Connie Billionis is retiring from USD 234 School District after 42 years.
USD 234 Board of Education Building, 424 S. Main
“I worked as a secretary at Fort Scott Middle School for 13 years,” Billionis said. “I then transferred to the USD 234 Board of Education (office) as Deputy Clerk and Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent for the remainder of my career for a total of 42 years.”
There have been many changes since she started over four decades ago.
“Changes in technology made a huge difference in how I performed my job,” she said. “I started out typing student schedules on an electric typewriter. Attendance was recorded by collecting absentee slips every hour at the middle school and recording the information by marking boxes by hand in large leather books. And now, everything is completed on laptops, using two or more screens. All state reports, documents, board policy, board of education agendas, etc. are accomplished using the internet through multiple programs.”
The best aspect of her job has been co-workers, teachers, and students.
“I have made life-long friendships and memories with lots of laughter and a few tears along the way,” she said. “I loved seeing students grow and change before they moved on to the high school. It was great when teachers would come into the office to share a student’s essay or a student’s success. At the board office, I truly enjoyed keeping track of calendar events, preparing board agendas for monthly and special meetings, and assisting teachers with their professional learning opportunities. It has been an honor to serve the students, faculty, and staff at USD 234.”
As with all of life, there have been challenges.
“One of the biggest challenges has been the changes with each administration,” Billionis said. “I was fortunate to work with eight different superintendents, and each one made a change in the working environment.”
She does have plans for retirement.
“I’m looking forward to spending more time with my husband, Gary. I love to be with my grandkids, and I have a great time outside in the garden,” she said. “Just having an opportunity to relax and enjoy God’s beautiful world will be a blessing. The hardest part of retirement will be missing the day-to-day interaction with my office friends.”
The retirement reception for Billionis is on Monday, July 17, at 4:30 p.m. at the Board of Education office.
Robert and Kim Coon own A1 Towing. Submitted photo.
Robert and Kim Coon are the owners of A1 Towing Service and often that business leads to buying salvage lots and liquidations.
“Any time there is a semi (tractor/trailer) accident that one of our three locations work, we will bid on the cargo,” Coon said. “Often the cargo is undamaged and we can sell the items at a discount price in our community.”
He gave an example.
“In 2022 we sold 25 new residential heat and air-conditioning systems and insulation for a 30% of the value, to locals,” Coon said.
At the beginning of this year, Coon, worked a wreck that had some science lab cabinets that were unharmed.
“Opportunity came for us to acquire these bio cabinets, Kimberly (his wife) called and spoke with Gina Shelton (USD234 Board Clerk and Finance Director) about donating them if the school district could use them. Gina was instrumental in the process. I believe they are going to be used in two different science classes.”
“These bio cabinets couldn’t have a better home than USD 234 science labs,” Coon said. “Kim and I have six proud Fort Scott Tigers.”
Coon initially contacted the school district at the end of January, Destry Brown, USD 234 Superintendent said.
Destry Brown. Submitted photo.
“We then polled both principals and they felt they could use the cabinets in classrooms,” Brown said. ” In March, connections were made between Mr. Coon and the district to coordinate delivery. The cabinets were delivered on April 6, but the spaces they are to go in are either under construction with the heating, ventilation , air-conditioning energy projects, being used for summer programming, or being deep cleaned as we do in the summer months.”
Photo of the science cabinet. Submitted photo.
They intend to place them in the appropriate classrooms as soon as those spaces are ready, Brown said.
“We did not want to unpackage them before moving them to avoid damage,” Brown said. “Right now they are being stored at the district offices to protect them.”
The estimated value of the two science lab cabinets is $34,280 ($17,140 each) based upon estimates of comparable property, Brown said.
Usage will be to secure storage materials in classrooms.
“The middle school is adding programming related to a paint booth and this would allow for secured storage of that,” Brown said.
“They will be placed at the middle school and/or high school,” Brown said. “This will be determined after the principals return to contract for the 2023-24 school year.”
Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsey Madison opens the FS Downtown Meet and Greet.
There are several community projects happening in Fort Scott.
