English COVID-19 Variant identified in Kansas
UK Variant identified in Kansas
TOPEKA – A CDC Emerging Variant, which has been found in 33 U.S. states, was identified in Kansas this afternoon.
A Kansas resident in Ellis County was found to have the United Kingdom, or UK, variant known as B.1.1.7.
A case investigation is being conducted to determine how the person became infected with this particular variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as if others may have been exposed. No further details are being released concerning the patient, including demographics.
The variant was determined through the whole genome sequencing (WGS) conducted through the laboratories at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).
“This finding does not change our public health recommendations. We continue to encourage people to take the appropriate precautions: follow isolation and quarantine recommendations, practice physical distancing, wearing masks, good hygiene, staying home if ill and getting the vaccine if you are able to, once the supply is sufficient,” Dr. Norman, KDHE Secretary, said.
This variant was first reported in the U.S. at the end of December 2020. Evidence from the UK indicates that this variant spreads much more quickly through the population and, given that fact, may rapidly increase the number of hospitalizations and deaths. More studies are needed to confirm this finding.
Union Loft Tours Feb. 5
The City of Fort Scott announces another significant downtown rehabilitation has been completed. Fort Scott received back-to-back multi-million-dollar investments from Flint Hills Holdings which speaks to the character of our community and those who have represented us.
Elected officials, business owners, and community enthusiasts who supported the renovation are invited to tour the Union Lofts.
Tours will be on Friday, February 5th offered from 12pm to 2pm.
Timken Job Fair Feb. 11 and 13
Bourbon County Coalition Minutes of Feb. 3
Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition
General Membership Meeting Minutes
February 3, 2021
- Welcome: Chairman Billie Jo Drake welcomed fourteen members representing twelve agencies. She made the following announcements:
- The VA Fort Scott Shuttle service has been discontinued and is not expected to resume. Any local citizen with an interest in resuming the Fort Scott VA shuttle service should call Carl Jowers at 620.215.1688 for more information.
- The Bourbon County United Way will soon provide a press release about upcoming items.
- Due to recent changes in Red Cross protocol, there will be no local Red Cross calling committee. Anyone interested in making a donation needs to make an online appointment or respond to the call from Wichita to be guaranteed of being able to donate.
- Until we are able to meet in person and have programs, agendas will not be created. If this is a problem for anyone, let Billie Jo know prior to the next meeting.
- John will again set up a Zoom meeting for March 3. We will evaluate the Covid conditions each month to determine whether to continue Zoom or resume face-to-face meetings.
- Member Introductions and Announcements:
- Elizabeth Schafer: Feeding Families In His Name continues to be carry-out only. Several other churches and organizations have agreed to help with the program; the Methodist Church no longer must be responsible for every week.
- Cinda Reynolds, Red Cross: Cinda is now involved and quite busy with the ICCT: Integrated Care Condolence Team. She works virtually with people in both Kansas and Oklahoma.
- Sandy Haggard, RSVP: Sandy, Dena Kemp, and Patty Simpson presented a Medication Safety seminar for fifteen participants on February 2 at the High Rise. Even with going through technical difficulties, it was a successful seminar.
- Kathy Brennon, Prairie Ridge CDDO: If anyone with a disability has questions as to services Prairie Ridge can provide, check the website at prcddo.org.
- Michelle Worsley and Alice Leonard, SEK-CAP Head Start: They have openings and are accepting applications for both the Birth to Three and the Three to Five programs.
- Michelle Stevenson, USD 234: She has been able to be in the homes of her clients by using masks and social distancing.
- Nancy Van Etten, Red Cross: Red Cross desperately needs volunteers; interested persons should go to redcross.org to sign up. At this point all activities are virtual.
- Christine Abbott, SEKansasWorks: Office in Pittsburg should be open with regular hours beginning March 1. The Fort Scott office in the BWERC Center is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There is funding available for both the 16-24 and the adult programs. For more information, Christine’s cell number is 620-779-3727; she is in the Fort Scott office on Thursdays. Amy Kauffman is in the Fort Scott office on Tuesdays; her contact information is [email protected] or 620-687-0462.
- Mandi H-Woods, Children’s Service League: Taking referrals; contact [email protected]
- Patty Simpson, Fort Scott Housing Authority: A two-bedroom, handicapped accessible apartment is available now; some one-bedroom apartments will be coming available soon; however, there is a waiting list for those. If there is a need, Patty suggests getting on the waiting list.
