All posts by Loretta George

Bourbon County Commission Minutes of May 5, 2020

May 26, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

May 5, 2020 Tuesday 9:00 am

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session on the front East steps of the Courthouse (due to COVID-19), present for the meeting were the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason.

Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Anne Dare were present for the morning meeting.

Jim Harris reported that Road & Bridge is hauling gravel and installing culverts around the County and is patching (near 232nd & Jewell and then south of Garland). Jim estimated that they had approximately 75% of the patching done on the asphalt roads. Jim said they need to do ditching on Hackberry and on Indian Road. He said they are crushing at the Thomas Quarry and will be doing a blast at the Blake Quarry within 30 days. Jim said they are still watching the funds before deciding on the chip/seal and asphalt plan for 2020.

Jeff discussed the FEMA grant money that Bourbon County has been working to receive regarding flood damage that occurred in 2019. The County could be eligible for funding for the reimbursement of repair cost and labor from flooding repairs. He said that KDEM needs equipment information and supporting documentation from Road & Bridge for the grant application process. Jeff said he reviewed data for materials used from May – June, but said there wasn’t a lot of data from July – September, (which could be due to the crew doing paving work during this time and not doing flood repairs). Jeff said he didn’t think all of the flood blocked structures had been cleaned out or that all of the repair work had been done. Jeff said he had sent Jim a list of grant items needed. Jeff said the grant had been stalled since we hadn’t provided the documentation requested. Jeff said they also needed information on the equipment used to produce gravel. Jim said his department is willing to provide the needed information for the grant.

There is brush that needs cut at on Xavier; Jim said if it isn’t already done, they will get it done.

Lynne briefly discussed the 2020 budgets; he said 15-20% would need to be cut from budgets due to a revenue shortfall. Jim said they have already purchased the salt for the upcoming winter

Lynne asked Jim Harris where the chips for the rock are tested; Jim said Allied in Wichita does this. Lynne asked if Ag Engineering could do this; Jim said they didn’t have the lab to do this.

Jeff said he had heard that a portion of Indian Road was closed; Jim said the County hadn’t closed it. Jim said they notify the radio and dispatch when they close a road.

Ed Murrow reported to the Commissioners a culvert plugged at the Stevenson Cemetery at 65th & Yale at the side entrance. He said he had reported this twice to Jim Harris, but it still wasn’t fixed. Lynne said he would report this to Jim Harris.

Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 15-20; a resolution for the financing of the two 2021 Mack dump trucks through City State Bank, for a lease amount of $223,538.00, interest rate of 2.28% and semi-annual payments of $23,567.63 for five years, Nick seconded and all approved. Lynne and Kendell signed the financing documents and the Commissioners signed the resolution.

Bourbon County Attorney Jacqie Spradling met with the Commissioners; Lynne said they previously discussed a wage increase for the Assistant County Attorney, but didn’t finalize this raise. Jeff made a motion to approve a wage increase from $55,000 – $65,000 for the Assistant County Attorney, Lynne seconded and all approved. On 5/12/2020, the Commissioners will be presented with a salary resolution with this increase on it. Lynne said they will be asking department heads to closely monitor their budgets and said they were looking at a 15-20% across the board budget cut.

Lynne said the County has purchased a disinfecting spray system that kills surface germs that is being used in the County buildings.

Bourbon County Appraiser met with the Commissioners regarding his employees and COVID-19. He said they need to get back to field work to do measurements and to do day to day operations; all of the Commissioners were ok with this. He said they need to do residential and commercial work he said his employees will be using masks, gloves and keeping a distance. His employees will be driving marked vehicles. Clint said they have been having property hearings over the phone.

Due to COVID-19 the Courthouse has been closed to the public since March 17, 2020. Lynne said he talked with Judge Harth who said the court had two options regarding re-opening; option one open the court system when the Courthouse opens and option two with only the courts open. Justin said there are access issues regarding space for the court to comply with the COVID-19 safety guidelines. They are working with the courts to address the court’s needs. Justin said they are looking into using the Annex building for court use. The Deeds office is doing business by appointment only, some offices now have drop boxes for business use and some offices are meeting outside the Courthouse doors for business. The Commissioners said the Courthouse will be closed at least through May 17th and will consider reopening of the Courthouse based on the Governors decision then.

COVID-19 has caused a decrease in revenue; Justin said there is a high possibility that we will need additional subsidies for funding the EMS, Kendell questioned if there were grants available to help fund EMS. The Commissioners said an alternative option is to use an ambulance service company such as AMS or EMR.

