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Fort Scott Commission Minutes of July 2

CITY OF FORT SCOTT

CITY COMMISSION MEETING

Minutes of July 2, 2019 Regular Meeting #12

The regular meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission was held July 2nd, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Commission Room, 123 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kansas.

ROLL CALL:

Commissioners Adamson, Bartelsmeyer, Mitchell, and Nichols were present with Mayor Parker presiding.

INVOCATION: Michael Mix, Public Utilities Director, said a prayer asking God for guidance for the City, our Government and City officials.

AUDIENCE IN ATTENDANCE: Rhonda Dunn, Robert Uhler, Rachel Pruitt, Darrell Parker, Bob Duncan, Travis Shelton, Pete Allen, Larry Gazaway, Tracy Dancer, Pat Wood, Clayton Miller, Lindsay Watts, Bobbi Kemna, Chad Brown, Michael Mix, Deb Needleman, Adam Harrison, Josh Jones, Jake Gross, Kasey Gross, Paul Ballou, Dave Bruner, Arthur Pearson, Devin Tally, Linda Fox, Ally Turvey, Jerald Mitchell, Deb McCoy, Diana Morriss, Michael Hoyt, Eddie Fox, June M. Theel, Max Theel, Carson Felt, Brian Allen, Dave Bruner, and representing the press, Jason Silvers of the Fort Scott Tribune.

PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS:

Recognition of Kansas Association of Airports Conference – Mayor Parker presented a plaque to Rachel Pruitt, Ally Turvey, and Larry Gazaway in appreciation for hosting the Kansas Association of Airports Conference in Fort Scott. They did a great job hosting this event. Also, the Mayor read an email from Kolen McKee, who serves on the K.A.A. Board. He said that he has been going to the conferences for 25 years and no other city has made him feel as welcome as Fort Scott did.

Larry Gazaway, Tourism Director, gave an update to the Commission on tourism. He said there were three things they wanted to do as a Convention and Tourism Bureau. The first was to attract more teams to the LaRoche Baseball Complex. We have done this and in 2020 we will be hosting N.C.A.A. baseball for the second time. The second item was to attract more group tours. We have a record amount of group tours coming to Fort Scott and spending the night. Lastly, they wanted to host more conventions and conferences. They just finished their first one with the K.A.A. Conference. The City worked together as a team to help put this conference on. Hotel rooms were filled up during the week. The estimated impact during the two nights they were here is $53,000. This is the smallest of the upcoming conferences. In October, another conference will be held with around 105 attendees. At the end of January another conference will occur with around 300 attendees. The YP Summit will also be held in the next two years with around 110 attendees.

Mayor Parker also thanked the Bowman’s at NuGrille for their assistance with supplying the City with coffee.

Rhonda Dunn, Director of Finance, introduced Devin Tally, who is the new Staff Accountant for the City.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES AND APPROPRIATIONS/CONSENT AGENDA:

  1. Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of June 18th, 2019.

  1. Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1241-A totaling $232,719.86.

Adamson moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Bartlesmeyer seconded. All voted aye.

APPROVED CONSENT AGENDA.

APPEARANCE/COMMENTS/PUBLIC HEARING:

  1. APPEARANCE:

Arthur Pearson – Closure of street – 1400 block of State Street – July 30th, 2019 – 9:00 – 12:00 – Mr. Pearson appeared before the Commission to request the street be closed in the 1400 block of State in front of New Generations Daycare. They plan to set up a mock accident scene to help educate the children on texting and driving, buckling up and moving over for accidents. Mr. Pearson stated he had visited with Travis Shelton, Chief of Police, and Paul Ballou, Fire Chief, and they are both in agreement with the street closure.

Mitchell moved to approve to close the 1400 block of State Street on July 30th, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Nichols seconded. All voted aye.

APPROVED TO CLOSE THE 1400 BLOCK OF STATE STREET ON TUESDAY, JULY 30TH, 2019 FROM 9:00 A.M. TO 12:00 P.M. FOR A MOCK ACCIDENT SCENE FOR NEW GENERATIONS DAYCARE.

July 4th Crossfit Fun Run – Gunn Park – Lindsay Watts, Smallville Crossfit, asked permission to hold a fun run on July 4th at Gunn Park. They would like the park closed to vehicle traffic from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. They will hold a fun run and a kid’s firecracker run. Parking will be at the Burke Street nursing campus parking lot.

Bartelsmeyer moved to approve the closure of Gunn Park to vehicle traffic for the Smallville Crossfit event on July 4th, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Adamson seconded. All voted aye.

approveD the closure of Gunn Park to vehicle traffic for the Smallville Crossfit event on July 4th, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

B. CITIZEN COMMENTS (Concerning Items Not on Agenda – 3 minute

limit per citizen)

Lindsay Watts – She said that she wanted to appear before the Commission and tell them why she is here in Fort Scott and how much this community means to her and her husband and their business. She said she grew up in this community and she is proud as an adult she can call herself a Fort Scotian. She grew up in Fulton and she and her husband moved to Fort Scott the last year and a half. She moved back to her hometown with a purpose and a drive to do something special for this community. She said they were meant with nothing but positive energy. That is what our community is about and what Fort Scott is about. That is why she and her husband have the business that they have is because of the positive energy in this community and the openness of people to be involved in something bigger than themselves. Her family and her husband’s family are from here. They came back to help them and to build something a little bit bigger. There have always been changes up and down in communities that she and her husband have lived in. They have traveled a lot for military. They have lived in big cities and moving back to a small town, there was a lot of things that she did not see growing up. She was not involved in high school growing up. There are always ups and down and disappointments, and this is in any town. You have to continue to spread this positive energy. If we don’t, she is very worried about where the community will be in the next few years. Everything the Commission has been trying to do and the community leaders is challenging. Social media is very challenging right now and they find that with their business. You just have to be avid stewards for the truth. You have to stand up for what you believe in with respect, compassion and love.

