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Category Archives: Bourbon County
Fort Scott Special Events July 19-21
Free Fans Available For Elderly and Disabled
WESTAR ENERGY DONATES FANS TO THE SALVATION ARMY
Annual Donation Helps Those In Need
Elderly and disabled people without access to air conditioning or other means of staying cool during hot and humid weather can receive fans by appointment beginning Monday, June 29th at the local Salvation Army Extension Unit at Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries Center/Bourbon County Senior Center, 26 N Main.
The fans are intended for elderly, disabled, and those who do not have a fan or air conditioning in their home and cannot afford to purchase one. To help the most people, each household is eligible for one fan. Applicants will need to provide ID and proof of address. Applications will be accepted until all fans are distributed.
Westar’s local gift of fans is part of a large contribution distributed throughout the communities it serves.
For further information, contact Allen Schellack at Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries, 620-223-2212.
—
Allen Schellack
Allen Schellack is the Compassionate Care Pastor for Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene.
He is also Director of Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries Outreach Center,
He is also Director of Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries Outreach Center,
The Bourbon County Coordinator for CarePortal and Treasurer, Fort Scott Ministerial Alliance.
He can be reached at PO Box 774 or 26 N. Main,Fort Scott, KS 66701.
Office: 620-223-2212
Bourbon County Fair: Rewards for Projects
The 2019 Bourbon County Fair is in full swing this week, highlighting the work of 4-Hers and others in many different categories of projects.
Over 1,000 special awards are given by merchants and individuals for all open class prizes, Open Class Superintendent Jackie Warren, said. “Not counting the livestock,” Superintendent Terri Williams said.
Highlighted in photos are the top ranking winners in each category.
Congratulations to all who did their best and earned top places.
AD: Darlene’s Collectibles Online-Only Closeout Auction
A long-time Fort Scott business is liquidating its assets.
Darlene’s antiques and Collectibles is having the third round of an online-only auction.
If one is looking for furniture and other items to fill a home, vacation home or rental property with some quality items, take time to look at all that is offered and make an online bid.
Online Bidding ends Sunday, July 21, 7:00 PM.
Visit www.crawfordauctionservice.com click on Ozarkbid Online Auctions, scroll to Darlene’s Antique and Collectibles 3 to view and register to bid. The store was owned by Darlene and Jim Shoemaker.
“We welcome you to the third round of Darlene’s Antiques and Collectibles,” Jim Shoemaker said. ” We hope that you’ll browse our catalog and see the very nice 383 lot line up of some of the most beautiful and well-cared for antique pieces including glassware, furniture, primitives, advertising pieces, and much, much more!”
In the listing this round are:
Vintage tobacco tins; Windsor Cutlery Co. Knife w/hoof handle; vint. military knife; Vint. Maytag oil cans; wood Coke, Pepsi & fruit crates; framed art & decor; framed Remington & Western Winchester ads; Table linens; oil lamps; lanterns; die-cast toys; stoneware jugs; old radios; Cram can; 100s of radio/ audio tubes; tables & chairs; enamel top table; hutches & cabinets; baking & kitchen cabinets/cupboards; corner cabinets; ant. dresser & wardrobe; nesting boxes; records, 33 & 78s; W.L. Davey hand pump; Ant. Rainbo Bread screen door, 32”x96”; Windsor organ; ant. wood doors; iron bell; Dazey churn; crosscut saws; washtubs; cradle; and much more.
Watch for more upcoming auctions.
Item pick up is in Fort Scott, Kansas on Monday, July 22, from 9 am to 6 pm. Item pick up in Hermitage, MO WareHouse Monday, July 29 from 9 am to 6 pm.
The following photos are of some of the items.
To see the whole lot, visit www.crawfordauctionservice.com click on Ozarkbid Online Auctions, scroll to Darlene’s Antique and Collectibles 3 to view and register to bid.
4-H members study agriculture ‘Over the Pond’
Submitted by: Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension District Director
In January 2019, the Southwind Extension District 4-H Livestock Judging Team of Jillian Keller (Piqua), Brody Nemecek (Iola), Haydon Schaaf (Uniontown), and Clay Brillhart (Fort Scott) were named Reserve National Champions at the National Western 4-H Livestock Judging Contest in Denver, Colorado. In recognition as a winning team, they were awarded an invitation to compete internally at the Royal Highland Show in Scotland and at the Charleville Show in the Republic of Ireland, June 19-July 3, 2019.
