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Category Archives: Bourbon County
Courthouse Closed For Luncheon on Nov. 30
The Courthouse will be closed tomorrow, November 30th from 11 am to 1 pm for the annual Bourbon County Employee Holiday luncheon.
Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Week
In collaboration with USD 234 & USD 235, Bourbon County officially declared the week of November 28th as Bourbon County Reads to Preschoolers Week during the County Commission meeting on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
This proclamation coincides with Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Month, which is an annual event celebrated in November to promote reading to children under the age of five.
USD 234 & USD 235 encourage the reading of books to students of all ages but stress the importance of reading as a part of early childhood development. Early childhood education is critical to a student’s future success in school.
“This week we will be celebrating reading to preschoolers,”
Gina Shelton, USD 234 Finance Director/Board Clerk said.
“Grab those books and help a kiddo on their educational journey.”
Bronson: Soups and Santa on December 3
Bronson Pride Committee is having a fundraiser this Saturday.
Visits with Santa start at 11 am to noon.
Soups, drinks, dessert will be served from 11 am-2 pm for a free will donation.
All money collected will be used for future Bronson Day events!
Several gift certificates & gift baskets are available for raffle as well you do not need to be present to win.
We will have a variety of things going on and volunteers are needed for serving food as well as donations for any desserts would be appreciated.
“As always we encourage all our community members to step in and help participate as much as they can to make our small community the best it can be,” said Kelly Perry, secretary for the Bronson Day organization. ” Serving together with purpose.”
The Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Nov. 15
CASA Holiday Party: Change A Child’s Story
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The Bourbon County Commission Agenda for Nov. 29
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Date: November 29, 2022
1st District–Nelson Blythe Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District–Jim Harris Corrected: _______________________
3rd District–Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk–Ashley Shelton
MEETING HELD IN THE COMMISSION ROOM BEGINNING at 9:00AM.
Call to Order
• Flag Salute
• Approval of Minutes from previous meeting
• Eric Bailey – Road & Bridge Report
• Ashley Shelton – Executive Session KSA 75–4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of
individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy
• Approval of Accounts Payable
• Susan Bancroft – Chief Financial Officer
• Justin Meeks – County Counselor Comment
• Shane Walker – Chief Information Officer Comment
• Public Comment
• Commission Comment
Justifications for Executive Session:
KSA 75–4319(b)(1) To discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy
KSA 75–4319(b)(2) For consultation with an attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney–client relationship
KSA 75–4319(b)(3) To discuss matters relating to employer–employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency
KSA 75–4319(b)(4) To discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trust, and individual proprietorships
KSA 75–4319(b)(6) For the preliminary discussion of the acquisition of real property
KSA 75–4319(b)(12) To discuss matters relating to security measures, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize such security measures.
Heartland REC awards $2,000 to Hammond Community Building
Communication Specialist -, and Alice Helton-Hammond Community Center Board Member.. Submitted photo.
Linda Minor wrote a grant that was awarded for the Hammond Community Center$2,000 from Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative for roof and HVAC repairs.
“I am a Hammond Community Center board member,” Minor said. “The building has been struggling financially with upkeep.”
The Hammond Community Center, 2275 Soldier Road, rural Fort Scott, is about 30 years old.
“Hammond Community Center is the only community center left in the Osage Township of Bourbon County,” she said. “The facility has been serving the Hammond area since the closing of the Hammond School. The center is often used for birthday parties, reunions, and wedding receptions along with the monthly meetings of the Northeast Scott 4H Club.”
The Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative’s Concern for Community Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for capital improvement projects throughout the cooperative’s service area, according to a Heartland press release. Applications are accepted during a defined application period each year.
The Hammond project was one of 10 selected to receive a funding boost through Heartland’s Concern for Community grant program, according to a Heartland press release.
“I often say that we’re not in the business of selling electricity, we’re in the business of powering rural lifestyles,” said Mark Scheibe, Heartland CEO. “Part of that is supporting the communities our consumer-members live in and around. This grant program is a great way to do just that.”
The Concern for Community program provides grants of up to $5,000 for capital improvement projects throughout the Heartland service area, which covers parts of 12 counties in eastern Kansas. Capital improvement projects are those that involve investment in structures or equipment that will last for many years.
As a non-profit, member-owned cooperative, Heartland issues capital credits to members each year, but sometimes those capital credits go unclaimed. Because those monies were intended to be returned to the communities from which they came, Heartland’s Board of Directors decided to use those unclaimed funds for community grants and started the Concern for Community program in 2019.
This year, 10 applications out of 26 received were approved for funding by the Heartland board. Heartland distributed a total of $37,000 in Concern for Community grants this year.
Other Heartland REC projects selected for funding are as follows:
- Cato Historical Preservation Association, Inc. was awarded $2,500 for painting at the Cato Christian Church between Fort Scott and Pittsburg.
- Crawford County Fair Association was awarded $5,000 for new lights and wiring at the fairgrounds outside Girard.
- Crawford County Fire District # 4 was awarded $5,000 to help purchase a virtual fire extinguisher training system to be shared with area fire departments and businesses.
- Fairview Chapel outside Moran was awarded $2,500 for new bathrooms.
- Hammond Community Center in rural Fort Scott was awarded $2,000 for roof and HVAC repairs.
- Jayhawk USD 346 was awarded $2,500 for new curtains for the auditorium.
- Linn County Fair Association was awarded $5,000 for new animal pens at the fairgrounds in Mound City.
- Moran-Marmaton/Osage Fire Department was awarded $2,500 for new hoses and nozzles.
- Mound City Historical Society, Inc. was awarded $5,000 for roof repairs on historical buildings.
