Jason Lewis, owner of Timber! Trees A to Z. Submitted photos.
Jason Lewis, 46, started a new business in May 2019 that provides tree removal services and more in Fort Scott.
The Fort Scott native, who graduated in 1991, spent the following 26 years in the U.S. Army, retiring in 2017.
“I started this business so I could have a more flexible schedule,” Lewis said.
The name of Lewis’s business is Timber! Trees A to Z and also includes stump grinding, pasture clearing, debris removal, and residential dump truck services.
A part of Jason Lewis’s line of equipment. Submitted photos.
Timber! Trees A to Z address is 1082 205th St., Fort Scott.
The annual Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce holiday shopping event is this evening.
From 5-8 p.m. Nov. 14, stores in the downtown area will welcome shoppers with new displays and perhaps a snack.
Also Bartlesmeyer Jewelry, 1519 S. National; Sekan Occasion Shops, 2210 S. Main and the Lavender Patch, 2376 Locust, will be open late for shopping convenience.
New this year, Kenny Felt Photography will be offering $10 professional photos to make Christmas cards, with 10 percent of the sales going to local organization Care to Share. He will be a part of the Sekan Occasion Shops happenings.
Dolley the Trolley will be going store to store for those whose feet get tired going from store to store.
In addition to snacks to enjoy while shopping, many stores will be offering special drawings, including $50 in Chamber Bucks.
Santa sits on a bench in front of The Ironstar and gets a second look from Ernestine Eden at a past Holiday Open House.
Stores participating in the holiday event are Bids and Dibs, Books and Crannies, Country Cupboard, Courtland Hotel and Spa, Empress Event Center-Marketplace Vendors, Front Door Christmas Store, Hedgehog.INK Book Store, Here We Go Again Upholstery and More, Iron Star Antiques and Such, J&W Sports Shop, Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, Main Street Gallery and Gifts, Mayco Ace Hardware, Ruddick’s Furniture, Sekan Occasion Shop, Sunshine Boutique, the Lavender Patch, Trader Dave’s, Treasure Hunt Flea Market.
Lora Holdridge shows off a Christmas treasure she found at the Holiday Open House.
It’s that time of year when shoppers notice the red kettles at stores, with smiling bell ringers waiting for donations.
The Salvation Army annual fundraiser starts the day after Thanksgiving in Bourbon County and bell ringers are needed.
There are flexible hours and days for volunteers to schedule a time of bell ringing.
“It’s great for individuals, families, churches and community service organizations,” Allen Schellack, who is the local contact for the Salvation Army, said.
“The Salvation Army has someone in each county to represent them,” he said. “Called a service extension unit and disaster relief.”
“Your donation will stay local, helping your Bourbon County neighbors in need,” he said. “With such help as utility assistance, some temporary lodging, dental, prescription and glasses, it’s a wide range of things.”
“The last big flood we had, I gave someone a room until the water receded,” Schellack said. “I work case-by-case.”
“This year, $7,789 in assistance was provided 213 times to local families,” Schellack said.
For more information or to set up an appointment, contact Schellack at 620.223.2212.
Compassion Ministries, of which Schellack is the director, is located on the second floor at 26 N. Main. The ministry serves the underprivileged in Bourbon County.
Schellack is also the coordinator for Care Portal, which works with foster families.
The Buffalo Grill restaurant, at 3 W. Oak, is being repurposed.
After closing almost a decade ago, it has been used for special events.
But if all the plans fall into place, Dave Lipe said the restaurant will change to an upscale barbeque place in December.
Lipe and Luther Salisberry will be the restaurant owners and have just signed a five-year lease from building owner Al Niece which includes the River Room Event Center on the second floor.
Luther’s BBQ is the name of the new restaurant.
“We are shooting for Dec. 1 (opening date),” Lipe said. “I’ve got to have a lot of things put in place (before then). There is not much to do in the restaurant. We need to get a liquor license and some equipment and we will be ready to go.”
The new restaurant will seat about 150 people, while the River Room Event Center about 500, Lipe said.
“Our specialty will be burnt ends with specials during the week,” he said. “Pretty much everything will be made from scratch with price ranging from average to up.”
Also available will be pork chops, ribs, steaks, smoked brisket, and pulled pork, he said.
“It will be a gourmet, upper-end-style barbeque, mirrored after Q39 and Stack Jack Restaurants in the Kansas City area,” Lipe said.
From left is Alex Hudson/general manager, Luther Saulsberry/owner, David Lipe/owner. Submitted photo.
