The Fort Scott City Commission approved a resolution to support an application by a Desoto, KS property developer to turn the former Fort Scott Manor Nursing Home into apartments.
Following that approval, Shane Lamb, Rural ReDevelopment Group LLC, sent a Housing Investors Tax Credit application in for the property located on Fort Scott’s west side at 736 S. Heylman.
Lamb and Susan Galemore, who is with Southeast Kansas Economic Development Coalition, appeared together before the commission on Feb. 7. Galemore helped Lamb prepare the application.
Lamb has applied for tax credits from the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation to develop the property into 19 rental units.
“Fifteen will be one-bedroom units, four will be two-bedroom units,” Lamb said. “It is on less than two acres and the building is approximately 20,000 square feet.”
Lamb purchased the Fort Scott Manor property in January of 2022, he said. “It was closed down by the state several years ago, then went through bankruptcy proceedings. I believe it has been closed for three years.”
The Fort Scott property will not be low-income apartment rentals, Galemore said. “They will be standard market, not income based.”
“We focus on rural towns and rural housing,” he said. “Typically, we purchase nursing homes, schools, hospitals…single-use vacant properties we convert to housing.”
“We have 13 projects completed across different states, the closest to Fort Scott is one in Yates Center,” Lamb said. “We have 18 projects in the works.”
The grants are very competitive, Lamb said. “If I don’t get it the first time, we can apply again. I think it is every three months.”
The grants awarded are based on the communities need, he said. “Which community needs housing more than others.”
“I am on their timeline,” he said. “Once I get the green light, I can start and have 18 months to finish.”
Lamb said he always tries to use qualified local contractors and buy materials locally.
“I always try to keep the money local,” he said. “It doesn’t work 100 percent of the time. Sometimes you can’t find local partners to meet those deadlines…because they are so busy.”
Lamb said he should know by the end of March 2023 if he was awarded the grant.
Author Leon Perry will be featured during a book signing this Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1:30 p.m. at Hedgehog INK bookstore, 16 S. Main, Fort Scott.
Leon Perry. Submitted photo.
Perry was a young child when his family came to Fort Scott in the 1950s to look for employment. They were staying in a motel in Belltown, on the city’s north side, when there was explosion in their room that killed his parents and a sibling.
Perry chronicles the kindness and help that he and his remaining sibling received from the community as he recovered from severe burns to his body and the loss of his parents.
He and brother, Ernie, were taken to the Goodlander Children’s Home, where they stayed until they were adopted by a local farm couple.
He tells of the life on the farm, school, 4-H and FFA that allows readers to understand life in Bourbon County during that era of time. He went on to be an educator and school administrator in Kansas and Missouri.
19 S. Main, is on the left, with 23 S. Main on the left. The buildings are located at the corner of First and Main Street.
The City of Fort Scott approved two resolutions for an apartment project at 19 and 23 S. Main.
Currently Spoiled Brat Beauty Salon and Main Street Vintage and Co. are housed on the main floor of the two buildings.
The Project
Justin Pregont, with Pomeroy Development LLC, of Atchinson, appeared before the Fort Scott City Commission this month to ask for and did receive approval for the submission of a moderate income housing grant application to the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation.
In addition he sought and was approved for submission of a Rural Housing Incentive District and an Industrial Revenue Bond issue in support of the project.
The entire process of a project like this can take several years, Pregont said in an interview, and all plans are contingent on the receiving of the funds from the grants. In late March 2023, he will be notified from the state if he is a winner of the first of the grants, which he said is very competitive.
The Van Fossen Apartments is the name of the project. It is a sixteen unit adaptive reuse and historic preservation project approximately 16,000 square feet of the second and third floors of the Van Fossen building at 23 S. Main as well as a comprehensive renovation of the second floor of 19 S. Main, which has approximately 3,000 square feet.
Pregont sought the city’s approval to apply for $1,375,000 in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) category, a federal stimulus bill to aid public health and economic recovery.
It is in the Moderate-Income Housing (MIH) category of the grant. He stated that the city’s responsibility is administrative, because the checks must flow through a local government sponsor.
Pregont told the commission he has similar projects he has done in the past. He stated that he is the sponsor, he is responsible for carrying it through to completion and he is responsible for the compliance, but the funds flow through the city.
“A friend of mine notified me of the real estate listing,” Pregont said. “We like historic buildings, they are superior in architecture to modern.