At the Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greeton July 11, facilitated by the Chamber of Commerce, leaders of several of the projects gave updates. The event was hosted by Lyons Realty Group office.
Lindsey Madison, Chamber Executive Director, gave a summary of the upcoming events and promotions:
July 15: Christmas in July Sidewalk Sale
July 18: Patty LaRoche will present a book talk at Hedgehog.INK! from 7 to 8:30 p.m. LaRoche’s new book, A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection will be featured.
August 4-6: Sales Tax Holiday Weekend, where participating businesses give customers a 9.4 percent discount on purchases.
Sept. 8-9: Town-wide Garage Sale
Sept. 9: Art Crawl by the Bourbon County Arts Council, the Artificers and more, from 2-6 p.m.
Sept. 16: Author Miranda Collins, Chanute, writer of Action Detective Mystery will be at Hedgehog.INK! at 2 p.m.
Sept. 21: Downtown Fall Fest, stores open until 8 p.m. for fall food snacks and shopping.
Oct. 28: Halloween Parade. Festivities start at 10 a.m., children’s downtown parade on Main Street at 11 a.m.
Nov. 9-11: Holiday Open House, kick off on Thursday from 5-8 p.m. with continued open house on Friday and Saturday.
Nov. 25: Shop Small Friday/Saturday in Fort Scott.
Nov. 30 Candy land Christmas with parade and festivities downtown.
Bailey Lyons gave an update on the splash pad project: Concrete is being poured this Thursday on the big splash pad. On July 15-16 volunteers are needed to help with landscaping projects: bring gloves and tools. The group has raised approximately $325,000 for the project nearing completion.
The new historic mural that will be created on Skubitz Plaza will be unveiled in coordination with the Gordon Parks Celebration on Oct. 6. The mural was approved by the city’s design review board this week, Jerry Witt, owner of the mural site building said.
The multi-purpose pavilion to be on Skubitz Plaza is in the works, Madison said. The Farmers Market group will use the facility “and anyone else.”
The welcome arch to the city is being worked on by the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team and will go to the city’s design review board.
The Chamber Golf Classic is this Friday July 14 at Woodland Hills Golf Course. They are still accepting raffle items.
The Special Olympic Golf Tournament is July 29 at the same course.
The mountain bike race, the Marmaton Massacre Festival, will be Sept. 16 in Gunn Park.
The annual Naturalization Ceremony at the Fort Scott National Historic Site will be on a Friday in September to be announced.
Bourbon County Commission Chairman Jim Harris said it is asphalt laying season in the county, “please be cautious of workers.”
“Since 2019 we’ve lowered the mill levy by 9.6%…I will not vote for a mill levy increase,” he said.
There is a new format for speaking at the commission meetings, he said: People must sign up and they get 5 minutes each to speak. “We want peoples input,” he said. “It’s OK to disagree but be professional.”
Harris said there is a request for proposals for the overpass project on the south side of Fort Scott. The commission will be applying for state and federal funds for the project.
Rob Harrington, Bourbon County Regional Economic Development Director, said they have been working on a Star Bond and TIF project south of town, and it will be “huge to the community.” His office is at the former Mercy Hospital building, now owned by Legacy Health Foundation.
Kari West, Lead Customer Solutions Manager at Evergy, said the utility company hasn’t had an increase in five years and they are requesting one. Evergy purchased property north and west of their current location on Skubitz Plaza with plans to move to that site.
The Fort Scott Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet at Lyons Realty Group,, 8 E. Wall, on July 11.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to a Chamber Coffee this Thursday, July 13th at 8 a.m. hosted by City State Bank. The Chamber Coffee will be at their South Location, 1012 S. Hwy 69. Coffee, juice, and light refreshments will be served in addition to a door prize drawing.
City State Bank has proudly been serving our community since 1920, and this year marks their 103rd Anniversary! Over the years City State has continued to grow and operates two full-service locations, their downtown branch at 202 Scott Avenue and their South branch located at 1012 Highway 69. Being locally owned and operated, they take pride in connecting with their customers to serve their needs efficiently and with care. They are super excited about hosting this week’s Chamber Coffee and seeing new faces here!
