 5 years are complete, he said.

Approximately 75 people attended the meeting at Fort Scott Community College’s Ellis Center on Thursday night.

Mr. Gentry said there are three ways an emergency department can be set up:

  • As part of a hospital.
  • As a remote operation for another hospital that is within 35 miles.
  • As part of a rural emergency hospital (REH).
Charles Gentry speaks to the audience about the sales tax measure on the ballot. From left are Craig Campbell, Doug Ropp, Randy Nichols, and Gentry. Mark McCoy was the moderator. Armstrong and Foster were absent.

If the county cannot establish an emergency department within those 5 years, the funds could be used for emergency medical services or for property tax reduction, Gentry said.

Mr. Gentry clarified that the group presenting was supporting an emergency room. They weren’t supporting a sales tax other than a means to the end of creating an emergency room. He made it clear that their job was not done once a vote occurred. They intended to monitor, report, and hold the county accountable for spending the money to achieve the goal of an ER.

He said that this sales tax does not guarantee they will be able to bring an E.R. to Fort Scott, but he was confident that without this, Fort Scott would not get an E.R.

Craig Campell spoke about the Rural Emergency Hospital Act, which was passed to help make rural hospitals sustainable. Currently, Fort Scott does not qualify for REH status because the hospital was closed before the cut-off date in the act, but there are some bills to extend the date to make Fort Scott eligible. The REH designation would allow the rural hospital to bill at 105% and would also be subsidized by several hundred thousand dollars per month.

In the first quarter of 2023, there were 128 out-of-town transfers from the Fort Scott  Ascension Via Christ Emergency Department E.R.  Without a local E.R., the first quarter of 2024 saw 292 transfers by EMS.

Since the only entities that could run an E.R. in Fort Scott are existing hospitals, there is less risk of the money being spent on something like $1,000,000 that was paid to Noble Health.

The donation agreement with Legacy  Health Foundation stipulates that maintaining ownership of the hospital building requires maintaining the property, making it available for non-profits, and developing an acute care hospital on that site. If they do not do those things, the building returns to the county.  Three years remain on the agreement.

 

The next community discussion will be at Uniontown on Wednesday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Meeting Room.

 

 

401 Woodland Hills Blvd. The emergency department is located on the south side of this campus.
Business, Fort Scott, History

Adamson’s Celebrate 20th Anniversary of Courtland Hotel Ownership

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Frank and Cheryl Adamson from her Facebook page.

Frank and Cheryl Adamson are celebrating 20 years as hoteliers in Fort Scott.

They purchased the Courtland Hotel, at First and Scott Avenue in the historic district of Fort Scott in 2004.

The hotel is located at  121 E. First St, Fort Scott.

“We purchased the historic hotel here in downtown Fort Scott to expand Cheryl’s day spa business,” Frank said. “She started doing massage therapy as a side gig that grew into the need for additional space. We utilize around 2,500 square feet of the hotel’s ground floor, for the Courtland Spa and Salon.” They employ seven people.

The Courtland Spa door is west of the main door of the hotel at 121 E. First.

“There have been so many things that have blessed us in ownership and operating the historic hotel in downtown Fort Scott it’s hard to pick out one thing,” he said. “Seeing and being part of the resurgence of downtown has been amazing. We have developed an appreciation for downtown’s impact on the community, what Fort Scott’s history is, and the impact it made on Western expansion. The historic hotel of course is a functioning hotel, circa 1906. With guests coming from all over the world to see it and stay in it. We get to share some of the local history and make a new friend.”

History of the Courtland

The Courtland Hotel was built in 1906 to accommodate people using the railroad traffic through the town.

The plaque on the  Courtland Hotel notes there was an Adams and Pacific Express Co., a tailor shop, the Cooper Restaurant, and a boarding house at one time housed in the building.

But today it offers a day spa that includes massage therapy service, a hair salon and manicures/pedicures, and internet service for its customers.