Bobby Duncan – He said he noticed that Mr. Pete Allen is here again today. He raised some important questions the last time he was here. He spoke about the streets and the allocation of the monies to update the streets. I don’t know if he’s got those answers yet and maybe I can find out this afternoon after this meeting. Another thing happened about a month ago. The director of the public works sanitary system was in here and gave a nice presentation and I think the young man obviously knows what he’s talking about. He’s done a lot of work in that industry. One of the things he said was this: at the current rate they can have all of the sanitary lines repaired and put in good service in 72 years at the current rate. You might not know but most of those sanitary lines that are in the ground were installed are good for maybe 40 or 50 years. 72 years, the ones that already leaking; a lot of the street problems is the fact that these lines are leaking. That is a fact under the streets. This is something you might be looking at repairing the streets, but you need to do something more with the water and sanitary lines that are old in this town. They’ve got to be fixed. Flint Michigan, he has an uncle that worked for GM and lived in Flint. This is a city that went right down to the bottom. The water lines and sanitary lines and a lot of IRB’s written and other bonds written that the City of Flint had to pick up. That could be some of the reason that his aunt and uncle perished at an early age. That contamination. Who knows?

Pete Allen – Mr. Allen said he had a couple of questions. He asked the Commission how many of them were graduates of Fort Scott High School? There were two. He asked if they knew in 2020 there would be an all school reunion. He asked if they had any idea how many people will be coming to Fort Scott. He said from 5,000 to 10,000 people. If everyone brings their spouses, it will be around 10,000. This is an opportunity to show off Fort Scott. He doesn’t know of anything that’s being done or discussed about the influx of people we will have here. You talk about economic opportunity or development, this is an opportunity to show off what we’re doing in Fort Scott. We’re doing a lot of good things in Fort Scott. I’m not running it down. I know there’s a lot more things we can be doing. We’ve got to starting thinking about it now and not wait a year from now and say we should have done that. He’s got a lot of ideas he’s going to share with Dave and Randy in the near future in regards to things that he would look at if he came back after 50 or 60 years of being away. He had his 60th reunion last year. He wants them to start thinking of that. He asked Larry (Gazaway) to put that on his calendar too. There will be 10,000 people in town in June of 2020. Don’t schedule any ball games that same weekend. We will be hurting for space.

Larry said that it is on his calendar.

Another thing Mr. Allen said in front of the Empress Event Center, 47 years ago he and his brother worked hard to put a brick inlay in front of the building. He noticed that someone has come in with a saw and sawed it into and probably put in a new water line in and patched it back with concrete. He hopes that is only temporary and that somebody has already ordered the brick to put it back the way it was. That’s one of the things we need to stress is to fix up what we tear up. Also on the next inlet on down north, the bricks are starting to break apart. That’s the focal point of Fort Scott. People come to the Fort and then they can see the bricks starting to break apart.

City Manager said that Mr. Allen has come and met with them and he appreciates it.

Deb McCoy – Deb said that she had one question. She asked for someone to fill the community in on why Peerless ended up buying a building in Nevada instead of building on the land that they purchased south of their present facility. Why could we not entice them to build here? They are our biggest employer.

Rachel Pruitt informed the Commission and the audience that Peerless is planning on expanding on the land they have purchased. There are actually three different projects they are planning in Fort Scott. One of their projects is to make their office space more user friendly. They hired Dave Elliott as a morale employee officer to look at retaining employees. Dave’s job is to retain employees. One of their issues was the office space. That is one of the build outs they are doing. Another one of the buildouts they are doing is to the north and that’s a $15 million piece of machinery that they are looking to build specifically for. And the third project is an R & D lab. They may or may not be building that R & D lab within the property that they currently own. Bill Osbern and I have been in pretty close contact. I spoke to him this morning to invite him to come and talk to the Commission and community. He was unable to make it tonight but will be here on the 16th. There’s also a Nevada Council meeting you can listen to the audio from that meeting and you can tell the continued commitment he’s making to Fort Scott. He went to Nevada for the convenience for the warehouse space. What they have learned is onsite construction putting the windows together isn’t as feasible since they’re on both coasts. Those customers would like the windows to come already assembled. They needed more space to store the preassembled windows. They are out of space here. It wasn’t a matter of selecting Nevada over Fort Scott. They are still choosing Fort Scott. They bought warehouse space in Nevada but don’t anticipate any operations to be done in Nevada. Please come to the meeting on the 16th and hear Mr. Osbern.

City Manager said that Nevada has put all their economic development into 3M. Nevada has a lot of warehouse space. We tried to work with them on warehouse space here. They did look at Price Chopper but that fell through. They are committed to Fort Scott.

