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Category Archives: Jobs
Abby Schauer: New FSNHS Ranger
Abby Schauer, 23, is a new permanent park guide at Fort Scott National Historic Site.
She is from Spencer, Iowa and was hired on August 4, 2019.
Family vacations inspired Schauer to pursue a career with the National Park Service.
“Every year, my family would go on vacation to national parks across the country, mainly Rocky Mountain National Park,” she said. “These vacations were something that I looked forward to every year and countless memories were made during these trips.”
Hiking trails, completing Junior Ranger books, attending ranger programs, camping in a little pop-up camper, looking for wildlife every evening, or skipping rocks on a pristine mountain lake, these are the memories that inspired her.
“I enjoyed every single moment in these amazing places,” she said. “So, when deciding what I wanted to do for a career, I chose to pursue a path with the NPS so I could help to preserve and protect these places that have so much meaning and to help people experience their parks and make memories just like I had the chance of doing.”
She is passionate about National Parks and feels honored to take part in protecting them so that both this and future generations can learn, enjoy, and be inspired by them, she said.
Her main duties at FSNHS include guiding tours, working in the visitor center, working with school groups, helping to plan and execute special events, and is in charge of the park’s living history clothing.
Her priority is to help people learn about and connect with Fort Scott National Historic Site, she said.
Schauer has served at five national parks.
“I began my career with the NPS as an Interpretive Intern at Mount Rushmore National Memorial during the summer of 2017,” she said. “I completed my last year of college after that internship and then started working seasonal jobs around the country.”
Following her time at Mt. Rushmore, she became a fee collector at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, then Tumacacori National Historical Park in southern Arizona where she completed an interpretation and education internship, and then worked at Grand Canyon National Park as an Interpretation Park Ranger.
Schauer believes each park contributes to the American story.
” Fort Scott tells several stories that are not well known but were pivotal in the development of the United States,” she said. ” Not only does Fort Scott offer the opportunity to learn about these important stories, but the facility offers a look into the past with the impressive original and reconstructed buildings on site.”
FSNHS park visitor center, park store, and historic structures will be open daily from 8:30 am–4:30 pm through March 31, 2020.
Check out FSNHS website
Jayhawk Wind Farm Impact Analysis Dec. 2019
Study Quantifies Economic Opportunity for Bourbon and Crawford Counties if Jayhawk Wind Farm Is Constructed
According to a new economic impact analysis, Bourbon and Crawford Counties will gain an estimated $27.2 million total in new revenues over the first 25 years of the Jayhawk Wind project, if it is constructed.
Apex Clean Energy, the company developing Jayhawk Wind, estimates that, if built, about 80% of the project’s turbines will be located in Bourbon County, generating $11.4 million in new revenues for that jurisdiction. Crawford County would host the remaining 20% and receive $3.9 million.
Moreover, the project is expected to create about 318 jobs in the Bourbon County and Crawford County region, generating about $15.7 million in new earnings for local workers during construction.
For the complete analysis, click here:
Jayhawk Wind – Economic Development Report Final November 2019(1)
Once the project is operational, it will create as many as 30 new, long-term local jobs. These new long-term jobs will result in earnings of about $1.2 million annually, once the wind farm is operational.
About seven of these jobs will be direct hires of the wind farm, while the remaining jobs will be generated by local businesses that grow as a result of Jayhawk Wind’s operation.
New tax revenues from the project will also benefit local education.
Beginning in 2032 and through 2046:
• Uniontown Unified School District (USD) 235 will receive over $387,000 annually, totaling $5.8 million;
• Girard USD 248 will receive $203,000 annually, totaling over $3 million;
• Erie USD 101 will receive $38,000 annually, totaling over $572,000; and
• Fort Scott Community College will receive $256,000 annually, totaling over $3.8 million.
Existing local businesses will win too. The $250 million investment that Jayhawk Wind represents will benefit a wide array of area businesses, including hotels, restaurants, professional service firms, and construction supply companies.
Bourbon and Crawford Counties alone will see over $36.2 million in new economic output during construction.
“Wind farms create numerous economic benefits that continue to last for decades,” said Dr. David Loomis, Illinois State University professor of economics and co-founder of the Center for Renewable Energy, who conducted the analysis.
The U.S. wind industry has grown at a rapid pace since 2006, due in part to new, efficient technologies and demand by corporate buyers increasing demand for wind energy.
Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and General Motors are among the corporations purchasing wind energy produced
from Illinois wind farms.
“Demand for wind energy continues to grow due to low, long-term, stable pricing, which protects against future price volatility,” said Dr. Loomis. “In recent years, investment in wind energy
development has only been slowed by uncertain government policies.”
“Apex Clean Energy is proud to be a part of an industry bringing economic opportunity to rural America, which has not always benefited equally from our nation’s recent economic growth,”
said Jade Scheele, Apex Clean Energy senior development manager.
A copy of the Jayhawk Economic Impact Analysis can be found at www.jayhawkwind.com.
Dr. David G. Loomis is professor of economics at Illinois State University and co-founder of the Center for Renewable Energy. He has over 10 years of experience in the renewable energy field and has performed economic analyses at the county, region, state, and national levels for utility-scale wind and solar generation. Dr. Loomis is a widely recognized expert and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes magazine, the Associated Press, and the Chicago
Tribune and has appeared on CNN. Dr. Loomis has published over 25 peer-reviewed articles in leading energy policy and economics journals. Dr. Loomis received his PhD in economics from
Temple University in 1995.
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About Apex Clean Energy
Apex Clean Energy develops, constructs, and operates utility-scale wind and solar power facilities across North America. Our mission-driven team of more than 200 renewable energy experts uses a data-focused approach and an unrivaled portfolio of projects to create solutions for the world’s most innovative and forward-thinking customers.
For more information on how Apex is leading the transition to a clean energy future, visit apexcleanenergy.com.
FSNHS New Employee Profile: Hayley Moore
Hayley Moore, 25, is the new Fort Scott National Historic Site Museum Technician, since Sept. 16.
Her hometown is Southern Pines, NC.
When Moore was growing up, every family vacation included visiting museums, a national park, or a historic site, she said.
“I particularly fell in love with museums and once I learned that there were people who had careers working in museums and taking care of objects, I immediately knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she said. ” I had never considered a career in NPS as I never knew that they had archival and museum collections. I had always associated national park sites with scenic views and outdoor activities, not museums.”
Serving the public is a part of her heritage, Moore said.
“Having a mother who is a teacher and a father in the army, I grew up seeing how devoted they were to serving the public and it inspired me to do the same,” she said. “I decided to pursue a position with the federal government. I was applying for every museum and archive job I could find and eventually I saw openings for museum and archives positions for the park service. Eventually, I received an offer and accepted a position as a digital archivist at Everglades National Park in Homestead, FL. When I accepted my first seasonal position at Everglades National Park, I had no clue what I was getting myself to.”
Her colleagues impressed her.
“I quickly fell in love with NPS’s mission,” she said. ” Being around my colleagues who were so passionate and knowledgeable about both cultural and natural resources of the park made me realize that the agency fit with what my career goals were.”
“There’s something at every national park for everyone whether it is history, science, or just being outdoors. It makes so many different types of subjects and activities accessible to the public all while trying to ensure the preservation of resources for years to come. For someone like me who went into museums, wanting to make sure objects were being preserved and taken care of, the National Park Service aligns with my career goals.”
“I began my career in the National Park Service last May when I took a seasonal job as a digital archivist at Everglades National Park,” Moore said. “During my six months, I drafted a standard operating procedure for digital collections, cataloged science permit deliverables for Biscayne National Park, assisted the museum technician with annual inventory, and did a full inventory of the archival collections.”
“It was an incredibly rewarding experience and a great introduction to the National Park Service as a whole, she said. “It made me step out of my comfort zone as I had never worked with science collections before and lived in a national park. One of my favorite things about the park was that you could just be driving to work and you could come across the wildlife of the Everglades such as pythons, alligators, and the great egret. ”
Her title at FSNHS is a museum technician.
“I am in charge of the care and management of both our museum and archival collections,” she said. “I am responsible for the housekeeping of our exhibit space, ensuring our objects are being cleaned…by the Department of Interior (DOI), NPS, and museum standards. I complete our Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) where I trap pests and collect data on what we might be in our exhibit spaces and could cause harm to our objects. I handle the accessioning and deaccessioning of objects and catalog objects using our collection management system as needed. I also complete our annual inventory and annual submission of our collections that are required by NPS’s Museum Management Program. I am also available to visitors if they have any inquiries regarding our collection.”
