All posts by Loretta George

Bourbon County, Health Care

Girard Medical Center of Uniontown To Open In March 2021

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An exam room in the Girard Medical Center of Uniontown clinic.

Girard Medical Center of Uniontown, the new community health center in western Bourbon County, will open in March.

 

Residents currently must travel either to Fort Scott which is 20 miles away,  Iola-25 miles, Pittsburg-38 miles, or Girard-30 miles for medical care.

 

Spearheaded by Uniontown Ruritan, and the vision of several members of the community, the Uniontown health clinic is a collaboration of Ruritan, USD 235 School District, the Bourbon County Commission, the City of Uniontown, and Girard Medical Center.

 

“We hoped to open March 1, but it may be mid-March,” Ruth Duling, the CEO of Girard Medical Center, said.

 

Ruth Duling, CEO of Girard Medical Center. Photo from CMC website.

 

The school district provided the building for the clinic, which is located south of the Uniontown High School football field on the main street in the small town.

 

 

The sign in front of the Girard Medical Center of Uniontown building, which is located just south of the town’s football field.

 

 

“Uniontown USD 235 is excited to partner with other organizations to bring health care options to our district communities,” USD 235 Superintendent Bret Howard said.  “The 2020-21 school year has been very challenging, especially when it comes to community health.  USD 235 is pleased to partner with Girard Medical Center and the Uniontown Ruritan Club in making this dream a reality.”

 

Bret Howard, Superintendent of USD 235. Submitted. photo.

 

“It is great to see the successful culmination of a dream become reality in the creation of the Uniontown rural health clinic,” Mark Warren, District #37 Governor of Middle America Ruritan, who helped spearhead the project, said. “This clinic has the potential to benefit citizens of all ages and provide a choice in health care for the residents of our community.”

 

Mark Warren, Uniontown Ruritan member, opens the east door of the medical clinic. in February 2020, before the renovation of the building began.

 

 

GMC is planning to start providing services to the community with the clinic open three days a week, Duling said.

 

“The remodel has gone well,  and we just have clean—up and finishing touches,” she said.

 

“We are still working on securing personnel,” Duling said. “We will have two positions to start with and we have applicants for those positions already.”

 

The Girard Medical Center of Uniontown is part of the satellite clinics that GMC has in southeast Kansas:   Girard Medical Center of Cherokee, Girard Medical Center of Arma,  and Girard Medical Center of Frontenac.

 

The business area of the Girard Medical Center of Uniontown.

 

 

 

 

 

Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Interest In The Mayhew Cemetery Has Revived

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Submitted photo.
Shirley Hurd is a lifelong resident of Fort Scott and a researcher at Old Fort Genealogy Society (OFGS).
In 1995 she started to research the Mayhew Cemetery, she said in a press release. “This cemetery was set out in a deed in 1885, when the owner, Henry Mayhew sold all but a 100 x 100-foot section where his son-in-law was buried.”
The cemetery is predominantly an African-American burial site .
At the time she began her research, she and two others made a visit to Chet Ober (the property owner) of the site and asked if he could show them where the Mayhew Cemetery was.
“The location (Ober) took us to is where the Mayhew No. 2 cemetery is located,” she said. “Mr. Ober told us that he asked Bourbon County several times to fix up the cemetery. He stated that the county dozed the tombstone, sometime after 1961, into the river, and told him to use the ground as farmland.”
Others Have Sought Info About the Cemetery
Prior to Hurd, in 1973 OFGS Member Gerald Wood met with Ober.
“He stated that he tried diligently to get someone to help preserve the cemetery, but when they were unable to do so, they had it bulldozed since they needed the land,” she said.
In 2006 Hurd was asked for information about the Mayhew Cemetery by Sandra Dudley who was writing a story about the cemetery.
Hurd told Dudley all that she knew about the cemetery and Dudley attempted to view the site.
Dudley found a sign that stated “Do Not Enter – Hazardous Waste – Keep Out” and a Fort Scott City employee told her she was not allowed on the property, that it was private property, according to Hurd.
Dudley published a booklet in 2007 named “The Buried Roots of African-American Ancestry in Fort Scott, Kansas” which includes information on the Mayhew Cemetery.
Hurd Started Researching Again in 2019, After a Hiatus
Last year, she had another join in the research.
“In 2020, Ann Rawlins joined the research of the Mayhew Cemetery and we soon located Mayhew Cemetery No. 2 from aerial maps,” she said. “We believe that Mayhew No.1 could no longer hold any more burials in the 100 x 100-foot lot and burials were started north of the original site, and then to the east just south of the (Marmaton) river bank.”
The updated list of names is now about 175 buried in the two sites of the Mayhew Cemetery, she said.
“There is a Civil War Soldier buried in Mayhew, along with some that were freed as slaves and retained their slave owners’ names,” Hurd said. “There is an entire family that died in 1911 – 13 of whooping cough and other complications due to disease at that time. There are newborns, children, families, neighbors, and a couple (of people) that even lived to be 100 years old. There are so many stories of these families that need to be told.”
“Restoration of the cemetery is not possible,” Hurd said, “but there is a plan to have a memorial stone with all the names of the deceased on it placed in Fort Scott.”
A tombstone that had been located at Mayhew Cemetery. Submitted photos.
The memorial stone will be financed through personal and business donations.
“If you would like more information on the Mayhew Cemetery, please stop by OFGS Library or give me a call,” Hurd said.
OFGS’s phone number is 620-223-3300 or her email address is [email protected]. The office is located on National Avenue, in the basement of Memorial Hall.
Ann Rawlins is a librarian at Old Fort Genealogical Society and recently assisted  Hurd on the project.
 The site for Mayhew Cemetery No. 2 was unknown until Rawlins’ twin brother, Dr. Wayne R. Tucker, used lidar photography of the area. He found that there were two separate locations that were divided by a low channel.
“Once this was discovered…and we had located and recorded GPS coordinates of several surface items,” Rawlins said, “we have been authorized…to dig, but are still working on surface finds.”
“There are many buried in Mayhew who would never have been posted in the local newspapers or death records, so the total number of burials may never be known,” Rawlins said.
“Robert J. Hoard, Ph.D., State Archeologist of Kansas Historical Society is investigating the sites,” Rawlins said, “and has now classified them as historic and archeological cemeteries.”
Currently, a moratorium is in effect that Fort Scott city crews can only brush hog the area to maintain it, and no further damage to the site can be done.
The document is signed by former Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin and authorized by the Fort Scott City Commissioners, Rawlins said.
For an upcoming information event on the Mayhew Cemetery:
To donate to the memorial:
Fort Scott, Government

