|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Gordon Parks Museum receives Kansas Arts Commission General Operating Support Grant
Fort Scott, Kan. Aug. 16, 2024 – The Gordon Parks Museum is one of the recipients to receive grant funds from the Kansas Arts Commission for General Operating Support. The museum’s grant award amount is $16,000. Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced $1,295,450 has been awarded to 108 recipients in the latest round of Kansas Arts Commission (KAC) grant funding. The funds will support museums, arts education, music, dance, visual arts, professional and community theater, creative writing, murals, poetry and other creative projects.
We are very grateful and excited to be part of this Kansas Arts Commission grant.” said Kirk Sharp, museum, executive director. “This grant award will significantly help and support our museum’s operating expenses for the upcoming year.”
Funding for Kansas Arts Commission grants comes from the Kansas Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information, contact the museum by phone at (620) 223-2700, ext. 5850, or by email at [email protected]..
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports August 16
Woodland Hills Golf Course Future: A Center of Activity For The Community
The City of Fort Scott staff are trying to make the Woodland Hills Golf Course used by the community more, in fact, to become an activity center in Fort Scott.
The staff spoke at this week’s Chamber of Commerce Coffee hosted by the golf course.
“Steve and his clubhouse crew have implemented many upgrades for our customers this year,” said Mary Wyatt, FS City Planning, Housing and Development Director, and as such is the director of the golf course. “We have contracted with a new golf cart fleet vendor and replaced all of our old golf carts, installed new countertops, purchased a new TV for the clubhouse, and purchased new high-top tables and chairs. We are also in the process of contracting with a new point-of-sale hardware and software which has many new features such as a tee-time software, annual pass cards for members, and a new website that we will be implementing soon.”
“As the FS Director of the Golf Course, I help facilitate and assist with projects, but the on-site management and their crews are the ones that make the customer experience so excellent with their daily hard work and dedication,” she said.
New Name For The Clubhouse
“With all of the new upgrades this year, we thought it would be a great time to give the Woodland Hills Golf Course Clubhouse an official name,” she said.
A suggestion box was placed in the clubhouse requesting name suggestions, and the top 10 were selected and put into a survey online. The community voted on the suggestions, determined the winning name by majority vote, and purchased a sign with that name that was installed on the front entrance of the clubhouse.
“The new official name chosen by the community is The Clubhouse!” she said. “Key Industries, Inc. designed shirts with the official new name for staff, and Jeff Allen wired and mounted the new sign.”
Community Is Invited To Utilize
“We have worked hard this year to create a more inclusive environment that any man, woman, or child can enjoy for more than just a golfing experience,” she said. “We want to invite everyone to come watch their favorite sports games in the clubhouse, hold their volunteer group or committee meetings there, host a weekly card game with friends, or come enjoy a burger or chicken sandwich for lunch or dinner.”
Steve Carter, club manager, said there are currently golf leagues for men, women, children and families, with cart rental at $16 for 18 holes of golf and $10 for 9 holes of golf.
Grounds Keepers
Dustin Fowler, head greens keeper, and his staff: Tyler Cook, Jonathan Allen, Rick McDaniels, and Glenn Niemann have been working to maintain the fairway with weather conditions adding to the workload.
Fowler said the Fort Scott Public Works dredged a pond to make it larger and deeper for irrigation of the greens and Bermuda sod had been donated from Wolf Creek Golf Course, to replace sod that had been killed by drought/ winter kill. He said the plan is for the fairways to be reseeded next spring.
“Dustin and his grounds team have put in a lot of overtime this year working towards recovering our greens and fairways from the past few years of drought and from the flood we had earlier this year,” she said. “The drought has caused a lot of bare, brown spots, throughout the property that are not easily repaired, and the flooding all but destroyed the bottom nine holes of the golf course.”
“It’s taken a lot of focused intensive work to manually rake the gravel out of the greens and back onto the cart paths not just after the flood but every time we have a heavy rain, a lot of seed planting, aeration, sod installation, watering, and fertilizing to rehabilitate the grounds post-drought as well as the rebuilding the bottom nine holes after flooding and heavy rain.”
“Even with the drought and the flood working against our crews and all of the special projects they’ve been working on, they still work day in and day out to maintain the grounds for golfers to enjoy daily and for hosting golf tournaments, they also built a very unique and beautiful section of brick cart path.”
Future Projects
Mini Golf
FS City Manager BradMatkin said he met with a business owner recently and there is a grant opportunity for a Fort Scott-themed miniature golf course at the city-owned golf course.
