Merle Humphrey Photography is located at 5 N. Main, Fort Scott.
Merl Humphrey retired from Farmer’s Insurance on December 31, 2025. But he is not retiring from this side gig, Merl Humphrey Photography, 5 N. Main, in Fort Scott’s Historic Downtown District.
In 1971, he started working for Farmer’s Insurance.
“I took over an agency of H.B. Marr,” he said. “John Lewis assumed part of the agency.”
He has been working as a photographer since 1992.
“I was friends with Mike Henry, and he asked if I’d like to do weddings with him. He taught me a lot.”
“I’ve taken courses and have a pretty good working knowledge of photography. When he left town, I put up a sign in the window and started getting a lot of calls to do photography. It’s been a good support business.”
“The photography business has always been appointment only,” he said. “I also do photo restoration services. Not on the original image, but I can make a representative of what they had before.”
“I like to make photos of people in formal attire and formal settings. Also lifestyle photography. I prefer shooting indoors…generational photos, high school seniors.”
“My dad, Edward Humphrey, was a family photographer in Hume, MO. He ran the grocery store in the 1950s and 60s. It was something he did. I got the bug being in the dark room with him. It was magic.”
Future Plans For The Building
He will be reconfiguring his storefront into two parts.
The north part, with a front counter, separate office, storage, and bathroom, will eventually be for rent for a business. The dimensions are approximately 40 by 18 feet.
“Several people have been interested,” Humphrey said.
The front office space is slated for completion by summer, he said.
The south part, as one walks in the front glass door, will lead to his photography business, which has another door on the east side of the building on Old Fort Blvd.
In addition, he is working on a project to renovate the second floor of the building into an accommodation rental.
“Possibly a vacation rental or a monthly rental,” he said. It has a timeline for completion of approximately 60 days.
The building was built in the late 1800s and has been a stable, restaurant, shoe store, antique shop, and dentist’s office, he said.
Humphey can be reached at 620.223.4150 or 620.224.6843 or
Keaton Brown and his wife moved to Fort Scott to be closer to family when their twins arrived.
” We decided to start our own company, Dynamic Contracting, dedicated to hard work and quality, in hopes of having something to hand down to our three boys someday,” Brown said.
“I really love giving the customers exactly what they want. I believe that the customer should be put first—no run-arounds, total transparency, and fair pricing. Communication is key. We show up and do what we say we’re going to do the first time.”
His extended family includes his dad, Destry Brown, and grandparents, Donnie and Georgia Brown, of Fort Scott.
His business offers a variety of services.
“Custom homes, shops/bardos, remodeling, concrete, dirt work, foundation repair, and fencing,” he said. “I have 17 years of experience in various areas of construction, specializing in concrete, but not limited to just that skill, as in the last ten years I worked for a large commercial concrete company, working my way from carpenter/finisher to general superintendent overseeing up to 5 or 6 crews at a time.”
“I spent most of my college days working for a very skilled home builder while I studied construction management at Pittsburg State University,” he said.
In his spare time, he loves ” hunting and fishing, especially when I get to take Hudson, our five-year-old, and spending time with my family.”
For more information:
Facebook page: Dynamic Contracting or
phone number: 620. 687. 7342.
Lindsay Madison is the executive director of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce. Submitted photo.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce staff have been working to provide educational, financial, and marketing opportunities for businesses.
Kansas Main Street
At the Feb. 20 Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet at the Courtland Hotel, President and CEO Lindsay Madison said that the City of Fort Scott passed a resolution to apply for Kansas Main Street. The Kansas Main Street Program is a self-help, technical assistance program that targets revitalization and preservation of downtown districts. Currently, Fort Scott is listed as an affiliate. She is waiting for the new Kansas Department of Commerce/Kansas Main Street training. This training is provided to equip participants with knowledge, skills, and strategies to effectively engage with decision-makers and drive meaningful change, according to information she passed out.
Legislators In Town at Chamber Coffee on Saturday
This Saturday, February 28, the Chamber is having a Capitol Update over coffee with Kansas legislators, which will be held at the Kansas Renewal Institute, at 401 Woodland Hills. It will be in the McAuley Center from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The public is invited.
