Yearly Archives: 2024

Obituary

Obituary of Emily Louise Martin

Leave a comment

Emily Louise Martin, age 27, resident of Fort Scott, KS died Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM Wednesday, May 8th, at the Community Christian Church. Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 PM Tuesday May 7th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Memorials are suggested to the Fort Scott High School Music Department 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 online at cheneywitt.com.

Opinion

No Warning Light For The End by Patty LaRoche

Leave a comment
Patty LaRoche. 2023.
Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection
www.alittlefaithlift.com
AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)

Had it not been for sporadic, Christian radio and my excitement to join Dave, his daughters and their families, my drive from Kansas to Nevada (the state, not the town) would have caused me great stress.  The second day of my journey, I drove 13 hours, a record for me, the frustration coming because of my attempts to dodge New Mexico’s highway potholes and, being bored, repetitively pushing radio buttons when there was only static in the airways.

On his phone, Dave was able to track my trip, so if I pulled over (like when I thought my tire fell off after hitting a pothole, causing my anti-skid warning light to come on), he would call to make sure I didn’t damage our mini-van or my body.  He did put our son-in-law on the phone to tell me what to do: check under the car for leaks and the tires for alignment, and push a button to turn off the warning light.  A button I never knew existed.

That being said, when I did luck out and found a radio station, I was surprised at the number of radio hosts who spent their time addressing the end times, supporting their ideas with scripture, the war in Israel, and A.I. That seemed to be the discussion for the day, and I began to wonder: Would I make it to Nevada, or would Jesus snatch me up from wherever I was in New Mexico?  According to the radio “experts,” the latter was a very real possibility.

The fascinating study of end times, according to the bible, is called eschatology, and including the 1999/2000 predictions of the world’s end, I’m not sure I have read/seen as many warnings of these final days as I have since Covid. So, what are we to look for?

Matthew 24:6-14 describes Jesus’ prediction to his disciples, sort of his anti-skid warning for all of us.  There will be “wars and threats of wars … famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. … You will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”

Describing how cold our love will grow, another prediction is found in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 where Paul warns the young pastor of life’s potholes in the last days:  “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”                                                                   

What a list!  Yet, it is hard to deny that that is what we are seeing today.  God has watched us remove Him from schools, homes and even churches.  There is little regard for the sanctity of life, sex before marriage is promoted, mental illness and addictions are at an all-time high, churches compete instead of celebrating others’ successes, celebrities (including television pastors) are idolized, cellphone addiction has replaced relationships, counselors are overwhelmed with people feeling “hopeless” and “anxious,” and joy has all but disappeared, including in the Christian community.

As for what day the end will come, the one thing we do know is that there will be no warning light that we can ignore. We also know that we will not add even an hour to our lives by worrying about when this event will happen (Mt. 6:27), we always are to be ready for Jesus’ arrival (Mt. 24:44) by being self-controlled and sober-minded (1 Peter 4:7), and the Lord is patient, wishing that no one should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

So, the next time a radio host focuses on eschatology, I will find another station, one that addresses what we can do until that time: continue to grow in our faith, love more and trust in God.  Or maybe I’ll just pray.  Yes, I like that idea best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fort Scott, Government

Agenda for the Fort Scott City Commission on May 7

Leave a comment

NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR REGULAR

MEETING OF FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION

City Hall Commission Room – 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701

May 7, 2024 – 6:00 P.M.

 

  1. Call to Order
  2. Roll Call

Matthew Wells,    Tim VanHoecke,     Melissa Guns,     Dyllon Olson,     Tracy Dancer

III.    Pledge of Allegiance – T. Dancer/Mayor

  1. Invocation – M. Wells/Commissioner
  2. Approval of Agenda
  3. Consent Agenda
  4. Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1359-A – Expense Approval Report – Payment Dates – April 10, 2024 – April 30, 2024 – $1,752,949.24

 

  1. Approval of Minutes for April 16, 2024.

 

  1. RESOLUTION NO. 14-2024 – RESOLUTION AND NOTICE OF HEARING WITH REFERENCE TO ALLEGE DUNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE (AND ACCESSORY STRUCTURE) PARCEL #006-119-30-0-30-25-010-00-0 LEGALLY DESCRIBED AS FORT SCOTT, LOT 8 BLK 132 IN BOURBON COUNTY, IN THE CITY OF FORT SCOTT, KANSAS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS [314 S. EDDY], FORT SCOTT, KS 66701 – Tabled from April 2, 2024.

