Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Minutes of May 7

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May 7, 2019                                                              Tuesday 9:00 am

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.

Tammy Helm with the Fort Scott Tribune and Nancy Van Etten were also present.

Jim Harris said they had postponed the blast at the Blake Quarry until next week due to the rain. Jim said his goal is to begin the asphalt season on May 20th. He said they are installing culverts and patching; Jim said once the overlaying season starts they will be done patching for a while due to staffing.

Jeff questioned using the milled portion of the roads as chips; Jim said it would cost $300,000 to adjust the asphalt plant to do this and said it wasn’t economical to do this.

Jim said KDOT has been using haul roads south of Fort Scott; KDOT will be doing repair work to the haul roads in the next few weeks.

Nick made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jim Harris, Jerad Heckman, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason).   No action was taken.

Nick made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman). No action was taken.

Jody Hoener and Robert Uhler met with the Commissioners to discuss wellness; Jody said State Farm has a $25,000 grant available for safety, education or community development. Jody said she planned to apply for the grant to be used for the ABC Trail plan. She said June 5th is the deadline to apply and only 1,000 grant applications will be accepted. Those 1,000 will be narrowed down to 200 and then the community votes on the winning applicant. Jody asked if the County is awarded the grant if the County could be the fiscal agent for the grant money; Jeff made a motion to allow Bourbon County to be the fiscal agent if awarded the State Farm grant, Lynne seconded and all approved.

Jody said there will be a County department head meeting on May 9th; Nick and Lynne agreed to give Jeff permission to share data at the meeting regarding wages, and the benchmarking that has been done with other counties.

Jeff Fischer said the work at the Health Department is nearing completion; he said the sheetrock is finished, he said they are painting now.

Justin Meeks discussed the OMNI EMS billing; in April OMNI collected $70,905.13. The Commissioners originally hoped the ambulance would pay for itself, but the current amount collected does not support this. The Commissioners plan to budget money for future ambulance equipment expenses.

Bill Martin and Ben Cole met with the Commissioners, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman regarding a stop sign that was recently placed at 218th & north National by Max’s Weigh Station. Bill said his request was not for a stop sign at this area, he said he was contracted by a citizen regarding a 30 mph speed limit sign going north and no sign going south (he said since it isn’t posted going south the speed limit would be 55mph since it is a County road). Bill said he discussed posting a speed limit sign there with Jim Harris, he said he later approached Jim Harris and Nick Ruhl regarding posting a 30 mph speed limit sign going south, (he said he did not request a stop sign). Lynne said that Jim’s request was for a speed limit sign; Lynne said a motion was originally made for a speed limit sign, but was cancelled and then a motion was made for a stop sign to slow traffic.

Lynne questioned the posted speed limit off of 54 Hwy going north on 125th verses the posted speed limit going south on 125th.

Larry Sharp with KCAMP met with the Commissioners and discussed services they offer and the usage report of these services for Bourbon County. KCAMP offers Attorney assist, Kansas legal based jail guidelines, KCAMP online University, on-site training and seminars, risk avoidance grants, roads scholar tuition reimbursement program and ThinkHR.

Jeff made a motion to adopt (and gave Lynne permission to sign) a proclamation declaring May 6th – May 12th, 2019 as National Nurses Week in Bourbon County, Nick seconded and all approved.

Justin Meeks met with the Commissioners, Jody Hoener, Jim Harris and Jerad Heckman to discuss an interlocal agreement between the City and the County regarding road work; Justin said the law allows this and said it would be a contract between the entities and would be an agreement to exchange services or equipment. Justin said they would like to have the ability to meet with city officials regarding this.

Lynne made a motion that all three Commissioners attend lunch with a Cat representative today, Nick seconded and all approved.

Jeff made a motion to go into a 17 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.

Jeff made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.

Lynne made a motion to go into a 5 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, Nick seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Kendell Mason). No action was taken.

At 12:02, Lynne made a motion to adjourn so the Commissioners can attend lunch as well as travel to Forsythe Missouri to view a crusher, Nick seconded and all approved.