The historic tax credits are a big piece of the funding of such projects.
The Apartments
The apartments will be “top of the market”, Pregont said, and the rents will reflect that. “It will provide quality housing for people who want something better.”
He said he knows people are concerned about the increased shortage of parking spaces in the historic downtown area.
“Anytime there is a booming downtown, there is parking distress,” he said. “It’s an indication of success.”
The primary entrance will not be on Main Street, but on First Street near the alley, which should help with the parking issue currently on Main Street, he said.
Whether pets will be allowed in the apartments, Pregont said it is uncertain at this time, although therapy dogs will be, according to laws that are in place.
Many business owners and downtown residents have expressed concern over animal feces in the downtown area.
About the Name
The buildings were built in the 1880s by Van Fossen and Wilcox, Pregont said. It was originally a dry goods store, but through the years saw many transformations.
“Van Fossen is a unique name, so we went with that,” Pregont said.
Fort Scott High School Freshmen students will get to practice financial “adulting” on March 8 at the high school and local volunteers are needed to help with the event, FuntureNow: Finance, to that end.
Lewis Dunkeson.
“It is a fun and tangible way to aid students in preparing for their financial futures,” according to Lewis Dunkeson, Communities in School’s Student Support Coordinator at FSHS.
FutureNow:Finance, is an event that helps students understand some of the realities involved in preparing for future adulthood.
At the event, students will receive an adult scenario based on a survey they have completed prior to the event, according to information provided by Dunkeson.
The scenario includes: marital status, number of children, career field, and net monthly income, which is based on choice of career field and current grade point average.
At the FutureNow: Finance event, students will visit a variety of booths to purchase food, housing, transportation, communication services, child care, utilities, insurance, etc.
They can also save money, give to charity and learn about unexpected things that affect daily life such as accidents, unexpected visitors or flat tires. The event is Wednesday, March 8, 2023 from 8 – 11 a.m. in Fort Scott High School’s Auxiliary Gym.
The Fort Scott High School gym. Submitted photo.
Volunteers should plan to report at 8 a.m. and must check-in to the school at the front office. Breakfast and lunch will be provided
Volunteers help the students make wise financial choices regarding the necessities and luxuries they imagine as part of their adult lifestyle, according to information provided by Dunkeson.
Volunteers are provided with detailed information and price sheets for their specific booth allowing them to help the students decide how best to spend their money.
Volunteer need only bring their personal experiences.
To volunteer for the event, contact: Lewis Dunkeson Student Support Coordinator, Fort Scott HS [email protected] 402-212-9826
There is a need in communities to get abandoned and vacant properties to land purchasers that can improve the property.
To this end, the Fort Scott Land Bank was initiated in 2018 and last month a manager for the program was hired.
“Vacant and abandoned properties have negative spillover effects that impact neighboring properties and, when concentrated, entire communities and even cities. Research links foreclosed, vacant, and abandoned properties with reduced property values, increased crime, increased risk to public health and welfare, and increased costs for municipal governments,” according to https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/
Pat Bishop has been appointed manager of the Fort Scott Land Bank. The appointment was effective as of January 1, 2023.
Bishop now is responsible for acquiring unused properties and maintaining them, pending transfer to a new owner.
His most important responsibility will be the sale or transfer of properties to buyers through setting up the framework for the clearing of title, negotiation of the purchase price and negotiation of the development agreement, he said.
All of the responsibilities are subject to the approval of the Land Bank Board of Trustees.
The City of Fort Scott and Bourbon County government entities share the salary for the position which is $20,000 per year.
“My hours are 1 -5 p.m. Monday through Friday, though I am available at all times,” Bishop said.
Bishop and his wife, Cathy, have lived in Fort Scott for 44 years and he was a practicing attorney in Bourbon County for 29 years.
Bishop has been integral in the preparation of the legal documentation necessary for the last two Bourbon County tax foreclosure sales, working with the Bourbon County Counselor, and therefore is familiar with the acquisition process, he said.
Bishop may be contacted at 620-224-6962. His email address is [email protected].
Bourbon County has provided Mr. Bishop an office in the courthouse located at 210 S. National.
The job requires that he be out of the office quite often, and contact is recommended via phone or email, he said.
What the Fort Scott Land Bank Does
“In 2018 the City of Fort Scott established the Fort Scott Land Bank,” Bishop said. “The purpose of the Land Bank is to acquire title to dilapidated, vacant or unused properties and convert them to productive use.”
