Fort Scott residents spoke for and against further development south of town during a Fort Scott Planning Commission meeting Tuesday evening, expressing concern that their quality of life could be negatively affected.

Greg Fess gave presentations concerning two potential developments in areas near the Industrial Park. One for a vet clinic required a zoning change from agricultural to industrial while the second, a dirt bike track, needed a change from agricultural to commercial with a conditional us permit.

A number of residents spoke favorably of the Great West Vet Clinic that would like to open its doors by the beginning of the summer, offering care for both small and large animals. Not only would the clinic bring care such as surgeries, examinations and vaccines for animals, but it will also be only the second Cogent Breeding, Ltd., lab in the United States, bringing the study of bovine in vitro fertilization to the area from its United Kingdom base.

Concerns raised by the audience included the risk of disease, the elimination of waste and removal of deceased animals. Fess said the clinic would hold high standards of cleanliness and will have its own underground septic tank.

Residents spoke in favor of having such a clinic that would provide a local option for veterinary care for larger animals such as horses and cattle, instead of traveling outside of the city and even the state for such services.

“I currently travel hours to get to a specialized vet for our horses,” resident Nicki Traul said. “To keep that money local would be extremely important to our family…To have this in our own backyard would be a huge benefit to our community.”

But while the audience leaned in favor of the vet clinic to potentially be located south of the Kansas Department of Transportation building, residents were divided in their opinion of a dirt track being built on a piece of land near the Jayhawk and Liberty Bell Road intersection.

Fess said their plans are to put in a tiller track for dirt bike races, which would be hosted approximately three Saturdays a month except for a winter break. Fess said they hope the events would draw in as many as 200-300 racers, which would benefit the city of Fort Scott as those visitors stay in hotels and eat at local restaurants.

“We want to make it fun for kids as well as adults,” Fess said, saying they would build the track into the terrain, making corners and using rolling hills without building steep jumps that would be too difficult for younger riders.

Fess said they are aware of a number of concerns raised by the public and said they have taken strides to address those. Woodchips and specific products would be used to prevent as much dust as possible, since Fess said even the riders do not want to race on a track that raises a lot of dust. Mufflers will be required on the bikes and, though Fess said they realize that will not cut down all the noise, he said he believes the terrain itself, including the hills and the trees, will help block some of the noise.

Fess pointed out the noise of a dirt bike is comparable to that of the train which travels through Fort Scott regularly, and some traffic sounds are also just as loud. While they plan to have races regularly, Fess said they do not intend for them to continue into the evening hours, but only race during the day and limit any practice racing during the week.

Some residents attending the meeting said they believe the noise will diminish the quality of life in that area and could even prevent other businesses from wanting to come to town. Individuals who live close to the area in question especially said the noise would likely be difficult to live with because of the noise of numerous bikes as well as the crowd echoing through the valley.

“I think there’s a good reason why tracks are in the country,” Paul Brock spoke up, saying he does not believe it should be that close to the city because of the sound and bad air quality it might bring.

Other residents said features like the dirt track will help bring entertainment and visitors to Fort Scott, which is needed to help grow the community. Steve Buerge pointed out the community once complained about the sale barn being too loud as well, but said it brings large numbers of visitors from out of town and out of state as well as large amounts of dollars through the county.

“Industry is give and take,” Buerge said, saying both parties in such a business agreement have to make sacrifices in order to gain the benefits.

The advisory board approved recommending the zoning changes south of town for the Fort Scott City Commission, but said that approval is not based on their own personal opinion, but on the legality of rezoning the area. The commission will discuss the decision during their meeting Tuesday evening, January 17.

Submitted by David Sorrick

Award

Fort Scott Presbyterian Village received a certificate of recognition from Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America for reaching goals in fiscal year 2016—July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016.

The recognition came through PMMA’s new Emerald Awards Program, designed to encourage its 17 locations to achieve high levels of resident and employee satisfaction, meet financial goals, build philanthropic support for the organization’s mission and meet marketing goals.

There are 11 areas measured for the Emerald Awards. To receive an emerald, a community has to meet its goals in all 11 areas. Certificates of recognition were given out to communities that reached their goals in one or more category.

Fort Scott was recognized for building philanthropic support of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s mission.

“This recognition is a visible sign of Fort Scott Presbyterian Village’s commitment to the mission of PMMA of providing quality senior services guided by Christian values,” said Bruce Shogren, chief executive officer for PMMA.

Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America has been providing quality senior services guided by Christian values in Kansas and Missouri for more than 65 years.

For more information about Fort Scott Presbyterian Village, contact Marketing Director David Sorrick at 620-223- 5550 or [email protected].

Piano Recital

This Friday, Jan. 6, at 2 p.m., the Fort Scott Presbyterian Village will host a piano performance by professional pianist Kathleen Bradley-Najarian of Anaheim, Calif. The recital will be held in the community room and is open to the public with no cost.

