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Category Archives: Bourbon County
Don’t Drink and Drive
Kansas Law Enforcement Warns: Don’t Drink and Drive
Impaired drivers to be tested during “No Refusal Weekend”
Topeka, KS – As the summer season concludes over the next few weeks, Kansas law enforcement will be doing all they can to keep the roads safe from impaired drivers. Beginning on Aug. 14 and through the Labor Day weekend, more than 150 law enforcement agencies from across the state will join forces in a concentrated effort detecting and removing the impaired driver.
This year’s campaign includes a No Refusal Weekend, Aug. 16 – 17, when all suspected impaired drivers who refuse breath testing may be subject to blood testing for alcohol and/or drugs. This No Refusal Weekend, law enforcement officials may work in coordination with prosecutors to obtain blood draw warrants for drivers who refuse breath and/or drug testing. No Refusal programs help ensure that prosecutors obtain the scientific evidence needed to effectively prosecute cases involving impaired driving.
“My hope is there are no impaired driving crashes or fatalities in the state of Kansas,” said Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent Herman Jones. “Make the right decision, don’t get behind the wheel impaired. The impaired driver makes the choice to endanger themselves and everyone else on the road.”
According to the National Safety Council, 40 percent of car fatalities occur in the summer months. The Labor Day holiday brings increased traffic and unfortunately, a higher-than-normal number of deaths related to impaired drivers on the road. On average, impaired drivers cause about one-third of all traffic fatalities in Kansas. Across Kansas, impaired drivers injure or kill more than 2,200 people each year in car crashes.
“We want everyone’s summer to end on high note and not in a senseless death that is 100 percent preventable,” said Chris Bortz, Kansas Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Program Manager. “Law enforcement will be vigilant in their efforts to keep everyone safe, but everyone has a personal responsibility in this effort; not just law enforcement.”
The 22-day enforcement campaign will be supported with statewide education and on-the-street vigilance by law enforcement. This year’s campaign reinforces that no excuse is a good excuse for driving impaired. Designate before you celebrate, use a ride sharing service or get a ride from a sober friend are just a few ways to get home safely.
Impaired drivers can face jail time, suspension of their driving privileges, fines and other costs of up to $10,000. In addition, the offender will be required to install and pay monthly services fees on an ignition interlock. Beyond the financial and legal penalties, impaired drivers face the risk of losing their own lives or taking someone else’s.
Greet Congressman Watkins Aug. 22
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Visit With Sheriff’s Office Personnel: Get a Free Snow Cone
The sheriff’s office will be handing out to the first 100 kids coupons to get a small snow cone from Tropical Snow.
Tropical Snow is in the south parking of the Movie Gallery Store located at 1714 South National in Fort Scott.
This will be a chance to meet/talk with deputies, as a community involvement with the sheriff’s office.
The event will be Tuesday, August 13, starting at 6 PM and will last until the last coupon is handed out.
Bourbon County Commission Agenda Aug. 12
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: August 12th, 2019
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________
3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Kendell Mason
9:00-9:45-Jim Harris
9:45-10:00-Bob Childer-Regarding Gravel/Paving Ironwood Road
10:00-10:30-Brian Comstock-Fence and Railroad Right A Way
10:45-11:00-Robert Uhler-Asphalt Contract and Lake Advisory Committee
11:00-12:00-Justin Meeks-Executive Session-Ascension Via Christi-for the whole hour
12:00-1:30-Commissioners gone to lunch
1:30-2:00-Nancy Van Etten- Lake Fort Scott Property Owners Discussion
2:00-3:00-Executive Session-Acquisition of Real Property
3:00-3:10-Justin Meeks- Executive Session-Attorney-Client Privilege
Friday Night Free Concert: Mike Lundeen
The Friday Night Free Concert at Heritage Park, 1st and Main Street will feature Mike Lundeen at the keyboard.
“Mike has been one of our most popular concerts for several years,” Ralph Carlson, event organizer, said. “His music is a mix of lite classics, ragtime, contemporary pop, southern gospel with some pre- civil war and country. We are really pleased to get Mike back this year.”