Michael Hoyt asked how much sales tax revenue will be lost.

Rachel said that Peerless will be able to address that at the next meeting.

Michael Hoyt – Mr. Hoyt said that his family has been in the county for 140 years. He relocated here to help take care of his mother as she is elderly and needed his care. He wanted to get involved in the community and he chose the school district first. He identified some needs that he could help them address, but they decided they didn’t need his help. Now he’s going to run for the school board so he has to make sure he gets his name out there. He’s not running for the Commission as some of the people who have already spoken. He has a question of issues that he would like to bring to their attention. He asked the Commission if they had ever attended the Municipal Court proceedings. He would recommend that you do that maybe once or maybe twice a year. He has a matter before the Municipal Court and it’s immaterial and still under adjudication and still ongoing. I don’t want to be a naysayer, but if you will recall Ferguson, Missouri that whole FBI investigation, ended with the City was dependent upon nuisance fines and fees imposed by the City and it turned their citizenry against the city. It just pushed the downtrodden further down. We don’t want to do that. A $200 fine for most people is a lot of money. It could mean the difference between eating and not eating. Maybe give some opportunities to do community service. Just a suggestion. Also, I tried to file a motion in this Municipal Court on the 21st and there was no one here that could handle it. Mrs. Clay was on vacation and it didn’t get filed until yesterday and that is unsatisfactory.

City Manager told him that the Utility Clerk got Diane on the phone. You talked to her on the phone and she had the Utility Clerk get you what you needed done.

Mr. Hoyt said he didn’t talk to her on the phone.

Diane Clay, City Clerk, said she did talk to him on the phone.

Mr. Hoyt said that he was here, talked to her on the phone, but it didn’t get filed. It didn’t get time stamped.

City Manager said it was because you left.

Mr. Hoyt asked what he was supposed to stay here for.

City Manager said that he wanted to clarify for his staff that they did exactly what they needed to do to take care of your needs.

Mr. Hoyt said that he differs with him about that. What major cities have is that you can file 24/7 and walk up and stamp it and file it. His last issue is…

Mayor Parker told him his three minutes was up.

  1. PUBLIC HEARINGS:

Bartelsmeyer moved to open the Public Hearing at 6:29 p.m. Adamson seconded. All voted aye.

6:15 p.m. Resolution No. 10-2019 – Resolution directing the repair or removal of an unsafe and dangerous structure and accessory structure located at 15 S CrawfordAdam Harrison, Codes Supervisor, informed the Commission that this structure was first condemned on October 16th, 2018. This structure is still dilapidated and still in a similar state at this time. The structure has issues with the soffit, facing, eaves, siding, and structural issues. It was learned after the first resolution passed that the property had changed ownership. The process started again. The owners were present tonight. He did ask for 30 days to either have the property repaired or removed.

Carson Felt’s mother is a neighbor to the property and said that part of the neighbor’s garage fell into her driveway. They have had a couple of flat tires due to the debris that falls from this structure.

Max Theel said that he is the owner of the property. This property has been broken into and had parts of the house ripped out. He said every time they come down to work on the house, more damage has been done.

Mr. Harrison recommended reevaluating this after 30 days.

Mitchell moved to reevaluate this property in 30 days. Bartelsmeyer seconded. All voted aye.

APPROVED RESOLUTION NO. 10-2019 DIRECTING THE REPAIR OR REMOVAL OF AN UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE AND ACESSORY STRUCTURE LOCATED AT 15 S. CRAWFORD. STRUCTURE MUST BE BROUGHT UP TO 2012 INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE BY 8/9/2019 OR DEMOLITION PROCEEDINGS WILL BEGIN.

6:15 p.m. Resolution No. 11-2019 – Resolution directing the repair or removal of an unsafe and dangerous structure located at 602 S. Heylman – Adam Harrison, Codes Supervisor, informed the Commission that this structure had a fire in it. There was no insurance on the structure and it is inhabitable. The owner is out of town and is agreeable to the City demolishing it.

Nichols moved to repair or remove this structure in 15 days. Adamson seconded. All voted aye.

APPROVED RESOLUTION NO. 11-2019 DIRECTING THE REPAIR OR REMOVAL OF AN UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS STRUCTURE LOCATED AT 602 S. HEYLMAN STREET. STRUCTURE MUST BE BROUGHT UP TO 2012 INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE BY 7/26/2019 OR DEMOLITION PROCEEDINGS WILL BEGIN.

Bartelsmeyer moved to close the Public Hearing at 6:40 p.m. Adamson seconded. All voted aye.

CLOSED PUBLIC HEARING AT 6:40 P.M.

CONSIDERATION:

  1. Consideration of rehabilitation of one clarifier at the Water Treatment Plant and for this project to be let for bid for painting – Michael Mix, Public Utilities Director, informed the Commission that he would like to rehabilitate one clarifier at the Water Treatment Plant. He shared photos of the clarifier. There has not been any major work completed on this since 1980 besides touch up painting. Part of his capital improvement plan is for this project. He received an estimate for sand blasting and painting for this project and the estimate was $63,900. He asked for approval to start the bidding process for this project.

Bartelsmeyer moved to authorize to start the bidding process on the painting and sand blasting for this project. Adamson seconded. All voted aye.

