Jones T. VanHoecke E. Woellhof K. Harrington M. Wells
Flag Salute:
III. Invocation: T. VanHoecke
Proclamations/Recognitions:
P.E.O. Chapter CA 100 Year Centennial Celebration
May is Mental Health Month
Approval of Agenda:
Consent Agenda:
Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of April 18, 2023
Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1335-A totaling $716,237.41
Request to Pay Billiard Hammer Hartman Insurance (EMC Insurance) –
City Liability Insurance Renewal $333,818.00
Request to Pay the Kansas State Treasurer – Bond Payment – General
Obligation Temporary Notes, Series 2022-1 – $58,318.75
Nuss & Farmer – outside of contract work – $1,452.50
VII. Public Comment:
Sign up required. Comments on any topic not on agenda and limited to five (5) minutes per person, at Commission discretion.
VIII. Old Business:
Consideration of Schneider Electric Contract – B. Matkin
Consideration of Lagoon Aeration Proposal – Phase II – J. Dickman
Consideration of CD bank bids – B. Hart
Appearances:
Cory Bryars – Temporary Street Closure Request – Care To Share Street Dance – Friday, September 29, 2023 – 6:30PM to 11:00PM – National Ave. between Wall and Oak (Wall and Oak to remain open).
Public Hearing: NONE
New Business:
Youth Activities Team (Y.A.T.) 1311 S. National going to auction – J. Jones
Consideration to go out for bids for 2023 Hay Rights
XII. Reports and Comments:
City Manager Comments:
Wastewater plant update
Downtown parking update
Aquatic Center update
Engineering Comments:
Commissioners Comments:
VanHoecke –
Woellhof –
Harrington –
Jones –
Wells –
City Attorney Comments:
XIII. Executive Session – If requested, (please follow script in all motions for Executive Sessions)
Fort Scottian Jennifer Michaud attended a seminar several years ago where Deborah Factor spoke about the Core Community program, her husband Bill said.
Factor started with a youth mentorship program and then added the Core Communities program, to help families as well,
Bill Michaud, said in an interview with fortscott.biz.
Bill Michaud. Submitted photo.
“I have been in contact with and getting to know Deb for…several years,” Bill said. “I recognized that poverty is an issue that is well documented and often discussed in southeast Kansas but I’m not aware of any programs that work so directly to hit the issue head-on. I believe that this is a program that has great potential to help change peoples lives so I brought it up a few times during different community-focused conversations in which I was involved over a several year period.”
Submitted graphics.
A small group of people came to see the potential that Bill Michaud saw, so there were a couple of follow-up informational meetings.
“In February Jennifer and I, Rachel Carpenter, Lindsay McNeil, Lisa Robertson and Destry Brown traveled to Greensburg, Kansas to attend one of Deb’s regular Monday class sessions and were able to see the program in action and hear more stories of lives impacted first-hand,” Michaud said.
“In March we asked Deb to come to Fort Scott to present to a larger group of church representatives, social service organizations and anyone else we thought might have an initial interest in learning about the program,” Bill Michaud said. “(Bourbon County Commissioner) Clifton Beth was in attendance at that presentation and at the conclusion, asked Deb to set a time to do an abbreviated presentation to the county commission.”
Submitted graphics.
In April, Bill Michaud and Deb Factor(on a Zoom call) presented to the commission on the Core Community Ministry.
Factor stated she started in 1998 in Greensburg, doing ministry for youth, according to the commission minutes. During the process she had kids she worked with for years walk into adulthood and follow in the cycle of poverty.
Factor said that her goal was to help the kids grow into healthy, thriving adults who can give back in their community and not be under the constant burden and struggle of poverty, according to the commission minutes.
Submitted graphics.
In 2015, after modeling a program that had been successful elsewhere, she launched the poverty program, Core Community.
They have 13 programs in Kansas and one in Illinois currently.
The program consists of weekly meetings, 48-50 weeks per year, and will continue to meet with the individuals for two to five years. The program tries to educate the community on what poverty really is, according to the county commission minutes.
Factor told the commission the program identifies barriers and helps people push through them, with 70 % increasing their income.
Core Community is tracking those that are out of poverty for ten years to gather data to see if they are maintaining the upward trajectory.
The first step in bringing the program to the community is fundraising. Then a community coordinator would be hired and reside in the county with CORE Community being their employer, and an advisory board formed.
Michaud said this is a fundraising-based organization and would not ask the county for money to sustain the program.
Bourbon County Commissioner Clifton Beth said he worked in home health and hospice in southeast Kansas and saw first-hand the poverty that residents are facing and would like to see the school district, college and city government come together to make this program happen, according to the commission minutes.
Michaud stated about five churches in Fort Scott have been asked to become involved.
The Bourbon County Commission in a vote of 2-1 voted to give Core Community program $50,000 to get it started in this community.
