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There are approximately nine employees.
“There are also several that completely volunteer their time,” Griffin said.
There are approximately nine employees.
“There are also several that completely volunteer their time,” Griffin said.
Shawn Vincent will start as the new City of Uniontown Clerk on April 29.
Vincent, 50, lives near Uniontown and operates a small cow/calf farm.
He graduated from high school in Manhattan, KS, and is currently working on a bachelor’s degree.
Vincent said he has 23 years of military experience (retired) with over 10 years in human resources. and over three years as a liaison with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
He was a motor grader operator for Bourbon County for over two years, before that.
He has three children Joshua, Allison (“A.J.”) and Arwin (who passed away in 2018), and has lived in Bourbon County for seven years.
“I am retired military and have enjoyed the peace of living in the country, I moved here from Austin, TX,” he said.
The transition to a new clerk.
Sally Johnson, who has been the clerk for 11 years will be training Vincent full-time until the week of May 20, then will continue training part-time “and do other things that have been put on the back burner until the end of the year,” she said.
The city clerk position is complex, she said.
“Per the League of Kansas Municipalities City Officials Manual: The city clerk’s list of responsibilities can also vary dramatically from city to city. In most cities, city clerks are expected to administer records management, assist the governing body in complying with the Kansas Open Meetings Act, assist the city’s records custodian with complying with the Kansa Open Records Act, provide the official correspondence for the city, provide an accurate and complete account of the city’s financial position, and act as a public relations officer on behalf of the City.”
Johnson said there are more duties: “K.S.A. 13-518 established the following as the duties of the city clerk in cities of the first class: attend all meetings of the council; keep a record of the proceedings; record all official acts of the clerk and attest them when necessary; keep and preserve the official records of the city; keep and preserve the corporate seal of the city; keep and preserve all public records, papers, and documents not belonging to any other office; administer oaths; and keep a correct account of the financial affairs of the city treasurer.”
“We are a city of the third class, so as city clerk here you do all of the above and utility clerk, court clerk, human resources, public information officer, oversee animal control and custodial employees, and anything else that is deemed necessary,” she said.
Johnson was hired May 14, 2013 and this will be her retirement as city clerk, she said.
“I am not retiring completely,” she said. ” I will continue working part-time somewhere. I plan on getting my substitute teacher certificate and work when I want and enjoy time off when I don’t want to work.”
Brandon Whisenhunt, 45, was selected last evening by the local Republican Party to fill the Bourbon County Commission District One position. The meeting took place at the Fort Scott Livestock Market.
Whisenhunt replaces Nelson Blythe, who resigned earlier this month.
“I work as a trash truck technician for waste management in Kansas City, Kansas,” Whisenhunt said. “I was previously a city council member for the City of Mapleton and currently volunteer for the Mapleton Homecoming Committee. My wife Becky and I have been married for almost 25 years we have four children, 2 birth and 2 adopted.” He works in Kansas four days a week.
He also has a Federal Firearms License and can sell firearms from his home, he said.
Seven people applied for the position before the deadline: Joe Bisogno Jr., Marion “Mike” Embry, Nick Graham, Ken Klassen, Mary Pemberton, Brent Smith, and Whisenhunt.
” Mike Embry was unable to attend in person due to a trip that was planned before the application process began, however; he prepared a written statement that was read by Mark McCoy,” Jennifer Hawkins, Bourbon County Clerk said.
“The Chairman of the Republican party must send a certificate of election results to the Governor’s office within 24 hours of the vote,” Hawkins said. “The Governor’s office will certify Brandon Whisenhunt as the District 1 Commissioner and send him a Certificate of Appointment. I must receive a copy of the Certificate of Appointment before Brandon can be sworn in and act as a Commissioner. Due to the timing of Nelson’s resignation the term Brandon will fulfill will only be for the remainder of the year. The Commission 1 seat will be on the ballot this year (in November) to elect an individual for a two-year term.”
Seventy-two customers and many townspeople were affected by a power outage that started with a downed power line in Fort Scott on April 16, according to customer service at Evergy, the electrical utility.
The power is fully restored to Fort Scott from yesterday’s outage which happened about 12:15 p.m., according to Fort Scott City Manager Brad Matkin.
The wind blew down a power pole on the north side of Landmark Bank across from McDonald’s Restaurant at the corner of Hwy. 69 and 23rd Street, according to Matkin.
Helping with the problem were the Fort Scott Police Department, Fort Scott Fire Department, and Evergy, the utility company, he said.
William Billings has been mowing yards since he was a child growing up, and started with a push mower as a kid.
