While driving south on 69 Highway, local residents may have often wondered about the vehicles being auctioned off in front of the Cash 2 Go store in Fort Scott. FortScott.biz interviewed Manager Krista Bradley and Customer Service Representative Tiffany Philip about the sale of vehicles and how it is conducted.

Philip explained that Cash 2 Go uses two different markings to designate vehicles for sale, and that only the vehicles with writing on their windows are currently available for sale and for auction. One type is “starting bid,” which Philip said are for auction. The auction for each vehicle is a silent auction, and bids must be placed in person in the store. If a person is outbid, they are notified by phone and asked if they would like to place a higher bid. Bradley said that auctions typically last about 2 weeks if bids on the vehicle reach a reasonable amount.

The other marking type, Philip said, is “for sale” in which the vehicle is sold “first come, first serve.” Bradley also mentioned that prospective buyers may bring a mechanic with them and examine the vehicle’s engine and other components before they buy, because vehicles are sold “as is.” Philips clarified that potential buyers may test drive vehicles, but only in the parking lot. “The vehicle cannot hit the highway,” Philip said.

Philips explained that the store also does not do loans or financing on the vehicles being sold, and that Cash 2 Go does not accept checks for payment of vehicles. “We can’t accept checks because checks can bounce,” said Philips. Bradley added that the store does accept cashier’s checks for the amount of the purchase. The last step in the process after purchase of the vehicle is for the customer to get the title notarized.

Last, Bradley mentioned that the time frame for selling repossessed vehicles depends on the response of the original owner of the vehicle. Philip said that the original owner has 15 days after Cash 2 Go notifies them of the repossession to make a payment. After that 15-day period, the store has a waiting period until the title for the vehicle comes back, and only then can the vehicle be put up for sale or for auction.

County Commissioners addressed several questions pertaining to the restructuring of the Road and Bridge department in Bourbon County, as well as the raise given to the Bourbon County Appraiser’s position. Jerrod Handly of the Bourbon County Review pointed out that the appraiser’s salary is nearly $10,000 above the next-highest paid employee in the county, the County Attorney. Commission Chairman Allen Warren countered that the current county appraiser does $14-15,000 worth of work that is contracted out in other counties, while her salary remains lower than theirs. “She’s saving us money,” said Warren. Commissioner Barbara Albright also mentioned that the county appraiser is a “highly skilled” position and deserved to be paid as such when compared with the salaries of appraisers in neighboring counties.

Handly then brought up the restructuring of the Road and Bridge department and the addition of the new position of “Director” in that department. Warren replied that because of the large amount of work demanded of the current County Public Works Foreman, he had been working on the Road and Bridge budget in order to help the department keep up. Warren said, “The county crew is getting an awful lot of work done,” but there were things that still needed to be done on the budget and planning that could not be done by a person who, as Warren put it, has been running “from one end of the county to the next” every day. Warren also mentioned that counties such as the neighboring Crawford County have a road foreman for every district, rather than just one for the entire county, in addition to a director. “We’re not making changes just for the fun of making changes,” Warren said.

Warren explained that having a Road and Bridge Director would make the department more efficient by allowing closer supervision of employees. When Handly asked the commissioners about the amount set for the salary of the director’s position, Warren answered, “We can’t put someone in there that has no experience and expect to save money.” Handly then asked if the current Public Works Foreman had not been doing his job, to which Warren countered, “There is more [work] than one person can do.” Warren said that if the employee had not been doing his job, they would have terminated the employee. Handly said, “You guys are spending money that we don’t have,” to which Commissioner Harold Coleman said Warren had kept “a close eye on every penny” that went through the county.

In other business:

• County Custodial Supervisor David Neville presented a proposal from Extrusions, Inc. for repair on windows in the courthouse in need of renovation. Warren suggested that Neville check with Peerless as well.
• According to Marty Pearson, Public Works Foreman, KCAMP estimated the damage to the County Barn to be $8,500. Pearson reported that the insurance company would prefer that the county install Heritage shingles, which Pearson pointed out would be more expensive than the 3 tab shingles that currently cover the building’s roof.

June 24 was the 41st wedding anniversary for Larry and Vickie Shead of Garland as well as the 6th wedding anniversary for Joel and Mitzi Ray.  Mitzi is the daughter of Larry and Vickie Shead.