APPROVED TO AUTHORIZE TO START THE BIDDING PROCESS ON THE PAINTING AND SANDBLASTING FOR THE CLARIFIER AT THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT.

  1. Consideration of rehabilitation of one clarifier at the Water Treatment Plant and approval of quote from Westech – Michael Mix, Public Utilities Director, informed the Commission that Westech is the only vendor able to rehabilitate the clarifier as it is a specialized item. This will replace the motors and mixers and bearings. This quote is for $39,578.00. Approval was recommended.

Nichols moved to approve the quote from Westech of Ames, Iowa in the amount of $39,578.00. Parker seconded. All voted aye.

APPROVED THE QUOTE FROM WESTECH OF AMES, IOWA IN THE AMOUNT OF $39,578.00 FOR THE REHABILIATION OF THE CLARIFIER AT THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT.

  1. Approval to obtain pricing to replace the Pumper Engine Fire Truck – Paul Ballou, Fire Chief, informed the Commission that he is requesting to obtain pricing for the purchase of an engine pumper truck. This purchase is to replace the 1992 International Engine Truck. We will utilize HGAC group pricing, used equipment dealer pricing, and other sources to obtain the best recommendations for the City. Utilizing the buying groups removes the need to obtain detailed specifications for the truck.

Rhonda Dunn, Finance Director, informed the Commission that these buying groups assist cities in finding the best prices for equipment. This will save us money in having to have detailed specifications created.

City Manager said that the financing will not be bonds. The pricing will be brought back before the Commission at a later date.

Bartelsmeyer moved to authorize the Fire Chief to obtain pricing to replace the 1992 International Engine Truck. Adamson seconded. All voted aye.

APPROVED TO AUTHORIZE THE FIRE CHIEF TO OBTAIN PRICING TO REPLACE THE 1992 INTERNATIONAL ENGINE TRUCK.

COMMISSION/STAFF:

  1. Director Updates:

Chad Brown – Chad said that after much thought and input from other City officials and members of the community, the 2019 Road Improvement Program was finalized and placed on the agenda that was heard on May 21st, 2019. It was during this meeting that the City Commission approved this item. Although the item was not approved until that meeting, the crews had already begun and completed a few smaller projects that are a part of this program. This program was approved for approximately $263,000 out of the Street Department budget. The total budget is $777,000. The remaining $500,000 goes toward other line items in the Street Department budget such as operating expenses, vehicle equipment maintenance, fuel costs, supplies, and labor to name a few.

With approximately 90 miles of paved surface and so many areas that need repaired and/or replaced, we are looking into ways of making the decision for us a little easier. We are in contact with some engineering firms that are giving us ideas on how to incorporate laser technology that will record data for us such as pavement thickness, cracking, rutting, roughness, grade and crown of the road. With this technology we can also determine the sub-base materials and condition under the existing pavements. All this information will be placed into a database and create a pavement condition index. This will enable us to determine which projects to be done first and to what extent the work will need to be completed. With all this new information, it will allow us to create a strong multiyear plan for road improvement projects and budget more accordingly.

Moving forward, I would like to establish a Road Improvement Advisory Committee that will meet to discuss items such as areas of town to focus on, schedules of work, types of pavement, and the costs of upcoming improvement programs just to name a few of the many items involved in these decisions. This is one of the most important topics in town and I feel there should be more than a few voices involved in this process. Of all the cities and towns that I have visited or had dealings with, they have advisory committees in place to assist in making these kinds of decisions. In the coming weeks, we can finalize the number of members for this committee, approve an ordinance to form the committee, determine the amount of times we would meet, and other items that need to be in place and bring this back before the Commission for approval.

Chad updated the Commission that the intersection of 3rd and Main is completed and the Street Department is now working on Crawford Street from 10th to 12th. Wall Street is scheduled for the week of August 26th.

Rhonda Dunn –Rhonda informed the Commission that the budget process is well underway. She is currently meeting with each department head, looking at wants and needs, and cuts, and will start work sessions in the next few weeks. She would like the Commission to hear what their long range plans are for their departments. Dates will be decided on in the near future.

  1. City Commission:

Bartelsmeyer Thanked everyone for coming. She updated the public on the all the projects that were completed the last year. She said that Michael Mix and his department are really good on saving money. He manages 220 miles of water and sewer lines and 3,100 water service connections. Also GIS mapping updates have been completed. Tourism is new to our city. They welcomed over 5,500 visitors. 445 visitors rode Dolly the Trolley since last July. They hosted the Lavender Fest, updated their website, renovated their office, and took over the LaRoche Ball complex. The City took over EMS operations, Buck Run has new exits, enhanced PD and Dispatch with enhanced tools for texting. Human Resources is responsible for 97 full time and 29 part time employees, monthly KMU training for all departments, IT updates, employee handbook updates, and partnered with the County on human resource issues. Chad Brown gave an update on completed streets and what is to be completed. Finance/Codes had 309 building permits issued and 473 code cases. In 2018 the water utility billing process was consolidated. Community Development took charge of the health care task force, and the food alliance. Economic Development assisted with Bedco, updating the Comprehensive Plan, Fort Scott Lofts grant approval, Airport growth, awarded $286,522 in KDOT aviation funds. Nine downtown building improvement grants were awarded last year. There has been a lot of negative information on social media. We could not do this if we did not have a good City Manager, and good City staff and a good City Commission.