Nelson Blythe voted against it, stating that “he doesn’t believe charity is the role of government, and there is nothing stopping others in the community from writing a check.” Nelson stated “This is taxpayer’s money that should go toward making the courthouse run and roads better”, according to the commission minutes.
The county’s Chief Financial Officer Susan Bancroft, stated the money would come from PILOT funds received from the windmill money to the county for economic development, according to the commission minutes.
There is a requirement to have approximately the first years budget raised before launching the program, Michaud said in an interview. This could take up to 18 months.
“Before we launch our program in Bourbon County we are going to work to identify what sustainable funding sources we think we will be able to count on to fund the program in future years,” Michaud said in an interview.
The City of Fort Scott and the Bourbon County Commission have approved money to help with start up costs.
The city has approved $15,000 and will be meeting with the Core Community representatives on May 18, FS City Manager Brad Matkin said.
“The City and County funding that has been approved are remarkable gifts that will allow us to get this program launched and accelerate the time frame for this program to begin helping people, but this program is not one that we anticipate will require future city / county funding,” Michaud said. “We have developed an advisory board that consists of representatives of several church and social service organizations so that we have input from a very broad base of representatives. This…board will also guide the organization once we launch the program.”
For five hours, I tried to get someone to solve my problem. I prayed for patience and understanding and no irritability. For about the first four hours, that worked. In the fifth hour, patience and understanding and no irritability left the room.
I admitted it was my mistake. I had googled a hotel where I needed to book two nights. I typed the name and address in my search bar. That hotel appeared on my screen. I picked the size bed and read about the amenities. The rooms cost more than I had ever spent on a hotel accommodation, but I had to stay where the other speakers were staying. As soon as I pushed the “Pay now” button, I realized that I had chosen the wrong month. Immediately, I tried to change the date. Nope. Changes and cancellations were not allowed. Not good.
Several phone calls and emails later, I realized that I had not dealt directly with the hotel. Some “third party” had intercepted my google request and had made my reservation. So wrong! I called my credit card to ask for my reservation to be cancelled. Since it was “pending,” there was nothing they could do. Except for that human voice, it wasn’t until the fifth hour of talking to robots that I finally connected to another human, Raul. When I asked him to simply change March to April, he said that my request was impossible. He was adamant. I said that my request was possible. I was adamant. Round and round we went.
In the hours leading up to that conversation, I concocted Plan A and, if necessary, Plan B. Fortunately, A worked. “Raul,” I said, “I will get off this call and cancel my credit card. You will not get paid. Or you can change my dates and get your money.” Apparently I had pushed the right button because within 45 minutes my room had been cancelled (not changed but cancelled). Five days later, my money was reimbursed. By then the room price had increased dramatically, but at least I would be there when I needed to be and not a month earlier.
Dave said that Plan B was not a Christian thing to do. I consider it ingenious. I was going to tell Raul that if this was not resolved, I would call a shelter near the hotel and donate my two March nights to a worker (or maybe a homeless person). Surely that would set things in motion. And, except for the motive being revenge, it would be a very charitable contribution.
Revenge, although I justified it in this case, is never right. Romans 12:19 tells us to leave vengeance to the Lord and not to take matters into our own hands. But what about when we clearly are in the right? Okay, sort of in the right. Like I was.
Nope. Not even then. That’s because when we act to pay someone back, several things happen: our relationship with others is damaged; we do not allow God to bring blessings into our life; our Christian witness to others stinks; and it proves how selfish we really are. In other words, we are spiritually damaged when we operate out of revenge.
Proverbs 10:12 speaks to my situation: Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. In my case, patience and understanding and no irritability were traits wasted on robots who kept telling me which buttons to push (and in the process, pushed most of mine). By the time I reached Raul, he heard a frustrated person determined to win this five-hour long battle. The only person that day who needed to hear a kind, gracious Christian speak…well, didn’t.
And we all know which needed to benefit more…and it certainly wasn’t the robots.
The Fort Scott Planning Commission will meet on Monday, May 22nd, 2023, at 4:00PM at City Hall, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas. This meeting will be held to consider the following:
A change of zoning from unknown to C-4 (Central Business). Evergy is proposing to construct and electrical substation on a tract of land located southeast of N. National Ave. and Maple Ridge Park Street in Fort Scott, Bourbon County, Kansas. It will be known as Case No. 1140.
This meeting is open to the public and will be available on the City of Fort Scott YouTube Channel.
Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills was the featured presenter on Wednesday, April 12th, at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes. Mills, who won the 10k at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, spoke about his work with indigenous people of America and his opportunity to be an inspiration and role model. LMC Team Member Ronda Hassig commented, “It’s not every day that you get to meet a Gold Medal Olympian, but Fort Scott had that opportunity. Billy Mills, the only American to win the 10,000m race, spoke to a large and excited crowd!” Mills’ visit was made possible by a Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area grant celebrating the leadership qualities of the Unsung Hero Chief Hiawatha. Using Hiawatha as a role model for current leaders, discussions ensued between Billy Mills and the community about “The Leader We Need” today. Find out more about Billy Mills and his story at https://bit.ly/newsroom-mills.
