Category Archives: Bourbon County

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Agenda June 25

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Agenda

Bourbon County Commission Room

1st Floor, County Courthouse

210 S. National Avenue

Fort Scott, KS 66701

Tuesdays starting at 9:00

Date: June 25th, 2019

1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________

2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________

3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________

County Clerk-Kendell Mason

COMMISSIONER’S MEETING FROM 1:00-4:00!!!!

1:00-1:45- Jim Harris

1:45-2:00-Jody Hoener-Economic Development

2:00-2:45-Justin Meeks

Executive Session- Privileged in the attorney-client relationship contracts and ongoing litigation-15 min.

Executive Session- Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel-15 min.

Update on KORA/KOMA-10 min.

Legislative Update-5 min.

3:00-3:15-Dave Bruner-EMS Update

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

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott, Jobs

Express Employment Professionals: Help With Recruiting Employees

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Kai Runnells, Express Employment Professionals Business Developer in her office at 119 S. Main, June 2019.

All across America, unemployment is low.

Nationally, total nonfarm payroll employment went up in May 2019 with approximately 75,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate remained at 3.6 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdfon June 9. Employment continued to trend up in professional and business services and in health care.

 

In Bourbon County, the unemployment rate is 4.1 percent, according to the website https://klic.dol.ks.gov/admin/gsipub/htmlarea/uploads/Map%20April%202019%20LAUS.jpg

 

A recent business opened an office in Fort Scott to help other businesses find suitable employees in this era where job seekers have diminished.

 

In April 2019, Express Employment Professionals opened an office in Fort Scott at 119 S. Main.  The franchise is based out of Independence,  since 2004.

The location of Express Employment Professionals, in between Fort Scott City Hall and  Crooner’s Lounge on Main Street.

“The staff and company provide businesses with their workforce needs,” Kai Rannells, business developer with EEP and the local representative, said. Rannells can be reached at 620-644-5050.

“There is a small fee for businesses,” she said. “This covers payroll burden liability. (The fee) varies on types of jobs.”

Because of the low employment rate, candidates without jobs need more coaching, Rannells said.

“Businesses are afraid of what it could cost to train and then retain employees,” she said. “That cost will fall on us. When a company brings in a new employee it costs a fair amount of money and if the employee doesn’t end up lasting, they are out that amount.”

EEP provides temporary or contract staff and do temporary to hire staffing.

“That’s where they start out temporary, and after probation is met, the company is able to hire them as a permanent employee,” Rannells said. “A lot of companies do that to make sure it’s a good fit for their team. We also do direct hires and professional searches.”

“We like to focus on helping people find the right candidate and job seekers find good careers,” she said.

“If someone is looking for a job, we do interviews to see what company would be a good fit of those hiring and we try to place them,” Rannells said. “It is a free service for job seekers.”

For more information about the services and EEP: https://www.expresspros.com/

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Children’s Cooking Classes Offered in June

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Ft. Scott Cooking Classes

Summer Cooking Classes by K-State Research and Extension will begin on June 25 and continue through June 27 at the First United Methodist Church basement in Ft. Scott.  The classes will include students that have completed 2nd-5th grade.

The classes will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 11:30 a.m.

Bronson Cooking Classes
The Bronson cooking classes will begin on June 25 and continue through June 27 at the Bronson Community Center.  Classes will be from 2:00-4:30 PM if you would like to cover the event.
During each class all students will prepare and then consume the different dishes.
Again, the first 60 minutes of the class on the FIRST day will be instruction.
Bourbon County, Government, Kansas

U.S. 69 expansion in Bourbon County celebrated June 24

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the U.S. 69 expansion in Bourbon County will take place at 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 24, at the Cherry Grove Baptist Church, south of Fort Scott. The church is on the east side of the U.S. 69 and Cavalry Road intersection.

 

Governor Laura Kelly, Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz and Highway 69 Association President Ken Brock will speak prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Blake Benson of the Highway 69 Association is master of ceremonies.