Any member business or organization wanting to host Chamber Coffee in 2022 is encouraged to contact the Chamber to save a date by calling 620-223-3566 or emailing [email protected].
Woodland Hills Golf Course, 2414 S. Horton, Fort Scott.
The 6th Annual Bourbon County Special Olympics Golf Scramble is July 29.
Amy Bockerstette, a Special Olympian from Phoenix, AZ. Submitted photo.
“To date we have raised over $115,00 for Special Olympics Kansas,” Steve Anthony, tournament director said. “Because last year was such a huge hit for us we are bringing back former Major Leaguer Otis Nixon to our event.”
“Otis will be bringing with him Harlem Globetrotter Hollywood Brown, Golf Trick Shot Artist Rocky Shipe, and Olympic Medalist Arthur Culbreath,” he said.
They have a full field of sixty-two teams with 264 players coming from seven different states.
Tee times will start on Saturday July 29 at 7a.m. with the first wave of teams. The second wave will take off at approx 1:15 p.m.
“I want to thank Andrew Defebaugh and Chase Halsey for all of their help to make this tournament a success,” Anthony said. “The community is invited to come out starting at 7 a.m. to purchase raffle tickets for $1 each.”
Time Judy, Ben Cole, Steve Anthony and Nick Rule at the Special Olympics event three years ago. Submitted photo.
“We also have a golf cart we will be giving away that day to the lucky winner of one of our many raffle prizes we will have available,” Anthony said. “I can’t thank the community enough for always stepping up to raise funds for such a great cause.”
For more information please contact him at 620-215-2392.
Chris Garzone, 53, is the new Assistant Principal at Winfield Scott Elementary, Fort Scott, starting August 1.
Winfield Scott Elementary School, 316 W. 10th Street, Fort Scott.
From Prescott, Arizona, he attended Sterling College on a scholarship to play football and baseball and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health and Physical Education K-12.
Garzone chose a career in education because of the lasting impact teachers and coaches had in his life.
He is in his 28th year in education.
Those years include Gallup, New Mexico, at a small catholic school.
“I was the K-12 Physical Education teacher, taught 10th grade health, was the Athletic Director, and coached various sports.”
They moved to Fort Scott, where his wife Laura taught at St. Mary’s and he was hired at Nevada R5 Schools, teaching elementary physical education K-2 for one year, then taught health classes at Heartland Behavioral Health School for five years. He coached softball, baseball, football and basketball while in Nevada.
In 2005, he completed the Educational Leadership Program from Pittsburg State University and was hired as an assistant principal at Pittsburg Community Middle School.
After one year, he transferred to Pittsburg High School and was an assistant principal for 17 years.
“The best part of being an administrator is the relationships that have occurred between students, staff, the families and the community,” he said. “We are all on a team focused on doing what’s right for each individual child. Observing teachers and students having success inside and outside the classroom is very rewarding for me. I am a servant leader who places others’ needs above my own.”
“I accepted the Assistant Principal position at Winfield Scott because professionally it will be a good challenge for me, switching from secondary to elementary,” he said. “Fort Scott is an amazing community. My wife grew up here and this small town is a good place to live and be involved in.”
He is celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary with Laura Tuchscherer of Fort Scott this August, he said.
They have four children: Haley, a May 2023 Kansas University Graduate pursuing a masters degree in Public Health, with the intent on attending medical school; Austin, attending Pittsburg State University in the Automotive Certification Program; Molly, at PSU pursuing Elementary Education; Tyler, a junior at Fort Scott High School,who plans to play basketball for the Tigers.
“Our children have blessed our lives in so many ways,” he said.
Melissa Guns, 43, was recently selected to serve on the Fort Scott City Commissioner, replacing Josh Jones, who moved outside the city limits.
She was sworn in directly after being selected on June 18.
Fort Scott City Hall.
“The duties of the position include working with other council members to make fiscally and ethically sound decisions, closely reviewing and monitoring the budget and expenditures, creating the budget, passing ordinances that will benefit the greatest number of citizens possible, ensuring city policies do not harm vulnerable populations, bringing concerns and needs regarding the day-to-day operations to the attention of the City Manager, listening to citizens’ concerns and viewpoints, passing policies that will help the growth of the city’s economy, working to reduce or minimize the tax burden of citizens whenever possible, and collective oversight of the City Manager,” she said.
Citizens may contact Guns with concerns or comments by emailing [email protected] or calling City Hall and leaving a message with the City Clerk.
Background
Guns graduated from Barnesville High School in 1998, then earned a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science in 2005 and Master of Education in 2012, both through Wilmington University, New Castle, DE
She is currently employed as a Program Evaluator at Greenbush Education Service Center in the Research, Evaluation and Grants Department.
“In my current role, I have written three grants for 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) all of which were funded for $500,000 each over five years.”
She evaluates and writes grants. These grants provided funding for improving literacy by providing training for teachers, access to books, etc.
Guns is part of the Kansas Prevention Collaborative (KPC) evaluating for the Kansas Prevention Collaborative and other coalitions who have received prevention grants from the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS).
She also evaluates the Kansas Prevention Collaborative trainings, events, and workforce.
“I also build surveys and other evaluation tools, most recently supporting the State Opioid Response, Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers, Community Mental Health Centers, Assisted Outpatient Treatment, and the KS Heart Program, and has also written smaller grants outside of Greenbush.
Prior to moving to Kansas in 2016, she was an administrative assistant for Bradco Services, a small construction company, putting together bids and familiarizing herself with the International Building Code Standards, learning federal payroll compliance, developing marketing and media to promote the business.
In her youth, she taught Bible classes to younger children, went on mission trips within the U.S. and Honduras, cared for the elderly at an assisted living home, and participated in AmeriCorp/VISTA as a Volunteer Coordinator for a summer reading and nutrition program in Parkersburg, WV.
Philosophy
Guns believes good citizenship is a duty.
She loves the area in Ohio where she grew up and learned first-hand that there is a need to have ” a broad enough industry to provide jobs to people from all walks of life and education levels. I believe that if a town is not moving forward to ensure jobs, housing, infrastructure, and financial stability it will slowly die.”
“I want to ensure Fort Scott retains small town values while expanding enough that no matter what path our children take when they graduate high school, Fort Scott is a thriving desirable community where they will not have to choose between making their own homes in Fort Scott or having to move away in order to have a job in their chosen profession,” she said.
“The choices we make now will determine the future,” she said. “It is imperative that Fort Scott makes sound fiscal decisions, grows economically, and repairs infrastructure in a way that supports future maintenance and expansion, while retaining the City’s rich history. That is the reason I submitted my letter of interest for the open position. I want to help Fort Scott achieve these goals and believe my experience will allow me to examine the decisions that need to be made from multiple perspectives to determine the best course of action.”
“I am working on creating a public Facebook page by which citizens may also contact me,” she said. “Please note that the ability to post on my page will be limited as this is meant to be a method of contact and not a public forum. Any questions, information, or issues that are appropriate for the City Manager to handle will be forwarded to him. I will respond to let you know the issue has been brought to his attention and any actions that are taken as a result. If citizens would like to share their viewpoint on an issue, I am happy to listen. I will not and cannot comment regarding personnel issues or instruct city personnel, as the only city employee under the direct purview of the committee is the City Manager.”
“Issues or concerns regarding employees other than the City Manager should be directed to Brad Matkin,” she said. “I will however, listen to and confer appreciation and accolades for city staff. ”
Family
Doug and Melissa have five children. Doug Jr. lives in Virginia. Their son Zander and daughter Emma attend Fort Scott High School, son John attends FSMS, and youngest son Lincoln attends Winfield Scott Elementary School.
This is part of a series featuring young entrepreneurs.
To recommend a youth under 18 years-of-age for a feature, send contact info to [email protected]
Katy Shead. Submitted photo.
Katy Shead, 16, is providing tutoring services for school children for a business.
She attends a virtual school.
“I provide online tutoring services for people in my online school,” Katy said. “I mainly tutor math but I helped one student with basic Latin last school year.”
Her academic advisor and teachers recommend her to families.
