Category Archives: Fort Scott

Fort Scott

Kiwanis Members Will Meet at Gunn Park This Saturday For a Work Day

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The Fort Scott Kiwanis Club met earlier in the year for a work day at Gunn Park. Submitted photo.

Fort Scott Kiwanis resumes normal Tuesday noon meetings on Nov.17 at the Methodist Church.

In addition, the club has embarked on a continuing winter project to assist in Gunn Park improvements.

There will be a work party at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday morning.

The members will meet at shelter house #6.

 

“Don Tucker Chairman of the men’s Kiwanis club stated that the club is really encouraged by the volunteers who are making major improvements in the park and we want to do our share,” said member Ralph Carlson.

COVID-19, Fort Scott, Government, Schools

USD 234 News Release For BOE Meeting Nov. 9

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NEWS RELEASE

 

Monday, November 9, 2020

 

Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at the Fort Scott Middle School Commons on Monday, November 9, for their regular monthly meeting.

President David Stewart 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,  2020 – $1,414,951.80

D.    Financial Report

E.     Activity Fund Accounts

F.     Parent/Teacher Conference Attendance

G.    Fundraisers

 

One patron spoke during the public forum.  Ella Beth presented a report on the

Fort Scott High School Courtyard project.

Board members heard reports from the following:

·       Brenda Hill, KNEA President

·       Michelle Stevenson, Early Childhood Program

·       All building principals

·       Dalaina Smith, Director of Academics

·       Ted Hessong, Superintendent

·       Gina Shelton, Business Manager/Board Clerk

 

The board went into executive session to discuss employer-employee negotiations.  The board returned to open session.

Superintendent Hessong gave a Return-to-School update.  Board members approved the following changes to the Return-to-School Plan:

·       Classroom contact of an individual with lab-confirmed COVID-19 is not considered a close contact requiring quarantine if mitigation strategies are in place.

o   High-risk contacts are defined as those individuals with unmitigated exposure such as unmasked lunch exposure, social exposure, extracurricular activities including sports, home exposure, or other exposure outside of school setting, and as determined by a health officer or designated official.

o   Low-risk exposure is defined as mitigated classroom exposure (mask-in-place, appropriate hand washing/sanitation) and casual contact, as determined by the health officer or designated official, with mitigation standards in place.

·       Remote learners are eligible for extracurricular activities with mitigation strategies in place.

 

The board approved Blue Cross/Blue Shield for the district health insurance for 2021.

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 matters:

 

A.    Resignation of Heather Geiger, high school paraprofessional

B.    Resignation of Brenda Hathaway, high school cook

C.    Employment of Whitley Chesney as middle school/high school choir teacher for the 2020-21 spring semester

D.    Employment of Elizabeth Rose as a middle school paraprofessional for the 2020-21 school year

E.     Resignation of Sarah Bahr, high school assistant debate and forensics coach

F.     Resignation of Angie Kemmerer as middle school head volleyball coach, effective at the end of the 2020 season

G.    Transfer of Joie Moore, high school 6.5-hour cook, to a high school 6.5-hour ticket clerk for the 2020-21 school year

H.    Employment of Glenda Cooper as a high school 6.5-hour cook for the 2020-21 school year

I.      Resignation of Jacy Walker as high school head volleyball coach

J.      Employment of Mark Bergmann as high school assistant debate and forensics coach for the 2020-21 school year

The board adjourned.

Fort Scott

Larry Lyons: Fort Scott Veteran’s Day Parade Grand Marshall

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Larry Lyons, submitted photo.

Laurence Lyons (Larry Lyons) will be the Grand Marshall for the 3rd Annual Veterans Day Parade Saturday at 3 PM.

 

Laurence Lyons served in the U.S. Air Force from 1959-1979.

He joined the United States Air Force in 1959 entering Pilot Training at Spence AFB, GA, completed at Vance AFB, OK graduating in the Class of ’61 Delta

Lyons was awarded the honor to enter B-52 training.

He attended Nuclear Weapons Deliver School, Wichita,  Air Force Survival School, Reno, NV,  Transitioned at Castle AFB, CA

Lyons was assigned to Columbus AFB, MS as the youngest ever Combat Ready B-52 pilot.

In   October ‘62, he flew the first B-52 Airborne Mission during the Cuban Mistle Crisis carrying nuclear weapons.

In 1964, Lyons married Miss Pat.

He was assigned to Griffiths AFB, NY flying the B-52, then assigned to Naha AFB, Okinawa flying C-130 combat missions over Laos.

Lyons was assigned Headquarters NORAD, Colorado Springs as Senior Director at the Space Defense Center, Cheyenne Mountain 1971-1974.

“A memorable experience was to have the honor of tracking Santa Claus on his trip around the globe reporting to local news outlets,” he said.

He was assigned unaccompanied to Johnson Island in the mid-Pacific as Commander of Space Track Stations.

His family relocated to Fort Scott for the year.

Lyons was back to the cockpit at Dover AFB, DE flying the C-5 Transport.

“A particularly memorable mission was to transport a full field hospital to Guatemala after the 1968 earthquake,” he said. ” We were honored on landing to be met by the President of Guatemala and General Staff who came onboard to personally thank our crew.”

He was assigned to Denver, CO serving at Buckley Field as Operations Officer at the Space Track Site for classified satellite missions and Senior Director of Space Defense Center.

Lyons retired from the United States Air Force in 1979and ” settled in Fort Scott to live happily ever after.”

