Yesterday Lee’s Paws and Claws Animal Shelter served not only as a shelter, but also as a meeting place for the Chamber of Commerce and visitors. Attendees explored the clean, bright facility, which according to Interim Director Ann Gillmore-Hoffman, has been recommended by the state as an exemplary facility.

Gillmore-Hoffman walked visitors through the unique design of the shelter and how it better meets the needs of the animals it houses. The doors on the dog runs, which were designed by Steve Kibble, are designed similarly to hog feeders, Gillmore-Hoffman explained. These doors allow free-will access to the outdoors while remaining durable. “There is really nothing on them that the animals can get to to chew on. They are air-tight. I really think Steve should patent [the design]” said Gillmore-Hoffman. She said the doors are so easy to open that even the smallest puppy can get in and out freely.

Though the shelter has up to 20 acres of area to expand, the existing building is often filled to capacity. Gillmore-Hoffman said, “There are good and bad points to being a no-kill shelter. If we’re full, we’re full” and cannot take in any more animals. However, the shelter has saved many lives in its one year of operation. Lee’s Paws and Claws has taken in 200 animals and adopted out over 130 thus far.

Gillmore-Hoffman also thanked those who had given to support the shelter, including the Lupe family of La Hacienda for hosting “Shelter Night” every Tuesday night, from which a portion of the proceeds goes to support Lee’s Paws and Claws. Gillmore-Hoffman reported that in the past 6 months, La Hacienda had raised $1,800 for the shelter.

Another business organization Gillmore-Hoffman thanked was Shepherd Team Auto Plaza for hosting Adoption Day on the first weekend of every month.

An additional organization that has donated time and skills to the shelter is the Bourbon County Arts Council. The beautiful mural that has been started by the council will serve as a record of donors who have given $1,000 or more to Lee’s Paws and Claws. For each donation of this amount, the donors’ names will be added to a leaf on the tree in the mural.

In other news, Brian Holt of Union State Bank announced that the former Zambian ambassador to the United States, Sheila Siwela, is looking into the process to purchase a building in downtown Fort Scott to house her business operations.

Residents and visitors driving downtown may be met with an unfamiliar sight on the corner at 124 E Wall street in Fort Scott. The Spoiled Brat Salon is a favorite downtown destination for hair and nail care, and the historic building in which it resides is currently reinforced with precautionary supports.

According to Spoiled Brat stylist Heather Engstrom, the prospective issues with the building were spotted by a nearby structural engineer. “The building next to us had some roof problems” Engstrom said. The engineer, Thomas Rewerts of Kansas City, was looking at the adjacent building. Rewerts came over to look at the Spoiled Brat building and was a bit concerned about one of the load bearing walls on the exterior of the building. Engstrom mentioned that the wall in question goes down into the crawlspace and supports weight from the roof, making it a central part of the structure of the building.  In order to take some of the load off the wall in question, a structure has been built on the inside of the building to to support the weight of the roof.

Those who have been inside the salon have seen result of the great amount of time and money the salon owner has put into the building, making it a thriving business location once again. According to Engstrom, they put quite a lot of time and money into the building about 6 years ago and are waiting on insurance to see about repairing the load bearing wall.

Just as many residential areas are slowly recovering from the April hailstorm, the city is also dealing with the assessment and repair of city buildings. Two notable city holdings that were damaged are the Woodland Hills Golf Course and Memorial Hall, Fort Scott’s venerable entertainment venue that once hosted Fort Scott High School’s basketball games and a variety of other entertainment.

According to Airport Manager Kenny Howard, damage at the golf course involved the roofs of several structures. Howard said, “Most of it was roof damage.” Some of the skylights in the metal buildings that have exhaust outlets were perforated by hailstones and will have to be replaced.

Howard also mentioned that the clubhouse roof is a “total loss,” as well as the roofs of the golf cart storage buildings. Screens on the tennis courts were damaged by the storm, and 8 windows in the clubhouse were shattered.

However, the one structure that didn’t meet with any destruction was the old pool house. Howard said of the ability of the structure to withstand bad weather, “I think it took it pretty well.”

Golf Course Superintendent Jon Kindlesparger said that damage to the buildings on the golf course is covered by the same insurance that covers all city buildings, but that the green of the course can only be insured against vandalism and not against weather damage. Fortunately, Kindlesparger indicated that the damage to the green was minimal. He said, “We had a few limbs down–nothing significant.”

When asked about the dollar amount of hail damage to the golf course and other city structures, Howard said, “It’s still up in the air. I’m still waiting to get a report back from the insurance adjustor. I’m hoping to hear back soon.”

In addition to damage at the golf course, Memorial Hall also sustained damage, including 89 windows that were broken and later temporarily patched with duct tape. Howard mentioned that the building’s roof was leaking quite a bit, but that there was a positive side to the storm damage. Howard said, “The good thing is that we will have nice new roofs when it’s done!”