STUDENT COMPETITIONS
The 2023 ARTEFFECT Finalists are live!
Thank you to all the 2023 ARTEFFECT Competition participants. This year we received more submissions than ever before! The 2023 Finalists are now viewable on the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes website. Watch our social media for updates on the announcement of this year’s winners.
ARTEFFECT was recently at the 2023 NAEA Convention in San Antonio!
Art educators and organizations were able to visit the ARTEFFECT booth to learn about the annual competition and about new professional development offerings launching this summer for art educators.
ARTEFFECT staff and educators had the opportunity to share about the Unsung Heroes, hand out some swag and showcase ARTEFFECT award-winning student artwork.
LMC VISITORS & REVIEWS
VISITORS FROM 107 COUNTRIES HAVE TOURED THE
LOWELL MILKEN CENTER FOR UNSUNG HEROES!
Belinda Flynn, a foreign exchange host for two students in Topeka, KS, brought seven foreign exchange students to tour the Lowell Milken Center.
Belinda, formerly from Bourbon County, Kansas, is the aunt of David Foster, one of the students involved in the Ken Reinhardt project.
These students represented Germany, Italy, Egypt, France, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Kyrgyzstan.
The students from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Kyrgyzstan were the first people from their countries to visit the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, allowing us to change the number on our visitor map from 104 countries to 107 countries!
Heather, a Travel Blogger (View her Blog at Raulersongirlstravel), visited the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes recently and shared this review with her readers, https://bit.ly/3Kpk2jV. Thank you, Heather!
There will be a Work Session prior to the Tuesday, May 2, 2023, City Commission meeting. The Work Session will begin at 5:00PM with Gilmore and Bell to speak to the Commission about STAR Bonds and TIFs. The regular City Commission meeting will follow at 6:00PM. Both meetings will be held in the City Commission Room at City Hall, 123 S. Main St. and will be available on the City of Fort Scott YouTube channel.
Annie Lucile “Lucy” Bacon, age 95, a resident of rural Moran, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Residential Living Center in Garnett, Kansas. She was born October 29, 1927, on the family farm in rural Allen County, Kansas, the daughter of William Deer and Nora Cady Deer. Lucy graduated from the Bronson High School with the Class of 1945. Shortly after graduating, she married Kenneth C. “Joe” Bacon on June 6, 1945, at the Allen County Courthouse in Iola, Kansas. Joe and Lucy raised their family and worked side by side on their farm north of Moran for many years. Lucy enjoyed fishing and working in the garden. In earlier years, the family enjoyed camping trips to Colorado. Later, Lucy and Joe spent thirteen winters in Texas where they enjoyed getting to know other campers from all over the United States. Another hobby enjoyed by Lucy and Joe was bowling. They enjoyed time at the bowling alley with family and friends and also traveling to bowling tournaments. Lucy was also an accomplished cake decorator and often made birthday and wedding cakes for area friends. She was an avid fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals as well as the KU Jayhawks. She also made every effort to attend the sporting events of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Lucy enjoyed playing the keyboard and she and Joe often entertained nursing home residents at both Moran and Iola. She was a longtime member of the Bronson United Methodist Church and a past member of the Eastern Star.
Survivors include her children, Beverly Fuhrman (Harley) of Bronson, Kansas, Charles “Chuck” Bacon (Cristine) of Moran, Kansas, Doug Bacon (Paula) of Bella Vista, Arkansas, Cindy Mefford (Jason) of Mapleton, Kansas and Jean Davolt (Philip) of Wichita; ten grandchildren, Chris Hanna (Aric), Ken Fuhrman (Sue), Bryan Bacon (Brenda), Jessica Bacon, Travis Bacon (Angie), Tyler Bacon (Haley), Brandon Newman, Jason Newman (Trish), Jeremy Davolt (Victoria), and Stephanie Davolt; thirteen great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandson. Also surviving is a sister-in-law, Margaret Fuston. Lucy was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth “Joe” Bacon on October 30, 2014. She was also preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Percy and Everett Deer and four sisters, Ruth Bowman, Lorene Ard, Doris Crone and Beula Proyck.
Tracy Smith will conduct funeral services at 10:30 A.M. Monday, May 1st at the Bronson Methodist Church. Burial will follow in the Moran Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 P.M. Sunday at the Cheney Witt Chapel in Ft. Scott. Memorials are suggested to the Bronson United Methodist Church and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
The Fort Scott Presbyterian Village Fundraising Public Auction will be held this year at the Bourbon County 4-H building, located on 2109 S. Horton street, about 3 blocks north of the Presbyterian Village.
