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Category Archives: Fort Scott
Methodists Reschedule Soup Lunch Until Feb. 25
NOTICE – Due to the weather, the soup lunch that was scheduled today has been cancelled and rescheduled for next Friday, February 25.
The Soup Luncheon has been rescheduled for NEXT Friday, February 25 from11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This is a to-go meal that can be picked up under the covered entrance off of National Avenue. A variety of soups including potato, vegetable beef, and chili will be served along with a dessert for a free-will offering. Sponsored by the Mission Committee.
Local Black History Month Celebration This Sunday
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Fort Scott City Special Meeting Today Feb. 18
There will be a Special Meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 18th, 2022.
An Executive Session.
Discussion of the sale of Lake Fort Scott properties, and the Airport Runway project.
This meeting will be held at 123 S. Main Street in the City Commission meeting room and will be broadcast on the City’s you tube channel. The meeting is open to the public, but the Executive Session is not.
Grant Money to Aid City’s Wastewater Collection System
Governor Laura Kelly announced last week that 40 rural Kansas communities will receive Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) totaling more than $17.6 million to help support critical community development projects.
The City of Fort Scott received a $700,000 award grant to help revitalize the wastewater system infrastructure.
The awards are administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce and granted from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Small Cities CDBG program. Eligible CDBG public improvement projects help fund water and wastewater projects, housing rehabilitation, and other community facilities and services, according to a press release from the governor.
The $700,000 grant will be put with the $425,000 that the city will provide of the projected total cost of $1,125,000 for wastewater system infrastructure improvements.
“The project is set to be solicited in the next few weeks, ” Fort Scott City Manager Kelley Zellner said. “And a contractor will be selected. Once the contractor is chosen for the job, the contractor decides the order of completion of the project using their ‘Means and Methods.'”
“The city’s wastewater collection system is in need of attention in certain areas and some of the equipment at the sewer plant will need to be looked at for upgrades in the next several years,” Zellner said.
“This particular improvement project, to the citizens of Fort Scott is a small portion of the need improvements to the overall collection system and a small step in the direction of a healthy infrastructure legacy for our children and grandchildren’s sake!” he said.
News Release From USD234
NEWS RELEASE
Monday, February 14, 2022
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met in the Fort Scott Middle School Commons on Monday, February 14, 2022, for their regular monthly meeting.
President James Wood opened the meeting. The board approved the official agenda. The board also approved the consent agenda as follows:
A. Minutes
B. Bills and Claims
C. Payroll – January 20, 2022 – $1,629,877.81
D. Financial Report
E. Activity fund accounts
F. Fundraiser application
G. Extended trip application
H. Sale of old middle school uniforms, bottoms, and warm-ups
The board recognized teachers who received U-Benefit Grants from OFG Financial, Security Benefit, and KNEA. Brenda Hill, Fort Scott KNEA President, presented the grant awards to Sydney Cullison, Jennifer Hartman, Jamie Rogers, Becky Tinker, and Trisha Whitehead.
Kellye Barrows, Vice-President, presented a report on the Summit on Professional Learning Community at Work in Phoenix, AZ. Written reports were shared by principals. In addition, the board heard reports from Dalaina Smith, Academics Director; Ted Hessong, Superintendent; and Gina Shelton, Business Manager/Board Clerk.
The board approved contracts for Provision of Educational Services – Low Incidence and Audiology and a Memorandum of Understanding with Communities in Schools.
The board approved Gary Billionis, board member, to sit in on legal mediation claims.
Superintendent Hessong gave an ESSER III update.
Board members shared comments and then went into executive session to discuss matters relating to employer-employee negotiations. The board returned to open meeting and then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting. The board approved the following employment items:
A. Resignation of Shelly Sanborn, middle school special education teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year
B. Resignation of Eileen Strakel, Eugene Ware cook, effective February 11, 2022
C. Leave of absence request from Elizabeth Rose, preschool paraprofessional
D. Employment of Cole Claypool as a middle school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
E. Employment of Dylan Goucher as a Eugene Ware/Fort Scott Preschool Center custodian for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
F. Employment of Angie Kemmerer for middle school PDC chairperson
G. Employment of Angie Bin as the high school fine arts team leader for the 2021-22 school year
H. Employment of administrators for the 2022-23 school year
I. Employment of district directors for the 2022-23 school year
J. Employment of Gina Shelton, Business Manager/Board Clerk, for the 2022-23 school year with a change in title from Business Manager to School Finance Director/Board Clerk
K. Stipend for Bryce Daly, Technology Coordinator/Technician, to video board meetings
L. Employment of Katren Rienbolt and Josh Hudiburg as high school assistant track coaches for the 2021-22 school year
M. Retirement of Debbie West, high school secretary, effective June 30, 2022
N. Termination of Brooke Senkevech, Eugene Ware paraprofessional and middle school intramural coach, effective February 14, 2022
O. Employment of Connie Harper as a Eugene Ware paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
The board adjourned.
