The Fort Scott City Commission will meet on Thursday, July 23rd, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. at the City Hall Commission Meeting Room at 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas to hold a work session to discuss the 2021 budget.
The meeting will be available on the City’s YouTube channel.
Governor Laura Kelly Statement
The following statement is from Governor Laura Kelly regarding the State Board of Education’s vote to reject her executive order delaying the start of school:
“The cases of COVID-19 in Kansas are at an all-time high and continue to rise. Our decisions must be informed by public health experts not politics. This vote puts our students, faculty, their families and our economy at risk.
“I will continue to work with our school districts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our children and ask every school district to delay the start of school.”
At a recent Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee event, Micheal Bryant announced that Firstsource Solutions USA, 4500 Campbell Drive, is transitioning to work-from-home for its employees.
The business leadership is also devising a plan to move from the industrial park to the city of Fort Scott and add more employees.
Bryant is vice president of operations for the business which provides for its’ clients services of claims adjudication, data entry and customer service calls.
“Firstsource has been deploying work-from-home for several years within the Fort Scott location,” Bryant said in an email interview with fortscott.biz. “The opportunity for employees to work-from-home has been very well received by our team members.”
” The transition is a business decision that will improve our retention rates, employee satisfaction, and performance of our team members,” Bryant said.
“The entire Fort Scott office will be involved in the migration,” he said. “There are other offices within Firstsource that are migrating to a work-from-home environment but (it is) not a company-wide initiative.”
“The work-from-home staff will be providing services of claims adjudication, customer service, and data entry for our existing customers,” Bryant said.
At the Chamber Coffee, Bryant said the business would have a smaller footprint in Fort Scott.
“Firstsource is currently in negotiations on a small facility for training and meetings,” he said. “We hope to finalize the lease in the next couple of weeks. Once we have finalized the lease we will be able to communicate the new Firstsource location. The move is currently scheduled for late December of this year.”
The business will be moving from the industrial park.
“The current facility that we are negotiating with is within the city of Fort Scott,” Bryant said.
The business will also be adding more employees shortly.
“The alternative facility will be leveraged for the training of existing employees as well as new employees,” he said. “The facility will enable Firstsource to continue to grow with the Fort Scott area. We have plans to add a significant number of additional staff members in the next several months.”
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Click below:
Governor Laura Kelly and Department of Commerce Launch New Kansas Certified Sites Program
TOPEKA—Governor Laura Kelly today announced the Department of Commerce’s launch of the new Kansas Certified Sites program, a critical tool that will help accelerate economic development efforts throughout the state.
The new program will let developers know when the state has deemed a potential site ideal for investment and development. Kansas Certified Site designations are appealing to investors and site selectors because the certification:
“The Kansas Certified Sites program will be a helpful tool in recruiting and expanding businesses, as we continue growing our state’s economy and working to safely keep Kansas open for business,” Governor Laura Kelly said.
“Businesses need certainty and predictability when they’re making investment decisions, and that’s exactly what the Kansas Certified Site designation provides,” Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Once certified, contractors looking to build and companies looking for a location know that a site is shovel ready. That’s a huge advantage for businesses and communities in this highly competitive marketplace.”
The Kansas Certified Site designation is valid for three years, unless the property is sold or leased within that time. To obtain the designation, communities must undergo a stringent review process that demonstrates they have addressed a defined set of prerequisites, including:
Successful recipients of the Kansas Certified Site designation receive many benefits, including marketing and investment attraction support. The Kansas Certified Site program will be incorporated into a variety of marketing campaigns and strategies that attract investors, which may also include:
In addition, the Department of Commerce has entered into a contract with LocationOne, a respected sites and buildings database service, which will allow all communities in Kansas to post their sites and buildings to a national website to be viewed by developers across the U.S.
Communities are encouraged to certify available sites, as this will ensure the sites’ inclusion in Commerce Business Recruitment responses to prospective client RFPs. Certification of a site will ensure that it is seen by national and international businesses and developers.
Applications for the Kansas Certified Sites program are accepted year-round. To learn more about the program, visit www.kansascommerce.gov/certifiedsites. To express interest in the program, or for more information, please contact:
Program Manager
Susan NeuPoth Cadoret
785-296-7198
Fort Scott Area Community Foundation announces their grant cycle for 2020
The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation is pleased to announce that the grant cycle for 2020 is here. We will be taking applications from now until August 31st. This year, we will be awarding over $42,000.00 to local not-for-profits for projects to benefit our community. A certain dollar amount of the awards is reserved for projects that benefit our youth. Maximum grant to any one project is $5,000.00.
