Monthly Archives: October 2022

Fort Scott

Wreaths Across America at Fort Scott National Cemetery

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          Volunteers are beginning plans for the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony and laying of wreaths at Fort Scott National Cemetery, scheduled for December 17,2022.  For anyone not familiar with this annual event, it is held to Remember, Honor and Teach about those who have served us in the military and offered their lives to defend our country.

 

WE NEED YOUR HELP to sponsor wreaths.  “This event is only possible through donations made to sponsor individual wreaths”, says Diann Tucker, Location Project Coordinator.  Wreaths cost $15.00 each and donations must be received no later than November 22.  We hope you share our feelings of the importance of this project and will support it with your donations.  The nearly 7000 graves at Fort Scott National Cemetery are a tribute to the willingness of our military men and women to make the ultimate sacrifice for a cause bigger than oneself and is a mission worth supporting.  Your donations are a 501c3 not-for-profit tax deductible.  If you have a specific grave to receive and be honored with a wreath, please provide their name with your donation.  Without enough financial support, not all graves will receive wreaths.

 

Please mail your donation of $15.00 per wreath, checks payable to “Wreaths Across America” and send in care of Diann Tucker, 746 215th Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701.  If you live in Fort Scott you can drop by Stewart Realty Co., 1707 S. National, to make your donations.  We can also accept debit and credit cards.  Please contact me if you have any questions (620-224-7054) or email us at wreathsacrossamerica0049@yahoo.com.

 

We look forward to seeing you on December 17th at Fort Scott National Cemetery for our Annual Wreath-laying Ceremony.


Stewart Realty
1707 S. National Ave 
Fort Scott, KS 66701
620-223-6700
620-223-6701 fax
Housing

Emergency Rental Assistance Is Winding Down

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Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance (KERA) program enters hold phase

New applications to be reviewed, processed subject to availability of funds

More than 75,000 Kansans and 10,000 housing and service providers have received more than $250 million in rental and utility assistance, preventing thousands of evictions and providing vital services to more than 30,000 families at risk of losing their homes. A year and a half after the temporary initiative launched, the program is winding down and will close soon.

KERA has now received enough applications to exhaust all funds and has entered the Hold Phase. All applications and recertifications submitted during Hold Phase will be placed on hold and will not be reviewed or processed unless sufficient program funds are available.

The closure process follows three phases. Here’s what this means for Kansas renters in need of assistance:

  1. Final Funding Phase: On Oct. 7, 2022, households were encouraged to apply or reapply for final assistance as soon as possible. The program has now received enough applications to exhaust all current funds, ending Final Funding phase. Applications submitted during Final Funding phase will still be reviewed and processed, subject to availability of funds.
  2. Hold Phase: Now that the program has received enough applications to fully expend all KERA funds, applications and recertifications submitted during Hold Phase will be placed on hold status and will not be reviewed or processed unless sufficient program funds are available.
  3. Closure Phase: When all program funds are exhausted the program will close and will stop accepting new applications.

 
The length and dates of each phase will be subject to a variety of factors, including application volume and amount of assistance requested. Each program closure phase will be announced on the KERA web page.

The Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance (KERA) program, established in March 2021 with federal pandemic relief funds, provides up to 18 months of rent and utility assistance for households experiencing financial hardship. Rental assistance is paid directly to housing and service providers, helping landlords cover their operating costs and keep up with essential maintenance and repairs, stimulating the local economy.

 

Prior to the KERA program, KHRC administered the Kansas Eviction Prevention Program (KEPP), a federal CARES-Act funded initiative to provide rental assistance to Kansans who had fallen behind on rent payments due to the pandemic. KEPP provided more than $17 million to more than 10,000 Kansas households, serving 21,642 Kansas renters and more than 4,000 housing providers.

The Kansas Homeowner Assistance Fund remains open and is currently accepting applications. KHRC’s ongoing housing programs will continue to serve Kansans beyond the closure of the KERA program.

For more information and to apply for KERA, visit kshousingcorp.org/emergency-rental-assistance.