- Jeanne Camac, USD 235: Uniontown is able to have face-to-face school with only a few doing virtual classes. At present no students in USD 235 in 7-12 grades are quarantined.
- Program (no programs for Zoom meetings)
- Open Forum: Nancy clarified for members that the Coalition Board still had funds available for clothing items; persons in need should apply through the Beacon.
- Adjournment: Next General Membership Zoom meeting will be March 3, 2021.
Land Bank Moves Forward In Fort Scott
At a Feb. 1 meeting, the newly formed Fort Scott Land Bank voted on the acquisition of 10 N. National Ave.
“This first acquisition marks a historic step for the Fort Scott Land Bank,” City Manager Jeremy Frazier said. ” It is important to note that this could not have been possible without the visionary leadership of the city commission and the hard work of many key employees such as Community Development Manager Allison Turvey and many others.”
Frazier’s first official day on the job as city manager was Feb. 1.
“The city would also like to express its appreciation to the principal owners of J&S Properties and Earth Always for allowing the Fort Scott Land Bank to acquire this property,” he said. ” When asked why the acquisition was allowed to proceed, the owner noted that first, he felt that this would be the best way to preserve the historic building on behalf of the community of Fort Scott, its residents, and the downtown business community. Second, he expressed that he had great faith and optimism in the current city commission and myself to make the best use of this acquisition in a way that would benefit and improve the community.”
The owner donated the property.
“His generosity has breathed life into the Fort Scott Land Bank which was once only a plan and now is reality,” Frazier said. Thank you J&S Properties and Earth Always. We have high hopes for this building and its location in the future.”
The Fort Scott Land Bank is an independent instrument of the city with the responsibility to efficiently buy, hold, manage, and transform surplus city properties and other underutilized or distressed properties to turn these properties into productive use, according to Allyson Turvey, the newly appointed manager.
The Land Bank Board is comprised of Joshua Jones, Mayor of Fort Scott; Kevin Allen, City Commissioner, Pete Allen, City Commissioner; Randy Nichols, City Commissioner; Lindsey Watts, City Commissioner; Jim Harris, Bourbon County Commissioner;
Gregg Motley, Bourbon County Economic Development Board, Inc. Director; Turvey, LandBank Manager, and Susan Bancroft, LandBank Treasurer
“At our next meeting (Feb. 9)I will be giving a presentation on the processes and objectives of the Land Bank,” Turvey said. “We will also be discussing priorities for acquisition of property.”
Turvey provided the following on the Fort Scott Land Bank:
The Fort Scott Land Bank focuses on the conversion of vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties into productive use.
Vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties are often grouped together as “problem properties” because they destabilize neighborhoods, create fire and safety hazards, drive down property values, and drain local tax dollars.
The Fort Scott Land Bank was created to strategically
acquire problem properties, eliminate the liabilities, and transfer the properties to new, responsible owners in a transparent manner that results in outcomes consistent with community-based plans.
These opportunities are a collection of parcels owned by the Fort Scott Land Bank.
Every transfer of property from the Fort Scott Land Bank will be accompanied by a development agreement, outlining the final use of the property as well as accompanying timelines. The purchase price
for Land Bank properties will be negotiated based on the cost to acquire the property as well as the details in the development agreement. The Fort Scott Land Bank Board of Trustees will approve the final agreement and purchase offer.
Business Interns Pilot
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Chamber Coffee at Fort Scott Munitions
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Kansas “Find My Vaccine”Tool
Governor Laura Kelly Announces Kansas Find My Vaccine Tool
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced the launch of the “Find My Vaccine” mapping tool, designed to help Kansans locate sites that are administering vaccines in their communities. The tool is available now on https://kansasvaccine.gov, Kansas’s COVID-19 vaccine website. Kansans in vaccine phase 1 and 2 are recommended to use this tool as a resource for finding providers who are or will be offering the vaccine.
“The ‘find my vaccine’ mapping tool allows any Kansan, regardless of where they live, to find the closest vaccine provider to their community,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “The national shortage continues to be the biggest obstacle to delivering vaccines, and that means, many of our enrolled providers do not yet have sufficient vaccines to offer to the general public. But we know it’s better to be ahead of the curve and have this platform ready to go before supply has caught up, so that every Kansan is familiar with the tool and so we can be prepared as more providers are activated.”