 

Construction on U.S. 69 began in the spring of 2017. The project, part of the T-WORKS transportation program, expanded six miles of the highway to a four-lane upgradable expressway from south of Fort Scott to the Bourbon-Crawford county line.

 

The event is open to the public.

Bourbon County, Sports

American Legion Post 25 Baseball

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American Legion in Fort Scott has a goal to build an American Legion baseball program based on integrity and develop young men of character for our community and our nation.

 

Post 25’s 2019 baseball team:

Austin Lee Clemens, Zachary Joseph Colvin, Ian Davis Combs, Garen Trevor Demott,

Brayden Tucker Engstrom, Hunter James Killion, Cody Merrill McNeil, Nicolas Thomas Norris, Grayson Matthew Quick, Garrett James Seely, Nicolas Clarke Shelton, Brian James Stumfoll and Ian Nathaniel Taylor.

Post 25’s 2019 baseball staff:

Earl Adams, Manager. Matthew Quick,  Assistant Manager. Robert Killion. Head Coach. Scott Engstrom, Assistant Coach. Alex Fink, Assistant Coach. Carl Jowers. Volunteer. Myra Jowers. Volunteer.

Game Schedule

Monday.  June 24 @ 6 pm. Practice at LaRouche Complex

Wednesday.  June 26 @ 6 pm.  Post 25 versus Columbus at LaRouche Complex.

Monday.  July 1 @ 6 pm.  Post 25 versus Pittsburg at LaRouche Complex.

Monday.  July 8 @ 6 pm.  Post 25 versus Iola at Iola.

Monday.  July 15 @ 6 pm.  Post 25 versus Iola at LaRouche Complex.

Friday. July 19 – 21. American Legion Zone Tournament. Location to TBA.

Wednesday. July 31 – August 4. American Legion State Tournament. Location to TBA.

Your financial support is needed! We are still about $1,500 short in properly funding the team through Zone Playoffs.

Please mail your donation for the Fort Scott American Legion baseball team to

 

American Legion Post 25

PO Box 25

Fort Scott, Ks. 66701

 

You can make a donation at https://www.gofundme.com/fort-scott-american-legion-baseball/donate/?upsell=cpgn_share.  If you use GoFundMe, they ask for a platform “service” fee. It is up to you to adjust the “recommended” fee by selecting other.

 

100% of your donations go to support the American Legion Baseball Team. Post 25 does not have any paid staff. All of the baseball team staff are volunteers, committed to teaching our players citizenship, sportsmanship, loyalty and team spirit.

 

Carl Jowers. Post 25 Commander.

Bourbon County, Government, Kansas

Bourbon County Not Approved Yet For Major Disaster Declaration

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President Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Kansas

 

President Donald Trump approved a request from Governor Laura Kelly today for a major presidential declaration which will help supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, flooding, landslides and mudslides.

 

“It was important for the president to approve our Major Disaster Declaration,” Kelly said. “The Major Disaster Declaration will assist jurisdictions with rebuilding damaged infrastructure and put our state back on the path to recovery.”

The President’s action makes federal funding available to state, eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and repair or replacement of facilities.

Counties included are Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Barton, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Doniphan, Elk, Ellsworth, Franklin, Geary, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Hodgeman, Jefferson, Kingman, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Rice, Rush, Russell, Saline, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, and Woodson counties.

Counties listed in the Governor Kelly’s request to President Trump were:  Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Edwards, Elk, Ellsworth, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Gray, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Hodgeman, Jefferson, Kingman, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Norton, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Rice, Riley, Rush, Russell, Saline, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, and Woodson; however damage verification and validation has not occurred in all of the counties requested by the Governor, so additional counties will be approved based on damages being validated by FEMA.

Federal funding for the hazard mitigation grant program is also available on a cost-sharing basis for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk from natural hazards statewide.

The request was made under the provisions of Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5208 (Stafford Act), and implemented by 44 CFR § 206.35.

 

Bourbon County, Government, Kansas

U.S. 69 expansion in Bourbon County celebrated June 24

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the U.S. 69 expansion in Bourbon County will take place at 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 24, at the Cherry Grove Baptist Church south of Fort Scott. The church is on the east side of the U.S. 69 and Cavalry Road intersection.

