Celebrates champs

The Fort Scott Community College Meats Judging Team will be celebrated at 4 p.m. Thursday, November 16 at the Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus.

The team is the 2017A-Division National Champion Meats Judging Team.

“We are incredibly proud of our students and our coach, Jenilee Martin,” FSCC President Alysia Johnston said. “They represent us well. In the last four years, they have won it three times.”

“This was a good bunch,” Coach Jenilee Martin said. “They went through a lot of adversity and came out with a good year.”

Changes: Martin To Resign

Martin, the three-time national championship coach of the team will be resigning  December 20, according to Kassie Fugate-Cate, director of strategic communication at FSCC.

She will take a position with the  Kansas State Extension Office in Hill City, after working at FSCC for four years, Martin told FortScott.Biz.

“I’ve worked with a lot of great people here,” Martin said. “I came back to FSCC because they cared about their students and the opportunities they give the students.”

“Students, faculty, and staff have taught me a lot of lessons,” she said. “It’s been a fun go.”

“We are saddened that she is going, but we know she’ll be successful wherever she goes,” President Johnston said.

Martin was also a one-half time admissions representative in addition to her coaching duties.

Johnston said the position to replace Martin will change when advertised, from a recruiter to an advisor position.

Changes: FSCC Hires New Administration Employees

Fort Scott Community College recently hired Kassie Fugate-Cate as the newly created position of Director of Strategic Communication. Previously she was an admissions representative at FSCC.  In addition, she will remain as Student Activities Coordinator. She started November 6 in her new position. Cate is a resident of Pittsburg.

“We combined positions to use our resources as efficiently as we can,” President Johnston said. “Kassie is getting her masters in public relations.”

Amanda Downing is a new admissions representative, taking the prior position filled by Fugate-Cate. She started November 13.

Also new to the administration at FSCC is Jordan Underwood who is the financial aid assistant that started this semester. Underwood hales from Crestline.

Kansas Department of Transportation and Bourbon County Public Works have both been working on roadways south of Fort Scott.

People who use Calvary Road will soon have access again, according to Priscilla Peterson, Public Affairs Manager with the Kansas Department of Transportation District 4.

Cherry Grove Baptist Church sits at the intersection of Calvary Rd. and  U.S. 69 Hwy. where the access is closed currently.

“Right now they are doing a re-route behind the church,” Peterson said. “If the weather is good, the Calvary Road access should be opened by the end of the month.”

KDOT personnel makes an effort to contact people before limiting access to a road, Peterson said.

The Calvary Road closure is part of the improvements being made to U.S. 69 Hwy.

The six-mile highway expansion to a four-lane upgradeable expressway, with access points, was started in March 2017 and is scheduled for completion November 2018, according to Peterson.

Two-way U.S. 69 Hwy. traffic is being maintained while building the new lanes, she said.

County Roads Converted From Asphalt To Gravel

Two county roads south-east of Fort Scott have been ripped up this year to eventually be improved, according to a county official.

Eagle Road between 69 Hwy. and 250th Street and 230th Street between Kansas and Jayhawk Roads were converted from asphalt back to gravel.

“This is part of a process,” Jim Harris, Bourbon County Public Works director, said. “We did several miles last year.”

“We turn it back into gravel, then our goal is to overlay on top in the spring,” Harris said. “We do a manual contraction, but leaving it over the winter helps with compaction.”

Exactly what improvements these roads receive is up to the Bourbon County Commissioners.

In March the Bourbon County Commission holds a public meeting annually to discuss the priorities for road repair and maintenance.

“We’ll have a work session on roads, ” Harris said. “I make recommendations about repair or maintain, the commission decides.It’s a public meeting. In March the road priorities are determined by the commission. They decide what roads we are going to reclaim.”

The gravel road has left at least one Garland area resident re-routing his travel.

“It’s so bad I don’t go down that way,” Raymond Kalm said. “It’s too rough and too dusty.”

A piece of equipment called a lightning arrester, failed Saturday about 3:30 p.m. in the southern part of Fort Scott and some rural areas south of town. Power was restored in stages between 5 and 6 p.m., according to Gina Penzig, media relations manager with Westar Energy.

“It was in a sub-station that serves Fort Scott,” Penzig said.

About 3,000 customers of Westar, were affected, she said.

Penzig encourages people while the power is on and the weather is fine to download the Westar app, mywestar and/or sign up for text alerts.

To register for text alerts on a mobile phone, text 97827 and send “reg”. Then if there is a power outage in the future, text to that same number and send “out” for the outage, she said.

Calling 1-800-544-4857 or 1-800-LIGHTKS is another way to tell of a power outage and a person can also go to westarenergy.com and report it there, Penzig said.  Click “Outage Center” to see the map of the affected area and how to prepare for an outage.

“On the outage map, you can see if someone is on the way and an outline of the affected area and when electricity will be back on,” she said.

It is best to prepare ahead of time for power outages with a storm kit of bottled water, batteries, charging up a cell phone, and making sure flashlights are working, she said. For an extensive list of preparedness, see the website.

“For winter storms, we usually have advance notice of severe weather,” Penzig said.

If power lines are down, assume they are live and call 911, she said.

Check for damage to electric meter boxes and the power line that attaches to the house.

“If the damage is to those items, you may need an electrician before we can safely reconnect power,” she said.

Using the different messages received from Westar, “You will want to see if you should stay home or find shelter somewhere else she said. In addition, check on neighbors safety, she added.