The Kansas Find My Vaccine tool allows Kansans to:
- Look up nearby COVID-19 vaccine locations
- Identify which locations have recently received vaccine doses
- Access contact information for each location to confirm eligibility and availability
The tool includes locations that are participating in administering COVID-19 vaccines and have provided their information to share with the general public. As federal supply increases, Find My Vaccine will evolve to support the COVID-19 vaccination effort by listing more providers and linking to details and scheduling opportunities as they become available. As the vaccine supply continues to grow, the State asks all enrolled providers who intend to vaccinate the general public to provide their information for Kansans to see in Find My Vaccine. Further information on how to provide information can be found here.
Vaccines are being delivered to all 105 Kansas counties on a weekly basis, but not all providers may be listed on the map at this time. If you do not see an active location in your area – and you are in Phase 1 or 2 – ask your local health department how to access the vaccine. Weekly vaccine allocations for each county are available on the KS COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard.
About ‘Find My Vaccine’ Tool
Find My Vaccine allows eligible Kansans to look up their current location and find nearby COVID-19 vaccination locations, see which locations have received doses, and access contact information. To access “Find My Vaccine” and for more information, please visit https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/160/Find-My-Vaccine
The Fort Scott Police Department Daily Reports Jan. 31 to Feb. 2
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Feb. 3
Bourbon County Minutes of Jan. 26
January 26, 2021 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the deputy County Clerk-Doretta Neville present.
Also present were the following, (some were present for a portion of the meeting and some were present for the entire meeting): Mark McCoy, Michael Hoyt, Nancy Van Etten, Anne Dare, Susan Bancroft and Mr. & Mrs. Clint Walker.
Jim Harris made a motion to approve a utility construction permit for Heartland Rural Electric for work to be done at 242 Terrace & Xavier for 975’ on the North side of the road, Clifton seconded and all approved and signed the permit.
Jim made a motion to approve a culvert permit for Brad Wright at 1175 275th, Clifton seconded and all approved and signed the permit.
The Commissions plan to set a 2021 asphalt work session at a later date.
Eric Bailey reported that heavy rain had caused road issues near Uniontown. He said they are putting brine on the road today for forecasted bad weather.
Eric reported that the guardrail is back up at 215th & Range Road. He said the work is being finished on the shelter at Elm Creek on the rock at the North end.
Eric said he has been working with Chad at the City of Fort Scott regarding the potholes behind the Courthouse; he said they are working on a cost estimate for patching and for curb and gutter.
He said the side arm mower is ready to mow at the Fort Scott Lake.
They are waiting on the turbo for the crusher and hope to have it fixed later this week. Eric said they sold $3,080 worth of scrap metal at the Landfill. Eric asked what the plans were for the beams at the Landfill; they planned to build compost with them. Eric asked if they wanted to sell them, the Commissioners said yes and told him to set a price for them. Eric said the air compressor may be out of dump truck #146, he said it is at Foley for repairs. Eric said they are waiting on two estimates on the truck and trailer that were involved in an accident. Jim questioned Eric on what he wanted to do regarding the Sterling truck that needs $18,000 repairs, Eric said he would review this.
Alan Drake requested rock and a grader for Evergreen Cemetery; all of the Commissioners were in agreement to this. Eric reported that Lath Branch is also needing rock and grading work done.
Eric and the Commissioners briefly discussed the 2020 bridge inspection manual; Eric said they have a crew of two employees and they plan to start working on bridges that need immediate attention. He said they repaired a bridge at 85th & Xavier for $3,700.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy to discuss a job description and job duties, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 9:36, Jim seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Eric Bailey and Susan Bancroft). At 9:36, Clifton made a motion to come out of executive session and said no action, Jim seconded and all approved. Lynne asked that an executive session be placed on the agenda next week for personnel matters.
Lynne made a motion to amend the agenda to remove the executive session that Jim Harris had scheduled, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to adopt Resolution 07-21 for the refinancing of the jail bonds, Jim seconded and all approved.
Jim Harris said when he was campaigning, it was suggested to have different times and dates of the Commission meetings so the public could attend, it was discussed to possibly have Wednesday afternoon meetings once a month, the Commissioners will discuss this again next week.
