Category Archives: Bourbon County

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Significant Grants Are Available for Solar Energy For Bourbon County Businesses

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Daniel Zywietz and son, Noah on a recent solar installation in Chanute. submitted photo.

If you own a business in Bourbon County and selected other counties in rural Kansas, you can apply for a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant and get up to 50% off the cost of solar panels.

Add the 50% federal tax credits available for renewable energy installations in Bourbon County, and a business owner could get a solar system for nearly free, according to Daniel Zywietz, founder of SEK Solar, Chanute.

SEK Solar designs and installs solar systems and also helps with the grant application, allowing business owners to drastically reduce their utility bills, he said.

Before starting SEK Solar, Zywietz founded and ran Enerwhere, the Middle East’s largest rooftop installation company and one of the world’s largest microgrid operators. The company started as a provider of temporary power services to the construction industry in 2012 and quickly expanded into the commercial rooftop solar market in Dubai, building over 45 MW of solar over 10 years, including the world’s second-largest solar rooftop system at the time, covering an area of more than 23 football fields, he said

He ended up in the Middle East as a management consultant working for Booz & Company, a spin-off of Booz Allen Hamilton, and one of the best-known management consulting companies worldwide.

With his wife (who is originally from Humboldt, KS) looking to move home after the COVID-pandemic, Zywietz started to look into the solar market in Kansas and was astonished to find that there were hardly any solar panels installed, despite the clear and sunny skies and large open spaces. With over $1 billion in grant funds for solar and energy efficiency available to agricultural and rural small business owners under the USDA’s Rural Energy for America (REAP) program, Zywietz and his wife decided to set up a solar company to service local business owners.

What made the opportunity even more exciting was that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, not only refilled the REAP program, which had been running for 10 years with much lower funding levels, but also significantly improved the Federal tax credits available to rural Kansans, according to Zywietz.

According to the EPA website, the credits are structured in three separate buckets, according to information from Zywietz. The 30% base tax credit is available to anyone wanting to install a solar system at the business or home, anywhere in the US. A further 10% “Low-Income Community” bonus is available to projects in disadvantaged areas. (Bourbon County, together with most of South-East Kansas, qualifies). Finally, there is another 10% “Energy Community Bonus” available to areas that previously hosted coal mines or coal-fired power plants, and again, Bourbon County qualifies, according to a map provided by the Department of Energy. Added together, the tax credits can add up to 50% for a renewable energy project in Fort Scott and the surrounding area.

While the tax credits don’t require any special application process, the REAP grants do. It all starts with checking whether a business’s location is eligible based on the USDA’s Property Eligibility site, says Zywietz.

The USDA defines a rural area as an area with a population of less than 50,000 people. The second criterion is the business size. The small business size standard is based on either annual revenue or the number of employees, depending on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, which is used by federal agencies to classify businesses by industry type, according to http://kansasenergyprogram.org/assessments/REAP-OverviewFAQ

This generally means that if a business has less than $10 million in revenue or less than 100 employees and is a for-profit business, such as a restaurant, hair salon, retail business, or farm business, the owner is eligible to apply, Zywietz said.

“It’s a tedious grant application process,” he said. “The smallest grants of up to $20,000 have a nearly 100% approval rate because $200 million were set aside for these small projects and there aren’t enough applications, as most small business owners find it too time-consuming to fill in all of the forms. Larger grants, which can go up to $1 million, compete with other projects based on a scoring system, so getting the grant application right can make a big difference to the chance of approval. The next application deadline is June 30th.”

“It’s a big opportunity for rural business owners to lower their utility bills and go green. And while filling in government paperwork can be frustrating, I think it’s only fair for them to check if your business is legitimate before they hand you what is essentially free money. I’m happy to answer any questions on solar or the USDA REAP grants and the IRA tax credits as well,” Zywietz said.

To learn more about SEK Solar visit the website at http://seksolar.com

Zywietz can be reached at (620) 431-1122 or email: [email protected].

Zywietz will be in  Dubai for two weeks at the end of April.
“I’m mostly done with the handover to the new Enerwhere CEO and summers in Dubai are pretty miserable anyways,” he said.
To view a feature he wrote:

 

Zywietz plans to attend the Fort Scott Chamber Coffee meetings on Thursday mornings at 8 a.m. to answer questions from business owners., he said.

 

The Kansas Energy Program is also available to assist you through the entire REAP grant application process, according to its website.

 

A small project Zywietz has completed in Chanute, photo from SEK Solar Facebook page.