Moore, like many who work for the NPS, has worked in diverse places in the U.S.
“Before coming to Fort Scott, I was working as an intern at the National Catalog for NPS’s Museum Management Program in Harpers Ferry, WV, ” she said. “Previously I worked at Everglades National Park, volunteered at the Tufts Archives in Pinehurst, NC and interned at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton, VA and the University of St. Andrews Special Collections Library in St. Andrews, Scotland during my college and graduate school years respectively.”
FSNHS history is fascinating to Moore.
“It’s a period in American history that not many tend to know about or talk about,” she said. “Growing up in a southern state where Civil War history is so prominent, there isn’t too much focus on the period before the Civil War. At our site, we focus on that area by interpreting that gap. We look at the daily life of soldiers in the new beginnings of the westward expansion of the United States, we’re one of only two NPS sites that has a history associated with the Mexican American War, and we are located where Bleeding Kansas took place. There’s so much packed into one site and it’s fascinating to be able to tell each of those stories, how they relate to one another, and the overall history of the United States. I can’t say I’ve worked at a place quite like this.”
BoCo Inter-Agency Coalition Minutes of Dec. 4
Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition General Membership Meeting Minutes, submitted by Chairwoman Billie Jo Drake.
December 4, 2019
- Welcome and Board update: Twenty-three members representing twenty-one agencies attended. Billie Jo announced that Nancy Van Etten will be filling the vacancy on the Coalition Board; Nancy will be replacing DeAnn Cambers who has relocated to Crawford County.
- Member introductions and announcements:
- Billie Jo shared information provided by Kerry Pommier, Eugene Ware Counselor, regarding the Community Conversation on the effects of childhood trauma to be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17, at Fort Scott High School. Guest speaker will be Monica Murnan, a member of the Kansas Legislature and Director of Student Support Services at Greenbush. For more information, call 620-223-3380 or email [email protected] .
- Michelle Stevenson, Fort Scott Pre-School Program, shared that the finance simulation organized by Lewis Dunkeson, FSHS, went very well.
- Shannon Stancer, TFI Family Services, announced that they are in need of drivers.
- Jean Tucker, Feeding Families, stated that the program is continuing to feed 135 – 200 meals every Wednesday evening.
- Allen Schellack, Salvation Army, still needs volunteers to ring bells during the Christmas season. Last year over $7,000 was raised for use in Bourbon County; this year’s goal is $10,000.
- Gary Murrell, Beacon, shared changes in Beacon hours for the holiday season: December 24 hours will be changed from the usual evening hours to 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Beacon will be closed on December 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, and January 1. Beacon will reopen with regular hours on January 2. Gary also reminded members that Beacon clients must be signed up in order to receive food in January. The only date left for sign-up is December 10 during the evening hours.
- Caleb Smith, Kansas Appleseed, announced that he is planning a Hunger Action Summit on January 17 at the Pittsburg Library.
- Steve Jameson, SEK-CAP, noted that he is working on guidelines to help adults with mental health issues.
- Nancy Van Etten, American Red Cross, provided information on the upcoming blood drive: December 17 and 18 at Buck Run Community Center. They still need volunteers to help with escorting; call 215-9749 if you could help.
- Jennifer Graber and Christine Abbott, Kansas Works, shared that the Annual Job Fair (all ages) and Youth Summit (16-24 year olds) will be April 2 at the Pittsburg Memorial Hall. Christine also shared copies of their new flyer.
- Michelle Lyon, DCF, reminded members that LIEAP applications will be open January 21, the day after Martin Luther King Day, and will be open until March 31. She encouraged those that receive a denial to follow-up and provide what was missing in the original application. Many times making the corrections will result in an approval.
- Sandra Haggard, RSVP, stated that she will be doing another Opioid Safety Seminar in the spring. Currently, Sandy has senior volunteers helping at the Beacon and with the veterans activities.
- Robin Griffin, Thrive Allen County, is working on bike share programs, bicycle trail systems, and opioid prevention.
- Barbara Longhofer, Kansas Guardianship Program, provided brochures about her program; she now has four volunteers working in the Fort Scott area.
