Category Archives: Bourbon County

Bourbon County to Clean Up for Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, Bourbon County and the City of Fort Scott encourage residents to participate in a county-wide, clean-up initiative that includes free trips to the landfill and other services.

On Friday and Saturday, April 21 and 22, there will be no fees at the county landfill, which is also currently accepting tires for free, and dumpsters will be available at the intersections of 6th Street and Margrave and 6th Street and N. National Avenue. The latter location will also have recycling trailers available.

Two dumpsters will be available at each location from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to accept household trash as well as construction and demolition materials. Dumpsters will be donated by Skitch’s Hauling and Excavation.

Jail Project Takes Advantage of Dry Days

After slowing down because of recent rains, the Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center project continues to move forward, remaining on track to finish this fall.

“It’s moving right along,” Bourbon County Commission Chairperson Lynne Oharah said during their meeting Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, the commissioners visited the site for a tour and meeting concerning the progress of the project. The pods, stairwells and interior door frames have been installed in the building, which is now almost fully enclosed with a roof and exterior walls. Upcoming tasks include continuing the brick work and beginning work on the kitchen.

County Commission Looks over Highway 69 Plans

During a work session held Wednesday morning, the Bourbon County Commission met with Kansas Department of Transportation employee Darrin Petrowsky to look over plans for the Highway 69 widening project and ask questions.

The commissioners looked at plans for the six-mile project in Bourbon County, specifically asking questions about new and existing access roads. Commissioners said they had received questions from residents asking if they would still be able to access or cross the highway at existing points, and Petrowsky said they would.

Commissioners also asked how those roads would be paved, with gravel or asphalt, since they will be given to the county for maintenance upon completion.

“Our major concern is what we’re going to have to maintain,” commission chairman Lynne Oharah said, pointing out the county may not have the funds to keep up with another asphalt road.

Petrowski said there is one section of access road that will be asphalt, due to its need for curbing and gutters to help with drainage. Petrowski said he would pass along the commissioners’ request for it to be gravel, but added he did not believe the plan could be changed.

“Anything’s better than what we have right now,” Oharah said of the overall project, saying he currently does not feel comfortable driving that highway at night.

Work has begun on the project, but Petrowsky said it has slowed because of the recent rains. The project is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 16, 2018, with cleaning, striping and other tasks fully completed by the following March. During that time, travelers should be alert to workers and shifting lanes, though two lanes will always be available.

“It’ll be a great highway for Bourbon County,” public works Director Jim Harris said.

Petrowsky said the continuation of the four lanes into Crawford County has been delayed indefinitely until the funding is available, despite the plans already being drawn.

Home, Sport, Farm and Garden Show Prepares for Visitors

Starting Friday evening, visitors to and residents of Bourbon County are encouraged to visit the Fort Scott Home, Sport, Farm and Garden Show hosted by KOMB-FM radio in the Arnold Arena at Fort Scott Community College.

“It’s a fun event,” Tim McKenney said during Thursday morning’s Chamber Coffee hosted at FSCC. “It’s a neat way for all these vendors to meet folks.”

The event has been held since the 1980s, with the broadcasting company running it for the past six years. McKenney said they are grateful to both FSCC and the City of Fort Scott for their support of the event that draws in hundreds of visitors.

This year, 63 vendors will be present, including local businesses such as Ruddick’s Furniture and Briggs Auto Group as well as other products such as Scentsy.

The show begins Friday, welcoming visitors 5-8 p.m., and will be open again Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A number of giveaways will be awarded at different booths throughout the weekend.

On Saturday, FSCC will simultaneously host a community children’s fair from 9 a.m. to noon, and will include a number of games and other activities such as a teddy bear clinic, a bounce house, carnival and minute-to-win-it games and hair styling by cosmetology students.

Recycling Returns to Bourbon County

After being in business in Bourbon County for less than a year, 4 State Sanitation continues to look for more ways to serve the county, this week adding recycling to its list of services.

Stock Photo from 4 State Sanitation

“Four State is ready to offer a public service that we’ve all been desperately asking for and needing for some time,” Fort Scott Economic Development Director Rachel Pruitt said during the recent Fort Scott City Commission meeting Tuesday.

Starting Monday, April 3, 4 State provides a drop-off point for recyclable items, including paper such as books and newspapers, aluminum, plastic items and even clothes and shoes. Other items such as glass or electronics may also be accepted in the future, but currently cannot be processed.

The items, preferably cleaned and sorted, can be dropped off at the 4 State Recycling Center located in the old Topco building at 600 N. Franklin Street each Monday and Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and again from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“We’re ready to go,” Taysha Meech of 4 State said during the meeting.

Meech said they encourage those interested in volunteering to help with the process to contact them.

“On behalf of the community… thank you very much for doing this,” City Manager Dave Martin said. “This is great.”

 

Bourbon County Landfill Accepts Tires

The Bourbon County Landfill is now accepting old tires as part of a tire program, allowing county residents to drop off the tires at no cost to them.