Land Bank Moves Forward In Fort Scott

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Allyson Turvey. Submitted photo. She was selected by the new city manager to become the Fort Scott Land Bank Manager.

At a Feb. 1 meeting, the newly formed Fort Scott Land Bank voted on the acquisition of 10 N. National Ave.

“This first acquisition marks a historic step for the Fort Scott Land Bank,” City Manager Jeremy Frazier said.  ” It is important to note that this could not have been possible without the visionary leadership of the city commission and the hard work of many key employees such as Community Development Manager Allison Turvey and many others.”

Frazier’s first official day on the job as city manager was Feb. 1.

Jeremy Frazier. Submitted photo.

 

“The city would also like to express its appreciation to the principal owners of J&S Properties and Earth Always for allowing the Fort Scott Land Bank to acquire this property,” he said. ” When asked why the acquisition was allowed to proceed, the owner noted that first, he felt that this would be the best way to preserve the historic building on behalf of the community of Fort Scott, its residents, and the downtown business community. Second, he expressed that he had great faith and optimism in the current city commission and myself to make the best use of this acquisition in a way that would benefit and improve the community.”

 

The owner donated the property.

 

“His generosity has breathed life into the Fort Scott Land Bank which was once only a plan and now is reality,” Frazier said.  Thank you J&S Properties and Earth Always. We have high hopes for this building and its location in the future.”

 

 

The Fort Scott Land Bank is an independent instrument of the city with the responsibility to efficiently buy, hold, manage,  and transform surplus city properties and other underutilized or distressed properties to turn these properties into productive use, according to Allyson Turvey, the newly appointed manager.

 

The Land Bank Board is comprised of Joshua Jones, Mayor of Fort Scott; Kevin Allen, City Commissioner, Pete Allen, City Commissioner; Randy Nichols, City Commissioner; Lindsey Watts, City Commissioner; Jim Harris, Bourbon County Commissioner;
Gregg Motley, Bourbon County Economic Development Board, Inc. Director; Turvey, LandBank Manager, and  Susan Bancroft, LandBank Treasurer

 

“At our next meeting  (Feb. 9)I will be giving a presentation on the processes and objectives of the Land Bank,” Turvey said.  “We will also be discussing priorities for acquisition of property.”

 

Turvey provided the following on the Fort Scott Land Bank:

 

The Fort Scott Land Bank focuses on the conversion of vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties into productive use.

 

Vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties are often grouped together as “problem properties” because they destabilize neighborhoods, create fire and safety hazards, drive down property values, and drain local tax dollars.

 

The Fort Scott Land Bank was created to strategically
acquire problem properties, eliminate the liabilities, and transfer the properties to new, responsible owners in a transparent manner that results in outcomes consistent with community-based plans.

