Monthly Archives: March 2019
Work Continues On 69 Hwy.
Starting tomorrow, March 8, two more side road intersections with U.S. 69 Hwy. will be closed for reconstruction south of Fort Scott.
This is part of the expanding to four-lanes project of the national highway in Bourbon County.
On Friday, weather permitting, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) plans to close the Fern Road and Deer Road intersections on the west side of the U.S. 69. The two intersections will be reconstructed during the month-long closures, according to Priscilla Petersen, Public Affairs Manager for the Southeast District Office of the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Birch Road won’t be reopened until late May 2019, Petersen said. “The U.S. 69 southbound lanes are closed beyond the Birch Road intersection, and the placement of traffic control devices plus the temporary crossover between the new and existing lanes creates line-of-sight and visibility issues for drivers.”
“The Bourbon County U.S. 69 expansion project should be open to four-lane unrestricted traffic by late May or early June, conditions permitting,” Petersen said.
Next in line for expansion is the 11 miles in Crawford County of Hwy. 69.
“The U.S. 69 expansion projects in Crawford County are the six-mile Arma Connection Expressway and the five-mile Crawford County expansion,” Petersen said. “The Arma Connection is tentatively scheduled to be let in the fall of 2019, with construction starting in the winter of 2019 or early in 2020. The Crawford County Expansion is tentatively scheduled to let in the fall of 2020, with construction beginning in winter 2020 or early in 2021. Both projects would likely cover two construction seasons.”
Koss Construction of Topeka is the primary contractor on the U.S. 69 project, which has a construction cost of $21.8 million. Persons with questions may contact Darrin Petrowsky at KDOT-Iola, (620) 365-2161, or Priscilla Petersen at KDOT-Chanute, (620) 902-6433.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports March 7
Obituary of Ruth P. Sharp
Ruth P. Sharp, age 89, of Fort Scott, KS, passed away peacefully Wednesday, March 6, 2019, at home at Guest Home Estates in Fort Scott.
She was born June 7, 1929, in Lamar, MO, the daughter of Troy and Nellie Taylor Fanning.
Ruth grew up on a farm in Lamar and worked in the fields with her brothers.
She married Bob Taylor on March 20, 1950. Bob preceded her in death on November 30, 1965. She married Robert K. (Jack) Sharp on September 3, 1966, who preceded her in death on February 27, 2008.
Ruth is survived by two children, Doris Taylor Hite (Jim) of Wichita, KS, and Kenneth R. Sharp (Dawnie, deceased) of Fort Scott; nine grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren, 19 great-great grandchildren, and two brothers, Raymond (Ruth) Fanning of Grandview, MO, and Carl (Linda) Fanning of Independence, MO.
Besides her husbands, she was preceded in death by two sisters, five brothers, and her parents.
Rev. Paul Rooks will conduct funeral services at 11:00 AM Monday, March 11th, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM until service time at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
FSHS Earns First at the Regional Rube Goldberg Competition
Fort Scott High School Students participated in the Regional Rube Goldberg Competition sponsored by Black & Veatch on Saturday, March 3, 2019 at Olathe West High School.
This year’s challenge is to put money into a piggy bank.
FSHS students chose to do a theme of “Toy Story” using Andy’s bedroom as the backdrop for their machine. They had a total of 32 steps, created a Rube like cartoon and presented a skit to describe their machine to judges.
The team won both the “Peoples Choice Award” and 1st place in the high school division.
Black & Veatch gave each student two tickets to see a Sporting KC game on September 21, where they will be recognized on the field for their accomplishment.
They will be taking their Rube Goldberg Machine to the National competition in Lawrenceburg, IN on April 5-6, 2019.
“We would like to thank the Fort Scott Community Area Community Foundation for their support of partial funding for this project through the STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) grant that was awarded last October,” said
Angie Kemmerer. “A big thank you for the FSACF for their continued support of not only our schools but the community as a whole. FSACF serves to fulfill the philanthropic goals that benefit the common good and improve quality of life by providing leadership and programming that is responsive to the interest and needs of the residents of the Fort Scott area.”
