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Category Archives: Fort Scott
Local Sonic App Is Currently Not Functioning
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ANNOUNCEMENT FROM OUR LOCALFORT SCOTT SONIC DRIVE-IN |
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New Website for Fort Scott Recreation Allows Registrations/Payments Online for Convenience
The Fort Scott Recreation Center has a new website through RecDesk.
“The benefit of the new website change is that it allows people to do anything they could from our front desk on their phone or computer at their convenience,” Lucas Kelley said. “This new website also allows for online registrations and payments. This will also help with late registrations… We just switched over to this website on December 26th.”
Here is the link: https://brcc.recdesk.com/
Kelley is the FSRC recreation director and the Buck Run Community Center Manager.
Buck Run Community Center is located at 735 Scott Avenue and can be contacted at 620.23.0386.
“People can access it by going to brcc.recdesk.com.,” he said. “Here they will be able to view all of our programs, facilities available to rent, fitness memberships, current league standings/schedules, a calendar of events, and a preview of our Facebook page. We just switched over to this website on December 26th. When getting to the website users will have to create an account and add their household.”
Programs starting here shortly are: The Biggest Loser Weight Loss Challenge, Tiger Kids Cheer, Taekwondo Lessons, Soul Fusion/Adult Fitness Classes.
Chamber Ribbon Cutting Jan. 11 at Freedom Fitness
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Freedom Fitness Opens at 15 S National
Lindsay and John Hill are the owners and coaches of a new business, Freedom Fitness, located at 15 S. National.
“We offer fitness classes for all ages and fitness levels,” Lindsay said. “We also offer regular gym memberships so you can come in and lift during certain hours and use equipment and facilities.”
“This was a need in our community and we are super passionate about helping others become their best self,” she said. “This will allow us to not only help people with physical fitness, but we will also be offering nutritional classes, flexibility, and mobility sessions, and so much more.”
Classes available:
Training – A Cross Training class that offers strength, flexibility, endurance, and much more.
EnduraFit – An endurance class that uses barbells and weights to move with speed and efficiency.
LIFE – A bootcamp style, focusing on body movement and functional fitness.
Masters – A class focused on seasoned individuals who want to move, have flexibility, and functional fitness using minimal weight.
FreeFit -The normal gym membership that allows individuals to focus on their own goals and programs.
KidFit- all things kids, including speed, agility, mobility, strength, plyometrics, etc.
“We will tailor all classes to fit the fitness levels and goals,” she said.
The business phone number is 620-644-2167
Business hours of operation are from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The cost for Freedom Fitness is $79/month for unlimited, and $60/month for 3 days/week.
“We look forward to serving Fort Scott with a Faith.Family.Freedom.Fitness environment,” she said. “It will be a positive, uplifting space where people can leave life at the door and focus on themselves. We want to create a space where health and fitness is a way of life – helping Fort Scott become a healthier community.”
Downtown Meet and Greet Is January 9
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James Woods Leaves a Vacancy on USD 234 Board of Education
James Wood has served as a member of the Board of Education in Fort Scott for four years. He was just recently re-elected in November for a second term. James works at Diehl Banwart Bolton CPAs, PA. In late November, James was promoted to a partner position with Diehl Banwart Bolton CPAs, PA, which changed his responsibilities at the firm. Consequently, James is resigning his position on the USD # 234 school board effective January 1, 2024.
“James has been a great board member and has held several leadership positions on the school board during his term. He is a creative thinker and has been a great asset to the board because of his accounting and business background. He will be sorely missed on our board,” states Destry Brown, superintendent.
On reflecting about his time on the board, James reflects, “I have truly enjoyed my time on the Board of Education. I believe in the direction our school district is going and am excited for the future of the district. I grew up as a Tiger and will always be a Tiger at heart.”
The Board of Education will discuss filling the vacancy created by Wood’s resignation at the next board meeting on January 11th.
Medicalodge New Administrator: Lucia Crellin
Lucia Crellin, 29, will be the new administrator of Medicalodge Fort Scott, following the retirement of Lynette Emerson in December 2023.
