 Tomorrow is the last day to order enchiladas to benefit The Beacon. |
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Bourbon County’s YPL
(Young Professionals League) will be making
HOMEMADE ENCHILADAS.
Deadline to order is Thursday, January 25th
~ All orders must be prepaid.
Order by calling Jessica Schenkel at 785-817-8877
or Click HERE to order online.
Drive-thru pickup is Saturday, February 3th from 2-5pm
at Kennedy Gym (behind St. Mary’s School)
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The tiny houses at 6th and Lowman Streets will be completed April 1, according to Mike Rogers, the owner.
This is a little ahead of schedule, he said.
Monday evening crews were finishing the sheetrock and today the inside painting will begin Rogers said.
Also today the City of Fort Scott will be laying water and sewer lines to the four houses, he said.
That work will close 6th Street at Lowman Street until water/sewer work is completed, estimated to be Wednesday afternoon, if all goes as planned.
There are four houses with 782 square feet each. Each house has two bedrooms and one bathroom, with appliances included.
There will be a small yard with privacy fence and designated off-street parking for each unit.
Rogers said a “ballpark estimate” for each rental is $650 per month including appliances, trash, and lawn care.
To inquire about renting, call 620-223-5598 or email [email protected]
To see the previous Fort Scott.Biz story:
New “Tiny” Houses In Production
The restaurant located at the corner of Eighth Street and National Avenue was notified of the statewide contest in the fall.
“It was an online platform,” Nate Lyons, owner of the eatery, said. “We were told you could vote online and encouraged our customers to do it.”
Lyons didn’t know about the win until the publication of the magazine November 2017.
The restaurant is located in the southern mansion that is part of the Lyon’s Twin Mansions. Nate Lyons has been the owner since 2009.
General Manager Shawn O’Brien has been at Nate’s Place since August 2016.
Currently, soups are special lunch items at the restaurant.
“We make fresh soups every couple of days,” O’Brien said. “Homemade potato, vegetable beef, tortellini, fresh tomato soup… Facebook inspires me.”
“They are trying to get me to do dill pickle soup, but I’m not doing it for personal reasons,” he said with a smile.
“We are the only restaurant in town that serves breakfast all day,” O’Brien said.
The restaurant can provide fine dining experiences with reservations to groups from five to 60 people, O’Brien said.
“Groups come in to play bunco,” he said. “The Magazine Club meets here. It’s great during the summer to have a cocktail on the front porch.”
The restaurant also does murder mystery parties.
“The game is free and involves eight characters,” Lyon’s said. “They pay for the dinner, we provide the three-course meal.”
“For less than $50 per person you get entertainment and a three-course meal,” Lyon said. “There is special pricing for overnight stays.”
The Lyon’s Twin Mansions are a well-known local bed and breakfast.
The eatery is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and is closed on Monday.
The Lounge at Nate’s Place is open Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m., with happy hour from 5-6 p.m.
“We offer a heavy appetizer menu,” O’Brien said. “And liquor and wine for $5 each and beer $1 off.”
On Friday, lunch customer Carol Creager said “I like breakfast here. It’s such a nice atmosphere and the waitress Mary Ann is very friendly and accommodating.”
These are the highlights of the agenda for the City of Fort Scott, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 16 at city hall, 123 S. Main.
The commission will:
Recognize Holly Baker.
Approve of Appropriation Ordinance 1207-A totaling $482,847.04.
Set a Resolution and Notice of Hearing with Reference to alleged unsafe and dangerous structure and accessory structure located at 1234 E. Elm – Public Hearing Date – 3/6/2018 – 6:15 p.m.
Consider Glenn Cowen Quit Claim Deed
Approve Change Order #1 – College Booster Station update – Increase of $42,043.95.
Approve Change Order #1 for the Chemical Feed & Sludge Removal project – Decrease of $1,183.10
Discuss Fort Scott Lofts
To see the whole agenda:
Since November workers have been remodeling the building at 2 North Main for Dr. Timothy Crawford.
During the remodel which will house Crawford’s future dental office, some architectural features have been discovered.
Above some columns and above the southern windows of the building, art-deco style stained glass windows were discovered.