A Fourth of July celebration of dinner and fireworks was celebrated at the home of Mark and Haley Shead near Fort Scott on July 4.  Activities included lighting and watching fireworks from the Shead’s deck.  They have a spectacular view of the town’s many fireworks displays.  Mark grilled hamburgers for all in attendance followed by the fireworks.  The City fireworks launched from the Fort Scott Community College Campus, were viewed from the house as well.  Those in attendance included: Katy and Benjamin Shead-Ft Scott; Amy, David, Haley, and Hannah Sachau-Ft Scott; Derek, Katrina, Harrison, and Charlotte Burke-newly arrived in Ft Scott; D.J. Davis-Georgetown, TX; Tami, LaVaine, Michaela, and Mariah Murphy-Webb City, MO; Chris and Nick Nickerson-Joplin, MO;  Carole Liston-Joplin, MO;  Matthew, Ashley, and Miles Shead-Joplin, MO;  Ralph and Cindy Shead-Carl Junction, MO; Erin and Sarah Shead-Downey, California; Larry and Vickie Shead-Garland, KS; Mary V. Shead-Arcadia, KS; Charles Corporon-Pittsburg, KS; Rose Shular Campbell-Pittsburg, KS.

The Oskaloosa Freewill Baptist Church opted to spend their Wednesday night at the Mulberry Park enjoying a carryin meal as well as the fireworks display at 9 PM.  The evening that started in the rains ended with a great evening of lighting up the sky.  Those attending included: Chris and Kendra Breaden, and their children Brooke and Zander; Lou and Betty Dehn; Evelyn Bryant; Skip and Debbie with grandson Johnston; Jim and Kelly Busone, along with daughter Samantha and grandson, Mason and daughter Aimy and granddaughter Emily, and their friend Debbie.  The group also welcomed, Gene, from East of Oskaloosa.

At the recent Kids Days at the Arcadia Christian Church, lunch was served each day.  Day 1-Spaghetti and fruit, veggies and, of course, cookies.  Each morning started with milk for the children.  Day 2-Mac and Cheese, veggies, fruit, and cookies.  Day 3-Hot Dogs, fruit, veggies, cookies and Root Beer Floats provided by Scott Ball.  A big THANK YOU  goes out to all our cooks, helpers, and parents for sharing your children.  Several meals were sent to the elderly in Arcadia during this time.  Scott Ball was the deliverer of these meals.

A former resident of Arcadia, Austin Anderson (grandson of Lou and Betty Dehn) visited Grammy Dehn for 10 days.  Austin is now 17 years old.  Austin’s sister, Elizabeth Long visited for a week after taking Austin home and was able to enjoy Vacation Bible School at the Arcadia Christian Church.  Betty Dehn’s niece, Cheyenne Hill from Versailles, MO also visited along with Cory Michael Long, and Melody Due from Warrensburg, MO.

On July 7, the Arcadia Christian Church had their monthly church dinner after the regular service.  31 people attended the meal and Mary V. Shead gave the blessing before the meal.

The Arcadia Christian Church JOY class dinner will be July 15 at 6 pm at the Bungalow.

Those on the prayer list at the Arcadia Christian Church were: Mae Watt, Dana Schaffer, Tabatha King, Mildred Nicoletti, Jean Greek, Dianne Thorp, Lois Napier, Ernestine Berkey, Fanny Mae Turner, Fred Zimmerman, Ed Zimmerman, Tim Woodring, Lorene Gibson, Sam Truesdale and all our men and women in the armed forces,  families of the firefighters who lost their lives in Arizona, Bosnian Mission Team, LATM, Michael and Chrisi Shead in Guatemala.

Today’s County Commissioners’ meeting covered a wide variety of issues, among them the annual audit done by Terry Sercer, CPA. Sercer said, “We need to make sure we have controls in place to make sure [the issue of missing monies] doesn’t happen again.”

Sercer highlighted several changes since last year’s audit, including bold headings for each section. One of these headings involved the county’s waive of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles,” which Sercer explained “many, if not most” entities waive because of the extra cost they incur in administrative work. According to Sercer, the current system is less time-consuming for the county, incurs fewer costs in administrative work for the county, and also is easier to understand than Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Sercer clarified once again that the Bourbon County records do follow Kansas statutes.