Guests should enter through the main east doors; the meeting room is located down the hallway on the right. KRI will sponsor coffee and light refreshments provided by Common Ground Coffee Co. Tours of the KRI facility will be offered immediately following the event. according to a press release.
Kansas Senator Tim Shallenburger and State Representative Rick James are confirmed to attend. The legislators will provide an update on the current legislative session, share information about the committees on which they serve, and address questions and issues presented by attendees. Bryan Holt will serve as moderator for the event, according to the release.
Other items from the meet and greet meeting:
A Destination Creation course will be offered from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, April 13. This one-day course will help towns to work towards becoming a tourist destination. The cost is $50, including lunch. Contact the Chamber at 620.223.3566.
There are two upcoming business builder workshops: March 10 at 1.30 p.m. for creating a smarter social media strategy for small businesses, and March 31 at 1.30 p.m. for Google Business 101.
There is a Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks state-wide leadership training on March 7 at the River Room, with approximately 100-150 people attending.
The Fort Scott Community College Rodeo is March 13-15.
The 2026 Schedule of Events, a community guide, is almost complete. There will be 10,000 copies available for distribution.
The Fort Scott Downtown Clean-up will be in April or May, with Craig Campbell leading. The Elks have provided a grant for clean-up supplies for the event. Businesses are requested to send notices of clean-up needs to the Chamber.
Grants Available
An E-Community Grant is available at .networkkansas.com Grants are for $5,000 to $50,000 at 6% for 10 years.
Grow KS maximum grant for $100,000 at 4% for five years and 6% for 10 years.
There are technical assistance grants available for up to $1,000 to current loan participants.
The next Meet and Greet is Tuesday, May 5 from 8-9 a.m. at City State Bank.
Lindsay Madison, Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Director, led the Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet on Feb.20. at the Courtland Hotel and Spa and told of changes happening in the historic district.
The former After Effect Beauty Salon, 14 E. Wall, will be a leather business in the future, she said.
Better in Bourbon Boutique on Main Street will be moving to the former H & H Insurance/Real Estate, 2 Old Fort Bvd. Rachel Pruitt is the owner. The timeline is uncertain at this point, Pruitt said.
Merle Humphrey has retired from his insurance business, but will still operate his photography business from the back of the store. He is also updating the second floor for another business project. The storefront will be available to rent.
Merle Humphrey’s storefront at 5 N. Main.
Barbara Trimbur, owner of the Iron Star Antiques and Such Store, closed and sold the store to new owners this month. This store is 3 N. Main, Fort Scott.
Barbara Trimbur recently sold the Iron Star Antiques and Such Store at 3 N. Main.Better in Bourbon is located at 13 N. Main.
The subject of “unhomed people” was discussed among the group.
“The city is meeting with the unhomed people,” Rachel Carpenter, Human Relations/Project Coordinator for the City of Fort Scott said. “They are moving out of the gazebo area.” The Heritage Park Gazebo is located at First and Main Street.
“The unhomed have been hanging laundry on a line, taking ownership of the spot,” Madison said.
Some clothing and food were left at the Heritage Park Gazebo in downtown Fort Scott on February 20.
John Hill, a meeting participant, noted that there is currently a “car blocked up on bricks” in the parking lot of the gazebo.”
A car with one wheel missing was parked at the Heritage Park parking lot at 1st and Main.
Carpenter said “It is a work in progress,” indicating that the city is working to resolve the issue.
Carpenter also said there is a prospective buyer of the former Fort Scott Barber Shop building, 118 E. Wall. The building has been vacant for an extended time.
The Fort Scott Barber Shop building, the tall red brick one, is empty in this 2024 photo.
The Moody Building at 2nd and Main Street has a person interested in purchasing it, she said. The building has been deteriorating for several years.
The Moody Building, 2nd and Main Street, Fort Scott.
Madison reminded the group that a Civil War Encampment is scheduled for April at the Fort Scott National Historic Site, at the north end of Main Street.