The Courtland Hotel, 121 E. First.

The hotel was recently featured in Kansas Magazine as a historic Kansas hotel, here are a few excerpts from that article:

“The first 50 to 60 years of this business, the lodging was essentially for men only,” Frank says, adding the hotel mostly housed railroad engineers and brakemen who brought the trains into town, spent the night, and reported back to work to replace the crews coming in on returning trains the next day. “The guys staying in these hotels were the same guys all the time.

“The building was originally constructed with six storefronts on the first floor to accommodate retail and wholesale businesses; the upper level had lodging rooms and a tailor shop. When the number of trains declined, the hotel eventually was used as a dormitory for a flight school before slipping into darkness.

“Seeing its potential, the Adamsons awakened the building from its sleep. Today, its exterior remains as it looked in 1906, and the lobby inside retains its 14-foot tin ceilings and other architectural features. Guests and local residents enjoy the main level’s 2,500-square-foot, full-service day spa the couple added in a way that maintains the unique building’s historical significance,” according to the Kansas Magazine article.

 

 

 

 

Bourbon County, Church news, Youth

Fun and Community Service: Trail Life

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From left,  Luke Moore, Hunter Fortenberry, Steve Fortenberry, and Russell Moore are preparing their trebuchets for the competition on April 6. Submitted photo.
On April 6, those passing by Bethel Community Baptist Church on Hwy. 54 saw a group of men and boys together picking up trash.
“We are Troop KS-7777 of Trail Life USA, a ministry of Bethel Community Baptist Church, and are partnered with the national organization,” Troopmaster Josh Gier said. “Trail Life USA is celebrating its tenth year with over 1,100 troops and 50,000 Trailmen nationwide. “
“Trail Life is an easy-to-manage, Christ-centered, boy-focused outdoor adventure program empowering the church to grow boys to become men of character and conviction,” according to the Trail Life website.
There are 19 boys enrolled in Troop 7777, and nine mentors, “mostly dads, grandpas and uncles,” Gier said.
“Our troop is not limited to church members,” he said.   “We are open to all.”
“All boys from kindergarten through high school are welcome to join at any time,” Gier said.  “Our enrollment focus will be in August at the beginning of our program year.”
They meet every other Monday of the month.
“If anybody would like more information about Trail Life Troop KS-7777, they may contact me through the Find a Troop link on traillifeusa.com,” he said.
From left Russell Moore, Luke Moore, and Josh Gier as the Moores receive the trophy for building the trebuchet with the farthest launch.Submitted photo.
 Gier said a total of 101 blue bags of trash were left to be picked up by the Kansas Department of Transportation, which they had made arrangements with.
After that project, the group had a Trebuchet competition.
A trebuchet, taken from the American Association for the Advancement of Science website.
Trebuchets are used as teaching tools in high schools and colleges to learn about load, force, fulcrums, velocity, gravity, and parabolic arcs. They are also used as recruiting tools to lure students into engineering programs. Designing a trebuchet is an assessment of mechanical design and engineering skills. Testing a trebuchet is not only a learning tool, it is also fun, according to https://www.aaas.org/trebuchets-and-their-modern-use
In Troop 7777, six father/son(s) teams were challenged to build their trebuchet to see who could launch a projectile, a golf ball, the farthest.
The winner of the competition was father Russell Moore, with sons Luke and Ben. They launched a golf ball 152.6 inches.
Trail LIfe Troop 7777. Submitted photo.

 

 

Business, Fort Scott

The Green Lantern Speakeasy Debuts This Month In Downtown Fort Scott

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The Green Lantern speakeasy bar, at 110 S. Main, the former Scottish Rite Temple. Submitted photos.

A new business venture, in the former Scottish Rite Temple, is unique to Fort Scott.

