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.

Bourbon County Sheriff Ron Gray and Undersheriff Bill Martin presented a new proposal for replacement of department vehicles at today’s commissioners’ meeting.

Ron Gray reported that Shepherd Team Auto Plaza had given the low bid on  SUV type vehicles of $30, 616.45 per vehicle for a monetary total of $153, 082.25 for 5 vehicles. This price includes the installation of special equipment and electrical work to handle the load of the extra equipment.

Martin mentioned that one existing department vehicle had overheated and had to be shut down several times, and that if it were to happen on a call, it would be a potential embarrassment to the department.

Gray and Martin reported that this purchase would require a $3,970 per month minimum payment for new vehicles, maximum of $4,600 per month. Martin said that he did not want to have the same problem as last year in which vehicles were totaled in accidents, and the financial institution handling the loan would not hand over the title. The reason the financial institution would not give the department the title, Martin said, was that the financial institution required the vehicle loan to be paid in full before they would release the title. “We need a finance institution that says ‘you’ve had an accident, we understand, here’s the title,'” Martin said.

Commissioner Albright asked if drivers in the department had undergone any sort of training for defensive driving, to which Martin replied that 3 officers had done KLC training, one of which was the driver who was rear-ended, costing the department another vehicle in a situation beyond their control despite the officer’s training.

Commissioner Barbara Albright calculated the increase in the budget that would be required to purchase the 5 SUV type vehicles. According to Albright, the purchase would require an increase of $23,810. Commissioner Warren said, “I’m hearing you loud and clear [concerning vehicle shortages], but taxpayers do not want increases [in mill levy].” Warren also brought up the issue of the 2014 budget, saying that the commission does not, at this time, have the authority to approve payments that will extend into 2014. “I don’t think we can give you the go-ahead today until we approve the budget,” Warren said.

According to commissioners, $32,000 has been allotted for Sheriff’s vehicles in the 2013 budget, and the department should get back some money from sale of some of the older vehicles. Martin asked what the $11,000 from insurance for hail damage would be used for, and Commissioner Warren replied that it would go back to the Sheriff’s department. Warren pointed out that the commission would have to amend the budget and involve an auditor before the Sheriff’s department could use that $11,000.

The new caretaker at Elm Creek Lake, Wallace Maples, has not only been taking care of the upkeep of the lake and outbuildings, but has also been making improvements to the historic lake house. Maples said, “We’re making progress on it. Slow, but it would be nice if sometime we could get a mower out there and clear off the dam.” Public Works Director Marty Pearson said that quite a few fishermen had been out at the lake making use of the newly restocked lake.

Maples mentioned that in the future he would like to see several improvements made to the lake and surrounding area. Maples said that he would like to eventually see chip n’ seal on the roads around the lake to encourage more use of the lake.

In addition, Maples brought up several ideas to eventually add more amenities for campers. Maples said, “Just the reunions I’ve had out there—maybe a bath and shower would be a good thing. I think the lake could bring in really good revenue. I think there would be more campers if we had more access to the lake.”

Commission Chairman Warren discussed adding 4 more RV outlets and having a grader going to work on the east side of shelter number three to help carry water away from that side of the shelter. Maples reported that some campers had been flooded out of that particular shelter in April of this year.

Maples has been doing some work to the lake house, as well as upkeep to the lake itself. Maples said, “Not to take away too much from the historical site—what I was going to do is take some one by’s or two by’s and running them up the sides of the windows.” Maples said rain is currently leaking in and around several windows and getting the insulation and inside of the wall wet. Maples wants to caulk around the windows and replace woodwork and concrete around the fixtures to “keep the weather out” and help preserve the historic lake house.

Warren mentioned that campers had continued problems with tripping breakers at Elm Creek. “They’re undependable,” said Warren of the 20 amp breakers. But Warren did mention that the 30 amp breakers should be more reliable. “If it’s tripping the 30, they probably need to get their camper checked,” Warren said. Warren said that humidity could make a difference in the breakers tripping or not tripping during use. We had some people that were really pleased with Elm Creek, reported Commissioner Albright. “We’ve had a lot of compliments on the lake and how it’s looking,” Maples said. The caretaker received a signed card and flowers from a camper for the work he has been doing with the lake and buildings.

“I want to make it look great—not just knocking  [the grass] down. When people come out there, I want to make it look the best that I can,” Maples said.

Maples mentioned that a ZTR industrial mower would be a “big plus” out at Elm Creek. Pearson mentioned that he would look online and see what the State had available.