Justin said there was a jail issue that would be taken care of by the end of the day.

Justin and Lynne had meet with the City of Fort Scott regarding combining services between the City and County; they are waiting on May month end budget reports before discussing again.

The Commission meeting on May 12th will be held outside on the front East steps of the Courthouse. If it’s raining it will be held in the first floor lobby.

At 11:00 Lynne made a motion to break for lunch and reconvene at 1:30, Nick seconded and the motion passed.

After lunch the following were at the meeting; Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Mary Pemberton, Anne Dare, Kim Simons and Nancy Van Etten.

Mary Pemberton met with the Commissioners to discuss the PILOT agreement from Jayhawk Wind Farm; she said in October the Commissioners had set the goal to reduce the property tax mill levy rate by 13% by 2030. She said it had been mentioned that the PILOT money could be a contributor to reach this goal. She asked that the Commissioners adopt the following resolution… “A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE USE OF PILOT PROCEEDS RECEIVED FROM THE JAYHAWK WIND ENERGY PROJECT WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Bourbon County, Kansas has entered into a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with Jayhawk Wind, LLC dated March 13, 2020 and anticipated receiving $365,625 per year beginning on or about December 1, 2021 and continuing for 9 years followed by $182,813.00 for 1 year until the wind energy project becomes taxable under Kansas Law; and WHEREAS, the members of the Board of County Commissioners have set a goal of reducing the property tax mill levy rate by 13% by 2030 and have indicated this project will assist in achieving this goal; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS that proceeds from the PILOT agreement referred to above be and hereby shall be allocated by the Board of County Commissioners, from year to year for each year in which PILOT proceeds are received, in the same manner and proportion as all other ad valorem tax revenue, to help achieve this goal of lowering the property tax mill levy. ADOPTED AND APPROVED at their regular meeting on the 5th day of May, 2020.” The Commissioners did not adopt the resolution; Lynne said they would take it under advisement when discussing the 2021 budget in June of 2020. She asked where the initial upfront payment of $407,812.50 had been allocated; Lynne said this will be discussed when doing the 2021 budget. Mrs. Pemberton asked the Commissioners if Bourbon County deserved a lower than average financial compensation from Jayhawk Wind Farm because of the limited roads they said they would be using, then why did the County sign an agreement giving them access to all of the County roads without restrictions; neither the Commissioners or Justin wanted to comment on this.

Nancy Johnson met with the Commissioners regarding an article in the Fort Scott Tribune about MRI Global COVID-19 testing; MRI Global was scheduled to be discussed during the April 28th Commission meeting, but after an executive session, Lynne made a motion to remove the presentation regarding MRI Global from the agenda, Nick seconded and the motion passed and Nick made a motion to stop everything with the MRI Global and not to support it moving forward, Lynne seconded and the motion passed. Mrs. Johnson questioned if they voted to not move forward with MRI Global why the lengthy article in the May 2nd, 2020 Fort Scott Tribune. She discussed the article in the Tribune which covered many items including “testing with same day results”, “the training and verification for a particular lab testing platform”, “the testing offers the ability to trace contacts and support communications between clinicians and patients, providing an indicator of the spread and control of COVID-19”. Jeff Fischer told the Tribune that “this is tracking the disease, not the people. The surveillance would be reporting of numbers and disease progression. The tracking, or contact tracing, would be people exposed to a positive case.” The article also discussed the pricing for testing. Mrs. Johnson questioned the HIPPA laws with regards to testing, the return to work orders and suggested they re-think forcing people into testing for COVID-19. Lynne said they took MRI Global off of the table; they had brought this up to look at the feasibility, but they are not supporting the idea. Lynne said they are following the orders of the Governor and the Public Health regarding re-opening.

At 1:49, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Nick seconded and all approved.

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
May 12, 2020, Approved Date

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Minutes of April 28, 2020

May 26, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

April 28, 2020 Tuesday 9:00 am

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session in the EOC room, the Commissioners and Justin Meeks were all present, and Kendell was present via telephone. The meeting was posted on Facebook.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). Lynne made a motion to remove the 11:00 presentation regarding MRI Global from the agenda for today, Nick seconded and the motion passed. Nick made a motion to stop everything with the MRI Global and not to support it moving forward, Lynne seconded and the motion passed.

