Category Archives: Bourbon County

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Caregivers Program Offered

Leave a comment
Barbara Stockebrand. K-State Extension Agent. Submitted photo.

Program to be Offered to Support Family Caregivers

A couple of months ago I wrote an article on supporting family caregivers. You might remember that I mentioned family caregivers, often referred to as informal caregivers, provide 90% of the long-term care offered in America. The value of the unpaid care they provide runs into the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Caregivers frequently experience the need to ‘do it all’. ‘Doing it all,’ from the caregiver’s perspective, may not include caring for themselves so they can thrive, and not just survive during their caregiving experience.

The Southwind Extension District is joining the Wildcat Extension District and also Sedgwick County Extension in offering Powerful Tools for Caregivers. This educational program is designed to support family caregivers in taking better care of themselves while caring for a relative or a friend. The program can benefit participants who are helping a parent, spouse, child, friend or someone who lives at home, in a nursing home, or across the country.

The 6-session course will be offered virtually on Thursdays, January 14 – February 18, 2021, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. A $5.00 registration fee covers the postage for sending out the Caregiver Helpbook. The helpbook includes topics on: Hiring in-home help, helping memory impaired elders, making legal, financial, and care decisions, understanding depression, and making decisions about driving.

Caregiver tools provided as part of the sessions include: Helping the caregiver reduce stress; communicating effectively; encouraging ways for the caregiver to take care of themselves; reducing caregiver guilt, anger and depression; helping the caregiver to relax; making tough decisions; setting goals and problem solving.

Register online by going to https://bit.ly/tools4care or call the Yates Center Southwind office at 620-625-8620. Class size will be limited. Registering early will allow staff to help participants be able to participate virtually and to receive the Caregiver Helpbook prior to sessions beginning.

The program is being offered at a reduced cost thanks to partial funding by the K-State Research and Extension Adult Development and Aging Program Focus Team and the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas.

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Bourbon County, Food, Health Care, Housing, Schools

Bourbon County Coalition Meets Via Zoom Jan. 6

Leave a comment

“We will be having a Zoom meeting at noon on Wednesday, January 6, thanks to Robin and Allen County Thrive,” Billie Jo Drake, the chairwoman, said in an email.

Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition

General Membership Meeting Agenda

January 6, 2021

  1. Welcome:
  1. Member Introductions and Announcements:
  1. Program (no programs for Zoom meetings)
  1. Open Forum:
  1. Adjournment: Next General Membership meeting will be February 3, 2021.
Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Be SMART in 2022

Leave a comment
Clara Wicoff. Submitted photo.

By Clara Wicoff, Nutrition, Food and Health Agent

With 2022 on the horizon, you may be thinking about setting goals for the new year. However, research indicates that most Americans fail to achieve their New Year’s resolutions. So, how can you set yourself up for success? Be SMART about your goals for 2022 by setting set goals which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-framed.

Specific goals include exactly what you want to achieve. For example, “I will make half my grains whole grains” is a more specific goal than “I will eat healthier.” This sample goal also has the added benefit of aligning with MyPlate recommendations!

Measurable goals state how you will determine your success. To make your goals measurable, ask yourself: How will I know if my goal has been achieved? Let’s say you want to be more active in the upcoming year. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults do muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days per week. This includes activities such as bodyweight exercises, lifting weights, shoveling snow, mowing the lawn with a push mower, and even gardening and weeding! “I will do muscle-strengthening activities on two days each week” is an example of a measurable goal which aligns with this physical activity recommendation.

It is also crucial to make your goals achievable. Achievable goals are realistic for you personally. Take into consideration all internal and external factors, including your skills, resources, and time. When making health-related goals, recognize that small steps add up over time. If completing moderate-intensity physical activity for 150 minutes each week (as recommended by the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans) isn’t realistically achievable for you right now, then start smaller and set a goal which you can accomplish!