 

Bourbon County

Bo Co Coalition Minutes of April 3 Meeting

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Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition

General Membership Meeting Minutes

 

April 3, 2024

 

 

  1. Welcome:  Twenty-two members representing eighteen agencies attended.  Billie Jo reminded members that the 2024 family swim pass applications to the Aquatic Center are available at Buck Run and The Beacon; applications must be returned to Buck Run by the end of April.

 

  1. Member Introductions and Announcements:
  • Elizabeth Schafer, Pioneer Kiwanis and CASA – CASA needs volunteers!
  • Angela Handly, Compassionate Ministries: There will be a bake sale fundraiser Friday, May 5, at the First Baptist Church.
  • Lindsey McNeil, COPE: Since the COPE grant will be ending at the end of the month, she will be moving to a position with KRI.
  • David Gillen, Beacon: 266 families and 614 people were served in March, twelve of the families were new.  They had forty hours of volunteer service for March.
  • Craig Campbell, GNAT and FSACF: GNAT is in the spring clean-up mode; April 22, 4-6 p.m. is the scheduled date for the Downtown Clean-up; contact Bailey Lyons to volunteer.  Fort Scott Community Foundation grant applications open August 1; check the website for grant information.
  • Tammy Alcantor, Crawford County Health Department: They are working toward virtual pre-natal classes for Bourbon County moms; this will eliminate the need to travel to Pittsburg for classes.
  • Travis Wilcoxen, Angel Care Home Health: The specialty this month is wound care; they can help with this according to doctor’s orders.
  • Nick Johnson, USD 234 Pre School: Kindergarten round-up will be held on April 10; Pre School round-up will be held on April 12.  Spring Fling family night is April 18; contact Nick if you wish to have a space for your agency.
  • Rachel Carpenter: The SEK Childcare Conference will be on April 20; the Dare to Dream Women’s Entrepreneurship conference will be held on June 14-15.  Flyers for these events will be sent as an attachment with the minutes.

 

  1. Program:  Mike Sharpmack, Executive Director, Kansas Renewal Institute (KRI) explained the concept behind the first ever institute of this type.  Phase 1 of KRI will be a residential hospital with 58 beds in the adolescent unit, twenty beds in the adult unit, and an adult detox unit.  Phase 2 will include an ER, hopefully within six months.  Doors will open on April 15 with the first ten patients.  The education proponent will be done in cooperation with USD 234.  Ribbon cutting for this new facility will be April 18; 11:00 a.m.

 

May program:  Amanda Classen, K-State Research Community Vitality Agent

June program:  Tara Solomon Smith, QPR Suicide Prevention

 

 

  1. Open Forum:  Nothing further came before the membership; Billie Jo did remind members that we do not meet in July.

 

 

  1. Adjournment:  The next General Membership meeting will be May 1, 2024.

 

Bourbon County, Business, Food, Fort Scott

The Farmers Market Vendors Meeting Starts the 2024 Season This Evening

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Tomatoes for sale at Fort Scott Farmers Market in 2018.

After several years of planning and execution, the Fort Scott Farmers Market will be under the new pavilion on North National Avenue on May 4.

Tonight is the first vendor’s meeting of the season. This meeting is for returning vendors and anyone interested in becoming a vendor in 2024, Teri Hamilton, president of Fort Scott Farmers Market said.

Teri Hamilton. Submitted photo.

The meeting is at the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team office at 104 N. National Avenue,  across the street from the pavilion, from 6-8 p.m.

At tonight’s meeting, there will be introductions,  information about market guidelines, applications, and fees “and a time to get to know each other a little better,” she said.

Vendors are not just farmers, “but we give preference to farmers and agriculture businesses,” Hamilton said.

“There are also baked goods and craft vendors,” she said. “We have 15 returning vendors.”

“We have space for up to 24 under the pavilion,” Hamilton said.

“The vendors will park in the parking spaces under the pavilion and the customers will go around to each vendor in the parking stall,” she said.

If more than that number of vendors want to be a part of the market, the vendor spaces will have to be reconfigured, and will be thoroughly discussed, she said.

The Farmers Market Committee comprises Hamilton, owner of Hamilton’s Artisan Bakery, as president; Ethan Holly, treasurer,  of Still Waters Farm; and Leanna Cain, secretary, of Sweet County Farms.

Vendors pay $5 a week for a vendor space, and if payment is given for the whole year, it is $4 a week, she said.

The market is open on Tuesdays from 4-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, starting on May 4 and continuing until the end of October.

There is a Healthy Bourbon County Action Team workshop on April 15 that will focus on how to get a license to sell at a farmers market, food laws and food safety.

“We want our vendors to have access to that resource,” she said.

Hamilton said the group is so thankful for the new space.