 

  1. RESOLUTION NO. 15-2024 – RESOLUTION AND NOTICE OF HEARING WITH REFERENCE TO ALLEGED UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE (AND ACCESSORY STRUCTURE) PARCEL #006-119-30-0-30-27-002-00-0 LEGALLY DESCRIBED AS FORT SCOTT, S 25’ LOT 4 BLK 130 IN BOURBON COUNTY, IN THE CITY OF FORT SCOTT, KANSAS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS [306 S. LOWMAN], FORT SCOTT, KS 66701 – Tabled from April 2, 2024.

 

VII.   Public Comment – Sign up required before the beginning of the meeting on register at the          entrance of the Commission Room. Public Comments are for any topic not on the agenda and                      limited to five (5) minutes per person, at the Commission’s discretion.

VIII.    Appearances – Must be scheduled with the City Clerk at least (1) week prior to the meeting           you wish to address the Commission. You will be scheduled on the agenda to speak on your topic.

  1. Dave Bruner/Fire Chief and Jason Pickert/Police Chief – City flooding updates
  2. Scott Flater/Water Utilities Director – Wastewater Treatment Plant update

 

 

  1. Old Business
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 12-2024 – RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE REPAIR OR        REMOVAL OF AN ALLEGED UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE AND    ACCESSORY STRUCTURE – KNOWN AS [110 W. OAK], FORT SCOTT, KS 66701 –        Tabled from April 2, 2024 – Owner to return with requested information for the Commission.     Removed from April 16, 2024, agenda – L. Kruger
  3. RESOLUTION NO. 13-2024 – RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE REPAIR OR        REMOVAL OF AN ALLEGED UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE AND    ACCESSORY STRUCTURE – PARCEL #006-119-29-0-10-12-00900-0-01 LEGALLY            DESCRIBED AS CAMERONS ADD-SUB DIV ORIG BLK 5, LOTS 27 & 28 BLK 3                                                   IN BOURBON COUNTY, IN THE CITY OF FORT SCOTT, KANSAS, OTHERWISE   KNOWN AS [1801 E. WALL], FORT SCOTT, KS 66701 – Tabled from April 2, 2024.                         Received Title Search – N. Nation and L. Kruger
  4. Consideration of donation to BBGo Transportation Service – $4,500.00
  5. Consideration of Proposal for Construction Observation for Horton Street & 6th     Street Improvement Project (180 calendar days) – Earles Engineering & Inspection –                  J. Dickman
  6. New Business
  7. Consideration to Purchase Time Clocks, License and Setup to be split between          departments – Tyler Technologies – $13,514 – P. Coyan
  8.  Consideration to Approve Construction a Public Safety Training Area – D. Bruner      and M. Miles
  9. Consideration of Letter of Interest for (1) Library Board Vacancy – Chelsey      McAllister – Recommended by Library Board to begin May 11, 2024 – (1) vacancy still under consideration – M. Wells
  10.  Consideration to Approve Resignation of Carol MacArthur from Planning             Commission and Advertise for Replacement Candidate – Reappointed March 5, 2024.
  11.  Consideration to Implement Deposit for Memorial Hall Usage – B. Matkin
  12. Reports and Comments
  13. City Manager Comments
  14.  Engineering Comments
  15.   Commissioners Comments
  16.  City Attorney Comments

 

XII.      Executive Session

XIII.     Adjourn

 

Fort Scott, Government

Unapproved Minutes of the Fort Scott City Commission on April 16

Leave a comment

CITY OF FORT SCOTT

CITY COMMISSION MEETING

 

 

Minutes of April 16, 2024                                        Regular Meeting

 

The regular meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission was held April 16, 2024, at 6:00PM in the City Commission Meeting Room at City Hall, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas. (Time stamps according to YouTube recording of meeting).

 

Roll Call

Meeting called to order at 6:02PM (Time stamp: 2:27). Commissioners Matthew Wells, Tim VanHoecke, Melissa Guns, and Dyllon Olson were present with Mayor Tracy Dancer.

 

Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation

  1. Dancer led the Pledge of Allegiance and M. Wells said a prayer asking God for guidance for the City, our Government and City officials.