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS

(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman

(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner

(ss) Nick Ruhl, Commissioner

ATTEST:

Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk

05/14/2019, Approved Date

Opinion

Iron Sharpens Iron by Patty LaRoche

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Patty LaRoche

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

The United Kingdom’s Eric Liddell was the athlete who refused to run on a Sunday in the 1924 Olympics. Chariots of Fire was the movie made famous by his story. If you watched it, you might remember Liddell’s notable line: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.” Later, when asked from where he drew his strength, he answered, “The secret of my success over the 400 meters is that I run the first 200 meters as hard as I can. Then, for the second 200 meters, with God’s help, I run harder.”

In 2016, On Wings of Eagles was released, depicting the rest of Liddell’s life as a missionary/teacher in China who refused to leave as the Japanese advanced, staying behind to continue his work after sending his pregnant wife to Canada with their two daughters. Liddell was captured and ended up in a Japanese internment camp.

After watching the movie alone one evening, I knew it was one I wanted Dave and my visiting friends—very academic, total history buffs– to see. After viewing it, we discussed the history of that war and the inhumane treatment the Japanese inflicted on their prisoners. I learned more than I wanted to know.

Then one of our friends questioned why more of Jesus was not illustrated. Liddell’s faith and love of the Bible were apparent as he sacrificially protected and offered hope to his fellow prisoners, but omitting the redemptive story of forgiveness and the Cross was painfully absent. She questioned why screenwriters are so afraid of offending their audiences and consequently stop short of crossing the Jesus’ line, that showing the Olympian teaching the young children Bible stories was not enough. Liddell’s faith was so strong, surely he shared Jesus with his fellow prisoners. So, why was that not included? To her, it was a representation of how our world-view is changing which led to an exchange about laws before Congress that are hell-bent on leaving God out of everything.

I said that I was pleased to see any faith characterized, and even if it lacked boldness, it was evident throughout the movie that Liddell was a prayer warrior who relied on God for his strength as he set up church services, schooling, and sporting activities for the children, as well as cared for the sick. Our talk continued as we discussed how Christian movies now are far superior to those produced a few years ago.

That conversation was revisited this past Friday when Dave and I had dinner with Gene and Carol Kent. Carol was here in Jupiter, Florida, speaking at a local church for Mothers’ Day. I shared the interchange we had had the previous week with our other, mutual friends. Carol asked if we had seen Unplanned, a bold, new release based on the memoir of Abby Johnson who left Planned Parenthood to be an advocate against abortion. Carol shared that she recently had attended its premier with Solomon, the writer of the Unplanned’s screenplay, who happened to be at Carol’s house helping her finalize her latest book. At the premier, Carol stood up before the movie began—an atypical, bold move for her, she admitted– and introduced the screenwriter to the audience. At the end of the movie, Carol was thrilled that Solomon got a standing ovation.

I love these kinds of exchanges, where Christian lives intersect with various perspectives and experiences and where sometimes we might have to agree to disagree. Most of the time, I am keenly aware that we are not “iron sharpening iron” but more like “iron sharpening rusty, tin can, but I always leave these conversations knowing that my faith has been strengthened because God has been honored in what we had to say.

Now, if I could just do that all the time…

Business, Entertainment, Exercise, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, Sports

Woodland Hills: One of Top Ten In Kansas

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Fort Scott’s Community Development Director Robert Uhler listens as Woodland Hills Clubhouse Manager Shannon O’Neil tells of upcoming events during the weekly Chamber of Commerce Coffee May 9.

Fort Scott’s publicly owned golf course is one of the best in Kansas.

“It’s one of the top ten in the state,” Fort Scott’s Community Development Director Robert Uhler told the weekly Chamber of Commerce Coffee attendees on May 9 at Woodland Hills Golf Course.

To view others on the list of top ten golf courses in Kansas, click below.

https://bestthingsks.com/public-golf-courses/?fbclid=IwAR0T2ujyKdgy8wgaNo2x6zw6pBF3

Golf carts are lined up in front of the Woodland Hills Golf Course, ready for rental. There are 30 carts for public rental, Clubhouse Manager Shannon O’Neil said.

Woodland Hills Golf Course is busy with community events.