- Program: Gary Miller, Angels Home Care Health. Angels Care Home Health provides services to seniors who are fifty-five (55) and older. Gary shared flyers listing all the services they can provide. He noted that they are beginning to see three generational homes and seniors who need assistance with rent and utilities. They do work closely with CHC; their program is covered 100% by Medicare. For those seniors who do not qualify for Medicare, Angels Care will work with their insurance or assist to find another home health facility that is affordable to the client. Further information can be found at angelscarehealth.com or 620-232-2922.
- February program will be presented by MeagThe han Russell, USD 235. Meaghan will tell us about their Teammates program. Barbara Longhofer, Kansas Guardianship Program, will present the March program.
- Open Forum: Billie Jo reminded members that there will be no General Membership meeting in January due to the first Wednesday being January 1.
- Adjournment: Next meeting will be February 5, 2020.
Agenda for the Bourbon County Coalition Dec. 4
Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition general membership meets each first Wednesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 123 Scott. There will be no January 2020 meeting.
The meeting agenda for December 4, 2019
- Welcome and Board update by Billie Jo Drake, chairwoman:
- Member introductions and announcements:
- Program: Gary Miller, Angels Home Care Health
- February program will be presented by Meaghan Russell, USD 235. Meaghan will tell us about their Teammates program.
- Open Forum:
- Adjournment: Next meeting will be February 5, 2020.
Free Luncheon For Local Entrepreneurs Nov. 19
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Website Being Developed to Aid Renting Houses/Apts. in Fort Scott
Over the last year, local businessman Frank Adamson has been developing a rental property website called GrowFortScott.
He is currently accepting landlords and local businesses to the website and joining is free.
“The platform was designed to gather the local rental market and renters, to one place, to fulfill their combined needs,” Adamson said.
“We understood that endless calls between landlords and potential renters seemed a bit outdated.”
Click below to view the site:
“Inspiration for the site came from Ryan Sparks in Iola,” he said. “He has www.growiola.com. However, there have been many people involved with the development of the (GrowFortScott) project. Local landlords and business owners have contributed. And most importantly Isaac Robinson, formally from Uniontown, facilitated the website construction. YouAreNowOnline.com.”
“I am the main developer of the site functionality and concept. I have spent many hours making sure that all of the functions were “User-Friendly” before launching the platform to the community,” he said.
There are three core components to the service: rentals and renters, local businesses and local job openings.
“We have been developing relationships with local landlords and businesses to find out what some of their needs and wants would be,” he said. “We identified the biggest needs and have developed around them.”
When fully functional, the website www.GrowFortScott.com will consolidate rental properties, from multiple landlords, that are available now.
“You can search for rent, bedrooms, bathrooms and if it is pet-friendly,” he said. “View multiple photos and read the description of the rental. All from the comfort of wherever you may be. Then once you have determined what rental you would like to inquire about, you fill out an on-line application to the landlord. They will receive it, review it and respond to you. You will then be able to schedule a time to meet at the rental and finalize the renting of the property.”
“Access to local businesses and local jobs just fit as an intricate part of the community,” Adamson said. “We have made it simple for the local businesses to join and provide simple access to their business location, basic information, and potential job openings they may have.”
Frank and his wife, Cheryl Adamson are the owners of the Courtland Hotel and Spa.
Aaron Judy: Exterior/Interior Painter
Aaron Judy began his business, H2 Painting LLC, earlier this year.
“I started working in 8th grade at Max’s Way Station (Restaurant) washing dishes, and I’ve had a job ever since,” Judy said. ” I’ve spent my whole adult life working for someone. After five years at Timken (Company), my family and I decided that Friday was my last day of making money for someone else and putting my own business to the side… I decided to finally take the leap and become fully self-employed! I look forward to embracing it and working just as hard as I was for customers!”
“I began painting in the last few years, but officially began my business as H2 Painting in early 2019,” Judy said.
“I saw a need for painting in this area, and an opportunity for me to go ahead and start my business officially,” he said. “It’s fulfilling to see people enjoy their home or business again, or maybe more than they ever have after they see it repainted.”
“I provide interior and exterior painting in residential or commercial settings,” Judy said.
He also provides metal building or barn painting, power washing and soft washing services, along with parking lot lining.
“I have done quite a few residential and commercial repaints,” he said. “I am currently getting more involved in new construction and commercial painting job settings and expanding our range and business rapidly.”
“I try to provide a quality job with an affordable price for my customers,” he said.