The concert starts at 7 p.m. In the event of inclement weather it will move to the Common Grounds Coffee Shop. Come early and bring a lawn chair as seating is limited.
Foundation Accepting Applications
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Small Businesses Encouraged With New Partnership Offer
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce is initiating a partnership program that aims to cultivate an entrepreneurial environment in the community.
What is an entrepreneur?
An entrepreneur is an individual who, rather than working as an employee, founds and runs a small business, assuming all the risks and rewards of the venture, according to investopedia.com.
“The big-picture vision for this initiative is to move Bourbon County forward as a great place to start and grow a small business and where existing businesses have access to all the resources they need to grow and achieve their potential,” Bill Michaud said.
Michaud is the chairman of the Chamber’s Business Resource and Development Committee.
He and Chamber Executive Director Lindsay Madison are the primary workers to bring this initiative to Fort Scott, Michaud said.
“Lindsay Madison did the work to complete the application which resulted in us being selected,” he said. ” She and I have been the primary ones immersed in the details.”
“The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce representing Bourbon County has been selected by Network Kansas as a partner in the E-Community Program, a partnership program that aims to cultivate an entrepreneurial environment in partner communities throughout the state,” Michaud said. The Chamber was notified in June 2019.
“Bourbon County was awarded this partnership opportunity through a competitive application process in which 14 Kansas communities were vying for selection and only five new e-community partners were selected,” he said.
“The revolving loan fund and other E-Community resources can be the catalyst to build onto the many great improvements which have occurred in our community in recent years, “Michaud said. “This program is a resource that could help fund additional rehabilitation of downtown buildings which are currently very difficult to finance.”
E-Community loan funds can be used for building acquisition, renovations, inventory, expansion, relocation, equipment and other purposes.
One of the barriers to starting or growing a business is access to funding.
“The largest component of the E-Community Partnership is providing a locally controlled loan fund used to enable new business and existing businesses to overcome that barrier,” Michaud said. “There also additional resources available through Network Kansas to help businesses of all sizes including a variety of programs through StartupKS.”
The E-Community program also provides funding for several approved educational and personal development programs.
“These programs are geared toward teaching and developing potential and existing entrepreneurs,” he said.
Click below for a link to that inventory of programs:
The E-Community program was created through a Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship Tax Credit Program, according to the Fort Scott Chamber website.
Application Details
Applicants may include startup businesses and existing business purchases and/or expansions.
The minimum loan request is $5,000 with a $45,000 maximum amount available per applicant business, subject to availability. The terms for loans issued in the fiscal year 2019-20 will be 5 percent rate over a 10-year maximum term.
Applicants will be asked if the entrepreneur or business has a tax liability in arrears with the Kansas Department of Revenue or the IRS, or been involved in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings.
Applicants will be asked to provide relevant details such as length of time in business, business name or entity changes, number of jobs to be created or retained, etc.
All business plans will be submitted with the application and should include key elements such as:
- Executive Summary
- Business Description
- Products or Services
- Short- and Long-Term Goals
- Project Financing
- Management
- Ownership
- Marketing Strategy
- Description of Major & Prospective Customers
- Description of Market & Competition
- Financial Projections
Contact the Kansas Small Business Development Center at Pittsburg State University for assistance in developing a business plan, 620-235-4920.
How the application will be judged
The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Financial Review Board will use the following rubric to score all applications in the Bourbon County E-Community Program.