The Royal Highland Show was a top-notch livestock show similar to what could be found at the American Royal or National Western Stock Show. The Southwind District 4-H youth were divided into pairs, and each pair judged a different species. Jillian Keller and Clay Brillhart formed the Kansas 4-H Sheep Team and earned recognition as the Reserve Champion Sheep Judging Team. Haydon Schaaf and Brody Nemecek were the Cattle Team and were 7th. No overall results were announced, but combined division scores reveal that the Kansas 4-H Team was Reserve Team Overall, behind a 4-H team from Virginia. Individually, Jillian Keller was 2nd in Sheep; Brody Nemecek 5th in Cattle; Clay Brillhart 7th in Sheep and Haydon Schaaf 14th in Cattle.
The biggest part of the International Livestock Tour included agriculture seminars, tours and opportunities to enhance leadership skills and education through interaction with the citizens of the UK and Ireland. They toured a variety of livestock operations, including a water buffalo milking facility that produced their own mozzarella cheese; a sheep milking operation that produced their own blue cheese; a progressive 3-ring sale barn; and a Waygu beef feeding facility that raised 5-year old steers that are sold at a retail price of $50,000 each. One of the most memorable tours was on a farm that raised Highland cattle and owned a bull that came from the Queen’s own herd.
In addition to the agriculture tours, the Kansas youth also wore kilts in Scotland, rode the London Eye in England and kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland. The International Livestock Tour included American 4-H and FFA Teams from 9 different states who had all earned the opportunity to travel by winning either a Champion or Reserve title at a National Livestock Judging Contest.
To raise funds for the Tour, the Southwind team sold stock in the Livestock Judging Team and will be hosting a shareholders meeting on Friday, August 2, 2019, at the Liberty Theater in Fort Scott, KS. Shareholders will be treated to dinner and a detailed explanation of the learning opportunities encountered on the Tour so they can see the return on their investment in the 4-H Livestock Judging Team.
Carla Nemecek
Southwind Extension District
Director & Agent
[email protected]
620-365-2242
1 North Washington, Iola, KS 66749
…
Today is Last Day to Register for 2019 Elections: Candidate Forum July 23
A larger than average number of residents have signed up to be a candidate in the local elections. A few have filed to run in several contests at once.
Bourbon County elections will be decided on August 6 in the primary election and finalized in the general election on November 5.
There are two contests that have a higher than average amount of people running for positions in local government: Fort Scott City Commission and USD234 Board of Education.
In addition, one candidate Michael Hoyt has filed to run for three different positions: city, school and FSCC.
Josh Jones has filed to run for two positions: city and school.
Registration ends today, July 16
Voter registration will be open at the following places during regular business hours until today.
On July 16, 2019 the books for new registrations will close and remain closed until after the election, according to the Bourbon County website.
County Clerk’s Office-Courthouse: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
City Clerk-Fort Scott City Hall: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
City Clerk-Uniontown City Hall: 8:00 am – 11:00 am
City Clerk-Bronson City Hall: 8:00 am – 11:00 am
Persons who apply for services at registration agencies may register to vote at the following places during regular business hours:
Department of Motor Vehicles-108 W. 2nd Fort Scott, KS
Department of Social & Rehabilitation Services
The county clerk can be reached at (620)223-3800 ext. 191.
Candidates Forum
The Chamber of Commerce and the Young Professional League are hosting a candidates forum on July 23 at the Ellis Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for a meet and greet with the candidates and the forum will begin at 6 p.m., according to a press release from the Chamber.
Light refreshments will be served.
The public is encouraged to submit questions for the candidates by July 22 to the Chamber in the following ways:
By email:[email protected]
or drop off at the Chamber at 231 E. Wall St., or call them in to 620-223-3566,
Candidates should let the Chamber know prior to the forum whether they will be attending, by e-mailing [email protected] or by calling 620-223-3566.
Candidates
In the Fort Scott City Commission contest, 14 people have filed to run for three possible seats. Three incumbents will run for re-election.