A speakeasy bar was opened by Kathy and Tracy Dancer this month.
 One hundred years ago the government tried to ban alcoholic beverages.
In  1919, Congress ratified the 18th Amendment, banning the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcoholic beverages. However, there were no provisional funds for anything beyond token enforcement, according to https://www.atf.gov/our-history/timeline/18th-amendment-1919-national-prohibition-act
“Speakeasy was a term used during Prohibition for drinking establishments and illegal bars,” said Kathy Dancer, owner of the
new Fort Scott speakeasy.  “They were usually hidden away in a building and sometimes you needed a password to be allowed to enter.  Fort Scott had several speakeasies including The Green Lantern, operated by J.D. McClintock.”
Kathy is the owner and her husband Tracy is the operations manager.
Tracy and Kathy Dancer at the entrance to 110 S. Main. The Green Lantern is on the second floor of the building.
“In recent years, speakeasies (although no longer illegal) have become popular again,” she said.  “Some are just regular bars while others are much more elaborate and keep the original spirit of the historic Prohibition-era speakeasies.”
The Dancers, Kathy and Tracy, purchased the old Scottish Rite Temple building at 110 S. Main a few years ago.
They added a retail shop, then a cafe and now are venturing into a speakeasy bar.
“These really are labors of love and we enjoy sharing them with the community,” Kathy said.
“110 South Main was originally constructed in the early 1920s, during the Prohibition era,” she said. “We thought a speakeasy would be a great fit as an additional business for the space.  It’s also an opportunity to bring something very unique to Fort Scott.  We have named the speakeasy The Green Lantern, after the original Fort Scott speakeasy.”
A conversation area at the Green Lantern. Submitted photos. One can see the lighted Main Street in downtown Fort Scott out the windows. Submitted photos.
The Green Lantern will be located inside the 110 South Main building on the second floor.
“The Green Lantern honors the tradition of speakeasies from the 1920s while adding some modern touches,” she said. “We will serve premium cocktails and Kansas-produced wines.  The speakeasy space has a very historic look and vibe with 1920s music and occasional visits from flapper girls and gangsters.  Patrons will need a password to get in.  Clues for the password will be posted on the speakeasy Facebook page: Green Lantern Partners LTD.”
To view the Facebook page:
A conversation area at The Green Lantern. Submitted photos.
The space has already been used for private events and the Dancers are doing several previews/soft opening on evenings in April.

“We have not established set days and times yet but we will post them on the Facebook page,” she said.

Bourbon County, Government, Health Care

Citizens For The ER Will Hold Town Hall Meetings in Fort Scott and Uniontown This Month

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The Vote Here sign sits in front of the north wing of the Bourbon County Courthouse, 210 S. National in an earlier election.  A sales tax question will be on the ballot on May 14, 2024. for voters to decide the issue.

A citizen group working independently of the county commission plans a few community town hall meetings to inform people of the upcoming sales tax question on the May 14 ballot.

The group, Citizens For The ER, is presenting two town hall meetings regarding the one-quarter cent Bourbon County sales tax dedicated to re-opening the local emergency room.

The meeting aims to address questions and concerns about the sales tax.
 
 
Meetings are scheduled for:
 
Fort Scott on Thursday, April 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Fort Scott Community College Ellis Center.
 
Uniontown on Wednesday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Meeting Room.
“This is an opportunity to learn how your vote will impact the well-being of our county,” said Charles Gentry, a member of the group.

 

“Our purpose is to support obtaining an emergency room (in the county) by getting the ¼ cent retail sales tax passed,” said Randy Nichols, another member.  “The members are myself, Jamie Armstrong, Craig Campbell, Lynda Foster, Charles Gentry, Mark McCoy, and Doug Ropp.”

McCoy will be the moderator of the meetings.

“We are taking on the issue because we all feel strongly the need to have an ER for both community health and economic well-being,” Nichols said.

 

 

 

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Significant Grants Are Available for Solar Energy For Bourbon County Businesses

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Daniel Zywietz and son, Noah on a recent solar installation in Chanute. submitted photo.

