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Category Archives: Housing
Thirty-five Properties Sold At The County Tax Sale, 36 Go To Land Bank
The second property tax sale this year added over $86,000 to Bourbon County treasurer’s funds, with the unsold properties deeded over to the Fort Scott Land Bank.
The Bourbon County treasurer collects and distributes all real and personal property taxes. The tax districts that receive this are the City of Fort Scott, the Bourbon County government, and the county’s two school districts- USD 234 and USD 235.
“There were 35 properties that sold at the October 13, 2022 tax sale for a total of $86,514.09,” said Patty Love, Bourbon County Treasurer. “The 36 properties that did not receive a bid are all properties inside Fort Scott that have City special assessments on them. These properties are being deeded over to the Fort Scott Land Bank. The money collected from the tax sale will be distributed to the various tax districts just like the regular tax collections.”
“Once the property has been sold and Register of Deeds issues the new deed they become like any other property of the tax roll and the new owners will be responsible for the 2022 taxes,” Love said.
To see info on the prior 2022 tax sale:
Bourbon County Tax Sale Nets $129K
The function of the Fort Scott Land Bank Board is as an independent agency with the City of Fort Scott that acquires, holds, manages, transforms, and conveys surplus city properties and other abandoned, tax foreclosed, or otherwise underutilized or distressed properties in order to convey these properties for productive use, according to a prior city press release.
Currently serving on the Land Bank Advisory Board are Craig Campbell (Chairperson), Gregg Motley, Bailey Lyons, Tim VanHoecke, Robert Coon, Patrick Wood and Jim Harris.
To learn more about Fort Scott Land Bank:
Emergency Rental Assistance Is Winding Down
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521 S. Judson Now On National Register of Historic Places
The Thomas and Anna Herbert House, now owned by Rob and Ronda Hassig, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The house is located at 512 South Judson St.
Fort Scott.
The heavy plaque noting the registration sits inside the Hassig home, waiting for a pole to be built to attach it to, since it is very heavy.
“Having the house on the National Register of Historic places means the Herbert House gets the recognition it so richly deserves,” Ronda Hassig said. “Rob and I both feel strongly that this designation will also keep our beautiful home safe even after we are gone. We love the Herbert House and are hoping that the Heritage Trust Fund Grant from the state of Kansas will come through and we can do some much-needed repairs on the exterior of the house!”
“The reason the Herbert House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places is because of the Queen Anne architecture and style,” Ronda said. “When the historical architect first visited us to help with the National Register application, she literally walked through the front door and said ‘This is a slam dunk!’ The Queen Anne style was based on the premise of ‘decorative excess” and that is exactly what the Herberts did!”
About Thomas Herbert
“Thomas Herbert worked for the government and happened through Fort Scott on one of his business trips after the Civil War and fell in love with the town,” she said. “He bought the lots on Judson in the early 1870s but didn’t build until 1887/88. He married his wife Anna in 1873 at the Episcopalian church.”
“Mr. Herbert owned a store at Second and Wall Street that had paint, wallpaper, and home decor items from all over the world, kind of a mini-Home Depot,” she said. “He was from Canada and learned painting as an apprentice in Buffalo, NY.”
“He…decorated some of the most beautiful houses in Fort Scott so he was quite the artist,” Ronda said. “When the town renovated the Opera House, Mr. Herbert painted all of the Egyptian figures on the walls and ceiling of the theatre! He would definitely be considered one of the founding fathers of Fort Scott.”
Herbert was a Mason of the 33rd Degree, so he spent time at the Scottish Rites Temple, she said.
Description of the Herbert House
“We have lived in the house for almost four years and we still find little decorations inside and out that we haven’t noticed before,” she said. “The hand carved woodwork would have been done back East, and then would have been shipped by train. A builder would have built the house to suit the Herberts. We don’t know who the builder was but whoever it was they did a really nice job!”
The house is 6000 square feet including a full attic, dry basement and coal shoot, and 4000 square feet of living space with 5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, music room, living room, dining room, modern kitchen and library/den.
“My favorite room is probably the dining room because of the Czechoslovakian chandelier and the Mark Twain fireplace,” Ronda said. “Mark Twain liked to watch the snow fall and the fire blaze at the same time so there are two flues and a window above the fire box!”
“The library/den, half bath, and 5th bedroom were added to the house in 1930 by Dr. Wilkening who lived in the house longer than anyone else,” she said. “The music room was actually his office.”
Renown photographer Gordon Parks was friends with one of the more recent owners of the house, Ken and Charlotte Lunt.
“Gordon Parks was very good friends with the Lunts and he visited the house often in his later years,” she said. “He held court in the front burgundy velvet antique chairs by the round window whenever he visited. We’ve hosted the Gordon Parks Celebration VIPS that last two years so that David Parks (Gordon’s son) can see the house again every year.”