These opportunities are a collection of parcels owned by the Fort Scott Land Bank.

Every transfer of property from the Fort Scott Land Bank will be accompanied by a development agreement, outlining the final use of the property as well as accompanying timelines. The purchase price
for Land Bank properties will be negotiated based on the cost to acquire the property as well as the details in the development agreement. The Fort Scott Land Bank Board of Trustees will approve the final agreement and purchase offer.

 

Ascension Via Christi, Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Fort Scott, Health Care

CHC/SEK In Negotiations With Price Chopper to Move to 2322 S. Main

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Krista Postai. Submitted photo.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is in negotiation with the owners of the former Price Chopper building to acquire it, Krista Postai, CHC/SEK President and CEO, said in an email interview.

 

“However the details are not yet finalized,” she said. “Following the closure of the store in 2019, the health center identified the building as a potential site to house a future clinic based on the uncertainty surrounding the future of the existing hospital building at that time,”  she said.

 

“The large size and convenient location would allow us to bring our medical clinic, walk-in care, and pharmacy into one location with enough space to allow additional expansions if needed,” Postai said.

 

The Price Chopper building is located at 2322 S. Main and has been empty since 2019.

 

The Price Chopper building Nov. 2017, prior to opening.

 

The CHC/SEK lease for the clinic space at the former Mercy Hospital building at 401 Woodland Hills expired on December 31, 2020,Postai said.

 

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas.

Postai said CHC/SEK needed to “move forward on determining a long-range plan for a permanent home for our clinic.”

 

“We did secure an additional two-year lease from Mercy Health System in December – who remains the owner on the building —  on our existing clinic space, with the understanding from Mercy that there was no option to renew,” she said.

 

 

“Mercy also donated several acres of land behind the existing hospital to CHC/SEK and we were planning new construction when the opportunity to acquire the Price Chopper Building was once again raised,” Postai said.

 

 

“We had originally pursued the possibility of utilizing that space (the Price Chopper building) in collaboration with Ascension Via Christi when it first became available but were in the midst of transitioning both the clinic and the Emergency Room over from Mercy which was the priority for both organizations,” she said. “We did, however, remain in contact with the owners of the building who were anxious to see this space utilized once again.”

 

 

“With our plans to now move forward on acquiring the former grocery store, we have reconnected with Ascension Via Christi regarding the possibility of future collaboration and are in serious discussions with their senior leadership,” she said.

 

 

“We remain committed – as does Ascension Via Christi – to ensuring the residents of Bourbon County have access to primary and emergency care today and into the future,” Postai said.

 

 

Entertainment

Motorcycle Riders To Stop at Veterans Memorial in Fort Scott

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Photo from the Tour of Honor Facebook page.

A nation-wide group of motorcyclists is stopping at the Veteran’s Memorial on Skubitz Plaza in downtown Fort Scott when the warm weather gets here, a part of a self-directed ride to selected memorial sites across the nation.

 

“We’ll be featuring the veterans memorial at 2 Old Fort Blvd. this year — one of seven in Kansas — and you can expect riders visiting there between April 1 and October 31, usually solo but sometimes in groups of 2 or 3,” Steve Brooks, with Tour of Honor LLC, said. “They’ll be stopping there to pay respects and taking photos of their rally flag and motorcycles.”

 

The Tour of Honor Motorcycle is a self-directed ride to selected memorial sites that honor American heroes and will have approximately 1,000 riders in 2021, according to  Brooks.

 

“Fort Scott was selected by Kansas state sponsor Alexander Schmidt because of the veterans memorial there,” Brooks said. “All states have state sponsors that wish to share more of their state.”

 

“Not all riders are veterans, but all are patriots and support veterans,” he said.

“Tour of Honor is a great reason to hit the open road, honor our nation’s heroes, and contribute to a few good charities, according to the website tourofhonor.com “The event is a season-long, self-directed ride to memorials and monuments around the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii. Beginning April 1, visit as many sites as you want, with any route you choose.

2021 will have an all-new set of memorial sites to visit, with new roads and new experiences for any avid motorcyclist!”

 

 

Fort Scott, Government

FS City Commission Meeting Agenda For Feb. 2

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NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR
MEETING OF
FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
CITY HALL

CITY COMMISSION MEETING ROOM

123 SOUTH MAIN STREET
FEBRUARY 2, 2021
6:00 P.M.

Call to Order

  1. Roll Call:

K. Allen P. Allen R. Nichols L. Watts J. Jones

II. Flag Salute:

  1. Invocation: Led by: Steven Cole, First United Methodist Church

  2. Approval of Agenda:

  3. Proclamations/Recognitions:

  4. Consent Agenda:

  1. Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of January 19th, 2021 and special meeting minutes of January 19th, 2021.