Applications can be obtained by sending an email to [email protected]. Please use the same email address to submit any questions you might have. Completed applications must be received by 5:00PM, August 31st.
Grant Application Guidelines
• Program Oriented
Do the funds support a new or enhanced service to the community? Generally, Grants are not for the purpose of funding core budget items, capital improvements or the purchase of real estate.
• Organizational capacity
Do you have confidence in the organization, as described in the application, to carry out the program?
• Soundness of proposed strategies
Will the program adequately address the need as it was described in the application?
• Resource efficiency
Is the program taking advantage of available resources? Are they collaborating?
• Appropriateness of budget
Will the program use the funds effectively? Is the budget clear and accurate?
Does the program have the ability to evaluate its successes? How will they monitor the program?
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: July 21, 2020
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________
3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Kendell Mason
MEETING WILL BE HELD ON THE FIRST FLOOR LOBBY. ANYONE ATTENDING THE MEETING WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK PROVIDED BY THE COUNTY. MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.
1:50 Commission, Renew Covid-19 Public Health Emergency Resolution
Ralph F. Johnson, Sr., age 98, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Sunday, July 19, 2020, at the Medicalodge of Ft. Scott.
He was born August 24, 1921, in Drumright, Oklahoma, the son of Perry L. Johnson and Ethel M. Coffman Johnson. Ralph graduated from the Mildred High School with the Class of 1940.
He married Dorothy L. Williams on March 14, 1941, at Iola, Kansas. Ralph served with the United States Navy during World War II.
He later worked for twenty-eight years for Johnston Pump where he served as sales manager.
Ralph was a life member of the Bronson Masonic Lodge.
Survivors include his three children, Connie Cherrybone, of Odessa, Texas; Ralph F. Johnson, Jr. and wife, Kathy, of Ft. Collins, Colorado and Gerald Johnson and wife, Sherrie, of Loveland, Colorado and nine grandchildren. Also surviving are two sisters, Mary Mefford of Ft. Scott, Kansas, Jean Decker, of Bronson, Kansas and Terry Joe Johnson, of Iola, Kansas.
Ralph’s wife, Dorothy, preceded him in death on February 12, 2000. He was also preceded in death by a daughter, Cynthia Wisdom, three brothers, Gilbert Johnson, Perry Johnson and Paul Johnson and three sisters, Betty Clayton, Shirley Bolan and Pat Dawson.
Graveside services will be held at 10:30 A.M. Tuesday, July 28th at the Bronson Cemetery.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, Kansas. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
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The City of Fort Scott is still accepting applications for the Community Development Block Grant – CV (CDBG-CV) grant program.
The City of Fort Scott was recently awarded $132,000 in CDBG-CV funding which will be granted to local businesses facing financial hardships due to COVID-19. Qualifying businesses may receive a maximum of $10,000 in grant funding, award allocation will be based on the number of jobs retained.
Businesses located within city limits, and with fewer than 50 employees, and as small as one employee may be eligible to apply. Awards will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. An application will only be considered once it is fully completed with all requested documentation required to support the requested funding. Recipients of the previous round of CDBG Emergency Response funding are not eligible for a CDBG-CV grant.
Grants may be considered for working capital expenses for a 60-day period. Funds can only be used for qualified expenses incurred after March 1, 2020. There may be no duplication of benefits. For instance, if a business has already received funds from the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), they may still qualify. However, funds cannot be used for the same need as was utilized under the PPP program.
City employees will review applications and make recommendations to the City Commission. The City Commission will approve/decline/adjust requests at a regularly scheduled public meeting.
The application process that was previously opened to sole proprietors, and self-employed individuals will open to all businesses on Thursday, July 24th at 8:00am. Application forms, and additional eligibility requirements may be found online at http://fscity.org/353/CDBG-CV. Hard copy applications, along with program parameters will also be available at City Hall, 123 S. Main St. Questions regarding the application process, and eligibility guidelines should be directed to Allyson Turvey, via email at [email protected], or by phone at (620) 223-0550.