Emergency Manager Will Wallis met with the Commissioners to discuss the new Covid strain; he said it is more contagious and just as deadly if not more, he said people may need double mask for protection, (he said he has plenty of masks and gloves). He said he and Bill Martin sought after a State grant of approximately $100,000 – he said the County purchases supplies and provides a receipt to the State for reimbursement. Will recommended a department head meeting to have a refresher course on protection from the virus, to discuss double masks, to suggest department heads create a plan for employee vacations (travel restrictions), to discuss if employees can work from home, (if they have equipment/internet). He said the Commissioners may have to consider another closure or partial closure of the Courthouse and said employees may need to work from home if so. The Commissioners were in favor of a department head meeting for a refresher course. Will said they are having an exercise Thursday on administering the Covid vaccine, he invited Clifton to attend the exercise, but Clifton said he wasn’t sure if he could attend. Clifton said his opinion was that the new variant of the Covid virus is more contagious, he said if people are wearing the right mask there should be no reason to double mask, he said the department heads should be following the CDC, State and Federal guidelines regarding travel restrictions. Clifton suggested that Will talk with CHC and the Health Department to offer assistance regarding the distribution of the vaccine.
Clifton made a motion for Lynne to attend a SEK Works meeting on Thursday, Jim seconded and all approved. The Commissioners plan to discuss renewing the Chief Elected official for SEK Works again on February 2nd.
The Commissioners were in agreement to pay the $1,100 annual dues for the League of Municipalities.
Lynne said the Assistant County Attorney had resigned and said the County Attorney has been trying to fill the position, they have found someone, but that person can’t start until March 1st, so the County Attorney wants to hire a 1099 Assistant County Attorney from now until March 1st @ $100/hour and said the new employee hired March 1st will make $80,000 annually, which is $15,000 more than they were paying. Clifton made a motion to allow them to hire a 1099 person between now and March 1st, Jim seconded the motion, Jim questioned how the County Attorney working only part time affected other employees; Justin said the County Attorney couldn’t do both the County Attorney and the Assistant County Attorney duties. Lynne said the Attorney has the money in their budget to make these changes. All approved the motion.
Clifton made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy to discuss the job performance for a specific employee, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 10:37, (the session included the Commissioners and Susan Bancroft), Jim seconded and all approved. At 10:37, Clifton made a motion to come out of executive session and back into open session, no action, Jim seconded and all approved.
Clifton made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy to discuss applications for a new hire, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 11:02, Jim seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks, Shane Walker and Susan Bancroft). At 11:02, Clifton made a motion to come out of executive session and back into open session and to add this to the agenda again next week, Jim seconded and all approved.
Justin Meeks said he had met with the Hidden Valley Lake board regarding the 74 parcels there and the tax sale; he discussed the cost/benefit analysis of selling those properties at a tax sale and setting a minimum bid amount on tax sale properties. Jim made a motion to have Justin and Lynne reach out to legislatures to find a solution regarding a tax sale for Hidden Valley Lake properties, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to give Appraiser Clint Anderson permission to hire a 3rd party consultant for the appraisal of commercial property, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Justin suggested scheduling KOMA training on a Tuesday afternoon; the Commissioners were ok with this. Lynne made a motion to approve a consent order for KOMA training, Jim seconded and all approved.
Justin briefly discussed the ongoing Opioid lawsuit; he said some businesses involved in the lawsuit had filed for bankruptcy.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 10 minute executive session for KSA 75-4319(b)(2) for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship to discuss potential litigation, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room at 11:25, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). At 11:25, Lynne made a motion to come out of executive session and back into open session and said no action, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Lynne opened the meeting up for public comment; Anne Dare told the Commissioners that changing the meeting day and time is a good start, she questioned if Wednesday interfered with church activities, she questioned if the Commissioners would continue to conduct business first and then allow public comment, she also said the Commissioners should consider the location for the meetings and questioned if YouTube would still be available for broadcasting meetings. Anne suggested that Justin should have scheduled Hidden Valley Lakes on the agenda in case anyone from that area would have wanted to be a part of the conversation. Nancy Van Etten asked about Resolution 07-21; Lynne said this was to refinance the jail bonds and said they needed to attach a resolution to the refinancing documents, Nancy asked if resolutions were published prior to adoption; Lynne said no, but they are kept on file. Nancy said she felt it was good that Will Wallis was having an exercise; she said she would like to see the public health office give a public update more often.
Frank Miller met with the Commissioners regarding his dump bill; he said he would like to pay every two weeks until he gets caught up, Lynne told him to talk to Susan Bancroft and Jennifer in public works about this.
Jim Harris commended Lynne, Clifton and Jeff Fischer for the work they did to refinance the jail bonds and save over $300,000.
Lynne said he would attend a meeting tonight for juvenile detention, but said Clifton will attend future meetings.
Lynne made a motion to appoint Jim Harris to the Landbank, Clifton seconded and all approved.
At 11:37, Clifton made a motion to adjourn, Jim seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jim Harris, Commissioner
(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
February 2, 2021, Approved Date