Mitchell Wished everyone a happy and safe 4th of July holiday. We wouldn’t have this freedom if not for our veterans and we need to recognize them and thank them for our freedom that we do have. She said that there has been some controversy and communication on salaries and increases and the staff that we have at City Hall and how their team is constructed. He asked the City Manager to address these issues.

City Manager said that to clarify from the last newspaper article from the last meeting, that Robert Uhler took over Codes and he got a $5,000 increase for that. He was given that bump because he proved that he could handle that. Community Development was the old Codes position. Robert was working closely with Rhonda to take this position over so she could concentrate on budget. Rhonda did not get any more money with that move. She received her increase when she moved to that position. As far as City Hall staff, we are down three, possibly four people. We have about $130,000 less in City Hall salaries. We set our salaries based on the League of Kansas Municipalities for cities of our size and stay within that level. People think we are top heavy. When you take over a position it takes you three years to learn the ropes and it takes you five years to see what you need to change and make changes. It’s been within the last year that we have the right moves. We have made those moves for the direction of the City. I feel like we have a good solid team now. City Hall has had some turnover and some has been their choice and some has been our’s. We focus on customer service and know we are public servants. We have continued to look at the people that work on our streets. We look at dispatch and there is some turnover there and try to set our pay scales also there.

Commissioner Mitchell asked if he had more director positions at this time.

City Manager said he had less. IT was a director position and now reports to Deb Needleman.

Adamson – Thanked Lindsay Watts and her husband for coming back to Fort Scott and making a wonderful business in this town. They are very active and passionate about Fort Scott. If there are any citizens that have concerns or questions, before turning to social media, or listening to someone else’s opinion, I would encourage you to turn to your open door elected City Commissioner and let us be your voice.

Nichols Remarked that those are all good comments. Congratulations on the K.A.A. conference and plaque. The comments from the group were positive and constructive. He thanked Pete Allen for his comments. He thinks this will help with our street program.

Parker – Mayor Parker said that she came on the Commission in April 2009. We have tackled a lot of hurdles. These took a lot of effort to accomplish. The City purchased the golf course, redid the swimming pool, expanded Buck Run, constructed the LaRoche Baseball complex, assisted with the entrance to the ball park on Highway 69, constructed sidewalks from Wall Street to Steen Street, re-asphalted with new curb and gutter on National Avenue. Assisted with the Western Apartments in the downtown area, reconstruction of 3rd Street at Margrave, made Broadway no parking on the east side, assisted with the rehabilitation of the North National bridge, completed several demolition of houses, rehabilitated the curb and gutter on Meadow Lane and Fairway, and 23rd Street. This has been a whole team effort. All these projects cost money and this is where the money goes. It’s hard to take the criticism all the time. We all have projects we want done, but they all take money. We try to work hard for our public.

  1. City Manager:

  1. Pool Closing Date: City Manager asked the Commission to approve the closing date for the pool to be August 18th, 2019. USD #234 starts on August 22nd, 2019.

Parker moved to approve the pool closing date for August 18th, 2019. Bartelsmeyer seconded. All voted aye.

APPROVED TO CLOSE THE CITY POOL ON AUGUST 18TH, 2019.

  1. Lake Fort Scott – City Manager said that some land has been bought with some condos proposed to be built. The City is researching this and gathering information. The City seems to be involved with this. The houses are in the county, and the City has met with them. There are not a lot of details yet but he has heard positive and negative comments about this.

ADJOURNMENT:

Bartelsmeyer moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:33 p.m. Mitchell seconded. All voted aye.

ADJOURNED MEETING AT 7:33 P.M.

The next regularly scheduled meeting is to be held on July 16th, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

RECORDED BY:

DIANE K. CLAY

CITY CLERK

Fort Scott Commission Agenda July 16

AGENDA

FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION

FORT SCOTT CITY HALL

COMMISSION ROOM

123 SOUTH MAIN

JULY 16, 2019

6:00 P.M

I. ROLL CALL:

ADAMSON BARTELSMEYER MITCHELL NICHOLS PARKER

II. FLAG SALUTE

III. INVOCATION: Pastor James Collins, First Southern Baptist Church

IV. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS: Recognition of Bourbon County EMS

V. CONSENT AGENDA:

  1. Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of July 2nd, 2019.

  1. Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1242-A totaling $365,643.69.

  1. Approval to rescind Resolution No. 4-2019.

  1. Resolution No. 12-2019 – Notice of Hearing with Reference to Alleged Unsafe and Dangerous Structure located at 505 S. Ransom Street – Public Hearing Date – 9/3/2019 – 6:15 p.m.

  1. Resolution No. 13-2019 – Notice of Hearing with Reference to Alleged Unsafe and Dangerous Structure located at 1012 S. Crawford Street – Public Hearing Date – 9/3/2019 – 6:15 p.m.

  1. Resolution No. 14-2019 – Notice of Hearing with Reference to Alleged Unsafe and Dangerous Structure and Accessory Structure located at 517 S. Clark Street – Public Hearing Date – 9/3/2019 – 6:15 p.m.