The Friends of the Fort Scott National Historic Site has a flag pole subscription as a fundraiser currently. They will set up a flag at your site on special occasions during the year. To learn more about the event, here is a prior announcement: Civil War Encampment April 27-28 at FSNHS
Carpenter said the World Cup soccer matches will be in Kansas City in June and July (six matches) this year, and http://VisitKC.com is doing all the marketing for the Kansas City region. Fort Scott Tourism is making plans for visitors to come by bus for a day trip. The event is listed on TripAdvisor, she said.
The Fort Scott Dragoons Baseball Team, a new collegiate summer team in the Mid-America League, will have its first season at the LaRoche Baseball Stadium this year. Volunteer hosts are needed for the men.
Dragoons Baseball from Facebook.
Christmas on the Bricks, the winter festival in Fort Scott has monthly meetings with local organizer, Diane Striler, leading.
“We need more people to help,” she told the attendees. “Put and take down” some of the temporary buildings for the event. We are hoping to add next year that clubs will help with the skating rink staffing and get a percentage of the profits. Maybe we could start having the rink open from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day.”https://fortscott.com/christmas-on-the-bricks
The Glide is a synthetic ice skating rink that is located at the Gathering Pavilion on North National Avenue in the 2024 photo.
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, Wall and Main Street, is bringing a large dinosaur exhibition celebrating a paleontologist in the near future.
The Artificers Art Gallery is having a textile show through the end of March at the shop on North National Avenue.
The Courtland Hotel Dining Room was the location of the Downtown Meet and Greet on Feb. 20
The hotel owners, Frank and Cheryl Adamson, purchased the historic property at 121 E. First Street in 2004. He said many people who stay at their hotel “praise what’s going on in our downtown.”
People have been purchasing historic buildings and renovating them into new businesses.
“Many people don’t realize the diversity of restaurants the downtown has to offer,” Frank Adamson said. The attendees tallied the total of restaurants to be 11 in the downtown district.
Barbara Trimbur is a “hunter and gatherer” at heart, she said.
In 1996 she started a flea market vendor booth at this building. She began renting more booths and gathering items to sell. Eventually, she “took over the back room” of the flea market,” she said.
“Yvonne Beck owned the store and I mentioned that if she ever got tired of doing this, I was interested,” Trimbur said. That was in November 2003.
“The first year Cindy Bowman (another vendor) and I did an open house around the holidays,” she said.
The store next door, Corner of Time, became available to rent when Cathy Reed and her husband left. She started expanding and moved into that store.
In 2014, the building owner, Steve McGinnis, was interested in selling the store, so Trimbur purchased the whole building at 3 North Main Street in Fort Scott’s Historic Downtown District.
The store, The Iron Star Antiques and Such, was an anchor in the downtown for these decades.
On February 13, 2026 she closed her doors.
A young couple has purchased the building and her inventory.
“I just had to move out a few things,” she said.
“It’s been a very emotional transaction for me,” she said. “I had no idea how people really felt about us.”
“The store was a place where people could decompress. We tried to treat everybody with respect, whether they spent $5 or $500.”
Trimbur had two consigners at the store, people who brought items in to be sold: Karen Mix and Cathy Thomas.
The challenge through the years has been “to win over ‘Where are we going to put that?’ But, some of the grumpy men became our best friends.” Many customers became friends over the years, she said.
The best part of the job was helping people create a warm space
“The building needed to be taken over by somebody younger with visions for it,” she said. “It’s time to let go. Maybe I’ll do a little traveling.”
“I’ll have a booth here and there and continue hunting and gathering antiques and decor things that bring joy.”
Trimbur would like to thank Fort Scott and the surrounding area for “Making us feel so appreciated. We had about 1/3 of our customers that came from Nevada (MO) and Pittsburg. We are lucky to have such a pretty downtown.”
The Iron Star, north Main, September 2018.A view of the interior of The Iron Star, 3 N. Main in 2019.
