Monthly Archives: February 2023
The Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Feb. 7
FS City Agenda for Feb. 14
SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA
FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
CITY HALL COMMISSION MEETING ROOM
123 SOUTH MAIN STREET
February 14, 2023
6:00 P.M.
- ROLL CALL:
- Jones T. Van Hoecke E. Woellhof K. Harrington M. Wells
- CONSIDERATION:
- Patrick Wood – Consideration of Pocket Community
RESOLUTION NO. 7-2023
A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR THE SUBMISSION OF THE MODERATE-INCOME HOUSING GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CERTAIN HOUSING WITHIN THE CITY OF FORT SCOTT, KANSAS TO ACCOMPANY THE GRANT APPLICATION TO THE KANSAS HOUSING RESOURCES CORPORATION.
RESOLUTION NO. 8-2023
A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF A RURAL HOUSING INCENTIVE DISTRICT (RHID) AND AN INDUSTRIAL BOND (IRB) ISSUE IN SUPPORT OF THE BROKEN OAK POCKET COMMNITY PROJECT TO BE LOCATED AT 1907 HUNTINGTON BLVD IN FORT SCOTT, KANSAS
- Approval of Equipment Trade – E42 R2-Series Bobcat Compact Excavator
- Consideration to publish for Request For Qualifications (RFQ) for 2023 Cape Seal Program – tabled from February 7, 2023, City Commission meeting
III. Adjournment:
Black History Month Celebration Event
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U234 Board of Education Minutes from Feb. 13
Unified School District 234
424 South Main
Fort Scott, KS 66701-2697
620-223-0800 Fax 620-223-2760
DESTRY BROWN
Superintendent
BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR MEETING
NEWS RELEASE
Monday, February 13, 2023
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 13, 2023, for their regular monthly meeting at the board office.
President Danny Brown opened the meeting.
The board approved the official agenda, and the consent agenda as follows:
- Minutes from January 9, 2023, Board of Education meeting
- Financials-Cash Flow Report
- Check Register
- Payroll – January 20, 2023 – $1,543,148.20
- Activity Fund accounts
- Extended Trip Applications
- COVID Operations Guidelines
- Special Board Meeting – work session to discuss and prioritize long-term plan and capital improvements, February 27th – 5:30 pm
Dr. Zach Johnson, Fort Scott Middle School principal, introduced 6 students from Fort Scott Middle School who were nominated by their teachers as being representative of great students.
- Students recognized were:
- 6th Grade: Brenny Cole and Maverick Wright
- Brenny likes to do well in everything she does, she is very goal oriented. She is a positive young lady, always on task, very kind to others, and produces quality work.
- Maverick is always willing to help others, he goes above and beyond mentoring other students. He is a super friendly young man, an excellent student, always positive, and works well with peers.
- 6th Grade: Brenny Cole and Maverick Wright
- 7th Grade: Theodore Bowman and Gianna Gorman
- Gianna and Theodore go above and beyond in the classroom. They are respectful to adults and peers. They are always kind and supportive of their classmates. Both of these students are always engaged in classwork and are willing to help others. They take their education seriously and are awesome examples of students that show exemplary character.
- 8th Grade: Chloe Begey and Allisyn Wheeler
- Chloe is a great student and is very sweet. She works hard every day and is kind to all peers. She is one of the sweetest and most caring kids in all of my classes. She holds the doors for all the students every single day, she has great manners, and always has a cheerful attitude. Great girl who gives us her all and is a friend to all and willing to work with anyone.
- Allisyn is always working, doing her best. She is a good person and is always willing to help others. When we worked on our door, she organized the people very kindly and let everyone do their thing. She is academically inclined and strives to do her best. Her sense of humor and positivity brightens every classroom. She is very polite and always has kind words to say.
Mitch Quick, SEK Financial, awarded 6 recipients a $100 U-Benefit grants from OFG Financial, Security Benefit, and KNEA. Recipients were Andrew Ables, Sarah Hendricks, Bert Lewis, Cristin Stark, Hayden Travis, Rhiannon Tuck. The grant is meant to recognize educators for all they do for students in Kansas.
