Governor Laura Kelly announced last week that 40 rural Kansas communities will receive Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) totaling more than $17.6 million to help support critical community development projects.
The City of Fort Scott received a $700,000 award grant to help revitalize the wastewater system infrastructure.
The awards are administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce and granted from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Small Cities CDBG program. Eligible CDBG public improvement projects help fund water and wastewater projects, housing rehabilitation, and other community facilities and services, according to a press release from the governor.
The $700,000 grant will be put with the $425,000 that the city will provide of the projected total cost of $1,125,000 for wastewater system infrastructure improvements.
Kelley Zellner. Submitted photo.
“The project is set to be solicited in the next few weeks, ” Fort Scott City Manager Kelley Zellner said. “And a contractor will be selected. Once the contractor is chosen for the job, the contractor decides the order of completion of the project using their ‘Means and Methods.'”
“The city’s wastewater collection system is in need of attention in certain areas and some of the equipment at the sewer plant will need to be looked at for upgrades in the next several years,” Zellner said.
“This particular improvement project, to the citizens of Fort Scott is a small portion of the need improvements to the overall collection system and a small step in the direction of a healthy infrastructure legacy for our children and grandchildren’s sake!” he said.
Marsha’s Deli has been renamed, but the signs will remain, according to Debbie Baxley, Marsha Lancaster’s sister.
Long-time restauranteur Marsha Lancaster died last fall and her life will be celebrated in a unique event planned by her nieces and nephews and close friend Rhonda Dunn.
“When Marsha passed away last fall, her family wanted to plan a celebration of her life,” Dunn said. “At that time, they weren’t sure what kind of event they wanted to plan or when it would be. They knew they wanted to do an event with music because Marsha loved music, and went to a lot of concerts.”
Marsha Lancaster with Disco Dick’s lead singer Curtis Anderson. Submitted photo.
Marsha’s favorite band was Disco Dick and the Mirrorballs, and they will be performing in Fort Scott around Marsha’s birthday, Dunn said. “We traveled all over Kansas City watching them perform. As a special tribute to her, they are coming back to the Liberty Theater to perform.”
“Marsha’s passing was such a huge loss to our family and our community,” her niece Sara Lancaster said. “She would have been 55 years old on March 1 and there is no better way to celebrate the Dancing Queen herself than with a concert in her honor.”
“We hope to make the event an annual one,” Dunn said.
Plans are for the first annual Marsha Fest with Disco Dick and the Mirrorballs to take place on Saturday, March 5 at the Liberty Theater, 113 S. Main, Fort Scott.
The Liberty Theater doors open at 7:30 PM and the concert will be from 8 to 11 p.m.
There will be a cash bar.
For more information, contact Rhonda Dunn at (620) 224-1186.
About the Band
Disco Dick and the Mirrorballs are a band that tribute to the disco dance era. They perform the greatest hits from KC and the Sunshine Band, Kool and the Gang, the Commodores, Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, and many more. They formed in 1998.
Robbie and Mike Wolfe, from the American Pickers website.
Mike and Robbie Wolfe, stars of the American Pickers TV show are coming back to Kansas to look for rare treasures to feature on the show. The show features the team scouring the country in junkyards, barns, garages, and basements looking for those treasures.
“Mike and his brother, Robbie will be traveling to Kansas,” Meredith Ball, associate producer of American Pickers said. “Our host is in love with Kansas and hasn’t been back since 2018.”
“We are looking for those who think ‘I’ve got these cool items I’m ready to part with, I’ll have them come look,'” she said.
They will be choosing who they visit by March 4, so interested applicants should call 646-493-2184 or email [email protected], Ball said.
“We want large private collections that aren’t open to the public, unique batches of items,” Ball said.
The Wolfe’s will come in April.
“Once we solidify who we are seeing, well set up the exact dates,” Ball said.
Those interested can send their name, town, state, phone number and where the collection of treasures are located, and a description of the items, she said.
The Beacon delivery parking lot before the concrete was poured. Submitted photo.
The Beacon, a helping agency in Fort Scott, is working to make it safer for their clients to move food in and out of their building.
“We are pouring a concrete driveway in the back of the Beacon, to make it safer for our clients to pick up their groceries from us, also to make it easier for deliveries and donation drop-offs,” Dave Gillen, Beacon Director said.
The Beacon delivery area parking lot after the concrete was poured on Feb. 11. Submitted photo.
This project started on Feb. 10 and was completed on Feb. 11, he said.