The business will be hiring approximately 20-40 people.
“Some part-time,” Lipe said. “During busier times of the year, we’ll have a bigger staff. We’ll start interviewing in late November.”
Things are looking good for the business.
“I’ve already booked four weddings for next year,” he said. “The cost will vary, there are several packages available and full-service catering.”
For the River Room Event Center outside catering will be allowed, he said.
Dave Lipe on the lift arm takes down the Buffalo Grill sign on the building at Oat St. and National Avenue on November 4. The lift equipment was loaned by Jason Lewis, lower left in photo, who owns a tree cutting business. The new restaurant will be Luther’s BBQ.
Clifton Chiropractic, LLC opened a new practice at 203 E 3rd St., Fort Scott on September 3, 2019.
Clifton Chiropractic, 203 E. Third. Submitted photo.
The owner, Dr. Kaylee Clifton D.C, 30, graduated from Cleveland Chiropractic College, Kansas City in 2014. She was a graduate of Jayhawk Linn High School, and her hometown is Centerville.
She has five years of experience and, also maintains a practice in Pleasanton, KS.
“I opened my first practice location in Pleasanton, in 2015 and decided to grow my business this year. I currently split my time between the two locations.”
“My passion for chiropractic care started at age 15, I’ve always known this was my career choice,” Clifton said. “I saw firsthand the positive changes it can have on someone’s life. My favorite part of being a chiropractor is helping, educating and inspiring patients to lead healthier lifestyles and teaching them how the body has the power to heal itself. I love getting the opportunity to help better someone’s quality of life every day!”
“I love to work with school kids to teach them the importance of form and technique to better protect their bodies for the future.”
Services Clifton provides are adjustments for all ages (pediatrics to geriatrics), decompression therapy, pregnancy, sports injuries, acupuncture, activator, Graston, and school physicals.
Karen Stewart is the office manager.
Karen Stewart. Submitted photo.
In 2020 Clifton will add Department Of Transportation Physicals to her list of services available.
“I am currently in the process of completing my training and certification to be able to perform DOT Physicals,” she said.
Clifton is a provider for Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and United Health Care. She also accepts other major insurances.
Clifton lives outside of Prescott on a cattle ranch with husband, Tim, along with three dogs and a pet calf.
They have been married for five years and enjoy going on new adventures when time allows, she said. Their favorite hiking area is in Sedona, AZ.
“I grew up around Centerville and have family around that area as well as the rest of my family living around the Fort Scott area,” Clifton said. “I went to Fort Scott Community College and then to K-State, before getting my degrees at Cleveland Chiropractic College.
Gary Murrell, director of The Beacon speaks to the Bourbon County Coalition on Nov. 6 about the agency.
On the first Wednesday of each month, local helping agencies meet to share what their agencies have to offer Bourbon County families who are in need. This networking has the goal of bringing local agencies together to foster self-reliance on the part of families in need.
On Nov. 6, Gary Murrell, director of the Beacon, an inter-faith, not-for-profit organization, gave a little history of the agency and told what services they provide to the community.
Currently, the agency is signing up people for the Adopt-A-Child program, which helps with Christmas presents and also the Elks Christmas Basket Distribution. The sign-up continues on Nov.12 from 5-6 p.m. at The Beacon, 525 E. 6th.
The organization was established in 1985 to serve Bourbon County residents in need. It is funded by donations from churches, civic organizations, schools, businesses and individuals. Also, each year the Beacon applies for various grants to help with food and monetary assistance.
“Each month, we serve approximately 960 individuals,” Murrell said. “If a person is on food stamps, they are automatically eligible.”
“They are trying to make it….” Murrell said, “but life comes.”
The Beacon can also assist with rent, electricity and water utilities.
In addition, the Beacon provides food packages, along with non-food items like blankets, toiletries, laundry powder, and diapers.
“We are starting to collect coats for our individuals,” Murrell said.
“No one is ever charged,” he said.
To receive assistance, individuals must be willing to share information about their current income levels and proof of Bourbon County residency. Families in crisis are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Recipients of the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation 2019 grants. Submitted photo.
Bourbon County residents have given money to a local foundation that distributes to causes for all segments of the community.
Last week, Fort Scott Area Community Foundation presented a total of $33,375.40 to 22 area organizations for 2019-2020, according to a press release from the foundation.
The recipients were schools, businesses, churches and organizations.