 

Audience in Attendance – Brad Matkin/City Manager, Bob Farmer/City Attorney, Jason Dickman/City Engineer-Earles Engineering, Jason Pickert/Chief of Police, Payton Coyan/City HR Director, Jessica Oliphant/BakerTilly (by phone), Scott Flater/Water Utilities Director, Lisa Lewis/City Clerk, Diane Striler, Cory Bryars, Scott Dennis, Kristen Dennis, Casey Brown/SEK-CAP, Scott Christiansen/SEK-CAP, Jamey M. Whitney/SEK-CAP, Cherri Walrod/Core Community, Kellie Kemp, Brandi Meeks, Don Tucker, Jean Tucker, and Bailey Lyons.

 

Proclamation – The Fort Scott City Commission declared April 27, 2024 “Spencer Lee Day” with a Memorial Proclamation read by Mayor Tracy Dancer and accepted by Kellie Kemp.

 

Approval of Agenda

The City Clerk requested (2) amendments to the Agenda: 1) Removal of Item 1 – Old Business – Resolution No. 12-2024/Repair or Removal of a Dangerous Structure known as 110 W. Oak (requested by L. Kruger/Codes);  2) Addition of Item 5 – New Business – Action Items – Consideration of Agreement No. 208-22 for Project No. U 2455-01 – Cost Share Program.

 

  1. VanHoecke asked for clarification regarding Resolution No. 121-2024 – Resolution to Repair or Remove a Dangerous Structure known as 110 W. St. being removed from the agenda under Public Hearing. B. Matkin stated that the Codes Department is not present due to training out of town and the item will be returned on an upcoming agenda. He also spoke with the property owner.

 

MOTION:   M. Wells moved to approve the agenda with the requested amendments. D. Olson seconded the motion.  All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

Consent Agenda

 

–  Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1358-A – Expense Approval Report – Payment Dates – March 27, 2024 – April 9, 2024 – $464,041.39

–  Approval of Minutes from April 2, 2024, and March 26, 2024, Special Meeting.

 

–  Request to Pay – Hofer, Hofer & Associates – Application No. 1 – Gunn Park Shower House and Restroom – Current Amount Due – $58,065.30

 

–  Request to Pay – Environmental Process Equipment Company (EPEC) – Cell #2 -Phase 2 Aeration Upgrade – Final Retainage – 10% of Total – $82,661.80 –S. Flater

 

–  Request to Pay – Ray Lindsey Company – 55% Due With Shipment (per contract) –    Invoice #2024084 – Supply and Removal of Smith & Loveless Grit Equipment – $333,856.05 – S. Flater

 

–  Request to Pay – Schneider Electric – Invoice #0001010681 – Client Service Contract – April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025 – $12,543.00.

 

–  March Financials

 

MOTION:  M. Wells moved to approve the Consent Agenda.  M. Guns seconded the motion. All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

 

Public Comment – No Public Comments.

 

 

Appearances

 

–  Payton Coyan  (Time stamp – 12:01) – Temporary Street Closure – Luau Event – May 18, 2024 – 10:00AM to 11:00PM – North National to Oak – Market Street, North National to Old Fort Blvd. to North Main and Old Fort Blvd (alley entrance).

 

MOTION:  M. Wells moved to approve the request for Temporary Street Closures on May 18, 2024.  T. VanHoecke seconded the motion. All voted yes.

 

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

  1. Coyan recognized the sponsors of the Luau Event as well as those who donated.

 

–  Cherri Walrod – Core Community Bourbon County (Time stamp 15:24) appeared before the Commission to update them on the Core Community successes over the past year and invited everyone to the first graduation of those who completed the program so far.

 

  1. Matkin requested that the Chair recognize the addition of a Public Comment from Bailey Lyons and that she be allowed to speak at this time because she had to leave.

 

–  Bailey Lyons and John Crain – Downtown Chamber Division (Time stamp 26:35)  appeared before the Commission to remind everyone regarding the Earth Day Downtown Cleanup on April 24th from 4:00PM – 6:00PM and explain what will be done during the project.    She also acknowledged the Elks Club who provided a grant that funded most of the project, Good Neighbor Action Team and Bourbon County Arts Council and the City of Fort Scott.

 

–  Scott Christiansen/Transportation Director, Jamey Whitney/CEO and Casey Brown/Community Engagement Coordinator – BB Go Transportation– Southeast Kansas Community Action Program, Inc. (SEK-CAP) (Time stamp 33:01) appeared before the Commission to present the transportation services, in conjunction with the Bourbon County Action Team, they provide to citizens of Bourbon County. They are asking that the City consider making a donation to the company in order to continue services as well as expand in the future.