Commissioners Warren and Albright both thanked Maples for his work.

In addition, Bourbon County has added a new position in the Road and Bridge Department. Commission Chairman Warren announced the reorganization and the addition of a Director position for which the county will be hiring. Warren mentioned that Marty Pearson has accepted the position of Foreman. “He has a great amount of expertise,”  Warren said of Pearson in his work with the quarry, and that Pearson has made several improvements to efficiency in the operations at the quarry. “It is more than what any one person can get done,” Warren said of the job duties that Pearson had been handling. Warren said that the county is looking for a person who can be responsible for budget and planning and let Pearson focus on areas that need in the county with regard to repair.

Below is a flow chart explaining the new structure for the Road and Bridge Department.

In other news:

• Jeanie Parker came to the meeting to ask about a time frame for work on Native Road. Pearson replied that he would get the date to her this afternoon. “You guys are doing a great job.” “It takes a lot of communication between a lot of people…at times it is a full-time task,” said Parker. Pearson looked up the exact date and told her it was on the schedule for August 21^st.

• Dan Meara announced that the county will have 68 properties at the next tax sale. The county has started the process of notifying property owners of the Sheriff’s sale. “My guess is the 1^st part of August,” Meara said of the expected date of the sale. Meara joked that getting the sale together was a little bit like “herding cats” in that the cases come in batches of 50 at several different intervals. “Each case has its own idiosyncrasies, its own little problems,” Meara said. Meara said that the timing since the last sale, about 4 months, is about right, considering the proper timetable for the sale in August. Lisa Moore of Pleasanton came to the meeting to discuss her husband’s rental houses and other properties that have been listed on the upcoming tax sale. She mentioned to the commissioners and Meara that she was very unhappy about her husband’s dealings in letting the properties fall behind in taxes, and that she would like to fix up those properties and pay the back taxes on them. Moore asked for time to get the properties back in shape, saying that she promised to do something about the properties, even work to beautify them with landscaping. Commission Chairman Warren wished her good luck in her endeavors, and reassured her that she still had 4 months in order to save her properties. Moore thanked the commissioners and those in attendance for their time.

• Public Works Director Marty Pearson noted tree damages due to weather. “We had a lot of tree damage Thursday night, said Pearson. “I had some right down here on Kansas.” I had one down on 240^th around Deer Road. Pearson also mentioned another 4 out on Grant and 2 on 40^th street. Pearson said that the county had gotten the trees pushed out of the road, but that they wanted to get out and cut up the trees soon as one is pushed up close to a landowner’s fence.

• Pearson reported that outstanding checks to the landfill, presumably from contractors, have been turned in. Contractors have been notified that checks will be due Monday of each week. Pearson mentioned that one trailer came in overloaded and that it is blocking the road. Pearson explained that the trailer did have hydraulics, but that the load was too heavy to be lifted by the trailer’s system. Pearson said that the county would charge $40 to help unload the trailer with the rubber tired excavator. Commission Chairman Warren cautioned Pearson about possible damage to the trailer during the unloading, and Pearson assured Warren that he had a sheet outlining charge to the contractor that would normally be used to ensure the county’s protection in case of an accident during snow removal. Pearson indicated that having the contractor sign this sheet would take care of the liability.

• Terri Coop, Bourbon County Emergency Manager, presented her department’s 2014 budget to the commission. Coop kept her own salary static, but added $3,000 into another area to help take care of expenses for other personnel. Coop reported that the state is encouraging counties to move away from using grant money to pay salaries, and indicated that the $3,000 will help prevent using grant money to pay personnel. Reorganization of phone system, as well as cancelled contracts for software and other items in the department will compensate for that $3,000 addition. Coop also mentioned giving the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) team a small amount of the budget.“We have extremely responsible CERT team managers now, “ Coop said, but Coop said that she will still preside over that allotted money.Coop said that she has been told to anticipate cuts from sequestration, but that after the disaster in Boston, some homeland security grants have been restored, including a $15,000 grant, which Coop’s department will receive. Coop said that the grant is a “lump-sum” grant that the state receives and parcels out among the counties. Coop said that much of the 2014 grant will go to assist Chief Ballou in his efforts to improve communications, of which efforts Coop said Ballou had done great work.

• In an update on the Swift semi accident, Coop said that the fuel spill had been contained. “It’s out there tarped, awaiting disposal,” Coop said. Coop said that the county’s emergency responders had stabilized the fuel spill, and that it was Swift’s responsibility to clean up the spill since it was the company’s truck that caused the spill.