“However our clients will not be able to use it until Friday of (this) week as the concrete will need to be cured,” he said.
“All Beacon business will be conducted through the front door until then.”
Submitted photo.
This project was funded through church, individual, and civic organizations donations.
“This is something we have been wanting to do for a long time and because of the generosity of our great community it was made possible,” Gillen said.
“Thank you RII Concrete Construction for also making this possible and your great employees,” he said.
RII Construction workers. Submitted photo.
“The Beacon (staff) serves about 300 families a month currently,” Gillen said. “Clients call in their food orders and they are placed on the back porch. Additional items such as produce and bakery items are placed on the back porch for them to shop, also”.
The Beacon Food Pantry is a non-profit organization, a food pantry serving Bourbon County, Kansas, also provides financial assistance
The agency is located at 525 E. Sixth Street, Fort Scott, and can be reached at 620.223.6869.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. They are closed Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, according to their Facebook page.
The Friends of the Fort Scott National Historic Site are inviting the public to join them in saying goodbye to long-time Superintendent Betty Boyko.
The Friends will host a reception on Wednesday, February 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Crooner’s Restaurant, 117 S. Main, to honor Boyko.
Boyko is leaving her Fort Scott post to accept the Superintendent position at Homestead National Historic Park in Beatrice, Nebraska, which is closer to her family.
“Betty has been an active part of our community since she became Superintendent in May 2006, and she will be missed,” Martha Scott, member of the Friends group said.
“Come by, say goodbye to Betty and grab a Crooner’s Cakery cupcake and a glass of punch as we say farewell to this longtime Fort Scott National Historic Site Superintendent,” Scott said.
“Betty has great administrative and people skills,” Scott said. “She also has been active in Rotary Club and her church.”
“Betty has always been open to ideas that were still part of the mission of the historic site, but thinks outside the box,” she said.
Such ideas as the Symbols of Sacrifice, which are flags placed on the parade ground to honor veterans, and the U.S. Naturalization Ceremony that happens annually now.
Symbols of Sacrifice event, Sept. 2015
Recently, it was Betty who suggested that the Fort needed a boundary expansion so that the Block House could be included as part of The Fort Scott National Historic Site.
“Since it is government, we have to be careful because there are things that the fort and its employees cannot do — like the boundary expansion. She can’t actively work on it. It’s a fine line — government!” Scott said.
Boyko made the events happen with help from residents of the community.
To begin with, she gave information to local citizens on how a Friends group is beneficial to a historic site.
“She was instrumental in suggesting that we start a Friends of the Fort group,” Scott said. “She said it would be beneficial to the park.”
About the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site
The Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site’s mission is to support the National Historic Site in a partnership through activities that may include fundraising, volunteerism, education, advocacy, and research.
The Friends have provided the lunch for the newly naturalized citizens after the Naturalization Ceremony held at the fort, provided the treats at the end of the annual Christmas Candlelight Tour, and made homemade ice cream for visitors for the 4th of July as well as many Friends members spending countless hours as a volunteer at the Fort.
Advertising for the Fort on a local, regional, state, or national level is done by the Friends group and they were instrumental in lobbying for the boundary expansion which resulted in the Block House becoming part of the Fort.
A group of citizens in 2009 came together to discuss forming a Friends group. They were Cheryl Adamson, Darlene Doherty, Sandra Haimerl, Herbert Haimerl, Reed Hartford, Ken Lunt, Dale Johnson, Caroly Lydic, Cynthia McFarlin, James Pitt, Jim Scott, Martha Scott, James Smith, and Paulette Smith.
From this grassroots meeting, the Friends group was born. That initial group served as officers and board members during the early years.
Current board members and officers are Reed Hartford, President; Matt Wells, Vice President; Martha Scott, Secretary; Marlene Braker, Treasurer. Vonnie Rickerson, Kelley Collins, Frankie Ruggerio, Shay Lynn Clements, Carol MacArthur, Judy Earp, Ronda Hassig, and Kaitlyn Wilson serve as the current board.
Funds for the activities that the Friends do are provided in two ways: the Flag subscriptions and membership dues.
The Flag subscriptions are a service that the Friends provide to residents within the city limits of Fort Scott, where they place a full-size flag on a 12-foot pole in a residents front yard five times a year — on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Veterans Day.
Subscriptions are $35.00 per year and are due by the 20th of March. If interested in this subscription, please contact Kelley Collins at 417-684-2484 for more information.
