Government, Kansas

Kansas Water Office Releases 2022 Kansas Water Plan

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The plan addresses water issues facing stakeholders throughout the state

 

The Kansas Water Office (KWO) released the finalized 2022 Kansas Water Plan (KWP) this week. This is the first comprehensive water plan for the state of Kansas to be released since 2009 and provides a roadmap for navigating the vast array of water issues throughout the state.

The water plan provides an outline for management, conservation and development of the state’s water resources. To do so, it names five guiding principles – conserve and extend the High Plains Aquifer; secure, protect and restore our Kansas reservoirs; improve the state’s water quality; reduce our vulnerability to extreme events; and increase awareness of Kansas water resources.

The KWP is created by the Kansas Water Office with input from partner agencies and Regional Advisory Committees (RACs). The draft is offered for public comment before being reviewed, finalized and approved by the Kansas Water Authority.

The finalization of the plan leads into the implementation phase, where the Kansas Water Office will work with other state agencies and Regional Advisory Committees across the state to address the principles outlined in the KWP. Implementation is supported by the State Water Plan Fund, a statutory mechanism created to pay for the projects and programs identified in the KWP. This year, two statutory transfers into the fund were fully provided for the first time since 2008.

“The drought conditions throughout the state drive home the importance of having a comprehensive plan,” said KWO Director Connie Owen. “Water is the most valuable resources we have, and we must manage it strategically to ensure a safe and secure supply now and for the future.”

Church news, Food, Fort Scott

Trunk or Treat at First Methodist Church on Oct. 31

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First United Methodist Community Halloween

Monday, October 31st   5:30 – 6:30pm

Parking Lot behind the church: 301 S National 

Setup begins at 5:00pm, lot will be blocked off at 5:20 for safety

Open to all. Parents and grandparents are invited to bring the kids.

Come in costume and celebrate All Hallows Eve with your friends and neighbors.

There is no charge for this event.

While you’re there, sign up for our “Parents Day Out” to be held November 12th 9am – 2pm

Submitted by Rev. Christopher Eshelman, Pastor – Fort Scott First UMC

Obituary

Obituary of Joy O’Neal

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Joy Ann Whitesell O’Neal, age 82, resident of Nevada, MO previously Ft. Scott, KS died Tuesday October 18, 2022, at Mercy Hospital, Joplin MO.

She was born July 17, 1940, in Filley, MO, the only daughter of Kenneth Whitesell Sr. and Bonnadell “Bonnie” Blevins Whitesell.

Joy graduated from Eldorado Springs High School in 1958. She then attended the University of Missouri and Fort Scott Community College. She married George O’Neal on October 31, 1959, in Nevada, MO. They had one son, Larry.

 

Joy took great pride in her job. She worked at Key Industries in Ft. Scott, KS for many years. While there she held various positions including Vice President of Customer Service, Shipping and Accounts Receivable. A co-worker remembered her as “a lovely person to work with.” She also took pride in her community, serving in many organizations. She was involved with the Downtown Program, board member of The Beacon, City Council, Mayor and Rotary where she served as president as well as one of the first female members of that organization. Joy supported the Keyhole Youth Center serving on the board. As a cancer survivor she advocated for the Care to Share organization and helped with Relay for Life events. She also enjoyed Ft. Scott’s rich history, volunteering for candlelight tours of the fort and tours of the city’s Victorian homes.

Joy attended Community of Christ Church.

Always an encourager, she exuded positive energy. She took great pride in her son, Larry, her grandchildren, and great grandchildren. As busy as she was Joy continued to travel/care for her mother who resided in the family home that Joy was born in, giving many of her weekends to travel back and forth.

She was an encourager, always looking for the positive in life…drawing people to her. The past few years she resided at Joe Clark Residential Care Home where she was in charge of activities playing Yahtzee and bingo encouraging others around her to participate. She could tell you all about the dreams and aspirations of the staff that worked there.

Joy Ann was aptly named; she was quite frankly a joy.

 

Survivors include a son, Larry O’Neal and wife Teresa, Ohio; a brother, Gary Whitesell and wife Robin, Stockton, MO, a granddaughter, April Kennard; four great grandchildren, Nate Elliot, Joshua Lyon, Katie and Jack Kennard, sisters-in-laws Vera Whitesell, Filley, MO and Wendy Whitesell, Newport Beach, CA and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband George, brothers Jack, Kenneth, Jr. and Barney Whitesell and granddaughter Erin Lyon.

 

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, October 22nd, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the Eldorado Springs City Cemetery, Eldorado Springs, MO.

The family will receive friends Saturday from 1:00 PM until service time at the funeral home.

Memorials are suggested to Care to Share and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Ft. Scott, KS 66701.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Fort Scott, Government

Water Levels Lowered Next Week at Lake Fort Scott During Drought

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Lake Fort Scott is located southwest of Fort Scott on Indian Road.

Drought conditions continue in parts of the nation, including Bourbon County, with no helpful rainfall here since June.