“The next Saturday’s are busy,” Clubhouse Manager Shannon O’Neil told the coffee attendees, “The Kiwanis Golf Tournament is May 18, there is a three-person scramble on Memorial Day weekend May 25 and a Tiger Baseball Fundraiser on June 1.” The Kiwanis fundraiser is for student scholarships and the Tiger baseball fundraiser benefits the local baseball team, he said.

O’Neil is also the head golf professional at the course.

An introductory course for beginning golfers ages 8-13 begins Tuesday, June 11, for six weeks of one-hour group lessons.

Coffee attendee, Fort Scott Community College President Alysia Johnston said the college has a great partnership with the golf course. This partnership has allowed two girls to hone their skills to excel at the sport.

“In our first year with a golf team, two girls have qualified for nationals,” she said.

City Manager Dave Martin commended  Golf Course Superintendent Jon Kindlesparger for his work on upgrading and maintaining the picturesque course.

“We hired him when the course was in disrepair,” Martin said. “Jon, with his experience has done a lot of great work out here.”

Jon Kindlesparger, Woodland Hills Golf Course Superintendent.
The board at the Woodland Hills Clubhouse lists all the fees.
Bourbon County, Entertainment, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Presenting: The 2019 Good Ol’ Days Schedule

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The Good Ol’ Days Schedule
Good Ol’ Days Festival Schedule

THURSDAY, MAY 30

>> 6 PM ~ FORT SCOTT TALENT SHOW

> Memorial Hall @ 3rd & National Ave.

> Admission $5 / Five & under FREE.

> Contestant registration deadline is May 24th.

>> 7 – 11 PM ~ CARNIVAL: Fun Time Shows

> Cheney Witt Parking Lot @ 3rd & Main St.

> $20 armband; Tickets $3 or 10 for $25

FRIDAY, MAY 31

>> 5 – 7 PM ~ GOOD OL’ CHICKEN DINNER

> Pick-up behind LMC @ Wall & Scott St.

> Tickets $8 (Chicken, 2 sides, bread & a water)

> Purchase by Friday, May 31st at 1:00pm

>> 5 – 10 PM ~ STREET FAIR/MARKETPLACE

> N. Main St. (between Wall St. & Skubitz)

>> 6 PM ~ GOOD OL’ DAYS PARADE

> Parade Route: North on Main ~ West on

Wall – South on National ~ East on 6th

>> 6 – 11 PM ~ CARNIVAL: Fun Time Shows

> Cheney Witt Parking Lot @ 3rd & Main St.

> $20 armband; Tickets $3 or 10 for $25

>> 7 PM ~ RED GARTER SALOON

> Skubitz Plaza

>> 8PM ~ RESTLESS HEART

> Memorial Hall @ 3rd & National Ave.

> Tickets are $40 for VIP & $25 for GA

SATURDAY, JUNE 1

>> 8 AM – 10 AM ~ FARMER’S MARKET

> Skubitz Plaza

>> 8 AM ~ TOM DAVIS DRAGOON CHARGE

Runners take the parade route to N. National & then to

the Riverfront Trails to Finish the race. 5K Walk/Run.

> Advance entry $10, Day of Race $15

>> 8 AM – 10 PM ~ STREET FAIR

Food Trucks, Craft Vendors, a Petting Zoo, Pioneer

Harvest Fiesta Tractor Display & so much more!

>> 8AM – 5PM ~ FS MUNITIONS CAR SHOW

> Fort Scott Munitions @ 523 E. Wall St.

>> 8AM – 5PM ~ NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

A full day of history & family fun at the old fort!

>> 9 AM ~ BABY CONTEST REGISTRATION

7 age categories from newborn to 24 months. No hats or

bows please. Babies 12 months & under: diapers only.

Babies 13 – 24 months: diaper & plain white t-shirt.

> $5 Entry Fee

> Memorial Hall @ 3rd & National Ave.

>> 10 AM ~ BABY CONTEST JUDGING

> Memorial Hall @ 3rd & National Ave.

>> 10 AM – 6 PM ~ RED GARTER SHOW

Shows every hour on the hour. Last performance at 5.

> Skubitz Plaza

>> 10, 11 & 12 ~ KRIS “TANTO” PARANTO

> Ammo Tin & Book Signing

> Fort Scott Munitions @ 523 E. Wall St.