Next, make your goals relevant. Setting goals which match what really matters to you will increase your motivation to achieve them. If you have children and enjoy cooking, one example of a relevant goal may be to cook a meal together at least once each week.

Finally, your goals should be time-framed. Creating a timeline or setting a deadline encourages you to stay on track. “I will increase my physical activity by participating in Walk Kansas from March to May in 2022” is just one example of a time-framed goal!

SMART goals are a well-established tool which can be used to help you set and achieve objectives. As an extension agent, I seek to provide research-based educational programs which help people improve their lives, livelihoods, businesses, and communities. These programs, as well as those provided by my fellow agents, may help you achieve your SMART goals! To learn more about the programs we offer or to get more information about setting SMART goals, contact me at [email protected] or by calling 620-365-2242.

Bourbon County, Business, COVID-19, Food

Bronson Locker Expands Due To Demand During Pandemic

1 Comment
Helen and Chubb Bolling, owners of Bronson Locker. Submitted photo.

 

The Bronson Locker is USDA inspected meat. From their Facebook page.

Bronson Locker, 504 Clay Street, Bronson, KS has been expanding during the COVID 19 pandemic.

“We have had an overflow of work,” said Helen Bolling, who along with her husband, Raymond, known as Chubb, owns the meat locker. “We have had to put on more employees. We expanded our business.  A new cooler, a new processing room.”

“People are buying local meat,” Bolling said. “People are wanting farm-raised meat. We are USDA inspected.”

Several Bourbon County meat producers provide meat to the locker, she said. J.D. Russell and Kevin Gleason from the Redfield area; Ryan Tuchscherer, Fort Scott; Henry and John Ericson, Hiattville all provide meat to Bronson Locker, to name a few, Bolling said.

They have spent a large amount of money to expand their meat locker business that processes beef, swine, sheep, and goats, Helen said. During deer season they add deer processing too.

From their Facebook page.
The waiting list to process beef is up to Dec. 2021, Helen said.
“We are accepting deer anytime,” Mandie Ericson, wife of Helen’s grandson Garret, said.
Mandie and Garret hope to buy the family business from Chubb and Helen someday, Mandie said.
They do not sell deer meat, they merely process it.
Currently, Mandie is the supervisor, Helen said.
Mandie Ericson, Helen and Chubb Bolling and Garret Ericson at the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Forks and Corks Event 2019 at the Riverfront Event Center. The Bronson Locker has won the Taster’s Choice Award at the event for two years in a row. Submitted photo.

From the Bronson Locker Facebook page:

“For people discouraged about the waiting list for beef appointments…
“It is always a good idea to… call and check regularly. We want your business as much as you want to sell your beef or stock your freezers.
This week we were able to work seven people up off the waiting list. This week alone. Don’t feel discouraged we will make sure we take care of as many of you as we possibly can without sacrificing quality.
“Thank you to the farmers and families for all of your continued support.”
They are currently selling beef bundles at 25 pounds for $100.
“They average $4 a pound for this farm-raised beef,” Helen said.
The locker is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be contacted at 620-939-4575.

 

 

Family Owned and Run

They have twelve full-time and two part-time employees, all from Bourbon County, she said.

This is a family-owned and family-run business and 10 of the employees are family.

Besides Chubb and Helen, their son Mike is a butcher. In addition, Amber Ericson, their daughter, works at the locker when she is not teaching school at West Bourbon Elementary School in Uniontown. Helen’s nephews Jesse, Robert and Jim Kuns, the Bolling grandchildren Mandy and Garrett Ericson,  and another grand-daughter in-law, Tyler Ericson, all work at the locker.

 

In addition, they have a long-term employee, Tom Bradbury, technician, “who keeps us up and going,” Mandie said.

 

The family has purchased some of the buildings adjacent to the locker and have opened an antique store on the main street of Bronson as well.