  1. Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1281-A totaling $345,26816.

  1. Certificate of Appropriateness – 6 N. Main – Paint color approval

  1. Request to Pay – Suez Treatment Solutions, Inc. – Water Treatment Plant – $15,784.70

  1. Public Comment:

(Sign up required. Comments on any topic not on agenda and limited to five (5) minutes per person, at Commission discretion)

  1. Interim City Manager Reports and Comments

  1. Director Reports: Doug Guns

  1. Old Business: None

  1. Appearances: None

  1. New Business:

  1. Consideration to solicit Aquatic Center Cleaning Bid

  2. Consideration of Alley Construction Policy

  3. Consideration of Assessment Waiver Policy

  4. Consideration of Assessment Policy for County Tax Sale

  5. Consideration of Kansas Municipal Utilities Training Program for 2021

  6. Consideration to accept C.FA.P. Grant for $1,317.00.

  7. Discussion of Charter Ordinance for replacing vacant Commissioner position

XII. Reports and Comments:

B. Commissioners Reports and Comments:

C. City Attorney Reports and Comments:

XIII. Executive Session – If requested, (please follow script in all motions for Executive Sessions)

XIV. Adjournment:

Business, Fort Scott

Shelter Insurance: New Digs For New Agent

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Dillon Duffy from Facebook.

Dillon Duffy was working as a para-educator at Fort Scott Middle School when he was approached by Danny Brown, the school principal, and Barb Albright, the owner of H & H Agency, to join their team as an agency manager for H & H Agency. Brown was also working at H & H Agency.

 

“I wanted to get an engagement ring for Abi (now his wife) and needed more money,” he said.

 

He began selling insurance for H & H in 2016.

 

In 2018, Shelter Insurance personnel approached him about the opportunity to have his own insurance business.

 

“Working for myself was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Duffy said.

 

In 2020, Duffy completed the Shelter Insurance program to become a  full-time agent.

 

Also in August 2020, Duffy moved his office from downtown to 1711 S. National, Suite C., just behind Dominos Pizza.

 

Shelter Insurance, 1711 S. National Avenue, Suite C. Submitted photo.

 

He provides all insurance services: auto, home, health, life,  and business.

 

“We take care of it, here at Shelter,” he said. “In addition, we do have Progressive, Bristol-West, and Dairyland Insurance. I sell for these companies.”

 

He likes the business because he is “people-oriented and I like to serve the community,” he said.

 

Duffy is an assistant basketball coach at Fort Scott Middle School.

 

He and his wife, Abigail, now have an almost two years old daughter, Emalynn.

Emalynn, Abigail, and Dillon Duffy. Submitted photos.

 

In addition, his family is a part of congregants at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

 

Hours of the business are 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. during basketball season he said. Outside of basketball season, the business hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

 

Duffy can be reached at 620-223-4110 or his cell at 417-214-4282.

 

After the COVID-19 Pandemic frees meetings up a bit, he will have a Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Open House at the new site, he said.

Also, when the pandemic ends, the conference room in his office will be available for public use, he said.

 

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Jan. 12

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January 12, 2021                                            Tuesday 9:00 am

 

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.

 

Also present were the following; (some were present for a portion of the meeting and some were present for the entire meeting, Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Jody Hoener, Mr. & Mrs. Clint Walker, Nancy Van Etten, Michael Hoyt, Anne Dare and Shane Walker.

 

Clifton made a motion to reorganize and elect Lynne Oharah as the Commissioner Chairman, Jim Harris seconded the motion and all approved.

 

Road & Bridge Director Eric Bailey met with the Commissioners; he said there were limbs down due to ice on the trees on January 1st, he said they are chipping and burning limbs from this storm.  Jim Harris complimented Road & Bridge on the work they did on the roads in the ice/snow storm.

 

Eric reported they are still having issues with the hydraulic pumps on the dump trucks, he said a new pump lasted just over 3 hours.  He said they had a conference call between him, Hillbilt & Tri-Star, Hillbilt rode around with the County and the truck shut down again, there is also an issue with the control box.  Lynne told Eric to keep track of the amount of time spent dealing with the mechanical issues.

 

Eric reported that Schwab Eaton has been doing the annual bridge inspections; he said there are three bridges of concern… a bridge on 215th over the railroad tracks, a bridge at 85th & Xavier, and a bridge on Jayhawk.  Eric said they are cleaning brush under the bridge at 235th & Valley and working on a sidewall at 85th & Xavier.

