What: Dinner & relaxed reading: tips and activities to help your child enjoy books
Featured Book: The Napping House
When: Tuesday, November 14, 2017, 6:00-7:00pm
Where: Fort Scott Preschool Center, 409 S. Judson, West entrance
Who: Special Guest, Youth Librarian & Assistant Director, Valetta Cannon
*Giveaways & door prizes!
*We will be wearing our pajamas and invite and encourage you all to do the same! We are providing dinner and story time. If you take care of baths before this adventure, the only evening task remaining for you is to tuck them in when you get home! We look forward to a great adventure in reading with you and yours! Please RSVP by Friday, November 10th to let us know how many we need to prepare food for. Thanks & see you there!!
The Fort Scott City Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Nov. 7 at City Hall, 123 S. Main.
On the agenda for the commission:
A certificate of appropriateness will be reviewed for 9 N. Main, 11 N. Main and 13 N. Main on the Old Fort Blvd. side of the building.
There will be public hearings on the unsafe and dangerous structures at 747 S. Wilson St., 1837 E. First St., 616 S. Horton St., 701 S. Barbee and 1311 S. National Ave.
They will consider an ordinance to adopt a common consumption area.
They will consider an amendment to a development agreement with Super Market Developers, Inc.
There will be consideration of four-way stops at 2nd St. and National Ave. and 3rd St. and National Ave.
They will approve a quit claim deed for 716 S. Crawford.
Consideration will be given of closing Gunn Park for Christmas In The Park.
They will discuss the Stout Building.
Consideration will be given to annex La Roche Ball Complex.
They will consider approval of Jeanie Parker as KCAMP voting delegate for the city.
There will be an expansion of scope for river intake and dam improvement.
There will be a time change for the Dec. 5 commission meeting to 4 p.m. because of the downtown Christmas parade.
Several traffic lights in the south one-half of Fort Scott were out, following the power outage Saturday afternoon. Pictured is the recently installed lights at 23rd and Main Streets.
A piece of equipment called a lightning arrester, failed Saturday about 3:30 p.m. in the southern part of Fort Scott and some rural areas south of town. Power was restored in stages between 5 and 6 p.m., according to Gina Penzig, media relations manager with Westar Energy.
“It was in a sub-station that serves Fort Scott,” Penzig said.
About 3,000 customers of Westar, were affected, she said.
Penzig encourages people while the power is on and the weather is fine to download the Westar app, mywestar and/or sign up for text alerts.
To register for text alerts on a mobile phone, text 97827 and send “reg”. Then if there is a power outage in the future, text to that same number and send “out” for the outage, she said.
Calling 1-800-544-4857 or 1-800-LIGHTKS is another way to tell of a power outage and a person can also go to westarenergy.com and report it there, Penzig said. Click “Outage Center” to see the map of the affected area and how to prepare for an outage.
“On the outage map, you can see if someone is on the way and an outline of the affected area and when electricity will be back on,” she said.
It is best to prepare ahead of time for power outages with a storm kit of bottled water, batteries, charging up a cell phone, and making sure flashlights are working, she said. For an extensive list of preparedness, see the website.
“For winter storms, we usually have advance notice of severe weather,” Penzig said.
If power lines are down, assume they are live and call 911, she said.
Check for damage to electric meter boxes and the power line that attaches to the house.
“If the damage is to those items, you may need an electrician before we can safely reconnect power,” she said.
Using the different messages received from Westar, “You will want to see if you should stay home or find shelter somewhere else she said. In addition, check on neighbors safety, she added.
Renowned expert Elaine K. Sanchez speaks on “Finding Hope, Humor and Heart in Caregiving”
FORT SCOTT, KAN. (Nov. 3, 2017) – Caring for a loved one or friend during a long-term illness may be one of the most rewarding and selfless things a person can experience. It may also be taxing on the caregiver’s physical and emotional health.
That’s why it’s important to learn more about the delicate balancing act in the role of caregiver.
Mercy Fort Scott Home Health and Hospice invites the public, as well as registered nurses, respiratory therapists, and other clinicians to attend “Finding Hope, Humor and Heart in Caregiving” by Elaine K. Sanchez on Thursday, November 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene.
The presentation will cover many topics including anger, guilt, depression, grief, and self-care. There will also be time to visit with local professionals to collect helpful information and resources about being a caregiver.