 

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The KERA program is administered by Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC), a self-supporting, nonprofit, public corporation committed to helping Kansans access the safe, affordable housing they need and the dignity they deserve. KHRC serves as the state’s housing finance agency, administering essential housing and community programs to serve Kansans.
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Kansas Housing Resources Corporation | 611 S. Kansas, Suite 300, Topeka, KS 66603
Government, Kansas

Fort Scott Get $1.5 Million For U.S. Hwy. 54

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Governor Laura Kelly Announces 34 Cities
Across Kansas to Receive $28M
for Local Highway Improvements

FORT SCOTT – Governor Laura Kelly announced today that 34 cities across Kansas have been selected to receive a total of $28.65 million for improvements to the State Highway System located within city boundaries. The funds will be directed to preserve and improve pavement, add turn lanes, and modify intersections along essential roadways in both rural and urban areas throughout the state.

The grants are administered through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s City Connecting Link Improvement Program (CCLIP). The program is an important component of the state’s bipartisan transportation program, IKE, passed under the Kelly Administration.

“By making this investment, we’re improving the safety and accessibility of Kansas roadways that are local centers of community life,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Through these grants, we’re delivering economic opportunities throughout rural and urban Kansas.”

Governor Kelly and Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz announced the CCLIP awards in Fort Scott, where $1.5 million in CCLIP funds will be directed to improvements on U.S. 54, also known as Wall Street.

KDOT was able to increase CCLIP funding level for this selection cycle by more than $10 million over previous years due to additional federal funds coming to Kansas as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation (BIL). Both federal and state funds are designated for the CCLIP program and local matching funds are required based on city population.

“With the Connecting Link program, KDOT partners with communities to find solutions to support local transportation priorities,” Transportation Secretary Lorenz said. “I very much appreciate the power of the state and communities pooling funds to make improvements.”

A City Connecting Link is defined as any routing of the State Highway System located with the corporate limits of a city, not including the Interstate System. For this CCLIP cycle applying to state fiscal years 2024-2025, KDOT received 54 applications requesting $38 million.

There are three categories of CCLIP projects: Surface Preservation (SP), which extends the life of the driving surface; Pavement Restoration (PR), which rehabilitates or replaces pavement; and Geometric Improvement (GI), which addresses safety or capacity by improving roadway turn lanes, intersections, or modifying lane configurations.

For each project – the category, city, highway, and amount awarded include:

Category

City

Highway

CCLIP Funds

Northeast Kansas

SP

Atchison

US-59

$400,000

SP

Bonner Springs

K-32

$400,000

SP

Emporia

US-50

$400,000

SP

Kansas City

US-169

$400,000

SP

Lawrence

US-59

$400,000

PR

Marysville

US-77

$1,250,000

North Central Kansas

SP

Clay Center

K-15

$400,000

SP

Concordia

K-9

$400,000

PR

Herington

US-56B

$1,250,000

PR

Moundridge

K-260

$800,000

PR

White City

K-4

$1,250,000

Northwest Kansas

SP

Colby

K-25

$400,000

PR

Smith Center

K-204

$1,300,000

PR

Smith Center

K-204

$1,300,000

PR

Stockton

US-24

$1,100,000

Southeast Kansas

PR

Baxter Springs

US-69A

$1,000,000

GI

Fort Scott

US-54

$1,500,000

SP

Independence

US-160

$400,000

SP

Independence

US-160

$400,000

GI

Madison

K-58

$1,500,000

PR

Parsons

US-59

$1,250,000

South Central Kansas

PR

Anthony

K-44

$900,000

SP

El Dorado

US-77

$400,000

SP

Great Bend

US-281/US-56

$400,000

PR

Hoisington

K-4

$1,250,000

PR

Kingman

US-54

$1,250,000

SP

Larned

US-56

$400,000

PR

Pratt

US-281

$750,000

PR

Wellington

US-81

$1,250,000

SP

Winfield

US-160

$400,000

Southwest Kansas

SP

Dodge City

US-50

$400,000

PR

Lakin

K-25

$1,250,000

PR

Ness City

K-96

$1,000,000

GI

Ulysses

US-160

$1,500,000

TOTAL:

$28,650,000

Bourbon County, Church news

Bronson Baptist Church Celebrates 140 Years

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Bronson Baptist Church was chartered in 1882.

Bronson Baptist Church has been in the Bronson community for 140 years.

The small congregation in western Bourbon County will celebrate the anniversaryChur this Sunday, Oct. 16 with a special music concert by Lloyd Houk at 9:45 a.m., followed by morning worship at 10:45 a.m. There will be a carry-in lunch following services.

The  Bronson Baptist Church was chartered in 1882.  At first the people met in a wood frame building that housed the congregation, then a brick building at 403 Randolph, across the street was built in 1925.