 

Eric said the motor for the rock crusher is at Berry Tractor for repairs; he said they are getting low on the rock supply.  Eric said they bought coal patch by the ton to fill potholes with.

 

Eric reported they had three internal candidates for the Road & Bridge office manager; he said he interviewed all three and said Jennifer Hawkins was selected and will be starting on 1/19/2021.

 

An employee had an accident in the belly dump trailer on 1/11/2021.

 

At 9:20 am, Clifton made a motion to go into an executive session KSA 75-4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy to discuss a specific employee, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 9:30, Jim seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Patty Love).  Clifton made a motion to reconvene in open session, Jim Harris seconded and all approved, no action was taken.

 

At 9:31 am, Clifton made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy to discuss an employees performance, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 9:46am, Jim seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners).  At 9:46, Clifton made a motion to come back into open session, Jim seconded and all approved, no action was taken.

 

Lynne made a motion to amend the agenda to eliminate the times stamps on the agenda, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Kendell Mason met with the Commissioners to discuss a real property relief application for a home that burnt down in March of 2020; Clifton made a motion to approve the real property relief application for M&RC rentals for a property at 306 S. Steen, Jim seconded and all approved and signed the application.

 

Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 06-21, a resolution regarding patron participation and public forums, Jim seconded and all approved and signed the resolution.  Justin Meeks suggested having a time on the agenda for public comment and for County Counselor.

 

Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 05-21, a resolution naming P. K. Gugnani as the public health officer for 2021, Clifton seconded and all approved and signed the resolution.

 

Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 04-21, a resolution designating depositories and the official publication carrier, Jim seconded the motion, Clifton questioned if Landmark was the main bank and how it was selected, Lynne said yes and said it had been the main bank for several years; Lynne and Jim were in favor of the motion, Clifton was against the motion, the motion passed.

 

Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 03-21, a resolution for reimbursement of travel expenses; Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 02-21, a resolution concerning the waiver of generally accepted accounting principles, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 01-21, a resolution naming the County holidays for 2021, Jim seconded and all approved.

 

Lynne made a motion to nominate Clifton to serve on the SEK Juvenile Detention board, Jim seconded and all approved.

 

Clifton made a motion to nominate Lynne to the SEKRPC board, Jim seconded and all approved.

 

Lynne made a motion to nominate Jim Harris to the Mental Health board, Jim seconded and all approved.

 

Jim made a motion to nominate Lynne to serve on the BEDCO board, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

At 10:06 am, Clifton made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy, to discuss pay and leave time, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 10:16, Jim seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Kendell Mason).  At 10:16, Clifton made a motion to come out of executive session and go back into open session and said there will be action, Jim seconded and all approved.  Lynne made a motion to extend the Federal leave benefits for the County employees that had not used the benefits in 2020, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Register of Deeds, Lora Holdridge met with the Commissioners to give an end of year review; she said they had the best year in 3 years, (even with COVID), she said in 2020 $121,025 was deposited back into the County general fund, in 2019 $94,979 was deposited back into the County general fund and in 2018 $82,103 was deposited back into the County general fund.

 

Nancy Van Etten, Lake Advisory Board, met with the Commissioners; she said there is a meeting on 1/16/2021 at 9:00 am at the City Hall, she asked for an update on the inter-local agreement regarding the sewer district and asked that the Commissioners appoint someone to the lake advisory board.  Justin said he had conversations with the City and hoped to have the service contract finalized by the end of February, he said there is plenty of capacity for single family homes on the lake to connect to the sewer district.

 

Dave Bruner and Robert Leisure met with the Commissioners to discuss EMS.  Dave Bruner asked the Commissioners to approve the medical director contract with Dr. Burke; Clifton made a motion to accept the EMS medical director agreement as written, Jim seconded and all approved.  Clifton moved to allow Lynne to sign the EMS service agreement, Jim seconded and all approved.  Clifton made a motion to accept as written the memo of understanding, Jim seconded and all approved.  Robert Leisure reported that the company was building the new EMS vehicle; he said they still had time to decide if they wanted 6 or 7 total vehicles in their EMS fleet.  He reported that in 2020 there were a total of 2,321 calls – 1702 were transports and 611 were transfers.  He said an average year for calls is 2,400.  Justin Meeks briefly discussed the memo of understanding; he said the 2021 budget is the same as the 2020 budget, but said there may be a possible increase in 2022.

 

At 10:35, Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b) (4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, regarding contract issues, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 10:51, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners).  At 10:51, Clifton made a motion to come back into open session, Jim seconded and all approved.  No action was taken.