Register online at www.mercy.net/FtScottCares by Nov. 24. Lunch is provided. Space is limited, so register today.
The general admission fee is $10 or $60 for six CEUs. CEUs can be provided to Registered Nurses and Respiratory Therapist. Certificates of Completion will be given for all other disciplines.
For more information, contact Chris Welch at (620) 223-8060.
Note: Partial funding was provided by the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation. FSACF serves to fulfill the philanthropic goals that benefit the common good and improve quality of life by providing leadership and programming that is responsive to the interests and needs of the residents of the Fort Scott area.
Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2017 by Truven, an IBM Watson Health company, serves millions annually. Mercy includes 44 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, more than 700 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
Advance voting may be done at the Bourbon County Courthouse.
Advance voting for the November 7 election for city and school boards has begun. Don’t forget to bring photo identification to the Bourbon County Courthouse if choosing to vote early.
To see who is running and for what position, reference here:
2017 Fort Scott Area Community Foundation grant award recipients received checks Thursday during a presentation at the weekly Chamber of Commerce coffee.
Local helping agencies, businesses, and organizations were presented with grant awards Thursday morning as part of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee, at the Landmark Bank in downtown Fort Scott.
“From the interest of the general endowment fund, we are handing out $30,000 today,” Blake Hudson, chairman of the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation (FSACF) board, said. “Last year $150,000 was raised for the general fund.”
Hudson said a new fundraising campaign is set to begin with FSACF.
This year, 29 entities submitted grant applications this year, with 18 funded, he said.
Grant committee members are Hudson, Stephanie Witt, Greg Mottley, Larry Seals, Patty LaRoche and adviser, Dave Martin.
LaRoche is committee chair of the granting committee.
Tri-Valley Developmental Services’ Tim Cunningham receives a check from Fort Scott Area Community Foundation Board Members Blake Hudson and Patty Laroche. Tri-Valley will replace several aging computers with the money.John Lair, right, representing Special Olympics, received a check for purchasing medals for entrants in the special event.Christa Horn, left, Court Appointed Special Advocates, received a grant for training new volunteers.Reed Hartford, left, receives a grant award representing the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site, to provide teen internships for the fort.Cheryl Larson, left, representing Presbyterian Manors, receives a check to create an arbor and garden area for residents.Meredith Reid, left, receives a check to help refurbish the local school district’s grand piano. She is representing Friends of U.S.D. 234.LaShawn Noel, left, receives a check to purchase caregiver’s training journals for stressed-out caregivers. She is representing Mercy Hospital.Elaine Buerge, right, receives a check for the Bourbon County Arts Council to help fund an art fair at the 2nd Story Festival of Arts and Ideas.Briann Martin, left, representing Fort Scott Festival of Arts, receives a check to help local and regional students become involved in the festival.Lowell Milken’s Center for Unsung Heroes’ Jessica Schenkel receives a check to purchase local author Kathy Werling’s book on bullying, to be used in classrooms and libraries.Representatives for Friends of Two Girls and a Zoo, left, receive a check to promote the well-being and support of the zoo’s animals.Representatives of the City of Fort Scott receive grant money for lights for the pickle-ball courts.Lindsay Madison, left, receives a check to provide adult mentors with materials to partner with students interested in a specified career. She is representing U.S.D. 234 and the Chamber who collaborate in the program.Janet Tucker, left, representing Kansas Seventh-Day Adventists, receives grant money to provide bags and comfort items for kids who are displaced from their home.Jean Tucker, right, receives a check for Feeding Families in His Name, to help fund a free weekly meal provided for impoverished families.City of Fort Scott’s Rhonda Dunn, left, receives a check to develop a Land Bank to help make decisions about property management in an effort to renovate dilapidated, tax-forclosed properties.Lavetta Simmons, right, receives grant money to help meet the financial needs of families stricken with cancer. She is representing Care to Share.
The Beacon inadvertently did not receive a check at the coffee and will at a later date. The helping agency received a grant to add healthy food additions to the food pantry they facilitate.
Fort Scott High School Carpentry Instructor Larry Lawrence tells students of the work needed to complete the first kiosk the class is working on as a community project. From left are Cole Rogers, junior; Hunter Davis, senior; Averie Ryburn, junior; Caleb Rhoades, senior; Lawrence, Tracy Watkins, senior; Tristan Stone, junior; and Cole Hall, sophomore. The classes are building information kiosks that will be placed on trails in Fort Scott and Uniontown.
