Category Archives: Government

New Tourism Sign Coming To Downtown Fort Scott

Fort Scott Community Development Director Rhonda Dunn shows the deterioration of the planters on Skubitz Plaza that will be demolished and a new tourism sign installed.

An unsightly part of Skubitz Plaza is being redeveloped by the City of Fort Scott to showcase a sign that depicts the city’s history.

The plans were approved by the city commissioners Tuesday evening.

Plans are for all parts to be completed by the Good Ol Days annual celebration, the end of May this year.

Two brick planters on Old Fort Boulevard at the north end of Main Street have been repeatedly hit by vehicles turning right.

The planters that will be taken down are the closest to the camera. They are located on Skubitz Plaza at the north end of Main Street in downtown Fort Scott. The new tourism panel will be placed to the east of the planter on the left.

“We’ve repaired it a number of times,” Rhonda Dunn, the city’s community development director said.

“This has been a long-term project for several years,” she said.

Serendipitously, a proposal for a new sign for tourism came along, she said.

“There is no downside to this,” Dunn said. “The broken planter will be gone and a new by-ways sign will go up.”

The new Frontier Military Historic  Byway sign panels will depict the history of Fort Scott and some tourism highlights as well.

Dunn shows the spot where the new tourism sign will be installed, out of the way of traffic.

The place where the western planter is currently will be an open space, the eastern planter will be removed also, then the by-ways sign installed, just slightly to the east.

City workers will remove and salvage brick that can be reused, Dunn said.

To view click on the links below, then click on the image to enlarge:

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The Bourbon County Master Gardeners tend to the planters in Fort Scott’s downtown area as a community project.

“The master gardeners will remove plants from the planters, ” Dunn said.

 

Fire Scene At 6th and National Is Cleared

A fire this morning at 6th and National Avenue is still under investigation.

The building next to Petes 27, 605 National Ave., Fort Scott was reported on fire early this morning.

The building had furniture, clothing and appliances.

“It’s still under investigation,” Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou said. “There wasn’t a lot of damage.”

Two fire engines with approximately seven personnel responded to the alarm.

“We’ve cleared the scene,” Ballou said.

Emergency Siren This A.M. A False Alarm

Fort Scottians were awakened to an emergency siren sounding at approximately 6:45 a.m. this morning.

It was a false alarm, according to Tracey Reed, communications manager at the Fort Scott Police Department.

“We are not sure what set it off,”  Reed said. “We have had an issue with our federal siren system…it has had to do with batteries. It doesn’t occur often. We’ll have somebody come and check it out.”

“I know people get worried,” Reed said.

There will be siren testing at 1 p.m. today, Reed said.

High School Students Sought For Full Time Summer Employment

Fort Scott National Historic Site

Fort Scott National Historic Site is looking for area high school students to apply for the United States Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Crew Member positions for the summer.

Applications must be turned in by April 30 to the FSNHS.

Students must be at least 15 years old at the start of enrollment and not reach age 19 before completion.

“The Fort is looking to hire four high school students full-time, a 40-hour week from Tuesday through Saturday,” Tiffiny Durham, an employee of the fort, told the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Thursday at the weekly coffee.

Two males and two females will be hired through the Youth Corps, she said.

“Applications will be thrown into a lottery system,” she said.

The positions will help with different events at the fort.

The start date for the positions is June 18 and will end August 11, according to information provided by Durham. YCC members will be paid minimum wage.

Students will work together as a team to create projects, which will help develop leadership skills, according to the information provided.

In addition to the age restrictions, the following are required:

  • You must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.
  • You must be able to obtain a work permit.
  • You must provide a valid Social Security number or apply for one.
  • You must be able to fulfill the functions of the assigned work with or without reasonable accommodation.

For more information contact Durham at 620-223-0310.

Governor Colyer Unveils Child Support Evaders Initiative

TOPEKA – Governor Jeff Colyer is pleased to announce a new initiative to increase child support collections for Kansas families and children.

On Thursday, Gov. Colyer, along with Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel and others unveiled the Child Support Evaders webpage. The webpage features nearly a dozen individuals who owe back child support in excess of $5,000 each.

“Child support is a key component to a families’ economic stability,” said Governor Colyer. “Far too many families in our state are left to rely on public assistance when the other parent should be supporting their children financially and emotionally. I am hopeful that this program encourages those who are behind on child support payments to work with us and take advantage of the services we offer to help them meet their commitments, including fatherhood grants, arrears programs, electronic payments and access to GED and career training.”

The evader webpage is housed on the DCF website, where the public can view the photos of some evaders, along with the number of children for whom support is court ordered, and the total amount of back child support owed per evader. Evaders listed will be updated on a quarterly basis. Kansas joins other states such as Texas and Arizona in implementing child support evader initiatives.

“We are here to help Kansas families obtain the child support that is owed them,” said DCF Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel. “We are also here to encourage non-custodial parents to get involved, because we know that parents who support their children financially are also more involved in their children’s lives in other ways, leading to better outcomes.”

DCF’s Child Support Services (CSS) is charged with establishing and enforcing child support obligations for 140,000 cases. Over the last decade, the caseload has increased by 7 percent. Last federal fiscal year, CSS collected $205.7 million. However, in that same time period, $840 million remained owed to Kansas families. For every $1 spent on the child support program, $5.90 is collected for child support.

To report the whereabouts of a child support evader, log onto www.CSSEvaders.dcf.ks.gov. You can also call 1-888-7-KS-CHILD (1-888-757-2445). Tips can be submitted unanimously.