Jim Harris reported they have been mowing, hauling gravel and installing culverts. They have done patching on Yale, near Hubert Thomas’s residence as well as Soldier Road. He said they will be pulling shoulders on 215th and will be pulling shoulders at Fort Scott Lake, they will wedge at the Lake when done, Jim said even if they don’t overlay there they could still ditch. Jim said they are waiting on the Sales Tax Revenue report before deciding the asphalt plan for the year. Lynne said he and Terry Sercer discussed the Sales Tax fund; he said they weren’t able to transfer as much as needed due to the amount collected being down and they did more overlay work in 2019 than anticipated. At the last Commission meeting the Commissioners nominated Josh Jones to chair the renewal process of the Sales Tax fund; the program is very important since the County uses the money for the hard surface road program. In the past 2 years, the County did 31 miles of asphalt. Jim said that asphalt is currently approximately $50/ton cheaper.

Jim said it was likely that a piece of equipment had hit a deck on a bridge on Unity just west of 95th.

Jim said they are waiting on a report from Ag Engineering to see what to do with a crossing at 60th & Grand Road.

Jim said they are short one person for mowing and one person for asphalt work. He said his staff is staying safe regarding COVID-19; his employees are keeping their distance, using sanitizers, masks and gloves. Lynne said the County has a sanitizer spray that can be made at a cost of .25 cents a gallon.

Jim said the City of Fort Scott wanted to meet with him; Jeff and Nick thought it was a good idea to meet.

Nick said Road & Bridge could use the pickup truck that the Appraiser wants to trade in; Jim said they don’t have the funds to buy the truck but suggested trading bulk fuel for the truck. No decision was made on the truck.

Jeff questioned the Road & Bridge department pushing a windrow of dirt against a fence; Jim said they will do this if it’s too wet and then will come back and move the dirt once it’s dry enough.

The Commissioners received bids to finance two 2021 Mack Dump trucks; City State Bank quoted a lease amount of $223,538 with 2.28% financing and no fees with semi annual payments of $23,567.63 with the first payment due 6/5/2020. U.S. Bank quoted financing $223,538 with 1.98% interest and a factor of 0.10466 for 5 years with two payments a year of $23,396.25. Jim Harris recommended financing through City State since they are a local bank. Nick made a motion to finance the trucks through City State Bank, Jeff seconded and all approved.

The Commissioners received one bid for fish food for Elm Creek Lake; Big Sugar bid $19.35 for a 50lb bag or $774/ton for Purina Catfish food. Nick made a motion to accept the bid, Jeff seconded and all approved. The County receives some funding from KDWP for the fish food.

The Commissioners briefly discussed the City asking for a portion of Indian Road being closed for the airport runway expansion; Jeff said there is a 12 month window for grievance claims if the road were closed. There are 3 possible detour routes; Jim Harris said he preferred the route that goes south to Hackberry and then west to the blacktop curve. Lynne said the closure could be considered once the new road is asphalted and open.

The Commissioners requested bids for tax sale work; Security 1st was the only bidder, but the Commissioners did not reveal their bid. Justin Meeks and the Commissioners discussed having a tax sale; Justin said he believed with people’s budget a tax sale could be more difficult due to the current economic times. He said in the past they tried to help people save their homes, Justin said there is a lot of cost with a tax sale especially since Hidden Valley properties are now included in the tax sales. Justin said he had met with Hidden Valley representatives, he said there is a high turnover of those properties on the tax sales. Justin said he is an advocate of the Land Bank. He said he hopes some landowners would sign over their properties to the Land Bank. He said if a tax sale was held it could cost $48-$50,000 for the tax sale and said the sale probably wouldn’t collect ½ of that back. He said it is difficult to get a clear title on tax sale properties. The Commissioners discussed delaying a tax sale; Jeff made a motion to postpone the title work required for a tax sale, Nick seconded and all approved.

The Commissioners discussed the current location of the Commission meetings; Justin said he had calls from a concerned citizen regarding KOMA. Justin said the current meetings meet the required standards. Currently the Courthouse building is closed to the public due to COVID-19; the Commissioners discussed how operations would work once the building opens up to the public. Currently the Commission meetings are streamed on Facebook, Jeff suggested having citizen’s schedule a time on the agenda with their subject and questions submitted prior to the meeting and the Commissioners could call them during a scheduled time. Justin said some Counties are doing Zoom meetings and some are doing their meetings the same as Bourbon County. Currently it is safer and easier to do a virtual meeting. Once the courts open up, there will be a large amount of people entering the building; visitors will be using the elevators, stairs and the entryway by the Commission room. The County will be spraying disinfectant to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Justin said the current building could be updated or we have a facility that could meet our needs. Jeff questioned if there was any potential of adapting the hospital space as the court space; Lynne said there are no easy answers.