However, Sercer soon moved on to the issue of Stewardship Compliance, in which he found several issues. Sercer explained that there exist three funds that have negative cash. One, which is a grant fund, which Sercer said was exempt because of its status as having been grant-funded. The other two, however, are the 911 Telephone Fund and the Special Alcohol and Drug Fund.

After a conversation with the commissioners, Sercer and County Clerk Kendell Mason determined that the monies that the county remits to the city’s 911 Telephone Fund were being sent directly to the city while the county continued to remit money, causing an unexpected change in the county’s budget. Mason said, “I haven’t seen any [money from the telephone company] this year at all.” Sercer remarked that there had been no change in the law that requires that the county receive the money first, then distribute it. Sercer thought that perhaps when the situation was explained to the city, they would be willing to reimburse the county, and recommended that the county keep a closer eye on these expenditures. “That’s a change we need to make,” said Commission Chairman Warren. Warren said that commissioners occasionally check these reports, but that he would like to make this a monthly practice.

Sercer then addressed the deficit in the Special Alcohol and Drug Fund. As Sercer explained to the commission, the county has a mill levy of “0.03 mil” to fund special alcohol programs. Sercer said that the state also collects a tax on alcohol and distributes a portion of it to Kansas counties. In the case of Bourbon County, the money, according to Mason, is split among the County General Fund, Special Parks Fund and the Special Alcohol and Drug Fund. Sercer informed the commission that the amount budgeted for the Special Alcohol and Drug Fund had been $2,400, but that the county gave out $15 more than they had budgeted.

One last item addressed by Sercer involved internal control over finances. “There were deficiencies in internal control,” Sercer said. Sercer explained that statutes 1205A and KSA 19716 were violated in the past year. Accorder to Sercer, two checks totaling $3,000 were written to a former employee that were not properly approved or claimed. “Before you transfer money into the clerk’s payable account, make sure there’s a signed register for it,” Sercer said.

Another problem Sercer highlighted involved credit card usage by a county employee. “Credit cards are a problem everywhere, ” Sercer said. “It happens everywhere–I understand that.” Sercer indicated that the county had kept very good records in the recent past. “You’ve always had, for the most part, bills and invoices to support the charges,” Sercer said. Sercer indicated that this practice had faltered in June of 2012, and said that the undocumented charges for credit cards are being examined by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI). Sercer suggested that in the case of an employee’s consistent misuse of credit cards, that employee should be required to make those purchases for themselves. Sercer indicated that he suspected the stop in these well-kept records occurred as a result of credit card use by an employee whose matters were to be discussed in the upcoming executive session.

Near the corner of Clark and 7th Streets, members of the Fort Scott Presbyterian and Apostolic Christian churches are conducting some much-needed repairs on a home. The house, which Chris Wuthrich says has been uninhabited for 2 years, had a large roof leak and several holes in its siding and walls.

Today, Ralph Carlson, Chris Wuthrich and Ryan Kelleberger cut and nailed up siding in preparation for more work to be done on the house. According to Carlson, the workers had to remove about 8 feet of rotten wood and a chimney that had caused water to leak continuously into the home. Carlson said of the family who owns the home, “These are good people–they need it, they appreciate it.”

After the three men finish the work to the siding, crews of workers from Apostolic Christian Churches all over the Midwest will travel to Fort Scott a few at a time in order to replace the roof, for which the Presbyterian Church has provided roofing materials. Tools, a truck and trailer have been provided through an organization from the Apostolic Christian Church, the Apostolic Christian World Relief program. According to Wuthrich, teams will be coming in from several Kansas congregations, including Bern, Sabetha, Lamont-Gridley, Wichita and Kansas City, and one group hailing from Milford, Indiana. Saturday July 13th, the first team from Bern and Sabetha will arrive to work on the roof.

These efforts from the area churches help to relieve those whose homes were uninsured after the April hailstorm. According to Wuthrich, there exist around 3,500 homes in the city, of which 10% were not insured at the time of the storm. Wuthrich said that this work by the churches was part of the relief effort, but that some uninsured homeowners are qualified for a special grant.