“This is in the very early stages, so I don’t have a ton of answers right now,” Matkin said. “Once I have budgeting information, it still have to be approved by the commission.”
“The Youth Activity Team has granted money for this project, and we are working on another grant for additional monies,” Matkin said.
“Our vision is to have an 18-hole miniature golf course that will not only add value to our community but will bring people from the area into our town to play. Fort Scott needs more things for families to do and I feel this would be perfect for that type of activity. We want it to be a place where a family can go out play 18-holes of miniature golf then eat a burger or hot dog, at The Clubhouse, and enjoy each other’s company or meet new friends.”
” We are going to ask for businesses to purchase holes and will let them put their “logos”, “theme” or brand on the holes,” he said. “It would really be great to have a hole that represents the fort, the splash pad, or possibly other parts of our history.”
Other Future Projects
Also in the future “the grounds crew hope to concrete all of the cart paths to make a smoother driving experience for our customers as well as prevent the loss of the cart paths during heavy rains or flooding, and create new appealing features such as decorative wooden bridges and detailed landscaping.”
“We hope to purchase new patio furniture for people to enjoy socializing out back and make the environment more cozy and inviting,” she said. “We hope to be able to provide full kitchen capabilities with a wider range of menu options, golf simulators to give customers the capability of the golf experience year-round, mini golf, and a driving range have also been discussed as well as landscaping the grass circle in front of the clubhouse.”
An Opportunity Lost by Patty LaRoche
Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection
www.alittlefaithlift.com
AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
Friends for 50 years delivered the eulogy of my son-in-law’s dad, Paul. At last month’s celebration-of-life, we learned much about this man. From the time he was young, Paul sought adventure. When he was seven years old, he discovered a Christmas present under his parents’ bed. While they were at work, he opened it, found a bike, assembled it and rode around the block a few times. When finished, he took the bike apart and placed it back in its box, placing it exactly as he found it.
According to Steve, Paul’s friend, on Christmas morning, his parents were amazed at how quickly he assembled the bike. It was years before they knew their son’s secret. When Paul was 12, he decided to learn to drive, so when his parents were at work, he drove around town in one of their cars. His dad became suspicious and placed a white mark on the tire so that, if Paul “borrowed” the car, the mark on the tire would end up in a different position and Paul would be busted. Realizing his father’s tactic, Paul would drive home, jacked up the car and rotate the tire to the exact position in which he had found the white mark.
The stories were endless. Trophies were awarded for races he won as a young adult (going over 200 mph) in the Bonneville Flats after teaching himself how to increase the power of his engine, and he and Steve rode their jet skis into the Hoover Dam tunnels where they found themselves at the base of the gigantic engines that ran the dam, clearly a dangerous no-no.
Following the funeral, many of us shared the same story: we had no idea Paul had done what we had just heard. How was that possible? We had known him for decades, yet we knew little about his life. We lost an incredible opportunity to hear, first-hand, about his crazy adventures and why he made the decisions he did. His gutsiness was why he took risks and started his own, very successful company.
Relationships take work. They require listening skills where questions are asked so that others have a chance to share their life. I love hearing people’s stories, so what kept me from asking Paul about his? My loss.
When asked the most important commandment, Jesus talked about one’s vertical relationship with God the Father; the horizontal relationship with our fellow man came in a close second. Clearly, relationships are at the core of Christian living. Sadly, we now have entered a messed-up world where texting has taken over as the main method of correspondence. You know, “How R U?” Short and sweet. Very few, face-to-face encounters.
Sure, we may text-ask someone’s opinion on a scripture or on politics or even about a cute meme we just sent, but true relationships are developed in person. Around the dinner table. On the front porch. On a walk. They take time. They take commitment. They take putting ourselves out. \
Frequently, when I run into people, we end our short conversation with, “We have to get together soon.” But I get busy and fail to follow through. I am short-changing the incredible possibilities for how God has wired people to bless each other when I do not make this happen.
There is one relationship we cannot afford to short-change, and that is ours with God. Our daily strolls with God, where we set aside minutes each day to talk with Him, to listen to His guidance, to thank Him for our blessings, lets Him know He matters most of all. I mean, He does…doesn’t He?
Women’s Christian Temperance Union News
Submitted by Loreta Jent
Hosted by national officers, the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) celebrated its Sesquicentennial recently, August 5-8, 2024, in the beautiful Amish country
of Berlin, Ohio.