| Criteria | Strength (1-4) | Weight (% of total) | Weighted Score |
| Financial Soundness |
25 |
||
| Owner/Operator Experience |
20 |
||
| Business Plan |
25 |
||
| Owner/3rd Party Funding |
25 |
||
| Community Commitment |
5 |
||
| TOTAL |
100 |
SCALE
4 = Exceeds expectations 3 = Meets expectations
2= Partially meets expectations 1 = Does not meet expectations
Application Checklist
Be sure to include the following with your completed application:
- $50 Non-refundable Application Fee
- Business Plan including Financial Projections (1-year projection of profit & loss by month and 3 years of annual projections)
- Financial Statements (if an existing business)
- Income statement and balance sheet from within the past 90 days
- Income statements, balance sheets, and complete business tax returns for the two (2) prior year-ends
- A current list of business obligations
- Applicant Resume
- Personal Financial Statement from within the past 90 days
- Three Letters of Reference
- Other documents relevant to the project
- Proposed purchase agreement
- The existing or proposed franchise agreement
- Existing or proposed lease agreement
- Real estate contract
- Contractor bids
- Appraisals and environmental reports
- Partnership agreement
- Articles of incorporation & bylaws
History Of Initiative
The initiative was established as a part of the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 to stimulate entrepreneurship and small business growth as a priority for economic and community development in the State of Kansas.
Click here to learn more about Network Kansas and E-Communities.
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce is located at 231 E. Wall St., Fort Scott, KS 66701 and can be reached at 620-223-3566 or email [email protected].
Local Singers Invited to Join Pittsburg Chorale, Directed By FS Music Teacher
Pittsburg Youth Chorale Fall Enrollment Open
Area singers in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade are invited to join Pittsburg Youth Chorale, directed by MJ Harper.
The purpose of this vocal ensemble is to further grow vocal abilities, musical knowledge, and choral repertoire.
Performers will prepare music for community events and music festivals.
Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 5PM-6PM at First United Methodist Church, 415 N. Pine, Pittsburg, KS and begin September 3rd.
There is a fee of $50 per session (Sept-Dec/Jan-May) to cover the cost of music.
Scholarships are available.
To enroll, contact MJ Harper at 620-719-6633 or email [email protected], deadline September 3rd.
Peerless Expands Assembly Lines: Needs More Workers
Peerless Products, 2403 S. Main, is the largest employer in Fort Scott with 420 workers.
And they need more assembly lines to grow their business, according to Dave Elliott, Peerless Products Culture and Morale Manager.
Founded in Fort Scott, Kansas in 1952, they manufacturer high-performance aluminum architectural and commercial windows for new construction, replacement and historical construction, according to their website.http://www.peerlessproducts.com/Corporate/About-Peerless
“We need to have the capacity to run more products through, to continue to grow,” Elliott said.
“We purchased the old American Standard warehouse in Nevada (MO) on I-49, we will use that as a staging warehouse,” Elliott said. “That frees up space in the Fort Scott facility for another assembly line.”
The employees the company is looking for?
“Somebody that has a good work ethic and a willingness to learn and grow,” Elliott said. In addition, applicants must have a valid driver’s license, and a high school diploma or GED.
The starting-out wage at the plant is $11 per hour, and “they usually work more than 40 hours a week.”
Day shift is from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
“The hours on Friday depends on how much of the product is complete,” Elliott said.
Peerless offers a benefits package that offers health insurance, life insurance, a 401K and an “astounding profit-sharing program,” Elliot said.
Peerless also offers “employee care” activities such as chair massage a couple of times a year and currently are giving employees 20 lb. meat bundles. This processed beef and pork comes from what the company purchases at county fairs of 4-H animals.
Today, Aug. 9, Elliot and Karen Contreras will be at the Ellis Fine Art Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College for a job fair.
From 2-6 p.m. interested applicants are asked to bring their resume and come for a visit with the two Peerless Products representatives.
Bourbon County Coalition Highlights Care To Share
The Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition meets monthly, except July, to allow agencies that help families to network and share what they are all about.
The coalition’s next meeting is Sept. 4 at noon at the First Baptist Church.
The mission of the Bourbon County Coalition Board is to provide children with an environment of security, permanence, and a sense of belonging and being loved. To support the mission, grants are applied for annually. Last year the board received a $1,000 grant from the T. B. Baker Foundation and $2,000 from the Southeast Kansas Community Foundation, Billie Jo Drake, president of the board, said at the opening of the meeting.
“We have also received funds from United Way, Key Charitable Trust, Mercy auxiliary, civic organizations and individuals,” Drake said.