Members of the FSACF are Sheryl Bloomfield, Otie Thomas, Barb Albright, Beth Nuss, Bob Marshall, Carla Farmer, Charles Gentry, Craig Campbell, Frank Halsey, Gary Palmer, Gregg Motley, Janet Braun, Melissa Wise, Michelle Bruner, Travis Shelton and
Steve Buerge.
The foundation received a total of thirty-three qualifying applications requesting over $108,000 in aid.
The following awardees were presented in the order the foundation received their applications, according to a press release:
Carrie Southwell, a third-grade teacher at Eugene Ware Elementary School, is receiving $1.200 to introduce Ozobots in the classroom. Students will learn to use a computer application and creative coding to control robots and problem solve.
About 150 kindergartners will experience real-world learning opportunities, thanks in part to a $750 grant administered by Cristin Stark, a teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary School. On the itinerary are Woods Pumpkin Patch and Deanna Rose Petting Zoo.
Providing scholarships to help local adults get their GED is an aim of a $1,000 grant to Eastern Kansas Adult Education – Neosho County Community College’s FSCC location. This grant will be administered by Aubrey Duft.
Jerry Witt, Chairman of the Fort Scott/Bourbon County Riverfront Authority, applied for a grant to provide pedestrians with durable park benches on which to rest at the new Riverfront Park. We are providing $2,317 toward that end.
The KS-NE Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists will receive $1,000 to continue a program called “Bags of Love” that provides age-appropriate essentials to children in the community who have been removed from their homes for safety reasons. Janet Tucker is the chapter president.
Responding to an urgent need in our community for a clothes pantry, Billie Jo Drake, under the auspices of Bourbon County Inter-agency Coalition, Inc., will use the grant award of $1,000 to seed this ministry. The goal of this organization is to bring local agencies together to foster self-reliance on the part of our families in need.
Rekindling youth baseball in Fort Scott is the goal of the American Legion Post 25. Carl Jowers will use $1,440 to buy uniforms and equipment to host an American Legion team in Fort Scott.
The Via Christi emergency room in Fort Scott needs a Vapotherm device to help stabilize patients with repertory issues to facilitate safe transfer to an in-patient facility. Johnna Norton is the administrator of our grant for $1,519 so this equipment can be domiciled here. Another local foundation is providing the balance of the cost of this equipment.
Can you say “ukulele” without smiling? Fort Scott will have about 150 fifth grade students getting lessons with a grant for $2,074 which will provide 30 of these user- friendly instruments with all the trimmings. Music teacher Mary Jo Harper will use this program, along with the recorder program, to help prepare elementary students for high school band or orchestra programs.
Ella Beth, a sophomore at FSHS, is energized about redesigning the school courtyard for educational and community use. A grant of $2,000 will help provide seating, handicapped accessible ramps, landscaping, art and shade, fostering community pride and encouraging student creativity.
K-State Research & Extension, Southwind Extension District, is planning an Aging With Attitude Regional Expo, attracting about 170 people from 11 SEK Counties to the area. This $500 grant, administered by Barbara Stockebrand, will provide the keynote speaker for the event. The expo aims to educate families and promote positive attitudes about the challenges of our aging population.
There is no greater need in our community than to protect the most vulnerable in our midst, which is the mission of Christa Horn and the volunteers that serve Bourbon County CASA. Horn will use the $500 grant to help facilitate training for new volunteers and ongoing education for staff.
David Goodyear, under the umbrella of Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene and other cooperating churches, administers the Pathways program to provide work projects as a bridge to regular, gainful employment. This $1,800 grant will help provide a second chance for those whose backgrounds and lack of job skills make it difficult to be self-sufficient.
$1,000 will go to cancer patients and their families to help facilitate their fight. Lavetta Simmons administers Care to Share, working with patients and caregivers to ease the financial burden of transportation, house cleaning, yard work, meals, and any personal needs that arise while they are focused on the battle.
The historic Presbyterian Church has a tradition of bringing edifying culture to our community on many levels, including the Fort Scott Chamber Music Series that hundreds of audience members have enjoyed. Carson Felt will use the $2,500 grant to attract high-quality musicians to Fort Scott over the next year for listening pleasure.
CarePortal is a new program in town administered by Shelly Bradley and the KS-NE Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The organization coordinates critical need responses to vulnerable children in our community and will use the $2,000 to provide beds for children who have none.
First-grade teacher Robin Webb will use the $2,000 grant to familiarize r children with local resources by organizing trips to businesses, not-for-profits and government locations. In the process, students will begin to build a background in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) and become much more community-oriented.