  1. Resolution No. 15-2019 – Notice of Hearing with Reference to Alleged Unsafe and Dangerous Structure and Accessory Structure located at 706 S. Clark Street – Public Hearing Date – 9/3/2019 – 6:15 p.m.

VII. APPEARANCE/COMMENTS/PUBLIC HEARING:

  1. APPEARANCE: Bill Osbern, Peerless Products

B. CITIZEN COMMENTS (Concerning Items Not on Agenda – 3 minute limit per citizen)

C. PUBLIC HEARINGS/COMMENTS:

VIII. CONSIDERATION:

  1. Consideration of award of contractor for River Intake Structure
  1. Update on fire trucks

IX. COMMENTS:

  1. Director Updates: Robert Uhler

Dave Bruner

Rachel Pruitt

  1. Commission:
  1. City Manager:

EXECUTIVE SESSION:

I MOVE THAT THE CITY COMMISSION RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE

SESSION FOR ________________________________ IN ORDER TO

(see below justification)

DISCUSS ______________________________________. THE

EXECUTIVE SESSION WILL BE ___________ MINUTES AND THE OPEN

MEETING TO RESUME AT ________________.

Justifications for Executive Sessions:

  • Personnel matters of non-elected personnel

  • Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship

  • Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative or representatives of the body or agency

  • Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships

  • Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property

X. MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT: ROLL CALL

State Conservation Commission Call Scheduled for July 29

MANHATTAN, Kan. —  The State Conservation Commission will hold a conference call on Monday, July 29, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. This conference call is open to the public.

 

The State Conservation Commission consists of five elected commissioners; two ex officio members representing the Kansas State University Agriculture Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service; and two appointed members representing the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.

 

The KDA Division of Conservation consults with the SCC to protect and enhance Kansas’ natural resources through the development, implementation and maintenance of policies, guidelines and programs designed to assist local governments and individuals in conserving the state’s renewable resources.

 

To request a copy of the agenda or directions on how to participate in the conference call, please contact the KDA Division of Conservation at 785-564-6620 or [email protected].

 

Governor appoints three members to the Kansas Board of Regents

 

 

Governor Laura Kelly appointed Cheryl Harrison-Lee, Jon Rolph, and Shellaine “Shelly” Kiblinger to the Kansas Board of Regents.

 

“Cheryl, Jon, and Shelly are highly qualified professionals and ready to step up and take on this challenge,” Kelly said. “I look forward to their contributions as we work to ensure that our universities thrive.”

 

Cheryl Harrison-Lee, Gardner, recently served as City Administrator for the City of Gardner, Kan. Previously, she served as Chief Administrative Officer for the city of Eatonville, Fla, and as Deputy City Manager of the City of Daytona Beach, Fla. Harrison-Lee received an M.A. from the University of Florida in Urban and Regional Planning Concentration: Public Administration, and a B.A. in journalism from the University of South Carolina.

 

Jon Rolph, Wichita, is President and CEO of Thrive Restaurant Group (formerly known as Sasnak Management), which owns and operates 41 Applebee’s, 18 Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican restaurants, and two HomeGrown restaurants in the breakfast/lunch space. The restaurants are located in 10 states across the Midwest and Virginia.  Jon was a two-time Student Body President at Baylor University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2001. After graduating, Jon worked with college student leaders as an intern for the National Student Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. He returned to Kansas in 2002 to work in the family-owned businesses.

 

Shelly Kiblinger, Cherryvale, currently serves as Superintendent of Cherryvale Public Schools, USD 447. Kiblinger previously served as Superintendent of Hutchinson Public Schools, USD 308, from 2011-2017, and prior to that, served as Assistant Superintendent of Garden City Public Schools, USD 457. She holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Administration and Leadership from Kansas State University and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Pittsburg State University.

 

The Kansas Board of Regents is a bipartisan, nine-member board composed of members who serve for a staggered period of four years. Each member is appointed by the Governor, and subject to confirmation by the Senate.

Obituary of Margaret Winter

Margaret Mae Winter

Margaret Mae (Boyle) Winter, age 88, of Fort Scott, passed away on July 13, 2019 at Moore-Few Care Center in Nevada, Missouri.

She was born June 29, 1931, in Las Vegas, New Mexico, the daughter of Charles and Agnes Boyle of Cuervo, New Mexico. Orphaned early in life, Margaret was raised by her grandparents Charles and Minnie Phelps in Fort Scott, Kansas.

She attended the First Baptist Church and was baptized into Christ as a young girl. Margaret attended Fort Scott schools graduating in 1951. On June 24, 1951, Margaret Boyle married the love of her life, Eugene Winter, in her grandparents’ home. Margaret and Eugene recently celebrated 68 years of marriage.

After raising three daughters, she enjoyed working at Western Insurance Company in the coding department for 17 years, retiring in 1987. Upon her retirement, Margaret became active as a volunteer with CASA, Vacation Bible School, organizing church dinners and potlucks at Community Christian Church, CCC 55+ group, and her Thursday Deerfield breakfast crew.

Margaret was well-known for baking amazing pies, raising beautiful roses, loving her children, spoiling her grandchildren, and adoring her great grandchildren.