 

Governor Laura Kelly, Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz and Highway 69 Association President Ken Brock will speak prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Blake Benson of the Highway 69 Association is master of ceremonies.

 

Construction on U.S. 69 began in the spring of 2017. The project, part of the T-WORKS transportation program, expanded six miles of the highway to a four-lane upgradable expressway from south of Fort Scott to the Bourbon-Crawford county line.

 

The event is open to the public.

Art, Bourbon County, Entertainment, Fort Scott

Art Walk: Downtown This Evening

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Please join the
Bourbon County Arts Council
for an
ART WALK
THIS EVENING, June 21st
from 5pm-8pm!
The Bourbon County Arts Council
is hosting an
ART WALK
on the Liberty Theatre Patio,
113 S. Main St.,
THIS EVENING, June 21st from 5pm to 8pm.
For more information, contact Terri Floyd by email: [email protected]
or by phone: 620-224-7221
OR
Deb Halsey by email:
or by phone: 620-224-0684
Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Walmart Starts Curbside Pickup of Groceries

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The word Pickup can be seen on the south section of Walmart, 2500 S. Main Street.

Walmart Fort Scott started grocery curbside service June 19.

Here is a simple how-to on the process of using the service:

One can order at walmart.com, after creating an account and setting up payment by credit card. The pickup service costs nothing.

After the order is complete, pickup time is scheduled, then when the customer arrives, there is a designated area on the south of the store with 10 orange parking spaces.

The door the Walmart employees use to bring the groceries to the customer curbside is located on the south side of the building.
Designated parking spaces for pickup, with the phone number to call when arriving.

On the sign in the designated parking spaces is a phone number to call when arriving. Workers come out with a cart and will put the groceries in the customer’s vehicle.

Walmart employees check the order to see if it is the correct one.

Being the first day, there were a few glitches to work out, but this reporter had groceries in the trunk in 10 minutes.

Counting approximately 15 minutes to order online, the service is a time saver and is free.

Bourbon County, Business

Clubs, Organizations Invited to Fundraise at Uniontown Independence Day Celebration

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Fireworks burst over the Union State Bank at the 2018 Independence Day Celebration.

Union State Bank, Uniontown, has its’ annual customer appreciation event each  July 3rd and sponsors an Independence Day Celebration in the small town’s central park.

 

“This is the 14th year that Union State Bank has sponsored the Independence Day Celebration in Uniontown,” Amy Holt, spokesperson for the bank, said.  “This is a customer appreciation event, but we encourage the whole community, surrounding area, and friends and family to bring a lawn chair and gather and enjoy the evening and fireworks display.”

 

This year live music will be provided by Kyle Sexton, who will be performing at 6:30 p.m.

” He is a singer, songwriter, and guitar player who will provide a variety of music for all to enjoy,” Holt said.

 

“As in years past, we will serve FREE hotdogs, chips and water beginning at 7 pm until all gone,” Holt said.

 

“A bounce house and inflatable obstacle course will help keep the little kids entertained beginning at 7 pm,” she said.  “Charlie Schubert will also be there providing train rides around the park.”

 

New this year is The Selfie Bar for older kids and adults, she said.

“This will allow you to take pictures, GIFs or videos, with props, of you and your friends or family and send them straight to your phone,” Holt said.

 

“And of course, we will have the fantastic fireworks display at dark,” she said. “Please note that we are discouraging any personal fireworks in the downtown area of Uniontown.”

 

Local clubs and organizations are encouraged to come as a vendor to the event, Holt said.

“So far, the Uniontown Cheer girls will be having a bake sale and the Uniontown Ball Association will be holding a raffle for a YETI cooler,” she said. “In years past we have also had organizations selling pop, ice cream, glow in the dark necklaces, popsicles, and face painting.”

 

Please contact Amy Holt at Union State Bank 620-756-4305 if interested in becoming a vendor at the event.