“My grandfather, Christian Frederick Ermel, was a brick layer that worked on it,” said Judy Wilson, whose family has attended the church for generations.

“My parents, Reta Mae and Buford Johnson, always attended the church,” Wilson said.

“I can remember some Sunday School teachers from way back, Cordie Volmer, and Ima Jean Sager,” she said. “The people I remember older than my parents generation is Glenn Entzminger, who was a leader of the church, always there for anything needed.”

Judy and husband Rex were married in the church.

And in recent years they had Reta Mae’s funeral there.

“Right now, not many attend the church, but if folks come they are going to hear the Word of God, for sure,” she said.

The church is an independent Baptist Church and the current pastor is Michael Miller.

“It was the preacher’s suggestion to have the 140th anniversary celebration,” Wilson said. “He thought it was worth celebrating.”

 

Government

Bourbon County Rural Water #4 and Fulton Receive Federal Grants

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United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Kansas Director for Rural Development Christy Davis today announced that USDA is investing $5,517,200 in loans and grants toward eight community projects across the state.

Project details of today’s eight announcements are:

  • A $900,000 loan will help complete the rehabilitation of the existing water treatment plant for Rural Water District 4 in Bourbon County. Previous funds for the project included $488,000 applicant contribution from the Rural Water District and a $2,772,000 loan from Rural Development in 2020.
  • A $312,000 loan and a $650,000 grant will make improvements to the water distribution system of the City of Fulton. Improvements will include replacing the original water distribution system, meter assemblies, valves and fire hydrants. The city received a $15,000 grant in Aug. 2019, from Rural Development via the Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households Grant to complete a Preliminary Engineering Report.
  • A $90,000 grant will assist Tabor College in creating the Central Kansas Entrepreneurship Center (CKEC). The center will provide support for small businesses including marketing, pitch development, operations and management, finance and accounting and will be located on the Tabor campus in Hillsboro. It is anticipated 46 full time jobs will be created.
  • A $50,000 grant will assist in purchasing a fire truck on behalf of the Almena Rural Fire Department. A new brush fire truck will provide fire protection throughout Norton County and, when needed, to surrounding counties and southern Nebraska.
  • A $47,200 grant will help purchase a fully equipped vehicle and other equipment for the City of Neodesha law enforcement department. Funds from this project will provide rural residents with new and improved public safety services.
  • A $29,000 grant will be used to prepare an engineering evaluation for the City of Blue Mound‘s water system. The city needs an evaluation of their water facility and distribution system to determine what improvements are needed to mitigate line breaks. With this evaluation the city will be able to plan future water system improvements.
  • A $1,640,000 loan and a $995,000 grant will help complete improvements to the City of Hiawatha‘s wastewater collection system. This project will upgrade the system’s ability to process wastewater and make needed improvements to the north lift station.
  • A $143,000 loan and a $661,000 grant will help complete the first phase of improvements to the City of Vermillion‘s water system. The city previously received $1,279,000 in grants and a $272,000 loan for the project.
Obituary

Obituary of Darrell Crown

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Darrell Dean Crown, age 68, of Hollister, MO, left his earthly home, as a result of a stroke, to join his loved ones in Heaven on, Friday morning, October 7,2022, at Cox South, Springfield, MO. He was born May 4, 1954, in Fort Scott, KS to Mahlon Dale Crown and Wilma Lois (McBride) Crown. He had 5 brothers and one sister. His favorite pastime was exploring old Buck Run, doing math problems, and teasing his sister, Carolyn Sue. As a young boy, Darrell enjoyed collecting Marvel Comics, most of which he had for over 50 years. As an adult, he loved the Marvel Universe movies, with the Hulk being his favorite character. Many a Sunday afternoon he could be heard rooting the Kansas City Chiefs on and during the summer cheering on the Kansas City Royals.

 

He attended Fort Scott elementary and secondary schools, as well as Fort Scott Community Junior College. Following junior college, he went on to get a BS degree in Mathematics from Pittsburg State University and later received a MS in Teaching from the same University. Before being disabled, he had a long career in IT/Computer Programming, first with Western Ins, then American States Insurance and finally Safeco Insurance. The job he most fondly remembers however, is being a carhop at the Dairy Mug in Fort Scott and making lifelong friends with many of his coworkers. He moved around to several states with his jobs but will always consider Fort Scott, Kansas his home.