The program, whose goal is to clean up the county as well as remove potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes and the diseases they carry, will continue at the landfill through April 23, with specific weekends scheduled for other towns outside of Fort Scott.

“It’s off and running,” Eric Bailey said of the program during Tuesday’s county commission meeting.

Public Works Director Jim Harris said he believes they will be able to collect a number of tires, and said he hopes people get involved.

“We want everyone to bring them out because we don’t want them in the ditches,” Harris said of the old tires. “It’s an excellent program.”

Only passenger vehicle tires will be accepted and no more than seven tires at a time, except with a signed affidavit proving they are owned by the individual and not by any retailer or automotive business.

The landfill will be open its normal hours, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. Other collection points will be held on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the fire stations in other communities including Bronson on April 1, Uniontown on April 8, Mapleton on April 22, Garland on April 29, Hiattville on May 6, and Redfield on May 13.

Chamber Presents Awards During Annual Dinner

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce sold more than 200 tickets to their annual Dinner and Awards Celebration held Thursday evening, when a number of individuals and businesses were recognized and Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary Antonio Soave spoke.

The theme of this year’s dinner was “Made in Greater Fort Scott,” and emphasized the variety of services and commerce available in the city and county.

“We are thankful to celebrate the businesses, individuals and our community that we have here in Fort Scott and Bourbon County,” chamber Executive Director Lindsay Madison said.

“Fort Scott has touched my heart deeply,” said Soave, who married his Fort Scott native wife in the city, and referred to his first visits to Fort Scott as an adventure as he became familiar with a smaller town.

Soave said he has heard people describe people from smaller towns as genuine and authentic. Although the city of Fort Scott has its own issues, as does every city, Soave said there is an authentic beauty that is innate in towns like Fort Scott, as well as attributes such as commitment, conviction, integrity, honor, decency, humility and hard work.

“Smaller communities in Kansas are sacred, and I have come to learn that,” Soave said, saying those communities are determined to never give up, but to thrive. “If we lose our small towns, we lose our identity…There is a quality of life in a smaller town that you will never get in a big city.”

Soave referenced the Kansas motto, ‘To the stars through difficulty,’ and said that is the mission of the state and Fort Scott, as they strive to grow the town through expanding the economy and increasing available jobs.

“We have to continue to attract more companies to these areas,” Soave said. “And when they know the inherent value that’s here—the goodness, the decency, the hard work, the resilience of the people—then they will invariably continue to choose areas like this.”

The chamber honored a number of businesses and individuals for that kind of investment they have made in Fort Scott.

Awards and recipients included Young Professional of the Year Bailey Lyons, the Community Spirit award given to the Fort Scott Good Ol’ Days board, the Agri-Business of the Year award presented to The Butcher Block, New Business of the Year given to Shiney Studios, Businessperson of the year Bill Michaud, Business of the Year given to Ward/Kraft, Mayor JoLynne Mitchell’s citizenship award given to Elizabeth Schafer, and the Keystone Award presented to Dick and Jan Hedges for their involvement in the community.

A number of businesses participated in the evening by providing live and silent auction items or sponsoring a table, including businesses such as Fort Scott Community College, the city of Fort Scott, Mercy Hospital, Cheney Witt Funeral Chapel, The Bunker, Briggs AutoGroup and a number of others including banks, restaurants and other businesses.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Kicks off Highway 69 Project

State and local leaders took part in a groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning at Cherry Grove Baptist Church in preparation for the Highway 69 widening project that is set to begin this week.

“It’s a big day for us to be here and to actually be turning dirt,” said Ken Brock, the volunteer leader of the Kansas Highway 69 Association who played a key role in making the project a reality.

Governor Sam Brownback attended the event and said he is glad the project is underway after it “hit a rut” in recent years because of budget issues.

“There’s a lot of people who have fought for this for a long period of time to make this a reality,” Brownback said.

Brownback explained the state is currently focusing on the maintenance of roads instead of new constructions, but added the Highway 69 project is key to commerce and safety and is a priority of the state.

“It is one of the major arteries of the state that needs to be finished,” Brownback said of the six-mile project that will make it four lanes to the county line, adding he plans to have that project continuing to Pittsburg before he finishes his time in office. “Today is the beginning of a nice victory lap.”

Kansas Secretary of Transportation Richard Carlson, appointed to his position just in the last year, said he looks forward to the completion of the project and how it will bring a boost to the entire state.

“It’s an important corridor for the area for the expansion of 69,” Carlson pointed out. “It’s another important step in moving our four-lane highway system further south…We at KDOT are proud to be a part of this important project and certainly look forward to the completion of it all the way south.”

Carlson also encouraged drivers to be cautious when driving on the highway during periods of construction in order to avoid any dangerous situations for the drivers or the construction workers.

“There’s a lot of people that go into making a project like this happen,” Brock said, saying the governor and Senator Jake LaTurner invested great effort into the project. “It doesn’t just happen and it doesn’t happen quickly.”

LaTurner pointed out he was not the individual who began the process, as a number of bipartisan senators and representatives invested time into it over the past 30 years. The first portion of the project is expected to be complete by the end of 2018.