 

The Bollings own several adjacent buildings to their locker business. Submitted photo.
Chubb and Helen Bolling added an antique shop in an adjacent building. The shop is named THAM Antiques after Tyler, Helen, Amber and Mandie. Submitted photos.

 

Bourbon County

December Uniontown 4-H Report

Leave a comment

 

Submitted by Kendyl Bloesser, Club Reporter

The Uniontown 4H Club met on Sunday, December 13th for their monthly meeting. During the meeting, members were recognized for their 2019-2020 4H achievements in three main categories: MIG (Member in Good Standing – 4H participation summary), Membership Pins, and KAP (project based Kansas Award Portfolio). Below are members and achievements recognized during the ceremony.

Kendyl Bloessser: Junior purple MIG, 3rd year clover pin, 1st junior foods KAP and 2nd junior fiber arts KAP

MaKinlee Bloesser: Junior purple MIG, 2nd year bronze pin, 1st junior fiber arts KAP and 2nd junior foods KAP

Jack Endicott: Cloverbud pin

Bareigh Farrell: Senior blue MIG and 3rd year clover pin

Austin Maycumber: Junior purple MIG, 2nd year bronze pin and 1st junior space tech KAP.

Will Maycumber: Intermediete purple MIG, 2nd year bronze pin, and 1st intermediate space tech KAP

Hunter Minor: Intermediate red MIG

Lane Minor: Intermediate red MIG and 1st year membership pin

Hailey Shadden: Intermediate blue MIG and 2nd year bronze pin

Seth Shadden: Intermediate purple MIG and 2nd year bronze pin

Bane Stone: Junior blue MIG and 1st year membership pin

Marley Sutton: Junior purple MIG, 3rd year clover pin, 1st junior swine KAP and 2nd junior sheep KAP

McKinley Sutton: Junior purple MIG, 3rd year clover pin, 1st junior sheep KAP and 2nd junior swine KAP

Tucker Sutton: Cloverbud membership pin

Calvin Walker: Intermediate blue MIG and 2nd year bronze pin

Additional awards recognized were: Club Seal – Purple, Community Leaders, Project Leaders and Teen Leaders. Melanie Bloesser: 6th year community leader, Laura George: 30th year rabbits, Deidra Maycumber: 1st year comunity leader, and Sara Sutton: 3rd year community leader.

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Progress on Fiber Optic Projects In Bourbon County Continues

1 Comment
The Craw-Kan Cooperative space is seen on the backside of the  Bourbon County Courthouse. The county commission has leased Craw-Kan two cells from the former jail. September 2018 photo.
Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative Inc., Girard, is working on multiple projects in Bourbon County to provide fiber-optic lines for internet services.
Craw-Kan Telephone serves Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, offering high-speed fiber optic internet, cable TV, and telephone service in its’ service area, according to its’ Facebook page.
Zach Adams, Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative Marketing Manager.
Fort Scott Project
Work began on a new hub for Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative on South Judson Street in late 2018.
“We are continuing to build fiber to non-cooperative member areas in the southeast side of the city of Fort Scott,” Zach Adams, Craw-Kan Marketing Manager said.   “These are homes and businesses where we have not been able to provide services in the past.”
“The goal of our Fort Scott project is to provide 100% fiber-optic coverage in the city limits,” he said.  ” The west side of US 69 HWY is complete and we are currently working on the southeast quadrant of the city.  We will also connect some residences outside but adjacent to the city.”
“We are subcontracting Jim Radell Construction, Pittsburg, for construction on the southeast quadrant of the City of Fort Scott,” Adams said.  “They have multiple crews working in the area.  We also use multiple Craw-Kan employees in the construction and installation process.  There are two or more repair and installation technicians assigned to the Fort Scott territory at any given time.”
Craw-Kan began the Fort Scott overbuild in 2017 and completion is estimated to be in 2021-2022, Adams said.
Uniontown Project
Conduit for the Craw-Kan Fiber Optic project. in March 2020 in Uniontown.
  “The other large project in Bourbon County is the upgrade to the Uniontown (756) phone exchange,” he said.   “This project will be replacing copper phone and DSL lines with fiber-optic lines that will bring maximum reliability and gigabit internet speeds to 100% of Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative members in the Uniontown exchange…The project will upgrade 100% of existing Craw-Kan members to fiber-optic connections to the home.”
“For the Uniontown project, Bob Hull Inc – BHI was with bid winning contractor doing the fiber upgrade construction,” Adams said.  “They will be using multiple crews to complete the work.”
The Uniontown project was started in 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2021, he said.
Cost of the project
“Craw-Kan has invested several million dollars over the last four years into upgrading the connections of our cooperative members in Bourbon County as well as bringing new fiber optic services to the City of Fort Scott and surrounding areas,” Adams said.
Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Special Meeting Agenda Dec. 29