“The pavilion is so wonderful,” she said. “We are so thankful for the project and all the fundraising that took place and they didn’t have to give us the priority,” she said.

On opening day, May 4, there will be a ribbon cutting, live music and speakers for the pavilion’s first farmers market, Hamilton said. The Bourbon County Garden Club always has a live plant sale on the first day of the market season as well.

For more information, call Hamilton at 816-491-7884.

To see the latest on the Fort Scott Farmers Market:

https://www.facebook.com/fsfma

A view of a 2017 Fort Scott Farmers Market on Skubitz Plaza.
Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott, Health Care, Youth

Kansas Renewal Institute Repurposes Mercy Hospital

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KRI President of Operations Joe Tinervin, MSW, stands in the intake room’s doorway near the former hospital’s west entrance.

The western part and administration portion of the former Fort Scott Mercy Hospital is in the process of renovation.

Kansas Renewal Institute, located at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd. is a behavioral healthcare center specializing in treating adults and adolescents. The building has approximately 120,000 square feet.

JG Healthcare Solutions is the parent company that owns K.R.I.

The institute administrators e are Jonathan Gross, Chief Executive Officer; T.J. Denning, Chief Operating Officer, Erik Engebretson, Chief Financial Officer, Joe Tinervin, President of Operations and and Mike Sharpmack, Executive Director.

Kansas Renewal Institute President of Operations Joe Tinervin stands in the southern hall of the former Mercy Hospital.

This group of men has worked together at Universal Health Services, Acadia Healthcare, and most recently Discovery Behavioral Health.

“We worked for years together, but towards the end of our time at Discovery, we said we could do this ourselves, help a lot of people and have fun along the way,” Tinervin said.

“The whole idea is to provide safe, effective care that promotes successful outcomes,” he said. “We hope to have a staff environment where people love to come to work.”

K.R.I. will open with 82 licensed beds across four units. The State of Kansas has told Tinervin that the licensure process will be finished by April 15.

Joe Tinervin shows a patient room that is being made ready for patients.

There is a 50-bed adolescent psychiatric residential treatment facility,  with two units, one for males, and one for females.

K.R. I. President of Operations Joe TInervin gives a tour on March 26, 2024, of the new facility. This is a portion of the adolescent unit.

These units are located in the former maternity unit and adjacent hall on the north wing of the building.

The former maternity unit will be used for adolescent residential services at K.R.I. Joe Tinervin stands at the door between that unit and the hall. To the left is one of the many contractors working inside the building in anticipation of the April opening of the facility.

In addition, there are 32 beds in two units for adults: one for adult residential services and one for detoxification services.

This is a wing of the adult residential services unit at K.R.I., down the hall to the left is the detox unit. Work is still being done to prepare for the opening of the institute in April 2024.

The detox unit is located in the former intensive care area of the hospital with the adult residential services in the hall just adjacent.

The former Intensive care unit of Mercy Hospital is now the detox unit of Kansas Recovery Institute.
A view of the two corridors in the former waiting room of the emergency department at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd. in  March 2024. The steps in the middle lead down to the cafeteria which will be for residents only, and won’t be open to the community.

“We have thrown a significant amount into the renovation so far,” Tinervin said. “Flooring, paint, equipment,  and furniture,” he said.

“It’s all happening right now as we get the units ready to go,” he said.

“The State of Kansas has a significant waitlist,” he said. “We will be servicing residents from all over Kansas, not just southeast Kansas.”

“The state was here last week, and licensure might take until April 15,” he said.

“Our job is to reintegrate people back into their home communities,” he said. “If someone is from another place, they will return.”

“We are not opening with an outpatient level of care…only residential,” Tinervin said. “When and if we build an outpatient level of care, patients from the Fort Scott area will be able to commute for services while those who live outside of the Fort Scott area will be transitioning home and will have the opportunity to participate in KRI Outpatient services remotely through a virtual telehealth platform.”

In the administrative portion of the K.R. I. is this multi-purpose room which is currently being used for training employees and will be used for classrooms for residential adolescents in the future. Pictured is a training session.

K.R.I. will be collaborating with USD 234.

 

“We are excited about the partnership we are developing with Unified School District 234,” Tinervin said.  “As part of this partnership, Unified School District 234 is committed to providing general and special education services to KRI residents within school age. These services will be provided on-site at Kansas Renewal Institute and the programming provided will be individualized according to the educational needs and levels of each student served at the KRI.”

 

To view job opportunities at KRI:

AD: Kansas Recovery Institute Is Hiring For All Positions

This is the reception desk of the Kansas Recovery Institute at 401 Woodland Hills.