 

–  Diane Striler and Cory Bryars – Downtown Community Ice Rink (Time stamp 45:41) appeared before the Commission for consideration of the MOU they wrote to acquire a synthetic ice rink for the City of Fort Scott.

 

MOTION:  M. Wells moved to approve the MOU in its current state.  M. Guns seconded the motion.  M. Wells and M. Guns voted yes.  D. Olson, T. VanHoecke and T. Dancer voted no.

 

MOTION FAILED BY 2-3 VOTE.

 

ACTION:  T. VanHoecke requested that the City Clerk provide the MOU in its current state on the City website with the minutes of the meeting.

 

 

 

 

Old Business

 

REQUEST TO VACATE OLD FORD STREET – Scott and Kristen Dennis – Property described as: 60’ x 150’ OF FORD STREET LOCATED BETWEEN LOTS 7-12, BLOCK 3, TALLMAN 1ST ADDITION, MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS 60’ X 150’ OF FORD STREET IN THE CITY OF FORT SCOTT, BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS. Tabled from 4/2/2024 for further information. (Time stamp 59:32)

 

  1. Wells stated that the further information was provided and the clarity was instead of 60’ by 120’ it is actually 60’ by 150’ square feet. Instead of it being 7,500 square feet, the Commission is being asked to vacate 9,000 square feet.

 

  1. VanHoecke left the meeting at 7:06PM.

 

  1. VanHoecke returned to the meeting at 7:08PM.

 

  1. Farmer recommended for consideration to get the land surveyed and the City could issue a Quit Claim Deed.

 

MOTION:   D. Olson moved to vacate a 60’ by 150’ of Old Ford Street.  M. Guns seconded the motion.  M. Guns and D. Olson voted yes. M. Wells, T. VanHoecke and T. Dancer voted no.

 

MOTION FAILED BY 2-3 VOTE.

 

ACTION:  M. Wells directed that the City get the house “plotted” as a first step and then continue to figure out a path forward at another date.

 

MOTION:  M. Guns moved to have the City take responsibility and pay for the survey to be completed.  D. Olson seconded the motion.

 

  1. Dennis stated that he had planned to put a porch on the back of the house.

 

  1. VanHoecke requested to add to the motion on the table that the footprint of the house plus thirty (30) feet beyond. . . (statement not completed).

 

Further discussion was had about the amount of property to be included in the deed.

 

  1. VanHoecke struck his addition to motion made by M. Guns.

 

  1. VanHoecke seconded the motion. All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

ACTION:  B. Matkin stated that Norm Nation from the Codes Department would reach out to S. Dennis regarding the survey.

 

  1. Farmer left the meeting at 7:19PM.

 

Discussion of Event Sponsorship Grant Program (Tourism Grant) – B. Matkin explained the program and the pay out options once approved through the rubric.

 

  1. Farmer returned to the meeting at 7:21PM.

 

Discussion was had about the administration of the rubric and amount limits.

 

MOTION:  T. VanHoecke moved to approve that the maximum grant amount be $5,000.00 and that the rubric and evaluation sheet done by City staff be a line item in future agendas that are included in the Commissioners’ Agenda Packets.            M. Wells seconded the motion. All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

 

New Business

 

  1. Public Hearings

 

  1. CASE NO. 1045 – Zoning Change C2 to R2 – Requested by Jason Marbery – Intended use is to build four (4) duplexes – Recommended by Planning Commission March 27, 2024.

 

MOTION:  T. VanHoecke moved to open the public hearing at 7:28PM (Time stamp 1:27:11)  M. Wells seconded the motion. All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

Jason Marberry was not present.  There was no one present to be heard at the public hearing.

 

MOTION:  T. VanHoecke moved to close the public hearing at 7:29 (Time stamp 1:29:27).  M. Wells seconded the motion. All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

MOTION:  T. VanHoecke moved to approve the zoning change request from C2 to R2 as recommended by the Planning Commission for Case No. 1045.  M. Guns seconded the motion. All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

 

  1. Action Items

 

Consideration of Purchase – Two (2) New Teledyne Ozone Analyzers (Teledyne API M465H) – $15,120.00 – S. Flater

 

MOTION:  M. Wells moved to approve the purchase of the two (2) Teledyne Ozone Analyzers.  D. Olson seconded the motion.  All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

  1. Flater updated the Commission on the Water Plant with the following items:

 

–  April 2, 2024 – No. 3 High Service Pump installed; pump No. 2 next year may need to be rebuilt next year.