These properties do not contribute to the tax base, and in addition create fire and safety hazards and reduce the value of surrounding properties, he said.
Most of the properties are acquired through Bourbon County tax foreclosure sale, though properties have been and may be donated to the Fort Scott Land Bank.
“At this point in time the Land Bank has 49 Fort Scott properties in its inventory,” Bishop said. ” All these properties are either vacant lots or structures in need of repair.”
The Land Bank determines the best usage for a property, he said.
Points considered for the usage for the property are the neighborhood, the size of the lot, and the condition of any structures, he said. And there is an attempt to sell the property for value in accordance with a development agreement between the Land Bank and the purchaser.
The agreement will require the developer to improve the property, such as building a house or remodeling an existing structure, within a given period of time, according to Bishop. If the developer fails to comply with the terms of the agreement, the property reverts to the Land Bank.
When the property is purchased, the Land Bank is required to maintain the premises, such as mowing, and may have to cause an unsafe structure to be removed, he said.
“The decision to sell land bank property will not be determined solely on the basis of purchase price,” he said. “The Board of Trustees will consider the proposed usage,” he said.
The construction of housing on a property is the most important consideration as there is a scarcity of affordable housing in Fort Scott, Bishop said.
“Other priorities in the following order are: protection of properties for historic preservation, government or public use, ownership by non-profits, such as a church, ownership by adjacent property owners for side-lot acquisitions and green or garden spaces for public benefit,” he said.
Fort Scott Land Bank Board of Trustees
The Fort Scott Land Bank Board of Trustees are appointed by the Fort Scott City Commission and presently consists of Craig Campbell, Chairperson; Robert Coon, Vice Chairperson; Bailey Lyons, Treasurer; Josh Jones, (City Commissioner) Jim Harris, (Bourbon County Commissioner), Rob Harrington (Bourbon County Regional Economic Director) and Patrick Wood.
The City of Uniontown owns the pond just east of the Uniontown Jr/Sr High School.
“The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT) is gearing up for a placemaking project in Uniontown,” President and CEO Jody Hoener said.
Jody Hoener, President and CEO of the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team.
They are seeking Uniontown resident’s input for a grant to improve the small town of almost 300 people in Bourbon County.
“We have a survey for community members to fill out,” Hoener said. “It’s available online at HBCAT.org or residents can pick up a paper copy from us at our Fort Scott Office (104 N. National) or from Sally Johnson at City Hall in Uniontown.”
Fort Scott has received several placemaking grants.
“We have already been working on Creative Placemaking projects in Fort Scott: the 3rd Street Park Improvements and the Downtown Arch projects,” Rachel Carpenter, Director of the The Center for Economic Growth at HBCAT, said.
Rachel Carpenter is the director of the Center for Ecomomic Growth at HBCAT.
“Creative Placemaking is letting the community choose a project and public space that enhances the quality-of-life people in that area,” Carpenter said. “Placemaking is about creating community spaces that improve vitality, and promote health, joy, and well-being. The community has the opportunity to take ownership of a place in their neighborhood.”
“This Creative Placemaking project is specifically for Uniontown, we are encouraging all residents of Uniontown to complete the survey,” Carpenter said. “The survey is live now and will remain open until March 13th. We can budget up to $10,000 towards this project funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas to be completed by June 2024.”
“Some examples would be: park improvements, murals in an alley way, public space for studying or a public art sculpture about the place’s history,” Carpenter said.
The Uniontown City Park is on the square in the center of the city.
Uniontown residents are asked to fill out a brief survey to help with ideas for the grant.
Open Mortgage is open for business at the corner of Wall Street and National Avenue.
A business, whose mission is to help homeowners and also increase financial security, recently opened.
Open Mortgage opened a branch office at 1 East Wall Street, Fort Scott, in December 2022.
The branch manager is David Vonfeldt, with the Fort Scott location serving four states.
David Vonfeldt. Submitted photo.
There are four employees in the Fort Scott Branch – Joe’ Fritter is a loan officer with two additional loan officers, Monica Creighton and Paul Vonfeldt in Wichita.
Fort Scott is the hometown for Joe’(Albright) Fritter.
She recently left healthcare after 34 years to work in the mortgage business with her brother in law, David Vonfeldt.
David is married to Joe’s sister Dani (Albright) Vonfeldt. They recently moved to Fort Scott from Wichita in November of 2022.
