The Land Bank meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 16th, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. at City Hall in the City Commission meeting room. There will be a majority of City Commissioners present, but no City Commission business will be conducted.
This meeting will be made available via the City’s you tube channel at City of Fort Scott.
There will be a Special Meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission held at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16th, 2021. It is anticipated the Commission will adjourn into Executive Session at this time.
This meeting will be held at the Landmark National Bank building on the 2nd floor, at 200 S. Main Street. This meeting is open to the public.
The Commissioners may gather at the Courthouse following this executive session, but no City business will be conducted.
Fort Scott, Kansas – Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott will host “The Fight for Women’s Suffrage in Kansas,” a presentation and discussion via Zoom by Dr. Sarah Bell on Friday, November 19th, 2021 at 3:30pm, at the Lowell Milken Center at 1 South Main Street. Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. Contact the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes at #620-223-1312 for more information. The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas. Refreshments will be provided for those attending at the Center.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82602725600?pwd=UE10T0R2T1hCb2prTi9TZ1NWZmZpZz09
Meeting ID: 826 0272 5600
Passcode: 269586
Kansas was repeatedly a leader in advancing progressive issues and rights for women during the late 19th century. However, one cannot talk about women’s suffrage, without noting that the movement and its leaders were primarily white and middle class. Many of these women practiced and perpetuated prejudice against Black women throughout women’s organizations at this time. However, Black women were as actively involved in pushing for equal and civil rights in Kansas as their white counterparts. This presentation will highlight several Black women who were leaders in suffrage, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, and women’s clubs, while walking through the fifty-year chronology of women fighting to get the vote in Kansas. It will also touch on key events and leaders, while examining why it took so many years to achieve this milestone called suffrage.
Sarah Bell has a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in History and is Development Officer at the Watkins Museum of History in Lawrence. Her dissertation studied woman suffragists’ participation with the Chautauqua Movement.
“The women I research inspire me to fight for progress and justice in our world today. Sharing their stories is a way to honor and recognize their hard work at advancing our society,” said Bell.
This presentation is part of Kansas’s Movement of Ideas Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and workshops designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.
For more information about “The Fight for Women’s Suffrage in Kansas” presentation in Fort Scott, contact the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes or call #620-223-1312 or visit our Facebook page – Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes.
About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, our pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with our partners and supporters, we inspire all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve the communities and state we all proudly call home. Visit humanitieskansas.org.
About the Lowell Milken Center: The Lowell Milken Center is a non-profit 501 © (3) that works with students and educators within a range of diverse academic disciplines, to develop projects focused on unsung heroes. Once their projects are finished, we advocate the student’s unsung heroes by sharing them in our Hall of Unsung Heroes or our website so people all over the world discover their individual influence and obligation to take actions that improve the lives of others. The Hall of Unsung Heroes is proudly located in Southeast Kansas and showcases some of the top projects developed in collaboration with the Center.
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The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation (FSACF) was launched in August 2007 and serves all of Bourbon County as a partner and resource to non-profit organizations whose goal is to improve the quality of life in our area.
The foundation presented the yearly awards at an After-Hours Chamber of Commerce event, hosted by Landmark Bank on November 4.
Thanks to the generosity of area donors, this year the foundation presented awards to 15 organizations totaling $40,345.
The foundation received 24 qualifying applications requesting over $89,000, Greg Motley, a member of the board of directors, said.
The following is a photo of representatives of the recipients receiving their awards.
The Beacon received $3,000 to upgrade and expand nutritional food items.
Special Olympics of Kansas recognizes the accomplishments of those with intellectual disabilities and received $500 toward that effort.
The Uniontown Saddle Club was approved a $4,000 grant to bring electricity to the recreational vehicle area to facilitate overnight camping at the club’s arena.
The Gordon Parks Museum received $3,000 to bring a professional dance group from Kansas City, the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Alley, to the museum’s planned Martin Luther King Day.
The Food For Kids program provides weekend meals for chronically hungry school children and the foundation presented a $3,000 check to the Kansas Food Bank Warehouse.