 

–  Phase II of the Aeration for lagoon system (WWTP) completed and running well.

 

–  Grit Removal System (WWTP) – old system removed by Ray Lindsay Co., new system anticipated to be up and running by May.

 

–   ADM averaging twenty (20) drop-off loads per week.

 

–  pH average is between seven (7) and eight (8) – (7) is neutral. There was a meeting last week with City staff and ADM to talk about the present and the future.

 

–   Laboratory testing coming back in good shape for the past couple of months. There are items being watched but they are not compliance issues.

 

– ADM is working on an aeration system for their lagoons which has been beneficial to the quality of loads we receive. They are still working on being within contract limits.

 

–   AMS is still here, ADM is paying the bill for AMS to be here and inject microbes into the lagoon systems. There are currently (5) trailers on site and each trailer injects microbes into the lagoons twice a day.

 

– Current agreement is for AMS to be here until the end of June. There was discussion of reducing trailers from five (5) to three (3) by that time.

 

–   All observations indicate a healthy system.

 

 

Consideration of Addendum No. 2 – Wastewater Evaluation and Design Contract – Project No. 21-303 – Additional Consultant Services from Earles Engineering & Inspection, Inc. to Finalize Plans and Bidding for the Davis Lift Station overflow pump and force main – $18,000.00 –  J. Dickman

 

–  J. Dickman reported the state required the City to mitigate the overflow that tends to happen during heavy rains at the Davis Lift Station.  Earles Engineering has been working on designing a pump to get the overflow into a force main and direct it into Cell No. 2 at the lagoons.

 

–   Survey was done, plans laid out, last step is sizing the pump properly.

 

–   Part of the original scope of that work from 2021 included an evaluation of the entire WWTP based on KDHE’s recommendations, this contract did not make it all the way through complete design, so the current charge is to get past the preliminaries, out to bid and to the finish line.

 

MOTION:  M. Wells moved to accept Addendum No. 2.  of the Wastewater Evaluation and Design Contract – Project No. 21-303.  T. VanHoecke seconded the motion. All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

 

Consideration of Inspection Proposal – Earles Engineering & Inspection, Inc. – Project No. 22-049 – Horton & 6th Streets – KDOT Cost Share Project – J. Dickman

 

ACTION:  B. Matkin requested that J. Dickman amend the document to delete “City of Pittsburg” and replace it with “City of Fort Scott”.

 

MOTION:  T. VanHoecke moved to table the Consideration of Inspection Proposal for Project No. 22-049 until the meeting of May 7, 2024.  M. Wells seconded the motion.  All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

Consideration of Bids – Project No. 22-049 – Horton & 6th Streets – KDOT Cost Share Project – J. Dickman

–   Three (3) bids were received opened on April 11, 2024: Heck and Wicker were the low bidder (within 10% of the Engineer’s estimate).

 

  1. Matkin left the meeting at 7:48 PM.

 

  1. Matkin returned to the meeting at 7:49 PM

 

Discussion was had about salvaging bricks according to the Brick Policy within the bids and the budget for this project.

 

  1. Oliphant/BakerTilly did not have any additional comments to add.

 

MOTION:  D. Olson moved to approve the bid of Heck and Wicker, Inc. minus line 44 of the bid.  T. VanHoecke seconded the motion.  All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

 

Consideration of Agreement No. 208-22, Project No. U 2455-01 – Agreement between the Secretary of Transportation (KDOT) and the City of Fort Scott – J. Dickman

  1. Dickman explained that this document is the Cost Share Agreement with KDOT for the Horton and 6th Street Project that was originally executed in 2022.

 

MOTION:  M. Wells moved to approve Cost Share Agreement No. 208-22.  M. Guns seconded the motion.

 

  1. Matkin asked if the name of the LPA/City Manager on page 15 of 17 be changed from Kelley Zellner to Brad Matkin. J. Dickman did not believe it mattered but would verify. M. Wells stated that it was possibly due to the time the agreement was drawn up.

 

ACTION:  J. Dickman will make sure that the Cost Share Coordinator has all updated information.

 

  1. Olson called to vote. All voted yes.

 

MOTION PASSED BY 5-0 VOTE.