 

Lynne said the Commissioners had been working on a budget director position for the County and said Justin had put together a contract for this position.  Justin said creating this contract was a joint effort between the City, himself and Susan Bancroft, he said the base pay for this part-time position is $60,000 and said this position includes benefits (which will be reimbursed back to the City of Fort Scott); Lynne said this is not an Interlocal agreement.  Lynne said the County had incidents where they had to hire an outside person to do an audit of the accounts, that person recommended to do this to increase transparency and help the workings between departments.  He said this person could be beneficial to have for budgeting issues, he said not having to pay an outside firm for budget issues could save $20,000.  Justin said this person could help with HR issues and give support when needed.  Clifton said the County is a very large organization and said this person could come in and solve some issues; he said we weren’t just dealing with gravel roads anymore.  Clifton said he was tired of his taxes going up and said we had to move forward and put this organization in the 21st century, he said he was tired of status quo, he said we are a large organization that is somewhat disjointed.  Jim Harris said he had concerns over this position, he said he had gotten the impression that they hadn’t involved any other elected officials during the dialog of this position and said he didn’t see a job description for this position.  Jim said the elected officials needed to be brought into the conversation and make sure they are all on the same page.  He questioned what the duties of this position were and asked if this meant a reduction in force.  Lynne said there had been a large sum of money not moved into the correct account, Jim said they haven’t been transparent and said he wasn’t ready to make a decision on the position, he said he did support the position.  Lynne said this is a one year contract.  Clifton made a motion to accept the engagement letter as written, Lynne seconded and Jim abstained from the vote, motion passed.

 

Monica Murnan with Greenbush called the Commissioners to give a SPARK update; she said as of January 6, 2021 Bourbon County had all of the required documents submitted to the State and said the grant had been zeroed out.  She said it was unknown if there would be any future grants for the County due to COVID.  Monica thanked Ashley in the County Clerk’s office for all of the work she did with the grant.  Greenbush will be providing the County with a flash drive with all the grant information on it; Jody Hoener questioned who at the County would receive the flash drive, Lynne suggested the new business director get the flash drive, Jody suggested giving it to an elected official, Justin said the flash drive should go to Kendell’s office.

 

Clifton made a motion to amend the agenda to discuss a work session, Jim seconded and all approved.  Clifton said the City has requested a work session with the County on January 14th at 5:00 pm at City Hall, Clifton made a motion to allow all of the Commissioners to attend the work session, no business will be conducted, Jim seconded and all approved.

 

At 11:16, Clifton made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(3) to discuss matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency regarding the County Counselor position, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 11:36 am, Jim seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks).  At 11:36, Lynne made a motion to come out of executive session into open session, Clifton seconded and all approved.  After the session, Justin Meeks said he had enjoyed his job the past 3 years, but said it had come with a lot of pressure when dealing with the EMS, hospital, COVID and the windfarm.  He said his goal is to revert back to being the County Counselor and said he wouldn’t take on any administrative functions. He had a one year contract effective 1/12/2021 to agree to work 20 hours a week for $75/hour, he said if he works over the 20 hours he would bill $100/hour for hours over 20.  Justin said his goal is to step further back and eventually work less hours.  Justin said this is a one year agreement and said the Commissioners could terminate it at anytime.  Clifton made a motion to accept the engagement letter and to allow Lynne to sign it, Jim seconded and all approved.

 

Clifton made a motion to amend the agenda to terminate the last scheduled executive session, Jim seconded and all approved.

 

The Commissioners decided to allow time on the end of each agenda to allow for public comment.

 

Clifton made a motion to amend the agenda for public comment for a total of up to 10 minutes (3 minutes per speaker), Jim seconded and all approved.

 

Anne Dare said that the public will be surprised when they see the numbers for the part time position created.  Michael Hoyt said he would get Jim Harris a copy of the advisory board documents he had given to the other Commissioners and said he would like to discuss this in the future.

 

Clifton made a motion to discuss the election canvass date and time, Lynne seconded and all approved.  Clifton made a motion that all of the Commissioners attend the canvass on January 14th, 2021 at 10:00 am in the Commission room, Jim seconded and all approved.

 

At 11:47, Clifton made a motion to adjourn, Jim seconded and all approved.

 

 

 

 

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS

(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman

(ss) Jim Harris, Commissioner

(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner

ATTEST:

Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk

January 19, 2021, Approved Date

 

 

 

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Jan. 11

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January 11, 2021                                            Monday 10:00 am

 

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.

 

Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune was also present.