• Commissioners discussed salary for the county assessor’s position, which serves a 4 year term. The county assessor, Judy Wallis, will receive an increase in salary. Wallis’ annual salary will be 61, 916.32 effective July 1st, with a 2% increase per year through the next 4 years. Commissioner Warren moved to pass Resolution 30-13, effective July 1st. Commissioner Harold Coleman seconded.

Representatives from several area companies, including Cobalt Medplans, Ward Kraft, Peerless, Mercy, Extrusions, Firstsource, Labconco and others, met at the Papa Don’s meeting room in downtown Fort Scott to discuss and exchange ideas related to employee retention and hiring.

Jolene Ray, Business Service Representative and John Tersinar, Operations Manager of Kansas Works in the Fort Scott area presented information on how to optimize searches for prospective employees. Within the Kansas Works system, as Ray demonstrated, an employer has the ability to search using several filters, including level of education, location and keyword. Ray encouraged employers to call Kansas Works and ask for employee referrals to save employers time in interviews. Ray said, “It is highly key to contact us and get a referral from us.” Ray mentioned that this strategy allows an employer to gather additional information about a prospective employee before holding an interview.

Tersinar addressed questions regarding the “On the Job Training” (OJT) program in which Kansas Works pays for a potential employee’s training, providing that individual is qualified for the program. Tersinar explained that Kansas Works “[buys] training from the company” instead of hiring an outside entity as a training provider. Tersinar also highlighted the agency’s success with employee placement. Tersinar said, “I think our success rate is high 80s to 90s in the past 3 years” regarding employee placement.

In addition, Ray and Tersinar presented an additional tool for employers’ use in searching for quality employees. Tersinar explained that Kansas Works offers a “Work Ready” certificate that is granted to employees who achieve a certain level of competency in basic math, reading and writing skills. “A lot of companies are seeing the value in the Work Keys and ‘Work Ready!’ Certificate,” Tersinar remarked. Ray noted that PITSCO, a company in Pittsburg, KS that creates education curricula, now uses the Work Ready! Certificate scores in order to screen applicants for their picker/packer positions. Ray said that the test is administered by ACT, and that a potential employee that scores a “Gold” on the test is likely an employee who is teachable.

Mike Jackman of Peerless Products, Inc. suggested that area employers make use of the Work Ready! certificate program. Jackman mentioned that using the certificate to look for quality employees might result in “higher retention rates” of employees for Fort Scott area companies.

Regarding attracting quality workers for area companies, Michael Bryant, Vice President of Operations at Cobalt Medplans said, “As a community, we’re going to have to get creative to keep growing,” and that the area is in need of a larger labor pool of skilled and educated workers in order to allow companies’ continued expansion.

At this morning’s Chamber Coffee held at Cobalt Medplans, Vice President of Operations Michael Bryant announced that the company is looking for employees experienced with claims processing and customer service.

Bryant explained that the company is not just an insurance company, but that it also has other operations housed under the same roof. Bryant told visitors that the company offers claims processing services, and that the company is piloting a customer service call center that serves Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, the same company branch for which they process claims. Cobalt employees access claims in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City’s system in order to process the information. Several months ago in February 2013, the company began what Bryant referred to as a “2nd operation of taking calls.” The customer service operations allow questions from customers to be answered by employees located in the same area, which facilitates communication and allows questions to be answered by employees who have a greater familiarity with the needs and concerns of customers in the area.

Bryant said that Cobalt Medplans currently has three locations, one in Fort Scott, another in Rockford, Illinois, and a third in Kansas City. The Fort Scott location employs 90 of the company’s 150 total employees. Bryant announced that the company wishes to expand, and explained that the company needs resources with which to succeed. Bryant said, “We look forward to continuing to grow and finding those experienced resources that allow us to do so.”

In other news:

• City Manager Dave Martin announced the city’s consideration of moving the date of the fireworks display next year. Martin cited safety concerns because of the large number of people setting off their own night works during the public fireworks display.
• First Methodist Church will be offering Vacation Bible School to area children and encouraged all who can to attend and enjoy the activities the church has prepared.
• Kelly Collins, Chief Ranger of the Fort Scott National Historic Site, announced Independence Day activities to be held at the Fort. The staff and volunteers will be hosting 4 days of activities, including firing the cannon at dusk on June 29th, and living history activities on July 6th and 7th. Festivities including ice cream and music from local musical group Fuss n’ Feathers will be held on July 4th at 2:15 at the Fort.

Radio Shack has recently hired Nick Graham as a computer repair technician for the Fort Scott location. Graham works on both Macs and PCs, and provides both hardware and software repair to customers. He has over a decade of experience in the field of information technology, a definite asset to those in need of computer repair.We caught up with Nick for an interview about the services he offers at Radio Shack and his past experiences in the field of Information Technology.

We asked how Graham got started in the field, and his reply reveals lots of experience with the foundation of computer technology and how things have changed. He mentioned that the first computer he used was a friend’s 1993-1994 Acer desktop computer with an Intel 486 33 Mhz processor. Graham said, “Computers honestly haven’t changed fundamentally at the base level in the nearly 20 years since that Acer, but how much they can do and how fast they can do it is what continually astonishes me. The technology evolves so fast that you can easily get left behind.”

When asked what he works on most, Graham replied that he often works on software issues for customers. Graham said, “Our main business is definitely malware and virus removal.” Graham mentioned that most free downloads come with extra things attached, and that most of these things slow down the user’s computer. Graham said, “Combine that with actual viruses that are *designed* to make your computing life miserable, and a PC can start running like it’s pedal powered pretty quickly.” Graham explained that many recent pop-up ads are designed to look like legitimate computer programs, and that the program the pop-up installs typically contains spyware that compromises the security of the computer user. He mentioned that he does a “fair amount” of hardware replacement, too.

Graham also mentioned that while computer technology has become affordable, that affordability sometimes comes at a price: “As technology like PCs and printers have gotten cheaper, so have their construction and quality. There are computer brands out there I used to swear by that I now advise people to avoid like the plague,” Graham said.

While Graham works on both Macs and PCs, we also asked about the extent of repair he offers for Macs. Graham said that he provides the “bare basics” on repairs for Macs, such as “system restorations/operating system reloads, hard drive and RAM replacement.” Graham said, “Macs these days are more and more built to only be worked on by Mac techs, and can’t have a lot of off the shelf repairs done on them. . . A good example of this is the new Mac Pro Apple unveiled last week. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, but not exactly service-friendly, which is by design.”

However, the good news for Fort Scott residents is that we now have full computer repair  for PCs and basic repair for Macs available in town. Stop by Radio Shack and see Nick Graham to fix a software issue or to have a hardware problem resolved!

At this morning’s meeting, Bourbon County Commissioners listened as two more entities brought requests for funding. The county will start work on the budget the first of July, and many organizations have brought forward financial requests in the past month. Jim Cunningham, Executive Director of Tri-Valley Developmental Services, presented a portfolio including Tri-Valley’s work in past years, as well as upcoming needs.

Cunningham requested a total of $65,000 from the county for the upcoming year, citing cuts in state funding that have caused reductions in staff in past years. Cunningham said that the organization is holding the budget steady, but expenses keep rising. “We’ve pretty well cut our budget to the bone,” Cunningham said. Tri-Valley currently employs 140 people area wide and serves four counties–Bourbon, Neosho, Allen and Crawford. Cunningham said that funding cuts had caused a loss of 22 employees over the past 6 years, and that these lost jobs also brought about lost tax dollars to the county. Cunningham also highlighted a few changes since KanCare took effect. According to Cunningham, 22,000 people were disenrolled since January 1st of this year.

Cunningham reported that there are currently 53 staff members working in Bourbon County, and that there are 61 Bourbon County residents being served by the organization. Tri Valley offers vocational rehabilitation, transportation and many other services, and that there are currently 28 people on their waiting list.

A county department also presented a request for a slight increase in funding. Judy Wallis of the Bourbon County Appraiser’s Office presented her office budget from the past year, and the areas she saw room to cut funding this coming year. Wallis explained that “Everything else but the personnel is going to be down $1,500,” and that she works many hours of overtime at her salaried position, which pays less than the same position in other counties of similar size and composition as Bourbon County. Wallis requested that a 3% increase in salary per year be built into the budget in order to keep the salary comparable with others in the area.

This Friday the 28th at Papa Don’s restaurant in downtown Fort Scott from 11:30AM to 1:00PM, the Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the first Fort Scott Area Employer Exchange. The gathering will offer information and discussion regarding “workforce needs, HR issues, employees migrating from employer to employer, state grant/incentive opportunities, job fairs, enticing FS alumni to move back to the area, how to utilize KANSASWORKS and other resources for recruitment and other desired topics,” according to the Chamber.