 

 

Reports and Comments

 

City Manager (Time stamp 2:00:15) – B. Matkin

  • Wyatt/Planning, Housing and Community Development Director went to a grant writing conference and couldn’t appear. She asked B. Matkin to address some current issues with the Land Bank.
  • Olson stated that at April 15, 2024, Land Bank meeting, they voted to recommend: 1) changing membership to have no professional requirements; 2) all positions are three (3) year terms;   3) remove the wording “the main support comes from Bourbon County REDI” from Ordinance No. 3599;  3) appointments to the board would be from date of appointment.

 

ACTION:  B. Matkin requested that Ordinance No. 3599 be changed and brought to the next meeting for consideration to approve the Land Bank’s recommendations of the April 15, 2024, meeting.

 

–   Gunn Park Shower House and Restroom Update: the inside is mostly        completed and will be ready for usage once the water is hooked up.

 

–   An agreement was signed for $12,000.00 for citywide fireworks for July 6,             2024, behind FSCC.

 

–    Reminder for Work Session scheduled for Tuesday, April 25th at 6:00PM           regarding RHIDs with Garth Herrmann from Gilmore Bell.

 

–     Water leak and line repair at St. Mary’s Street and Eddy Street will probably require another week of work.

 

–     25th Street Update: (2) more concrete pours to complete the job in the next           few days.  Thank you to Peerless for letting everyone go through their parking lot during the project.

 

City Engineer (Time stamp 2:04:51) – J. Dickman

  • Compiling a list of active projects for budgeting purposes
  • Meeting with KDOT and City staff for Phase III planning and submission of the Wall Street CCLIP Project
  • 25th Street testing – all passing

 

Commissioners Comments

 

  1. Olson (Time stamp 2:05:51) – No comments.

 

 

  1. Wells (Time stamp 2:05:55)

–  Clarification from statement made at last meeting regarding the Ground Lease by the WWTP, his research found that the damage to the bottom land was not caused by the farmer, it was caused by the equipment the City used to rip the ground up. There is a good plan of action moving forward, but he wanted to apologize for stating that it was the farmer’s responsibility.

 

–  Asked for verification that the City has already approved to move forward with the RHID package. It was stated that they did approve to move forward but have not established districts. He asked that the Commission be proactive in moving this project forward because there are developers who have projects that can be completed once it is approved.  B. Matkin stated as a reminder that this is a slow process.

 

–  Status of 3rd Street Park restrooms – B. Matkin stated it is in process with Wi-Fi lock system.  He will check with B. Lemke for an update.

 

–  Asked if the leak on Eddy was due to heavy truck traffic that was allowed to go through for construction.  B. Matkin stated that was not the cause, it had been leaking for months and is not all on Eddy; it goes west into the alley.

 

–  Reminder of Civil War event at the Fort this weekend.

 

–   Anyone available to help with Clean-Up Day, April 22, 4-6PM.

 

 

  1. Guns (Time stamp 2:11:04) – No comments.

 

 

  1. VanHoecke (Time stamp 2:11:10)

      – Thank you to all who supported the Mary Queen of Angels Church School fundraiser. The amount raised at the event was $110,000.00 for the school.

 

–  Spots are still available for the upcoming REDI On the Green Golf Tournament on Friday, April 19th. Funding from that goes to local scholarships.

 

 

  1. Dancer (Time stamp 2:12:14)

      –  Reminder to citizens to get their golf cart permits for the year at City Hall.

–  Incident with UTV on National Ave. was clarified. It is owned by the Sheriff’s

Department and they were assisting the City Police Department on a call.

 

 

 

 

  1. VanHoecke stated he is still seeing underage operators of the UTV and golf carts on the streets and crossing US 69 Hwy, all possibilities of someone getting hurt.

 

 

City Attorney (Time stamp 2:14:30) – No comments.

 

 

MOTION:  T. VanHoecke moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:14PM (Time stamp 8:14:35)  M. Guns seconded the motion.  All voted yes.

 

 

APRIL 16, 2024, MEETING ADJOURNED AT 8:14PM.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

Respectfully submitted by:

