During their first July meeting, the Fort Scott City Commission approved a series of recommendations from financial director Jon Garrison and director of informational technology Dustin McClure to improve the efficiency of the technology among the public buildings.

The three requests the commission unanimously approved included changes to the city website, economic development website, fiber systems and phone system. While some of the items require the city to commit sums of money to the improvements, others will save the city even larger amounts in upcoming years.

The planning process to update the current phone system to a digital program began a couple years ago and, although it will cost $20,000 initially, the city would then save about $46,000 each year. The phone lines will move away from the current 62 lines used between the city buildings.

“We are able to improve our technology but also save quite a bit of money,” Garrison said of the change.

In recent years, the city also got a high-speed fiber network through Suddenlink, but now needs to expand that reach. By working with the county and United School District 234, the city will be able to connect their own fiber system with the other taxing entities’ to connect city hall to other places such as the police station and public works facility.

“It just opens up a wide variety of benefits, not only for us, but for the school and the county,” Garrison said, while McClure emphasized the shared lines will not compromise security from the other entities and will be redundant enough that, if a line went down, the entities would not each lose their systems.

This project will cost about $60,000 and is available in the city budget.

City Manager Dave Martin said having the high-speed fiber network is key to the city moving forward, especially by connecting them to the police department.

The final project approved by the commission included hiring Civic Plus to make updates to the city website for a total of $46,014 stretched over three years. The changes would allow visitors to the website to accomplish more such as receiving or giving information. Martin said a city’s website is often crucial for businesses or potential visitors considering coming to Fort Scott.

“We feel very strongly that it’s something we need to do to continue moving the city forward,” Garrison said.

The city also heard a report from Director of Economic Development Heather Smith concerning her plan to separate the economic development website from the city’s, apart from sharing a link, so that economic information can be found readily without being lost in other city details. Smith said she plans to work with the area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism on the site.

Submitted July 1

Calling all kids in Fort Scott and the surrounding area! Are you bored sitting around the house playing video games this summer? Are you looking for something fun and exciting to do? Do you like to dig in the dirt? Or act in a play? How about doing scavenger hunts or looking through old buildings?

All of these activities will be offered as part of Fort Scott National Historic Site’s Trailblazer program for youth from ages 9-12. Participants can sign up for one of two weeks, July 18–22 or August 1–5, with programs running from 8:30 a.m. to noon each of those days.

During the week, youth will dig for buried treasure, explore the fascinating creatures and plants of the prairie, go green and have fun. The program will attempt to answer the question: “Kids, will they love National Parks?” We hope by the end of this week that the response will be yes!

A new and exciting element this year is an artist workshop. Youth will be guided by a professional artist in creating National Park Service inspired paintings, drawings, etc., that they will show off to their parents.

Registration for the workshop is underway. To register, contact Fort Scott National Historic Site at (620) 223-0310. Participants must be aged 9-12 years as of the beginning day of the camp. They will be sent an informational packet after registration is complete. There is no charge for the workshop.

Submitted June 29

Two Fort Scott Community College students earned medals at the 52nd annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held in Louisville, Ky., on June 22 and 23.

Matt Volmer, FSCC Construction Trades student, competed in the college carpentry division and earned first place for the second year in a row. Mack O’Dell competed in the high school masonry division and earned third place. O’Dell is a Pittsburg High School student who is receiving dual college credit through a program at FSCC.

“We are extremely proud of Matt and Mack. They have worked diligently over the past several months to prepare for the national competition, and their hard work and dedication paid off,” said Nacoma Oehme, FSCC Program Industry Coordinator.

SkillsUSA is a national organization that serves high school and college students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations. SkillsUSA programs include local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills.

For more information about carpentry, masonry or other occupational programs at Fort Scott Community College, please contact Judy Meister, FSCC Occupational Recruiter, at (620) 223-2700, ext. 5247.

 

Despite the scattering of rain throughout the weekend, residents of Fort Scott still had ample opportunity to celebrate the holiday weekend with fireworks, anniversaries, historic activities and other events.

