Facebook
RSS![[Masthead]](http://www.fstribune.com/images/nameplate.png)
RSS
Print
Email link
Respond to editor
Read comments (17)
(Michael Pommier/Tribune)
Fort Scott City Manager Joe Turner said during Tuesday's work session of the Fort Scott City Commission that the discussions of moving both the Fort Scott Police Department and city hall to the armory have been put on hold.
One of the largest factors to the halting of discussion is a concern with city hall leaving the downtown area. Don Crain was in the audience during the work session and he said that city hall moving out of the downtown area would not help the downtown recover.
"It wouldn't hurt much ... it certainly wouldn't help," he said.
Another leading factor is a possible alternative location for city hall. Commissioner Dick Hedges told the audience that the city is still interested in moving city offices into the Westar building on Old Fort Boulevard. If the city were to reach and agreement and move to that building then it would open the door for the FSPD to move into the current city hall location, according to Turner. He also said the codes enforcement would then be moved into the Hawkins Public Safety Facility with the Fort Scott Fire Department.
"It's like a chess game," Hedges said.
Turner added, "We have a lot of ideas out there ... I know it will work out for everybody in the end."
With the possibility of city hall moving to the armory halted, many other ideas are being discussed. Aside from the two primary concepts of the FSPD and Fort Scott Community College which have been brought to the commission new ideas and variations of previous ideas are being considered.
Turner said that due to a lack of interest from the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, the concept of a law enforcement center is off the table. He also suggested an idea which would convert the building into a combination of the FSPD, city commission room, and municipal court. This set up would give the FSPD and meeting room separate entrances.
After Commissioner Jean Parker asked the audience for ideas, a citizen in attendance suggested converting the building into an activity center with skating, bowling, and other activities for the local youth.
According to Turner, the city is in no hurry to make a decision. He said the city is looking into as many options as possible in order to make the best, most informed decision.
Fort Scott Mayor Gary Bukowski gave some insight into the decision making process by telling the audience that the city is going to have to "sift through the numbers" to find a way in which the tax payers would have the least burden by way of a mill levy increase.
"We need to look at all facets of cost," he said.
Turner said that he hopes to narrow down the options to the top two or three options then present them in a series of public meetings to get the public's feedback on what the citizens would like to see done with the armory.
Comments
"If the city were to reach and agreement and move to that building then it would open the door for the FSPD to move into the current city hall location, according to Turner."
Police Department into City Hall's current location? That sure makes a lot of since! I'm pretty sure that building has more problems than the one they are in now! No handicap accessibility, and high maintenance. Let's fix problems by creating new ones! I don't hear much from our City Manager but when I do, all I can do is shake my head and ask why.....WOW!
!!!!
A bowling alley, skating rink and skate park are needed for the kids. This has been needed for a long time.
Fort Scott kids deserve it.
I agree with you, here 4 the ride. Why would you move the PD to City Hall? That building is in bad shape, is not handicapped accessible, and doesn't have a safe and secure place dispatch.If the building is not good enough for City Hall, then it's certainly not good enough for a police department. They have the perfect building for a new PD with the new armory, but it sounds like they are going to do something that in the end will cost the tax payers even more money to renovate. Typical Fort Scott...
Amen Fort Scott Mom!!! I totally agree with you.
That College better not get that building. They no way deserve the Armory or Need The Armory. the PD should be able to get that building. FSCC has how many new buildings? why not let them get the old Cigna building when they leave it? come on. FSCC gets anything they want in this town and that is sad. Say No!
Translation for you all;
City govt has other plans for the national guard armory and it isn't a police department.
reasons?
Remember when the city council all went to the physicians building on Horton looking at putting city hall there? Wasn't that moving it away from downtown too?
Westar energy building is pretty much a dead issue.
The current location for city hall is totally unrealistic as a location for the police department, and they know that.
Last, follow the money.
Is it possible that it is on hold because of Cigna closing. Does anyone realize the impact that will have on the economy of Fort Scott? I don't know what screwy idea they may actually have but you can bet that mentioning moving the PD to the City Hall building is some sort of psychological game they are playing with the citizens to get something that they want. Boo-hoo, Crain doesn't want City Hall to move to the Armory - so, who is he that he thinks a few businesses downtown should make these hard economic decisions? We can't afford to move to the Westar building anymore - that is all there is to it. Take a drive around Fort Scott during the daytime and you will see one or two vehicles in every driveway and they were not there 4 months ago. How many businesses in Fort Scott are working full-time and haven't laid off workers? Pull your heads out people and hold on because you are in for the "ride" of your life!