Lisa A. Lewis, City Clerk

Bourbon County, Schools, Youth

Uniontown FFA Livestock Judging Teams Is Named Reserve State Champion

Leave a comment
The Uniontown FFA Livestock Judging Team was named the Reserve State Champion team at the Kansas FFA State Livestock Judging contest on Tuesday, April 30th in Manhattan, Kansas. With the win the team has qualified to represent Kansas at the American Royal Livestock Judging contest in Kansas City, Missouri in the fall. Team members include sophomores Klara Stock and Jaci Marlow and freshman Kole Harris and Jace Harvey. The team is coached by Uniontown FFA Advisor Scott Sutton.
Individually the team was led by freshman Kole Harris. Harris finished 8th overall individually and 3rd overall in reasons. Klara Stock was 11th overall and 14th in reasons. Jace Harvey was the 30th ranked individual. There were 88 total teams and 360 individuals in total.
Advisor Scott Sutton commented, “This young team exceeded expectations by earning the title of Reserve State Champion. For a young team to handle a competitive contest with such a high level of maturity is really impressive. Obviously with this finish they have set the bar very high for the next few years of their high school judging career. I look forward to seeing what they can accomplish!”
Bourbon County, Business, Food, Fort Scott

Working Past Health Issues, Spurgeon Builds a Cottage Business

1 Comment
Bree Spurgeon. Submitted photo.

Bree Spurgeon started her cottage industry of specialty cookies in 2017.

A cottage industry is a small business in which people work in their own homes, according to Cambridge Dictionary.

The first business was named The Cookie MOMster, from a suggestion by her daughter.

“I started The Cookie MOMster in 2017 after taking Financial Peace University at the Nazarene church,” Spurgeon said.

She said she is domestic and crafty and thought she’d make some cookies for Valentine’s Day and advertise on Facebook.

“Next thing I know, I’m taking orders, making sheet cakes, cupcakes, and cookies,” she said.

Spurgeon is disabled with Cystic Fibrosis,  which was diagnosed at three months of age.

“I wasn’t able to hold down a full-time job, with my lungs, at that time, because of the previous infections that have damaged my lungs,” she said. “Medication came out in 2019 that changed my health for the better. Now I have a second chance at life without a lung transplant.  I can pretty much live a normal life, without gasping for air. I got my life back.”

But carpal tunnel syndrome began in her hands.

Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome usually start gradually and include tingling, numbness and weakness in her hands.

“It was excruciating enough to make me think of quitting, and I was experiencing burnout,” Spurgeon said.

She shifted gears and began to work at Bids and Dibs consignment store in the downtown area of Fort Scott.

“So I went to work at Bids and Dibs and eventually got over my burnout,” she said.

She began massage therapy for the carpal tunnel and started to get excited about making cookies again.

Submitted photos of B-Licious creations.

She started thinking about getting licensure for her cookie-making business.

“My daughter originally named me The Cookie MOMster, but since someone in Kansas has that name already, I’m not able to have it,” she said.

A month of agonizing over a name began.

Then one of her best friends sent the name B-Licious Cookies, for her to consider.

It combines the word delicious, which helped describe her cookies.

“My name starts with a B, I thought, that’s it, that’s my business name!” she said.

Spurgeon self-taught herself cookie baking.

“As I watched countless videos on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, I discovered royal icing and I fell in love,” she said. Royal icing is a type of icing composed of sugar, egg whites, and sometimes flavoring or coloring that dries to a hard glaze and is used for decorating baked goods, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

She began to focus on royal icing,

“I stopped doing buttercream, cakes, and cupcakes and focused on royal icing,” she said. “I look back on those days when I first started royal icing and they were so terrible, but everyone was so encouraging and you have to start somewhere. Plus, it was so much easier with carpal tunnel.”

“Fast forward to 2024, I fully own my own business and Healthy Bourbon County Action Team helped me gain my LLC wings,” she said. “The process was super easy and fast and they gave me all the information I needed to continue moving forward at the beginning of April.”

“I do not need a license because I do not use cream cheese and my final product doesn’t need refrigerated. I operate under the cottage law. I do everything at home and only make sugar cookies with royal icing.”

She has been honing her cookie decorating skills and now uses a cookie projector to download clipart about a particular theme onto a flash drive, put it into the projector and the image projects onto the cookie, then she traces it with icing.

The cookies before decorating. Submitted photo.

“I also use an airbrush and sometimes and I use cookie stencils as a background before I put the image on the cookie,” she said.

She advertises through Facebook only.

Cookies are priced $25 – $35 per dozen “depending on the difficulty of the theme.”

Spurgeon can be contacted at 620-215-6141.

 

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Meeting at 1 p.m. Today Is Canceled

Leave a comment

 

 

Bourbon County Courthouse

210 S. National Ave Fort Scott, KS 66701 Phone: 620-223-3800

Fax: 620-223-5832

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bourbon County, Kansas

Brandon Whisenhunt

1st District Commissioner

Jim Harris, Chairman

2nd District Commissioner

Clifton Beth

3rd District Commissioner

 

 

Bourbon County Commission Agenda 210 S. National Ave.