Judy is the owner and operator, who hires part-time time employees when necessary, depending on the job.
Contact info: 620-605-2769 or [email protected]
Work Ready Students Is Goal of New Program: Employers Cooperation Needed
Workers are needed across the state to fill workforce needs.
The Kansas State Board of Education, working with Kansas legislators, are providing the opportunity for juniors in high school, including Fort Scott, to take assessments to help fill those workforce needs.
The title of the program is ACT Work Ready Community and is paid for by Kansas legislators in collaboration with the state board of education.
Students are offered two assessments for the program and can either take the ACT, or ACT WorkKeys, or both.
The program facilitators are hoping to fill job vacancies in Bourbon County.
“An opportunity was seen to provide a connection for local Bourbon County employers to gain understanding of the ACT and the ACT WorkKeys assessment to help fill and build their workforce,” USD 234 Superintendent Ted Hessong said. “The opportunity for juniors to take the ACT assessments will continue this school year and for years to come.”
A career readiness certificate can be earned, after taking an assessment, which will help to evaluate future employees for the workforce skills needed.
The program allows employers to use it as a tool to see if the skills set will work for their need.
“ACT Work Ready Community is a program to provide Bourbon County the distinction of a county where the employers recognize the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate earned upon completion of taking the ACT WorkKeys assessment, as a tool to evaluate future employees,” Hessong said.
The basis of the certification: current and future workers earn the certificate and the employers recognize the credential.
“Employers can be the fuel to drive successful state and county Work Ready Communities initiatives simply by recognizing the ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate®. And in doing so, they will have a more qualified workforce ready to fill their jobs,” according to the ACT Work Ready Communities website.
“The foundation of a community’s certification is based on individuals at the county level across the current, transitioning and emerging workforce, earning an ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate®…and employers recognizing the ACT® WorkKeys® NCRC®,” Hessong said. “(It) is a portable, industry-recognized credential that clearly identifies an individual’s WorkKeys® skills in workplace documents, applied math, and graphic literacy.”
A collaboration of local entities and employers will have two years to start reaching goals for the program.
“The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Bourbon County Economic Development, USD 234, Fort Scott Community College, and Bourbon County employers will have two years to attain goals set by ACT Work Ready in order to be recognized as an ACT Work Ready Community,” Hessong said.
For more information: workreadycommunities.org
Cobalt Open Interviews Aug. 22
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Next Steps: Men Supporting Their Family
A local initiative to move fathers out of dependence to become self-supporting is restarting August 19.
Next Steps is a local program of Connections to Success that the Kansas government provides to work with men in transition from dependence.
New co-coordinators David Goodyear and Sue Emmons are starting a new term with the program, replacing Jean Tucker, who had to step down for health reasons.
“It’s a 14-week structured curriculum,” Goodyear said. “It has a three-day intensive ‘get to know you’, team building and skills assessment.”
“We are targeting men, but we are not exclusive,” Goodyear said. They work with women wanting to become self-sustaining as well.
Next Steps meets Mondays from 5-7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Fort Scott.
“The program is a collaboration of churches,” Goodyear said.
It is comprised of facilitators, who lead the discussion on a chosen topic, such as budgeting tools, conflict resolution, how to present yourself to an employer, how to do a resume, etc.
“We focus on personal, developmental, relational, vocational and spiritual,” Goodyear said.
Other people in the program are dedicated to helping with transporting participants to the meetings, and childcare during the meetings.
Then there are mentors-people who walk beside another person.
As a mentor, he has worked to develop relationships to help participants with decision making on such subjects as managing money or family conflicts, he said.
Many are battling isolation, lack of value and lacking a sense of belonging, Goodyear said.
“There is dignity in providing for themselves…We’ve had pretty good success,” he said.
Participants must learn such attributes as the mutual respect of showing up on time and not disrupting in group settings, Goodyear said.
Ages of participants in the past have varied from people in their 20s to those in their 60s.
For Emmons, she had been aware of the program and had referred people in prior jobs and was asked to join Next Steps as a facilitator/mentor about six months ago.
For Goodyear, the most practical way to show someone the Gospel of Jesus Christ is building relationships. He has been in the role of both facilitator and mentor as well for about five years.
To him, 1 John 3:18, is the inspiration: “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
For more information: contact Goodyear through Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene at 620-223-0131 or Emmons at 620-224-8096.