The First Presbyterian Church Ramp Pack received $2,500 to build wheelchair ramps to homes of needy Fort Scottians.
The City of Fort Scott and the Kiwanis Club of Fort Scott received a grant to plant new trees in the community, in the amount of $1,000.
Bourbon County Court Appointed Special Advocates received $4,500 to facilitate training for new volunteers and ongoing education for staff.
The Christmas in the Park event will be in Gunn Park this year, thanks to the foundation’s $1,000 grant award.
The Pioneer Harvest Fiesta organization and the Bourbon County 4-H Clubs partnered to receive a $2,500 grant to spruce up the Cloverleaf Event Center at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds and buy some picnic tables.
Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries received a $2,000 grant to fund transportation services, identification documentation, shelter during extreme weather, and space heaters for those in need.
Care to Share, a support organization for those with cancer, received a $3,000 award to ease the financial burden for patients and their caregivers by providing transportation, house cleaning, yard work, meals, and any other personal needs while the patient is focused on the cancer battle.
Winfield Scott Elementary School first grade teachers will use their $2,500 grant awarded to familiarize students with local resources through trips to businesses, non-profits, and government locations to build backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and math and also help students become community-oriented.
The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce received a $4,000 grant to upgrade the Christmas decorations for the downtown area.
Fort Scott High School Choir Director Whitley Chesney received $3,845 to purchase appropriate attire for performances at concerts, no matter what the student’s economic status.
The Fort Scott High School Talking Tigers debate team donated items to benefit The Beacon pantry as one of their NSDA service projects. Items were dropped off on Nov. 11.
Ed Townley, Olathe, has purchased the former Books and Grannies store at 11 N. Main, in Fort Scott’s Historic Downtown.
“I bought it with ideas in mind, but that is ever-changing,” Townley said. “At the current moment, I may finish remodeling and rent it out for a few years.”
Local realtor, Barb Albright with H and H Agency, handled the sale of the building to the family.
“I bought rental houses and recently sold those and I always wanted a business downtown,” he said.
“I have lifelong friends from Fort Scott,” he said. “Jerome Mitzner and Brian Love, along with Al Metcalf.”
He and his wife, Susan, own an independent insurance adjuster business, he said.
“We have a side business of antiques in Johnson County,” Townley said.
They are looking forward to moving to Fort Scott, although at this point it won’t be until his youngest daughter graduates, and she is currently in the eighth grade, he said.
The overwhelming amount of books in the former bookstore were consolidated and sold to a company.
“The fastest and easiest way to liquidate the books was to have a company do it,” he said.
Then he had a clean slate to see what he purchased.
What he purchased at 11 N. Main was 1700 square feet with doors to both Main Street and Skubitiz Plaza.
“The front and back doors are appealing,” he said.
Townley has repainted the original ceiling tiles, is working on new flooring and a restroom will be added.
The family worked on a Christmas display on November 6 to spruce up the storefront for the upcoming annual holiday shopping event on November 11-13, sponsored by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce and businesses.
“We did a vintage Christmas display, to give (the storefront) a little personality,” Townley said.
Following the completion of work on the first floor, the family has the upstairs to renovate.
There is an apartment on the second floor that is the whole length of the store and the family has a goal of making that into a living space, he said.
“Native plants are best since that is what supports pollinators in their natural habitat,” Bowman said. “They are much lower maintenance due to their long roots and require less water than non-natives and thrive in less than ideal conditions. Each species of butterfly has a specific host plant as well. Monarch’s host plant is milkweed which serves as the only food source for Monarch caterpillars. It is important to have diversity in nectar plants for different bloom times so pollinators will have nectar throughout the entire season.”
Gardening is something Bowman enjoys.
“When we started this project the main goal was to create more natural habitat space free of pesticides in otherwise unused space to support pollinators and encourage more native plantings in our community,” she said. “Native (plant) gardens are not only beautiful- they also serve a purpose.”
The Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department is now able to offer Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine for 5-11 year-olds.
If a parent is interested, they would need to call the local health department to make an appointment. This is a 2-dose series and the 2nd dose is to be given at least 21 days after the first.