Recent budget requests reveal rising costs to be faced by the county. Bob Reed from the Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Center met with the Bourbon County Commissioners this morning at the bi-weekly commissioners’ meeting in order to explain a request for a $200,000 increase in the corrections budget. Commission Chairman Warren said, “A $200,000 increase over 2013–that’s 2 mils.” Reed reported that most of the increase in costs is a result of out-of-county housing for inmates, as well as $40,000 in overtime from inmate transportation. The jail, which was built in the 1970’s, was intended to house 25 people, Reed explained. Reed said that it now houses 41 people, and that the county has had to house 31 inmates in other counties as of this morning. Reed said that his “men and women are run ragged” trying to keep up with transportation of inmates, and that these workers often come in on their days off.

County Attorney Terri Johnson said to the commissioners, “You have no control over the numbers [of inmates] . . . and it is very difficult.” Johnson offered to write a letter to the judges in the Bourbon County Judicial District in order to request their input in considering alternative options to incarceration in appropriate cases.

County Clerk Kendell Mason asked if an additional staff member might reduce the overtime expense to the county, to which Reed replied that an additional person would incur costs in insurance and vacation time, and that during vacation time taken by that employee, another staff member would have to work overtime to make up for the temporary reduction in staff. “You’re never going to cut out overtime, because something always happens,” Reed said, citing 18 years of experience in corrections.

Commission Chairman Warren mentioned that the budget for out-of-county inmate housing was $180,000 in 2012 and asked the reason for the change in 2013. Reed thought that perhaps corrections had fewer people incarcerated in 2012.

Warren asked about possibly housing inmates at Allen County, but Reed replied that Allen County had lost funding for Bourbon County inmates. Reed also mentioned that he is considering using Labette County in the future instead of Cherokee County. Reed explained that Bourbon County uses ACH Healthcare, while Cherokee does not, which incurs an extra expense for Bourbon County.

Reed brought up the possibility of building a new jail in the future. Reed explained that several pods in the jail are overcrowded because of space constraints. “The less people you have in a pod, the less problems you’re going to have out of the inmates,” Reed said. County Attorney Terri Johnson said regarding the building of a new jail, “It’s a finite expense,” versus the rising cost of housing inmates out of county.

Warren countered that the existing jail building would still incur an expense for the county on top of the cost of a new jail, and that the current jail building is not set up well to serve another purpose. Warren said, “It would be a high heating and air expense for no more people than you could get in it.”

Reed’s proposed budget for 2014 is $1,193,657.

In other business:

• Lora Holderidge, Register of Deeds, presented her budget request, which decreased $200 from the past year for a total of $74,820.
• County Attorney Terri Johnson presented the budget request for her department, which totals $252,846.60, and includes a promotion to Senior Level Secretary for Stacy Hanes, who has worked for the department for 4 years. The budget request also includes a raise for the Assistant County Counselor. “We’re kind of at a breaking point . . . I hope you know we work hard and want to give you good information,” Johnson said. One area of the budget that Johnson mentioned would increase a little from the past year is maintenance on electronics. Johnson explained that the server her department uses for their Full-Court and Full-Case programs through which they send and receive information with the courts system is a 2006 model. Johnson said she had been told the computer was “on its last legs” and that it was in need of replacement. Johnson brought up that the department has made a decrease in the area of commodities by reducing paper usage, and asked the commissioners if centralizing commodities purchases to a single vendor for all departments might be discussed in the future as a way to cut costs.
• Rhonda Cole of the Bourbon County Judicial District presented her department budget request, which included a raise for the Bailiff position, but remained constant in all other areas for a total request of $227,107.
• Commissioners approved the donation of $500 from the Special Parks fund to the Elks for last night’s fireworks display

The Game Cafe at 12 E National in Fort Scott had an unexpected visitor come through the window at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, July 3rd. A driver missed the curve and drove into the front of the building, smashing a window and tearing through the building’s brick exterior.

When asked about the situation, building owner Jeff Fischer quipped, “We’re having an open house!” Joseph Fischer said that thankfully the car missed most of the major supporting structures in his father’s building. Fischer said that no one was hurt–the occupants were in the back part of the building when the accident happened–and that Korey Pearson, the owner of the Game Cafe business, had moved merchandise away from the wall that was hit just prior to the accident.

As of now, the Fischers are examining one structural area of the building that is leaning to the left after the crash. Jeff Fischer said that he has jacked up the area by the corner of the door frame that is leaning, and that he will take off a panel of the roof to assess the damage. Fischer said that he might need to install another beam for support.