With the beginning of the New Year, city of Fort Scott staff took time in recent meetings to look back on all their accomplishments of 2016, while also considering what they hope to complete in 2017.

“We’ve just got so much going on,” City Manager Dave Martin summed up the progress made so far.

During the city commission meeting held Dec. 20, Martin shared a list of accomplishments including projects such as the Woodland Hills Golf Course clubhouse, the quiet zone at Wall Street, the National Avenue project, the almost completion of the new access road to the LaRoche Baseball Complex, the completion of the Western Senior Living downtown and the Country Place Memory Care center as well as a number of other new businesses or expansions of existing businesses.

The city has also benefited from a balanced budget, technology updates and renovations made in the water and wastewater infrastructure, which Martin pointed out is key when taking care of the city and attracting new residents and businesses.

The Fort Scott Fire Department celebrated 125 years of service, the police department investigated a murder case and got a conviction and officers completed their training as the city continues to strive to protect its citizens.

“For this year, we’ve completed a lot,” Martin said of 2016. “We can’t stop. Next year what we’re working on is development, development, development.”

Martin said in order to bring in that development, such as downtown and along the Highway 69 corridor, the city needs to take a look at taxes, since that is a common complaint for both residents and potential businesses.

“We can’t take a passive role on taxes anymore,” Martin said. “We really have to communicate, teach and get everybody to the table.”

Martin said the city hopes to cooperate with other tax entities in the county in order to understand the taxes and see if there is anything that can be done to lower them.

The city also plans to keep a line of communication open with organizations such as school districts and the county to make sure there are no duplicates in projects being done. Martin said listening to the needs and desires of Fort Scott residents is important, even when those desires may not always be met.

“With development comes change,” Martin said. “And with change comes being uncomfortable. Our role is to try to make change happen…but it is going to be at times controversial.”

Some projects for 2017 include the Highway 69 widening already underway, further renovations made to the water and wastewater systems and the completion of new facilities such as the Country Place Senior Living scheduled to open in upcoming weeks.

After a November soft opening, the Shiney Studios held their grand opening Wednesday evening at their location in the historic, downtown building that formerly housed St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.

More than two years ago, Fort Scott resident and commercial quarter horse breeder Dandelyon Vredenburg had a massive stroke that resulted in her right side being paralyzed. But through a recovery process that included yoga and meditation, Vredenburg recovered completely and is now a co-owner and instructor at the new yoga studio.

“Not only did it help me recover, but it gives me a different quality of life,” Vredenburg said of how yoga impacted her. “What I found is that this community didn’t really have a place to offer that.”

That period of her life marked a change that led Vredenburg to begin writing in an online journal and through a Facebook page that eventually reached more than 600,000 followers. With that newfound passion, Vredenburg began to turn her attention away from horses and to her writing and the idea of a yoga studio.

Inspired by the name of a horse, Twice as Shiney, which she had recently sold to a new owner in Brazil, Vredenburg and co-owner Carl Repp opened the Shiney Studio in the old Episcopal Church, using the location for yoga classes as well as for retail, selling items such as lotions, jewelry, candles and clothing.

The studio offers a variety of yoga levels, from beginning to more advanced. The students can also request private or group sessions. Future renovations of the building include turning rooms into a wellness center and even living suites.

“It’s a healing art,” Vredenburg said, adding yoga is not just for young people, but students of all ages. “I encourage everyone to try yoga…There’s a grace and an elegance and a strength that comes with yoga.”

Vredenburg and Repp said they look forward to preserving the historic building, even providing printed information about the structure and the artifacts that remain inside it. Repp said they hope the building will become a destination for others interested in participating in classes held in the previous church.

“We’re just excited about all your plans,” said chamber of commerce executive director Lindsay Madison, while City Manager Dave Martin said he is glad the downtown building is again in use and being used to further the arts in Fort Scott.

For 40 years, Billy Webster and his Shirt Shack have provided shirts, jeans and other clothing options to the city of Fort Scott, with some of those options being the closest ones available apart from a drive to Kansas City.

“I’m just lucky, I guess,” Webster said of being able to stay open such a length of time.

Webster, a Fort Scott native, first began screen-printing t-shirts in a 10×12 square foot building when he was just 18 years old when the trade was still new and rare. Since that beginning in 1976, Webster has added on to the building a number of times while also adding to the business.

While the Shirt Shack still provides screen-printing for shirts, Webster said he no longer travels with them such as for concert tours like he once did, saying he prefers to spend more time in Fort Scott. The business also does embroidery and cleaning and sells other clothes items such as a variety of jeans styles.

Lindsay Madison, executive director of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that Webster and his business also invests in the city of Fort Scott by providing shirts for events and organizations such as Care to Share.

“He does contribute a lot to the community,” Madison said.

The Shirt Shack can be found near the intersection of 18^th Street and Highway 69.