“It was a good find,” Randy Lafferty, R and L Contracting LLC, said.
In the interior, marble was found on the outside of an old vault.
“We are going to keep the marble work and try to find a clock to fit (in the round hole where a clock once was), Lafferty said.
The remodel will produce an office area with 3,000 square feet, Lafferty said.
“Including going to the next office over, west, the old barber shop,” he said.
There is no deadline for the remodel completion at this time, Lafferty said.
Crawford’s current office is located at 1115 S. Main.
People with an interest in Fort Scott’s downtown area met at Papa Don’s Restaurant Tuesday morning to share news.
Here is a list of shared comments:
The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce will have a new face welcoming the public at its office at 231 E. Wall and a new configuration of the building interior this year, along with some new divisions of the Chamber.
At the weekly Chamber coffee January 4, Lindsay Madison, executive director of the Chamber, said Vonnie Rickerson will replace Allyson Turvey as the administrative assistant in the Chamber office starting January 8.
In an interview following the coffee, Madison said the public area of the Chamber building will be enlarged and the administrative assistant will be shifted to the left of the front door, while the tourism section will be moved to the north part of the building.
Turvey will change from a Chamber employee to a city employee.
“She will work 1/3 time for tourism, 1/3 time for economic development and 1/3 times for community development,” Madison said.
The enlargement of the public area is the result of Fort Scott becoming a regional tourism center with the State of Kansas.
“There are two other regional tourism centers in the state,” Madison said. “So there will be a lot more materials and signage, so there will be changes to the building.”
Also new this year, the Chamber board is adding an Ambassador Group “to be more in touch with our members,” Madison said. At the coffee meeting, she asked for volunteers to be an Ambassador.
Madison said the Chamber has selected a new mission statement as a result of the tourism section coming under the city direction.
Supporting businesses, building community and promoting town spirit is the new mission statement at the Chamber.
Announcements from the first Chamber Coffee of the year:
Pictured above, the attendees of the weekly Chamber coffee mingle before the meeting began.
Each week attendees may pay $1 and tell about an upcoming event, with proceeds going to support the Chamber trolley car.
The average attendance is 40-60 people, according to Madison.
This Saturday, January 6, Fort Scott’s first microbrewery will open at 11 a.m.
Named the Boiler Room Brewhaus, the brewery is located in the lower level of the Beaux Arts Center, 102 S. National. Entry is from the alley on the south.
Public parking is at First and National Streets and additionally, Judson and Second Streets nearby. The Fort Scott Post Office parking lot is off-limits, however it is through the post office parking lot that one must enter the facility.
“It’s a comfy atmosphere,” Barbara Ritter, who along with her sister-in-law Peggy Ritter are the owners, said. “No TV’s. We want to encourage people to talk to each other.”
In addition there will be board games.
There is a 40 person capacity in the tap-room, she said.
Right now, Barbara’s husband Bryan Ritter is the primary brewer.
He is making ales.
“Beers fall into two categories,” Bryan Ritter said. “Ales and lagers…most people in Bourbon County drink lagers such as Budweiser and Coors. I’m not going to focus on that right now.”
The cooler seasons are ale seasons, Bryan said.
“You want something thicker and richer,” he said. “There is 4-6 percent alcohol content.” He can produce one barrel per brewing session or about 33 gallons.
For opening night, they will have close to 100 gallons, he said.
In addition, Jake Johnson will provide the music that evening.
Only prepared snacks will be offered in the taproom with the beer.
“By Bourbon County law, 30 percent of sales have to be in food,” Barbara said. “We don’t want to be a restaurant. So we are hoping to get some support by getting it put on the ballot to change the law for microbreweries.”
The hours for the brewery are Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, 12 to 7 p.m.
Report a problem
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison has been the executive director since October 2010.
On January 11, 2011, Madison initiated the Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet.
“I started it to provide a platform for downtown business owners and any interested party to network for ideas related to downtown,” Madison said.
Usually, approximately 18 to 25 people attend, with the host business invited to tell about their business and any future events, she said.