The Fort Scott Fire Department used the weekend to celebrate their 125^th anniversary Saturday by grilling hot dogs and inviting the community to come view the station and old equipment, including a truck from the 1940s, gear that is now out-dated and even illegal to use because of improved technology and records stretching as far back as the 1920s.

First Baptist Church of Fort Scott also celebrated an anniversary with a Saturday night gala, special Sunday service and opening of a time capsule as well as festivities at Gunn Park Sunday afternoon in honor of their 150^th anniversary.

The Fort Scott National Historic Site provided activities Saturday through Sunday, including characters dressed up in period clothing and demonstrations of different aspects of the fort and its history.

The second annual Wounded Warrior Classic also brought in a number of high school baseball teams and provided Sunday evening activities at the LaRoche Baseball Complex, while the city also put on a fireworks show that evening and then held the annual Burke Street parade the following morning.

Ever since its opening in 2015, the LaRoche Baseball Complex has been used by the city of Fort Scott and USD 234 to bring visitors to town as well as host local events for the community’s benefit.

The complex will continue with that goal by hosting the second annual Wounded Warrior Classic Sunday Funday event July 3, starting at 6 p.m. at the Dave Regan Stadium.

“This is a very special place,” Coach Josh Regan said of the facilities during the weekly Chamber Coffee hosted at the complex Thursday. “It’s not lost on us, the opportunity we’ve been given.”

Regan said their goal is to take advantage of that opportunity by being a blessing to the community with events such as the upcoming one recognizing veterans and military members for their sacrifices and heroism, hopefully inspiring the young people present for the baseball games and other activities.

“We want to make it really family-friendly,” Regan said of the Independence Day event. “I think it’s just going to be awesome. We want there to be something for everybody.”

Starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, festivities will kick off with baseball games between 12 local and out-of-town high school teams, with some traveling in from out of state. Games will continue on Sunday and Monday starting at the same time, with games being played at the Dave Regan Stadium and Lyons Field at Fort Scott Community College. This year those teams will consist of athletes 18 and under, as opposed to 16 and under as it was the previous year.

Other activities will include a fireworks display after dark sponsored by Briggs Auto Group and other local businesses, a bounce house and inflatable obstacle course for children, an E3 Meat hamburger stand, other concession stands, t-shirts for sale, a beer garden provided by Bourbon County Shriners and a country music concert performed by Luke Axtell and Friends. The event is expected to be done prior to midnight with alcohol sales ceasing before then.

Combat veteran Brian Keaton will also be on hand to speak at about 8 p.m. Sunday, after the final baseball game, on behalf of military men and women and the Wounded Warrior Project, which Adam LaRoche has held a strong connection with over the years.

“He’s got an amazing story,” Regan said of the speaker.

Already, tickets are on sale for $5 at the Chamber of Commerce, Bids & Dibs and Country Cupboard. Admission can also be paid for at the gate. Children under five years of age and veterans and active military members can attend for free. Proceeds will be donated to the Lone Survivor Foundation and Wounded Warrior Project.

Regan said he hopes the event will continue on in years to come and only increase in size and its impact.

In their most recent meeting, the Fort Scott City Commission gave permission for alcoholic beverages to be sold on the city facility’s property as well as fireworks to be set off for the event, expressing their support for the cause.

Regan also mentioned that each weekend this summer, a tournament will be hosted at the complex and they are looking into holding some there in the fall as well so it does not go unused. During those months, as many as hundreds of visitors will come to Fort Scott, fulfilling the complex’s goal, as Regan referred to it, of being a fountain in the community and not a drain.

City Manager Dave Martin also gave an update on the project to begin construction on a second entrance from Highway 69 both to the complex and the industrial park. Work on the $1 million Kansas Department of Transportation and Fort Scott project is underway.

For 125 years, the Fort Scott Fire Department has served the city in emergency situations, and this Saturday will celebrate those years by inviting the community to an event at the fire station from noon to 3 p.m.

“Everybody’s pretty excited about it,” Fire Chief Paul Ballou said of the event and the anniversary it is recognizing, pointing out that it was the firefighters who planned the event after bringing the anniversary to his attention earlier this year. “I think it’s going to be good. I think people will be really excited to probably see the old stuff, to see where we started in that day.”