Rachel Pruitt the Economic Development Director from the City of Fort Scott met with the Commissioners over the phone regarding the airport runway expansion. She said in June 2018 she met with the Commissioners regarding the partial closure of Indian Road should the airport runway be extended. She said she needed our current Commissioners to agree to a partial closing should the runway be extended, she said she needed Commission minutes stating if the runway was extended the Commissioners would go through the procedure to close the road. Lynne said the road closure procedure would have to be followed. Before the traffic would be impacted on Indian Road a road would be built. Nick made a motion if the runway expansion goes in they would close Indian Road after another road is built and they have gone through the road closure process, Jeff seconded and all approved. Rachel said their next step is to hold a public hearing after a 30 day notice.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.

At 11:41, the Commissioners went to lunch and reconvened at 1:30.

Emergency Manager William Wallis met with the Commissioners; Jeff made a motion to allow Lynne to sign an application for the Emergency Management Performance Grant Funds, Nick seconded and all approved and Lynne signed the document.

Will discussed the disaster declaration; he said they filed for 16 different mitigation projects. He submitted areas that Road & Bridge identified as areas that are always a problem. He filed for reimbursement of additional loads of gravel. Areas that were damaged during the flooding and the estimated cost to bring the area back to pre-flood damage state was submitted; if approved this cost could be reimbursed. Will estimated that more than $130,000 could be reimbursed to the County from KDEM for the flooding that occurred in the summer of 2019.

Lynne discussed the Bourbon County budgeted revenue; he said he felt that the shortfall in the budgeted revenue (both from sales tax revenue and property tax revenue) would be a problem. He felt they would have a better idea of the shortfall amount after April 2020. He felt the Commission should address this sooner rather than later. He said he was looking at an initial 15% across the board budget cut, but said it could be 20% by the end of the year. Lynne said it would be up to each department to see where to make that cut. Bourbon County needs to have sufficient funds to finish the year. Lynne will write a draft letter to the department heads to notify them of the initial 15% cut to their budget.

Lynne asked Terry Sercer to present the 2019 audit on May 5th, 2020.

Since COVID-19 and the closing of the Courthouse to the public, there have been drop boxes installed on the outside of the building. People are using the drop boxes, mail and the internet to conduct business which would have previously been done in person.

The Commissioners discussed how to hold future commission meetings once the Courthouse opens up to the public (due to COVID-19). They discussed using other larger facilities to hold the meetings in. The May 5th commission meeting will be held outside (weather permitting) on the front east steps, or if the weather doesn’t permit this, the meeting will be held in the lobby of the 1st floor. Public comment/questions will be allowed to be scheduled from 1:30-2:30, people wishing to comment or question the Commissioners will have 5 minutes each, the time needs to be scheduled and the subject/question needs to be submitted prior to the meeting. If the meeting is held outside, it will not be posted on Facebook live.

At 2:50, Nick made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, COVID-19, Health Care

Antibody Testing For COVID 19 Available Through CHC/SEK

May 26, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

Sliding fee discounts and financial assistance is available to eligible patients, as stated on the front door of the CHC/SEK Clinic in Fort Scott.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas now offers COVID-19 antibody testing through QUEST Laboratories, according to Robert Poole, Communication and Marketing Director, in a press release.

Antibody testing is useful for research and specific virus investigations or epidemiologic studies. CHC/SEK shares testing results with its state and federal partners, according to the press release.

Put simply, the body makes antibodies to fend off germs and other harmful substances. And this process is part of the body’s immune response, according to dictionary.com.

The antibody test requires a physician’s order and looks for antibodies in persons who may have had, and have recovered from COVID-19, according to the press release.

Individuals wanting this antibody testing should discuss their concerns and what their results might mean with their doctor.

Laboratory orders can be accepted from physicians outside of the organization for this test, for example, a college student might have a primary care physician in another city.

COVID-19 antibody tests require a blood draw.

Testing is available at either the CHC/SEK Walk in-In Care, 1624 S. National, or the medical clinic at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd.

A positive result does not guarantee immunity from the virus. Whether you test positive or negative, you should still take preventative measures to protect yourself and others from the virus.

The cost of the COVID-19 antibody testing is being covered by the federal government, however, patients may incur an office visit fee depending on their insurance and income status.