“David’s business plan has always been to open up his own Branch within Open Mortgage,” Fritter said. “As the stars aligned, this was made possible in December of 2022.”
We are looking forward to assisting the residents in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas,” she said.
Open Mortgage was founded in 2003 and David Vonfeldt has been with the company for eight years, Joe’ started in March of 2022.
Contact information
Fritter E-mail : [email protected] website or the wesbite: openmortgage.com/joe-fritter Phone number – 620-644-8146 (licensed in Kansas, Missouri)
Vonfeldt E-mail : [email protected], the website is openmortgage.com/david-vonfeldt Phone number – 316-619-2720 (licensed in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas).
About Open Mortage Open Mortgage is a nationally recognized, rapidly growing, multi-channel mortgage lender that allows the American dream of home ownership, according to a press release.
Since 2003, the business has been dedicated to assisting borrowers.
Cassidy Lutz K-State Research and Extension Family and Consumer Science Agent Southwind District 211 W. Butler Yates Center, KS 66783 620-625-8620
Cassidy Lutz is a new Southwind District Family and Consumer Sciences Agent. She started January 23, 2023.
Her primary office location is in Yates Center.
“As an extension agent, I provide leadership for the development and implementation of research-based educational programming related to families and community systems,” Lutz said. “By offering programs and being involved with community partners and organizations, I help residents throughout Allen, Bourbon, Neosho, and Woodson Counties gain knowledge and skills to better their lives. My primary focus will be Family and Child Development.”
“I travel to Fort Scott on an as needed basis, so I don’t have set days,” she said.
” I am part of a virtual learning series that is offered statewide,” Lutz said. “It is called Living Well Wednesday’s and will be held from 12:15 – 1 p.m. on the following dates. All sessions are recorded so if someone has an interest and can’t watch the live viewing, the recordings can be viewed on the website at a later date. Registration information is on that website as well.”
February 8 – Hypertension Awareness, Prevention and Management
She has a bachelor’s degree in food science from Kansas State University.
“I was most recently the Family and Community Wellness and 4-H Youth Development Agent for Greenwood County K-State Research in Extension,” she said. “Prior to that, I served as a program assistant for the Southwind Extension District upon graduating from K-State.”
Her family includes her mother, Teena Tracy-McNett from Yates father, Gerald Lutz from Garnett. Her grandparents are Gail and Ross Thornbrugh from Yates Center and Clint and Gail Tracy from Toronto.
“I am thrilled to be working in Yates Center again and will take advantage of the opportunities to be involved in the community,” she said. “As a former Southwind employee, I loved getting to work with all the families in the Southwind District and am excited to get back to that. I hope to be involved in many organizations and give support to our wonderful communities by providing knowledge and skills all residents can use to thrive! ”
Nedra Barr started the business, Spyder Inc., in 2021, and it is located at 102 W. 2nd. She is the CEO and founder.
The business develops software and sells it to the insurance industry.
This month the business is renaming to OnboardXI.
“The new name is short for Onboarding Experience Improvement,” she said. “Our new name represents what we do for insurance companies and Insurance Marketing Organizations (IMO), which are our two target markets. The Spyder name will be phased out once the new website is up and running over the next few weeks.”
Onboarding is the processing of a new application for insurance of any kinds, Barr said. “Once the application for insurance is completed by the customer, it goes to the Insurance Marketing Organization or directly to the insurance company to process and issue or decline the policy. While I make this sound simple, these are highly complicated and technical work streams for insurance companies. Every insurance company is unique from another.”
“The OnboardXi solution is easily flexible and adaptable to accommodate each company’s differences,” she said. “Our platform connects systems together fast, processes new applications fast…. right the first time. Pretty fun stuff!”
“What used to take months and years to setup for an insurance company, we can do in weeks to couple of months,” she said. “This will be a huge cost savings to insurance companies compared to older types of software solutions.”
“We liked the Spyder name but found it to be too common,” Barr said. “As a result, we were not able to obtain the social media handles we need for marketing and sales.”
In today’s world, a business needs to use social media for presence, awareness and marketing, she said. ” We now have those capabilities with our new name.”
The OnboardXI Platform began demonstrations on Feb. 3 to insurance companies and IMO’s with a rebranded rollout slated for March 1, 2023.
Mike Upright. Submitted photo.