“The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.”
According to https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/features.htm
Bourbon County Tax-Delinquent Sale Is Oct. 13, 68 Properties For Sale
Bourbon County is set for a tax sale on October 13, 2022 at 10 a.m. in the lobby of the Bourbon County Courthouse at 210 S National Avenue, Fort Scott, Kansas.
“The purpose of the tax sales is to get the properties into the hands of taxpayers that will pay the (property) taxes,” Bourbon County Treasurer Patty Love, said.
“There are a total of 68 properties on the list at this time,” she said.
There is a process to hold the tax sale.
“The Bourbon County Counselor, Justin Meeks, files the tax sale in court, Love said “Justin works with the County Appraiser, Matt Quick, to provide the maps and pictures the day of the tax sale to show property for sale. The treasurer collects the revenue from the tax sale and applies it to the property taxes. The Register of Deeds Lora Holdridge’s office, will type the new deeds.”
“At the prior tax sale held in January 2022, there were 50 properties that sold for a total of $129,408.40,” Love said. “The 14 properties that didn’t sell were properties inside the city of Fort Scott that had a minimum bid which was a total of the Special Assessment levied against the property by the City for mowing and demolition. Those properties that didn’t sell have now been transferred to the Fort Scott City Land Bank.”
The following is a description of the Fort Scott Land Bank from a prior news release:
“The Fort Scott Land Bank focuses on the conversion of vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties into productive use.
Vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties are often grouped together as “problem properties” because they destabilize neighborhoods, create fire and safety hazards, drive down property values, and drain local tax dollars.
The Fort Scott Land Bank was created to strategically
acquire problem properties, eliminate the liabilities, and transfer the properties to new, responsible owners in a transparent manner that results in outcomes consistent with community-based plans.
These opportunities are a collection of parcels owned by the Fort Scott Land Bank.
Every transfer of property from the Fort Scott Land Bank will be accompanied by a development agreement, outlining the final use of the property as well as accompanying timelines. The purchase price
for Land Bank properties will be negotiated based on the cost to acquire the property as well as the details in the development agreement. The Fort Scott Land Bank Board of Trustees will approve the final agreement and purchase offer.”
“The money from the Land Bank is distributed to the various taxing entities at the time of the next distribution,” she said. “County Distributions take place in January, March, June, September and October.”
Here is a list of the properties and their owners that will be sold at the tax sale:
More info can also be obtained on the Bourbon County Facebook page, or by contacting the Bourbon County Treasurers Office, 620.223.3800.
Make Views Known on Local Housing: Take Survey
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FSCC’s Greyhound Lodge: More Renovation Coming
Fort Scott Community College’s Greyhound Lodge, the former Red Ram Motel on North National Avenue, is getting further renovation.
The school purchased the motel in 2018, at a cost of $270,000, for more off-campus housing.
“The Lodge is needing repairs, especially to the restrooms and the area that houses the kitchen, laundry, and student gathering area,” FSCC President Alysia Johnston said. “We also need to replace the doors to the rooms.”
“Elite Construction Services was awarded the bid as the lone bidder and will repair the bathrooms and replace the doors,” Tom Havron, vice president of student affairs at the college, said.
The bid was for $43,310, according to the April 18 minutes of the board meeting.
At this off-campus housing, a total of 44 students, both males and females, can live there.
Greyhound Lodge is on the north side of town, near the intersection of Hwy. 54 and Hwy. 69. The FSCC main campus is on the south side of town, at 2108 S. Horton.
To view a prior fortscott.biz story: Students Move In Greyhound Lodge by Briana Blandamer
In addition to the computer and common rooms, there is a laundry space and kitchen area.
The lodge is comprised of one bedroom apartments with an attached bathroom.
Other Student Housing
In addition to the dorms on the campus, the college has 352 beds available for student housing, Havron said.
Thirty FSCC students have been housed in the former Mercy Hospital west side, just down the street from the college, since 2020.
To view the story on the student housing at Mercy:
FSCC: Classes Started August 10 With Some Big Changes
“Students moved out of the Mercy building at the beginning of the spring semester, as soon as the Garrison Hall apartments were ready to occupy,” Havron said. “We will not plan to house students out at the building moving forward. Our lease with Mercy was a month-to-month agreement which ended March 31, 2022.”
Garrison Hall is located at 18th and Horton Street, just across from the college campus.
To view the prior story on Garrison Hall:
FSCC New Housing: Garrison Hall
“The Garrison Apartments are designated as a female-only residence living,” Havron said.
The college administration is making provisions of extra rooms for a COVID 19 surge, should there be one, as they have in the past during the pandemic.
