The Fort Scott community is invited to be a part of the improving of a park and a downtown arch coming in the near future.
The Third Street Park and Downtown Arch Unveiling Party is Thursday, December 8 at 6 p.m.
The Third Street Park is located on the east side of Fort Scott.
The event will be held at the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team’s office at 104 N. National and there will be a virtual option.
“If you are unable to attend, please consider voting online,”Rachel Carpenter, Director of The Center for Economic Growth, a part of The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (HBCAT), said.
Twigs and Berries will be catering the event and there will be four $25 Walmart Giftcard giveaways.
For more information please contact Rachel Carpenter at [email protected]
This is a third public forum hosted by HBCAT to give community members and residents a voice in the decision making process for the plans for the Third Street Park and a downtown arch-way.
“We feel strongly about connecting our neighborhoods, creating a sense of place, and empowering each of our community members to contribute to positive change,” Carpenter said.
Several plans will be unveiled that incorporate input from previous meetings.
“After a year of formal public events and meetings, and hearing from individuals who are passionate about the project and location, we have options to vote on,” Carpenter said. “All of these plans have been derived from community input. The steering committee, made up of individuals in Fort Scott who live, or have lived, near the project, carefully considered all feedback and created a draft to present to the community.”
At the Dec. 8 meeting, more community input is sought.
” At this unveiling party we will have the community vote on key elements related to these projects,” she said. “We will ask the participants to vote on which downtown arch design they prefer and ask participants to submit and vote on a name for 3rd Street Park. The name of the park doesn’t have to change, and it shouldn’t if the name has an emotional tie to residents who grew up near there.”
” We want to give people who haven’t had a say so in the past a chance to be part of the decision-making process—a place to voice how they would like to see things in their neighborhood playgrounds and parks,” she said.
“So, this unveiling party will kick off a voting campaign on the name of the park,” Carpenter said. “There will be an option to the leave the name the same. Here is your chance to contribute to projects and try to capture the deep history and culture of Fort Scott. There will be opportunity to provide open feedback on the projects as well.”
“From the City of Fort Scott, City of Uniontown, and countywide trails master plan, PedNet Plan, to our annual community perception surveys, we make hearing directly from the community a priority in shaping and implementing our plans,” Carpenter said. “As a result, we have so much to show for it and continue to expand our projects and services.”
Funding for this event is being provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas as a part of Bourbon County’s Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant and also the Patterson Family Foundation. The event will be conducted in collaboration with the Wichita State Engagement Institute.
Carpenter can also be reached at 620.215.2562.