COVID-19, Entertainment, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Fort Scott Veteran’s Day 2020

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Several activities are planned for Veteran’s Day 2020 in Fort Scott.
On Nov. 10 there is a reception for veterans at the Boiler Room Brewhaus, National Ave. at Wall Street in downtown Fort Scott.
A Veteran’s Day Ceremony will be held on Nov. 11 at 11  A.M. at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds on South Horton Street
A lunch for vets will follow at VFW Post 1165 on National Avenue.
On Nov. 13, free trolley tours will be provided by Fort Scott Tourism, located at the Chamber of Commerce office on Wall Street.
For more information: 620.670.2750.
The Fort Scott Veteran’s Day Parade starts at 3 p.m. on November 14.
Line-up for parade entries will be at 6th Street and Main Street.
The parade route will go north on Main to Wall, then west to National Avenue, and south back to 6th Street.
This event is sponsored by Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.
“As a Chamber member, they asked me to be the organizer/coordinator this year,” Diann Tucker said.
“The purpose of the parade is to show our honor and respect to our past and current military and to increase awareness of and the sacrifice for what has been done to maintain the freedom we enjoy each day.”
Virus avoiding steps because of the COVID 19 Pandemic
“We are asking that everyone maintain safe social distancing and wear masks when you cannot,” Tucker said.  ” We want to adhere to all CDC and local guidelines.  This will be an outdoor event and there should be no problem for family units to socially distance themselves from others.  Parade entries will easily be socially distanced from those attending the parade.”
Fort Scott, Government

FS Special Meeting Nov. 9

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There will be a Special Meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission held at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9th, 2020. This meeting will be held to discuss the Interim City Manager position, and the City Manager search. It is anticipated the City Commission will adjourn into Executive Session.

This meeting will be held at 123 S. Main Street in the City Commission meeting room. This meeting will be broadcast on the City’s You tube channel. This meeting is open to the public.

 

COVID-19, Fort Scott, Health Care

City of Fort Scott Receives SPARK Funds

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Fort Scott City Hall.
The City of Fort Scott has received SPARK grants to help with COVID-19 expenses.
The Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK)  Taskforce is charged with leading Kansas forward in recovery from the far-reaching effects of COVID-19, with funds distributed from the U.S. Federal Government, according to its website https://covid.ks.gov/spark-recovery-office/.

Previously,  $9,975 was received for personal protection equipment (PPE)  and cleaning expenses the city incurred since the pandemic began in March 2020, Susan Bancroft, the city’s finance director said.

Susan Bancroft is the City of Fort Scott Finance Director. Submitted photo.

 

In addition, the city received $142,000 on October 9, 2020 to cover the following categories,  according to Bancroft.

 

PPE-$31,500 and Public Health Expenses-$15,000.

 

“Public Safety will receive funding to protect essential workers during the pandemic, as well as address disinfecting several community facilities,” Bancroft said.  “The City of Fort Scott will be purchasing MSA self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for our firefighters, rechargeable Gen Eon Misters to disinfect public areas, air purifiers for several locations, PPE and additional janitorial services.”

 

Economic Support $6,500:

 

“The Coronavirus Pandemic has created a completely different landscape for tourism,” Bancroft said. ” No longer are people interested in going to big cities with crowded venues.  Instead, they are looking to visit towns like Fort Scott where they can get away from those crowded areas.  Specifically, they are interested in getting outdoors.  Fort Scott and Bourbon County are uniquely positioned for this type of activity.  We have a plethora of agritourism businesses that people have greatly enjoyed visiting over the years, such as the Lavender Patch, Black Dogs Farm, Gunn Park Trails, T&C Wildlife, Anderson Elk Ranch and more.  The funds received for economic support will be used for direct mailings, professional photos, drone video, agritourism postcards and brochures and pay per click advertising.”

 

 

Technology costs $89,000:

 

“Travel has become very limited due to COVID-19,” Bancroft said.  “Furthermore, public safety workers need to continue educational training for certification.  These technology funds will enable a training area to be created for this purpose.  Computers for telework, a projector, tables and chairs and a whiteboard will be purchased to create this learning environment.  In addition, in order to reduce the contact when officers are out patrolling, mobile dispatch units, additional computers for telework, and an Ecitation program with printers for records management will be purchased.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entertainment, Fort Scott

Fort Scott’s Third Annual Veterans Day Celebration Next Week

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Join us in honoring our American heroes at the Third Annual Veterans Day Celebration next week.

The celebration begins Tuesday night, November 10th from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm with a welcome reception at the Boiler Room Brewhaus at 2 S. National Ave., Fort Scott, KS. At the come and go reception, veterans and their spouses can enjoy a free hamburger meal that will be generously provided by the E3 Foundation.

Wednesday morning VFW Post 1165 will host the Veterans Day Ceremony at Bourbon County Fairgrounds Rodeo Arena at 2102 Huntington Blvd. beginning at 11:00am. In the event of inclement weather, the alternate location for the ceremony is Memorial Hall, 1 E. 3rd St. The ceremony will be followed by a free will donation lunch at VFW Post 1165 at 1745 S National Ave.

Visit Fort Scott and the Chamber of Commerce will offer free trolley rides to veterans and their spouses on Friday with tours at 10am, 11am, 1pm, & 2pm. Free trolley tours will depart from the Visitors Center at 231 E. Wall St., and will be on a first come, first served basis.

The Veterans Day Parade begins at 3:00 pm Saturday afternoon, following the normal parade route through downtown Fort Scott. Line-up will be along Main Street from 6th Street south to Fort Scott High School. Stewart Realty & The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce are the hosts of this year’s parade.

The Fort Scott National Historic Site is open daily with winter hours from 8:30am to 4:30 pm. Guided tours of the site are available at 10am & 1pm each day.

For more information contact Visit Fort Scott at 620.223.0550 or go online to visitfortscott.com.

Submitted by

Ally Turvey
Tourism/Community Development Manager