Tour hopes to spur downtown investment

Buildings such as these on the 10 block of S. Main St. will be featured on a tour of potential downtown business properties Tuesday morning. The tour, sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chanber of Commerce will begin at 9 a.m. at the Carriage House, 301 S. Main. (Scott Nuzum/Tribune)

Jerry Witt, chairman of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Business and Development Committee, has announced that a walking tour of Main Street and National Avenue for persons or businesses to look at unoccupied buildings and inspect them for possible investment in Fort Scott's downtown.

"The per square-foot price of owning or renting downtown space is at an all-time low," Witt said in a press release. "Interest rates are still favorable. Now is the time to act."

The tour will be held Tuesday, starting at 9 a.m. with a kick-off coffee at the Carriage House at Third and Main. Coffee and biscuits and gravy will be served.

The walking tour will begin at 9:30 with buildings opened for inspection by local relators, who will answer questions about prices, real estate taxes, city codes, the condition of the buildings and possible uses. Dale Bunn, Fort Scott City Director of Economic Development, will be available to address historical tax credits. Local bankers will be on hand to answer questions about financing. Katie Casper of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will answer questions about low-cost loans. Kathryn Richards of the Pittsburg State University small business development office will also take questions.

Buildings that have been remodeled will also be featured on the tour to give potential investors a look at what may be possible to do with a building once they invest.