The front of Holmtown Pub on Feb. 17. The building’s west side collapsed, which caused an electrical fire.
The west wall of Holmtown Pub, 206 North National Avenue, Fort Scott, collapsed on Feb. 13 and that event caused an electrical fire.
“To be clear, there was no major fire on the property,” said Fort Scott Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Miles. “As you can see from the pictures shown on our Facebook page, it was an electrical fire caused by the collapse. The building’s far west wall of the two-story structure failed and collapsed. When that happened, it sheared off the entire electrical panel to the building, leaving behind the incoming electric lines. Those began arcing and caused the wiring to catch fire. So it was not a fire that caused the collapse, or was there a major fire”.
It is unknown why the wall collapsed, Miles said.
The damage inside of Holmtown Pub as a result of the wall collapse. Taken from the Fort Scott Fire Department Facebook page.
“Occupants of the building said there was flickering of lights, then a full loss of power, so they went to investigate. They found that the entire wall had collapsed, and they called 911.”
“When I arrived on scene, the building had no electricity and I advised all occupants to exit the building. I investigated the area of collapse and found the fire beginning in the collapse area. Fire crews arrived on scene, and we were able to extinguish the fire with an extinguisher off the truck.”
“Crews taped off the area and determined the building was unsafe due to the structural integrity and the electrical system being severely damaged. We contacted Evergy and Kansas Gas to disconnect services from the building.”
“Fort Scott Fire was the only responding unit. The Fort Scott Police Department did respond for traffic control.”
The view at the back of Holmtown Pub on Feb. 17, following the wall collapse.
“It (the damage) is severe, and the extent of it would need to be determined by a structural engineer and insurance,” Miles said.
From The Owner Team
“The wall on the northwest section of the building collapsed, causing a small electrical fire,” said co-owner James Wood.
” Patrons and team members were in the building at the time for our normal operations. The damage was not anywhere near our operations area, and thankfully, no one was injured.”
“We don’t believe it will be a total loss. We are working with insurance to determine coverage and plan for securing the remaining building and hopefully repairs,” Wood said.
The business has been at 206 N. National Ave. for 19 years.
The ownership team is Charles and Kristy Holmes, and James and Kristal Wood.
The short-term plans are to secure the building and work on a plan, with hopes of reopening as soon as possible, he said.
In the February 2nd County Commissioner meeting, it was stated that the county clerk had seven and a half weeks to prepare for the transition to the Pay Entry software. Susan Walker, Bourbon County Clerk, disputed the timeline for the cutover. She said, “Commissioner Milburn had made a statement that the clerk had 7 & 1/2 weeks to learn Pay Entry, which is false.” She went on to explain that they spent 7 & 1/2 weeks sending Pay Entry information and explaining the county processes to them, but that time wasn’t spent training on the software.
Despite statements by Tim Emerson from Emerson & Co in October listing training that had been provided on the PayEntry software, the County Clerk says the first time they saw the software was two business days before they had to run their first payroll.
(Note: Tim Emerson shares the name, but is not the same Tim Emerson who lives near Devin and, with Commissioner Tran, Commissioner Beerbower, and others, sued the Bourbon County Commissioners. Past news reports seem to indicate that Tim Emerson of Emerson & Co. is the son of the Tim Emerson of Bourbon County who filed the lawsuit.)
“We implemented and had training for PayEntry on November the 20th. It was the first time we even saw the product.” Walker explained that PayEntry requires payroll to be run two days before the county wants to pay employees. After training on Thursday, the 20th, the clerk says that they had to run payroll on November 24th so county employees could be paid the day before Thanksgiving on the 26th. The first time she says they actually saw the software was on Thursday, the 20th, and they had to run the first payroll on Monday, the 24th, two business days later.
When asked if Emerson (the accountant who sold the system to the county) provided training to the department heads, she said no, but PayEntry “gave us a piece of paper to hand out that still didn’t help people.”