She is survived by husband Eugene of the home; three daughters–Joyce (Brad) Cowen, Fort Scott; Irene (Rick) Langerot, Mulvane, Kansas; Gina (Mike) Armstrong , Springdale, Arkansas; eight grandchildren– Amanda (Cowen) Hall, Amber (Cowen) Malone, Jill (Cowen) Cobb, Blake Cowen, Nathan Langerot, Nicholas Langerot, Erin (Armstrong) Merrill, Stacy (Armstrong) Meier; and 14 great grandchildren.

Margaret was preceded in death by her brothers Harold Richard Boyle, William Lewis Boyle, Robert Lee Boyle, Jimmy Ray Boyle; one sister Mildred Louise Leonard; grandson-in-law, Danny Hall; and great granddaughter, Blakely Jane Langerot.

Rev. Kevin Moyers and Rev. Tim Woodring will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Thursday, July 18th, at the Community Christian Church, 1919 S. Horton, Ft. Scott, KS.

Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 5:30 until 7:00 Wednesday evening at Community Christian Church.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Show-Me Christian Youth Home (www.ShowMeHelpingKids.com), PO Box 6, La Monte, MO, 65337, or in care of Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Obituary of Janice Morter

Janice Arlene Morter, age 61, resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Friday, July 12, 2019, at Freeman West Hospital, Joplin, MO. She was born January 19, 1958, in Ft. Scott, the daughter of Leland Earl and Alice Ruth Murray Clyburn.

She graduated from FSHS with the class of 1976. Janice married Roderick Morter on March 18, 1977, in Ft. Scott.

She worked 4 years at Norvell before beginning her career in day care. She never met a child she didn’t love

. Janice liked traveling to Branson, MO. She enjoyed fishing, playing cards, watching soap operas, and watching drag races at MOKAN. She was also an avid KC Chiefs fan. Her greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren. Janice volunteered for CASA and was a member of the Rinehart Christian Church.

Survivors include her husband Rod of the home; a son, Matthew Morter and wife Tanya, Ft. Scott; a daughter, Megan Wilson and husband Paul, Ft. Scott; step-son, Paul Feagins, Baton Rouge, LA; a sister, Joyce Medved and husband Steve, Louisville, KY; 10 grandchildren, Mackenzie, Alexis, Gracie, Keghan, Devin, Abby, Jonah, Paige, Brianna, and Alexandra; 2 great grandchildren, Emiley and Raidyn; 3 nieces, Kristyn, Kelly, and Sarah; 4 nephews, Shane, Andrew, Stephen, and Alec; mother-in-law Teresa Munroe; 3 sisters-in-law, Joni Morter, Debra Morter and husband Kevin Womelsdorf, and Linh Morter; and her best friend, Deanna Fleharty. She was preceded in death by her parents

Rev. Kevin Moyers will conduct funeral services at 10:30 AM Tuesday, July 16th, at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will follow in the Clarksburg Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 Monday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to CASA and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

That’s A Bad Excuse by Pastor James Collins

Pastor James Collins

That’s A Bad Excuse

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:20

My wife hasn’t been good for me.

I realize that making such a bold assertion in a worldwide column like this is not going to benefit my reputation. After all, this column is read by people in major metropolitan areas like Gas, Kansas and Frogville, Oklahoma. Right now, someone as far off as Devon is probably asking, “Say, did you know that Amanda hasn’t been good for James?” Most people believe that preacher’s wives are good for them, and it isn’t going to add any success to my efforts to legendize myself with an assertion that Amanda hasn’t been.

However, notice that I stated: “My wife hasn’t been good for me” – not: “She hasn’t been good to me.” No man could ask for a better wife than Amanda has been to me. She is an incredible woman – smart, funny, beautiful, and most of all patient. Patience is a must when you are married to a knucklehead like me.

Amanda even went to the trouble to learn to cook so I could have something to eat. A few days after we were married, Amanda said that she wanted to make me my favorite meal. Since I am a Baptist Preacher, of course my favorite meal is fried chicken. Fried chicken is the gospel bird. I am pretty sure that Jesus and the disciples ate fried chicken at the Last Supper. Anyway, Amanda made me what appeared to be a delicious plate of fried chicken. It looked great on the outside, but when I took a bite, I discovered it was raw inside. Not wanting to upset my new bride, I ate half a raw chicken. Did I mention getting your stomach pumped is not a pleasant experience? Praise the Lord, Amanda has mastered the art of cooking in all the years she has had my name and my heart.

Still, Amanda hasn’t been good for me. Let me explain. Last week, I reached up on a bookshelf and took down an old photo album. Inside were our wedding pictures. I have changed. My waistline has increased, and my hairline has decreased. My eyes were boyish and bright. Now they are aged. I must wear glasses to see anything. My hair was dark and wavy. Now it is white and thinning. I was young then. Now I am old.

The only difference between the man in the photographs and the man looking at them was the fact that the man in the photographs was getting married and the man looking at them was married. So, obviously marriage and wives are hard on men.

Considering some of the excuses I have heard for not going to church, my blaming Amanda for my looking older twenty some years later makes a lot of sense.

I don’t go to church because the church is full of hypocrites.” Well, the fire department is full of hypocrites too. But if your house is on fire, you will call them. Since your soul is in danger of hellfire, shouldn’t you go to church?

I don’t have the right clothes to wear to church.” Clothes are essential for church. I don’t recommend going naked. But you don’t have to wear expensive clothes to worship the Lord. Come in whatever you have. Just make sure you modestly cover your body parts.