Ha ha ha! You all make me laugh with your wit! Thank you.
it will be interesting to see who has the last laugh.
I'd thought about the Cigna building for FSCC. The problem with that is you have the college that doesn't want to pay for it and Mercy owns the building and isn't going to want to donate it.
I could see where Mercy MIGHT agree to let them put a nursing program in there which would be a great location.
The Westar building would be a good place for city hall if there's enough room. It's a nice looking building and would be a good option.
As far as putting the PD in the basement of Memorial Hall, I also wonder how that would work with all the stairs & being handicap accessible. It would provide a secure location for a dispatch center. It does have a fallout shelter in the building which would probably be even better than the concrete bunker at the armory building. Another option would be to leave the dispatch center in the Hawkins building since it's used by police, fire and EMS and move PD offices elsewhere.
Maybe the city has a new business coming to town that would fit in the armory building & they just can't make that public yet. You never know....
As I read the City Manager and Commissioners comments:
"the discussions of moving both the Fort Scott Police Department and city hall to the armory have been put on hold." WHOA, WAIT A MINUTE, THEY SNUCK THAT ONE IN!!!
Don Crain...said that city hall moving out of the downtown area would not help the downtown recover.
"It wouldn't hurt much ... it certainly wouldn't help," he said. GOOD POINT MR CRAIN!!
"Commissioner Dick Hedges told the audience that the city is still interested in moving city offices into the Westar building on Old Fort Boulevard." THIS COULD WORK. THE BUILDING IS BIG ENOUGH, WHY NOT PUT CITY OFFICES ON THE OLD FORT BLVD/UPPER LEVEL SIDE AND THE FSPD COULD REMODEL THE LOWER SIDE. I DROVE BY THERE TODAY, THE BUILDING IS BIG ENOUGH AND COULD WORK.
If the city were to reach an agreement and move to that building then it would open the door for the FSPD to move into the current city hall location, according to Turner. I AGREE WITH THE OTHERS, THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA (HC ACCESSIBILITY, HIGH MAINTENANCE, PLUS I THINK THAT THIS WOULD SHOW PD OFFICERS THAT THEY'RE NOT WORTHY BY GIVING THEM SOMETHING NOBODY ELSE WANTED.
"It's like a chess game," Hedges said. GUESS WHO ARE THE PAWNS HERE?
"Turner added, "We have a lot of ideas out there ... I know it will work out for everybody in the end." IN OTHER WORDS, LET'S GIVE THE ARMORY TO FSCC SO BIG MONEY SOMEBODY DOESN'T GET OFFENDED AND LET'S SHORTCHANGE THE PUBLIC SERVANTS AND THE CITIZENS!!
"...due to a lack of interest from the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, the concept of a law enforcement center is off the table." THANK YOU SHERIFF GRAY, YOU DO AN EXCELLENT JOB AND DON'T DESERVE TO BE HELD UNDER THE THUMB OF THE CITY, LIKE THEY ARE STILL TRYING TO DO.
"He also suggested an idea which would convert the building into a combination of the FSPD, city commission room, and municipal court. This set up would give the FSPD and meeting room separate entrances." NO COMMENT ON THAT YET.
"....a citizen in attendance suggested converting the building into an activity center with skating, bowling, and other activities for the local youth." A GOOD IDEA, BUT NOT FEASIBLE - JUST EXPAND BUCK RUN.
Congrats "leaders" of Fort Scott. You are now beginning to see the draw backs of sweeping the problems under the rug for all these years! Now that the rug is full of problems, your solution is to get a bigger rug!
There is a saying I heard once: God placed obvious limits to our intelligence, but not to our stupidity.
comment is not directed to who does what, or says what as to who moves where and when or why. But people who have opinions should examine before they "CLICK".
Oh, the wit, the wit, the wit! Oh, how I love the wit on here. LOL LOL LOL Thank you for all the rationality, reasonableness and objectivity. :)
And thanks to you whatsay for your contributions of exactly nothing, which is probably standard operating procedure for anything you are involved in.
Now that's funny!! BWAAA HAAAAA AHH HAA!!!!