Superintendent Brown updated the board on the progress of the Communications Proposal and the addition of staff awards to recognize excellence. These awards will be held in May when retirees are honored.
Dalaina Smith, Assistant Superintendent, provided an update to the board on academic committees, including Science, Reading, and Assessments and PLC conversations. There was discussion on evaluation of curriculum and assessments.
Scott Kimble, Fort Scott High School Principal, Josh Messer, Fort Scott High School Counselor, and Dr. Zach Johnson, Fort Scott Middle School Principal, gave an update to the board on Individual Plans of Study (IPS). There was discussion on where we are currently and what is planned for the future.
Gina Shelton, Finance Director, updated the board on the KSDE final audit, bond payment, health insurance refund, and bond payment.
The board received an update from Superintendent Brown on the expansion of the Fort Scott Preschool Center to 401 Woodland Hills Blvd. He has received a contract which was provided to our attorney, who returned it with recommended changes. This will be one of several preschool options. Additional options and discussion will take place at the February 27th special board meeting. There was no action taken.
The board approved the following items:
- Tennis Courts Resurface – Pro Track and Tennis, Inc. – tabled until next board meeting
- Investment of Excess Funds – 90-day – $2,500,000, UMB at 4.65%
- 2023-24 School Calendar (pending negotiations)
- Gilmore Bell Disclosure Compliance Services Proposal
- District Meal Allowance Reimbursement Increase
- MOU For Shared Employee Between USD 234 and SEK-CAP, Inc.
- Approval of Personnel Report (following)
- Approval of Superintendent’s Contract for 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 school years
The board went into an executive session for personnel matters.
President Danny Brown adjourned the meeting.
PERSONNEL REPORT – APPROVED EMPLOYMENT
February 13, 2023
RESIGNATIONS/TERMINATIONS/RETIREMENTS:
- Larry Amer – Resignation, Fort Scott High School Art Teacher, effective 02-14-2023
- Dale Brauer – Resignation, Fort Scott Middle School Math Teacher, effective at the end of the 2022-23 school year
- CJ Feagins – Leave of Absence
- Lizbeth Jane Hill – Retirement – Eugene Ware Elementary Kitchen Manager, effective at the end of the 2022-23 school year
- Rebecca Howard – Retirement – Fort Scott Middle School Paraprofessional, effective at the end of the 2022-23 school year
- Dennis Stephan – Retirement – Transportation Maintenance II, effective at the end of the 2022-23 school year
EMPLOYMENT/REASSIGNMENTS:
- Andrew Ables – Fort Scott Middle School Track Coach, 2022-23
- Jon Barnes – Fort Scott High School Assistant Boys Golf Coach
- Adam Clements – Fort Scott High School Assistant Track Coach
- Allen Davis – Transfer from Fort Scott Middle School Custodian to Eugene Ware Custodian
- Adam Feagins – Fort Scott Middle School Track Coach, 2022-23
- Josseline Hunsaker – Winfield Scott Paraprofessional – 7.5 hour
- Madison Jones – Fort Scott High School Assistant Track Coach
- Jarrett Lyon – Fort Scott High School Assistant Baseball Coach
- Jana Walker – Transfer from Winfield Scott Paraprofessional to St. Mary’s School Paraprofessional
- Tracy Watkins – Fort Scott Middle School Custodian
- Destry Brown – Superintendent – Contract extension – 3-year renewal for the 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26 school years
Home Mortgage Business Opens Branch in Fort Scott
A business, whose mission is to help homeowners and also increase financial security, recently opened.
Open Mortgage opened a branch office at 1 East Wall Street, Fort Scott, in December 2022.
The branch manager is David Vonfeldt, with the Fort Scott location serving four states.
There are four employees in the Fort Scott Branch – Joe’ Fritter is a loan officer with two additional loan officers, Monica Creighton and Paul Vonfeldt in Wichita.