“With the purchase of Garrison with federal monies, we still plan to hold space for quarantine/isolation for students in FSCC housing,” Havron said. “The main reason we purchased Garrison was to increase our space for housing to allow for quarantine/isolation rooms.”
Labor/Housing and Retail Studies To Be Conducted By Bourbon County Eco Devo
There is a shortage of workers and also quality housing in the county.
The Bourbon County Regional Economic Development Inc. (REDI) organization is working to address that problem.
“We are conducting a labor and housing study that will be used to help create programs that will allow REDI to help our current employers and the communities within Bourbon County to attract people,” Robert Harrington, director of REDI said.
“We know that there is a shortage of workers and quality housing within our county,” he said. “We are hopeful that after these reports are published we will get a lot of information that we can use to help find solutions for both issues.”
Looking for Retailers That are Needed
REDI is also facilitating a retail survey at the same time.
“We will use (this study) to help give us an idea of what new retailers the citizens of Bourbon County would like to see and the information we would need to attract such retailers,” he said.
The retail survey can be viewed at:
REDI Consultants Conduct Interviews, Send Surveys
REDI recently hired Goldstone Consulting, Moberly, Missouri, and O’Brian and Associates, Joplin, Missouri, who will be conducting the interviews and putting together the studies after they accumulate all of the information, he said.
“They will also be giving the REDI Board a strategic plan based on the data we receive,” he said REDI is paying for the study
“The consultants that we hired will be conducting interviews with several of our business owners in the upcoming months as well as surveys being sent out to Chamber members and citizens across the county,” Harrington said.
“We are also hopeful that we will be able to send these same surveys out to students in the two high schools and the community college so that we can get a perspective of our younger generation on their needs and wants as well as hopefully entice them to stay and live and work here at home,” he said.
“The studies are being paid for by Bourbon County REDI and the results will be given to my board of directors by August of this year,” he said.
Jail Heating System on the Blink
The Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center has been having issues with its heating and air conditioning system since late summer, according to Sheriff Bill Martin.
“The systems weren’t changing over from cool to heat and heat to cool,” he said. The jail was built in 2017-2018.
There are currently 58 inmates, he said.
Martin said the failure of the system to work properly was because of the design of the units.
The Bourbon County Commission opened and reviewedthe bids for the repair of the system at its January 4, 2022 meeting, Martin said.
“The commissioners approved French’s Plumbling/A.C, to move forward with correcting the issues with the HVAC system,” he said.
Repeated calls to French’s Plumbing for an update on the work were not answered.
Inmates have been given an extra blanket to help until the problem can be repaired.
“When a person is processed or booked into the correctional facility, they are issued one sheet and one blanket,” Martin said. “Since the issues with the HVAC system, they are now offered a second blanket.”
Openings on FS Land Bank
There are four (4) openings for the Fort Scott Land Bank Board.
The function of the Fort Scott Land Bank Board is an independent agency and instrumental with the City on acquiring, holding, managing, transforming, and conveying surplus City properties and other abandoned, tax foreclosed, or otherwise underutilized or distressed properties in order to convey these properties for productive use. This Board meets on an as needed basis.
These four positions will be appointed by the Fort Scott City Commission and is recommended, but not mandatory, that a position from each one of the following professions be applied for:
One individual who represents the banking industry
One individual who represents developers
One individual who represents real estate
One individual at large in the community
If you have a desire to serve on this board and meet the above requirements, please submit a letter of interest to the City Clerk, Diane Clay, 123 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. She will then submit your letter of interest for consideration to the City Commission. All of the boards and commissions serve on a volunteer basis and are not compensated. If you would like more information on this board, please contact Diane Clay, City Clerk at 620-223-0550 or dclay@fscity.org. Please submit your letter of interest by January 21st, 2022.
Bo Co Coalition Minutes of Jan. 5
Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition
General Membership Meeting Minutes
January 5, 2022
- Welcome: Billie Jo Drake, the chairman, welcomed eleven members representing twelve agencies to the regular membership meeting. She reminded members that the Coalition Board had funds available to help with rents, utilities, and clothing. Persons in need just need to apply for assistance through The Beacon.
- Member Introductions and Announcements:
- Mandi Woods was unable to attend the meeting; she sent her announcement with information about upcoming programs and openings in her program via email. Billie Jo forwarded her message to all members.
- Elizabeth Schafer, CASA, and Pioneer Kiwanis announced that the annual Kiwanis chili feed realized enough money for their yearly budget.
- Sandy Haggard, RSVP, explained the difference between her program and the Ameri-Corp program. Target areas for her grant included food distribution and drug disposal. Sandy also reported for April Jackson on the SEK Substance Misuse Prevention Coalition through Thrive Allen County. April has been able to obtain a location and will be opening a Recovery House in Iola shortly.