Attendees from this community were the National Educator Director, Loreta Jent and husband, Larry, from rural Fort Scott, KS.
Convention business, reports, and awards took place followed by special celebration activities such as attending a
production of “Ruth” at the Ohio Star Theater, and discovering the Amish culture through a beautiful cyclorama at the Amish Mennonite Heritage Center in nearby Behalt, OH.
President Merry Lee Powell gave a closing banquet address entitled, “150 Years – Now What?”
Pictured is President Powell as she invited and announced that NWCTU will host the 42nd World WCTU Convention, July 21-25, 2025, in Skokie, IL.
Pictured on the screen behind President Powell is World WCTU President from Norway, Margaret Ostenstad, who plans to be present with many other WCTU women from around the world!
Free Friday Night Concert: Danny Brown and the Bourbon County Revival August 16
Danny Brown and the Bourbon County Revival will be performing this Friday evening in downtown Fort Scott at 1st and Main Street.
“One of our best,” said Ralph Carlson, organizer of the free concerts. “They are pretty eclectic and have a lot of variety. We are glad to have them.”
The concert starts at 7 p.m., and the audience is asked to bring lawn chairs. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be at Common Ground Coffee Co., 12 E. Wall.
The concert series is sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce and organized by Carlson.
Hollister Wildlife Area and Shooting Range: Gun Practice Area
Bryan Buchta is the president of Old Fort Sharp Shooters Club, a gun club. That club volunteers at a local wildlife area, Hollister Wildlife Area and Shooting Range, eight miles southwest of Fort Scott.
The Hollister Wildlife Area has been a state wildlife area since 1978, when it was purchased by the Kansas Fish and Game, according to the Kansas Wildlife and Parks website. The wildlife area includes 2,432 acres of rolling range and pasture land, interspersed with native woodlands.
The shooting range, within the wildlife area, is operated solely by volunteer Range Safety Officers (RSO’s) who adhere to National Rifle Association range safety guidelines, Buchta said.
There are always two Range Safety Officers on duty during the times of the shooting range events.
Firearm safety and knowledge are the club’s main goals.
“There are about 250 memberships,” he said. “There are about 50-75 regulars. Although it’s never crowded there.”
“During hunting season, hunters come out to sight their rifles,” Bryan said. “There are also shooting competitions.”
There was a 22 caliber rife competition recently and there is an upcoming pistol competition, he said.
“Pistol competitions; “Steel Challenge” and “Action Pistol”, are held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays respectively each month at 8:00 am,” he said. ” Everyone is welcome to compete in the matches including new shooters as the RSOs and competitors are always happy to teach new shooters how the competition operate.”
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Scott Police Department also do training at Hollister Shooting Range.
In 1994, the Old Fort Sharp Shooters (OFSS) signed a “Friends Group” agreement with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks outlining the operation and management of a shooting range, according to the group’s Facebook page. Persons utilizing the range are required to pay a maintenance fee to help cover Old Fort Sharp Shooters’ costs for range operation.
“Hollister Shooting Range is a very economical training facility that’s just a few miles outside of town,” said Julie, his wife.
OFSS also has a blog located at http://oldfortsharpshooters.proboards.com/
PRICES: OFSS members are not required to pay daily use fees (does not apply to trap-see below)
•$20- Individual yearly OFSS maintenance fee
•$30- Family yearly OFSS maintenance fee
•$10 – Daily shooting range fee (non-member)
The shooting range area is open from March through November:
on the 1st FULL weekend of each month and the
3rd FULL weekend of each month on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.
The Sharp Shooters meet the first Wednesday of each month at the fire station on 54 Hwy. east of Fort Scott and the public is welcome.
Bryan Buchta can be reached at 913-368-8811.
To learn more:
Veteran’s Benefit: A Place to Stay in K.C. For Medical Visits
The Buchta’s also wanted veterans to know of Fisher House in Kansas City, which is accommodations provided for vets receiving medical care.
“My husband is a veteran and he’s had multiple procedures at the Kansas City Veterans’ Administration Hospital hospital and if an overnight is needed for the procedure, or if it’s early in the morning, even if it’s outpatient, you can request to stay at the Fischer house. It is a 100% free ‘hotel room’.The people in the Fort Scott and the surrounding area qualify for this benefit because we are more than 50 miles away from the hospital,” Julie said.
“It has a fully stocked amazing kitchen, with snacks and food options in the fridge and freezer, free of charge.… although the procedures can be at any area hospital, it does not have to be at the VA hospital,” she said.