In response to the drought condition, the City of Fort Scott Water Production anticipates releasing water from Lake Fort Scott beginning next week, according to a press release from the City of Fort Scott.  This will help to supplement the water already being released from both Cedar Creek and Rock Creek lakes to the Marmaton River.

“The water from Lake Fort Scott goes to Rock Creek, then to the Marmaton River, then to the water treatment plant,” Brad Matkin, assistant city manager said. “The river needs to maintain 10 foot of depth. We have taken water out of Cedar Creek. We are trying to spread it so we don’t put the three reservoirs at levels to damage something.”

The Fort Scott Water Treatment Plant treats an average of 2.6 million gallons of drinking water a day, for not only  city residents,  but also most of Bourbon County, according  to https://www.fscity.org/199/Water-Treatment-Plant.

Brad Matkin. Submitted photo.

There is precipitation forecast on Oct. 24 and 25, but just a chance showers, according to the National Weather Service.

It is impossible to know when precipitation will relieve current drought conditions, or how much water will be required from the three available reservoirs, “but several days of rain are needed,” Matkin said.

“There is not an exact date when we are going to start lowering the water in Lake Fort Scott, possibly Oct. 25, we just wanted to give notice,” Matkin said.

Lake Fort Scott  residents are encouraged to secure docks as needed in anticipation of possible lowering of lake levels.

“The water release will lower lake levels,” Matkin said. “If lake residents have a floating dock, they need to tie them up.”

It’s important that the City of Fort Scott  keeps the Marmaton River at adequate levels so treatment systems can  continue to deliver drinking water, according to the press release.

The city is fortunate to have theses water sources and infrastructure available, according to the press release.

The city staff ask for patience and understanding of this process, according to the press release.

“At this time, the water lowering of Lake Fort Scott will not affect city residents,” Matkin said.

Fort Scott supplies water for the majority of Bourbon County, as well as parts of Crawford, Allen, and Vernon Counties, according to the press release.

Government, Schools

U235 Special Board Meeting on Oct. 24

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Uniontown Unified School District No. 235

 SPECIAL MEETING Monday, October 24, 2022, 7:30 p.m. in the UHS Board of Education Room Uniontown, Kansas

UNIONTOWN USD 235 601 Fifth Uniontown, Kansas 66779

TELEPHONE: 620-756-4302 FAX: 620-756-4492

Associate Superintendent Vance Eden

Board of Education Clerk Sherri Hartman Deputy Clerk Charlene Bolinger

Attendance Centers West Bourbon Elementary Uniontown Junior and Senior High School

October 20, 2022

TO: USO 235 Board of Education Members FROM: Sherri Hartman, Clerk of the Board

This letter is to serve as your official notice·of the SPECIAL board meeting to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, October 24, 2022, in the Board of Education room.

Board of Education Jason Sutterby, President * Mike Mason, Vice-President * Sally Johnson * Troy Goodridge* Josh Hartman * Brian Stewart * Tyler Martin

UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 235 UNIONTOWN, KANSAS BOARD OF EDUCATION AGENDA

  1. Call to Order
    1. Flag Salute
    2. Approve the Agenda C Mission Statement.
  2. Facility Survey Presentation by Shelly Kiblinger

Next regular board meeting date is Monday, November 14, 2022 at 7:30.

Government, Kansas

KDOT Asks For Comments on Transportation Improvement Plan

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KDOT requesting comments on STIP amendment
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) requests comments on an amendment to the FFY 2023-2026 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) document.

The STIP is a project specific publication that lists all KDOT administered projects, regardless of funding source, and includes projects for counties and cities as well as projects on the State Highway System. The list of projects being amended to the STIP can be viewed at http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burProgProjMgmt/stip/stip.asp.

Along with the project listing is Administrative Modification #1 for updates to the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Programs narrative section and for the creation of Appendix D for the inclusion of RAISE grant awards that are not administered by KDOT with no involvement, oversight or stewardship of funds provided by KDOT.

The approval of the STIP amendment requires a public comment period, which concludes Nov 2. To make comments on the amendment, contact KDOT’s Division of Program and Project Management at (785) 296-3254.

This information is available in alternative accessible formats. To obtain an alternative format, contact the KDOT Division of Communications, (785) 296-3585 (Voice/Hearing Impaired-711).
Obituary

Obituary of Dale Johnson

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Dale Gene Johnson, age 85, a resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at Via Christi Medical Center in Pittsburg, KS. He was born August 20, 1937, in Ft. Scott, the son of Buford and Evelyn Goodrick Johnson.

He graduated from Mound City high school with the class of 1955. Dale joined the Army following high school and served 4 years in Germany.

He married Charlotte Sears in April of 1978 in Mound City, KS. He worked for Rural Electric in Iola, KS, and City Maintenance and the public school system in New Mexico. Dale and his wife Charlotte ministered to the Navajo and Apache people in New Mexico and Arizona for 15 years.

Dale enjoyed his guns, woodworking, construction, attending auctions, and his dogs and cats. He was a member of the Gideons and the Bethel Community Baptist Church.