” In 2017 we had four file, in 2015 we had three file and in 2013 we had four file,” for the Fort Scott City Commission election, Bourbon County Clerk Kendall Mason said when asked to compare the 2019 numbers.
Another highly contested race is for USD 234 Board of Education with 11 people who filed, of which three will be selected to serve.
The list of candidates is at the bottom of this feature.
Laws for voter registration
A citizen of the United States who is 18 years of age or older, or will have attained the age of 18 years at the next election, must register before he or she can vote. Registration is open until the close of business on the 20th day before the election, according to the Bourbon County website.
When a voter has been registered according to law, the voter shall remain registered until the voter changes name by marriage, divorce or other legal proceedings or changes residence.
The voter may re-register in person, by mail or other delivery when registration is open. Application forms shall be provided by the county election officer or the Secretary of State upon request. The application shall be signed by the applicant under penalty of perjury.
Kansas voters must show an acceptable form of a photo ID when casting their vote.
Per KSA 25-4610, voting machines will be tested on August 1st, 2019 at 2:00 pm at the Bourbon County Courthouse.
CANDIDATES THAT HAVE FILED FOR THE 2019 BOURBON COUNTY ELECTION
CITY OF BRONSON-CITY COUNCIL (3 COUNCIL POSITIONS)
JAMES E. OLSON
DANIELLE MINOR
MICHAEL STEWART
CITY OF FORT SCOTT-CITY COMMISSION (3 COMMISSION POSITIONS)
CHERYL L. ADAMSON
HAROLD (PETE) ALLEN
KEVIN “SKITCH” ALLEN
CYNTHIA BARTELSMEYER
CASEY BOLDEN
TRACY DANCER
BOBBY DUNCAN
BOB FARMER
JOSH JONES
DEB MCCOY
DIANA MORRISS
JEANIE PARKER
LINDSEY WATTS
MATTHEW WELLS
CITY OF FULTON (1 MAYOR & 5 COUNCIL POSITIONS)
NO CANDIDATES FILED
CITY OF MAPLETON (3 COUNCIL POSITIONS)
NO CANDIDATES FILED
CITY OF REDFIELD-CITY COUNCIL (3 COUNCIL POSITIONS)
WILMA K. GRAHAM
JIMMIE JACKSON
L.D. MORRISON
ANGELA HIXON
CITY OF UNIONTOWN-CITY COUNCIL (3 COUNCIL POSITIONS)
DANEA D. ESSLINGER
DAVE WEHRY
USD 234
JAMES WOOD
DANNY BROWN
MICHELLE HUDIBURG
KELLYE BARROWS
JOE FOULK SR
MICHAEL J. HOYT
JOSH JONES
AARON JUDY
SHAWN GOANS
LYNETTE JACKSON
Bill Michaud
USD 235
TROY GOODRIDGE
JASON SUTTERBY
JOSHUA HARTMAN
KOLBY STOCK
SALLY JOHNSON
FSCC BOARD OF TRUSTEES (3 POSITIONS)
DAVID ELLIOTT
KIRK HART
MICHAEL J. HOYT
CURTIS LEAR
ROBERT NELSON
SOUTHWIND EXTENSION DISTRICT (2 POSITIONS)
DIANE BRILLHART
PETE WILEY
Bourbon County Commission Agenda July 16
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: July 16th, 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-David Neville-Gas Leak
10:00-10:05-Department Head Meeting-Which Commissioner will attend?
10:15-Work Ready Communities Conference
12:00-1:30-Commissioners gone to lunch
2:00-3:00-Justin Meeks
-Executive Session- Attorney-Client Privilege-30 min.
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
Mercy Foundation Distributes Funds
The Mercy Health Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) organizaiton, has been working to distribute the assets of the foundation to the community, since the closure of Mercy Hospital-Fort Scott in December 2018.
The following responses are from an interview with the foundation board president, Jared Leek, regarding those distributions.
“Following large contributions to secure Community Health Center-Southeast Kansas($300,000) and Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department ($200,000), the purchase of two transport ambulances, the remodel of the (Bourbon) County’s Ambulance Barn and donations to specific program areas, the remaining Mercy Health Foundation assets will be transferred to the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas,” Leek said.
Click below for the features on the donations:
A motion was made at the May 24, 2019 foundation board meeting to transfer the remaining balance of unrestricted funds to the community foundation as un-endowed funds.
