After much discussion and research by the Fort Scott City Commission and police chief Travis Shelton, the commission voted unanimously Monday evening to allow Utility Task Vehicle’s on city streets.

During past meetings, local UTV owners spoke in support of allowing those vehicles on city streets, pointing out that golf carts had been allowed on streets with no issue. UTVs are usually larger, heavier and more capable of higher speeds than golf carts.

The commission had asked Shelton to create an ordinance that would specify what UTVs would need in order to be considered street legal. Shelton presented that ordinance during their meeting Monday evening, which will now come into effect January 1.

Though capable of high speeds, the ordinance demands that UTVs not drive on certain streets or at speeds higher than 35 mph. They will also be required to have at least two side or rear-view mirrors, turning signals, reflectors, a muffler and seat belts. Some of those features do not come with a purchased UTV, but can be bought separately as a kit.

UTV owners will be required to register their vehicle with the police department and have their title registered at the county courthouse. Those without a title will not be allowed to register or legally drive on the roads.

Another issue previously raised involved the UTV tires, which often use softer materials than most cars use. But after consulting with owners and researching the issue, Shelton said they decided not to require UTV drivers to purchase separate tires since there is not enough data to show the tires would do any harm to the roadways or affect the drivers’ safety.

The commissioners gave their approval while asking Shelton to bring a report back after six months to see if there are many violations, accidents or road problems as a result.

Other topics discussed or approved included:

• The commission approved working with the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team to create a strategy on how to improve health in Fort Scott and the county.
• A $43,000 bid for the repainting and resurfacing of the aquatic center was accepted.
• Funds from the Buck Run Community Center reserve will be used to replace their current surveillance system, which is about 15 years old.
• Fines for not keeping property up to code for will now be a minimum of $300 instead of the previous $50, which will include the city mowing the yard and clearing branches if needed, and also covers administrative fees.
• Homeowners in violation of the property maintenance ordinance will now be given six months to complete the needed improvements before their structure is condemned.

During their meeting Monday evening, the Unified School District 234 Board of Education received a positive audit report to help wind up the end of the year.

Terry Sercer, certified public accountant for Diehl Banwart Bolton, said his job was to look at the school’s report of all their cash, balances and receipts for the entire year and make any adjustments that might be needed in order to hold to state and federal statutes.

Sercer said very few adjustments had to be made to the district’s report and said the unencumbered cash remained almost the same from the beginning of the year until the end, aside from the bond money which continues to decrease as the project progresses.

“You have good cash balances in your funds,” Sercer said.

Sercer pointed out that there were no violations of Kansas or federal statutes and that their school activity funds were also in order.

“Really a good audit report for you this year,” Sercer said, adding he always enjoys helping Fort Scott’s school district because of his own family ties to the schools.

Submitted by Fort Scott Public Library

Fort Scott Public Library will host its Second Annual Holiday Party on December 19, in the temporary library location in the Memorial Hall basement.

Holiday stories and songs will start off the party, which opens its registration table at 3:45 p.m. and runs from 4-5 pm. Activities, prizes, snacks and crafts will also be offered for various age levels, and families will stay together as they move through the various activities.

Children and teens of all ages are encouraged to attend, and all children 2nd grade and under will need to be accompanied by an adult at all times.

The library is looking for volunteers and donors from the community to help make the event a success. Pre-registration is available by joining the Facebook event, emailing [email protected], calling the library at 223-2882, or filling out the registration sheet at the library.

In 2015, the party brought in around 50 attendees, who enjoyed the variety of activities and commented favorably on the overall event. Librarian Valetta Cannon hopes this year will be just as successful, and will also bring new patrons in to see what the library has to offer, both in materials available for borrowing and youth programming.

Submitted by Fort Scott Community College

Fort Scott Community College sophomore Natalia Ready has signed a national letter of intent to further her education and basketball career at the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley.

Ready, from Little Rock, Ark., averages 11 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

“Natalia is a very special player. She has the ability to score points in many different ways and also has a great impact on the defense,” said Jeff Tadtman, FSCC Head Women’s Basketball Coach. “She has been a joy to coach, and she always represents FSCC in a positive manner. I wish her all the success next year at the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley.”

FSCC Women’s Basketball Team had its best season start in the history of the program, with 11 straight wins before being handed their first loss Saturday, their final game prior to the Christmas break.

Despite temperatures near freezing, a crowd of residents and visitors lined Main Street in downtown Fort Scott to watch the annual Christmas parade, this year with the theme of Holidays on the Big Screen.

Groups including churches, fire departments, school organizations and businesses such as Velocity Tactics, Family Dental, Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, 4-State Sanitation and others participated with floats representing Christmas movies such as Christmas Vacation, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas and Frosty the Snowman.

Prizes were awarded to Fresenius Kidney Care, Fort Scott Community College and Parkway Church for the creativity of their floats. Gifts donated by Walmart, Walgreens and the Electronic Store were also awarded to children.

Santa Claus made an appearance to help light the mayor’s Christmas tree and to take photos with children present. High school student Mayson Lane was the grand marshal of the parade in honor of his upcoming trip to New York in February to play violin at Carnegie Hall.

“What a wonderful time of year,” Mayor JoLynne Mitchell said, adding Christmas is a time of hope and remembrance of Jesus’ birth as well as reflecting on blessings and accomplishments throughout the year. “What a great year we’ve had in the city of Fort Scott.”

Submitted by Fort Scott National Historic Site

This holiday season, Fort Scott National Historic Site invites you to celebrate with your family and friends by visiting the site for its 35th Annual Candlelight Tour. The light of over 700 candle lanterns will provide the backdrop for an enchanting evening as reenactors in period clothing bring to life scenes of celebration from Fort Scott’s past.

In the first scene on the tour, cowboys from Texas are celebrating the end of the first cattle drive to Fort Scott in 1866. They find themselves opposed by Kansans who are concerned about “Texas fever” spreading to their cattle and by those who are unwilling to forgive Texas secessionists who opposed Kansas in the Civil War.

The second scene, set in 1848, will have stories of soldiers who have safely returned from the Mexican American War and are now excited about stories of gold in California.

In January 1861, Kansas became the 34th state; at the same time, the Union was collapsing as many states were seceding. A celebration of Kansas statehood and discussion of the impending crisis will be the topic of the third scene on the tour.

In scene four, residents of Fort Scott will be discussing the growth of the town of Fort Scott in January 1858. Featured stories will include a ball held to celebrate the new management of the Free State Hotel and the establishment of a newspaper and a railroad.

In the final scene of the tour, veterans of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry will be reuniting with their former comrades in 1916, more than fifty years after the Civil War ended. As the National Park Service was established in 1916, this scene is being offered in commemoration of the NPS centennial as is the theme of celebration for this year’s tour.

The tours will be offered December 2 and 3. Tours on December 2 will begin at 6:30 p.m. and go every 15 minutes until 9 p.m. On Saturday, December 3, the tours will run from 5 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

Tickets are now on sale. Reservations and advanced purchase of tickets is required. Visitors can pick up tickets at the site’s visitor center or reserve them by calling (620) 223-0310. Payments can be made via cash or charge (DISCOVER, MasterCard, Visa). Tickets are $8.00 for adults; children five and under are free. Tickets are nonrefundable. The tour is filling up, so reserve your tickets soon.

Western National Parks Association, which operates the site’s bookstore, sponsors the tour. Proceeds generated cover the cost of conducting the tour.

From November 1-March 31, Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, will be open for its winter hours of operation from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. For more information about the candlelight tour or other events at the site, call 620-223- 0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.