She went on to explain, “So we had people come in and sit down in our office. We helped them get into the app that had lots of problems. In the app they would try [to] clock in, and they couldn’t tell if they were clocked in or not. If you hit it again, it would clock them out and wouldn’t let them know if they were clocked out.” Walker says those problems are still there along with an issue that allows employees to change the cost center for time entries. “So I might have a deputy[‘s time] show up in the clerk’s office.”
When asked if the PayEntry system provided any capabilities that weren’t available in the previous system, she said that it has an online portal that would let employees download their W2 tax forms at the end of the year. With the previous system, the county printed those forms out and distributed them. However, since the system isn’t integrated with the rest of the county’s accounting, it requires a lot of manual copying of information back and forth between PayEntry and the county’s accounting software. These manual steps are more error-prone and harder to troubleshoot than the integration that the county had previously.
Walker said that the decision to outsource payroll was made after she had asked the commissioners for another employee to help run payroll in her office. The clerk explained, “During budget seasons, I did ask for an additional employee, and they denied me that. That’s part of this process. I go in, and I request what I feel like I need to run my office efficiently. If you deny me, that’s ok.”
But after asking the commissioners for another employee, Walker says, “They came in and said, well, we’re going to outsource now.” She said she was confused by this step and asked, “Why would you do that? Because I’m fully willing to continue doing what we’re doing.”
When asked how much money was being saved by switching to PayEntry, Walker said that the change had lowered the cost from the $6,500 per year that she was getting to run payroll as well as about $5,000 per year for the CIC payroll module. Those two things lowered the cost by $11,500. However, she said PayEntry is costing around $20,000 in the first year with slightly lower cost next year. She provided the following comparison of costs if no additional employees were hired.
Spreadsheet the clerk provided to the commissioners showing cost difference. Click to enlarge.
The clerk said the commissioners have had to hire an additional employee to run the PayEntry payroll for 32 hours a week and says an additional employee will cost around $32,000 per year in salary. According to the clerk, since the new employee is working more than 30 hours a week, she would be eligible for benefits as well in addition to the cost of the salary.
When asked for comment about the clerk’s concerns with changes to payroll, Commissioner Milburn provided the following information over a text exchange. She pointed out that payroll affects all offices and “any one of us may not run again or may not be elected again.” She said, “It is reassuring to me that payroll will not be changed by the coming or going of the elected.”
Commissioner Mika MIlburn-Kee
She went on to say that the cost for the additional employee who is managing PayEntry is “less than what it cost us in the clerk office,” because the new employee has duties outside of payroll and, as a part-time employee, doesn’t cost the county for health insurance. Commissioner Milburn said this was “as opposed to the full-time employee in the clerk’s office plus the additional $10,000 for oversight of payroll duties that we were paying.” In addition to pointing to cost savings, she said, “I am pleased with the separation of duties that we get with this change.”
The business will have a grand opening on February 28, 2026. They are currenlty accepting job inquiries now, Terry said.
Dakota Rusk is the technician and has experience from working at Briggs Auto. Terry is the CEO, he said.
Why start an auto repair business?
“The reasons are twofold,” Terry said. “We want to first and foremost honor God with our work. We devote all things to Him, and our business is a part of that.”
“Secondly, we see this as an opportunity to serve our community; we want to offer a professional service to Fort Scott. We want to build up the place we call home, and providing excellent and honest service is one of many ways we can contribute to that mission.”
Jack Roberts enjoys a meal at a prior prom for people with special needs. Submitted photos.
Two nearby Missouri congregations are planning a special prom event for people with special needs. Food, dancing, prizes, and games will help make the night one to remember.
“Maybe you’ve heard of Tim Tebow’s ‘Night to Shine'”, Pastor Kevin Moyers asked. ” Rinehart Christian Church and Community Christian Church in Nevada are teaming up to have a ‘Night to Remember’ for special needs people in our area.
The event will be held at the Rinehart Christian Church, located northwest of Nevada, at 9443 S. 900 Road, Richards, MO on February 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. It is a casual dress event.
A prior prom event participant at the walk-in. Submitted photo.