Kansas Water Office Newsletter for Winter 2019
The Winter 2019 Issue of the WaterFront is now available!
Make sure to save the date for Kansas Water Day in the Capitol on March 21.
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Bernita Hill: Hedge.INK on March 9
Bernita Hill will present a story time at Hedgehog.INK at 10:30 a.m. on March 9, “From Patches to Quilts.”
Farm Finances 101 March 21
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Westar Working With Municipals and Cooperatives To Add Renewable Energy
Baldwin City, Westar Energy break ground on solar project
With the addition of community solar project, about a third of the city’s electricity will be generated from renewable sources.
TOPEKA, Kan., March 6, 2019 – Leaders from Baldwin City and Westar Energy broke ground Tuesday on a 1-megawatt solar project to serve the city’s electric customers.
“I am excited that we were able to form a partnership with Westar Energy to further enhance our portfolio of sustainable energy offered to our citizens. While this increases our sustainable energy, it also helps control our expenses on our purchased energy for as long as this solar power is producing,” said Mayor Casey Simoneau.
“Westar Energy is excited to help Baldwin City on a forward-looking, sustainable energy strategy. Community solar is a cost-effective way for cities to harness the sun’s energy for customers,” said John Bridson, Westar Energy vice president, generation services. “We’re also excited to partner with Baker University to provide lessons in business and science using the community solar project.”
Science and business students from Baker University are using the project as the basis for field study. Business students may use the project to learn about energy management, building business cases and managing request for proposal processes. Science-related lessons will include ecology, assessing the soil and designing the site to provide habitat for endangered Monarch butterflies.
About 40 people attended the groundbreaking. The project will be constructed on city property adjacent to the city’s public utility building and is scheduled to be complete summer of 2019.
With the addition of the solar plant, about a third of the electricity needs of Baldwin City will be met with renewable sources. Learn more here on the Baldwin City website.
Westar is working with other municipals and cooperatives that are interested in adding renewable energy sources.
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About KCP&L and Westar Energy: Serving approximately 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri, Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCP&L), KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company and Westar Energy are the electric utilities of Evergy, Inc. (NYSE: EVRG). Together we generate nearly half the power we provide to homes and businesses with emission-free sources. We support our local communities where we live and work, and strive to meet the needs of customers through energy savings and
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports March 6
Chamber Coffee At Ellis Center March 7
Join us for Chamber Coffee
Hosted by:
Bourbon County Arts Council
Location:
FSCC Ellis Fine Arts Council, 2108 S. Horton
Thursday, March 7th, 2019
Visit Bourbon County Arts Council’s Facebook page
by clicking
here.
Chamber members and guests are encouraged to attend for networking, community announcements, and to learn about the hosting business or organization.
Members may pay $1 to make an announcement about an upcoming event, special/sale/discount, or news of any kind.
Upcoming Coffees:
March 14 – Tri-Valley Development Services
March 21 – Briggs Auto of Fort Scott
March 28 – Bourbon County
April 4 – KOMB FM Home Show
LMC Has Conference Room Available For Classes/Organizations Usage
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes can be a place for local clubs, classes and organizations to get a facility tour and have their scheduled meetings.
“Groups can schedule tours at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes and also use our conference room if they need to have a meeting as well,” Joyce Davenport, administrative assistant, said. “In addition, there is a kitchenette available so refreshments can be served during their meetings in the conference room. There is also a large screen that can be used for media.”
It can accommodate up to 45 people, Davenport said.
The LMC needs clubs/classes/organizations to schedule two weeks prior, so as not to conflict with previously scheduled events.
The room is huge, with a glass-faced southern view of the greenspace next door to the building.
Contact the LMC at 620-223-1312 between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