Other points from the press release:

The science of COVID-19 testing is evolving, and test accuracy is not perfect. However, testing for antibodies can help identify people who have likely been exposed to the COVID-19 and have mounted an immune response to the virus.

The timing of the test is important. It typically takes 1 to 3 weeks after someone becomes infected with COVID-19 for their body to make antibodies; some people may take longer to develop antibodies.

It is unknown if people with antibodies have immunity and are protected from becoming sick with COVID-19 again. It is also not known how long those antibodies will last.

Antibody tests are not used to diagnose someone as being currently sick with COVID-19. To see if you have a current infection, you need a viral test that checks respiratory samples, such as a swab from inside your nose.

Whether you test positive or negative for COVID-19, you should still take preventative measures to protect yourself and others from the virus.

The CHC/SEK locations in Fort Scott

Walk-in Care, 1624 S. National Ave.:

Monday-Sunday: 7:00 am-7:00 pm
Phone Number: (620)223-8428
Fax Number: (620)223-5011

——–

Fort Scott Medical Clinic, 403 Woodland Hills Blvd.:

Monday-Thursday: 8:00 am-6:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am-5:00 pm
Phone Number: (620)223-8040
Fax Number: (620)223-8002

Pharmacy at the medical clinic:

Monday-Friday: 8:00 am-6:30 pm
Saturday: 8:30 am-12:30 pm

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Elder Abuse and What You Should Know

May 25, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

Barbara Stockebrand. K-State Extension Agent.

No one is immune to elder abuse – it can happen to anyone, at any time, and anywhere. Often a silent problem, elder abuse can rob older adults of their dignity and security and leave them feeling fearful, depressed, and alone.

Sadly, 10 percent of Americans over the age of 60 have experienced some form of elder abuse in the last year, and many researchers expect this number to rise with the growth of the aging population. Yet, it is a topic we are not readily willing to talk about. We “don’t want to think about it,” or we “don’t want to admit that it happens.”

Elder abuse (sometimes referred to as elder mistreatment) is an intentional act, or failure to act, that causes harm to an adult. Abuse can be categorized as physical, emotional or psychological, sexual, neglect, abandonment, or financial exploitation.

A majority of abuse victims are older women who are vulnerable. They may be socially isolated, may have a mental impairment, or other disability. Often the abuse victim is dependent on others for help with activities of everyday life. People who are frail may appear to be easy victims.

The warning signs of abuse can be different for individuals depending on the type, frequency, and magnitude of abuse. Warning signs can include unexplained bruises or welts, withdrawal from normal activities, trouble sleeping, depression or confusion, or weight loss for no reason. Signs of trauma, such as rocking back and forth, poor hygiene, the unexpected absence of a caregiver, or a sudden change in financial situation can be other signs of abuse.

Here are some things to keep in mind to help prevent elder abuse.

If you are a caregiver, ask for help when you need a break. Caregiving for a loved one is very rewarding, but can be challenging, very demanding and stressful.
Remain involved in your loved one’s care at care facilities and at home.
Be attentive to sudden changes in mood, appearance, and health, especially if a decline in mental ability (dementia) is taking place.
Educate your loved ones on what scams and schemes can look and sound like and what to do if they feel uncomfortable in a situation reflecting pressure or scare tactics.
Encourage your loved one to be cautious with their financial affairs. Monitor financial accounts if necessary, and avoid making rash spending decisions.
Encourage your loved one to create financial and health care-related advance planning documents.
If you suspect or see elder abuse, report it immediately.

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For domestic or community abuse, contact Kansas Department for Children and Families Adult Protective Services at 1-800-922-5330. For suspected abuse in a care facility, contact Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services at 1-800-842-0078.

For other resources or questions related to elder abuse, contact the Yates Center Southwind Extension District office at 620-625-8620.

COVID-19, Food, Fort Scott

Christian Ministries Team Up to Distribute Food Tomorrow, May 23

May 22, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

Allen Schellack, director of Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries.

Three Christian ministries are working together to bring food to those affected by the COVID 19 Pandemic.

Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries, Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene, and Convoy of Hope will be having a food distribution event, Saturday, May 23, from 10 AM to 2 PM at Fort Scott Nazarene, 1728 S Horton.

Convoy of Hope is providing the food, the church is providing the distribution place and some volunteers and Allen Schellack, director of Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries, is providing the coordination of the food distribution.

The Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene is located at 1728 S. Horton. People should enter off of Horton Street and will pick up food under the canopy on the south side of the church.