“If you are interested in helping place those flags on the flag holidays, please call Kelley Collins to let her know that you’d like to help,” Scott said. “We are a small group of dedicated volunteers, we flag placers, and it is a worthwhile way to begin a holiday day.”
Membership in Friends is easy, Scott said.
The four membership levels are: $35 is Corporal, $50 Sergeant, $75.00 Quartermaster, $100 Sergeant Major.
If interested, mail a check to Membership Chairman, Martha Scott, 1208 S. National, Fort Scott, Kansas.
For those who love to shop and LOVE chocolate, get your walking shoes on.
This Saturday, Feb. 12, is the Love Local Chocolate Crawl shopping event, sponsored by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.
This is the second annual Fort Scott Chocolate Crawl, according to Executive Director Lindsay Madison.
Lindsay Madison. Submitted photo.
Stores festooned with red and white balloons and with the chocolate crawl poster in the window are participating and many will be offering drawings and store give-aways.
The majority of the retailers are in Fort Scott’s Downtown Historic District, but there are others also.
Downtown retailers are Angie Dawn’s Boutique, Bartlesmeyer Jewelry Store, Better in Bourbon Boutique, Bids and Dibs resale clothing and more, Hare and Crow Barbershop, Hedgehog INK Bookstore, Iron Star Antiques, and Such, Laree + Co. clothing store, Main Street Gallery and Gifts, Sunshine Boutique, The Beauty Lounge hair salon and spa, and Treasure Hunt Flea Market.
Other retailers participating are Museum of Creativity, Shirt Shack clothing store and Varia clothing store.
Customers are invited to shop at local retailers and sample chocolate treats.
It’s been a rough two years for education in the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Because of the pandemic, the U.S. Government has given money to school districts to support kindergarten through grade 12 schools to open and sustain their safe operations.
USD 234 will receive over $4 million in school funding and is seeking input to identify needs for the school district from the community.
The district is offering meetings to the community to gain ideas in moving forward in the education of their students.
“The expected outcome of these meetings is to gather information from our community stakeholders that will be used to compile our ESSER III (Elementary and Secondary School Relief) plan and application,” USD234 Business Manager and Board Clerk Gina Shelton said. “Part of the ESSER III plan calls for informed decisions based upon a variety of stakeholder input.”
“We have surveyed and held several meetings with our staff to gather their input,” she said. “Our community is another key factor in the success of our schools. We seek information from our parents on needs they see to help their child(ren) be successful with their education.”
“We seek information from our community members even if they do not currently or previously have had students in our district,” Shelton said. “Education is all about providing opportunities for kids. I firmly believe our future as a community is impacted greatly by our students. They are our future workforce, our future community leaders, and our future parents. These conversations will allow us to develop a plan to hopefully address as many needs as we can.”
The first batch of ESSER funds allowed them to continue providing education during the shutdown, she said.
“The second batch was a key part of us being able to remain in person,” Shelton said.
“This last batch is all about providing services to help provide a quality education for our students,” she said. “Ten years down the road, we want to be able to say that those funds made a big impact on our students’ successes.”
Five Sessions for the Community Input
The info gathering sessions will be in the different buildings in the school district, for the community to see where the learning happens, she said. And the different time sessions are to give parents options to attend.
There are evening sessions and a Saturday morning session for parents to find one time period that fits with the family’s schedule.
“One is scheduled at the high school during parent/teacher conferences, we hope they find this convenient for them,” she said
Another of the meetings is at the school board meeting.
“We’ve had ESSER III funds as a recurring item at our board meetings for several months now, but we know sometimes it is hard for people to attend,” Shelton said. “Our hope is that even if they can’t attend in person, they are able to watch the streamed board meeting. Then if they have questions or ideas, they can reach out to us if they would like more information.”
“We really want this to be an active conversation that leads to some very positive results,” she said.
The district encourages the community to take it feedback survey:
The district has divided the input sessions into groups at five different scheduled times: the Fort Scott Preschool is the first session on Thursday, Feb. 10 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the preschool center at 409 S. Judson.
Taken from the district’s Facebook page.
The next is at Winfield Scott Elementary School, 316 W. 10th, on Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 19 is the next one at 8 a.m. at the Fort Scott Middle School, 1105 E. 12th as is the next one on Monday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m. at the middle school as well.
The last session is on Tuesday, March 8 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Fort Scott High School Auditorium, 1005 S. Main.
Because proms are coming in a few months, a 4-H group in Nevada is having a special-date dress sale event of gently worn dresses on Feb. 19.
Beginning at 10 a.m. on Feb. 19, area young women can look over an anticipated 100 dresses for their special prom night.
