Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott, Housing

Stutesman’s Realty Expands and Moves: Offers Office Space To Businesses

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The interior of the Stutesman’s Action  Realty  Fort Scott office space’s common area features tin ceilings and exposed walls.

Stutesman’s Action Realty has extended its reach in Fort Scott.

“We’ve grown the last two years,” said Amanda Bourassa, a broker for the real estate business, said. “We needed more space to continue to serve our clients.”

Amanda Bourassa, Real Estate Broker for Stuteman’s Action Realty, at the 120 E. Wall, Fort Scott location. Pictured is the conference room.

She loves the location of the new space.

“It’s downtown, in the center of everything and it has a view of the Fort (Scott National Historic Site),” she said.

“We wanted to show a permanent presence here in Fort Scott and Bourbon County,” she said. “To show we are committed to not only our clients who are buying and selling but also our community.”

The realty signed a 10-year lease with Pat and Stacy Wood for the space and began a remodel in June, she said.

“We all have our own homes and investment properties,” she said. “We believe this will help with serving our clients.”

The new office is located at 120 E. Wall and officially opened its doors on Sept. 3.

Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Stutesman’s Action Realty, 120 E. Wall is the white building in the photo.

The 1,600 square-foot space has been completely remodeled by her husband, Tim, with Stutesman’s Action Realty paying for the reno.

There are now five agents working for the agency: Bourassa is the broker; agents are Stacy Wood, who joined in December 2018; Kaci Kurtz who joined in November 2018, along with Bailey Lyons and Scott Theis.

Stutesman’s Action Realty, 120 E. Wall.

In addition to the realty business, the Bourassa’s finished out two additional offices in the new space, that are available for lease.

The business will host a Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee and ribbon cutting at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12.

In addition, on Wednesday, October 2, the business will have a Celebration of Success Open House from 3-6 p.m.

“This is open to the public for people to see the reno and meet with agents if they want to do so,” Bourassa said.

For more information, the toll-free number is 833-286-8400 or www.actionsold.com.

Bourassa can be reached at 417-684-5681.

The original office of the realty is still located in Nevada, MO.

Fort Scott, Schools

New FSHS English Teacher: Jeni Hartman

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 Jeni Hartman is the new freshman English teacher at Fort Scott High School.
Her experience includes teaching kindergarten and substitute teaching for the last 10 years.
Hartman has a bachelors degree in elementary education;
licensed for K-9 with a certification for secondary English 6-12
She grew up in Olathe but spent most of her adult life in Ottawa.
She is  married to “my best friend, Chris Hartman, and we have been together for almost 22 years.”
“My oldest (son), Logan, is 18 and he and his girlfriend are having our first grandbaby in February,” she said.
“My youngest, Caleb, is 14 and he is in 8th grade. He is on the football team, wrestling team and the track team.”
In her spare time she “loves reading and taking a nap (and) I really enjoy spending time with my family.”
To become a teacher, she took a “long road,” she said.  “I started at Pitt State, missed my family, so I moved to Dallas and went to UNT, moved back here to get married and had my oldest, went back to Pitt State and drove from Overland Park three days a week! Now I am working on my Master’s Degree in Reading Specialist and will be licensed in that as well.”
A teacher inspired Hartman to teach.
“Mr. Barnes, my senior genetics teacher inspired me. He took us on a trip to St. Louis to see the students mapping the human genome.,” she said.
The best part of teaching for her is “Hanging out with young people, getting to do what I love most, reading and writing. They keep me young.”
What are the greatest challenges in teaching for you?
“When that tough student that you are starting to break through with makes a poor decision and you have to start all over with that student. But when you do get that breakthrough and they start trusting you, that is the best. For a student to know that ‘Yeah, Mrs. Hartman is cool. She gets me.’ And when the stuff they bring to school from home gets left at the door and they learn in my class, that is why I am a teacher.”
Opinion

Hurricane by Patty LaRoche

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Expecting to have no internet service, I am writing this a few days ahead of Hurricane Dorian’s projected arrival near where Dave and I are living in Florida. Yesterday I went to Costco to buy water…as did, it seems, a few thousand other people. Signs in the parking lot gave the bad news: “Out of Water.” So was Walmart. So were all of the grocery stores. Apparently, most people took this warning more seriously than I and shopped early. Today when I ran errands, I was amazed at how the lines at the gas stations circled the block, even though there was no regular gas to be had.

We are learning a lot about being prepared. As you can see from this picture, we installed the hurricane shutters necessary to stop flying debris. We were instructed to back our car into the garage door so the door doesn’t shake, thereby letting in wind and water which can lift the roof off the house. WHAT? We expect to lose electricity, but I must admit I’m not very creative when it comes to making meals without the use of a refrigerator, stove, microwave or toaster. Dave and I will fine-dine on Tostitos, bean dip and tuna fish.

I told Dave we should have rented on a top floor of a high rise, but yesterday the Weather Channel told those residents to evacuate because wet beach sand gets carried into stair wells and elevator shafts and makes it impossible to leave. Guess I’ll be happy to be where I am…three miles from the ocean in a two-story condominium where I can go upstairs if the bottom floor floods…unless, of course, that little roof-lift thing happens.

Good friends have called and texted, offering prayers and warning us to evacuate. Advice from them has included putting our important papers in waterproof containers, filling our bathtub with water and our washing machine with ice. We need to keep our devices charged (grateful for car phone chargers, when we lose electricity).

All of this involves preparation, and as I watch people scurrying around as the clock ticks away, there is an urgency like I have never seen. Living in the Midwest our concern is tornadoes, but we are not given a few days (more like minutes) to get ready. Let’s face it. Tornadoes or hurricanes, when we realize our lives are at stake, we get serious with our planning.

As we should. Still, there is a more critical call for us to be ready. 1 Thes. 4:16-18: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Talk about an evacuation! A day is coming when no amount of scurrying can help and our eternal destiny will be set, depending on how we have prepared by knowing Jesus and glorifying God. In that split second when Jesus returns, I wonder how many will wish they would have taken his message more seriously when they had a chance.

Maybe this should be a warning for all of us.

Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Ribbon Cutting At Washateria Sept. 7

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The Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend the
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for
Fort Scott Washateria
Saturday, September 7th at 10am
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony celebrating the opening of
Fort Scott Washateria,
at 501 South National Avenue. The event will take place
Saturday, September 7th at 10 a.m.,
with remarks and ribbon cutting at 10:15 a.m. The event will feature free hot dogs, chips, sodas, snow cones, popcorn and homemade ice cream. Music will be provided by KOMB 103.9 FM from 10 a.m. until noon. There will be giveaways, and specials on wash/dry/fold subscriptions.
Fort Scott Washateria is owned and managed by Lori Lovelace. Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days per week. Please note that on Sundays the Washateria will be unattended from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The following services will be available: a downloadable “Spiderwash” app that tells you what machines are available and how long your load has until it’s done; loyalty cards; wash/dry/fold services; starching & pressing; alterations; delivery in Fort Scott; soaker sinks; vending machines with detergent, softener, etc.; a kid’s section with movies and a blackboard wall; free coffee and tea. The washateria has been equipped with
state-of-the-art machines, including thirteen washers and thirteen dryers.
As a special promotion to familiarize the public with the new state-of-the art machines, all washes and dries are free from September 7th through September 14th. (Limit 1 load per visit, which does not include soap or softener.)
Contact Lori Lovelace at
620-644-9834 for more information
Business, Fort Scott

New Business Spaces Available Soon

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Jeff and Jamie Armstrong stand in front of the property they are developing into business suites. Submitted photo.
Eighteen years ago,  Jeff and Jamie Armstrong came home to Fort Scott and started raising their family here.
 “We love our community and despite the challenges all small towns face, we still believe Fort Scott has something special,” Jeff said.
The couple had discussed ways to encourage more young professionals to return to Fort Scott.
“We have often talked about developing property and finding a way to recruit more young professionals like us to come back home,” Jeff said. ” We were surprised to learn late last year that the building my wife currently runs her investment office out of, was getting ready to be listed.”
” We had been considering moving her office to another location in town…but we weren’t finding much we felt good about,” Jeff said.   “We ran the numbers, prayed for wisdom, and took a calculated leap of faith.”

They purchased the property at 1711-1715 S. National Avenue on December 31, 2018, and started a business, which they call Legweak, LLC.

The Legweak Property, located at 1711-1715 S. National Avenue.  Submitted photo.

“We wanted to use our family name somehow, so it is a play on our name. ARM STRONG …LEG WEAK,” Jeff said.

 

U.S. Cellular, Subway Restaurant, and Edward Jones Financial Services are the existing tenants at the building the Armstrong’s purchased.
 The Armstrongs began asking small business owners what they want and need in a space.
“We’d love to continue working with those types of professional businesses that want a nice storefront with good visibility,” Jeff said.
“Surprisingly, we found a lot of sole-proprietor-type businesses don’t want all the extra space and expenses,” he said. “So we started looking at a shared office space.  It makes a lot of sense for small professional businesses who want a higher-end workspace without the extra overhead.  We will continue to develop the other four units (about 4800 sq ft) as we find needs in the community.”
There are seven units total, one of which is already under lease.

 Each unit is a 12’x10’ office and shares a full kitchen, an ADA Compliant bathroom, and room for a shared receptionist down the road.

For more information:

Jeff and Jamie Armstrong at
or 620-224-3036 or
search  on Facebook at @legweakllc
Bourbon County, Business

Vintage Toy/Comic Books/Sports Cards Show Nov. 2

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To raise money to cover costs for Legion Veterans programs and youth programs such as Boys State, Girls State, Oratorical and the Cadet Law Academy, Post 25 will be hosting a Vintage Toy/Comic Books/Sports Cards Show on Saturday, November 2 from 9 am – 3 p.m at Buck Run Community Center.

The Post 25 Color Guard will be offering food and beverages during the toy show to raise money for their uniforms and equipment.

One never knows who has a stash of sport cards to sell or cases of Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars needing a new home.

Carl Jowers. Post 25 Commander.

Click below for the flyer:

Fort Scott American Legion Post 25 ToyFort Scott American Legion Post 25 Toy Show Rev 1

Fort Scott, Government

Lake Advisory Board Forming

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Residents are asked to consider serving on a newly forming Lake Fort Scott Advisory Board.

Please see the following Board openings:

This is for the newly formed Lake Fort Scott Advisory Board Committee:

  • One opening (City resident)

  • One opening (County resident)

  • Two openings (west side of Lake) – one full time resident – one part time resident

  • Two openings (east side of Lake) – one full time resident – one part time resident

  • One opening (at large – Lake resident) – preferably a long term resident of the Lake

The function of the Lake Fort Scott Advisory Board Committee is to provide suggestions to the City Manager and Governing Body regarding lake operations, lake safety, fishing, boating, and camping at Lake Fort Scott.

If you have a desire to serve on this board and meet the above requirements, please submit a letter of interest to the City Clerk, Diane Clay, 123 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. These will be submitted for consideration to the City Commission. All of the boards and commissions serve on a volunteer basis and are not compensated. If you would like more information on this board, please contact Diane Clay, City Clerk at 620-223-0550 or [email protected]. Please submit your letter of interest by September 12th, 2019.

Government, Health Care, Kansas

Kansas Medicaid Expansion

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Governor Kelly announces the Governor’s Council on Medicaid Expansion

 

Today, Governor Laura Kelly announced the Governor’s Council on Medicaid Expansion. This Council of legislators, policy experts, advocates, stakeholders and community leaders will spearhead the Medicaid expansion efforts in the 2020 legislative session.

 

The members of the Council and their current positions are listed below:

 

Tom Bell – President and CEO, Kansas Hospital Association

Sen. Ed Berger – State Senator, District 34

Rep. Susan Concannon – State Representative, District 107

Denise Cyzman – CEO, Community Care Network of Kansas

Ximena Garcia M.D., Community Health Advocate

Cathy Harding – President and CEO, Wyandotte Health Foundation

Rep. Don Hineman – State Representative, District 118

April Holman – Executive Director, Alliance for a Healthy Kansas

Dave Kerr, former president of the Kansas Senate

Kyle Kessler – Executive Director, Association of Community Mental Health Centers

Sen. Carolyn McGinn – State Senator, District 31

Rep. Monica Murnan – State Representative, District 3

Dr. Lee Norman – Secretary, Kansas Department of Health and Environment

David K. Livingston – CEO, Aetna Better Health of Kansas

Sen. Pat Pettey – State Senator, District 6

Rep. Jason Probst – State Representative, District 102

Jerry Slaughter – Interim Executive Director, Kansas Medical Society

Kevin Sparks – CEO, United Health Community Plan for Kansas

Michael Stephens – President and CEO, Sunflower Health Plan

Sen. Gene Suellentrop – State Senator, District 27

Suzanne Wikle – Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Law and Social Policy

Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore – State Representative, District 36

 

 

Bourbon County Local News