Food distributed (while supplies last) will include potatoes, bread, eggs, produce, and bottled juice and tea, according to Allen Schellack, director.

Schellack recently completed a Convoy of Hope Zoom training and on May 20 he was told that food to distribute would be available on May 23.,

Schellack with his son, Dustin, will be picking up the food from the Convoy of Hope hub site in Webb City, MO.

Volunteers are needed on May 23 to help direct traffic for the event, unpack the food, and hand out the food, Schellack said.

Volunteers can call Schellack to schedule a work time at 620-223-2212.

There are no income guidelines to receive the food, nor registration requirements.

“We hope to make this the first of many more events,” Schellack said.

“This is a community event and our vision is to have more churches involved to help serve the community,” he said.

Convoy of Hope is a faith-based organization with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreaches, disaster response and partner resourcing, according to its’ Facebook page.

Schellack is a member of the Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene and members are supporting this outreach as volunteers and allowing the church to be the distribution point.

The mission of Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries is to

alleviate suffering caused by poverty, and issues relating to poverty, and promote family values through partnership with local and state agencies.

The FSCM Outreach Center is located on the second floor of The Bourbon County Senior Citizens Center, 26 N. Main and was founded in 2014, with Schellack at the director.

Fort Scott, Schools

Reyna Valenzuela: New Fort Scott High School English Teacher

May 21, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

Reyna Valenzuela, 21, was hired as a Fort Scott High School English Teacher for 2020-21.

She graduated from Pittsburg High School in 2016 and from Pittsburg State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education in May 2020 and will be starting a Master’s in English Literature in the fall.

“I worked at St. Mary’s Colgan as a YES Tutor for a year and a half, following that I worked for two years on campus as a writing center consultant,” she said. “I also did my internship through PSU at Northeast High School as well as completed my student teaching at Northeast.”

Valenzuela was born in Fort Hood, Texas and has lived in Arma, KS since she was three-years-old.

Her interests include reading, Greek Mythology, British Literature, watching YouTube, and Netflix, her cat, and hanging out with her family.

In addition, she loves softball, baseball, and football.

“So I look forward to cheering students on at their games in the future,” she said.

Becoming a teacher was a realization for Valenzuela.

” I wasn’t always sure what I wanted to do, I switched my dream career a lot when I was younger,” she said. “Eventually though, after watching my mom become a teacher and having an amazing AP Literature teacher during my senior year of high school, I realized that this was the field for me. I wanted to have the chance to make a difference in a student’s life as my mom, Tina Valenzuela, and my AP Literature teacher, Mrs. Johnson, did in mine. Because of this, I’ve worked hard through college to learn as much as I could so I could become a successful educator who makes a difference and helps her students in positive ways.”

“Seeing how much they both loved to teach and how they put everything they had into the classroom was incredibly inspiring and I don’t think I would have come this far without them,” she said.

The best part of teaching for her are the students, she said.

“Getting to know them, watching them grow, and succeed, they are the reason I want to teach so I guess it only makes sense they are the best part of teaching.”

Some of the challenges of teaching is continuing to learn and grow as a teacher “so that you are still providing students the most effective methods of learning is what I would consider one of the greatest challenges in teaching; because as humans we like routine, and so making sure that you’re constantly changing and evolving is something that can be a struggle, but it’s worth it, in the end, to watch students grow,” she said.

Fort Scott

Fort Scott Lightning Strike Caught on Camera

May 20, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

On Friday, May 15, 2020, Kansas Gas Service responded to a gas odor call after a report of a lightning strike that damaged two structures in the 600 block of S. National, according to a press release from KGS.

Fort Scott Fire Department and Fort Scott Police Department had National Avenue blocked off between 6th Street and 7th Street that morning as a result of the gas leak, according to Aimee Moore, who lives in the block that was affected.

Moore had cameras on her house that caught the lightning strike. They are included at the end of this feature.

KGS technicians performed inspections and turned the gas off at two properties until the customers completed necessary repairs to the customer-owned equipment, Dawn Tripp, KGS Media Relations said on Monday afternoon.

“Kansas Gas came out and shut off the gas line before removing the meter,” Moore, said. Stoughton Inc. completed the repairs and ran the pressure test. Fort Scott Code Enforcement personnel gave the okay and Moore waited until KGS put the meter back and turned it on.

As a reminder, if you smell natural gas or have a natural gas emergency, leave the area immediately. Then call 911 and Kansas Gas Service at 888-482-4950.