Chamber Coffee at Common Ground Feb. 17
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First Annual Marsha Fest on March 5
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Marsha Fest Is March 5: Celebrating Her Life
Long-time restauranteur Marsha Lancaster died last fall and her life will be celebrated in a unique event planned by her nieces and nephews and close friend Rhonda Dunn.
“When Marsha passed away last fall, her family wanted to plan a celebration of her life,” Dunn said. “At that time, they weren’t sure what kind of event they wanted to plan or when it would be. They knew they wanted to do an event with music because Marsha loved music, and went to a lot of concerts.”
To view Lancaster’s obituary:
Marsha’s favorite band was Disco Dick and the Mirrorballs, and they will be performing in Fort Scott around Marsha’s birthday, Dunn said. “We traveled all over Kansas City watching them perform. As a special tribute to her, they are coming back to the Liberty Theater to perform.”
“Marsha’s passing was such a huge loss to our family and our community,” her niece Sara Lancaster said. “She would have been 55 years old on March 1 and there is no better way to celebrate the Dancing Queen herself than with a concert in her honor.”
“We hope to make the event an annual one,” Dunn said.
Plans are for the first annual Marsha Fest with Disco Dick and the Mirrorballs to take place on Saturday, March 5 at the Liberty Theater, 113 S. Main, Fort Scott.
The Liberty Theater doors open at 7:30 PM and the concert will be from 8 to 11 p.m.
There will be a cash bar.
For more information, contact Rhonda Dunn at (620) 224-1186.
About the Band
Disco Dick and the Mirrorballs are a band that tribute to the disco dance era. They perform the greatest hits from KC and the Sunshine Band, Kool and the Gang, the Commodores, Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, and many more. They formed in 1998.
FS City Offices Closed Feb. 21
The City of Fort Scott City Administrative Offices will be closed on Monday, February 21st, 2022 in observance of the President’s Day holiday. The offices will reopen on Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022.
The City’s tree and brush dump site located on North Hill will also be closed on Saturday, February 19th, 2022 for the President’s Day holiday. It will be open again on Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Beacon: New Pick-up/Drop-off Area
The Beacon, a helping agency in Fort Scott, is working to make it safer for their clients to move food in and out of their building.
“We are pouring a concrete driveway in the back of the Beacon, to make it safer for our clients to pick up their groceries from us, also to make it easier for deliveries and donation drop-offs,” Dave Gillen, Beacon Director said.
This project started on Feb. 10 and was completed on Feb. 11, he said.
“However our clients will not be able to use it until Friday of (this) week as the concrete will need to be cured,” he said.
“All Beacon business will be conducted through the front door until then.”
This project was funded through church, individual, and civic organizations donations.
“This is something we have been wanting to do for a long time and because of the generosity of our great community it was made possible,” Gillen said.
“Thank you RII Concrete Construction for also making this possible and your great employees,” he said.
“The Beacon (staff) serves about 300 families a month currently,” Gillen said. “Clients call in their food orders and they are placed on the back porch. Additional items such as produce and bakery items are placed on the back porch for them to shop, also”.
The Beacon Food Pantry is a non-profit organization, a food pantry serving Bourbon County, Kansas, also provides financial assistance
The agency is located at 525 E. Sixth Street, Fort Scott, and can be reached at 620.223.6869.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. They are closed Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, according to their Facebook page.
Fort Scott High School Thespians Perform Comedy Murder Mystery
The FSHS Thespians perform “An Audition for a Murder,” a comedy murder mystery by Lee Mueller, at 7 p.m. on Feb. 18 and 19 in the FSHS Auditorium.
The production features a community theatre troupe holding auditions for a Murder Mystery called “Death of A Disco Dancer.” All of the typical actors show up to audition, but as they get underway, there’s a bit of a problem with the “script,” it isn’t finished. The playwright arrives in the nick of time with a few more finished pages just as one of the actors mysteriously dies. As luck would have it, an inspector arrives to give advice on the play. Perhaps the investigation into this “mysterious death” will inspire the playwright and help him finish the play. After all, there is a read-through on Monday!
Audience members even get to play a role as they interrogate the suspects and vote on who they think the murderer is.
The production involves a cast of 14 including seniors Christina King and Zaria Byrd; juniors Israel Carreno and Luke Majors; sophomores Casey Gomez, Regen Wells, Jaedyn Lewis, Jericho Jones, and Lizzy Moore; and freshmen Emma Guns, Mykael Lewis, Kaiden Clary, Piper Weeks, and Madison (River) Smith. The play is directed by Thespian sponsor Angie Bin.
“This show is a fun way for our students to interact with the audience and really give our community an immersive theatre experience,” Bin said. “We have had such an enjoyable time rehearsing and I am especially proud of our freshmen making their stage debut in this production.”
Reserved seating tickets are available for $5 from fortscotthighschool.ludus.com or at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.