 

Although he came from a large family, he also considered his church community to be his family. Church is where Darrell truly shined. He was ordained into the ministry at age 17 as a deacon, from where he continued his ministry as a priest, an elder and pastor of 2 congregations. Physically he was slowing down some, but still felt he had two sermons left that he wanted to share with others. Even after his first stroke, he always maintained his “preacher voice”. Pryor to that he spent many years singing in his home congregation, at camps, conferences and even a few plays! His favorite song to sing was always “The Lord’s Prayer”. He loved having his sons sing the song with him as a trio. Darrell transferred his church membership to various congregations, due to his moves, but his last membership was held at the Community of Christ, Branson, MO

 

Darrell married Cynthia Ann George on August 14, 1981, at Nevada, MO in an evening ceremony at the Community Christian Church. They were married for 41 years but were high school sweethearts of 50 years. From their union two sons were born, Joshua and Kevin.

 

He is survived by his wife Cynthia, sons, Joshua Crown, and Kevin Crown (Lyndsey) and the loves of his life his two granddaughters, Annabelle Beverly (Lady Bug) and Piper Ruth (Bumble Bee). Brother, Steven Crown, Joplin, MO, and Sister, Carolyn Sue Hight (Danny) Oak Grove, MO and sisters-in-law, Marilyn Crown, and Jill Crown, along with several cousins, numerous nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Gary, Richard, David, and Dana Crown, his parents-in-law Delbert and Beverly George.

 

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 AM Friday, October 21st, at the Cheney Witt Chapel, Fort Scott, KS.  Interment will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday from 10:00 AM until service time at the funeral home.  In lieu of flowers, the family wishes memorials would be made to the American Stroke Association and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

 

 

 

 

Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Jody Hoener

5 Comments

October 11, 2022
Fort Scott City Commissioners
123 South Main
Fort Scott, KS
66701


RE: An Open Letter to Fort Scott City Council


Good evening Commissioners,
I am coming to you this evening with an update on your T–Mobile Home Town Grant. After giving it a lot of thought and consideration, the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team will be stepping away from the lead position of the Farmers’ Market T–Mobile Hometown Grant.


The T–Mobile grant was awarded to the City of Fort Scott in October of 2021. City Manager Kelley Zellner came to us in March 2022 to help lead the grant project because there had been no progress on the grant objectives since awarded. We agreed to take on the project as a good faith effort to work toward a common goal: to support the Farmers’ Market. Their success helps our
efforts in building resilient food systems and supporting economic growth in our community.


On April 19,2022 the commission made the decision to support this collaboration by unanimous vote, and appointed Commissioner Walker to attend meetings along with Bourbon County REDI
Director Rob Harrington.


In less than 6 months’ time as lead on the City’s grant, we have accomplished, at no charge:


1. Re–negotiating the terms on the grant to allow more flexibility with the timeline and the parameters of site location and expected outcomes
2. Obtained technical assistance from USDA for site selection, pavilion size/dimensions and renderings at no cost to the local community
3. Engaged the market vendors and completed a survey of needs for a successful farmers’ market
4. Held one on one conversations with community members, farmers’ market vendors and customers, and leadership at the National Historic Fort. We learned that the initial plans
for site location and pavilion were not fully approved by the merchants before renderings were submitted for the T–Mobile Grant and development did not include input from any
of these critical sources who will be directly impacted by the decisions made.
5. We discussed the project and parameters at length with The Fort Scott Historic Site leadership to ensure any concerns with parking, traffic, and the view of the Old Historic Site from Main Street are incorporated in the conversation and addressed.
6. We made intentional efforts and outreach to ensure stakeholders were invited to each conversation.
At the request of the commission, I sent an initial email to Commissioner Walker and Bourbon County REDI Director Rob Harrington to schedule a time that would work for all parties. I
received zero response.

At the September 8th meeting we had a virtual and in person meeting at the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team Headquarters. We had a room full of stakeholders and farmers’ market vendors to discuss these issues and to look at potential site locations with the USDA Technical Assistance on Zoom.


Commissioner Walker logged into Zoom late and left very early according to our records.
This is the only meeting on this subject that he has attended. At that meeting Commissioner Walker didn’t realize he wasn’t muted and made a comment with a negative connotation about
me personally and the location of the pavilion.


Farmers’ Market Vendors feel strongly the success of the market is dependent upon the location due to size, visibility from the highway, and proximity within downtown. They report being questioned by City Commissioners about the current location the market is held and “just how important it is” to be located within Skubitz Plaza.


