III. INVOCATION: Student Minister Ian Johnson, Community Christian Church
IV. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS:
Recognition of Blake Hudson, Municipal Court Judge – 43 years of service
Introduction of Tiana McElroy, City Prosecutor
Introduction of Adam Harrison, Codes Enforcement Supervisor
Buddy Poppy Day Proclamation – May 24, 2019
V. CONSENT AGENDA:
Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of May 7th, 2019.
Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1238-A totaling $469,110.17.
Good Ol’ Days Parade Request Form
Approval to allow alcohol at Memorial Hall on May 31st and June 1st, 2019 for concerts.
Approval to allow alcohol at Memorial Hall on May 25th, 2019 for a wedding reception.
Resolution 7-2019 – Notice of Hearing With Reference to Alleged Unsafe and Dangerous Structure and Accessory Structure located at 15 S. Crawford – Public Hearing Date – July 2nd, 2019 – 6:15 p.m.
Resolution 8-2019 – Notice of Hearing With Reference to Alleged Unsafe and Dangerous Structure located at 602 S Heylman – Public Hearing Date – July 2nd, 2019 – 6:15 p.m.
VII. APPEARANCE/COMMENTS/PUBLIC HEARING:
APPEARANCE:
B. CITIZEN COMMENTS (Concerning Items Not on Agenda – 3 minute limit per citizen)
PUBLIC HEARINGS/COMMENTS:
VIII. CONSIDERATION:
Consideration of 2019 Asphalt Program
Consideration of purchase of five (5) Police Radar Units
Consideration of Resolution 9-2019 – Adopting the Kansas Homeland Security Region H Hazard Mitigation Plan
IX. COMMENTS:
Director Updates: Larry Gazaway
Deb Needleman
Rachel Pruitt/Allyson Turvey
Commission:
City Manager:
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
I MOVE THAT THE CITY COMMISSION RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE
SESSION FOR ________________________________ IN ORDER TO
(see below justification)
DISCUSS ______________________________________. THE
EXECUTIVE SESSION WILL BE ___________ MINUTES AND THE OPEN
MEETING TO RESUME AT ________________.
Justifications for Executive Sessions:
Personnel matters of non-elected personnel
Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship
Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative or representatives of the body or agency
Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships
Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property
Robert Leisure, Bourbon County Emergency Medical Services Director, 2019.
Robert Leisure was chosen as the new Bourbon County Emergency Services Director, with an official starting date of April 29.
“Robert has been a Paramedic/RN with the service for the past 23 years. Christi Keating had decided that she was no longer going to serve in the capacity of EMS Director earlier in the year,” Dave Bruner said.
EMT Katlyn Harper works at the reporting station at the new Bourbon County EMS facility at 405 Woodland Hills, northeast of the Community Health Center. Bourbon County EMS Director Robert Leisure fields a call in the background.
Bruner is a representative of the City of Fort Scott on a task force that was given the job of transitioning the services from Mercy Hospital. Keating was a representative of Mercy Hospital and there were also representatives from Bourbon County on the task force that was formed following the announcement of the closure of the hospital in October 2018.
“We opened the position up and Robert expressed interest as well as three other candidates,” Bruner said. “Robert was chosen to fill the EMS director position.”
“I was already a Mercy employee and transitioned over to county with the rest of the staff,” Leisure said. “I was asked and encouraged to step up and fill a void left by the late Danny Hall.”
Robert Leisure, Bourbon County Emergency Medical Services Director, 2019.
He has several decades experience in emergency services.
“I’ve been a Kansas paramedic for 23 years or since 1996,” he said. “Most of my EMS career was spent in this general area and mostly with Mercy.”
Leisure is a registered nurse with 16 years of experience with Mercy Hospital.
“Nearly all (nursing experiences)have come in the ER setting with the exception of a brief stint of flight nursing with Eagle Med,” he said.
Leisure believes he has a good mix of employees.
“I’m currently fully staffed with 10 full time and 15 part-time employees” Leisure said. “It’s a good mix of paramedic and EMT’s. Some with vast experience and some just getting started.”
Leisure is learning the director job with help and has been challenged and motivated by this new position in a good way, he said.
“My duties are very fluid to me right now as I’m learning the position which is a new position, with no predecessor to really follow,” he said. “I’m being helped greatly by both Christie Keating and Dave Bruner in this transition. Christie has an extensive background in management mostly inter-hospital. And Dave is very knowledgeable about the inner workings of governmental processes.”
His duties include: “ordering and maintaining medical supplies and medications, ensuring billing of the runs we do is done accurately and on time, ensuring compliance with all state policies and procedures for ambulance operations, configuring a schedule of work for staff that see’s all shifts are covered with two crews on a 24/7 basis,” he said.
