City hires assistant codes director, OKs FSPD tactical personnel carrier

The City of Fort Scott has announced the hiring of Andrea Ramm as the assistant codes director.

Interim City Manager Bob Farmer made the announcement at Tuesday’s city commission meeting.

Ramm was hired Monday and is scheduled to begin work in two weeks, human resources director Bob Johnson said.

Although Ramm has no prior experience in codes, she will go through training for the first several weeks with Amanda Profitt, the codes director. Ramm will be responsible for handling complaints from citizens about nuisances like tall grass, inoperable vehicles and dilapidated structures.

Ramm will be working 30-40 hours a week until the first of the year, when she’ll be classified as full-time. The former assistant position used to be strictly part-time.

Ramm will also be learning aspects of Profitt’s job, so she can fill in for her when Profitt is away.

In the meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes, commissioners also approved two applications for the city’s downtown facade grant program.

Jim Shoemaker, owner of a building at 16 Scott Ave. that is used to run his wife’s antique and collectibles store, applied for partial funding to make improvements to the structure.

The work is currently in progress, which includes painting and tuckpoint work to the front exterior of the building.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $10,000, and Shoemaker will receive $500 through the grant, which is the maximum allowed.

Local realtor Phil Hammons, owner of a building at 8 N. National Ave., where he owns and operates his business, also applied for the grant.

The work will include scraping, power washing and repainting the building’s front. He estimated that the job will probably take four to five days and will cost $5,000 to $6,000. The grant will pay for $500 of that cost.

Commissioners allotted a total of $5,000 toward the program. Three building owners have been approved for the grant.

Commissioners approved a request from the Fort Scott Police Department to obtain a tactical personnel carrier vehicle.

Mercy Health System has agreed to donate a used 1991 ambulance that is no longer in service. The ambulance will be converted into a tactical vehicle that will be used by officers for purposes such as execution of search warrants, barricading subjects and in hostage situations.

Multiple vehicles have been used by officers to execute search warrants. The vehicle will provide a safer way to deploy police personnel to serve warrants, according to an e-mail by public safety director Jeff Davis.

The vehicle will be a great addition to police operations and will only need minimal reconfigurations to be functional as a police vehicle, he wrote.