Only Pfizer has been approved for 5-17 year-olds.
There is no recommendation at this time for a booster for this age group.
Submitted by Rebecca Johnson BSN, RN
SEK Multi-County Health Department
Administrator, 524 S. Lowman, Ft. Scott, KS 66701
Phone (620)223-4464
“I am proud and excited to announce that we have organized our own parade for Veteran’s Day,” Jessica Allison, Commander of
NEWS RELEASE
Monday, November 8, 2021
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at the Fort Scott Middle School Commons on Monday, November 8, 2021, 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 – October 20, 2021 – $1,447,671.65
D. Financial Report
E. Activity fund accounts
F. FFA Extended Trip Application
G. Parent/Teacher Conference statistics
Board members watched a video of Winfield Scott students utilizing new technology as they learn to produce daily announcements. Board members heard the following reports:
· Audit Report from Terry Sercer
· Fort Scott KNEA Report from Brenda Hill
· Administrators’ Reports
· Academic Director’s Report
· Superintendent’s Report
· Business Manager’s Report
Board members approved the ESSER II funds application. In addition, the board approved a January 2022 retention bonus of $500 per employee.
The board members reviewed and updated the USD 234 Area of Focus. In addition, board members approved the following:
· Roof consulting proposal from Benchmark, Inc.
· Resolution 21-09 for Withdrawal from Kansas Educational Risk Management Pool
· RPS Broker Agreement
· Benefits Committee recommendation for health insurance
· Erate Application Funding Year 2022 Contract
· Employee Safety Manual
· Memorandum of Understanding with CHC for COVID-19 testing
· Memorandum of Understanding with Fort Scott KNEA
The Fort Scott Middle School VIP Fall Extravaganza will be held on November 22, 2021, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the middle school commons and gymnasium.
Board members shared comments 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. Retirement of Fredina Gonzales, bus driver, effective December 1, 2021
B. Resignation of Robert Jackson, Eugene Ware/Fort Scott Preschool Center custodian, effective Novembe4 5, 2021
C. Resignation of Mary Watson, middle school paraprofessional, effective October 29, 2021
D. Leave of absence for Brent Cavin, middle school social studies teacher
E. Employment of Kaytelynd Keller as a Winfield Scott paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
F. Employment of Akasha Clements as a middle school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
G. Employment of Jonny Larsen as a 12-month, 8-hour Eugene Ware/Fort Scott Preschool Center custodian for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
H. Resignation of Amy Keeton, Eugene Ware paraprofessional, effective Nov. 7, 2021
I. Employment of Jade Johnson as a high school assistant softball coach for the 2021-22 school year; Employment of Tom Robertson as high school head boys’ golf coach for the 2021-22 school year
J. Addition of a high school paraprofessional position for the 2021-22 school year.
The board adjourned.
On November 8, local artist Stephen Toal was finishing up a new mural he has painted in the tunnel of the Hwy. 69 underpass on the Riverfront Loop Road in Riverfront Park.
He was inspired to create some patriotic themes featuring the Statue of Liberty along with the skyline of New York and the symbol of America, the Bald Eagle.
He said the name of the mural is United We Stand, Divided We Fall, which he felt was fitting for this time in America. The pandemic, social justice issues, and political divides are the news of the day in the last year and a half since the pandemic began.
For Toal, the project was set back a bit by stolen paint left at the site last week.
“Somebody stole my paint,” Toal said. “But it’s pretty cool that people came together and purchased more paint for me.”
“I’m going to open an account for community projects,” he said. “I don’t like messing with money,”
He has done six community murals in Fort Scott parks and has had three paid mural jobs recently, he said.
His first mural was at Gunn Park under the big rock shelter house No. 1, which he completed in spring 2020.
To view prior features on the artist:
New Mural at Gunn Park by Artist Stephen Toal
Toal said he invites the community to come and visit his latest artwork.
His mural work is just about finished for the season.
“Spray paint spits, when the weather gets below 40 degrees,” Toal said. “So I do it when the weather is warmer.”