In addition, the Fischers have reinforced the area under the window with rebar in order to lend that area extra durability.

The traditional neighborhood Burke Street 4th of July Parade was held yesterday in the neighborhood in which it began over 30 years ago. The theme for this year’s parade, as always, was “anything (patriotic) goes!” The parade featured everything from small children on tricycles and a home-built motorized bicycle to antique cars and the Dixon Blue Devils, a group of neighborhood men who perform synchronized driving routines with their Dixon zero-turn lawn mowers.

After the parade, neighbors and parade participants gathered at a neighborhood home for lemonade and cookies at about 10:30 AM. Tradition is tradition, even if it means letting the kids have all of that sugar before lunchtime!

On the hottest day of this summer so far, this past week, the recently-built James B. Tedesco Skate Park is still in use by Fort Scott area youth. Samuel Mix braved the heat to hone his skateboarding skills at the park, enjoying the unique opportunity presented by the grant- and donation-funded park.

New events have been added to the Bourbon County Fair this year, including a baking contest sponsored by the King Aurthur Flour company. According to the King Arthur Flour website, the company is the nation’s oldest flour company, begun in 1790 to serve the “newly formed United States.”

According to Joyce Gobl and Jackie Warren, Superintendents of the Open Class Division at the Bourbon County Fair, the company will be donating flour for the contestants to use. In addition, “the King Arthur Flour Company is sending an additional 960 sacks of self-rising flour to give away at no charge to fair goers during the fair,” said Gobl. The contest will be divided into two age groups–the adult class for contestants 13 and over, and the youth class for contestants 12 and under. Contestants 13 and over will be baking bread, and contestants 12 and under will bake chocolate chip cookies to be judged. Contestants must pre-register for the contest, which will be held July 15, 2013. Free flour for fair attendees may be picked up at the Myers Memorial Building starting July 16th, 2013. This generous gift totals a $5,712 donation from the company, as calculated from the price per bag from the company’s website.

After yesterday’s incident on the railroad tracks near 26oth and Arrowhead Streets, BNSF is at work on the tracks repairing damage. Deputy Kase of the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Department said that BNSF is looking into the cause of the fire, and that the railroad company’s main concern was getting the damaged railroad ties and other pieces of the track repaired to return the track to working condition. Kase mentioned that BNSF had the damaged vehicle hauled away quickly.

Of the accident, Kase said “It was fairly uneventful” and that his main concern when he responded to the call was to make sure that there were no injuries or suspected arson. Kase said that several rural fire departments responded, including Arma, Scott Township and the Garland Rural Fire Department. Kase estimated that the fire was put out within 20 minutes.

Coffee houses have been a gathering place for discussion of ideas since the 1700s. Many great works of historical note have no doubt begun as an idea shared with a friend over a cup of coffee. Noted 18th Century author Alexander Pope decided to be a writer as a child when he saw a famous writer in a London coffee house. However, great things don’t have to be on the scale of “An Essay on Man” in order to make big changes, especially ideas developed by the community, for the community. Common Ground Coffee Co. functions in much the same way as coffee shops through history–as a gathering place for the community and surrounding area.

When one walks through the door of the Common Ground Coffee Co., the customer is immediately surrounded by the welcoming atmosphere of the restored historic downtown building. However, the interior is furnished so nicely that the shop wouldn’t be out of place in a trendy area of Kansas City. Several of the walls have been repaired with fresh sheet rock and painted in neutral and jewel tones, and others have been re-covered with weathered wood, lending a tasteful variety to the appearance of the shop. Hanging light fixtures lend the perfect amount of light for reading without being harsh or overbearing. Comfortable couches are scattered on either side of the main seating area of tables and chairs, and in one corner, a display of oil paintings catches the eye. According to Manager Tyler Hazen, the goal was to personalize the setting in order to set it apart from the look of corporate shops. He said that the goal was to create a comfortable, neutral setting in which people could express themselves.

When asked if Common Ground Coffee Co. might become a place of gathering for thinkers and creative minds, Hazen said, “I think it has been already.” The coffee shop hosts everything from live music to poetry nights, allowing local talent to present their creative work. When asked where the capital and materials came from to start Common Ground Coffee Co., Hazen said, “This was all donation. Once we start building [the business], hopefully we can give back to the community.”

Events planned for summer include live music on Friday nights, starting in July.