Leave a comment

Agenda

Bourbon County Commission Room

1st Floor, County Courthouse

210 S. National Avenue

Fort Scott, KS 66701

Tuesdays starting at 9:00

Date: December 29, 2020

1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________

2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________

3rd District-Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________

County Clerk-Kendell Mason

 

MEETING WILL BE HELD IN COMMISSION ROOM. ANYONE ATTENDING THE MEETING WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK PROVIDED BY THE COUNTY. MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.

2:00 Executive Session – Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships

Bourbon County, Business, COVID-19, Fort Scott, Government, Health Care, Jobs, Schools

SPARK Recipients Working To Complete Spending

Leave a comment
The north wing of the Bourbon County Courthouse houses the county clerk, treasurer and commission offices.

The SPARK recipients are working to complete COVID-19 related projects by the end of 2020, as required by the grant program.

SPARK is responsible for the statewide distribution of the U.S. Coronavirus Relief Fund.

The total amount of grants disbursed in Bourbon County to over 100 entities was $2,835,212.86 on October 21, 2020, according to Bourbon County Economic Director Jody Hoener.

To see the list of recipients:

https://fortscott.biz/news/spark-projects-in-bourbon-county ‎

The Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) taskforce is leading the state through recovery from the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, according to its’ website. https://covid.ks.gov/spark-recovery-office/

 

“Congress recently passed the new COVID bill that gave an extension to states and cities on spending this money for a year,” said Jody Hoener, the Bourbon County Economic Development Director. “The State of Kansas Recovery Office indicated there will be an extension on our spending plans, but unknown at this time how much of an extension we will receive.”

 

Jody Hoenor, Bourbon County Economic Development Director. Submitted photo.

 

Locally, SPARK recipients have been balancing and reconciling expenses.

 

“At the county level we gathered the department heads who have been awarded funds for programs,” Hoener said. ” We went through every single dollar amount from the department and made sure it matched exactly what the County Clerks Office cut for a check and what Greenbush have in their reports.  Any errors are caught and quickly corrected.  From there, we subtract the total amount spent from the total amount allocated and have a final amount left to spend.”

 

The other recipients are also required to submit receipts and invoices of SPARK money, she said.

 

“For the community’s grant/award expenses( they) need to submit receipts and invoices to show dollars spent,” she said. “Greenbush is going through every single receipt and invoice with a fine-tooth comb.  It is very time-consuming as you can imagine.  From this, we have a very clear understanding of the amount spent and how much is left to be spent.”

 

The Southeast Kansas Educational Service Center (also known as Greenbush) was hired by the county commission to administer the SPARK distribution and oversight.

 

“Greenbush was contracted to administer the county SPARK funds,” Hoener said.

 

 

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Dec. 18 Special Meeting

Leave a comment

December 18, 2020                                         Friday 9:00 am

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Lynne present and Jeff and Clifton present by telephone.  The County Counselor and the County Clerk were also present.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy (the Commissioners plan to discuss two non-elected individuals), the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the 3 Commissioners).  No action was taken.