The location of the sale is the Vernon County Fairgrounds Diner Building,1488 E. Ashland, Nevada MO.
Seller registration for the event is from 8 a.m. to 9:20 a.m.
“Hustler 4-H out of Vernon County Missouri is hosting the event as a fundraiser for their club,” said Tonya Cliffman, whose niece is in the club. “It is open for all communities to participate and not limited to Vernon County or Missourians. We have dress owners from Fort Scott and Pleasanton taking advantage of this organized event so Kansas is invited.”
“This event allows both seller and buyer the opportunity to come together and move amazing dresses into new closets,” she said. “It allows these dresses to be more than one-time use and is pocketbook-friendly.”
The cost is $5 per dress to have it on display. Shoes and jewelry can also be displayed for $3 each.
“Prom Dress Event allows young ladies wanting to purchase a dress for this year’s formal events at a reasonably discounted price,” she said. ” This will be a cash-only event. While some sellers may have electronic payment options of Venmo/Paypal, this is not guaranteed and you should be prepared to pay in cash.”
“A local seamstress will be on hand to offer expertise on whether a dress can be altered or fitted to the buyer,” she said. “However, alterations will not be completed on-site the day of the event.
All sales are between sellers and buyers and are NOT the responsibility of the Hustler 4H Club.
A fundraiser to help pay for the funeral costs of Kennedy Bosley-Leihsing is on Feb. 13 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Empress Event Center, 7 N. Main.
It is a free-will donation pancake feed that includes two pancakes with sausage links, butter, and syrup. One can dine-in, or take to-go.
For more information call Lori Brown, at 620-215-3600.
“We’re hopeful that our community does what it normally does and comes together to support a family that’s going through a very difficult time,” said Bill Michaud, owner of Sleep Inn, whose staff is hosting the pancake benefit feed.
About Kennedy
Leihsing, 15, was a sophomore at Fort Scott High School who died unexpectedly on January 25 from COVID-19 in the Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department.
A great aunt, Iris Byrd, started a GoFundMe for the family as there was no insurance to pay for the funeral, according to the GoFundMe page.
“She was raised along with the other grandchildren by her grandparents, both of whom are on disability for various medical conditions. This is yet another reason why help is so desperately needed,” Byrd said on the GoFundMe page.
“Kennedy was so smart and kind, and she loved life and always put others before herself. She was beautiful in all respects,” Byrd said on the fundraising page.
Kennedy’s best friend Elizabeth has a mom, Lori Brown, who works at the Sleep Inn Hotel in Fort Scott. The Sleep Inn team is hosting a pancake feed to benefit the family because the GoFund Me goal to help with funeral expenses has not been met yet.
Elizabeth Brown left, and Kennedy Leihsing October 2021. Submitted photo
Kennedy’s funeral was on February 4.
Sleep Inn. Submitted photo. The employees of the hotel are hosting the fundraiser, which will be located at the Empress Event Center, 7 N. Main.
The City of Fort Scott is like other employers nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have many positions to fill to be fully staffed.
The financial director position is one.
Last year, Susan Bancroft was hired as the Bourbon County Financial Director and also the Human Resource Director, in addition to her position as the City of Fort Scott Financial Director to combine services between the city and the county.
She has since given her resignation notice to the City of Fort Scott but has remained part-time financial director until a replacement can be found there, she said in an email.
“We are looking at applicants (for this position) and will be interviewing over the next couple of weeks,” Fort Scott’s Human Resource Director Brad Matkin said.
“Under the general supervision of the City Manager, the Director of Finance performs financial reports, payroll, and retirement records; assists in the preparation of the city budget; monitors city revenues and expenditures and maintains all related records; supervises personnel in performing related accounting, utility billing systems, and clerical work”.
Matkin said some recently hired new city employees are Erica Mahder, dispatch; Melanie Enloe, dispatch; Tyler Cook, Woodland Hills Golf Course Groundsman, and Garret Rash, street sweeper.
Currently there are two unfilled vacancies at the city’s wastewater treatment plant, two in the public works department, one to two police officers, one to two firemen and Emergency Medical Services personnel and one to two paramedics, Matkin said.
The Fort Scott Public Water Distribution crew works on a broken water main in northeast Fort Scott on Wednesday in freezing weather. Taken from its Facebook page.
With temperatures hovering in the single digits, the Fort Scott Water Distribution Department had an uncomfortable day yesterday, to say the least.
