Craig Campbell, with the Good Neighbor Action Team, is seeking volunteers to clean up a property.

The house, at 1311 S. Main, is a being totally rehabilitated, then it will be sold as a fundraiser to help provide a multi-sensory playground for the community, Campbell said.

“Groups are invited to bring shovels, buckets, gloves, hard-soled shoes and protective eyewear to pick up the debris and put it in the dumpster,” he said. “It’s loosely organized, you don’t have to schedule to put up the debris and put it in the dumpster.”

“Be careful of the roofing debris,” Campbell said.

Campbell spoke to the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce coffee attendees during the announcement portion.

The dumpster is provided by Kevin “Skitch” Allen, Campbell said.

Allen purchased the Hester Rolloff business including the dumpsters being used, Allen said in a later interview.

Currently, the house is being stabilized and the roof being replaced, according to Chris Yoder, Devon, who along with his three sons have been working on the house the last week.

Diana Mitchell is spearheading this Youth Activities Team project, the rehabilitation of the house. The GNAT is helping with the volunteer clean-up of the project.

The Fort Scott Planning Commission met Jan. 22 at city hall to recommend a new member and review the five-year comprehension plan they have been working on.

Members of the commission are Geoff Clark, Mark McCoy, Diana Endicott, Carol MacArthur, Pam Hightower, Jared Leek, Mitch Quick, Mark Lewis and Darcy Smith.

The group reviewed three chapters of the plan and made arrangements to finalize it and present it to the Fort Scott City Council in early March.

The group also discussed letters of interest to serve on Planning Commission from two interested residents, Josh Jones and Frank Adamson.

In the end, Jones was selected to serve.

“Tell Frank it’s nothing against him,” Diana Endicott, chairman of the group, said.  The group decided since his wife is on the city council it might cause issues.

The group will meet February 1 to discuss zoning the old trailer park property, Endicott said.

Fort Scott High School Prom is April 21, 2018.

Students of area high schools are beginning to look for that special outfit to wear to the annual spring event.

Parents also are making preparations.

Parents of junior class students are currently working to make an after-prom party for the students.

The object of the party is student safety.

“If you are a parent or a business owner, or possibly a friend of Fort Scott,” Sabrina Terry, spokesperson for the group said. “Each of us has different roles that we are trying to play in keeping the kids safe as well as have fun on prom night!”
“As parents, we put together a fun-filled evening of events that the kids can participate in, in order to have fun and stay safe,” Terry said. “Our goal is to keep our kiddos doing fun and appropriate things prom night.”

Business owners and friends of Fort Scott have donated to help with the costs of putting together the after-prom event, she said.

“If you are willing to help out please just let me know,” Terry said.

“We still need a lot of prizes that will be given out throughout the night by drawing tickets. The tickets will be given to each of the kids throughout the night by playing different games and just entering the after-prom party.”

“Right now the after-prom party is up in the air as far as where it will be held,” Terry said.” The options are Buck Run (Community Center) or Fort Scott Middle School.”

“As far as what will the juniors and seniors participate in when they go to the prom party that is also up in the air depending upon what the committee decides,” Terry said. “However we do know that there will be obstacle courses that they will race through, dodgeball, nine square, etc.”

Prizes will be handed out throughout the evening.

“We have big prizes such as TVs,” she said. “However at this point, we are short on money so we do fundraisers to build up our funds so that we can go buy prizes to keep their interest. The goal is to keep them there so that they don’t create their own parties that have negative things or outcomes.”

The Young Professional League annual fundraiser benefit for the Beacon is underway.

The Beacon is a non-profit religious organization that has food, clothing, and household goods that it distributes to the community, among other services.

YPL chooses to have a yearly fundraiser to help the Beacon.

“Many people in our community are generous with donating supplies, such as clothing and food to the Beacon,” Jessica Schenkel, president of YPL said. “However, cash donations are needed to purchase the supplies they may not receive or for other reasons.”

Enchiladas are the fundraiser food the group makes.

“We are selling a ready-to-bake pan of homemade enchiladas,” Schenkel said. ” We are offering beef, chicken or cheese, or a combination. There are a dozen enchiladas per pan. They will come with instructions and can be chilled in the fridge if they are being baked soon, or they can be frozen for later. We prepare the meat the evening before the pick-up date, and ensemble all the orders the morning of pick-up.”

The cost is $20 per dozen.

“People can order from any YPL member in person or they can order online,” Schenkel said.” We are accepting orders right now and our deadline to order is January 25.”

Here is the link for online orders:    https://www.ypl-bbco.org/enchiladas

Or to order by phone 785.817.8877, leave a voicemail if no answer.

This year the food will be cooked, assembled and picked-up at Fort Scott High School.

Pick-up will be at the Fort Scott High School cafeteria on Saturday, February 3  between 2 and 5  p.m., according to the website set up for the fundraiser. Enchiladas that are not picked up by 5 p.m. will be given to the Beacon Food Pantry or re-sold. The payment will be considered a donation to YPL.

“YPL used to host a soup feed fundraiser and worked with the local churches, ” she said. “However, we have moved to a different facility and the churches have been graciously donating funds to cover the necessary expenses to make the enchiladas. This way, every bit of our profits are donated to the Beacon.”

“YPL is an organization made of professionals who are adaptive advocates of a better community through progressive partnerships and networking,”  Schenkel said. ” “Most of our members enjoy the social aspect of meeting other young professionals throughout the community and utilize our meetings as a way of networking.”

Schenkel is president for 2018.

Laura Agee is vice president and secretary;  Tiffiny Durham is treasurer; board members are Amanda Bourassa, Devin Tally, Chris Petty,  and Holly Baker.

YPL  recently held its strategic planning meeting for 2018.

“We will be rolling out a few exciting changes for this year,” she said. “Stay tuned!”