>> 3PM ~ BURNOUT CONTEST

> Fort Scott Munitions @ Clarke St.

>>6 PM – 11 PM ~ CARNIVAL: Fun Time Shows

> Cheney Witt Parking Lot @ 3rd & Main St.

> $20 armband; Tickets $3 or 10 for $25

>> 8 PM ~ STILL SURFIN’ A Musical Tribute to the Beach Boys

> Memorial Hall @ 3rd & National Ave.

> Tickets are $25 for VIP & $15 for GA

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

@ The Visitors Center & Chamber

fortscottgoodoldays.com/tickets

Bourbon County, Schools

Outstanding Early Literacy Teacher

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At right, Tammy Townsend, USD 235 teacher for 26 years, received recognition for her passion and hard work promoting reading skills within her classroom. Kansas Reading Roadmap Program Coordinator Delta Pollock, left, presented her the award.

Tammy Townsend Honored

Tammy Townsend was recently recognized for outstanding work promoting literacy skills at West Bourbon Elementary School, Uniontown.

As part of National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6-10, the Kansas Reading Roadmap (KRR) honored a teacher at each of their 58 partner schools across the state. The KRR Outstanding Early Literacy Teacher award recognizes a teacher who contributes significantly to early literacy at their school. Teachers are the heart of the educational process.

 

KRR asked schools to nominate a teacher who has played a critical role in the school to help students succeed in reading. The 58 nominees were honored by KRR within their respective schools during National Teacher Appreciation Week. Those 58 nominees will be considered by KRR for the statewide Outstanding Early Literacy Teacher of the Year honor, to be awarded at the organization’s state conference in August.

“The Reading Roadmap works with teachers both during and after school,” said Andrew Hysell, KRR Director. “Teachers are essential to helping children read to their fullest capability. Kansas has great teachers, and we want to honor them for the work they do to promote literacy.”

 

Since 2013, KRR has worked with elementary schools and Boys & Girls Clubs across the state, aligning afterschool, summer and family engagement programs with school data. KRR seeks to ensure all students read at grade level upon entering the fourth grade. KRR is a partnership between local schools, the Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN), and the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF).

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Entertainment, Fort Scott

New Library Program: Un-Book Club

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Fort Scott Public Library

Beginning in May, Fort Scott Public Library will have a new book club for adults, the Un-Book Club.

We won’t have any reading requirements,” Librarian Lisa Walther said.  “This is a club to discuss whatever you want to discuss about books and reading.”

The Un-Book Club will meet on May 21 at 1 p.m. in the Library Event Room.

“Bring your lunch if you’d like to and join us for a casual discussion to share what you’re reading, learn what others are reading, and find inspiration for your future reading,” she said.

Entertainment, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Parade Entries Sought For Good Ol’ Days Parade

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The Fort Scott Area
Chamber of Commerce is taking registrations for
Parade Entries
for the
39th Annual
Good Ol’ Days Festival!
Click HEREto register online
The 2019 Good Ol’ Days Festival Parade
is drawing near!
The deadline for entries is
Wednesday, May 29th
@ 6:00 p.m.
Entries without registration form completed will not be allowed in the parade.
(Please place registration number on the right side of your entry.)
For a printable copy of
the registration form,
please clickhere.
Deliver or mail entry to:
Chamber of Commerce,
231 E Wall, Fort Scott, KS 66701
OR fax entry to (620) 223-3574,
OR email to:
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The theme for this year’s festival is
“Off The Rails”,
as 2019 is the
150th Anniversary of the
Intercontinental Railroad.
Because the Good Ol’ Days Committee is teaming up with both Fort Scott Munitions and the Fort Scott National Historic Site, the parade will be opened to all types of transportation.
Fort Scott Munitions will be hosting a large car & bike show this year, and will be auctioning off a motorcycle for charity.
The Fort plans to do a comparison of ambulances from the early 1900’s through today. They will have a fire truck & ambulance on Skubitz Plaza, an Air Ambulance on parade grounds, possibly a military helicopter, an original ambulance cart from the early 1900’s, re-enactors, and much more.
For a full description of the events, please visit the
Good Ol’ Days website by clickinghere.

Bourbon County Local News