Officials hope to keep visioning process going

Jim Pitts, who co-owns Life + Style with his wife Cynthia McFarlin, makes a point during Tuesday's community conversation about downtown. Life + Style was the venue for the event.(Ruth Campbell/Tribune)

To keep the momentum going, a meeting of the downtown action committee, a spin-off of the community conversation process, will likely be held in the next two to three weeks.

Almost 50 people attended a community conversation Tuesday at Life + Style to discuss ideas for the continued revitalization of downtown Fort Scott. Notes from the discussion were compiled by Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison and city Economic Development Director Macy Cullison.

Facilitator Angie Baur of Public Square Communities LLC suggested the meeting time frame.

Angie Baur of Public Square Communities LLC talks to a group of nearly 50 people from all segments of the community Tuesday evening at Life + Style. Numerous ideas were discussed and reviewed. Participants signed up for the new action team focusing on efforts to continue to revitalize downtown. In a story in Wednesday's Tribune, it was stated that more than 90 businesses had opened downtown this past year. There are more than 90 businesses downtown, but 17 are new. The Tribune regrets the error.

Madison said 11 people signed up for the downtown action committee. Baur said that group will start to make decisions on how to prioritize the "dreams" that were expressed for downtown Tuesday night.

Some of the dreams were having all the downtown buildings filled with stores and residents, having it be the hip place to be, having green space, doing something with the Western Insurance building, making Fort Scott a destination town and having owners take pride in their buildings.

Baur said participants on the downtown action team would sift through the data collected Tuesday and see if just one action committee is needed, or if a subcommittee is also necessary that would focus on items like creating living space, or patron incentives -- ways to get more customers into stores downtown.

Getting young people more involved in the Public Square process -- which takes in all segments of the community to help improve quality of life and spearhead projects -- has already started. Madison said Fort Scott High School Principal Bob Beckham has been named to the Visioning Fort Scott Steering Committee. Before the end of school last year, Madison said a group of youngsters was convened to discuss their ideas.

FSHS teacher Lisa Ward is also offering a tourism class this year for which Madison has provided material.

Fort Scott has been a part of the Public Square process for six years and Baur, who lives in Towanda, has been the facilitator for a little more than a year.

The visioning process has helped put in motion projects such as the riverfront, new swimming pool, Heritage Park Pavilion, where the Friday night concerts are held, improvements at Ellis Park and the Good Neighbor Action Team, where volunteers help improve homes of low-income, disabled or elderly residents in Fort Scott.

Madison was glad of the interest shown in the latest phase of the visioning venture.

"We were really pleased. I talked to several other people who attended (Tuesday night) that thought we had a great turnout," Madison said, adding she wished more building owners were on hand since the condition of the structures downtown was one of the concerns voiced.

"Overall, I think we had a great turnout. Some of the people there didn't even have a vested interest in downtown, but they care about the community and realize downtown's an important part of that," Madison said.

Attracting more foot traffic to downtown was something discussed and one idea to prompt this was having stores stay open later on Thursday nights. Madison said other communities offer this. "I don't know if there's any logic to that, or if it's close to he weekend and people are ready to do something," she said.

A holiday open house will be offered from 5-8 p.m. Nov. 7. Many businesses serve refreshments and have specials. The other extended hour opportunity will be on Dec. 6. "The first one catches people who are wanting to decorate their own homes for the holidays and are getting ready for Thanksgiving," Madison said. "The second one catches people shopping for Christmas gifts."