Fort Scott is the hometown for Joe’(Albright) Fritter.
She recently left healthcare after 34 years to work in the mortgage
business with her brother in law, David Vonfeldt.
David is married to Joe’s sister Dani (Albright) Vonfeldt. They recently moved to Fort Scott from Wichita in November of
2022.
“David’s business plan has always been to open up his own Branch within Open Mortgage,” Fritter said. “As the stars aligned, this was made possible in December of 2022.”
We are looking forward to assisting the residents in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas,” she said.
Open Mortgage was founded in 2003 and David Vonfeldt has been with the company for eight years, Joe’ started in March of 2022.
Contact information
Fritter
E-mail : [email protected] website or the wesbite: openmortgage.com/joe-fritter
Phone number – 620-644-8146 (licensed in Kansas, Missouri)
Vonfeldt
E-mail : [email protected], the website is
openmortgage.com/david-vonfeldt
Phone number – 316-619-2720 (licensed in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas).
About Open Mortage
Open Mortgage is a nationally recognized, rapidly growing, multi-channel mortgage lender that allows the American dream of home ownership, according to a press release.
Since 2003, the business has been dedicated to assisting borrowers.
Chamber Coffee at First Presbyterian Church on Feb. 16
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The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Feb. 14
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Newsletter
The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl LVII Champions!
After a hard-fought victory last night, the Kansas City Chiefs are once again Super Bowl Champions! For the second time in four seasons, the Vince Lombardi Trophy is headed to Kansas City. What an incredible season and well-deserved win for the Kansas City Chiefs. Congratulations to the entire team, Coach Andy Reid, the Hunt family and all of Chiefs Kingdom.
The Chiefs Kingdom Champions Parade will be held this Wednesday, February 15, starting at 12:00 p.m. CT. Following the parade, there will be a victory rally at Union Station at 1:45 p.m. CT. You can stay up-to-date on all the details at ChiefsParade.com.
I want to thank all of our law enforcement officials for their tireless work to keep everyone safe during this exciting time for Chiefs Kingdom. Let us all remember to be respectful of those in uniform during our celebrations throughout the week. Go Chiefs!
Kansas KidWind Challenge kicks off
Kansas KidWind Challenge kicks off this
week with a record number of teams
TOPEKA – Just as the amount of wind energy being produced in the state is growing, so are the number of students participating in the Kansas KidWind Challenge. The annual event has grown from one regional challenge in 2016 to six regional events in 2022. This year’s competition promises to be bigger than ever with 96 teams from 55 schools competing compared to 56 teams from 26 schools last year.
The 2023 KidWind Challenge begins this week with two regional competitions in western Kansas. The first will be held in Dodge City on Tuesday at USD 443 Dodge City Public Schools and the second in Oakley on Thursday at the Northwest Kansas Educational Service Center. Both events begin at 9 a.m.
Four more regional events will be held in Overland Park, Hutchinson, Manhattan and Burlington before the top two teams in each age group advance to the state finals scheduled for March 25 in Topeka. The state winners will then advance to the national competition to be held May 14-17 in Boulder, Colorado. Three Kansas teams earned national titles at the 2022 national event. A complete schedule of KidWind events is available on the KCC website at https://kcc.ks.gov/energy-
To participate in the KidWind Challenge, student teams work together to design, build and test a wind turbine using the materials of their choice. Each team’s turbine is put to the test in a wind tunnel. Scoring is based on turbine performance, a knowledge quiz, a presentation to judges where the team explains its design process, and an instant challenge. Students in grades 4-12 are eligible to participate.
KidWind is an Energy Education Event from the Kansas Corporation Commission and K-State Engineering Extension made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Media note: Members of the media are invited to attend any of the KidWind events. Please let us know if we can help with participant information or to set-up interviews with students or coaches.