The two projects the board focuses on are 1) rent and utility assistance, vetted through another helping agency, The Beacon and 2) pool passes in the summer for area low-income children.
This month, the local helping organization, Care To Share, took its’ turn telling what services they provide the community.
Lavetta Simmons, who along with Joy O’Neal and Teresa Davenport, helped found the ministry in 2007.
“I lost my Mom and Dad to cancer,” Simmons said. “Through that experience, I want to reach out to others.”
“Some people have no family,” she said. “Some have no insurance.”
The number-one expense is gasoline for traveling to treatments, Simmons said.
Last year Care To Share helped people 788 times and gave out $68,874 to assist the cancer patients.
Not only gas for medical appointments but assistance with wigs after hair loss, bras after mastectomies and many other personal needs.
Also housecleaning, respite care, mowing of lawns, meal coordination, providing Ensure (a nutritional drink), and “Sunshine” calls to patients.
Care To Share’s mission is to provide friendship and support through emotional and financial assistance to individuals who are cancer survivors and their caregivers of Southeast Kansas.
For more information contact Simmons at 620-224-8070, Dona Bauer at 620-224-7075 or Teresa Davenport at 620-362-3042.
The organization has fundraisers throughout the year to support the mission.
In addition, “so many people, businesses, organizations and churches give,” she said.
The ministry is also funded by T.B. Baker Foundation, Fort Scott Area Community Foundation, United Way and memorials.
The Care To Share Board is comprised of Dona Bauer, Donna Beerbower, Kathy Clark, Teresa Davenport, Denny Heidrick, Carol Hill, Nancy Hofer, Randy Holt, Richard Long, Dr. Boban Mathew, Sidney Maycumber, Simmons, and Jerry Witt.
Larry Davenport serves as financial advisor to the organization.
Program To Replace/Rehabilitate Deficient Bridges Reinstated
KDOT program will replace and rehabilitate deficient bridges on a local road system.
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has reinstated a popular program designed to help replace and rehabilitate city and county deficient bridges. KDOT Secretary Julie Lorenz announced the program today at an event in Butler County joined by leaders from the Kansas Association of Counties, the Kansas County Highway Association and the Kansas Contractors Association.
The Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program is a $5 million state-funded program that helps cities and counties by providing up to $150,000 toward the replacement or rehabilitation of a bridge on the local roadway system. To qualify, bridges must be rated as deficient, have a daily vehicle count of less than 100 and be 20 to 50 feet in length. Cities and counties can garner an additional $50,000 by closing a deficient bridge. Local jurisdictions that are awarded funds must provide a 10 percent match.
“Kansas’ local road system is critical for getting people and goods where they need to go,” said Gov. Laura Kelly regarding the program. “I’m pleased to see state and local government working together and combining resources to replace aging infrastructure – creating healthier communities and economies.”
Funding for the program is part of the $216 million in sales tax authorized by Gov. Kelly to remain in the state highway fund in fiscal year 2020. Those funds will be used to increase highway preservation, help complete delayed T-WORKS projects, improve safety and provide new funding opportunities for cities and counties.
“This was a popular program when it was offered in 2014 and I’m very happy that we’re able to bring it back,” said Secretary Lorenz. “Reinstating the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program was one of the top recommendations coming out of last year’s Joint Legislative Vision Task Force and is a great way for us to work together with cities and counties to address needed improvements.”
There are approximately 19,000 bridges on Kansas’ local road systems. About 20 percent – or 3,800 — of those bridges are in poor condition – or unable to meet today’s weight and vehicle requirements.
Under the previous program, 110 bridges were replaced or permanently closed during the two years it operated.
“The counties are excited and appreciative of this new bridge replacement program,” said Justin Mader, Saline County Engineer and president of the Kansas County Highway Association. “It will be good for agriculture, good for safety, will put construction workers to work and boost the Kansas economy while building and rehabilitating bridges that will benefit Kansas for decades into the future.”
Applications will be accepted through mid-September and KDOT will select projects in early October. Details are posted on KDOT’s website and can be seen at the links below: