If you’ve driven by Espressly For You recently, you may have noticed the sign saying that it is closing. The good news is that the store has been purchased by Mike Giordano and he’ll be taking over on Tuesday February 20th.
Mr. Giordano is a Fort Scott local. He said they plan to be open from 6 to 2 and may consider staying open later for a dinner special on Wednesdays. Be sure to stop by and Welcome Mr. Giordano in his new endeavor.
Marty Pearson showed the commissioners details on a training program on roads that KCAMP will pay for. The commissioners voted for him to take the classes that will be paid for by the state. The classes are offered through KU and are part of the Kansas Roads Scholar Program.
There still isn’t a date on the tax sale and the county is still waiting for Mr. Meara to put together the press release. There are a few dates in March and April when the Register of Deeds office will be gone to a conference so the the tax sale can’t be scheduled for those dates. The commissioners asked that these dates be communicated to Mr. Meara.
Sheriff Gray presented a request from Uniontown asking about putting a flashing light on K3 and Maple Road. There have been two fatalities there recently. They have permission from the state, but the state said they didn’t have funds to pay for it. Uniontown is asking for assistance from the county for the approximately $5,000 cost of installing it. The state doesn’t have any money to pay for it, but they were hoping the county could pay for 75% of it. The commissioners acknowledged the request and said they would approve it, but didn’t have the funds to add it at this time.
The county has been asked for a Bourbon County representative for the Kansas 6th Judicial nominating committee.
The commissioners spoke with a company that will help audit the counties phone bills to see if they can recover any overpaid funds. The company will split the refunds with the county. The Commissioners made and passed a motion to use the service to look at their phone bill.
Some time back, FortScott.Biz requested a copy of the details from the audit showing the individual under and overpayment information. The commissioners were concerned that they might not want to request this information (and make it subject to Kansas Open Records Act) until any investigation by the the Attorney General was complete.
This information has now been made available and is being used to send refunds back to tax payers that overpaid. The commissioners said that they still hadn’t heard anything back from the Attorney General, but decided it was in the best interest of the county to request the information in order to issue refunds to those that overpaid.
Keep in mind that underpayment doesn’t indicate any type of problems on the part of the tax payer. They paid what they were told to pay. If there were inaccuracies, in the amount of tax they were told to pay or how the interest was calculated, that wasn’t the fault of the tax payer.
Based on previous conversations, it does not appear there is a way to recover underpaid taxes from the tax payers if their accounts were marked paid in full. This seems reasonable as it would be very disruptive to businesses and individual if the county could go back several years and say “oh we made a mistake, you now owe more money.”
Here is the pdf of the over/underpayments. If your name shows up as having overpaid, you should be receiving a refund in the near future.
Michael and Chrisi Shead sent word to their local relatives from their Mission in Guatemala that their Mother, Vickie Shead of Garland, KS., will be 60 years old on Monday, March 13. Congratulations.
Sunday Morning, February 12, birthday offerings were given by Pastor Charles Cable who said he is not growing older and to prove it he sang a solo entitled EACH STEP I TAKE before he went from the piano to the pulpit for sermon time. At the end he had all singing I HAVE THE JOY DOWN IN MY HEART. The other birthday offering was given for Tara Vanleeuwen. The birthday song was sung by the congregation.
Due to cold and snowy weather, the February 13, Autumn Leaves Senior Citizens was cancelled. Due to the snow that did fall, it seemed the right thing to do for Senior Citizens. The next meeting will be March 5, in the Senior’s Cottage on Arcadia Street, weather permitting.
February 25, will be this month’s date for AHS OUR GANG potluck dinner in the Arcadia Community Center at 6:30 PM.
Saturday afternoon, Larry Shead drove to Ottawa, Kansas to bring his Aunt and Uncle, Harriett and Jack Corporon of Brooklyn, NY to Garland, KS. Gathering at the Shead farm in the mean time were relatives and friends to celebrate the birthday of Vickie Shead and the 55th wedding Anniversary of the Corporons. Kentucky Fried Chicken furnished by the Corporons was enjoyed then after Happy Birthday and Anniversary song, the Ice Cream Cake was served by Larry. The total of thirteen present for the evening also included others, namely, Charles Corporon, Rose Campbell, Pittsburg; Matthew & Ashley Shead; Joplin; Ralph & Cindy
Shead; Carl Junction; Katy and Benjamin Shead, Ft. Scott and Mary V. Shead, Arcadia. where the New Yorkers spent Saturday night.
The last of January, Port Hughes in McPherson enjoyed visits from her daughter, Kirby Gould from Olathe, Kansas and first of February her brother Charles Corporon was her guest.
Dr Tyler Eugene Coomes, who died February 3, funeral was held in Brenner’s Chapel in Pittsburg on Monday, February 6. His wife is the former Ruh Herlocker of Pittsburg and a niece of Bill Dobbins in Pittsburg and Dan, Ray & Perry Dobbins of Ft. Scott. Her Grandfather is the Late Edd Dobbins, the Barber on Arcadia Street for many years. Condolences to the family.
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 14, 2012 for the USD School meeting to be held in the Arcadia Community Center from
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
The commissioners discussed the best time to plant fescue on some county land and the reclamation project at the old quarry. There was also some discussion about moving the scale. The county is getting the old crusher ready to go to the company where it was traded in on the new one.
The commissioners wanted to clarify that the East side of Cedar Creek Lake is still open and you can drive in there. The West side is closed to traffic now, but you can walk in to go fishing. The restrooms are also being removed from the West side. The decision was made by the rural water department because of the vandalism that was taking place.
The commissioners are still waiting for a list of properties and what day they will be sold from Dan Meara for the tax sale.
Joanne Long asked the commissioners about a money transfer from the general fund to the sewer fund, but they decided to hold off until they had more information.
In January Commissioner Coleman was voted in as chairman. Evidently Commissioner Jingles Endicott had made a motion to make Commissioner Allen Warren the new Chairman and the motion had been seconded by Commissioner Coleman. After some discussion Commissioner Warren convinced then Chairman Endicott to not vote for his own motion and the two of them voted Commissioner Coleman in as the new Chairman.
Jake “Jukebox” Johnson was born in Fort Scott, but raised in Iola. He was attending FSCC when he decided to stop by Boone’s Barber Shop to ask about careers as a barber. Encouraged by what he learned, Mr. Johnson enrolled in Wichita’s Old Town Barber College. After graduating 11 1/2 months later he took a job at Boone’s Barber Shop.
Now he is starting his own business with the Jukebox Barber Shop at 15 E. Wall Street where he offers $10 haircuts and $10 shaves. On a recent visit a record player in the corner was playing Johnny Cash and there were a number of guitars on display on the wall.
Mr. Johnson said the guitars are for sale. He also has strings, picks and other supplies that he said are hard to find in Fort Scott. He also offers guitar lessons. His goal with the guitar, lessons and supplies isn’t to make a large profit–he just wants to get more people interested in music.
The Jukebox Barber Shop is open from 8 to 7 Tuesday through Friday and 8 to 1 on Saturday. The telephone number for voice and text is 620-224-7798. The shops website is: http://jukeboxsbarbershop.com/
Carter Stegall from Running Foxes Petroleum can to discuss buying right of way to put in pipeline. They need to drill under a road and wanted to know what issues there were with going under roads. Marty Pearson said that they would be responsible to fill in any settling the happens afterwards. Commissioner Warren suggested a type of mix that had a good history of not sinking.
There was a discussion of what type of permits would be needed and if a bond was needed
The water district has voted to close Cedar Creek Lake to vehicles and take the bathroom out because of too much vandalism. It will still be open for fishing, but people will have to walk down to the lake and the dock will be removed.. The plan is to move the bathroom to Elm Creek Lake.
Ron Center from the landfill came to discuss a request to the state about going 10 foot higher in the landfill. There are some changes that need to be made to meet the state requirements. Mr. Center has a flat fee bid for $1000 to do the work that is required.
The Commissioners were asked if the press release detailing the status of the tax sale had been created and they said they were waiting on Dan Meara.
They were also asked about the status of the request for a listing of the people who had overpaid and underpaid as determined by the audit. Joanne Long said that this information had been emailed to Fort Scott Biz, and the Commissioners indicated that the Treasurer was going to start sending out refund checks for the approximately $800 that had been overpaid. They pointed out that $300 was the Treasurer’s overpayment.
The commissioners voted to go into executive session for 30 minutes to discuss non-elected employees.
The National Weather Service out of Springfield is forecasting a surge of Arctic airmass in Southeast Kansas starting Friday evening with temperatures falling into the single digits by Saturday morning followed by snow and sleet fer the next several days. With the low temperatures road surfaces are projected to be very slick.
On Friday, Julie Watt and her friend, Nicole Johnson from Woodstock, CT along with Julie’s Dad, Tom Watt and her uncles, Bill and Delton Watt visited Mae Watt and took her to lunch at the NuGrille in Ft. Scott. Julie and Nichola spent a few days visiting with Tom & Phyllis Watt in Lees Summit, MO. and with Carla and Duane Bowers in Liberty, MO. Many of the WAtt family members spent Saturday evening in Tom’s home visiting with the ladies from Ct.
A recent ad on KOAM TV showed Scott Ball, Arcadia, while announcing the Special Olympic Kansas Polar Plunge to be January 11, 2012.
Old time friends from Arcadia school days were pleased to meet with Mitchell Miles at the time he attended the funeral of Ruth Holland in Liberal, MO. in December.
Following the funeral and burial of Ava Mae Adams in the Arma Methodist Church and burial in Old Arcadia Cemetery on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, the ladies of Arma Church and Arcadia Christian Church prepared and served dinner to family, relatives and close friends. The ladies included Norma Lockwood, Emma Louise Aloe, Betty Brunk, Mildred Nicoletti, Patty Peterson, Lilly Coonrod, Carol Kessleor, Muriel Stroud, Deloris Bierbrodt, Among the many at the services and dinner included Juanita McWillliams and son Richard & Judy McWilliams from Joplin, MO. who are cousins to the deceased.
At dinner they were seated with other relatives
January 9, Sunday Arcadia Christian Church services and dinner were well attended this week . Landon Younge presented first a solo accompanying himself on his guitar, then he and Pastor Charles Cable sang a chorus. The audience responded with applause. Among other special guests at the dinner hour were Cable’s daughter, Cherri Walrod and family from Eudora, Kansas. Leora Younge had many of her family present for this special day. Christie Parrish gave a birthday offering for her Great Nephew’s first birthday, Kylee Wilsons.
While attending Kathreen Kunstel’s visitation in the Bedene Funeral Parlor in Arma, Helen Sisney was pleased to greet her son, Steve Sisney from Hiatville, KS and her granddaughter Courtney Sisney, rural Arma. Courtney works in the Arma Care Center where Kathreen once lived. Long time friend to Kathreen, also present to greet family members, was Rose Shular Campbell from Pittsburg.
Brandy & Michelle Mellon went to Arkansas to visit friends and family members during the Christmas Holiday. Back home, they took their neighbor, Darren Sliger, to SS and Church dinnner on January 8.
Sarah and Erin Shead, daughters of Cindy and Ralph Shead, came from California to spend a few days during the holidays with them in Carl Junction , Mo. and in Dewey, OK with their Grandfather, R.H. Geurin and their Aunt and Uncle, Mr. and Mrs. David Geurin and daughters. They attended the Shead celebration on Wednesday, December 28,with their brother, Matt & Ashley Shead of Joplin.
Other guests in the Arcadia celebration were Charles Corporon, Rose Campbell, Hayley, Mark, Katy & Benjamin Shead, Maria & Clayton Whitson. Jesse Hudson.
Presbyterian Village in Ft. Scott has issued an invitation to friends to attend National Pie Day. On January 23, they will serve Coffee and the choice of two delicious homemade pies on Monday Jan 23 , 2012. Call to make reservations before Jan. 20–620-223-5550. What a kind and gentle offer. Thank you!
Joanne Long clarified that the approximately $1.5 million spent on healthcare for county employees included about $800,000 of employee contributions. So the total amount spent on health care per county employee is around $7,000–not $15,000 as was previously suggested.
There was some discussion about the need to purchase a used truck. A suitable truck has been located, but it was slightly more expensive than expected. Marty said that the cost of used trucks is very high that this one represented one of the best deals he could find. They are going to check to see if the truck is still available.
The crusher has been moved to the new quarry. The county is working on making sure the brakes are good and all the equipment is ready to begin operation. People are coming in to train county employees on the new equipment. There was some concern that there were some maintenance issues with the loaders so it was discussed the need to have a backhoe available as a backup plan if the loaders were down when the training was taking place.
There was a firm coming in to discuss the possibility of building a new jail at 9:45. (I wasn’t able to stay for that part of the meeting.)
There was also a planned discussion of the new sewer district, planned for later in the morning.
The map below shows properties that are on the list for the Bourbon County Tax Sale. Properties are being redeemed by their owners so some of the properties on the list may have already been redeemed. The Bourbon County website has a list that is more up-to-date. Also it is possible that some of the properties didn’t get geo-encoded correctly so they may not show up as expected. The locations are probably close, but not all of the mapping information is accurate so it probably wouldn’t be wise to use this map as a basis for bidding or not bidding on a piece of property.
There area lot of properties to show, so you may need to zoom in to view the details. Clicking on a red marker will give you the address of the property and give you a link to see just that property on a map.
If you are reading this in an email, you may want to click on the link for “View Larger Map” to see the details or visit FortScott.Biz directly.
Boeing has announced plans to close their Wichita plant which will cut over 2,000 jobs. According to Senator Moran, less than a year ago Boeing had pledged to add 7,500 jobs to the Kansas location as part of the tanker contract they were awarded.
City officials from Wichita helped Boeing in their efforts to win the tanker contract based on the new jobs it would create, so they feel a bit betrayed that the aviation/defense company chose to not only move the tanker jobs to Oklahoma City and San Antonio, but also shutdown the rest of their Kansas operations.
Officials were also disappointed that Boeing didn’t talk to them about the changes before making the announcement so they weren’t able to offer any incentive for the corporation to stay.