The auction will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 29th.
Submitted photos of auction items.
“Bring a truck and a friend we have lots of great items too numerous to list and picture,” PV Executive Director Ginger Nance,said . “Lots of surprises on auction day, as we have been gathering items for about 2 years and much is still in storage!”
Submitted photos of auction items.
“All proceeds are kept local in Fort Scott to benefit the Presbyterian Village Good Samaritan program, designed to assist seniors who outlive their resources through no fault of their own, as well as other Life Enriching Programs that directly benefits our local seniors,” Nance said.
Submitted photos of auction items.
” We have been doing the auction annually for many years,” she said. “COVID got us off course for a couple of years, but we hope to build this back to return this to an annual event and this year promises to offer great items for people to bid on.”
Submitted photos for auction items.
“There is truly something here for everyone!” she said.
“We have everything from great, clean, household items, furniture (antique, vintage and new—some like new or never used), we have décor (some specialty artwork from local, K.C. and other artists), we have really nice washing machines, costume and other jewelry (some gold), handicap equipment (some new), we even have collectible coins this year that were donated from an estate!”
Submitted photos of auction items.
Feel free to contact Ginger Nance at (620) 224-6173 or Joe Redden (620) 644-8417 with questions or to make an appt. to preview.
Submitted photos of auction items.
Fort Scott Presbyterian Village is a faith-based, not-for-profit senior living community dedicated to serving residents with a culture inspired by our Christian values and heritage, according to its website: https://www.fortscottpresbyterianvillage.org/
The meal was catered by Great Western Dining and Twigs and Berries.
The number of women attending the Fort Scott Community College Women’s Appreciation Luncheon was doubled from last year.
“Pre-pandemic, we had a women’s luncheon every year with between 150 and 200 women in attendance,” said Allie Birket, one of the organizers. “We didn’t have a luncheon in 2020 or 2021, but began again in 2022. Last year’s luncheon numbers were low ,around 70 women attended, but we saw a better turnout this year. We had 114 women attend!
“We plan on having one every year,” she said. ” And we hope attendance continues to rise.”
“This was the first women’s luncheon I’ve planned, so it was a completely new experience,” she said. “The very best part was seeing so many smiling faces! We’re getting a lot of great feedback from the food to the vendors to the décor. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it, and that makes it all worth it! A HUGE shoutout to: FSCC’s Community Relations Committee, who helped plan the event and who volunteered at the event; Great Western Dining who catered the wraps and drinks; Twigs & Berries who catered the sides and desserts; and all of our vendors who helped complete the event. The whole luncheon came together wonderfully, and it wouldn’t have been possible without each and every one of these amazing people.”
“The best part of the luncheon was being able to interact with the community, be that luncheon attendees or vendors,” said Susie Arvidson, one of the organizers. ” It’s wonderful to see women of our community visiting, enjoying a wonderful lunch, and shopping local businesses.”
There were 16 vendors who displayed their services and products at the luncheon:
FSCC Nursing
FSCC Cosmetology
Mary Kay
Jbloom Jewelry
Riggs Chiropractic Fort Scott
Red Aspen
BBCO Health Dept
CHC
Rite On
The Baby Stitch
Erika George Photography
The River Room
Flying P Ranch
Kimberly Demko
SEK Mental Health Center
Desert Blooms Boutique
Business women lined the entrance lobby of the Ellis Art Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. Women could shop on their way to the serving table.Women visiting during the luncheon.Woman enjoying the meal and conversation at the FSCC Women’s Appreciation Luncheon on April 26.
Clara Belle Page, age 91, resident of Hiattville, KS died Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the Horton House, Fort Scott, KS. She was born October 19, 1931, in Lamar, MO, the daughter of Carl and Hannah Sheets Chaplin.
Clara worked in housekeeping and laundry for three area nursing homes during her career.
She enjoyed babysitting, embroidery, gardening, bass fishing, and crossword and jigsaw puzzles. She loved spending time with her family, especially during holidays preparing the meals. Her specialties included homemade noodles and pies.
Survivors include 3 sons, Jerry Lee Page (Leanna), Fort Scott, Carl Joe Page (Vicky), Hiattville, and Gary Ray Page, Hiattville; a sister, Velma Dyche, Pawnee, KS, a daughter in law, Erlinda Page, Fort Scott; and many grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband Chris William Page, 4 brothers, Virgil, Carl, Paul and Everett Chaplin, 2 sisters, Florence Barnum, and Mary Killion, and a son, John Page.
Pastor Brian Rhoades will conduct funeral services at 2:00 Wednesday, May 3rd, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Burial will follow in the Hepler Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 1:00 until service time Wednesday at the funeral home
Memorials are suggested to the American Heart Association and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, P.O. Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