Funds will be used to support healthcare needs in the community, Leek noted.
“The account with the Community Foundation has been set up and funds should be transferred from the Mercy Health Foundation to the Community Foundation in the near future,” Leek said.
Will the Mercy Foundation be dissolved?
“The Fort Scott Mercy Health Foundation will not be fully dissolving at this time, but the board has been reduced down to three members. These three members will be responsible for fulfilling the duties assigned to them until the board can fully dissolve. The Foundation is the beneficiary of a few annuities and charitable trusts established years ago, and the smaller board has been directed to transfer the funds to the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation once these items mature.”
The current officers of the Mercy Foundation Board are Leek, president; Bryan Holt, treasurer; and Darcy Smith, secretary.
These three will form the managing board under the umbrella of the Community Foundation Board to manage these funds.
Other members of the foundation board at the hospital’s closing were Jolynne Mitchell, Colleen Quick, Alysia Johnson, Becky Tourtillott, Mark McCoy, Chris Petty, and Bill Michaud. Leek, Holt and Smith remain members.
Corporate Members from Mercy with no voting rights were Jim Barber and Reta Baker.
Recently, the Gordon Parks Museum received the Parks art collection which was donated to Mercy by Parks in 2002.
” The Fort Scott Mercy Health Foundation was honored to donate our collection of Gordon Parks’ photographs and poems gifted to the foundation. We hope that the members of the community and tourists will continue to enjoy these works of art for many years to come at the Gordon Parks Museum Foundation.”
Click below for the donation to the local museum:
“The transfer of the artwork to the Gordon Parks Museum Foundation stipulates the collection must remain in Bourbon County and be made available to loan out to organizations in Bourbon County based on approval of the Executive Director.”
Bourbon County also received a donation from the Mercy Health Foundation?
“Bourbon County Commission and Mercy Hospital reached an agreement to transfer/donate/sell the ambulance barn located east of the hospital. The foundation was not included in this discussion, because the property was not owned by the foundation. The foundation did agree to assist the Bourbon County Commission with the remodel of the ambulance barn; the board approved a $26,000 donation to update the ambulance barn.”
Click below for more information:
” The $7,527 in the restricted ambulance fund (remaining after the purchase of two new transport ambulances; gifted to Bourbon County) will be moved to the general fund to assist with this funding.” Taken from Mercy Health Foundation Minutes, February 25, 2019.
Leek provided the following as the purpose of the Mercy Health Foundation taken from the Mercy Foundation articles:
“To receive gifts and grants of unrestricted funds, and to use the unrestricted funds in a manner that is recommended by the Member (Mercy Hospital); provided that such use and distributions are for the Corporation’s (board of the Mercy foundation) proper purposes and activities that qualify as exempt under Code Section 501(c)(3) and are proper under the provisions of this Article VI;
“To review and approve of the receipt and acceptance of gifts and grants of restricted funds, and if the restricted funds are approved for receipt and acceptance by the Corporation, to use the restricted funds for their intended purposes; provided that such use and distributions are for the Corporation’s proper purposes and activities that qualify as exempt under Code Section 501(c)(3) and are proper under the provisions of this Article VI;
“To fund health-related capital expenditures using the unrestricted funds as recommended by the Member;
“To coordinate the development of new health programs and services as recommended by the Member, which include funding the ongoing operation of such programs;
“To coordinate health-related educational programs as recommended by the Member;
“To coordinate and conduct health-related research as recommended by the Member.”
Blackwood Brothers Quartet Free Concert July 19
The Blackwood Brothers Quartet will give a free concert at the First United Methodist Church, Friday, July 19th, at 7 p.m.
The Blackwood Brothers Quartet was formed in 1934 with brothers Roy, Doyle, James and Roy’s son, RW. RW was killed in a plane crash in 1954 and Roy and Doyle retired from traveling in the late ’50s. However the quartet with James, as the quartet’s leader and spokesman, established a new group of singers who would go on to take Gospel music to new heights. They have traveled and sung in all 50 of the United States, every Canadian province as well as cities in Great Britain, Europe, the Middle East, Northern Africa, South Africa, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand South Korea, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
James, the last surviving member of the original quartet, died in 2002, but his youngest son Billy continues the family tradition of great gospel singing. The group today consists of Billy Blackwood baritone, Wayne Little tenor, Butch Owens bass, and Jonathan Mattingly as lead singer.