“The churches are really excited to offer this special evening,” according to Pastor Moyers, “We want to send a message that Jesus loves everybody. Oftentimes, this is a group of people that is overlooked by the world, but to be sure they are not overlooked by Jesus.”
“He loves everyone the same, and this will be a night that we emphasize that message. We’ll have fun, and there will be great food provided and games and dancing, all in a Christian atmosphere.”
A participant at a prior prom event for special needs people. Submitted photos.
“The theme for the evening will be ‘Enchanted Forest.’ There will be a walk-in at 5 p.m. and the event itself will be from 6-8 p.m, including a meal that will be served,” Moyers said.
“Cooper Black, from the Nevada area, has volunteered to be the disc jockey for the night. There will be a good amount of Christian music played, along with line-dancing music, and bingo will be an option too. Prizes will be given out to people all through the evening, and prizes for bingo winners.”
“Several Nevada businesses are making this special evening possible, along with the two churches. Food is being provided through the money donations, and also the prizes for the evening. We will have a special acknowledgement and thank you to those businesses after the event.”
Participants at a prior prom event for special needs people. Submitted photo.
“Pictures will be taken by Alisha Walker. A video will be put together of the event by Marli Walker. Be sure to watch for all of this on the church’s FACEBOOK pages after the event.”
“The churches have been planning this event for a few months, and have a team of volunteers that have taken a leadership role.” Moyers said.
Josh Smith is the Pastor at the Community Christian Church in Nevada.
A prior prom event participant. Submitted photo.
Tri-Valley Developmental Services, Fort Scott, will have some participants in this event, special guests.
“People have been responding to the invitations given, and we’re expecting around 100 people to attend as special guests. These folks are from Nevada, El Dorado Springs, and Fort Scott.”
“If the public would like to come for the walk-in at 5 p.m. they are welcome to come and cheer on the special guests as they arrive.”
Fort Scott’s Memorial Hall is over 100 years old, and the exterior requires improvement.
The City of Fort Scott received a Community Development Block Grant, administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce in July 2025, for an exterior improvement project on Memorial Hall, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
The competitive grant is in the amount of $582,000, with a local city match of $184,484, for a total estimated project cost of $766,484.
Mary Wyatt. Submitted photo.
“The 15–18-month project period began when we received notification of the grant award in July of 2025, so barring any need for extensions along the way and taking all aspects of the process into consideration, we can anticipate that the Memorial Hall project could be completed around the end of 2026,” said Mary Wyatt, Fort Scott’s Planning, Housing, and Business Development Director.
The process
“The scope of this project includes: replacement of all windows throughout Memorial Hall, miscellaneous tuck pointing to seal up the exterior of the building, and replacement of a small area of roof that is leaking,” she said. “The scope of this project was developed to completely seal the exterior of Memorial Hall to protect against any future precipitation and moisture from entering the building and causing damage.”
“We are currently waiting for the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to give us their clearance,” she said. They are the last piece of the environmental review process of the CDBG grant.”
“Once we have that approval from SHPO to move forward, the completed environmental review will be presented for signature at a City Commission meeting.”
“After the environmental review is signed, we must publish a notice in the newspaper that will require a 15-day comment period.”
“Next, there will be an additional document that Mayor Salsbury will be requested to sign, and then all of the grant paperwork in its entirety can be submitted to the Kansas Department of Commerce for review.”
“Once our environmental review is approved by the Kansas Department of Commerce, we will then have the clearance to begin seeking bids for the construction aspect of this project.”
“State grants such as the CDGG program have very detailed steps and reporting processes, then we factor in this particular project being for a historic building, which adds that additional review step from SHPO, so all in all it can take some time.”
“We are so immensely grateful to the Kansas Department of Commerce for providing grant opportunities like CDBG that allow smaller communities such as Fort Scott to apply. Programs like these give our rural Kansas community the chance to take on a project of this magnitude that we would not otherwise have had the financial resources for without the assistance of these State grant programs.”
History of Memorial Hall
“Memorial Hall was constructed in 1925 and dedicated to ‘Those men and women who gave their lives serving our country in World War I’ and was rededicated in 2001 to ‘All of the men and women who have served, are now serving or will serve in the Armed Forces of the United States of America,'” she said.
