Kansas State University Southwind Extension District Agents hosted an Open House in Yates Center on Thursday, June 28 as Woodson County joins Allen, Bourbon and Neosho Counties in the Extension District.
Agents pictured include Joy Miller, Krista Harding, Carla Nemecek, Christopher Petty, Jennifer Terrell, Dale Lanham, Barbara Stockebrand and Kathy McEwan.
The Bourbon County Garden Club hosted the weekly Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce coffee June 28 at the Heritage Park Pavilion on Main Street.
The club maintains the plants in Heritage Park, Skubitz Plaza, the hanging baskets on Main Street and the flower bed at the swimming pool, Martha Scott, a member told the attendees.
They also provide a service to the community by answering gardening questions for the public.
“We are happy to make Fort Scott look pretty,” Scott said.
“We are looking for volunteers to help us weed,” she said.
Garden club member Barb McCord told the attendees that they are looking for gardens for the annual garden tour for 2019.
There will be no weekly Chamber coffee next week.
For more information on the club: Sheryl Bloomfield, 620-215-4313, Deb Lust, email [email protected] or Rosemary Harris, rharris@usd234. org
Below are photos of attendees during the coffee.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office daily reports can best be viewed on a computer.
The office can be reached at (620) 223-2380.
Poultry Testing for the Bourbon County Fair
There is a change to the procedure if you want to exhibit poultry at the 2018 Bourbon County Fair.
This change affects both 4-H and Open Class participants. All poultry animals (excluding waterfowl and pigeons which may be potentially shown either in 4-H or open class, must be pullorum disease tested prior to the fair. Testing will take place on Friday, June 29 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds.
Only birds tested at this event will be allowed to exhibit at the Bourbon County Fair.
Pullorum disease is a somewhat rare disease, caused by bacteria, but easily spread from one bird to another.
The testing procedure itself is not new, but the testing date and time, (now prior to the fair) is. This change is due to the high cost and limited availability of the testing antigen.
A federal veterinarian will be on hand to test birds free of charge at this event.
You will receive paperwork at this testing event which must be brought back to the Bourbon County fair after 4:00 p.m. Monday, July 16, when you bring your poultry animals for exhibition.
If you have any questions about these changes contact Southwind Extension District Agent Christopher Petty at 620-223-3720 or by e-mail at cgp@k su.edu
Bourbon County Road Crews have been busy this spring and summer laying asphalt on prioritized road, filling in the potholes and otherimprovements to the county’s roads.
“We took a new approach on how to repair roads,” Bourbon County District 1 Commissioner Lynne Oharah said. “It’s a leveling course, 1.5-inch asphalt. If you have a decent base, then you go back and do a chip and seal a few years later.”
“We get 6.5 miles, about $30,000 a mile using this technique as opposed to a 3.5-inch overlay, which costs between $80,000 to $95,000 per mile to overlay,” Oharah said. “I’m excited the way it’s turned out. We’ve come up with a new tactic to save money on roads and cover more miles.”
The new leveling course tactic was used three years ago in Oharah’s district, in the area just west of Uniontown on Maple Road to 85th Road. The asphalt has now been put on Maple Road all the way to Fort Scott, a road that runs parallel to U.S. Hwy. 54.
Next year, if all goes according to his plan, Maple Road to 85th will be chipped and sealed, Oharah said.
“If money permits, we’ll do more,” Oharah said.
Other recent completed asphalt projects have been the west side of Lake Fort Scott, which was completed yesterday, he said.
Then a short piece of 205th Road off of U.S. 54 Hwy. to Native Road will be completed today with asphalt overlay.
One and one-fourth miles on Eagle Road completed a few weeks ago, was given a 3.5-inch overlay, he said.
“Before that Native Road past the landfill a mile and a quarter, a 2-inch overlay was done on that, completed in April,” Oharah said.
The next big project that Oharah hopes to accomplish is 125th Road south of Mapleton for three to six miles, he said.
“Then I’ll start doing chip and seal on 125th between Hwy. 54 and Maple Road and also west of Uniontown to 85th,” Oharah said.
In addition, the county road crews will start working on low water crossings that near repair.
Three low water crossings have been closed in Bourbon County:
Another low water crossing is in need of repair on 115th Road north of Range Road, he said.
Work will begin on these crossings in July, Oharah said.
Changes in the courthouse
The commissioners will soon be moving their workspace and public meeting room in the Bourbon County Courthouse, to make it more accessible to the public.
“I’m really excited about moving forward with moving everything on the second floor…to the first floor”, Oharah said.
The move is a result of the new law enforcement center completion and then the sheriff’s department and jail vacating the north side of the courthouse.
He said the move looks like it will be “very affordable.”
“We are working to have it done by the last part of September,” Oharah said.
“People have trouble getting to the second floor, this will make it convenient for them,” he said.
The county clerk, treasurer, and the commission room, every office on the second floor, will all be moved from the second to the first floor. He is hoping the driver’s license bureau will also be moved to the first floor, he said.
The second floor will then be the county attorney’s office.
“That increases the security of the second and third floors,” Oharah said.
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
2nd Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Thursday starting at 8:30 a.m.
Date: June 28th, 2018
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________
3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Kendell Mason
8:30-Special meeting with Bourbon County Attorney
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
Traffic switch on U.S. 69 expansion next week
The week of July 2 the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) plans to switch head-to-head traffic to the newly completed two lanes along a one-mile section of the U.S. 69 expansion project in Bourbon County. The transition will occur on the south end of the project, where the speed limit will be reduced to 50 miles per hour.
The traffic switch is being made so that work can begin to rehabilitate the bridge and approaches on the existing two lanes. The overall U.S. 69 expansion will widen the highway to a four-lane upgradable expressway from Fort Scott south for six miles to the Bourbon-Crawford county line. Koss Construction Company of Topeka is the primary contractor at a cost of $21.7 million. The project is expected to be completed in late 2018.
KDOT reminds drivers to watch for the signs and reduce speed through the work zone. Persons with questions may contact Darrin Petrowsky at the KDOT Iola office, (620) 365-2161, or Priscilla Petersen at the Chanute KDOT office, (620) 902-6433.
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
2nd Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: June 26, 2018
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: ____________
2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________
3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Kendell Mason
9:00- 9:30 Jim Harris
9:30-9:45 Open Hay bids
10:00-10:15 Open Trash bids
10:30-10:45 Clint Anderson
11:00-11:20 Justin Meeks- Executive Session privileged in the attorney/client relationship
11:20-11:22 Justin Meeks- Walking trail
11:22-11:27 Justin Meeks- Update on NRP
11:27-11:32 Justin Meeks- Handbook
12:00-1:30 Commissioners gone to Lunch
1:30-1:45 SEKMH 2019 Budget
2:00-2:30 State Health Plan- Conference call
2:45-3:00 Mary Pemberton- KORA 224-9654
3:00-3:15 Will Wallis- 2019 Emergency Management Budget
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
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
2nd Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: ____________
2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________
3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Kendell Mason
9:00- 9:15 George Collinge- Eagle Road project
9:45-10:00 Fence viewing decision between Cutler and Coyan
11: 00- 11:10 Justin Meeks- budget concern and possible action item with County Appraisers office
11:10-11:25 Justin Meeks- Executive Session attorney/client relationship
12:00- 1:30 Commissioners gone to Lunch
1:30- 1:50 Justin Meeks- meeting about old jail/ Data Center
1:50-2:20 Justin Meeks- update on NRP/Meeting times/Resolution
2:30 Employee Handbook
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