- Woodson County Fair Association was awarded $5,000 for renovations to the swine barn at the fairgrounds in Yates Center.
Applications were accepted in the month of September and selected by the Heartland Board of Directors in October. Heartland plans to reopen applications in summer 2023 for the next round of funding.
About Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. powers rural lifestyles throughout more than 11,000 locations in eastern Kansas. Heartland’s service area includes consumer-members in 12 counties, including Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Labette, Linn, Miami, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson.
Heartland REC traces its roots back to three original rural electric cooperatives: Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company, Sugar Valley Electric Cooperative Association, and Sekan Electric Cooperative Association. Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company joined with Sugar Valley in 1975 to form United Electric Cooperative; United Electric Cooperative joined with Sekan Electric Cooperative Association in 1996 to form Heartland.
Bourbon County Commission Meets At Noon Today at the Empress Event Center
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Date: November 22, 2022
1st District-Nelson Blythe
2nd District-Jim Harris
3rd District-Clifton Beth
County Clerk-Ashley Shelton
A work session with the county and city commissioners will be held at noon today at the Empress Event Center. Multiple topics will be discussed but no action will be taken. This meeting is open to the public.
Starlite FCE November 2022 minutes
The Starlite FCE held there November meeting at the Yeager building on the Bourbon County Fairgrounds. President Glenda Miller called the meeting to order and Vice president Joyce Allen led the club in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the Club Collect. Eleven members were in attendance and reported that they had volunteered for sixty-six hours and had recycled 70 pounds.
Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Doris Ericson presented the treasurer’s report.
Old business consisted of a report that treats had been delivered to the VFW, American Legion and the assisted living facilities in honor of Veterans Day. Goodie bags were also delivered to the Tri-Valley clients. Glenda Miller announced that Betty Johnson had been selected as the Southeast Kansas representative for the Heart of FCE award for 2022 at the Parsons Fall Training. It was also reported that three members had helped out with the poppy distribution and that Deb Lust had assisted in placing the Flag out for Veterans Day.
New Business for the month was planning the Christmas party. Doris Ericson moved that everyone bring money to be donated to Preferred Living, Deb Lust seconded the motion, motion carried. It was decided that the Christmas Potluck Dinner would be held on December 16th at 11:00. Before the dinner the members will be putting together gift bags for the Tri-Valley clients, which will consist of socks, gloves, hot chocolate mixes, popcorn, mugs filled with Chex mix and candy. We will also be having a white elephant exchange at the dinner. Other new business was assigning the lessons for the coming year and picking hostesses.
Before the meeting the members folded two hundred Christmas messages and stuff envelops to be delivered to the VA hospital.
Letha Johnson moved the meeting be adjourned, Joyce Allen seconded the motion, meeting adjourned. After the meeting the members enjoyed refreshments of vegetable pizza, cinnamon roll twists, nuts, chocolate, V8 and water provided by Claudia Wheeler and Letha Johnson.
Prepared by
Terri Williams
Bourbon County Commission Agenda for Nov. 22
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Date: November 22, 2022
1st District–Nelson Blythe Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District–Jim Harris Corrected: _______________________
3rd District–Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk–Ashley Shelton
MEETING HELD IN THE COMMISSION ROOM BEGINNING at 9:00AM.
Call to Order
• Flag Salute
• Approval of Minutes from previous meeting
• Eric Bailey – Road & Bridge Report
• Approval of Accounts Payable
• Courtney Goucher – Itemized Receipts
• Section 1 Handbook – Discussion of Approval
• Justin Meeks – County Counselor Comment
• Susan Bancroft – Chief Financial Officer Comment
• Shane Walker – Chief Information Officer Comment
• Public Comment
• Commission Comment
The attachment is the handbook:
Section 1 Handbook
View the Bourbon County/ Legacy Health Foundation Agreement
The Bourbon Country Commission transferred ownership of the former Mercy Hospital Building at 401 Woodland Hills on November 17, 2022 to Legacy Health Foundation.
Editors note
The agreement document was originally sent by the Bourbon County Clerk to fortscott.biz for publication on Nov. 17 but an email from the clerk said her office was just notified that there was an error in the document and was asked to pull the document off of the Bourbon County site. Fortscott.biz also pulled the document out of the story until the corrected document was available.
Here is the corrected agreement document between the county and Legacy Health Foundation.
“We have been in negotiations with them for six months,” Commissioner Clifton Beth said. “We transferred the building to them to develop. The building is the responsibility of Legacy Health Foundation as of today.”
In addition, the commission gave Legacy Health Foundation a combined $2 million dollars, he said. Mercy Hospital gave the commission the building and $600,000 after the hospital closed in December 2018.
To view a prior press release:
Bourbon County Takes Ownership of Former Mercy Hospital Building
The rest of the money given the Legacy Health Foundation is from American Rescue Plan Act funds.
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1319
This bill provided additional relief to address the continued impact of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses.
Jennifer Massey is the local contact for Legacy Health. On her Linkedin profile is stated that she is a self-employed hospital operations executive, since July 2022.https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-massey-msn-rn-70a3b0147/
Her skills are listed at healthcare consulting, healthcare improvement, healthcare management and process improvement.
She works for Legacy Health Foundation full-time now, she said in an interview, and her title is Chief Clinical Operations Officer.
“The Legacy Health Foundation was created to bring health care back to Bourbon County,” Massey said.
She has an office at the former Mercy Hospital building and lives in St. Charles, Missouri, she said.
Ascension Via Christi will stay in place as the emergency department, she said.
“Members of the community will be part of the foundation,” Massey said. “We will be having community meetings, and more info will be forthcoming.”