“Also, people have made posts requesting tutors on my school’s Facebook page,” she said. “I have also started doing free sessions to advertise.”
Katy started tutoring as a business during the 2021-2022 school year.
“My academic advisor asked me if I would like to tutor a girl in Saxon Math 5/6,” she said.” I had always enjoyed helping my brother, cousins, and classmates with school, and I was excited to try to help this girl.”
She seems to be a natural teacher.
“I enjoyed the creative challenge of finding engaging ways to present the material to her,” she said. “She was very sweet and we had a lot of fun. This past year I got to tutor her again and her sister as well!”
“It’s sometimes difficult to tutor online – especially with a subject where showing work is mandatory,” she. “I use WebEx to video conference with my students and we work on the whiteboard.”
Katy practicing constructions for the Geometry review. Submitted photo.
“I sent a document camera to one of my families with two students so that I could see both their work and their faces at the same time to pinpoint confusion as soon as possible,” she said.
She has tutored 5th and 6th grade, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.
“One of my students in Algebra II lives in Cambodia,” she said. “It was so interesting to hear her stories and perspectives.”
This coming year, she is taking on greater challenges.
“I hope to tutor more upper-level math such as Pre-calculus and Calculus I, as I am going to be taking Calculus II next year,” she said. “I also hope to tutor higher levels of Latin if there is an opportunity.”
A recent geometry final review she held, had 35 students.
Katy Shead with her geometry class. Submitted photo.
She is the daughter of Mark and Haley Shead, rural Fort Scott.
The Fourth of July celebration will continue Friday at the Heritage Park Pavilion – folk style.
The Prairie Sunflower Strings will perform several patriotic songs beginning at 7 p.m. at 1st and Main streets.
The musical group plays traditional folk music and has put together a collection of patriotic music for the season. A few traditional songs will also be added into the mix.
Members of the group are Jean Strader and Cherry Nelson on mountain dulcimers, Marilyn Adcock on autoharp and vocals, Sandy Hemphill on guitar, violin and vocals, and Jack Hemphill on guitar. The musicians have been playing together for about five years.
“This is a group of very talented musicians and vocalists who are always a delight to hear,” concert-series organizer Ralph Carlson said. “Their sound is unique and gets to the heart of what local music is about.”
Sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, Friday Night Concerts are free. Bring lawn chairs as seating is limited. In the event of rain or extreme heat, the concert will be moved to Common Ground Coffee Co., 12 E. Wall St.
Sound support is provided by Dave’s Music Gear and Jim Butler. The concert series is sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.
Judah Whitson mans the cash register at his family’s booth at the Fort Scott Farmers Market. He makes and sells mini-donuts at five-years-old, with help from his family.
A subscriber who has been reading the Young Entrepreneur Series on fortscott.biz was touched and wanted to support each business with a $50 grant.
The benefactor wishes to remain anonymous.
This is what he wrote:
“I always stop at the local kids’ lemonade stands. When I was growing up in Fort Scott, I remember the postman buying a cup of lemonade from me. For some reason that stayed with me.
“Selling Grit Magazine door to door, making birdhouses and selling them door to door, having a Tribune newspaper route back when you paid for your batch of papers up front, delivered them, and then collected monthly. If anyone stiffed you, you were out the dough. All of those things were great life lessons for me growing up in Fort Scott. That’s why I really like your program of highlighting young entrepreneurs”
If your child has been highlighted in our Young Entrepreneur Series, please contact [email protected] for the grant money.
The Young Entrepreneur Series is featuring youth under 18 years old who have a business in product or services.
To recommend a young entrepreneur in our community, please send contact info, email or phone number to [email protected]
Taco Azul Food Truck has turned the gazebo on the grounds of the Twin Mansions into place to eat their Mexican food. Submitted photo.
The Taco Azul Food Truck has moved to a new site with more seating and shade for their customers.
The menu. Submitted photo.
“We’re excited about this move because there’s more seating, more shade, more room for kids to move around, and altogether a great atmosphere,” Erin Macik said. “Seb set up a really neat outside dining area, and it will be a lovely gathering place for the folks of Fort Scott.”