 

Lynne reported they were having the meeting due to receiving a KOMA complaint; the Attorney General issued an opinion on the complaint, the KOMA complaint included the following allegations… the Commissioners failed to “comply with the statutory requirements for recessing into an executive session, failure to include an attorney in an executive session held for “attorney client privilege”, improperly including a third party in two executive sessions held for consultation with an attorney; and holding an executive session for personnel matters of nonelected personnel that did not pertain to an identifiable employee.”  Justin Meeks said the County did have technical KOMA violations, he said the Commissioners need to include in their motions for an executive session the reason for the executive session, plus additional details for the session, include a K.S.A. when making a motion to go into executive session, the exact start and stop time of the session and make a motion when coming back into open session.  Justin said the Commissioners went into an executive session for windfarm discussion for attorney client privilege but should have gone in for proprietary information instead.  Justin reported that Nick Ruhl had already signed the consent order from the office of the Attorney General, Lynne signed during the Commission meeting, Jeff Fischer said he would have to review the consent order before signing; he said if Justin had shared this before the meeting, he could have reviewed it.  Jeff told Justin he saw this complaint for the first time in October/November timeframe, and at that time Justin said he would take care of this.  Jeff read a portion of the consent order and said he would not sign this. If the Commissioners participate in KOMA training, the $50 penalty for each Commissioner for the KOMA violation will be waived, (Justin suggested doing the KOMA training).

 

This is Jeff Fischer’s last Commission meeting as a Commissioner; he said he had enjoyed serving with this Commission, he said he admired Lynne for his work in preserving the taxpayers interest, and said it was nice to see he advocated for a reduction in the mill levy.  He told Clifton that he enjoyed working with him and appreciated his ability to quickly learn & get to the heart of an issue, he wished him the best.  Lynne said he appreciated the compliment and said it had been a trying time the past two years and said he has tried to save taxpayers money.  Jeff said he could count on him to make decisions for the taxpayers.

 

At 10:22, Clifton made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, concerning medical, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 10:32am, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks).  At 10:32, Clifton made a motion to go back into open session, Lynne seconded and all approved, no action was taken.

 

Lynne asked that a 30 minute executive session be scheduled on the January 12th agenda for medical discussion.

 

At 10:33, Clifton made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.

 

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS

(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman

(ss) Jim Harris, Commissioner

(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner

ATTEST:

Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk

January 12, 2021, Approved Date

Fort Scott, Government

New FS City Manager Starts Feb. 1: Jeremy Frazier

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Jeremy Frazier. Submitted photo.

Jeremy  Frazier was selected by the Fort Scott City Commission in a unanimous vote to become the next city manager in January 2021.

 

He starts in that position next Monday, February 1.

 

He replaces Dave Martin, who retired in October 2020.

 

Frazier will bring new vision and ideas to the city, according to a January 21 Fort Scott City Commission press release.

To view the city’s press release:

Jeremy Frazier To Begin As Fort Scott City Manager on Feb. 1

 

“Jeremy brings to this position over a decade of public sector experience,” according to the press release.

 

Frazier has managed cities of various size towns of from 1,800 people to his most recent in El Reno, Oklahoma, population approximately 20,000 people, according to the release.

 

He will earn $115,000 per year plus benefits as the new city manager.

To view the entire contract:

FedEx Scan 2021-01-20_14-12-31(1)

 

The following is from an email interview with Frazier.

Why did you pursue your career? Was there someone who inspired you?

“I chose to pursue city management as a career because after graduating from college and landing a position with a great company, I found myself financially secure but unfulfilled and lacking passion within my organization.”
“So I put serious thought into what I enjoy, how I could serve others, and how I could create lasting changes in the lives of others. I knew that I felt a calling to public service but was unsure as to how best to execute it. After all, I knew very few public servants at the time.”
“Fortunately, I met some great public servants through the Oklahoma Municipal League such as Missy Dean and the City Management Association of Oklahoma which include Tim Rundel, Eric Benson, Jason Orr, and many others.”
“While the opportunity that I desired did not materialize immediately, I stayed close to the industry and received encouragement from various industry professionals for which I had great respect and admiration.”
“Finally,  a few years later, I was offered an opportunity to serve in a small community of 1,800. There the city manager felt it important that I learn every position and task from code enforcement to billing and collections and public works. At the time I did not appreciate these lessons as I thought I was hired to be more of an administrator, in my mind.”
“In hindsight, this was the best learning experience that I could have ever asked for and I’ve been hooked on public service every since, building upon my knowledge and skills with each community that I’ve served.”
“Now I look forward to bringing my passion for public service, skills, and knowledge to serve the community and residents of Fort Scott.”
What affiliations/community involvement interests you outside of your employment?
“I have served as a board of trustees appointee to a local university, worked closely with local volunteer organizations to perform community projects, served as a member of local civic organizations such as Toastmaster’s International and the Lions Club, and was active with local government organizations such as the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) and the City Management Association of Oklahoma (CMAO).”
“I hope to be active in similar organizations in the state of Kansas. I might also find interest in local home building or restoration non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity and others.”
Frazier said he has been married “nearly 15 years to a wonderful woman and mother and I have two young boys.”
Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Local Author Brian Allen: Book Idea Originated In History Club

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Brian Allen works as a teacher’s aide in an automotive technology class at Fort Scott High School. Because of a special interest in history, Allen sponsors the high school history club that meets monthly.