If you own a business in Bourbon County and selected other counties in rural Kansas, you can apply for a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant and get up to 50% off the cost of solar panels.

Add the 50% federal tax credits available for renewable energy installations in Bourbon County, and a business owner could get a solar system for nearly free, according to Daniel Zywietz, founder of SEK Solar, Chanute.

SEK Solar designs and installs solar systems and also helps with the grant application, allowing business owners to drastically reduce their utility bills, he said.

Before starting SEK Solar, Zywietz founded and ran Enerwhere, the Middle East’s largest rooftop installation company and one of the world’s largest microgrid operators. The company started as a provider of temporary power services to the construction industry in 2012 and quickly expanded into the commercial rooftop solar market in Dubai, building over 45 MW of solar over 10 years, including the world’s second-largest solar rooftop system at the time, covering an area of more than 23 football fields, he said

He ended up in the Middle East as a management consultant working for Booz & Company, a spin-off of Booz Allen Hamilton, and one of the best-known management consulting companies worldwide.

With his wife (who is originally from Humboldt, KS) looking to move home after the COVID-pandemic, Zywietz started to look into the solar market in Kansas and was astonished to find that there were hardly any solar panels installed, despite the clear and sunny skies and large open spaces. With over $1 billion in grant funds for solar and energy efficiency available to agricultural and rural small business owners under the USDA’s Rural Energy for America (REAP) program, Zywietz and his wife decided to set up a solar company to service local business owners.

What made the opportunity even more exciting was that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, not only refilled the REAP program, which had been running for 10 years with much lower funding levels, but also significantly improved the Federal tax credits available to rural Kansans, according to Zywietz.

According to the EPA website, the credits are structured in three separate buckets, according to information from Zywietz. The 30% base tax credit is available to anyone wanting to install a solar system at the business or home, anywhere in the US. A further 10% “Low-Income Community” bonus is available to projects in disadvantaged areas. (Bourbon County, together with most of South-East Kansas, qualifies). Finally, there is another 10% “Energy Community Bonus” available to areas that previously hosted coal mines or coal-fired power plants, and again, Bourbon County qualifies, according to a map provided by the Department of Energy. Added together, the tax credits can add up to 50% for a renewable energy project in Fort Scott and the surrounding area.

While the tax credits don’t require any special application process, the REAP grants do. It all starts with checking whether a business’s location is eligible based on the USDA’s Property Eligibility site, says Zywietz.

The USDA defines a rural area as an area with a population of less than 50,000 people. The second criterion is the business size. The small business size standard is based on either annual revenue or the number of employees, depending on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, which is used by federal agencies to classify businesses by industry type, according to http://kansasenergyprogram.org/assessments/REAP-OverviewFAQ

This generally means that if a business has less than $10 million in revenue or less than 100 employees and is a for-profit business, such as a restaurant, hair salon, retail business, or farm business, the owner is eligible to apply, Zywietz said.

“It’s a tedious grant application process,” he said. “The smallest grants of up to $20,000 have a nearly 100% approval rate because $200 million were set aside for these small projects and there aren’t enough applications, as most small business owners find it too time-consuming to fill in all of the forms. Larger grants, which can go up to $1 million, compete with other projects based on a scoring system, so getting the grant application right can make a big difference to the chance of approval. The next application deadline is June 30th.”

“It’s a big opportunity for rural business owners to lower their utility bills and go green. And while filling in government paperwork can be frustrating, I think it’s only fair for them to check if your business is legitimate before they hand you what is essentially free money. I’m happy to answer any questions on solar or the USDA REAP grants and the IRA tax credits as well,” Zywietz said.

To learn more about SEK Solar visit the website at http://seksolar.com

Zywietz can be reached at 720.940.3946 or email: [email protected].