Jan Hedges is the event coordinator of The Fort Scott Writing Festival, organized to promote creative writing in our community. The festival will provide workshops and a chance for dozens of aspiring writers to showcase their skills. The grant award is $1,800.
In recent years, high school wrestling programs have embraced the entry of girls into the sport, and, thanks to Alvin Metcalf, Fort Scott High School is no exception. This $2,100 grant will help the athletic department accommodate women by adjusting facilities and buying appropriate uniforms and equipment.
Studies consistently show that parental involvement is one of the most important factors in student outcomes. Toward this end, the Foundation will support Instructional coach Brenda Hill who is providing Family Math and Literacy Nights at Eugene Ware Elementary School with a $1,500 grant award.
For years, Chamber Executive Lindsay Madison has given administrative support to the Career Exploration Mentor Program at Fort Scott High School, serving dozens of students. Working with Lewis Dunkeson, she will match local businessmen and women with high school students that need a mentor in their lives to give them a vision of what is possible while living and working in Fort Scott. This $1,500 grant will provide some of the logistical costs.
Breann Martin is the event coordinator of the 2nd Floor Festival of Arts and Ideas, designed to cultivate a passion for the arts within our schools and community, and begin to identify Fort Scott as a regional hub for ideas and creativity. $1,875 will provide visiting artist fees, marketing, the venue and supplies for the event.
About the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation, taken from its website:
“We help our donors establish long-term charitable funds, using the most tax-advantaged methods, to benefit their causes and our community.
The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation was founded in 2007 by a group of citizens interested in encouraging philanthropy and strengthening communities. As a local center for philanthropy, the FSACF works with individuals, families, corporations, private foundations and not-for-profit organizations to carry out their charitable objectives and address emerging community issues. The FSACF is an affiliate of both the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.”
The following are the unofficial results for the general election Nov. 5 for the Fort Scott City Commission, USD 234, and Fort Scott Community College Trustees, USD 235, area town councils and the Southwind District.
Out of 11,526 registered voters in Bourbon County, 2, 345 voted in this election.
According to Bourbon County Clerk Kendell Mason, the results will not be official until after canvassing by the commissioners on November 14th
To see the complete Bourbon County Clerk’s election results click below:
Minimum-custody Inmate Kyle Ingels Walked Away from Wichita Work Release Facility
Minimum-custody inmate Kyle Ingels #98449 has been placed on escape status at approximately 6:48 p.m., Tuesday, after he walked away from the Wichita Work Release Facility.
Ingels, a 32-year-old white male, left for work at 10:30 a.m. and was reported missing when he did not report back to the facility following work Tuesday evening. Ingels was last seen wearing a red hoodie with black writing on the sleeves, blue jeans, black boots, and a black baseball cap.
Ingels is currently serving a 60-month sentence for several convictions in Neosho County including theft, forgery, drug possession, and endangerment of a child. Engels had a prior drug conviction from Neosho County in 2007.
Ingels is 6 feet tall, 198 pounds with hazel eyes and brown hair.
Anyone with information on Ingels can call the Kansas Department of Corrections at 620-221-6660, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) 572-7463 or local law enforcement at 911.
The walk-away is currently being investigated. New information will be released as it becomes available.
The Wichita Work Release Facility, a satellite unit of the Winfield Correctional Facility, is an all-male, minimum-custody state prison with a population of 250.
The Kansas wind could benefit Bourbon County financially.
Apex Clean Energy, headquartered in Virginia, is exploring the feasibility of constructing Jayhawk Wind, a wind energy project expected to generate up to 195 megawatts of clean, homegrown energy, according to http://www.jayhawkwind.com/about_jayhawk
Local wind data confirms that the Bourbon County area under consideration is ideal for a project of this size, which will produce enough safe, pollution-free energy to power up to 48,750 Kansas homes every year, according to the website.
Apex is working with local landowners, community leaders, and various stakeholders on the project and welcomes input into the planning process.
The Jayhawk Wind project hosted two moderated public forums on Wednesday, Oct. 30, one Hepler and one at Fort Scott Community College’s Ellis Center to answer residents’ questions about wind energy and Jayhawk Wind.
The is proposed area is in the southwest part of Bourbon County and the Hepler / Walnut areas of Crawford County.