“Our only regret is that everyone at the Washateria was very accommodating and pleasant to work with, and we’re sad to leave them,” she said.
The reason for the move: technical reasons.
“The generator for the trailer has a carbon monoxide detector and automatically shuts off when levels get high,” she said. “Unfortunately, it was shutting off about every 20 minutes, so we needed to find a place with a plug-in. We were able to install one easily at the mansions, and Seb is starting there today!”
“After a year of planning and setting up, we opened at the Good Ol’ Days festival this year,” Erin said.
Taco Azul at Good Ol Days Festival 2023. Submitted photo.
Seb Macik spent some time teaching in Mexico City before he and Erin were married, and discovered Mexican street tacos during that time.
“Ever since then, he’s been working to make the perfect street taco, and the result is Taco Azul: real-deal Mexico City tacos in Fort Scott, KS,” she said.
Street tacos made by Seb Macik. Submitted photo.
The Twin Mansions are located at 742 National Ave., Fort Scott, they are in the parking lot behind
.
Regular hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
“We post the week’s schedule on Facebook every week, and there are slight changes occasionally, but in general, those are the hours we’ll be open,” Erin said.
Taco Azul Food Truck has moved to the Twin Mansions property on National Avenue. Submitted photo. This is the dining area set up at the gazebo on the property.
A fireworks display. Photo provided by Shawn Pytlowany.
The annual community fireworks display will be July 3 at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 Horton Street. Cars will be lined up on Horton for viewing the display.
Shaunn Pytlowany, lead pyrotechnician with Premier Pyrotechnics will be once again be orchestrating the fireworks display for Fort Scott.
“This is our second year of a multi-year contract,” Pytlowany said.
The display will be shorter this year, but more spectacular.
“We have been asked to provide a 15 minute show, to shorten it, so there will be more going off at any one time,” Pytlowany said. “Which will make it more spectacular.”
Fireworks set up for a display. Photo submitted by Shawn Pytlowany.
KMDO, KOMB, 103.9 radio station will be broadcasting music to listen to while watching the display.
There will be 512 aerials exploded with display heights of between 275 to 600 feet, depending on wind speed and humidity, he said.
Pytlowany and his crew will start setting up the display at 7 a.m. on July 3 and under normal circumstances set up will be complete between 8:30 and 9 p.m.
He has provided displays for local football and soccer games, cities, weddings, family reunions, and at the LaRoche Baseball Complex for the Wounded Warrior Project. The Premier Pyrotechnics company has provided displays for the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs, he said.
He has worked at Premier Pyrotechnics, based in Richland, MO for nine years, but has been fascinated by them for 40 years, he said.
“I was always interested in the design, manufacturing process and of course the explosion,” he said.
Sponsors
Advance Bourbon County, a local non-profit, took over the organizing and paying for the display from the Elks Club this year.
This year the cost of the event is $12,000.
Helping to sponsor the fireworks event is Fort Scott Gun and Pawn Shop, the City of Fort Scott, Tall Grass Building System, the American Legion, the Elks Club, Brian Bowman Construction, Engstrom Construction, the Kiwanis Club and A-1 Towing.
Prelude Fun and Food
There will be local vendors selling food and drinks: Juan Some Grub, Fort Scott High School Swim Team-lemonade tent, Valley Flavor, Tiger Ice Sno Cones, Doggone Dogs, and Los Tres Pollitos, Aaron Judy, one of the organizers said.
Additionally, there will be corn hole and other yard games for people to use, he said.
These will be set up in the area between the FSCC John Deere Department (the old armory) and the 4-H Building on the Bourbon County Fairgrounds.
Fort Scott’s Rules For Fireworks
During the event, there can be no fireworks discharged from 18th Street and Horton Street to 23rd and Horton, according to Fort Scott Police Department Chief Jason Pickert.
“They cannot be discharged on the community college campus or on the Bourbon County Fairgrounds,” he said.
Fireworks can be purchased until July 4.
Until July 2 they can be discharged from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. On July 3 and July 4 they can be discharged from 7 a.m. until midnight.