New wayfinding signs will soon dot the walking/biking trails in Fort Scott and Uniontown.
With $7,500 received in late summer from The American Planning Associations Kansas Chapter and Pathways to Healthy Kansas, the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team will provide information kiosks to be placed around the county, according to Jody Hoener, member of the team.
Hoener is also a member of the sub-committee tasked with pulling the kiosk project together. Also serving on the sub-committee are Todd Farrell, Frank Halsey, Lindsay Madison, and Jerry Witt.
Each kiosk will have maps of the trail and the surrounding community placed on them for reference to walkers/bikers using the trails, Hoener said.
The 10- foot- long, four-foot-wide and nine- feet -high wooden signs with roofs will be placed at Riverfront Loop Road, Bell Town Trail, the new trail at Gunn Park, Ellis Park Trail, Fort Scott Community College Trail, Industrial Park Trail, and in the western part of the county, the Uniontown Trail.
FSHS teacher, Larry Lawrence, works with students Averie Ryburn, Tristan Stone and Tracy Watkins on the rafters of the second kiosk in production at the school. To the left is the finished roof of the first kiosk.
The construction of the kiosks is being completed by Fort Scott High School Carpentry Classes, under the instruction of Larry Lawrence.
Lawrence was looking for community projects for his students to work on, he said.
This summer, Fort Scott Superintendent of Parks Todd Farrell called with the kiosk idea, Lawrence said.
Two carpentry classes have been working on them since school started, Lawrence said.
“We are building four (kiosks) right now, and maybe four in the spring,” Lawrence said.
“They gave me the initial plans and I created them in more detail on AutoCAD (computer-aided design),” Lawrence said.
Simon Ballou will do the artwork for the kiosks and Darren Crays will print and apply the work on plastic panels, Crays said.
“Frank Halsey is going to take them to his place (following completion),” Lawrence said. “He’ll keep them until the city is ready to put them up.”
New sidewalks to be unveiled Nov. 14
The proposed new sidewalks in Uniontown. Taken from the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team Facebook page.The Fort Scott sidewalk plan to be proposed on Nov. 14, taken from the Health Bourbon County Action Team Facebook page.
In addition to wayfaring signs, the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team has been planning for more sidewalks in the county.
That team, along with PedNet will be at both the Fort Scott City Commission and the Uniontown City Council November 14 to show the results of the sidewalk plans, according to its Facebook page. They will unveil the proposed non-motorized transportation plan from 5-6 p.m. at the Fort Scott City Hall, 123 S. Main, and from 7-8 p.m. at Uniontown City Hall, 206 Sherman, on the east side of the square.
PedNet is a non-profit consulting firm specializing in Safe Routes to School, non-motorized transportation, and nutrition, according to the Facebook page.
Photo submitted by Deb Martin. Monday evening Patricia Love was elected by the Bourbon County Republican Party to replace outgoing county treasurer, Rhonda Dunn.
Patricia Love, who has been Deputy Bourbon County Treasurer for five years was elected to replace outgoing treasurer, Rhonda Dunn, Oct. 30.
“Rhonda made such positive changes, I want to keep it going in that direction,” Love told FortScott.Biz. “If there are any questions, people can call me anytime at 223-3800, ext. 135.”
“I think this is the easiest transition for the office,” Dunn said. “I’ve worked beside her for five years and she will do well.”
Next in the process, is for Love to be appointed by the governor.
The Bourbon County Republican Central Committee met at Fort Scott Livestock Market to discuss interested candidates and vote on Dunn’s replacement.
Thirty-three delegates from Bourbon County townships and Fort Scott wards, voted by secret ballot with Love declared the winner.
Two others, Mike Mason of Uniontown, and Ann Clarkson of Fort Scott submitted their names in to be considered for the position, Randall Readinger, chairman of the central committee said.
Love will fill out the remainder of Dunn’s term and then run for re-election in 2018 if she desires.
“Rhonda has done a fine job of training her office staff and Patty, as her deputy, has been involved in all that,” Readinger said.
Currently, there are six employees in the treasurer’s office.