When asked about a timetable for the assessment and repairs on the buildings, Howard said he was told the assessment and repair estimates would take approximately 60 days for the insurance adjustor to compile. He also reported that the adjustor took 2,680 pictures of damage to city structures alone, which indicates the vast nature of repairs to be assessed and done before buildings are in good shape again.

On a positive note, those who visit the Woodland Hills Golf Course will be met not only by friendly staff, but also by the friendly cat the golf course employees have adopted. The cat’s name is Bertie, and Kindlesparger said, “She’s a fixture here.” Bertie’s favorite spot to nap seems to be the soft, covered chairs on the patio. Like any sweet-natured cat, she enjoys being petted and scratched behind the ears. Bertie seems to set a good example for visitors on how to relax and enjoy life.

On a cool, cloudy, Friday morning, chamber members gathered to celebrate the opening of one of Fort Scott’s newest businesses–The Game Cafe. Teens have long lamented the absence of local entertainment stores, and entrepreneur Korey Pearson has created a business in response to the need. Police Chief Travis Shelton said of The Game Cafe, “The 13 year old boys are going to love this!”

Pearson introduced himself to those in attendance and explained exactly what The Game Cafe does: “We buy, sell and trade games, and visitors can play games here for free.” He gestured to a console and large TV screen in one corner of the store. He also mentioned that the store is usually packed at 6:30 on Tuesday nights, which have been designated “game nights” in which anyone can participate.

Aside from selling electronic games, The Game Cafe also sells card games, including the  “Magic: The Gathering” cards, which Pearson says have been very popular. According to Pearson, these cards can range in price from “20 cents to 50 dollars.” When asked what age groups frequent the store, he said, “Anywhere from 6-7 all the way up to 71 years!”

City Manager Dave Martin commended Pearson and his family for starting the business. Martin said, “This young man and his dad have a trait that I do not have–entrepreneurship.” Martin assured Pearson that the Chamber was “here to help” in any way possible, and that Pearson’s vision and work with the young people of Fort Scott is very important.

Commissioner Barbara Albright addressed the concerns of campers at Elm Creek Lake about separate charges for the shelter house and electric outlets. In the past, campers hadn’t been charged fully for both because of a misunderstanding of the caretaker’s. Caretakers in the past allowed access to the shelter for $5 instead of the usual $20 because they knew use of exterior outlets on the shelter could easily trip the old breaker. In order to reset it, campers needed access to the shelter, even if they did not plan to use the shelter, itself.

“It’s just a 20 amp breaker, so it’s going to trip a lot faster than anything newer” said Commission Chairman Warren.

Commissioners discussed the possibility of replacing the 20 amp breaker box in the shelter with a 30 amp breaker box to prevent problems with overload on the breaker at the shelter. However, commissioners decided to start enforcing previously set charges in the meantime. The official costs for using electric hookups at Elm Creek are $10 per outlet per night on the electric poles, $20 per night for the shelter house.

The total cost if all outlets are in use $80 per night. “If they [campers] want access to that breaker box, they need to pay for the shelter” Warren explained. The reasoning behind the choice was that if the shelter were opened without payment, the electrical outlets on the interior of the shelter would be used without charge. Commissioner Barbara Albright remarked, “It just needs to be uniform for everyone.” Commission Chairman Warren indicated that from now on, if the shelter house were not rented, the outlets on the exterior of the shelter would not be turned on.

Albright suggested that the county notify campers in writing on the exact charges when they reserve the area.

Warren also updated Commissioners Albright and Coleman on the situation at the landfill following April’s hailstorm. Warren brought to their attention the increased revenue being generated by the disposal of shingles and other roofing and siding material, but also reminded those in attendance that the landfill had added two new employees and was paying overtime for Saturday work. “In May, we jumped up over 3,200 tons” Warren said.  Warren also mentioned that the bulldozer at the landfill is being used much more than in the past, and that it is old. The commissioners discussed keeping revenue in reserve in case the old bulldozer fails. Warren says that with the huge amount of waste coming in, in the event of the bulldozer failing, the county would need to have reserves of money to rent a bulldozer to keep up with demand at the landfill. According to Warren, the hopper at the landfill also needs work. According to Public Works Director Marty Pearson, the unit has had 1.5 days of welding work done on it to keep it running. “That unit needs to be replaced–that’s all there is to it,” Warren told Pearson. Warren suggested that at the end of the year, the commissioners amend the budget in order to include new equipment for the landfill using revenue generated by increased traffic at the landfill, which has seen an increase in Construction and Demolition (C & D) waste consumers from 122 loads in January to 1,268 loads in May.

“I think it’s working out [well], I really do. We’re keeping up,” Warren said.

Other business

•  At a departmental meeting for the county, Commissioners and attendees also discussed performance reviews. Warren said that performance reviews, once finished, would be administered at the end of the year. Warren said “Right now, [employees] get the same raise as everyone else” regardless of how employees perform. He asked, “Is that fair?” Warren asked that department heads develop a list of 4-5 criteria for performance review for employees. Bourbon County Emergency Manager Terri Coop pointed out that doing these evaluations would have the positive effect of protecting the county from unwarranted unemployment claims and other legal issues.