The business has a new low code, no code digital platform that is unique in the insurance industry, according to Mike Upright, CTO Founder. All types of new insurance applications: home, auto, life, disability, annuities, worker’s compensation, etc. will be driven through the application process in the client’s offices with the OnboardXI workflows.
OnboardXI can help up-sell and cross-sell their client’s products and services, which are new capabilities in the market, Upright said.
“This year, 45% of all insurance companies are anticipated to have projects to improve upon the exact things the OnboardXI solution solves,” Upright said.
David Brezik. Submitted photo.
David Brezik, local Fort Scott resident and investor in the business, is also the OnboardXi Senior Vice President Product and Co-Founder. He believes their business will have a “significant impact in the insurance marketplace. This is truly next level software that will revolutionize the insurance industry.”
Arun Nageshwar. Submitted photo.
“We know the impact and importance of our solution in the United States,” Senior Vice President Product Engineering and Co-Founder Arun Nageshwar said. “When we are ready, we will look to specific international markets to serve as well.”
Three people work in Fort Scott office: Brezik, Barr and a marketing support person.
Nageshwar works from India and Upright from St Augustine, FL.
The Sleep Inn, 320 E. Wall, has installed an electric vehicle charging stations for the hotel travelers and the community.
To better serve travelers and the community, the Sleep Inn Hotel installed an electric vehicle charging station a few weeks ago.
An electric vehicle charging station was recently installed at Sleep Lnn by Jeff Allen. Submitted photo.
An electric vehicle charging station is equipment that connects an electric vehicle (EV) to a source of electricity to recharge electric cars, neighborhood electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, according to https://www.techtarget.com
“We are only the second public charging station in town,” Sleep Inn Manager Bill Michaud said. “The only other one being Evergy with a single port station in front of their offices on Old Fort Blvd.”
The Sleep Inn is located at 320 E. Wall, Fort Scott.
Bill Michaud. Submitted photo.
Currently. Michaud knows of only one other hotel charging station in the area, in Overland Park.
“As far as hotels in southeast Kansas, the Hampton Inn at Prairie Fire Casino is the only other hotel based EV station, ” Michaud said. We are hopeful that adding this station will open the doors to our community to the growing number of EV drivers.”
A car charging at an electric vehicle charging station.
Michaud is in the process of adding the Sleep Inn charging station to the numerous station locator online apps. This makes it easy for drivers to plan sites that can accommodate their electric vehicles along a route.
“Our charger is a JuiceBar brand, two-port, 32 amp charger that operates on the EVConnect network,” he said. “To use the station you simply download the EVConnect app and use the station identifying QR code on the side of the charging station to activate the port.”
“The station is open to the public – not restricted to hotel guest use,” he said. “We just hope that making the charging station available will bring people to town that otherwise wouldn’t ,due to lack of charging options. I’m told that the 32amp charger will charge an EV at the rate of 25 miles per hour on the charger giving someone that’s plugged in for 12 hours up to 300 miles in driving range.”
Linda O’Nelio Knoll, is a speaker, educator and historian in Pittsburg. Photo from the Humanities Kansas website.
Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott will host “Army of the Amazons: Women’s Fight for Labor Rights in the Kansas Coalfields,” a presentation and discussion by Linda O’Nelio Knoll on Friday, February 10, 2023 at 2 p.m., at the Lowell Milken Center at 1 South Main Street.
“The presentation and books are free and there will be wine and cheese as well,” said Ronda Hassig, Funding Development Spokesperson at the LMC. “We would love to see you and you are welcome to bring a friend too!”
Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. Contact the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes at #620-223-1312 for more information. The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas.
Refreshments will be provided for those attending.
In December 1921, thousands of women in southeast Kansas rose up to fight injustice in the area coalfields.
These women were immigrants from Eastern European nations as well as Kansas born.
After a months-long strike by the coalminers, the women joined the cause. In the short term, their efforts crippled mine production for nearly a month; in the longer term, their continued activism impacted future statewide elections and national legislation.
This talk will share the stories of these women, christened the “Amazon Army” by The New York Times, and their fight for democracy and labor rights in Kansas’s coalfields.
This event will kick off the community reading of two books about Unsung Heroes “Cher Ami” and “Lorraine Hansberry.”
Free books are provided by Humanities Kansas and all are welcome to participate!
Both book discussions will happen at the Lowell Milken Center three weeks after the book is passed out
About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, our pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with our partners and supporters, we inspire all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve the communities and state we all proudly call home. Visit humanitieskansas.org.