The event will give visitors an opportunity to commemorate the anniversary and view old equipment used by the fire department over the last 125 years, including old fire engines and other equipment used and worn by the firefighters. Old ledgers will also be on hand to provide detailed information on the department stretching back to the 1800s, though maybe not the very beginning.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been that long,” Ballou said, saying he has been a part of the department for the past 26 years, serving as chief since November of 2008, after a friend got him interested in becoming a firefighter.

In his time with the department, Ballou said he has witnessed several changes come to the department, such as moving out of the downtown station and into their current location in 1993, adding fire station two in 2009, as well as a variety of improvements and changes made to the technology and equipment they use, such as thermal imaging cameras and better breathing apparatus.

Another change in the 1990s included the types of calls the department responds to. Ballou said initially a fire department’s primary job was to control fires. But in the last few decades, they began responding to vehicle accidents and rescue calls with local Emergency Medical Service teams as well, increasing their call volumes.

Currently, the department averages about 100 calls a month, responding to almost 1,400 in 2015, which was a busy year. Ballou said their record came during a major storm when they answered about 100 tones in just one day.

Ballou said higher numbers of calls can bring mixed feelings for the firefighters, who joined the department in order to have that opportunity to help the community and appreciate having their long shifts kept busy by calls. But at the same time, Ballou said they recognize that when they have a busy day, others are having a bad day.

Despite the changes he himself has witnessed, Ballou said he cannot imagine other changes that occurred over the past 125 years for the Fort Scott Fire Department, which started off using a horse-drawn apparatus before transitioning to gas engines. Old ledgers even show when the department realized feeding and keeping the horses annually was more expensive than running the newer engines.

The department also transitioned from using just two shifts of firefighters to the current three, 24-hour shifts, giving the staff more time off and flexibility with sick days, training and holidays. A six-person reserve program also now provides extra manpower as well as a deputy chief position which was added just in the past couple years.

“It’s changed a lot,” Ballou said of the department.

But despite those changes, Ballou says some of the traditions remain the same, such as the firefighters’ eagerness to serve their community in times of emergency and the nature of the firefighter community that supports each other’s families while their loved ones are serving in sometimes dangerous situations.

A tradition the department has held to for possibly as long as 75 years includes honoring past firefighters who have died by placing grave markers and firefighters’ flags at their gravestones each Memorial Day. Ballou said in the history of the department, they believe they have three confirmed, line-of-duty deaths, including one firefighter who was killed on his very first shift as a firefighter while others died later of smoke inhalation.

“We lose them close to home sometimes,” Ballou said, mentioning other firefighters who died more recently in neighboring cities and departments, while more than 30 have already died in the line of duty in the nation this year.

Mutual aid plays a key role for the majority of fire departments, including Fort Scott, as they respond to some calls in the county while those rural departments or other city departments help Fort Scott in larger emergencies. Ballou said their department relies on those departments just as they depend on Fort Scott, recalling emergencies such as the downtown fire in 2005 that took more than 30 hours, about 25 different departments and 100 firefighters just to get it under control.

Ballou said the city itself has also been very supportive of the local fire department and its staff over the years.

“I think it says something for the city and the community to have that particular time in history come up,” Ballou said of the department’s longevity and upcoming anniversary. “We hope we’ve done the city proud over the years.”

Later this month, Ballou said they hope to hold a second event that may be just for current and past firefighters, some Ballou said served as firefighters for years and even decades.

Submitted by Shirley Palmer, June 19

Excitement is in the air in Fort Scott, Kan., as the First Baptist Church, 123 Scott, Fort Scott, Kan., will soon be celebrating their 150th anniversary.

On Saturday evening, July 2, beginning at 6 p.m. in Fellowship Hall, will be an “Evening of Elegance Gala – Down Memory Lane” banquet complete with professional dinner music and program to follow. Many special memories will be shared. The banquet is free as it is being provided by anonymous members of the church. Reservations may be made by calling the church office, 620-223- 3080 by June 27th.

Sunday morning, July 3, beginning at 10:30 a.m. will be a special celebration worship service. Dr. John S. Williams, Executive Minister, American Baptist Churches of the Central Region, will bring the morning message. Following the worship service the time capsule will be opened and an old-fashioned carry-in (pot luck) lunch will be served in Fellowship Hall.