“Over 100 residents attended both forums where industry experts discussed sound, property values, environment and wildlife impacts and protections, development, construction, and operation of a wind farm, what new revenues the two counties can expect, and short-term and long-term job creation,” according to the press release.
“Construction will initially create 318 full-time equivalent jobs,” said economist Dr. David Loomis, who conducted the economic impact study, according to the press release. “These include jobs directly related to the project as well as jobs created by the additional economic activity including new demand for goods and services at area restaurants, merchants and local businesses.”
Dr. Loomis presented how Jayhawk Wind will create an entirely new source of long-term revenue for local schools, government services, and property owners, according to the press release. “The total direct financial impact to the region will be in the millions of dollars over the life of the project, with additional indirect economic benefits to the local economy.
A complete economic impact report will be released in the coming weeks, according to the press release.
“Many of the residents who attended are landowners who are already participating in the project as well as considering participating in the project,” according to the press release. “Landowners with wind facilities on their property will receive annual lease payments. These payments will continue over the projected 30-year lifespan of the wind farm, injecting millions of dollars into the economies of Bourbon and Crawford Counties, supporting local merchants, contractors, equipment suppliers, auto dealers, and others.”
Apex development director, Jade Scheele, said the power generated by Jayhawk Wind will be delivered into the Kansas electrical grid, reducing the need to import electricity from outside markets.
Videos of the forums will be posted by Nov. 22, to www.jayhawkwind.com, as will a written document providing all the questions asked at both forums with the answers.
Bourbon County Commissioners identified economic development as a priority in October 2018 and hired Jody Hoener to lead the county’s economic development efforts, according to a press release from Hoenor.
The commission gave Hoenor the task of identifying development opportunities which would result in new revenues and jobs for the county.
“One of the developments identified as a positive source of revenue is a wind energy project, so we were pleased to learn that a company has proposed to build a wind farm here in Bourbon and Crawford Counties,” Hoenor said. “Throughout Kansas, wind farms create a substantial new source of tax revenue and add to the local economy. We think the Jayhawk Wind project offers an opportunity for Bourbon County residents.”
Before a project can be built, agreements will be negotiated to ensure that Bourbon County residents benefit from the project as Kansans do in other counties throughout the state, Hoenor said.
The wayfinder map of Riverfront Park, North National Avenue.
Lights for the Bell Town Walking Trail at Riverfront Park on Fort Scott’s north entrance will soon be installed.
“They are LED downlights to light the trail at dusk for more safety,” Jerry Witt, chairman of the Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority, said.
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team is providing funds for the lighting.
The City of Fort Scott Streets Department is pouring concrete for the pedestals for the 27 pole lights which will stand about 12 feet high, similar to the poles in the historic downtown district. The streets crew has also done the trenching for the electrical pipe for the poles.
Fort Scott Maintenance II Employee Kyle Knight, left, and Fort Scott Streets Supervisor Jerry Morgan tell about the pedestals that were poured today for the new LED lighting in Riverfront Park.
“Max Fanning is doing the electrical work labor,” Witt said. “We are paying for that.”
Also slated for a 2019 completion date is paving and striping of the parking area, west of the park pavilion at the entrance. Also, a handicapped accessible wheelchair ramp will be built to the pavilion.
The Riverfront Park Pavillion had its ribbon-cutting in May 2018.
Last week, the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation granted the Riverfront Authority a $2,317 award to purchase metal picnic tables and benches for the pavilion, Witt said.
New Trails
Witt said the Riverfront Authority has applied for a Kansas Department of Transportation Grant to create additional trails on the south side of the Marmaton River, along the River Front Road.
“When we built the road in 2015, the grant was for road and trails,” Witt said. “But the cost of the road construction was higher than expected, so the trails were put on hold.”
Agricultural Engineering, Uniontown, is working with the Riverfront Authority in designing the 2, 953 feet of trails, which will be eight-foot-wide and have an asphalt surface, Witt said.
Overlook Moving
Flooding this past spring moved the recently built wooden overlook off its’ foundation and the Riverfront Authority is planning to move the structure to higher ground, Witt said.
Members
Members of the Riverfront Authority, from left Allen Warren, Arnold Schofield, Danny Magee, Jerry Witt, Dean Mann and Betty Boyko. File photo. Not pictured: Jeff Sweetser, Bob Love, and Penny Barnes.
Members of the Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority are Witt, Allen Warren, Jeff Sweetser, Bob Love, Betty Boyko, Danny Magee, Arnold Schofield, Penny Barnes and Dean Mann.