It has become apparent our work is not being appreciated by those who will ultimately make the decision on its placement. It has been our experience the commissioner who was appointed by
you to inform your decisions on this T–Mobile Hometown Grant Project is unengaged, unresponsive, absent and uninformed.


Our work is to support the Farmers’ Market to be a success. The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team is not getting paid to take on this project; we took it on because we believe in collaborating to make our community the best it can be. I am not going to subject myself, my teammates, or my organization to this type of poison and disrespect.

We will direct our efforts to where they are most appreciated moving forward.


I am not going to make any further comments at this time. If you have any further input or recommendations, they may be emailed to me at [email protected] and I will discuss your feedback with the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team Board.


Thank you for your time,
Jody Hoener
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Inc.
President and CEO
104 North National
Fort Scott, KS 66701

Area News, Government, Kansas

Survey to begin on K-52

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Survey to begin on K-52

 

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) plans to start a survey at the Little Sugar Creek drainage culvert on K-52 in Linn County the week of Oct. 17. The culvert is approximately 1 mile west of the K-7/K-52 junction (see map).

 

The survey area of 2,500 feet is based on the existing alignment. Survey crew members will gather information for a future culvert replacement project. KDOT expects the survey to be complete by Dec. 30.

 

Activities include the use of survey instruments on the ground to determine locations of existing features within the corridor. A member of the survey crew will contact property owners or tenants for permission to enter private property. John Lilak of Bartlett & West will manage the survey for KDOT. Persons with questions may contact KDOT Public Affairs Manager Priscilla Petersen, (620) 902-6433.

Opinion

Letter to The Editor: Bill Martin

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Submitted by Bourbon County Sheriff Wm K. Martin,

Preservation Amendment


This fall, a proposed amendment to Article 9 of the Kansas Constitution will be on the ballot.


Voters will be asked to decide a measure which requires the county sheriff to be elected in all Kansas counties with the exception of Riley County who consolidated law enforcement services
in 1974.

Further, this amendment identifies the Kansas Attorney General as having the sole authority to initiate ouster proceedings of a sitting sheriff.

Currently, this authority is shared with each county attorney and has shown to be partisan and subject to personal animus. This change is supported by the Kansas County & District Attorneys Association.

Finally, the voter recall process is not eliminated or changed in any manner.


Following a survey by the National Sheriff’s Association of states who have sheriffs, it was learned all but fifteen recognize the office in their state constitutions. These fifteen states, mostly in the
midwest, have the office created by an act of legislature. This means the office of sheriff can be abolished by an act of legislation or through a charter commission.


The premise of this amendment will preserve the office of sheriff in the Great State of Kansas while protecting the ability of a qualified electorate to choose this individual by popular vote every four years.

This decision belongs to the voters and should not be relegated to a group of elected or appointed individuals.

Please note, this vote is not about the individual holding the office of sheriff, rather it is about preserving your right to actively participate in choosing who holds that office.


Why is this important?

The sheriff is the only elected law enforcement official in Kansas. As such, he or she (sheriff) is directly accountable to the public they serve and are not filtered through an elected body or appointed official. The actions of the sheriff should be predicated upon the US Constitution, the Constitution of the State of Kansas and lawful statutes. He or she is responsible for their actions and those in their employ and subject to remedy grievances directly to the populace and not at the direction of administrative oversight.


In recent years, attempts to abolish the office of sheriff in some Kansas counties have failed.


Counties such as Phillips, Lyon, Bourbon, Reno, Shawnee, Sedgwick and Johnson County have entertained this notion. These efforts have failed due in large part to opposition from the populace; however, the threat remains to all Kansas counties which elect their sheriff.


In 2000, Johnson County established a Home Rule Charter and soon after abolished the elected offices of County Clerk, County Treasurer and Register of Deeds. These positions are now
appointees of the county administrator.

Although the office of sheriff and county attorney were initially preserved, every ten years the charter commission is required to revisit this issue.

Earlier this year, the commission met and initially supported abolishing the office of sheriff only to change course and preserve it until the next review period.

The citizens of Johnson County, with a population in excess of 600,000, came dangerously close to losing their ability to cast votes for who they wanted as the chief law enforcement officer of the county.

Unless and until the office of sheriff is preserved in the Kansas Constitution, the voice of 104 Kansas counties remain in
jeopardy of being usurped.


A yes vote in support of this amendment is non–partisan and will help to preserve not only your participation in deciding who has the privilege of serving Bourbon County as elected sheriff, it
will preserve the office of sheriff itself.