“They are very kind and accommodating,” she said. “The Fisher House was built approximately 3 or 4 years old and is a gorgeous facility.”
The address of the Fisher House is 4801 E. Linwood Blvd.
Kansas City, MO64128, which is near the VA Hosptial.
The manager is Mike Peters who can be reached at
[email protected]
or (816) 714-8697
To learn more:
https://fisherhouse.org/about/our-history/
August Virtual Job Fair Offers Kansas Jobseekers Hundreds of Opportunities
TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland is encouraging both jobseekers and employers searching for new talent to participate in the August Virtual Statewide Job Fair. Hosted by KANSASWORKS, the job fair will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 21.
“Over the last five years, Kansas has been very strategic and purposeful when it comes to growing our economy. We are one of the top states for economic development and we’re bringing more jobs to our state than ever before,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “There is no better time than right now to explore the many career opportunities spread out across the state.”
The Virtual Statewide Job Fair portal features helpful information such as a jobseekers training video, a list of participating employers and channels for attendees to register and log in. Jobseekers are encouraged to dress professional, as employers may request to engage in a video interview.
Candidates can participate through any digital device. Any individual with a disability may request accommodations by contacting their nearest workforce center at (877) 509-6757 prior to the event.
Registration is required to participate in the virtual job fairs, regardless of previous participation. To register, click here.
About KANSASWORKS:
KANSASWORKS links businesses, job candidates and educational institutions to ensure that employers can find skilled workers. Services are provided to employers and job candidates through the state’s 27 workforce centers, online or virtual services KANSASWORKS is completely free for all Kansans to use. Learn more at KANSASWORKS.com. State employment opportunities can be found at jobs.ks.gov.
About the Kansas Department of Commerce:
As the state’s lead economic development agency, the Kansas Department of Commerce strives to empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve prosperity in Kansas. Commerce accomplishes its mission by developing relationships with corporations, site location consultants and stakeholders in Kansas, the nation and world. Our strong partnerships allow us to help create an environment for existing Kansas businesses to grow and foster an innovative, competitive landscape for new businesses. Through Commerce’s project successes, Kansas was awarded Area Development Magazine’s prestigious Gold Shovel award in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, and was awarded the 2021 and 2022 Governor’s Cup by Site Selection Magazine.
###
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports August 15
The Bourbon County Commission Minutes of July 29
July 29, 2024 Monday, 5:30 p.m.
The Board of Bourbon County Commissioners met in open session with all three Commissioners and the County Clerk present.
Glen L. Wolfe, Rachel Walker, Clint Walker, Don Tucker, Jean Tucker, Mike Wunderly, Jason Silvers, Kyle Parks, and Deb Martin were present for some or all of the meeting.
Jim opened the meeting with the flag salute.
Clifton made a motion to approve the consent agenda which includes approval of minutes from 7-22-204, approval of payroll totaling $291,738.49, and approval of accounts payable totaling $850,070.41. Brandon seconded the motion and all approved.
Mary Pemberton said she spoke with the zoning officials in Linn County and they comply with the agriculture exemption. Mary stated she discussed limited zoning and outlined special use permits last week and that it isn’t about taking away property rights but will give the Commissioners a backbone to get better contracts. Mary said she is not opposed to solar and wind projects but feels the residents need protected and they should pay taxes.
Michael Hoyt said they are about halfway in their attempts to obtain the needed signatures for a petition to change the number of Commission seats from 3 to 5. Jim stated it would cost more in benefits to increase the number of seats by about $16,000 in benefits.
Michael discussed the census reports for Bourbon County and questioned why there were so many registered voters. Jennifer Hawkins, County Clerk, explained that there are many students who attended the community college that registered as voters. Jennifer explained how a person must not vote in two federal elections, which is eight years, before the process can be started to remove them from the voter registration list. If a former resident has registered to vote in another jurisdiction, we will receive a notice to cancel the Bourbon County registration. Jennifer went on to explain that while she could not speak for how it was done in the past, her office monitors the newspaper and local websites to obtain obituaries to remove those who have passed away from the registration list. A report from KDHE is also sent weekly, however; that only lists individuals who have passed away in Kansas and being so close to Missouri a lot of residents pass away in other states. Jennifer stated they have a report of the oldest registered voters in the county and are working through the list to try to determine if any have passed away. A copy of the death certificate or an obituary listing the date of birth of the individual are the documents that can be used to cancel a deceased individual’s registration.