He is also president of the Bourbon County Historical Preservation Association.

 

Because of this love of history and wanting to create interest in the students, he started telling stories of local murders during a period of the late 1800s in Bourbon County.

 

 

“I started researching stories for the high school kids in history club (at the school) and found that they liked a good murder mystery or story,” Allen said. ” I did 30 years’ worth of short stories and asked Fred Campbell (a  local historian) to proof-read it for me. When he finished he insisted that I have it published.”

 

 

“The name of the book is Murder and Mayhem, and covers Bourbon County murders that occurred between 1868 and 1898,” he said.

 

 

 

“I never thought about doing it, but (Campbell’s) enthusiasm pushed me to go ahead and look into it,” he said. “This is the first book I have had published, but I do have three more manuscripts completed and am working on a fourth.”

 

 

“It was published in December of 2020 and was printed by SeKan printing here in Fort Scott,” he said. “Don Banwart designed the cover, and I included a photo of the original courthouse on it. It took me about a year to write it as it was never my original intention to publish it. It is available at the Hedgehog Ink as well as the (Fort Scott) Chamber of Commerce.”

 

Hedgehog INK is a bookstore at 16 S. Main and the chamber is located at 231 E. Wall.

 

“My future books will be about World War 1, a second murder book, and other crime and punishment stories in Bourbon County,” he said.

 

 

Allen also volunteers as a member of the Fort Scott Street Advisory Committee.

 

 

He graduated from FSHS in 1985 and graduated from Fort Scott Community College.

 

Allen is married and has three children and four grandchildren.

 

 

 

COVID-19, Government, Kansas

Kansas COVID-19 Recovery Orders

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Governor Laura Kelly Re-Issues, Signs Executive Orders to Promote COVID-19 Recovery

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced she has signed Executive Orders #21-01 and #21-02 as part of her administration’s commitment to protect Kansans and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitate effective virus recovery efforts.

E.O. #21-01 allows Kansas employers to continue to withhold income taxes based on the state of the employee’s primary work location, and not based on the state in which the employee is temporarily teleworking as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has altered many aspects of our lives – including how and where we do our jobs,” Governor Kelly said. “This order helps ensure that tax season can go on without a hitch for Kansas businesses that have adjusted working schedules and employee work sites to keep people safe during the pandemic by allowing them to proceed with income tax withholdings as usual.”

Several executive orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic were set to expire on Jan. 26 in conjunction the expiration of the state of disaster emergency. Because the Legislature enacted Senate Bill 14 to extend the state of disaster emergency until March 31, 2021, certain previous executive orders must also be extended. Under E.O. #21-02, the following executive orders already in place will be extended until rescinded or until the statewide state of disaster emergency expires, whichever is earlier:

  • 20-37 – Allowing certain deferred tax deadlines and payments during state of disaster emergency
  • 20-39 – Extending professional and occupational licenses during state of disaster emergency
  • 20-40 – Temporarily allowing notaries and witnesses to act via audio-video communication technology during state of disaster emergency
  • 20-43 – Temporary relief from certain restrictions concerning shared work programs during state of disaster emergency
  • 20-56 – Amended Licensure, Certification, and Registration for persons and Licensure of “Adult Care Homes” during state of disaster emergency
  • 20-61 – Temporarily prohibiting certain foreclosures and evictions
  • 20-66 – Amended provisions related to drivers’ license and vehicle registration and regulation during state of disaster emergency
  • 20-70 – Provisions related to drivers’ license and identification cards during the state of disaster emergency

“These Executive Orders allow Kansas to continue responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and assist our efforts to keep Kansans healthy, keep businesses open, and get our kids back to school as quickly as possible,” Governor Kelly said.

Today’s actions also affect rules regarding unemployment benefits for Kansans. Executive Order 20-50, which had been in place since June 30, 2020, had suspended the requirement to continue searching for work in order to receive unemployment insurance benefits. That order expired yesterday and will not be extended. Executive Order 20-71, issued previously, waives the requirement that new unemployment claimants wait a week before receiving benefits and will continue in effect because the Legislature did not include a waiting week waiver in the pandemic legislation passed last week.

View E.O. #21-01 here.

View E.O. #20-02 here.