“Memorial Hall has been utilized for such a wide range of activities and events over the past 100 years that it has stood proudly in our community. Currently and in recent years, Memorial Hall has been utilized for Old Fort Genealogical Society of Southeastern Kansas headquarters, Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters, American Legion Post 25 headquarters, community concerts, comedians, Good Ol Day events, weddings, birthdays, fundraiser events, Boy Scout events, and bingo which, is regularly hosted by the American Legion. We also hosted a 100-year celebration of Memorial Hall in September of 2025.”
“In past years and decades, Memorial Hall has been used for City Commission meetings and City Hall department headquarters, conventions, graduations, basketball games, roller skating activities, a circus event, and in the 1990’s it hosted a show called from Branson to Broadway. Andre the Giant even wrestled Mad Dog Harley Race inside those historic walls! When I was in middle school 30 years ago, I had fond memories of our choir and orchestra concerts being hosted in the beautiful auditorium with the phenomenal acoustics the space provides. This list, as vast as it is, does not fully cover all of the meaningful community gatherings and events that have occurred within this incredible community facility that Fort Scott is so very lucky to have.”
Mary Wyatt’s office is located at City Hall, 123 S. Main Street
The Buck Run Community Center will begin offering a new service to our community.
And with the snow and frigid temps, this new service is perfectly timed.
A new sauna is being installed in the facility and will be used by the staff at first, to get to know the unit, and then it will be available to the public at the end of February.
Thirty-minute limits will be placed on users of the unit, said Katie Chipman, office manager of the center.
The infrared sauna is for one person at a time and is being installed in a small room near the front lobby.
Several people who work out in the fitness center have asked about the availability of a sauna, and “it’s something Lucas has wanted to do since he’s been the manager,” she said.
“It is funded through the Steele Foundation Trust that donates money to the Community Center each year,” said Lucas Kelley, manager of the center.
Lucas Kelley, director of Fort Scott Recreation, of which Buck Run Community Center is a part.
The sauna will include built-in Bluetooth speakers, an easy-to-use control panel, and chromotherapy options.
Chromotherapy is a method of treatment that uses the visible spectrum (colors) of electromagnetic radiation to cure diseases, according to
According to Lora Holdridge, her outburst calling a commissioner “chicken shit” on Monday, January 26th, occurred after some interactions that occurred before the commission meeting started being broadcast, as well as ongoing frustration working with the commissioners.
The agenda for the January 26th meeting shows that Lora Holdridge, Register of Deeds, was on the schedule to talk with the commissioners about space concerns under the “departmental updates” section. However, according to Holdridge, before the meeting began, Commissioner Mika Milburn told her that the commissioners would not be discussing her agenda item.
Lora Holdridge – Bourbon County Register of Deeds. Photo from BBCO website.
When the meeting began, Commissioner Milburn requested that Holdridge’s agenda item be removed. Commissioner Beerbower (acting as chair since Tran was absent) asked Holdridge if she wanted to discuss something that she hadn’t brought up before. Holdridge said yes and then there was the following exchange:
Holdridge: “Mika told me that as soon as dispatch got out…”
Milburn: “I did not do that…”
Beerbower: “Ok that, this is still more of the same. We are going to be reviewing all the space, so yes, we’re not going to discuss that.”
Holdridge says she then filled out a card to make a public comment. The meeting proceeded and when it was time for public comments, Beerbower read the card and said, “Is that the only one?” At this point, Holdridge went up to the table. Beerbower continued, “We do not allow public comments regarding any specific commissioner. If you are going to address the commission, you may address the commission about the board, but you can’t talk about one particular commissioner.”
Holdridge asked what statute said that. Beerbower said that he went to a class that said public comments were addressed to the commission, not to a specific commissioner. Holdridge pressed for a statue. Beerbower finally said, “Go ahead. I can’t challenge it” and gave her the floor for three minutes.