Survivors include his wife Charlotte of the home; 2 children, Rebecca Johnson and husband Mark Thorndike, Anchorage, AK, and Dan Johnson and wife Jill, Lubbock, TX; 4 step-children, Robert Barkdoll and wife Pat, Galesburg, IL, Rick Barkdoll and wife Tammy, Chanute, KS, Michelle Hoyt and husband James, Austin, TX, and Donna Tippie Taylor, Blue Springs, MO; a step son-in-law Vern Crawshaw, Altoona, KS; and many grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a daughter Sally Ann Johnson; a stepdaughter, Teresa Crawshaw; and three brothers, Eddie, Richard, and Russell Johnson.

Pastor Ben Heffernan will conduct funeral services at 2:00 PM Friday, October 21st, at the Bethel Community Baptist Church.

Burial will follow in the Woodland Cemetery Mound City.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 PM Thursday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Memorials are suggested to either Gideons or Bethel Community Baptist Church and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Doug Niemeir

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THE TIME HAS COME

November 8 marks the next general election – 2022 edition. This is our chance as U.S. citizens to influence our government, to perhaps change the direction of some of the unreasonable (devoid of any commonsense or moral standing) measures that have been pushed upon us in the last few years.

If anyone ever tells you that your vote does not count, ignore them.  This is exactly the time for every citizen to go vote and have some impact on what is happening to our nation through our governmental entities.

I do have some observations of the current political/election activity:

  • There are a lot of lies out there about issues as well as candidates that are being publicized widely, while real facts about both are hard to find – sometimes even suppressed. Unfortunately, we can no longer simply look to sources that in the past we may have trusted to be truthful and objective.

 

  • Therefore, voters need to put in the time it takes to research and truly understand the relevant issues and candidates; then evaluate which candidate best fits your and your family’s values and morals and vote accordingly. Don’t be distracted by a party label or the bombardment of loud voices telling you what you should think and how you should vote.

So, voters, interpret this letter as an encouragement to vote.  I think many of us are seeing things happening in our country that we never thought we would see – and don’t want to see – in the United States of America.  Now is our chance to do something about it, but we must vote!

Where our country is as a world power, an economic power, and a free country is at stake.  This is not the time be let down your family, community, state, country, and, not to be overlooked, your God!  We cannot be silent!

Cast your vote on November 8!  Don’t sit this one out!

PS: for a look at the complete ballot for a registered voter:

**do a Google search for the “Kansas Secretary of State”,

**click on Elections,

** scroll down to Voter View and click,

** enter applicable information and click Look Up,

** scroll down to Sample Ballot and click.  This should be the ballot you will see on the 8th.

Be sure to look over the two state constitution amendments on page 2 of the ballot.  It looks like these could be positive additions to this document.

 

A Fellow American,

Doug Niemeir

Fort Scott

Third Street Park: Getting New Life

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Third Street Park on Fort Scott’s east side is seeing some improvements thanks to a few local organizations.

Kiwanian Ralph Reed prepares to put another sheet of siding in place on the bathrooms. Submitted photo.

The project was taken on by Fort Scott Kiwanis and started a few weeks ago, President John Crain said.

“We divided up into groups of 3-4 people to work on a project,” Crain said. “They could get together whenever they could.”

Bathrooms were painted inside and out, and siding replaced.

“We  have all the lights fixed in the bathrooms, the city will do work after that,” he said. Sinks are to be put in the bathrooms, which have just had toilets in the past.

Kiwanians John Crain and Josh Jones paint the bathroom at Third Street Park. Submitted photo.
The Third Street Park bathroom before improvements. Submitted photo.
The bathroom after. Submitted photo.

On the basketball court the backboard was repainted, the goal and net replaced and the lane repainted.

The basketball court before the improvements. Submitted photo.
The basketball court after the improvements. Submitted photo.

The park’s swing set was repainted, the jungle gym was power washed and sealed.

Kiwanian Dave Bruner paints the swing set. Submitted photo.
The swing set before the repainting. Submitted photo.
The swing set after the improvements. Submitted photo.
Kiwanian Brad Blubaugh paints the swing set. Submitted photo.
The jungle gym before improvements. Submitted photo.
The jungle gym after improvements. Submitted photo.

The park benches and picnic tables were power washed and the pavilion repainted.

Picnic tables before. Submitted photo.
Picnic tables after. Submitted photo.
Kiwanian Bob Eckles prepares to paint a pavilion column. Submitted photo.
The pavilion before. Submitted photo.
The park pavilion after. Submitted photo.
Kiwanian Mark McCoy painting a pavilion column. Submitted photo.

Fort Scott Kiwanis Club furnished the man-power, and a few  philanthropy groups funded the materials.

“Funding for the 3rd Street Park improvements and Placemaking Project is being provided by The Patterson Family Foundation and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas as a part of The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team’s Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant,” according to a HBCAT press release.

The Kiwanis men are not finished yet.

“We still have to get the electric meter pulled away from the bathrooms south wall to install it’s siding, and paint it,” John Crain, president of Kiwanis said.  “We need to do some touch up painting on the bathrooms, finish painting the pavilion and cut down and remove a dead tree and low hanging branches over some of the buildings.”

 

Bourbon County Local News