A free-will offering will be taken at the end of the concert to help defray the quartet’s travel expenses. For more information call The First United Methodist Church at 620-223-1950 or Don Tucker at 620-223-4617.
Improvements at the USD 235 Fitness Center Are Coming
The Uniontown U235 Fitness Center that opened last year, is getting improvements through a grant.
A bathroom and shower room will be added to the fitness center from an unused storage area nearby.
“The grant was a Healthy Bourbon County Grant,” Bret Howard, superintendent at USD 235, said. “It will cover nearly 2/3 of the total cost. The grant was for $12,500 and the total cost once completed will be $17,000. “
“We will be adding this directly to the fitness center so that we can lock the doors that enter the (Uniontown High/Jr. High) Commons Area and not allow access to the building. The shower room will allow those who work out in the morning before work to shower and leave immediately for work.”
The bathroom and shower room will be located in the northeast corner of the fitness center which is on the south side of the Uniontown Junior High School.
“There is currently a storage room there now behind a locked door,” Howard said. “We will be creating two separate rooms and will be adding another entrance door so there are two entrances, one for the bathroom and one for the shower.”
The fitness center will be closed during construction of the rooms.
“We do not have an exact date yet as construction projects do not always proceed as expected,” Howard said. “We will communicate via our district social media accounts and website as soon as we
know more.”
The fitnes center is for patrons on USD 235 only.
Key cards to the fitness center are applied for through West Bourbon Elementary School Principal Vance Eden, the participants can enter the center when school is not in session.
Eden can be reached at [email protected]
or 620-756-4335. There is a fee for the card of $10.
“We currently have 149 active accounts for the fitness center,” Eden said. “This doesn’t give an exact number of participants, but should be a fair estimate.”
Update on Paws and Claws
On May 29, the Shirley Yeager Animal Friends Foundation finalized the sale of their 4,000-square-foot facility on 20 acres in southeast Bourbon County.
It was purchased by Zachary and Aubry Ross of Fort Scott.
On April 23, 2011, the ground was broken and construction began on a 2,000-square-foot animal shelter called Lee’s Paws and Claws. Not long after, an addition doubled the size of the shelter.
The foundation began with a bequest from Shirley Yeager. While generous, it was not sufficient to build and operate a no-kill shelter. The shelter was built with funds donated by Marjorie “Lee” Weast.
SYAFF is a private corporation which has been granted 501(c)3 not-for-profit status by the IRS. It receives no tax monies from the City, County, or State, relying instead on income earned on the Yeager bequest and the remainder of the Weast gift, as well as small donations, and, very occasionally, grants.
While the community’s support for the foundation’s mission has been strong, donations have not kept pace with increasing needs and rising costs. The overhead on such a large facility created a negative cashflow and eventually threatened the long-term financial viability of the organization.
In addition to the high overhead, the location was an issue. The shelter was located on a gravel road seven miles from central Fort Scott. This discouraged people from visiting the shelter, especially to volunteer.
Last year, the executives of the SYAFF board of directors made the difficult decision to sell the facility, with the goal of transitioning to a more economically-sustainable business model in a more affordable location. Earlier this year, the shelter moved into a smaller facility at 8 North Judson Street which they are renting. At the end of this year, decisions about a long-term location will be made.
The foundation’s shelter is now doing business as “Fort Scott Paws & Claws Animal Shelter.” A ribbon-cutting was held at the new location on May 16.
During the first few weeks it was open downtown, the shelter had more volunteer hours than in all of last year. The convenient location has also allowed the shelter to expand retail sales as another source of income.
The new shelter houses cats and kittens in two rooms, just as it did at the previous location. A major change is that dogs are not housed at the shelter; instead, they now are housed in foster homes. Living with a family rather than being caged in a kennel is much better for the dogs’ health and behavior. The foster “parents” are able to provide accurate descriptions of the dogs’ personalities, making it easier to make a good match with potential adopters.
Applications for adopting or fostering can be found at FSPawsAndClaws.org. Donations, which are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, can be left at the shelter or mailed to PO Box 667, Fort Scott. The shelter is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm.