City OKs street closure for fete; YAT to hold celebration for Take Charge Challenge, new pool.

A celebration will be held next month sponsored by the Youth Activities Team to benefit the cause of energy efficiency and the closing of the swimming pool.

YAT Co-convener Clayton Tatro addressed the Fort Scott City Commission Tuesday evening to request the closure of Eighth Street between Main Street and Scott Avenue, Scott Avenue between Eighth and Ninth streets, State Street between Seventh and Ninth streets (including the Buck Run Community Center parking lot), and Main Street between Tenth and Eleventh streets.

The purpose of the closures is to host the YAT Back to School Block Party on Aug. 20.

Tatro said that the use of the pool, as a celebration of its final days before construction of a new facilty begins, fits in well with the organization's promotion of the Take Charge Challenge. Tatro said Fort Scott is currently in second place behind Chanute, yet he feels confident that with a great August and September, the city could take the lead before the contest ends on Sept. 30 and receive the $100,000 prize.

In addition to the swimming pool activities, Tatro also said there will be inflatables for children to play on, food and drinks, the Fort Scott police and fire departments will be on hand, as well as a helicopter for kids to tour. A mini-golf course will be set up and several items will be given away such as an iPod, Nintendo Wii and possibly a laptop.

The commission also okayed a request to approve bike trails as an official attraction at Gunn Park so they would be covered under the city's insurance policy. Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin said an agent had been to the park to view the trails and was very impressed.

Commission approval to make the trails an official attraction came following a presentation from local mountain biker Frank Halsey on biking trails at the park.

Halsey created just over a mile of biking trails in the wooded area at the south end of Gunn Park in 2009 without getting the city's permission. In 2010, he sat down with city officials to find a way to continue use of the trails after signs prohibiting biking were posted. Since those first meetings, the biking trail has seen much use, and since March, another two miles of trails were built on the north side of the park.

The commission also heard the top three choices for names for the Fort Scott Golf Course. The Golf Course Advisory Board narrowed the monikers down to Woodland Hills Golf Course, Horton Hills Golf Course, or Hedge Stone Golf Course.

Commissioners will choose from those names. The winner will be announced at the Aug. 2 meeting and the person who submitted the winning name will be presented with a prize.

In other business, commissioners:

* Approved a low bid from Tedrow Construction, LLC, of Lawrence, for the replacement of the Mill Creek Lift Station. The city received two bids, both coming in over the engineer's $135,000 estimate. Tedrow Construction was the lowest bidder. It was reduced by $29,500 by eliminating aspects of the project that were not essential and keeping some of the newer existing equipment. The final bid ended up just below the estimate at $132,945.

* Approved a low bid from CDL Electric, of Fort Scott, for $54,395 for the purchase and installation of five new storm sirens and at least one new mounting pole. The purchase is being funded by a 75/25 matching grant with the state of Kansas. Fort Scott Police Chief Ron Puterbaugh said the other four poles would be evaluated as the replacements occurred, and if a pole needed to be replaced it would cost an additional $720.

*Commissioners gave Puterbaugh approval to move forward with a new electronic records management system in partnership with the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office.

The annual payments that would be required are less than what the city is currently paying for its subscription-based records management system which only serves the FSPD.

* Approved a low bid of $1,536 from Cutler Services, LLC, of Fort Scott, to demolish a structure at 113 N. Barbee. The house is one of two potential demolitions as a result of a Housing Rehabilitation Grant.

* Approved a mutual aid agreement with the city of Joplin, Mo. Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou said that the agreement is required for Fort Scott to receive Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding to reimburse them for sending firefighters to help with tornado recovery in Joplin.

* Approved a change to the ordinance creating the Golf Course Advisory Board to allow two residents from outside the city limits to sit on the board, rather than one, as originally stated.

Martin said the second member from outside the city will be appointed at the Aug. 2 meeting.