“I started with Medicalodges Coffeyville on Midland in May 2023 as an Administrator in Training with KACE (Kansas Adult Care Executives), and I have just accepted the Administrator Role for Fort Scott Medicalodges and will be acquiring my Kansas Licensure as well as my NHA Licensure at the first of the year. “
She has a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies and a focus in health science from Emporia State University and also has her Kansas Certified Nurse Assitant License, through Neosho County Community College.
“I started training under Lynette on December 18th, and as of January 2, I will be taking over the position,” Crellin said.
“I grew up in the halls of long-term care as my…mother put herself through nursing school to become a Registered Nurse and pursue her career goals being a Director of Nursing, Administrator, Nurse Consultant, and now Director of Education. For the last couple of years, I have been learning the ins and outs of the administration role among long-term care nursing homes.”
“I entered this career because there is a great need for quality administrators and nursing staff among long-term care settings/nursing homes,” she said. “I think that sometimes people forget that our older generation of folks are still human beings and they deserve to continue living their best life at whatever stage they may be in,” she said. “I want to make a difference in the lives of residents staying in our nursing homes whether it be for a short-term skilled stay or a long-term stay. I want to make residents feel safe and comfortable in their homes/our nursing homes. I want our residents and our future residents and their families to know that I care, and will always care and advocate for them.”
The greatest challenge?
“I think the greatest challenge is the fact that I am a single mother and a brand new administrator,” she said. “The work-life balance will certainly be a challenge, and dedication and commitment are both important to be successful at both. This can place a challenge when both take such a high priority and both are physically demanding as well as 24/7 jobs. In healthcare and especially healthcare leadership there is no time off. Even when you are ‘off’ you really are not off. When your phone rings regarding your child, you answer. When your phone rings regarding your facility, you take that call. It’s not challenging to do all of that, the challenge will be overcoming the toll that this can take, and knowing everyone and everything depends on you, and knowing you are the one to be held accountable because all will have to be accounted for by you, and answered for and fixed with my oversight. But with all that being said, I have a great support system within my company and my family, and I am looking forward to overcoming any challenge that comes my way.”
Crellin lives in Yates Center and commutes.
She has a four-year-old daughter, Elayna, and a significant other, Taylor.
FS City Commission Agenda for January 2
The only order of business for 1-2-2024 is to establish the new 2024 City Commission. All other business will be discussed on Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 6:00PM
NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR REGULAR
MEETING OF FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
CITY HALL COMMISSION ROOM – 123 SOUTH MAIN ST.
January 2, 2024 – 6:00 P.M.
I. Roll Call:
T. VanHoecke M. Guns M. Wells
II. Pledge of Allegiance & Invocation: M. Wells
III. New Business
A. Oath of Office – Commissioner Tracy Dancer and Commissioner Dyllon Olson
B. Appointment of Mayor of Fort Scott
C. Appointment of President of the City Commission of Fort Scott
D. Review and agreement of Code of Ethics – Ordinance 3563
E. Review and agreement of Code of Procedure for the Commission of the City
of Fort Scott, Kansas
IV. Public Comment:
Sign up required. Comments on any topic not on agenda and limited to five (5) minutes per person, at the Commission’s discretion.
V. Reports and Comments:
A. City Manager Comments:
B. Commissioners Comments:
T. VanHoecke –
M. Wells –
M. Guns –
T. Dancer –
D. Olson
C. City Attorney Comments:
VI. Executive Session:
VII. Adjournment:
Next regular meeting scheduled: Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at 6:00PM
Fort Scott Has A New Human Resource Director and City Manager Reflects on 2023, Looks To 2024
Fort Scott City Manager Brad Matkin was asked what the city’s accomplishments were this year and also what is on the horizon for 2024 and he sent his reply.
He also announced a new administrative position has been filled by Payton Coyan.
Payton Coyan started as the Fort Scott Human Resource Director on December 27.
She has four years of experience in driving strategic human resource operational initiatives, with a focus on talent acquisition, employee retention, succession planning, organizational development, legal compliance, and grievance management. She also has skills in recruitment, interviewing, resume screening, negotiating, conflict resolution, streamlining operations, and heightening employee productivity by mastering HR situations for integrating human resource functions with overall goals, according to a press release.
She has experience managing employee benefits, employee hiring and onboarding, performance management, and HR records.
Coyan is a graduate of Ottawa University.
“Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends,” she said in the press release. ” I come from an amazing family and am fortunate to have… every one of them in my life. I am a lifelong resident of Bourbon County and love our community full-heartedly. In my free time, I enjoy…camping, (going) on a nature walk, walking downtown, or reading a book.”
Matkin stated he is sure there is more coming for the city in 2024 but this list of goals will get things going, and “I am sure I missed some things on what we did in 2023.”
2023 Accomplishments:
- Establishing the “My Fort Scott” App
- Completion of Cooper Street
- Completion of the “Old Faithful” sewer project near Nelson Park, between Elm and Pine on North Grant Street.
- Improved wages for city staff, crews, and public safety members
- Gunn Park Campground area improvements
- Lake Fort Scott stem repair
- The 2022 Cape Seal program completed
- 2023 Cape Seal program prepped and ready for 2024
- Increased advertisements and promotion of area events by the Fort ScottTourism Department
- Approvement of 2nd Phase of City Connecting Link Improvement grant for the Wall Street project. This is a federal and state-funded program that will start in 2025.
- Pothole and crack sealing program
- Established “street repair” crew
- Memorial Hall improvements (thanks to volunteers for helping this happen)
- Additional Lake Fort Scott docks
- Buck Run Community Center improvements
- Wastewater Treatment Plant lagoon improvements and elimination of the “smell”
- Assignment of Baker Tilley, a consulting and public accounting firm, as City Finance Director, with their representative being Ben Hart.
- Flawless 2022 City audit
- Establishing a budget that did not increase taxes and freed up city monies for investments
- Community Development Block Grant sewer repair throughout the city
- Fort Scott Airport runway and taxi-way improvements thanks to an FAA grant
- Stormwater project from 15th to 17th and Eddy streets
- Purchased street line paint machine, city crews painting streets instead of outsourcing
- Several street and water line repairs
- Bringing back the Community Development position
- UTV for the fire department (thanks to Timken Foundation grant)
- Additional quick-action weapons for the Fort Scott Police Department
- New Christmas “swags” for downtown
- Woodland Hills Golf Course cart path improvements and repairs
- Workman Compensation insurance graded the city with a Gold Star which will equate to a 5% reduction in premium
What’s Up in 2024:
- Tourism Department to branch out to the Kansas City area to promote Fort Scott
- 2024 Street program that will improve streets one block at a time
- Horton Street project
- Additional aeration systems to the wastewater plant
- Woodland Hills Golf Course maintenance barn and simulator barn justified; built either in the 4th quarter of ’24 or 1st quarter of ’25.
- Gunn Park shelter house renovation and shower house built
- Gunn Park sewer project
- 2” water line replacement program
- Caboose in Fisher Park painted and moved to an uptown location at Scott Avenue and Wall Street
- Two additional police cars were purchased
- Memorial Hall bathroom renovations (grant pending)
- Memorial Hall tables and stage lights improvements
- Phase 1 on the Farmers Market Pavilion completed, and Phase 2 started
- Buck Run Creek area sewer repair
- Improved housing initiatives
- Goals and expectations for our Economic Development Department, which is Bourbon County Regional Economic Development Inc.
- Contractor licensing completed and implemented
- Event Tourism Grant policy completed and implemented
- City of Fort Scott webpage improvements and updated
- Lake Fort Scott camping area – phase 1
- Lake Fort Scott secondary valve installed
- Additional water sources researched
- Buck Run Walking Trail phase 1 started (grant search and cleanup)
- Additional downtown parking (plus paving what we currently have)
- 25th Street rebuilt
- School speed signs installed on Margrave and National
New Downton Pavilion Is In the Works For Fort Scott
A new 70-foot by 150-foot pavilion is in the works for downtown Fort Scott between Old Fort Blvd. and Stanton Street on North National Avenue.
The Fort Scott Farmers Market Pavilion, or Fort Scott Downtown Pavilion is part of many additions in “The Gathering Square” in Fort Scott’s vibrant downtown district, according to Fort Scott Mayor Matthew Wells.
‘The farmers market pavilion would aim to be a dynamic community hub,” according to a press release from Wells. “This outdoor pavilion stands in the original location of the first farmer’s market in the community’s history and champions access to fresh produce by hosting the Farmers Market every Tuesday and Saturday from May to October. Beyond the market, the pavilion transforms into a cultural stage.”