- Christine Abbott, SEKWorks, reminded members that their food drive will conclude on January 7. She also noted that funds are still available for GED, work training, etc. She continues to be in the Fort Scott office on Mondays and Ashley is here on Fridays.
- Allen Schellack, Compassionate Ministries and Salvation Army, happily announced the Red Bucket campaign has exceeded the goal of $10,000 and collected $11,398 to be used in Bourbon County. He also reminded members that he has grant funds that can help with taxi fees, obtaining birth certificates and driver’s licenses, heaters, blankets and bedding, and emergency shelter. The Salvation Army and the Senior Citizens will be hosting Evergy on January 12, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. for LIEAP applications.
- David Gillen, The Beacon, shared that they are beginning 2022 with a good stock of food thanks to generous organizations and careful purchasing. They are also able to help with some prescriptions and financial aid.
- Holly Fritter, Bourbon County Health Department, shared copies of the latest COVID-19 guidelines and 2022 dates for the “Mommy and Me” meetings. For dates and to RSVP call or text 417-661-0308.
- Michelle Stevenson, Fort Scott Early Childhood Program, announced that they are in the beginning stages of preparing for a new building, they now have a mental health worker on-site, and they continue to conduct “Child Find” screenings the first Friday of every month. Her primary role is to be a resource for parents of children prenatal through age six.
- Janelle Tate, Early Childhood Block Grant, works in six counties to assess pre-kindergarten skills to provide necessary resources to ensure school success. Janelle also invited members to view the Warming Hearts of Ft. Scott website to become informed about the project to help the homeless in our area.
- Patty Simpson, Director, Fort Scott Housing Authority, explained the locations of the 188 units that are part of the housing program. She also reviewed how rent and utility assistance is determined for those who qualify for the housing units. At present, she has three two-bedroom apartments ready to rent, one three-bedroom apartment ready shortly. She has a short – 30-60 day – wait for list for other units. She also noted that she works closely with Ironquil Estates, Cavalry Crossing, and the Highlands to ensure people receive appropriate housing.
- Nancy Van Etten, CASA, shared that she and her husband are retiring closer to family and will be resigning from the Coalition Board. Thank you, Nancy, for your involvement with our organization.
- Program: There was no formal program today; the February program will be announced later.
- Open Forum: Nothing further came before the group.
- Adjournment: Next General Membership meeting will be February 2, 2022, at 1:00 p.m.
Positive Events in Fort Scott: Mayor Jones
Fort Scott Mayor Josh Jones said many positive events happened in the community this past year, and the city is poised for some promising events in the new year.
“A lot of things done in 2021 laid the groundwork for 2022 and we expect a lot of 2021 things to be executed in 2022,” Jones said.
The following is what Jones provided fortscott.biz as accomplishments.
In 2021, the Fort Scott City Commission:
1. Refinanced city bonds saving $15,500 per year over the next five years.
2. Passed a half-cent sales tax with 90% of revenue going towards streets and 10% going towards parks. This money will start coming in, in 2022.
3. Started an in-house safety training program saving the city $15,000 per year.
4. Utilized the Firstsource Building for Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department’s giving mass vaccines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
5. Put out Requests for Qualifications for a new city attorney leading to the city commission hiring a city attorney saving the city approximately $200,000 a year.
6. Approved to enter into a cost-sharing venture with the Bourbon County Commission for joint purchase of materials and equipment.
7. Approved a conditional use permit for an area south of town to allow a micro-meat processing plant to build a facility, which will create about 30 jobs.
8. Implemented the SeeClickFix app, which allows citizens to report road problems and code nuisances.
9. Started semi-monthly roller skating sessions at Buck Run Community Center for an added amenity for the community.
10. Moved city-county emergency dispatch to the Bourbon County Courthouse.
11. Improved the beach area at Lake Fort Scott.
12. Sold the Firstsource Building for $315,000.
13. Sold four Lake Fort Scott lots for approximately $500,000.
14. Entered into a shared services agreement with Bourbon County for information technology services, saving approximately $30,000 per year.
15. Used $200,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for a feasibility study for re-use of the former Mercy Hospital Building as a hospital.
16. Reworked and finalized setting up the Fort Scott Land Bank which focuses on the conversion of vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties into productive use.
17. Approved $2,000 bonuses for all emergency services workers that work for the city.
18. Entered into an agreement with Bourbon County REDI (Regional Economic Development, Inc.) to provide economic development services for the City of Fort Scott, saving approximately $100,000 a year.
19. Repaired over one mile of city sewer lines.
20. Entered into an agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation for traffic signal upgrades in 2022 on Highway 69.
21. Was awarded a $50,000 grant from T-Mobile Internet for upgrades to the Skubitz Plaza area on the north end of historic downtown Fort Scott.