Love said she will promote Sandy Tirri to deputy treasurer then hire a clerk to cross-train in both the treasurer’s office and motor vehicle department.
The annual pay of the treasurer position is $47,000, $10,000 of which comes from fees from the motor vehicle department, Dunn said.
Rhonda Dunn resigned as Bourbon County Treasurer Oct. 10, her last day is Nov. 3.
Photo submitted by Dee Young of 2016 Labor Day Grand Ball.
U.S. military veterans can enjoy a dance, show off their uniform, or if they can’t fit in that uniform anymore, show off the medals earned while serving their country. For veterans, the dance, a semi-formal ball, is free of charge.
Memorial Hall, 1 East Third, will be the venue for that dance to honor military veterans in a unique way on November 11 from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site (FFSNHS )decided to have a second ball, following the Labor Day Grand Ball they facilitated last year in honor of the centennial of the National Park Service.
“Everybody had a great time,” Dee Young, member of the Friends group, said of the ball last year. “People asked ‘When is the next one?'”
That began Young thinking about another event, this one to honor vets. She brought the idea to the Friends board, who decided a ball was a great way to honor veterans, she said.
Veterans who wear their uniform or bring military identification of some sort, a ribbon or medal, for example, will get in for free.
Since the theme of Fort Scott National Historic Site is looking at life at the fort on the prairie in the 1840s, other attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate period clothing to the ball. Or, alternately semi-formal party wear may be worn.
Sweet and savory refreshments will be served and all proceeds go to the FFSNHS organization.
Don’t know how to dance like people in the 1840s?
1800s style dance lessons will be offered for free from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the day of the event, November 11, at the fort, in the Grand Hall. Street clothes are appropriate for the dance lessons, Young said.
Submitted by Dee Young. Last year’s Labor Day Celebration Grand Ball.
Tickets for the ball: general public– $20 inadvance/$25 at thedoorper person ortwofor $30 inadvance/$40 at thedoor; FFSNHS members– $15 inadvance/$20 at thedoor; and children 12 and under and dance observers– $5.
All proceeds go to the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site.
Each year the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site provide a meal for the citizens following the U.S. Naturalization Ceremony on the grounds of the fort, they also serve ice cream at the fort’s Independence Day celebration and provide educational programs throughout the year as well.
Other 2017 activities the FFSNHS group helped with: the Native Neighbors event, a Fort Scott Community Foundation grant to help with the 175th anniversary of the fort, a grant for youth engagement at the fort through an Irby Family grant, a Sunflower Castle Home Tour, a Candlelight Tour in December, the Friends Fest 2017, Dancing With Our Stars 2017,Every Kid In A Park Grant, and drinks during the solar eclipse.
Candlelight Tour
Tomorrow is the first day that tickets for the annual Candlelight Tour at Fort Scott National Historic Site go on sale. Tickets should be purchased early for choice of times. Usually, all tickets sell out, according to the fort’s website. This year’s tours will be offered December 1 and 2. Tours on December 1, will begin at 6:30 p.m. and go every 15 minutes until 9 p.m. On Saturday, December 2, the tours will run from 5 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 620-223-0310 or by coming to the visitor center at the fort. The fort is located at the north end of downtown Fort Scott. Tickets are $8. each and are non-refundable. Children 5 and under are free.
Groundbreaking for new memorial benches in Riverfront Park was Oct. 26. From left: Chad Brown, City of Fort Scott public works director; Deb Needleman, City of Fort Scott human resources manager; JoLynne Mitchell, City of Fort Scott mayor; Allen Warren, Riverfront Authority board member; Becky Davied, Mercy director of home health and hospice; and Chris Welch, Mercy home health and hospice community relations coordinator.
Mercy Hospice is celebrating its fifth year anniversary with a special thank you to the community and all those who have allowed the hospice care team into their lives.
To commemorate the anniversary, Mercy Hospice is giving back to the community by placing a pair of memorial benches on a paver patio at the Riverfront Park just north of Fort Scott.
“We hope that this can be a place where families can gather to remember their loved ones,” said Chris Welch, Mercy Home Health and Hospice community relations coordinator.
To launch the project, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Thursday, Oct. 26.
“This wouldn’t be possible without cooperation from the City of Fort Scott, the Riverfront Authority and partial funding by the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation,” Welch added.