Glen Wolfe said his truck broke down on Highway 54 near 35th Street when he was bringing livestock to the Friday sale. Mr. Wolfe said he was able to get his truck pulled off the highway several hundred feet from the intersection and into the ditch. Mr. Wolfe was able to find someone with a trailer to help him haul his truck home and when he went back on Saturday afternoon his truck was gone. Mr. Wolfe said he spoke to the Sheriff’s Department and his truck was towed on Saturday morning even though the sticker that was on it when he picked it up from the tow company said he had 72 hours. Mr. Wolfe said he is asking for a refund of the $460 tow fee he had to pay to get his truck back. Mr. Wolfe said he spoke with the Sheriff who said he should have given the department a courtesy call that his truck was broken down, and when pressed the Sheriff said it was not a state law to request a courtesy call and that he would not give him a refund on his tow fee. Clifton asked if his truck was in a dangerous place and said he has seen vehicles sitting broken down for longer than 72 hours. Mr. Wolfe said it was sitting 300-400 yards down from the corner. Jim asked Sheriff Martin to speak. Bill said that Mr. Wolfe came in last week to speak about the situation and that his deputy received a tip of the truck sitting for several days so it was towed. Mr. Wolfe said the earliest it could have broken down was 10:00 Friday morning and he has two witnesses to that. Jim asked Justin’s opinion and he replied it was no concern of the Commissioner and that Mr. Wolfe can seek legal counsel to try to get a refund.
Jennifer Hawkins, County Clerk, presented a KONE agreement for elevator work. Clifton said it includes installing a pit ladder and asked if we have one currently. Brandon asked how much a ladder was and if someone spoke to David regarding this. Brandon made a motion to accept the agreement, pay KONE, and have the Chairman sign the agreement. Clifton seconded and all approved.
Jennifer said today was the first day of early voting and they had a good turnout. Early voting will be from 8:30-4:30 through Friday, 8:00-12:00 pm on Saturday, and 8:30-12:00 p.m. on Monday. Polling places will be open on Tuesday from 7:00-7:00. Jennifer reminded anybody who needed an advance ballot by mail that tomorrow, July 30th, is the last day to turn in your application.
Brandon said he received a phone call from the president of a cemetery board about a situation where someone claims to have plots and neither party has proof. Brandon suggested anybody who purchases cemetery plots to register those with the Register of Deeds office. Brandon also said that you can register your DD214 with the Register of Deeds Office. Clint Walker said that you could lose data such as social security number but Brandon assured him that the Register of Deeds office redacts any identifiable information such as that.
Clifton said that the Commissioners can’t take the green energy abatement passed by former Governor Brownback away. Clifton said he doesn’t know any of his friends who want zoning. Jim said there are a lot of questions moving forward about zoning and that people should speak at the ballot. Jim said you must have a comprehensive plan and would have to hire a person and have a vehicle for zoning. Clifton said it would cost 2-3 mills for zoning. Jim said once zoning is in other Commissioners could add more to it.
Clifton made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:09. Jim seconded the motion and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
___________________, Chairman
___________________,Commissioner
ATTEST: ___________________,Commissioner
Jennifer Hawkins, Bourbon County Clerk
8-12-24 Approved Date
New Landmark Bank Fort Scott Bank Manager: Katy O’Kelley
Katy O’Kelley, 36, is the new Landmark Bank Manager, effective August 1.
Her office is located at the main bank, 200 S Main St Fort Scott, KS.
“I will oversee daily operations at the bank to ensure a great customer experience and compliance with policies and regulations, build and maintain relationships with customers and community partners, and originate mortgage loans,” she said.
She is a graduate of Raytown South High School and worked at Raytown Lee’s Summit Community Credit Union from 2006-2015.
“I enjoy helping people, whether that is matching a new customer with the best checking account for their needs or assisting a home buyer with the purchase of their first home,” she said.
Some of the challenges of the job: “Educating customers about different scams when scammers that are always changing tactics to gain access to their personal information.”
She has been married to Chris O’Kelley for 15 years, and together they have three children ages 14 , 11 and 9.
” Landmark supports and encourages community involvement and I am currently looking for opportunities where I can best serve,” she said.
About Landmark National Bank of Fort Scott
PO Box 899
Fort Scott, Kansas 66701
-
ATM on Site
-
Phone: 620-223-1200
The Landmark South Office is at 2300 S. Main
Fort Scott, KS 66701
-
ATM on Site
-
Phone: 620-223-5079