In addition, “duties include quality assurance where run reports are reviewed to assure a certain level of care is maintained, hiring and maintaining a full staff, facilitating regular maintenance of the six ambulances, meeting with the medical director and reporting to both county and city commissions since the service is run by the city and owned by the county,” he said.
The partnership between the City of Fort Scott and the Bourbon County administration has worked well.
” I have nothing but great things to say about both commissions as they’ve worked together exceptionally,” Leisure said.
Bourbon County Ambulance Service has a station at 405 Woodland Hills, northeast of the Community Health Center building, and one at the Fort Scott Fire Department on National Avenue.
To view earlier stories on the Bourbon County Ambulance:
Beginning in May, Fort Scott Public Library will have a new book club for adults, the Un-Book Club.
We won’t have any reading requirements,” Librarian Lisa Walther said. “This is a club to discuss whatever you want to discuss about books and reading.”
The Un-Book Club will meet on May 21 at 1 p.m. in the Library Event Room.
“Bring your lunch if you’d like to and join us for a casual discussion to share what you’re reading, learn what others are reading, and find inspiration for your future reading,” she said.
Because the Good Ol’ Days Committee is teaming up with both Fort Scott Munitions and the Fort Scott National Historic Site, the parade will be opened to all types of transportation.
Fort Scott Munitions will be hosting a large car & bike show this year, and will be auctioning off a motorcycle for charity.
The Fort plans to do a comparison of ambulances from the early 1900’s through today. They will have a fire truck & ambulance on Skubitz Plaza, an Air Ambulance on parade grounds, possibly a military helicopter, an original ambulance cart from the early 1900’s, re-enactors, and much more.
For a full description of the events, please visit the
The Kansas Department of Transportation expresses its appreciation for employees celebrating state years-of-service anniversaries in June. KDOT is proud to acknowledge them for the long-term dedication they have provided to the state of Kansas.
Fort Scott High School music assistant and former instructor Pat Harry and Meredith Reid, the current instructor, lead students with the Steinway piano accompaning. Submitted photo.
There will be a free concert this Sunday for the community to celebrate the restoration of the Fort Scott High School Steinway piano.
The concert will be held Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m. in the FSHS Auditorium, 1005 S. Main.
“This will feature the newly restored Steinway piano,” FSHS Music Instructor Meredith Reid said. “Performers will include students, alumni, and music teachers. The purpose of the concert is to recognize all of the generous donors who made this project possible.”
“We sent it off February 2018,” Ried said. “It was restored by Mike Dugan of Dugan’s Piano Service located in Nixa, MO.”
Pictures of the project from beginning to end will also be displayed.
The mystery of who donated the prized Steinway to the school has never been solved, Reid said.
Refreshments will be served following the concert.
The vote here sign sits in front of the north wing of the Bourbon County Courthouse, 210 S. National.
Those citizens who desire to serve their communities by serving in local government bodies must file at the Bourbon County Courthouse by June 3 and pay the filing fee or start a petition to get a certain amount of qualified votes to support you. The fees and petition votes vary per community.
The following information is provided by Bourbon County Clerk Kendell Mason.
NOTICE OF THE 2019 BOURBON COUNTY ELECTION AND POSITIONS UP FOR ELECTION
A petition signed by no less than 5 qualified electors of Fulton for Fulton.
(Fulton-all positions are 2 year terms.)
Filing deadline is noon June 3rd, 2019.
Filing location is with the Bourbon County Clerk, 210 S. National, Fort Scott, KS.
If more than 3 qualified candidates file for Mayor & more than 15 qualified candidates file for council then there will be a Primary on August 6, 2019.
Any person wishing to file for any office must be a qualified elector of the corresponding City or School District.
If filing by petition, the petition has to be turned in within 180 days after the first signature was collected, but not later than noon June 3rd, 2019.
This is the first story in a National Public Radio series that will explore how the closure of a rural hospital, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott, disrupts a community’s health care, economy and identity.
Across the country, more than 100 rural hospitals like Fort Scott’s have closed since 2010, under increasing financial pressure.
Because of public response, NPR added a Facebook page for public comments, see the last link in this feature.
The featured group for the Friday Night Free Concert is the St. Martin’s Academy vocal and instrumental ensemble.
The group has an eclectic repertoire of folk, classical and Christian music, said Ralph Carlson, event coordinator.
“The St. Martin’s Academy performed for us last fall and was a real hit with our audience,” Carlson said. “Instruments include guitars and a bagpipe. The show starts at 7 p.m., come early and bring your lawn chairs as seating is limited. In the event of foul weather, the show will be moved to the Common Grounds Coffee Shop.”