 

Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks).

 

At 9:48, Clifton made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.

 

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS

(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman

(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner

(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner

ATTEST:

Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk

December 22, 2020, Approved Date

 

 

 

 

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Dec. 15

Leave a comment

December 15, 2020                                         Tuesday 9:00 am

 

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

 

Also present were the following: (some were present for a portion of the meeting, some were present for the entire meeting), Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Mr. & Mrs. Clinton Walker, Anne Dare and Michael Hoyt.

 

Eric Bailey and Dustin Hall with Road & Bridge met with the Commissioners; they are putting brine on some of the roads and hills today due to the anticipated weather coming.

 

Eric said he had a good meeting (regarding clean up and the roads) with the contractor installing fiber on the south side of 54 Highway.

 

Eric said some of their employees are getting updated CPR and 1st aid training for their MSHAW qualifications.

 

Eric said they needed to update the board members for the 5 year solid waste plan; Jeff made a motion to appoint Lynne Oharah, Clifton Beth, Jim Harris, Eric Bailey and Frank Young as the solid waste management committee, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Eric said they applied and should receive a grant from KCAMP for the purchase of a tarp for a hauling truck.

 

Eric said the hydraulic pumps are overheating on the dump trucks, he said they are taking a truck to Joplin for the installation of a new pump to test to see if this repairs the issue.

 

Eric said they are repairing a spindle on a tire on a grader.

 

Eric and Dustin discussed the motor on the rock crusher; they contacted Foley, Inland, Larry’s Diesel and CAT in Joplin for a quote, to date they have received a quote from Foley for $36,000 to replace the motor with a re-manned motor.  They have contacted Murphy Tractor to discuss the cost of repairs vs. the trade in value of the crusher, (they don’t want to spend more in repairs then the crusher is worth), to discuss a possible crusher demonstration or to possibly rent a crusher.

 

Gregory Vahrenberg with Raymond James (on the telephone) met with the Commissioners to discuss the possible bond refinancing.  Mr. Vahrenberg said with the current low interest rates it is a good opportunity to refinance the 2015 general obligation bonds, he said refinancing the years 2024-2035 can produce savings.  He said the cost to refinance would be paid out of the proceeds.  He said the current average interest rate is 3.23% and the estimated refinanced rate is 2.03% and if refinance could produce approximately $251,941 in savings.  Lynne asked if they reviewed savings for refinancing other bonds, Mr. Vahrenberg said only refinancing the 2015 bonds produced savings; he hadn’t reviewed the sewer district bonds, but said he would.  The approximate cost to refinance is 2% of the principal amount of the bonds. After discussion, Clifton made a motion to start the process to refinance the 2015 bond, Jeff seconded and all approved.  If the County later decides to cancel the refinancing there will be no cost to the County.

 

Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners to discuss Spark; she said they have encountered some difficulties getting items purchased, she said the credit cards being used have limits and there have been barriers getting checks cut in off cycles.  The Spark money has to be spent by the end of the year.  Jody said they needed real-time numbers on what the balance is so that all of the money can be spent by the end of the year.  There is a Spark meeting (between Greenbush, departments and others) on December 15th to discuss the balance and reconciling expenses.

 

Jeff made a motion to allow employees with unused vacation time as of 12/31/2020 to carry over the unused vacation time until 4/30/2021, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Register of Deeds Lora Holdridge met with the Commissioners to discuss longevity pay; she had concerns over employees that had left employment and come back to work getting longevity credit for the time the employee worked at the County before leaving.  Lora said all of the elected officials had prior experience with the County before becoming elected.  Jeff said elected officials aren’t eligible for the one-time longevity pay, but said if they became unelected and serve the County then their prior knowledge with the County should count towards longevity.  Lora said she wasn’t asking for elected officials to get the longevity pay. Lora said if an employee comes back to work for the County then their longevity date should be the date they come back to work, not their original start date.  She said their other benefits aren’t held and said their longevity (original hire date) shouldn’t be held either.  Lora didn’t agree with the longevity calculation for a former Commissioner leaving and coming back as an employee.

 

Lynne made a motion to amend the agenda to discuss a pay matter, Jeff seconded and all approved.  Lynne said pay raises had been given at times and said Lora had taken on extra work regarding road records back to the 1950’s, Lynne said he thought they should consider a pay scale to compensate for the extra work; Lora thanked him, but said she wasn’t here to discuss that issue.

 

Clifton made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks).  No action was taken.

 

 

Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Eric Bailey).  After the session, Jeff made a motion to fill the administrative clerk position for Road & Bridge, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

On 12/8/2020, the Commissioners approved a bid from Schwab Eaton to do the bridge inspections; the Commissioners asked that yes be circled on that agreement for the low water crossings.

 

Jeff made a motion to go into a one hour executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener, Shane Walker, Nedra Barr, Sharon Ross, Lindsay Madison, Josh Jones and Pete Allen (some were attending the meeting by Zoom).  No action was taken.

 

Jeff made a motion to go into a 25 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener).  After the session, Lynne made a motion to give Clifton permission to meet with CHC, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Lynne made a motion to amend the agenda to discuss resolutions, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Jeff made a motion to adopt Resolution 30-20, a wage resolution effective 01/01/2021, increasing the wages for the position of major, captain and GIS coordinator, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Jeff made a motion to adopt Resolution 31-20, a resolution allowing unused 2020 vacation time to be carried over until April 30, 2021, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Lynne made a motion to not have a Commission meeting on December 29th or January 5th and to allow the Commission room to be used for early in-person voting, Jeff seconded and all approved.

 

Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks).  No action was taken.

 

At 1:00, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS

(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman

(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner

(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner

ATTEST:

Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk

December 22, 2020, Approved Date

 

 

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Special Meeting Today: Executive Session

Leave a comment

Agenda

Bourbon County Commission Room

1st Floor, County Courthouse

210 S. National Avenue

Fort Scott, KS 66701

Tuesdays starting at 9:00

Date: December 23, 2020

1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________

2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________

3rd District-Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________

County Clerk-Kendell Mason

*SPECIAL MEETING

MEETING WILL BE HELD IN COMMISSION ROOM. ANYONE ATTENDING THE MEETING WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK. MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.

3:00 – 3:20 – Executive session – confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships

3:20 – 3:30 – Executive session – personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy

Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Kansas Statistics Showcased by Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Leave a comment
Attention Data Junkies!
The 54th Edition of the Kansas Statistical Abstract was released in November
KU’s Institute for Policy & Social Research publishes some incredibly useful data.
The Kansas Statistical Abstract 2019, contains the latest available state, county, and city-level data for Kansas on population, vital statistics and health, housing, education, business and manufacturing, exports, employment, income, finance, state and local government, crime, recreation, communications, transportation, agriculture, climate,
and energy and natural resources.
*** Click hereto access the online edition! ***
We hope you find this information useful,
if you ever want to access the abstract in the future it is saved on our website here.
Thank you from the
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce!
Example of Data Included in the Abstract:
Categories Included in the Abstract:
Here is a press release with an overview
and more information:
The 54th edition of the Kansas Statistical Abstract is now available online. In a year that brought the novel coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic turmoil, the KSA shares data on Kansas and the United States in 16 categories that provides context for the challenges Kansans are now facing and offers key information for local and state government leaders seeking the best paths forward for recovery and growth.
Developed by Institute for Policy & Social Research staff, the publication includes data up through 2019, or the most recent available data.
Some key findings:
Medical resources
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rise across the country, the proximity of hospitals to communities and availability of hospital beds have become urgent questions. The KSA includes a chapter on Vital Statistics and Health, with a map of hospitals in Kansas as of 2018 and utilization of hospitals in Kansas, by county as of 2018, with a map showing admissions per bed. Understanding where hospitals are and the pattern of hospital use before COVID-19 helps Kansans anticipate challenges in health care access during COVID-19. Data on persons per physician in Kansas by county as of 2019 indicates that several counties do not have a physician, and in some counties, the ratio of persons to physicians exceeds 2000 to 1.
Digital divide
While many Kansans have known the benefits of a strong broadband internet connection — and the lack of such connection in many parts of the state — the pandemic brought the disparities in connectivity across Kansas into sharp relief. A map of broadband availability in Kansas in 2019 shows that many areas of Kansas lack the necessary infrastructure for high-speed internet connection. With that gap in connectivity comes problems for people who hope to attend school remotely, telecommute and video-call their loved ones who live far away. IPSR affiliates Wally Meyer, director of Entrepreneurship Programs in the KU School of Business; Germaine Halegoua, associate professor of film & media studies; and director Donna Ginther, Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Economics, plus several IPSR staff members, will undertake a comprehensive study of broadband in Kansas in the coming months.
Solar energy
In addition, as the World Meteorological Organization identifies 2011-2020 as the warmest decade on record, the KSA includes a new map showing commercial solar farms in Kansas. The map also displays the solar kilowatt hours per square meter average from 1998 to 2009 throughout the state. This measure indicates how much solar energy might be collected from a given place. As the map shows, western Kansas has a particularly high concentration of potential solar energy. A map of wind farms and wind resource potential in Kansas, also part of the chapter on Energy and Natural Resources, similarly shows that a considerable part of the state has excellent wind power density and identifies locations of wind farms in the state. These sources of energy offer an important alternative to fossil fuel-based energy as stakeholders consider ways mitigate anthropogenic climate change.
The 54th edition of the KSA honors the long history of this publication with a dedication to the memory of Thelma Helyar, editor of the Kansas Statistical Abstract from 1985 to 2003. She was born in Carshalton, Surrey, England, in 1929, and she died in Lawrence in November 2019. As the institute’s librarian from 1976 to 2003, Helyar took countless phone calls from stakeholders requesting data on Kansas.
The IPSR editorial team, including Jena Gunter, Genna Hurd, Whitney Onasch, Abigail Byrd and Xan Wedel, gathered, compiled, and in many cases, visualized available data from federal and state agencies. The online abstract is available in a single, 576-page PDF and an enhanced online edition, with individual chapters, tables and maps.
The abstract includes data on agriculture; banking and finance; business, industry, and exports; climate; communications and information; courts, crime, and public safety; education; employment and earnings; energy and natural resources; government; housing and construction; income; parks and recreation; population; transportation; vital health; and a summary of key information about Kansas, the Sunflower State.
The 54th edition includes high-resolution image files for several maps. Users can reproduce these resources in presentations or publications with appropriate citation. With this edition, the abstract has now been available online at no cost for 20 years. Prior to online publication, theaAbstract was available on paper or CD-ROM for purchase.
“By offering the KSA free online we are able to provide a convenient volume of current data to Kansans at the state, county, and city levels,” says Gunter, assistant director.
Preparing the Kansas Statistical Abstract for publication during a pandemic came with unique challenges, with some data releases delayed and a higher-than-normal workload for the team. While compiling the KSA, IPSR also developed and maintained a website of COVID-19 research and resources, with regular briefings from Ginther, reports on county recovery efforts, briefs on the federal stimulus in Kansas, and galleries of maps and graphs with data updated on a regular basis.
Efforts to develop the 55th edition of the KSA are already underway.
“I’m hopeful that we will start to see the data from the 2020 Census as well as to learn more about the impact of COVID on our economy as more data become available,” said Wedel, who in addition to leading data collection for the KSA, serves as the lead for the Kansas State Data Center and participated in several efforts to ensure a complete count of Kansans in the 2020 Census.