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Mowing Proposals For City of Fort Scott Requested
The City of Fort Scott is accepting proposals for mowing and trimming of public and private properties for both one (1) year and three (3) year contracts. The sites will generally be locations that have been cited for violation of the City’s vegetation nuisance ordinances. Services will be on an “as needed” basis and will have to be completed five (5) days from notification. Successful applicants will be required to provide certification of a minimum of $100,000 in commercial liability insurance, provide proof of Workers Compensation coverage or sign a waiver, and be at least 18 years old.
Applicants can submit bids for each of the following:
–Small residential or commercial jobs requiring mowers less than 48” and trimming based on approximately 6,000 square feet or less. All overgrowth over one inch (1”) thick must be cut down also. Pick up limbs, debris, and trash before mowing and remove them from property. Please note that before and after photos will need to be taken before payment is received.
–Large residential or commercial jobs requiring tractor and brush hog mower, trimming based on 6,000 square feet or per acre, per job. Pick up limbs, debris, and trash before mowing and remove them from property. Please note that before and after photos will need to be taken before payment is received.
Submit sealed bid proposals in writing no later than 4:00PM Friday, March 17th, 2023, to Lisa A. Lewis, City Clerk, City Hall, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Call 620-223-0550 with questions. The City reserves the right as a judge of all values of selection and to use more than one of the bidders if necessary to manage the workload.
PLEASE SUBMIT EACH BID SEPARATELY.
Downtown Revitalization Grants Announced
$850,000 Funding Announced for
Downtown Building Revitalization
TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced $850,000 has been made available to fund a new round of Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) grants. The HEAL program, which is funded by the Department of Commerce and the Patterson Family Foundation, provides grants to small communities across the state to revitalize downtown buildings.
The HEAL program is designed to bring downtown buildings back into productive use as spaces for:
- New or expanding businesses
- Housing
- Arts and culture
- Civic engagement
- Childcare
- Entrepreneurship
“Downtowns throughout Kansas are already making dramatic and visible improvements because of this popular program,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Our partnership with the Patterson Family Foundation is creating even more opportunities for communities to bring their historic buildings back to life and strengthen their local economies.”
HEAL is intended to close financial gaps in restoring underutilized properties and making downtown districts throughout the state more economically vibrant. Applicants must show that submitted projects have potential to become economic drivers in the community.
Eligible applicants must be organizations applying on behalf of building owners and may include designated Kansas Main Street programs, economic development organizations, cities, counties, 501c3 or 501c6 organizations, and local community foundations.
Private building owners should contact their local organization to work in partnership on the application and to identify buildings that are strong candidates for the HEAL program. The buildings should be underutilized, valuable to the historic fabric of the downtown district and have a feasible plan for adaptive re-use.
“Contributing to the HEAL program alongside the Department of Commerce is a natural fit for our foundation’s mission,” said Lindsey Patterson Smith, President of the Patterson Family Foundation. “Downtown areas are often the heart of communities of all sizes, and we believe rural downtown spaces especially will benefit from improvements to their beauty, safety, and greater accessibility.”
HEAL matching grants will be awarded for either façade or building construction projects. Communities that received a previous HEAL grant are not eligible to apply in this round.
Proof of matching funds from the building owner will be required at the time of application. The application window opens February 13 and closes March 31 with award notifications at the end of May.
Information about the HEAL grant program and the online application can be viewed at www.kansascommerce.
About the Kansas Department of Commerce:
As the state’s lead economic development agency, the Kansas Department of Commerce strives to empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve prosperity in Kansas. Commerce accomplishes its mission by developing relationships with corporations, site location consultants and stakeholders in Kansas, the nation and world. Our strong partnerships allow us to help create an environment for existing Kansas businesses to grow and foster an innovative, competitive landscape for new businesses. Through Commerce’s project successes, Kansas in 2021 was awarded Site Selection Magazine’s Governor’s Cup award, Area Development Magazine’s Gold Shovel award for two years in a row and was named Site Selection Magazine’s Best Business Climate in the West North Central region of the United States. Find the Department’s strategic plan for economic growth here: Kansas Framework for Growth.