Costs to attend are set at the following prices:

Chamber members: Free without lunch, $10 with lunch

Non-members: $10 without lunch, $20 with lunch

For those planning to attend, please RSVP at http://fschamber.eventbrite.com or contact Lindsey Madison at [email protected] or by calling 223-3566.

Late this morning, two semis collided at the intersection of Main and 23rd street in Fort Scott. City Manager Dave Martin called Bourbon County Emergency Manager Terri Coop to the scene of the accident to assist with the cleanup of a diesel fuel leak from one of the semis.

The exact cause of the accident has not yet been determined. “KHP is doing a full investigation,” Coop said. As for the fuel spill, Coop said that the state had been contacted, and that fuel spills are so common in motor vehicle accidents that there is a completely set routine for dealing with them.

According to reports, at least one person was hospitalized after the accident.

Though the Aquatic Center has certainly been a benefit to residents of Fort Scott with regard to recreation and entertainment, the center has also brought economic benefits to the area. According to Economic Development Business Recruitment and Retention Manager Macy Cullison, the pool has brought a good many visitors to the community. Cullison said, “I think it’s been really good for the area” and that quite a few people came from out of town last year to use the Aquatic Center facilities. Cullison said that the investment in the new pool paid off, and that the pool season last year was “the best in the last 10 years.”

The pool has seen, according to Cullison, an increase in traffic. She said that in just the first week of pool season last year, the pool saw a daily admission of 245. Attendance remained high, with the average throughout the season hovering around 100-150 visitors per day.

To put the finishing touches on the area around the exterior of the pool area this spring, Rodgers and Sons Concrete has repaired the historic concrete and brick seating built by the WPA in the 1930’s.

As the County prepares to put courthouse roof repairs out to bid, commissioners have made a change to the way bids will be conducted.  Commissioner Barbara Albright said, “I just think we need to be consistent.” Commissioners considered getting rid of the 5% bid allowance for Bourbon County contractors. “We’ve got to settle it before we put anything else out for bid, I think,” said Commission Chairman Allen Warren. Albright pointed out that local contractors already have the opportunity to benefit because they have fewer transportation costs involved in taking on a job in Bourbon County, and that complaints have been sent to the commission regarding the 5% allowance.

Warren moved to eliminate the 5% bid allowance for local contractors. Albright seconded, pointing out that commissioners would still be accepting bids based on price and quality of work, which would still give local contractors the opportunity to compete well with outside contractors.

The Board of Directors for SEK Mental Health also attended the meeting in order to present a request for $77,250 in mill levy support for 2014, a 3% increase from the amount requested in 2013. Robert Chase, Executive Director, explained the mission of SEK Mental Health to the commissioners. Chase said “Our goal is to treat people in the community where their family and support system is.”

Karen Owen, CSS Director, highlighted the number of individuals that the organization is able to treat in the community instead of sending them away from the community they call home. According to Owen, about 50% of the cases SEK Mental Health sees are treated locally instead of being transported to other facilities. SEK Mental Health currently employs 16 full time employees and 10 part-time employees, but Chase explained that some of those employees’ time is being used as employees adjust to changes made by KANCARE. Alan Hauser, CFO of SEK Mental Health, highlighted the positive in KANCARE. Hauser said, “It hasn’t caused us not to offer services.”

According to the board, the organization has lost $90,000 in funding in the past 4 years. Hauser presented a graph showing data on the number of clients the organization has served in past years. Hauser explained that while number of clients served has gone down in the past year, the number of hours the organization has spent with patients has actually grown.

Reverend Marty DeWitt, Case Manager, explained how the services SEK Mental Health offers are essential to the county. He explained that when a person approaches him with a need for professional assistance, he is able to refer them to SEK Mental Health professionals.

In other business:

• Commissioners signed off on firework sales permits for 4 firework stands, including Jakes (2 stands), one in Mapleton and one other within the county.
• David Neville, County Custodial Supervisor, explained that the SEK Health building had water damage from poorly installed siding that was put on in years past. Insurance will not pay for damage to windows or decking on the roof of the Health building.  The affected 4 windows are located on the north side of the building.

Workers from R II Concrete Construction, LLC have been hard at work pouring and molding concrete curbs around the new Medal of Honor memorial on Skubitz Plaza in downtown Fort Scott.

According to Mitch Welch, the company is installing concrete curbs in preparation for a brick sidewalk. Welch said that the city will put down sand, then lay bricks to complete the sidewalk around the memorial.

The new sidewalk will match the concrete and brick sidewalk that leads to the old block house on the plaza.