Moore submitted the following information and links to the recent lightning strike in Fort Scott.

“Friday, May 15, 2020, at 9:37 a.m., lightning struck Dr. Steve Mitchell’s office at 624 South National Ave and caused a gas leak,” she said.

“The current traveled through our electrical lines and also caused arcing to blow out our gas line at 612 S National Ave.,” Moore said. “Pictures fell off of our wall and also at the florist next to us, Flowers by LeeAnn.”

Moore submitted the following links of the lightning strikes.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y0t90f4mse9mzzg/cam1_05-15-2020__09-37-05_09-37-43__Back%20Yard%201.mp4?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rtq3gfiphmd0xh7/cam4_05-15-2020__09-37-00_09-38-59__Driveway%204.mp4?dl=0

Bourbon County, Schools

DaVolt Assumes Duties of Principal at Christian Heights School

May 19, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

Larry Davolt is the new principal of Fort Scott Christian Heights. Submitted photo

Larry Davolt, 53, will be the new principal at Fort Scott Christian Heights School, effective June 1.

“I have been the secondary science teacher at FSCH for 28 years,” Davolt said. ” I have also taught math and Bible classes.”

The principal position is responsible for the day to day operations of the school, he said.

In addition to 28 years of experience is in the classroom, Davolt also pastored a rural church for 15 years, he said.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Pittsburg State University and completed some graduate work through the Institute for Creation Research, and is currently working online for a master’s degree in school leadership.

Davolt’s hometown is Independence, KS.
He has been married for 32 years, has three grown children, and seven grandkids.

His hobbies are working on cars and houses.

In addition, for the last five years, he has worked part-time for Mercy/Bourbon County Emergency Medical Service.

For Davolt, seeing the way God uses former students to make a difference in society, is the greatest part of teaching.

His greatest challenge?

“Following a legend,” he said, referring to Terry Chance, who is retiring. ” I have worked with Mr. Chance for all of my teaching career, I know the excellent job he has done, and the difficulty of the position.”

Fort Scott, Fort Scott Community College

Hannah Reel Is FSCC’s Outstanding Sophomore 2020

May 18, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

Hannah Reel, FSCC’s Outstanding Sophomore 2020. Submitted photo.

Hannah René Reel, 20, is the Fort Scott Community College Outstanding Sophomore for 2020.

She is the daughter of Jeff and Andrea Scott and Jon Reel, and hales from Fort Scott.

While at the college, Reel was involved as Presidents Ambassador, Vice President of Greyhound Student Government, Christians on Campus, TRiO, TRiO tutor, Phi Theta Kappa and in addition she is involved as a Make-A-Wish Ambassador, American Heart Association Ambassador and children’s teacher for Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene and its’ Vacation Bible School.

What are the most important things you have learned while at FSCC?

“How to be a good leader, learn how to prioritize, and that relationships with people are everything.”

Any life lessons learned?

“Not be afraid to be who I am..found my passion in teaching.. faith is the greatest path you can find.”

What is your major?

“Associates of Science at (FSCC) and gain a Bachelors in Communication with an emphasis in Communication Education for Secondary Education at Pittsburg State University.”

What is your ultimate career goal?

“Get my masters to become a Speech teacher at a community college.”

Tell about your experience getting your education online during the pandemic.

“My experience of education online was very difficult, but it taught me to rely on my knowledge and understand I had teachers and staff that were there for me to help in any way possible.”

Fort Scott, Schools

New FSHS Family and Consumer Science Teacher: Carissa Bowman

May 14, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

Carissa Bowman. Submitted photo.

Carissa Bowman, 31, is the new Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher at Fort Scott High School for 2020-21.

Bowman has nine years experience in FACS education

Her hometowns are Fort Scott and Uniontown.

She is married to Alex Bowman and has two children, Gracie and Campbell .

Bowman said she loves to spend quality time with family.

How did you become an educator?

“I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others.”

Is there someone who inspired you?

” My dad, Larry Fink, and Mrs. Cook, my FACS teacher at Uniontown High School.”

What is the best part of teaching for you?

“I enjoy making connections and gaining meaningful relationships with my students.”

What are the greatest challenges in teaching for you?

“Seeing the struggles and challenges that students face.”

COVID-19, Fort Scott, Schools

FSHS Senior Serves on Kansas Learning Plan Commission

May 13, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

USD 234 Superintendent Ted Hessong nominated Fort Scott High School Senior Elizabeth Ngatia to serve on the Kansas Learning Plan Commission, started by the Kansas State Department of Education.