Fort Scott, KS 66701

 

May 2, 2024 1:00 p.m.

 

The special meeting scheduled for 1:00 pm today has been cancelled.

 

 

Executive Session Justifications:

 

KSA 75-4319 (b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy.

KSA 75-4319 (b)(2) for consultation with an attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the

attorney-client relationship.

KSA 75-4319 (b)(3) to discuss matters relating to employer/employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the

representative(s) of               the body or agency.

KSA 75-4319 (b)(4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trust and individual     proprietorships

KSA 75-4319 (b)(6) for the preliminary discussion of the acquisition of real property.

KSA 75-4319 (b)(12) to discuss matters relating to the security measures, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting

would jeopardize such security measures.

 

Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Nick Graham

4 Comments

Why I support the ER Sales Tax (and why I originally didn’t)

Bourbon County is at a crossroads.  In the span of the last year, we’ve lost two major employers and our Emergency Room.  We’ve always been facing headwinds when it came to population decline (more on that later), but ever since the 1-2-3 punch of Timken, Value Merchandisers, and the ER, it’s almost felt like we are at the beginning of some sort of doom spiral into extinction.

Why I originally didn’t support the ER sales tax:

When the sales tax for an ER was first proposed, I was against it.  When Mercy announced its closing in 2019, we suffered what I would call a massive community trauma.  Many of us assumed that the hospital would always be there, and when it became clear that it wouldn’t, we as a community went into panic mode.  Trauma has a way of skewing your judgment, making you susceptible to emotion-based decisions you wouldn’t make under normal circumstances, and that has happened to our County in the wake of losing our hospital.  Millions of dollars have been spent trying to fill the gaping hole that Mercy left in our community, and while I believe those investments were made with only the best intentions, they’ve only made that gaping hole bigger.  When the concept of an ER sales tax was first discussed, I questioned how this investment would pan out any differently than the others.

Why I support it now:

Thankfully, before we as a community put the cart before the horse once again, things slowed down.  In the time since, we’ve had a volunteer group of well-respected local medical and business professionals take the reins of this initiative and take a very pragmatic, non-emotional, practical approach.  Nobody on the Citizens for an E.R. committee has any dream of pie-in-the-sky outcomes, they are focused strictly on what we as a rural Kansas community can realistically accomplish.  Some of the members of this committee are people I’ve been pestering for literally over two decades to run for City or County Commission to no avail.  These are people whose judgment I have 100% faith in, and I believe in what they have very meticulously placed on the ballot.  I also believe there is MUCH more at stake with this ballot initiative than just an ER.

What I fear if this sales tax doesn’t pass:

Even with the painful loss of Timken and Value, we currently have what every other Kansas county without an ER doesn’t: several large employers.  Most of these employers are manufacturers, manufacturers who I suspect value having an ER nearby in case of a workplace accident.  I suspect their insurance companies value it as well.  So what happens if our lack of an ER becomes permanent and not just a blip?  I have no inside information, but I can tell you that some of our biggest employers have facilities in neighboring towns with ERs that have PLENTY of empty space for expansion.  Is 1/4 of one cent worth keeping our major employers in Bourbon County happy?  I think it is.  I have heard at least one person tell me “Linn County doesn’t have an ER, so why do we need one?”  While I have nothing at all against Linn County (I have a great job there), I would implore anyone curious to work up a list of large employers in Linn County.  Spoiler Alert: This exercise will not take you long.

Actually, when it comes to the numbers, Linn County has been relatively lucky when it comes to maintaining its population while not having a hospital or ER.  Back in 2016, Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Development created fifty-year population projections for every county in Kansas, going from 2014 to 2064.  Those projections show Linn County only losing 20% of its population by 2064, going from 9502 in 2014 to 7677 in 2064.  However, Bourbon County (and keep in mind that these projections were made when Bourbon County still had a hospital) was projected to lose a full 25% of its population by 2064, going from 14,772 in 2014 to 11,087 in 2064.  How do you think that number changes if we don’t even have an ER?  How about if we don’t have an ER, and lose one or two more large employers who need the medical and liability protection of an ER nearby?  My goal with this isn’t to scare people (though I myself will admit that I’m scared), but to encourage you to think about this ER sales tax as more than just about an ER, but about the future of Bourbon County itself.

Nick Graham
Uniontown, KS