Once licensure arrives, people can make appointments at 620-644-1195 and they will also take walk-ins, Tinervin said.

The KRI Team photo, taken last Thursday at the end of orientation. Back Row from left to right: Joe Tinervin, President of Operations; Christopher Edwards, BHT; Lori Storm, Lead Case Manager; Dylan Pike, Nurse; Mark Steward, BHT Supervisor; Mike Sharpmack, Executive Director; Jay Abbott, Director of Quality Improvement and Risk Management; Jaymie Murphy, Nurse
Front Row from left to right: Sheila Guinn-Peters, Admissions; Sheila Nami, Admissions; Pamela Johnson, Nurse; Mary Wilson, CMA; Candice Wyatt, BHT; Jessica Whitley, BHT; Tracy Serna, BHT Lead; JoDanna Simon, DON; Makenzie Brown, BHT; Stefani Brown, Nurse; and Jessica Allison, Clinical Director
*acronym key: BHT: Behavioral Health Technician; DON: Director of Nursing; CMT: Certified Medical Technician. Submitted photo.

 

The K.R.I. website: www.kansasrenewal.com

401 Woodland Hills Blvd.

Also housed at 401-405 Woodland Hills Blvd.: Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, Ashley (Medical) Clinic, Care to Share (cancer family support group), I Am Rehab( physical therapy/fitness center), Regional Economic Development Inc., and Diamonds In The Marketplace ( a beauty salon).

Bourbon County, Government

Agenda For April 1 Bourbon County Commission Meeting

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Bourbon County Courthouse

210 S. National Ave Fort Scott, KS 66701 Phone: 620-223-3800

Fax: 620-223-5832

Bourbon County, Kansas

Nelson Blythe

1st District Commissioner

Jim Harris, Chairman

2nd District Commissioner

Clifton Beth

3rd District Commissioner

 

 

Bourbon County Commission Agenda 210 S. National Ave.

Fort Scott, KS 66701

 

April 1, 2024 5:30 p.m.

 

  1. Call Meeting to Order
  2. Flag Salute
  • Approval of Consent Agenda
    1. Approval of Minutes from 3/25/2024
  1. Public Comments
  2. SEK-CAP Request for Funding
  3. Communities Grant Application/EMS Stats
  • Commission Comments
  • Adjourn Meeting

 

 

 

Executive Session Justifications:

 

KSA 75-4319 (b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy.

KSA 75-4319 (b)(2) for consultation with an attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the

attorney-client relationship.

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.

KSA 75-4319 (b)(4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trust and individual     proprietorships

KSA 75-4319 (b)(6) for the preliminary discussion of the acquisition of real property.

KSA 75-4319 (b)(12) to discuss matters relating to the security measures, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting

would jeopardize such security measures.

 

Bourbon County, Entertainment, Fort Scott, Sports

REDI on the Green Golf Tournament Woodland Hills Golf Course Friday, April 19

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Sending on behalf of Chamber Member Bourbon County Regional Economic Developement, Inc (REDI)…

REDI on the Green!

REDI on the Green Golf Tournament

Woodland Hills Golf Course

Friday, April 19th

Check in: 9:00am

Tee off: 10:00am

$60.00 per player

$240.00 team of 4

Lunch will be provided for golfers

GOLF CARTS ARE LIMITED

100% of all proceeds goes to support local scholarships

Register now at redi-on-the-green.perfectgolfevent.com

Games:

Hole-In-One

4-Player Shootout

Longest Drive

Putting Contest

Closest to the Pin

Potential Hole-In-One Prizes:

$10,000

$100,000 Shootout

Scotty Cameron Phantom X Putter

Yeti Tundra 75 Hard Cooler

Bushnell Pro X3 Rangefinder

Guaranteed Prizes:

(2) Winners for $100 towards a round of golf anywhere in the US or Spa Day

(1) Winner 7 Night Resort Stay for 2

1st & 2nd place pay out to flight A & B

Deadline for sponsors is April 5th!
Thank you to our Chamber Champion members below!
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Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce | 231 E. Wall Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701
Bourbon County

The Bourbon County Coalition Meets April 3 at Scottview Apartments

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The Bourbon County Coalition will have a regular April meeting on Wednesday, April 3, at 1:00 p.m., in the Conference Room at the Scottview Apartments, 315 S. Scott.

Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition

General Membership Meeting Agenda

 

April 3, 2024

 

 

  1. Welcome:  2024 family swim pass applications to the Aquatic Center are available at Buck Run and The Beacon.

 

 

  1. Member Introductions and Announcements:

 

 

  1. Program:  Operations Manager with the new mental health facility.

 

May program:  Amanda Classen, K-State Research Community Vitality Agent

June program:  Tara Solomon Smith, QPR Suicide Prevention

 

 

  1. Open Forum:

 

 

  1. Adjournment:  The next General Membership meeting will be May 1, 2024.

 

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Starlite FCE Minutes March,2024

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The Starlite Family and Consumer Education Unit held its March meeting at the Presbyterian Village Meeting Room.  Before the meeting the members stuffed two hundred plastic Easter eggs for the Tri-Valley clients.

 

President Glenda Miller called the meeting to order.  Vice President Joyce Allen led the club in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the Club Collect. Ten members and one guest were in attendance.  They reported that they had volunteered for thirty-eight hours and had recycled one hundred and ninety-five pounds.

 

Terri Williams read a Thank you note from Preferred Home Living and also presented the Treasurer’s report in Doris’s absence.  Karen Peery presented the Council report.  She announced that the FCE Recognition Day will be May 2nd at the Neosho Vallely Event Center in Erie, and that the Spring Tea will be held April 11th at First Southern Baptist Church in Fort Scott.  Bourbon County is providing salads and has been requested to bring the recipes also.  Karen also reported that Deb Lust had been named the Heart of FCE recipient for the SE Kansas.  The Council had awarded a $200 scholarship to Mackenzie Robertson.  Karen also reminded us that the State FCE meeting will be October 7-9 in Chanute and that she is looking for footed glasses for the table decorations.

 

Glenda Miller presented the Citizenship spotlight.  She highlighted Vietnam War commemoration day which is March 29th.

 

Old Business consisted of Discussion about the Operation Christmas Child, Karen Peery announced that she will obtain the boxes for us and Glenda announced that she had copies of suggested items for the boxes if anyone needed one.

Betty Johnson moved that the meeting be adjourned, LeAnna Taylor seconded the motion, motion carrier.  After the meeting Terri Williams present the program on “Make Active Habits Stick.”  Glenda Miller and Terri Williams provide refreshments of Irish brownies, pretzel shamrocks, mints, candy Easter eggs, nuts and water for the club.

 

 

Bourbon County, Kansas

Total solar eclipse to cross North America on April 8

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TOPEKA – On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. The Kansas Department of Transportation and the Kansas Highway Patrol advise travelers to plan ahead as traffic is expected to increase.

“Remember that the shoulders of highways and interstates are for emergencies only,” said KHP Capt. Candice Breshears. “Finding a safe and secure location to view the eclipse is a must for all travelers to make it to their destinations safely.”

Travelers should be patient, avoid distractions and practice safe driving habits.

“Pay attention to the roadway, not the sky,” said KDOT Director of Safety Troy Whitworth. “Be on the lookout for other drivers who may be distracted. Traffic will most likely be heavy before, during and after the event in the locations where the eclipse can be viewed. So, plan your travel accordingly.”

Kansas is not in the direct viewing area of the total solar eclipse. It will begin in Mexico and enter the U.S. in Texas, and parts of 14 additional states will experience the total solar eclipse as it travels northeast across the country. Then it will enter Canada.

According to the National Weather Service, a total solar eclipse occurs when the moon’s elliptical orbit is towards its minimum distance from Earth, making the moon appear larger than the sun. This allows the moon to completely obscure the sun, and a shadow is cast on the Earth’s surface.

Use specialized eye protection to view the sun during this time. Check the weather and plan accordingly – make sure to dress properly and be prepared for potential weather incidents when driving long distances. For information on Kansas road conditions, go to  www.kandrive.gov or call 5-1-1.

Eclipse

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Bourbon County, Government

Unapproved Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Uniontown City Council

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The Special Council Meeting on March 25, 2024 at Uniontown City Hall, was called to order at 5:30PM by Mayor Jurgensen.  Council members present were Jess Ervin (5:31), Danea Esslinger, Amber Kelly, Mary Pemberton, and Bradley Stewart.  Also in attendance for all or part of the meeting was City Clerk Sally Johnson.

 

Motion by Kelly, Second by Esslinger, Approved 4-0 to enter in to executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel matters exception, KSA 4319(b)(1), in order discuss offer of position of non-elected personnel, the open meeting to resume at 6:05PM

 

Johnson in at 5:41, out at 5:42.  Open meeting resumed at 6:05.

 

Motion by Ervin, Second by Kelly, Approved 5-0 to authorize Mayor Jurgensen to hire a City Clerk at $15/hour with benefits as specified in employee policy manual

 

Moved by Ervin, Second by Kelly, Approved 5-0, to adjourn at 6:08PM