Before Holdridge could proceed, Milburn asked for a break, Beerbower called for a three-minute recess, and Milburn left the room. When she returned, she got a telephone call and stepped out again. Beerbower continued by first saying that they had this discussion with Holdridge several times and reiterated that they would be working with all the department heads to give them the space they need. He said he has had several people claim that they wanted the dispatch space.
There was some back and forth about whether any of the Register of Deeds stuff could be stored in the basement. At this point, Milburn returned, and Beerbower said the commissioners would look at everything, but not discuss it in this meeting.
Milburn then told Beerbower, “Our council has said to remove this public comment.”
Holdridge responded with, “You’re not going to remove me. I’ll just sit here and talk.”
Milburn and Beerbower voted to terminate the meeting as can be seen in this video which led to Holdridge calling them “chicken shit.” https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19RpAw2zJL/
According to Holdridge, a number of events led up to her frustrated outburst at the meeting. “I have had a problem with Mika [Milburn]. She’s the liaison of the courthouse. She locked me out of every room possible that I had my equipment in.” This equipment includes plotters that are used to make maps and blueprints for the county and also, for a fee, for the public.
Holdridge also said that one of her large plotters remains missing and she is locked out of the rooms where she would need to go search for it. Holdridge expressed concerns that Milburn is doing things outside the scope of the duties of a commissioner. She said, “[Milburn] is entering payroll information, removing payroll time and entries. They’ve got me not even starting till 2017 and I’ve been here, almost 22 years.” She said the commissioners took payroll out of the clerks office and hired someone else to do it, but “she doesn’t know what she’s doing, so this commissioner [Milburn] is coming in to help do it. She has no business doing that outside the scope of her commission duties.” Holdridge said the personnel files were taken out of the clerks office and put in an office that Commission Milburn has a key to. “She has a key to the office where all of our personnel folders are at. That’s outside of her scope of her duties as a commissioner. […] They outsourced payroll. It is a new system and this person didn’t know how to do it. […] Everything’s being screwed up on it. And, you know, we’re outsourcing our IT, we’re outsourcing HR, we’re outsourcing payroll. They said something about outsourcing budgets. They had a budget committee […] and they [the commissioners] didn’t listen to them at all.
“[Mika] kicked me out of the room that I had been working in fine with our new software company for six weeks until I hired one of the old IT persons back,” said Holdridge. She went on to explain that Shane Walker had laid off when the commissioners restructured the IT department and she hired him to do work in her department.
Holdridge went on to explain that there is a computer that used to be used for mapping that has been locked away in room 12 and all the departments are needing to rebuy about $4,000 worth of equipment and licenses now. She said that Commissioner Milburn told her that there “might be things on that computer that shouldn’t be on that computer.” Holdridge is frustrated because tech money from the Register of Deeds budget was used to buy that equipment and licenses. She had been using the computer in room 12 for 6 weeks until she rehired Shane Walker but after that, every time she would talk to HR, “they would tell me that, you know, you didn’t put yourself in a very good position because you rehired him and he has a lawsuit against the county.” Holdridge says he does not have a current lawsuit against the county, but every time she calls the outsource HR contractor about something, they would bring up the fact that she hired Mr. Walker.
Holdridge explained that she feels Commission Milburn has “called me a liar. She’s called me a thief. She called the ex-emergency manager and the ex-janitor liars and thieves. […] They locked the door of room 12, and she accused us of stealing things out of that room.”
Regarding her outburst last Monday, Holdridge said, “Most of the public doesn’t know what’s going on. Yes, I got mad and I refused to get up because they had been treating us and saying, ‘we’re going to take this away from you’ and outsourcing everything […] there was nothing wrong with the way it was. […] Everyone on the first floor gets along great. […] We help each other out. If I have extra paper and they need extra paper, you know, we share it. She [Commissioner Milburn] called it ‘back door dealings’ that we shouldn’t be doing that. We’re just trying to save the tax payer money.”
FortScott.biz reached out to Commissioner Milburn to see if she would like to be interviewed for this story. Legal counsel suggested she decline, but she did provide the following documents for context.