I don’t have to go to church to worship the Lord.” That is true. Christians can worship the Lord anywhere. But show me in the Bible where there is a church of one. Everything I read in the Word of God emphasizes the necessity of being a part of the Body of Christ.

The point is: If you are believer in Jesus Christ, you need to make every effort – not every excuse to worship the Lord in His church. Jesus gave His life for you. Can you give Him just one hour out of your week? Find a Bible believing church and plant yourself there.

Why aren’t you going to church this Sunday?

That’s a bad excuse.

James Collins will be signing copies of his latest book “Don’t Throw The Believer Out With The Baptistry Water: The Best Of The Point Is… Volume 1” next Saturday, July 20th from 10 am until 2 pm at the Fort Scott Public Library’s LibraryCon. For more information about the LibraryCon, please call (620) 223-2882.

Local Author Releases New Book

Pastor James Collins of Fort Scott’s First Southern Baptist Church recently released a book titled, “Don’t Throw The Believer Out With The Baptistry Water: The Best Of The Point Is… Volume 1.” The book is a collection of his weekly faith-based newspaper columns. For the past three years, Collins has written “The Point Is…” for the Fort Scott Tribune. Last year, he began syndicating to outlets across the United States.

Since my stories have a point, I called my column, ‘The Point Is…’ I never dreamed God would use my writing to reach so many people.” Collins said. “I have received many emails, calls, and letters from folks telling me that they were blessed in some way by something I wrote. It is humbling.”

Collins writes simple stories with a spiritual message. “Jesus taught using parables – simple stories that illustrate a heavenly truth,” he said. “I have a love affair with the Word and with words. The good news of Jesus Christ is not supposed to be so complex. It is so simple a little child should be able to understand it. I tried to keep it simple and easy to read. This book is they type of book that you can start in the middle and read both ways. Each column stands by itself.”

My motivation for putting this book out was to show how God can use anyone,” Collins said. “My wife once told me that if God can use a talking donkey, He can surely use me too.”

Collins often uses amusing events from his own life in his writing. His book has been called, “Chicken Soup for the Soul with a sense of humor.” When the book was released in May, it became an Amazon bestseller in the Christian Humor category.

Collins said the proceeds from sale of the book are going to construction costs for the expansion of his church. Since 2016, he has served as senior pastor of First Southern Baptist Church. They recently broke ground on a new edition that will serve as a Family Life Center.

The book is for sale locally at the church and at special events. “I am excited to be signing books at the LibraryCon,” Collins said. The LibraryCon will be held at the Fort Scott Public on July 20th from 10 am until 2 pm. “I hope that our community will come out and support our library at this event,” he said. “I also hope that our community will support our church expansion by purchasing a copy of my book.”

Don’t Throw The Believer Out With The Baptistry Water: The Best Of The Point Is…Volume 1” is a 254-page publication, contains 14 chapters, and retails for $15. It is available from Amazon and at the website www.thepointis.net.

Update on Paws and Claws

On May 29, the Shirley Yeager Animal Friends Foundation finalized the sale of their 4,000-square-foot facility on 20 acres in southeast Bourbon County.

It was purchased by Zachary and Aubry Ross of Fort Scott.

On April 23, 2011, the ground was broken and construction began on a 2,000-square-foot animal shelter called Lee’s Paws and Claws. Not long after, an addition doubled the size of the shelter.

The foundation began with a bequest from Shirley Yeager. While generous, it was not sufficient to build and operate a no-kill shelter. The shelter was built with funds donated by Marjorie “Lee” Weast.

SYAFF is a private corporation which has been granted 501(c)3 not-for-profit status by the IRS. It receives no tax monies from the City, County, or State, relying instead on income earned on the Yeager bequest and the remainder of the Weast gift, as well as small donations, and, very occasionally, grants.

While the community’s support for the foundation’s mission has been strong, donations have not kept pace with increasing needs and rising costs. The overhead on such a large facility created a negative cashflow and eventually threatened the long-term financial viability of the organization.

In addition to the high overhead, the location was an issue. The shelter was located on a gravel road seven miles from central Fort Scott. This discouraged people from visiting the shelter, especially to volunteer.

Last year, the executives of the SYAFF board of directors made the difficult decision to sell the facility, with the goal of transitioning to a more economically-sustainable business model in a more affordable location. Earlier this year, the shelter moved into a smaller facility at 8 North Judson Street which they are renting. At the end of this year, decisions about a long-term location will be made.

The foundation’s shelter is now doing business as “Fort Scott Paws & Claws Animal Shelter.” A ribbon-cutting was held at the new location on May 16.

During the first few weeks it was open downtown, the shelter had more volunteer hours than in all of last year. The convenient location has also allowed the shelter to expand retail sales as another source of income.

The new shelter houses cats and kittens in two rooms, just as it did at the previous location. A major change is that dogs are not housed at the shelter; instead, they now are housed in foster homes. Living with a family rather than being caged in a kennel is much better for the dogs’ health and behavior. The foster “parents” are able to provide accurate descriptions of the dogs’ personalities, making it easier to make a good match with potential adopters.

Applications for adopting or fostering can be found at FSPawsAndClaws.org. Donations, which are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, can be left at the shelter or mailed to PO Box 667, Fort Scott. The shelter is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm.