County road intersections on U.S. 69 project to close for reconstruction
Friday, March 8, weather permitting, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) plans to close the Fern Road and Deer Road intersections on the west side of the U.S. 69 expansion project in Bourbon County. The two intersections will be reconstructed during the month-long closures.
Koss Construction of Topeka is the primary contractor on the U.S. 69 project, which has a construction cost of $21.8 million. Persons with questions may contact Darrin Petrowsky at KDOT-Iola, (620) 365-2161, or Priscilla Petersen at KDOT-Chanute, (620) 902-6433.
Click the links on the legislators’ names above to view the committees on which they serve and their voting records.
The Legislative Update Coffee will be held at The Empress Event Center,
7 N. Main St., Fort Scott,
from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
State legislators Senators Richard HilderbrandandCaryn Tyson will give an update on the current session as well as address any issues or questions presented from the audience.
If you have a particular item you would like to have addressed and plan to attend, you may email the Chamber at [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. Thursday, March 7th.
Coffee, juice & light refreshments will be served. Tell your friends – all are welcome!
The north wing of the Bourbon County Courthouse has been reconfigured to house the county clerk, treasurer and commission offices.
The Bourbon County Commission’s Economic Development Director has launched a survey to gather information from business owners to develop a strategic plan.
The survey began March 1 and will end April 19, 2019.
“Our goal at the county is to make Bourbon County the place people want to live, work, and play,” said Jody Hoenor, the county’s economic director. “By increasing our population we can lessen the weight of taxes on the individual with more citizens sharing these costs. By being strategic in our planning and involving the community in the process, we believe we will be able to lower taxes.”
The survey is sponsored by the Bourbon County Commission, the Kansas Department of Commerce, with assistance from the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, Live Local Bourbon County and the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team.
Survey results will inform the county on how to develop an economic development strategic plan and process.
” We will develop measurable goals with actionable items and report progress to the community through several communication channels,” she said.
“Like any other community, there will be many opportunities that will be identified in the survey,” Hoenor said. ” We do not have the capacity or resources to address every single issue. Through a transparent process of gathering community input through both a community perception and business retention and expansion survey, soliciting feedback from focus groups all over the county, and analyzing primary and secondary data we will be able to articulate how the priorities in the strategic plan were identified and determined by Bourbon County citizens years from now.”
The target people for the Business Retention and Expansion Survey, is Bourbon County business owners, CEO’s, and upper management, she said.
“That is everything from at home, e-commerce, farmers, ranchers, long term businesses, to our new healthcare providers,” Hoenor said.
She listed the objectives of the survey as:
“Obtain a source of primary data to develop a measurable county-wide economic development plan.
Aggregated regional survey results will be used to inform regional strategic planning with the Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission.
Voices of business owners will be used to participate in the process of improving the business climate, validate local needs, and advocate for regional, state, and federal resources.
Build and maintain strong relationships with businesses.
Develop a better understanding of the concerns, problems and opportunities of businesses in the area and leverage perceived strengths with perceived barriers within the community.
Confidentiality: Information will be protected closely so no one will be able to connect responses and any other information that identifies businesses. Responses will be combined with those of other firms to form an overall aggregate result in percentages, sums, or averages at the county and regional levels.
Final Report: A copy of the summary of findings will be available to all firms that participate in the survey.”
Jody Hoenor, Bourbon County Economic Director.
Interested survey respondents should contact Hoenor at [email protected] for a link to complete the survey.
Hoener’s office is located at 210 S National Ave., Fort Scott, KS 66701 and she can be reached at 620-223-3800 or 620-215-5725 Mobile or www.bourboncountyks.org
The LEAD Bourbon County Class of 2019 Needs Your Help!
Your donations are needed to complete our group project which will beautify our community.
Each year the LEAD class chooses a group project that will benefit the community. This year we’ve chosen to put our efforts towards installing some new park benches.
We already have so many beautiful walking trails in our community, so our class would love to see some new benches along these existing routes.
To donate to our project, and for more information, please visit our GoFundMe page by clicking here.
We would like to start by raising funds for
2 benches, one that will be placed at Riverfront Park in Fort Scott & the other at the walking trail in Uniontown.
The LEAD Bourbon County Class of 2019 is set to graduate May 10th, so of course we need to wrap up our group project by then.
Not only will your contribution allow us to graduate, but it will also help make Bourbon County a better place to live!
What is LEAD Bourbon County?
LEAD Bourbon County is a program designed to develop and engage the leadership skills of potential and current leaders through exposing participants to diverse aspects of our local community.
The program includes 9-sessions that run from September to May. Sessions are the second Thursday of the month
(8am to 4:30pm) and held at various locations throughout Bourbon County, with Mercy Hospital as the main site.
For more information about the LEAD Bourbon County Program, or to fill out a registration form, please visit the Chamber’s web page by clicking here.
The park benches will look like the one in the photo above. (Though the seat back will say LEAD 2019.)
