Monthly Archives: January 2022

Fort Scott, Government

Fort Scott City Special Meeting Jan. 27, 5 p.m.

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There will be a Special Meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission held at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 27th, 2022. This meeting will be held to consider the execution and delivery of an agreement to release and assign the City’s Opioid claims to the Kansas Attorney General.

This meeting will be held at 123 S. Main Street in the City Commission meeting room and will be broadcast on the City’s you tube channel.

Fort Scott National Historic Site

FSNHS Superintendent Leaves for Nebraska

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Betty Boyko. Submitted photo.

Betty Boyko, currently the superintendent at both Fort Scott National Historic Site and Fort Larned National Historic Site will assume a new position in mid-March, according to a press release.

National Park Service (NPS) Regional Director Bert Frost announced the selection of Boyko as superintendent of Homestead National Historical Park located in Beatrice, Nebraska late last week.

She has been the superintendent of Fort Scott National Historic Site since 2006, Boyko said in an interview with fortscott.biz.

Fort Scott National Historic Site is located at the north end of the town’s historic district.
Her duties at FSNHS were to provide leadership for all aspects of park operations to include preservation, interpretation, maintenance, administration, policies, public use management, public affairs, and park development, she said.
” I also became the superintendent of Fort Larned NHS in a dual superintendency in August 2013,” she said. “The position at Fort  Larned became vacant so they needed someone to help out on a temporary basis for 30 days.  Challenges in filling that position resulted in the extension of my temporary appointment and eventually led to it becoming a permanent position along with my current duties at Fort Scott NHS.
The best aspect about Boyko’s job in Fort Scott?
“​It is definitely the park, park staff, and people of Fort Scott,” she said.  “When I arrived here, everyone was so welcoming and supportive.  That is still the environment today which makes the job so rewarding.  It has been a pleasure to work with the community, many partners and volunteers and I know that the new superintendent – whoever that is – will appreciate the same support and working relationship.”
A new superintendent has not been selected for FSNHS yet, she said, but ​the regional NPS office is working on a plan to fill it.
The biggest challenge for Boyko in her job has been the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“Unfortunately, the pandemic has challenged how we mitigate operations to remain open and still provide a quality experience for the community and visitors,” she said.

Boyko starts on  March 13th at Homestead National Historical Park, Nebraska.
Duties there will be similar to the current position: the management and leadership duties, but focused on the purpose for which that park was established.

A 37-year veteran of the NPS, Boyko has a wide range of administrative and leadership experiences in parks throughout the Midwest Region including eight years at Homestead National Historical Park where she served as the administrative officer and several years as deputy superintendent. She began her NPS career at Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site and has held leadership positions at St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, according to the press release.

Boyko is a graduate of Dakota Business College in Fargo, North Dakota, and of the GAP International Executive Leaders Program. She represented the NPS region in the Emerging Leaders Program Executive Challenge Course. She will relocate to the Beatrice area this spring and looks forward to being near her son and his family, according to the press release.

 

Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Shop local retailers celebrating Kansas Day, January 29th, 2022

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The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces participating retailers that will be offering a shopping promotion to celebrate Kansas Day on Saturday, January 29th. Patrons wearing apparel with Kansas or a sunflower will receive 10% off their purchase. Participating stores will have a Kansas Day poster in their place of business.
Kansas Day commemorates The Sunflower State being the 34th state to enter the Union in 1861. The Chamber encourages shoppers to celebrate Kansas Day and thank a local store owner for doing business in our great state.
In addition to this local shopping promotion organized by the Chamber, Kansas Tourism invites Kansans to Give a Toast to the Sunflower State on Kansas Day and post their own tribute to the 34th state to social media using the hashtag #ToTheStarsKS Contact the Chamber for more information at 620-223-3566.

Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

 Chamber Coffee hosted by the Friends of Fort Scott NHS

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The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to a Chamber Coffee this Thursday, January 27th at 8 a.m. hosted by Friends of Fort Scott NHS.

It will be held at First United Methodist Church in the Fellowship Hall, located at 301 S National Ave. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site’s mission is to be a friend of the National Historic Site and their primary purpose is to support the National Historic Site in a partnership through activities that may include fundraising, volunteerism, education, advocacy and research. To do that they need to raise funds and they raise funds through their Flag Subscription Program.

They are kicking off their 2022 Flag Subscription Program in January.

For the last three years, they have put a full size flag in front of the homes of subscribers for the 5 flag holidays — Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Veteran’s Day.

Any member business or organization wanting to host Chamber Coffee in 2022 is encouraged to contact the Chamber to save a date by calling 620-223-3566 or emailing [email protected].
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Government

Highlights of 2021: USDA Rural Development Kansas

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USDA Rural Development Kansas Highlights Its Year of Accomplishments in Jobs, Business Opportunities, Education, Health Care and Housing for Rural Kansans

TOPEKA, Jan. 26, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Kansas, Under Acting State Director Dan Fischer, today highlighted the year’s accomplishments in helping rural Kansas residents and businesses access housing, health care, economic developement and other essential services.

“USDA Rural Development Kansas has had a very successful year helping rural residents through our housing, community and business programs,” Fischer said. “When rural Kansas has access to clean water, affordable homes, and good jobs, all of Kansas is more likely to succeed.”

Rural Development Kansas awarded more than $292 million in loans, grants and loan guarantees in Fiscal Year 2021. This includes $209 million for the purchase of homes by low-income individuals and families, nearly $51 million to improve water and waste disposal systems, and nearly $28 million to improve community facilities and access to essential services.

Rural Development offers many programs to assist rural communities and their residents. For example:

  • Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grants This program offers grant assistance to create and augment high-wage jobs, accelerate the formation of new businesses, support industry clusters and maximize the use of local productive assets in eligible low-income rural areas.

  • Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program This program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.

  • Single Family Housing Direct Home Loans This program assists low- and very-low-income applicants obtain decent, safe and sanitary housing in eligible rural areas by providing payment assistance to increase an applicant’s repayment ability.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. Follow us on Twitter at @RurDev_Kansas.

If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

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