The department crew of Bill Lemke, supervisor, along with Brady Coffman, Stanley McKeen, Jason McReynolds, and Joseph Reid spent the day repairing a water main break in the middle of the street on North Broadway in the northeast part of town.
Water was spewing upward from the street.
“It was shooting pretty good,” Brad Matkin, spokesman for the City of Fort Scott said. “They had to dig up the road to find the root cause.”
The crew found the 10-inch water main with the hole in it and put a sleeve over the hole, tightened the bolts on the sleeve, then put the gravel back in the hole, Matkin said.
Matkin wasn’t sure of the number of households without water during the repair.
“North Little (Street) and North Broadway (Street) residents were affected,” Matkin said. “All the water is turned back on.”
Matkin said the cause of the water main break was probably the change in temperature or the age of the pipe.
The crew started at the site about 8 a.m. on Feb. 2, following a call to report the water spewing from the street. Matkin wasn’t sure who called in the incident.
They will finish the clean-up today and smooth out the street, he said.
“In the spring, we’ll do a job of patching the site,” Matkin said.
Public Works
Fort Scott Public Works employs about 15 employees, Matkin said.
“The other guys were removing snow and treating ice,” he said. “We did have a tree fall and they had to remove that.”
Fort Scott city crews are working to clear the streets. Taken from the City of Fort Scott’s Facebook page.
From a post on the City of Fort Scott’s Facebook page last evening:
“Please remember to stay back when coming up on snowplows; with blowing snow and at night it is hard for them to see you if you are too close.
“Also, we understand frustrations because of driveways being covered when our plows are cleaning the roadways and will do our best to limit this but with several inches of snow, this is very hard to control. We want our roadways as safe as possible for our public safety personnel and for our citizens. This is our number one priority. Thank you in advance for understanding and your patience.”
The Big Sugar Lumber staff, front from left: Tim Culbertson-contractor sales, Jim Fewins-general manager, Janice Fewins-accounting. Back row from left: Jeff Dollarhyde-yard man and driver, Kristin Bishop-floor manager, Tyler Travis-logistics manager and Stihl products, Cade Goodridge-yard man, and Daniel Harney, assistant manager.
Big Sugar Lumber had a change of ownership on Dec. 31, 2021.
With the retirement of Matt Noll as a business partner, Jim Fewins is now the sole owner of the local lumber materials store in Fort Scott.
“He had been a business partner for several years and wanted to retire,” Fewins said. “We appreciate Matt’s working here over the years and wish him well in his retirement.”
The lumber yard is a member of the international building materials dealer Do It Best cooperative, he said.
“We are proud to be your local lumberyard,” Fewins said.
Among the store’s offerings are lumber, hardware, paint, windows, and roofing supplies.
They have a delivery service available for their products and are also a United Parcel Service drop-off point in Fort Scott.
The store personnel are working to expand the inventory: “more lumber, commodity products (plywood and OSB’s) and more niche items,” Fewins said. And they are re-merchandising the items on the shelves to be more accessible.
Jim Fewins, the owner of Big Sugar Lumber, stands in front of a newly re-merchandized shelf in the store.
There is a new hospitality area in the store, where one can sit in a chair and have a cup of coffee at a table. This is located to the left of the sales desk, near the rear of the store.
“We’ll have contractor meetings in this area,” he said. “A place to have a cup of coffee and sit down.”
Daniel Harney, the assistant manager, said they are working to increase inventory and maintain it to have what people need.
“Customer service is a high priority, that sets up apart,” he said. “And we are a local lumber yard.”
“Every small town needs a really good lumbar yard,” Kristin Bishop, the floor manager said. “We want to provide that for Bourbon County. We are proud to be your local lumber yard.”
Fewins said new staff will be “working on making sure we have all our bases covered correctly.”
Big Sugar Lumber has a quick turnaround on items not in the store.
Do It Best Warehouse has 87,000 items, which can be ordered through the Big Sugar Lumber Merchandise Catalogue on a Monday and be in the Fort Scott store by Wednesday, Fewins said.
“And there is no charge to the consumer,” he said.
History of the Big Sugar Lumber Store
Original business partners Ed Graham, Sid Colwell, Jim Fewins, and Matt Noll started Big Sugar Lumber in March 1983 in Mound City.
“We came to Fort Scott in 1984,” Fewins said. “We owned both stores and had a third one in Garnett in 1988. It closed in the early 2000s.”
The facility is located at 1005 S. Clark, near the junction of 12th Street and Hwy. 69. The store phone number is 620-223-5279.