” City representatives (Dave Martin or Rachel Pruitt) usually give a city update and a Fort (Scott National Historic Site) representative usually announces upcoming fort events,” Madison said.
Some of the projects and ideas that have come out of the meetings include:
On January 9 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. the meet and greet will gather at Papa Don’s Restaurant, 10 N. Main to share ideas once again for the downtown area.
The goal of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce is to be a premier chamber of commerce in the region, acknowledged for leadership effectiveness, member-focused services and success, and being a go-to resource for business and community, according to its website.
For more information:
http://fortscott.com
Recently, the City of Fort Scott Commissioners implemented a policy to engage employees in becoming more fit.
This was in response to the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team challenging businesses to develop wellness policies, Deb Needleman, human resources director with the city, said.
Other entities challenged to promote wellness and physical activity were Fort Scott Community College, Mercy Hospital, USD 234, USD 235, Peerless Products Inc., McDonald’s Restaurant, Landmark Bank and Ward Kraft Inc.
“Fort Scott Community College passed their policy recently, too,” Jody Hoener, administrator for the Bourbon County Healthy Pathway Grant from Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas Insurance, said. “I talked to (FSCC President) Alysia Johnston, who said they have started painting the room where their (fitness) equipment will be,” Hoener said.
“We are setting up policies to encourage employees to exercise at least three hours per week,” Needleman said. “We’ll be rolling the policy out in January to our employees.”
For her part, Needleman has started CrossFit training.
“The policy will encourage me to do CrossFit three times per week,” she said. “But any moderate physical activity that gets the heart rate going,” will work.
If she continues her fitness program for the whole month, “The following month I’ll get an incentive, a $20 reimbursement in expenses,” Needleman said.
This money can be spent on “fitness club membership, shoes, a new tire for a bicycle or anything related to physical activity”, she said.
The outcome of the policy implementation is expected to be an increase in the level of activity which is intended to help the bottom line of each entity that participates.
“When you have healthy activity, employees are more productive, there are lower health care costs and lower employee absenteeism and higher employee retention,” Needleman said.
For the incentives, employees must meet the criteria set forth in the policy, and Needleman acknowledges that not everyone will.
The policy is not mandatory, Needleman said.
Still, the city has set aside $9,000 to $15,000 in its’ budget to incent employees to get more active.
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team will survey the city staff in August or September 2018 to find out if the level of activity has increased and thereby are approaching or meeting national standards, Needleman said.
“We will look at and re-evaluate the policy at that time,” Needleman said.
“We were about one-half of the national standard,” when surveyed prior to implementation of the policy, she said.
Increasing activity is the goal of year one of the policy, Needleman said.
“Year two, we will look at nutrition,” she said. “Healthy eating, food choices in the workplace.”
“Year three we will look at tobacco cessation,” she said.
Each worksite is eligible for $10,000 to implement a wellness policy Hoener said.
Firefighter Colten Hoggatt, 25, pictured, works out even on his days off for about one hour, he said. The fire department has a separate building on site that it uses as a fitness room.
Fort Scott Fire Department Captain Dale Bolinger said the fire department currently tracks physical activity of each employee and that information is included in their employment evaluation.
Hartman Spine and Joint is a team of husband and wife, both chiropractic doctors, but who focused on different areas of chiropractic service.
Both graduated from Logan University, St. Louis, Mo.
Dr. Grant Hartman treats musculoskeletal conditions.
Following sport injury issues at Fort Scott High School, Hartman received help through chiropractic medicine. He graduated in 2008.
“I had back problems in high school in football and track,” Hartman said. “A chiropractic doctor was able to help.”
Additionally, his grandfather Ron Billiard had extensive back problems.
“I always said if I could help only one person so they wouldn’t have to go through what he went through,” Hartman said. “That’s what motivated me.”
Dr. Heather Davis, a 2006 graduate of FSHS, focused on different issues.
“I was a bodybuilder and did well,” Davis said. “But my health was devastated. I started seeing a functional medicine doctor.”
After six months of seeing improvement in her health, she changed her focus at Logan University to functional medicine.
The office has two employees, Joy Fleming and Jenny Guilfoyle.