Zywietz will be in  Dubai for two weeks at the end of April.
“I’m mostly done with the handover to the new Enerwhere CEO and summers in Dubai are pretty miserable anyways,” he said.
To view a feature he wrote:

 

Zywietz plans to attend the Fort Scott Chamber Coffee meetings on Thursday mornings at 8 a.m. to answer questions from business owners., he said.

 

The Kansas Energy Program is also available to assist you through the entire REAP grant application process, according to its website.

 

A small project Zywietz has completed in Chanute, photo from SEK Solar Facebook page.

 

Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Downtown Meet and Greet: Many Activities Are Planned

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John Hill speaks to the Downtown Quarterly Meet and Greet this morning.

The Fort Scott Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet met today at City State Bank, 202 Scott Avenue, to share projects and happenings in the downtown area.

The bank has been locally owned and has operated in Fort Scott since 1920, and chose to keep a presence in the downtown area,  John Hill, president said as he welcomed the group to the facility for this meeting.

Some of the announcements from the meeting:

The Fort Scott National Historic Site has a Solar Eclipse Program planned on April 8. Also, this month is its annual Civil War Encampment Weekend on April 20-21. In addition, there will be a Civil War Dance at Memorial Hall on April 20.

Special retailers events coming up: July 13-Christmas In July, August 2-4 is the sales tax holiday, September 12-Fall Fest from 5-8 p.m., October 26 is the Downtown Halloween Parade, November 7-9 is the Holiday Open House with the main kickoff on Thursday from 5-8 p.m. and December 6-7- the stores stay open for Christmas On The Bricks event.

The Fort Scott Downtown Cleanup is April 22 from 4-6 p.m. with a light dinner provided to volunteers by local downtown restaurants at the Pavilion on North National Avenue. Contact Bailey Lyons, Lyon’s Realty Group to volunteer, this with planning the projects and supplies. Any skill-level worker is invited to help. If business owners provide the plants, there will be help planting them that day.  A group of artists is organized to paint a mural that day.

Veterans Banners to be placed on downtown light poles will be for sale (for $300 each) as a fundraiser for new seasonal banners. The veteran’s banners feature the name and face of a local veteran. The banners will be placed for a week on the poles during the Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day holidays. Contact the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce for more information.

The new Welcome to Fort Scott Banner is nearing completion with electricity added and lights that will be placed on the columns. There will be a ribbon cutting sometime soon for the new downtown feature.

The Home, Sport, Farm, and Garden Show is this Saturday at Fort Scott Community College’s Arnold Arena from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The annual Chamber dinner is on April 18 with the theme of Boots and Bling. There is a contest for decorated seating tables and a live and silent auction, and the community is invited to attend. The Chamber is still taking award nominations online under [email protected] or printed forms.

The annual Town-wide Garage Sale is May 3-4.

Opening day of the Fort Scott Farmers Market is May 4 from 8 a.m. to noon under the new Pavilion on North National Avenue.

Good Ol’ Days this year is May 31 and June 1. The parade theme is “Where Our History Comes To Life.” Retailers wanting to register for a booth at fortscottgoodoldays.com

Grants are available through E-Community for 6% for 10 years, $5,000 maximum, and Grow KS for 4% for five years, 6% for 10 years, and $100,000 max. Contact the Chamber for more details.

Diane Striler presented a petition to sign for a skating rink proposal for next winter, including the Christmas On The Bricks event. She is going to the Fort Scott City Commission this evening at 6 p.m. to ask for permission to use the Pavilion for the skating rink since it is covered, will have a bathroom available, and is handicapped accessible. The proposal is for the rink to be offered from Thanksgiving to February – March. The $36,000 rink has had an offer that will pay for one-half the costs and with grants and donations, the rink should be paid for, she said. It comes with 60 pairs of skates and the cost to skate will be $5.

There is still a need for a trolley driver for the Chamber, that has to have a CDL with passenger endorsement.

Some of the attendees of the Downtown Meet and Greet this morning.