“The current plan is to make it available to rent , like Riverfront Park, or the (Gunn Park) shelter houses,” Wells said. “The city has first right-of-refusal on any use other than the set times guaranteed to the farmers market.”
This gathering space offers Bourbon County’s farmers a direct link to the community, fostering healthier lifestyles with the offering of fresh produce and enhancing local commerce, he said.
The pavilion is constructed with sustainability and adaptability in mind, and the design aligns with the International Building Code of 2015, according to the press release.
The pavilion committee also envisions music, theater, and community gatherings coming alive in the space.
It is adjacent to the newly constructed splash pad and sensory park that was constructed last summer.
Also on the horizon is a much-needed public restroom near the site.
“The site (for the new restrooms) has been chosen, plumbing ran underground, and funding secured,” Wells said.
About The Pavilion Construction
The pavilion project is backed by the City of Fort Scott, a grant from T-Mobile, a grant from the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation, private donations, and other grants that have been applied for and will be awarded soon, Wells said.
“As the price of steel was set to go up by a combined 35%, the Fort Scott City Commission had the forethought to order steel before the skyrocket in price,” Wells said. “As the grants come in, money will be replaced. The city was requested to match at least 1/2 the project cost according to grants.”
Sprouls Construction Inc., Lamar, MO is the general contractor for the pavilion construction project, which began in mid-November and is slated to be finished by mid-January
“We bid the project a long time ago,” Kevin Rooks, Sproul spokesman said. “But we didn’t start working until mid-November 2023.”
“(The project) went through several committees that I was not on, and went through many design and location changes,” Wells said. “When we reformed the committee we focused on a site, a site plan, and design. Partnering with the sensory park and splash pad committee we developed the idea for the ‘gathering square’ .”
A final site had to be chosen, and the commission as a whole had to decide on how best to move forward.
“The commission chose progress and what was best, and most cost-effective for our citizens,” Wells said.
The building is constructed of pre-engineered metal and Sprouls Constructin is currently trying to get the roof panels on.
“We hope the wind will quit,” he said. “All the conditions have to be right (for safely installing the roof panels).”
“We anticipate the completion is mid-January,” Rook said. “If the weather cooperates, it will be sooner.”
The structure will be painted black when the weather is warmer and dryer, Rook said. “Hopefully, by June.”
There are more phases to the project.
“We would like to put electricity and lighting, and then we would like to wrap the columns in stone,” he said. “And when the blockhouse has the new siding put on, incorporate a matching wood, possibly around the top as a skirt.”
The pavilion committee consists of:
Lindsay Madison
Bailey Lyons
Rachel French
Angie Simons
Bill Michaud
Brad Matkin
Mary Wyatt
Josh Jones
Tayton Majors
Rob Harrington
Matthew Wells
Emmerson Retires From Long-Term Health Care Career
Lynette Emmerson has been a licensed long-term care administrator in the community for almost thirty years.
“After both of my parents passed away this past year and after becoming a grandparent for the first time, I re-evaluated my priorities,” she said. “With the help of my family, I realized I can look for a career in which I have less pressure and responsibility. I prayed about it and God opened a door. I have the opportunity to spend more time with my growing family, which includes a daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and a future son-in-law.”
As of January 2, 2024, Emmerson will be a new secretary at Fort Scott Middle School.
She has been at Medicalodge, Fort Scott, for the past nine-and-a-half years.
The best part of her job is helping people.
“Whether it is our residents, families, or staff,” she said. “I love to help people find resources. I especially loved hands-on care and spending time with so many residents over the years.”
“The challenges: being responsible for the decisions and actions staff make and working in a job in which I am on-call continuously because in healthcare you are never closed for business.”
Through the decades, there have been changes in long-term care.
Emmerson noted that long-term care residents in nursing homes need a higher level of staffing and experienced nurses than when she first started her career.
“Hospitals are not admitting or keeping people as long anymore so skilled nursing facilities must be prepared to provide that kind of care,” she said.
Another difference, is “Over the years, residents have been referred to us from all over the region from Kansas City to Wichita to Joplin while in the beginning, it was more local- Fort Scott and the surrounding communities.”
“Also, less of the workforce seems to want to work in long-term care so it is very important to recruit and retain staff who love caring for the elderly and individuals who need long-term care,” she said.