Krista Harding District Extension Agent, Horticulture Southwind Extension District 111 S. Butler Erie, KS 66733 Office: 620-244-3826 Cell: 620-496-8786
Are you itching to get out of the house and do something productive in the landscape? If you have fruit trees, then now is the time to prune! A little planning ahead with fruit trees can mean big rewards later in the growing season.
Are you like many who are “afraid” to prune? Don’t be. When done correctly, pruning is an essential component of growing a healthy, productive fruit tree. Fruit trees should be pruned every year and for several reasons. The first is the development of a strong tree structure. Pruning should begin when the tree is planted and continued each year thereafter. Another reason to prune is the increased penetration of sunlight for the development of fruit buds and for the fruit to mature properly.
Trees can be pruned this early (winter) because they are dormant. This can be done in January, February and even early March. Pruning when trees are dormant makes it easier to see undesirable branches because leaves aren’t present. It is important to do any pruning before dormant sprays are applied, to avoid spraying some of the wood that will later be removed. Total spray coverage of limbs, branches and shoots will be increased after pruning. Do not prune if temperatures are below 20°F because this can cause tissue damage.
Have your fruit trees been neglected for quite some time? If so, pruning can seem like an overwhelming task; where to start, how much wood to remove, etc. But a neglected tree can be revitalized.
The first step in revitalizing a neglected tree is to prune wood around the trunk area and near the ground. Remove all sucker growth around the trunk by cutting as close as possible to the point of origin. Next, remove all branches that hang below a 4-foot level. Prune them off at the supporting limb. Stand back and study the tree and decide the next cut to make. Retain scaffolds that are growing away from the tree center at wide angles with the trunk. Scaffolds are one of the main branches making the basic framework of a tree. They should be positioned on different sides of the tree for good distribution of the fruit crop.
The right tools are needed for proper pruning. Tools always need to be sharp so clean cuts can be made. Cuts that result in bark tears, stubs, or jagged surfaces are slow to heal and may even not completely heal. A scissor type of hand shear is used to prune small size wood, usually ¼ inch in diameter. Long handled loppers should be used to cut ¼ to ½ inch wood. These will need to be used generally by the third year of tree growth. For branches larger than ½ inch, use a fine-toothed pruning saw.
The Extension office has a publication titled, “Pruning Fruit Trees,” that explains in more detail how to prune depending on the age of the tree. It also has a section devoted to pruning different types of fruit trees. The publication has diagrams that demonstrate how and where pruning cuts should be made. As with most Extension services, this publication is free of charge.
If you would like me to evaluate your trees, give me a call and a home visit can be scheduled. Also, I would like to remind you of my office schedule. Monday and Friday – Erie; Tuesday – Iola; Thursday – Fort Scott; Wednesday morning – Yates Center and Wednesday afternoon – Chanute. New this year, I will be partnering with the Chanute Recreation Commission to have an office space to better serve the residents of Chanute.
Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Agricultural agent assigned to Southwind District. She may be reached at 620-244-3826 or [email protected].
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
2:00 – 4:00 – Commissioners to have a 2019 hard surface road planning session
Justifications for Executive Session:
Personnel matters of individual 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(s) 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
Matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system
Christa Horn Program Director Bourbon County CASA 620-223-2407
Bourbon County CASA Urges Residents to Act Against Child Abuse
Fort Scott, KS– In preparation for National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, Bourbon County CASA challenges residents of Southeast Kansas to stand against child abuse and take action to support children who have been abused or neglected.
At any given time, there are over 7,000 children in foster care in the state of Kansas. These children come into the child welfare system through no fault of their own.
“Children continue to come into care and we aim to meet that need,” said Christa Horn, Program Director, Bourbon County CASA. “Every child deserves the support of caring, consistent, trained adult to help them find a safe, loving home where they can heal and thrive.”
Throughout the year Bourbon County CASA is calling on members of the community to help our program serve more of Bourbon County’s most vulnerable children.
Without intervention, the odds are stacked against children in foster care. A child with a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer, however, spends 20 percent less time in foster care, on average, compared to a child without a CASA volunteer. Studies show children with a CASA volunteer receive more services that are critical to their wellbeing and are four times more likely to find a permanent home.
“CASA volunteers are a constant for the child in a time of chaos,” said Horn. “A child may have multiple social workers, therapists and foster placements throughout the life of the case but only one CASA volunteer, which can make all the difference for the child’s future.”
Bourbon County CASA is a member of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (National CASA), a nationwide network of programs in nearly 1,000 communities. At the heart of the movement are nearly 87,000 highly trained volunteers who advocate for the best interests of more than 280,000 of America’s children who have been abused or neglected. In Bourbon County, there are 22 volunteer advocates fighting for the best interests of 75 children (annually) but many more children need the care and support of a CASA volunteer.
For more information on becoming a CASA volunteer, contact Christa Horn at 620-2232407 or email [email protected]. New volunteer training begins April 1.