Now he has a truck, trailer, and a zero-turn mower, with chainsaws and weed eaters to tackle any job.
He has over 15 years of experience mowing and worked for LACO Seamless Gutters for four years as a gutter specialist until the company shut down, he said.
Billings started Will’s Gutter Service last year in Fort Scott.
“The services I provide for the community are mowing yards, gutter cleanouts, gutter inspections and maintenance, tree trimming, leaf and debris clean up,” he said.
Rumble on The Bricks is a local car show organized by Fort Scott residents, Austin Alfaro and Dakota Rusk.
“We present ourselves as a car community but this is for anybody who wants to come out and have a good time, see friends, and promote small businesses/ideas,” Rusk said. “All vehicles are welcome, bring whatever you’ve got, just come hang out.”
Their first car shows were in 2023 and one is scheduled for April 21 at Riverfront Park, north of the orange-colored bridge on North National Avenue. The event starts at noon and will last about three hours, Rusk said.
“This is a family-friendly event, food trucks are welcome to come,” he said. “We’ve had Over Yonder BBQ bring some amazing food last year.”
They hope to bring the community together and give people something to do, once a month when the weather is nice, Rusk said.
“My main goal is to bring the community together and have fun,” he said. “This is a car show, just for fun.”
Admission is free.
Kelly Perry answered a job ad from the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team posting in October, 2023 for a local food fellow position.
“People know me and know I’m willing to help if I can,” she said. “Sometimes people get intimidated or scared of the inspectors or do not know who to contact to ask the questions so that leads them to me. I, for one, have had to attend countless seminars, online Zoom meetings, and hours of reading to learn about my family’s business Perry’s Pork Rinds, and our food laws and regulations.”
Frank and Cheryl Adamson are celebrating 20 years as hoteliers in Fort Scott.
They purchased the Courtland Hotel, at First and Scott Avenue in the historic district of Fort Scott in 2004.
The hotel is located at 121 E. First St, Fort Scott.
“We purchased the historic hotel here in downtown Fort Scott to expand Cheryl’s day spa business,” Frank said. “She started doing massage therapy as a side gig that grew into the need for additional space. We utilize around 2,500 square feet of the hotel’s ground floor, for the Courtland Spa and Salon.” They employ seven people.
“There have been so many things that have blessed us in ownership and operating the historic hotel in downtown Fort Scott it’s hard to pick out one thing,” he said. “Seeing and being part of the resurgence of downtown has been amazing. We have developed an appreciation for downtown’s impact on the community, what Fort Scott’s history is, and the impact it made on Western expansion. The historic hotel of course is a functioning hotel, circa 1906. With guests coming from all over the world to see it and stay in it. We get to share some of the local history and make a new friend.”
History of the Courtland
The Courtland Hotel was built in 1906 to accommodate people using the railroad traffic through the town.
But today it offers a day spa that includes massage therapy service, a hair salon and manicures/pedicures, and internet service for its customers.
The hotel was recently featured in Kansas Magazine as a historic Kansas hotel, here are a few excerpts from that article:
“The first 50 to 60 years of this business, the lodging was essentially for men only,” Frank says, adding the hotel mostly housed railroad engineers and brakemen who brought the trains into town, spent the night, and reported back to work to replace the crews coming in on returning trains the next day. “The guys staying in these hotels were the same guys all the time.
“The building was originally constructed with six storefronts on the first floor to accommodate retail and wholesale businesses; the upper level had lodging rooms and a tailor shop. When the number of trains declined, the hotel eventually was used as a dormitory for a flight school before slipping into darkness.
“Seeing its potential, the Adamsons awakened the building from its sleep. Today, its exterior remains as it looked in 1906, and the lobby inside retains its 14-foot tin ceilings and other architectural features. Guests and local residents enjoy the main level’s 2,500-square-foot, full-service day spa the couple added in a way that maintains the unique building’s historical significance,” according to the Kansas Magazine article.
On Tuesday, April 16 at the Ft Scott Livestock Market, 2131 Maple Rd, the local Republican party will convene to nominate a replacement for Bourbon County District 1 Commissioner Nelson Blythe who resigned on April 1, according to a press release from Deb Martin, Bourbon County Republican Secretary.
Blythe said he intends to run for Bourbon County Sheriff, according to the Bourbon County Commission Minutes of April 1.
Only District 1 Precinctmen and Women will vote on this appointment, according to the press release.
A new business venture, in the former Scottish Rite Temple, is unique to Fort Scott.
“We have not established set days and times yet but we will post them on the Facebook page,” she said.