Beginning at 5 p.m. July 3, at Shelter House Number 6, Gunn Park, a special evening church service will be held in memory of one of our former early pastors, Pastor Elihu Gunn. (Gunn Park was named after this special preacher.) An old-fashioned, home-made ice cream and watermelon social will be enjoyed, with special testimonies and the singing together of many “old time” hymns.

The Church history goes back to an earlier date of 1862. It was not officially organized until 1866, when a group of people met with a membership of 52 people starting the church.

Following the Civil War, times were difficult. Previous settlers in Fort Scott had endured much hardship. People came from all directions to Fort Scott. They came by covered wagons, horseback, trains and some even came on foot.

Israel Harris was called on February 18, 1866, to be the first pastor. Meetings were held in the upper story of the Bourbon County Courthouse at the corner of 2nd and National, which is the present site of the public library. On October 10, 1866, lots were conveyed to the Church as a building site.

In 1876, Elihu Gunn was called as an early pastor of the church. Pastor Gunn played a significant part in the history of not only the church, but the community of Fort Scott as well as the state of Kansas.

Through the past 150 years, the church has welcomed 39 different pastors. Currently, the church is in search of a new pastor and has an interim pastor, Rev. Dr. Howard Cassidy-Moffatt, from Topeka, Kan.

A lot has changed over the years. During the struggles, hardships, financial weakness and problems, the central theme of the church – evangelism – runs like a bright golden thread—never broken, never dimmed. From the past to the present, the church has always supported missions and has been a nice place where people worship God.

The 150th celebration committee includes Shirley Palmer, chairperson; Edith Peterson, Connie Conroy, Elsie Fly and Rhonda Allen.

With just a few weeks of the season behind them, the Fort Scott Hurricanes have already found success in the Southeast Kansas Swim League, winning their first three swim meets of the year so far.

“I think things are going pretty well,” first-year head coach David Sachau said, adding the league provides a great opportunity for students to exercise and rise early during the summer. “The kids seem to be improving and having fun.”

Wednesday, June 22, Fort Scott hosted the weekly meet for the league, which includes eight teams including those from Iola, Chanute, Coffeyville, Independence and others. The most recent meet ended with Fort Scott being awarded the victory over the Independence swimmers, who were only able to bring about 12 of their normal 70 swimmers.

The Hurricanes have about 80 swimmers this year, ranging from five to 18 years old. The season runs from June through the fourth weekend in July.

Sachau said Fort Scott will host four of the regular season swim meets this year, as well as the league meet held the weekend of July 22 and 23. Hosting that event only comes about once every five years for each city, Sachau said, and it will likely bring about 300 people to the city of Fort Scott.

As the local team, Fort Scott will provide programs to hand out to visitors during that league swim meet, and Sachau said local businesses and organizations are encouraged to purchase advertising to be included in those programs.

Tonight, the Fort Scott team will compete once more, this time in a swim meet against the Humboldt team.

Submitted June 27

Fort Scott Community College Endowment Association will host the second annual Black & White Gala on Saturday, August 13. The gala will take place at the Liberty Theatre, located at 113 South Main in Fort Scott, Kan.

“We are thrilled to be hosting the gala again this year,” said Bailey Lyons, FSCC Director of Development & Alumni Relations. “Last year was a great success, and we hope the community can join us again for a fun and entertaining evening.”

The event will begin with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. and delicious, heavy hors d’oeuvres at 7:00 p.m. The cocktail hour will be followed by an evening of dancing and live musical entertainment with dueling pianos. There will also be a photo booth available for attendees.

Proceeds from the gala will benefit FSCC students through merit- and need-based scholarships. “The money raised by this event helps ensure future Greyhounds have the resources necessary to fund their education and reach their goals,” said Lyons.

Tickets are selling quickly for this popular event. Prices are $50 for one person, $190 for a table of four, and $375 for a table of eight. A cash bar will also be available. To reserve seats or for questions about sponsorship opportunities, please call Bailey Lyons at 620.223.2700, ext. 5830.