The KSDE asked all school districts to nominate one senior from the graduating class of 2020 to be on the task force to assist other seniors across the State of Kansas in dealing with the pandemic of COVID-19.

“I felt so honored, thankful to have a superintendent who believed in me so much,” she said. “The nomination was to represent the USD 234 school district and our seniors.”

Hessong was impressed with Ngatia as a student at FSHS, he said. “After hearing some of her speeches, I was moved by the passion she had for topics she was conveying to the listener. I was not aware of Elizabeth’s personal story at the time of the nomination, but when she shared her story with me I knew she was the right choice to nominate for her to represent USD 234.”

Once nominated, Ngatia wtote a bibliography about herself and waited to see if she was selected to be a part of the 50 students selected.

“After the meeting with the 50 students, a few weeks passed and KSDE contacted me about being a part of an even smaller group to help have a more focused conversation that can benefit students,” she said.

The group met online for discussion beginning May 1.

The following is an email interview with Ngatia.

What do you do on the commission?

“I discuss my thoughts, ideas, and concerns about my struggles as well as other seniors and their struggles through this trying time with fellow seniors in Kansas, and the staff of the KSDE.”

How do you meet?

“We meet every few weeks on Zoom calls as a group.”

Elizabeth Ngatia, top middle , in a Zoom meeting with others on the Kansas Learning Plan Commission. Submitted photos.

What is the commission all about?

“The commission is all about… the leaders of the Kansas education system, getting to hear from students about how we are coping with everything. They are able to have an insight on what ways they may be able to help with such a drastic change. However, the commission goes beyond Covid-19 and the burden it has been. We discuss how and what educators can do to help address some of the barriers seniors face. What they can do to create, and improve, some of the high school learning experiences for future graduates.”

Has anything good come out of the experience of the pandemic that shut down the country, for you?

“I think for me I took the time to grieve and be heartbroken about the situation. I took the time to remember all the things that would no longer be accessible to me, once I got past that grieving stage, I reminded myself that this is the way that it has to be, that although it has affected many important areas of my life, I must look at the positives. I quickly recognized how lucky and blessed I am to have a home life where I feel safe, cared for, and can easily focus on my online studies well. At the end of the day, you must take the bad situations and make them good, I am happy to have gotten this extra time with my family, this extra to also re-evaluate and discover more about myself before moving on to a new chapter of my life.”

What challenges have there been?

“For me, asides from the common missing being with friends and extended family, it was navigating post-secondary education plans without the help of teachers and especially the counselors.”

What are you looking forward to in your education?

“I am really looking forward to being in the leadership community at Washburn University and being around such a family-like atmosphere. I am also really looking forward to studying pre-law (political science) in the capital city where I will hopefully get to work with some of our state lawmakers and see everything in action, hopefully, pick up a few skills!”

“Elizabeth has a bright future in front of her and I know by her participating in this task force, others will be able to learn and relate to her story and she will help her fellow seniors across the State of Kansas in dealing with COVID-19 in a positive manner,” Hessong said.

Ngatia shared a little of her life journey with fortscott.biz:

She was born and raised in Mombasa, Kenya, and her parents worked hard to support the family.

“At the age of seven, my family immigrated to America,” Ngatia said. “My parents picked up jobs at local fast-food restaurants to support us.”

The culture in Kenya and the U.S. were immensely different, she said and she felt like she was out of place due to her strong accent, financial issues and other cultural differences.

Her family became her source of motivation.

Her parents told her the American Dream was meant for her and her sister.

“They pushed us to be successful because this is an opportunity not many have in Kenya,” she said.

The faith and support of her parents helped her realize the opportunities she has before her, and she looked for ways to change the status quo, by getting involved in many school activities to fulfill the goals she had, she said.

Art, Bourbon County

Art Is Ageless Winners Announced

May 12, 2020 Loretta George Leave a comment

Thyra Babcock won the Best of Show prize for her “Round of Robins” submission, in the amateur division of the Art Is Ageless juried competition at Fort Scott Presbyterian Village. All photos were submitted.

Fort Scott Presbyterian Village, an assisted living facility, recently honored winning artists in the annual Art Is Ageless juried competition, according to a press release.

“We are honored to exhibit artwork by seniors,” Becky Kellum, marketing director at the facility, said. “Our artists prove that art, in any form, is an ageless ambition.”

Winners are as follows:

In the professional division: