Fort Scott moving forward, thanks to construction projects, company growth

Several economic development projects have the Fort Scott moving forward, city officials said.

Projects ranging from new construction and development, to road and building improvements and internet upgrades, are either underway or planned for the near future.

City officials said expansion of various local businesses through new jobs and private investments has been key to economic development in the area.

"Expansion of business and industry is the biggest," Director of Economic Development Heather Griffith said.

According to information from the city, Peerless Products has expanded by adding machinery and equipment, Firstsource has invested in reconfiguring its office building for growth, Extrusions/WinVent has grown through building expansion and The Carlstar Group, formerly Carlisle Transportation Products, has invested over $1 million in its facility, machinery and equipment.

On the jobs front, several of Fort Scott's major employers have seen increases in their number of employees since 2013. The city's top three employers -- Ward Kraft, Inc., (350); Peerless Products, Inc., (390); and The Carlstar Group (290) -- have added 190 jobs since 2013. Ward Kraft, Inc., jumped by seven employees, Peerless has seen an increase of 109 employees and The Carlstar Group has added 75 employees since that year.

Other major employers have seen increases in the number of employees. Firstsource (215 employees) has added 93 employees, Valu-Merchandisers (163 employees) has grown by four employees, Extrusions/Winvent (128 employees) has added 24 employees and Cobalt MedPlans (108 employees) has added 16 employees since 2013.

"Our main focus is local people," City Manager Dave Martin said, adding the city has not been able to help businesses out financially but has provided labor to help businesses grow.

Griffith said the city's recent focus has been on "retention and expansion" of local businesses rather than recruiting new employers. She said there has been about $28 million in private investments by local companies the last two years.

Martin said he has met with several businesses to discuss their recent enhancements and needs. He said another important issue for businesses has been local broadband service "and making sure they have internet structure for growth here."

The recent addition of New Wave Communications, a new internet provider that came into the city early this year, has been key in expanding broadband services in the area, officials said. The company is currently serving customers in the Fort Scott Industrial Park and is looking to bring internet service to residents in the Fort Scott Lake area and eventually other homes and businesses in Fort Scott.

"It offers a chance for additional business development and growth," Martin said.

Also, Suddenlink has invested more than $400,000 in launching high-definition services and tripling internet speeds in the community. That project is almost completed. AT&T has also installed fiber optic cable in the industrial park within the last eight to 12 months, Griffith said.

"Bandwidth facilitates business expansion," she said.

Another project making an economic impact is the new LaRoche Baseball Complex located in the industrial park. Since the park opened this spring, it has hosted 18 tournaments, 133 games and approximately 4,400 total fans. City officials said the park draws people to Fort Scott which results in an impact to the sales tax and transient guest tax revenue. TGT revenue is up 66 percent this year and the ballpark is one of the factors in the increase, Director of Finance Jon Garrison said.

Martin said the Fort Scott High School All-School Reunion and the annual Good Ol' Days festival held in June also contributed to an increase in the TGT.

As far as the downtown area, the former Western Insurance building will undergo a transformation into senior apartments as part of a $9 million investment by Flint Hills Holding, Inc., the development company that purchased the property. City officials said this will provided needed apartments and more people living in the downtown area, and will hopefully be a catalyst for other similar projects. Renovation of the property is expected to start this fall.

Expansion of the Lowell Milken Center is a $1.5 million investment by the Lowell Milken Family Foundation that should increase and enhance tourism and foot traffic downtown, officials said. Construction on a 6,000-square-foot exhibit hall being built downtown is nearing completion.

"I think they will have a huge impact," Martin said. "To see these buildings be bought and investments made ... it should bring more people downtown.

"We can't let a building fall down," he said. "We want to make it look nice and fit within the (downtown) district."

Plans are also in place for construction of a senior housing living center residences at Ninth and Horton streets. This project by Country Place Living is a $4.5 million start-up investment that should provide 25-30 full-time equivalent jobs. Officials said the goal is to retain workers in Fort Scott who can transition to skilled nursing facilities.

Martin said operations and improvements at the Fort Scott Municipal Airport are also "critical" to economic development. He said local companies use the airport but it is also used by outside companies that fly into Fort Scott.

There are several construction projects currently underway or planned for the near future. Projects highlighted by city officials as making an economic impact are a $2.2 million plan to expand and widen portions of U.S. Highway 69 and make improvements to the highway's intersections with 18th and 23rd streets; a $6.8 million project to construct a new jail facility; a $40.8 million USD 234 school bond project to make district-wide improvements; the approximately $1.5 million Riverfront Park project; and the $3.8 million project to make improvements on National Avenue from Sixth to 13th streets.

City officials said all of these projects bring people to town to stay, eat and shop at local businesses. All of these projects also impact sales tax and the TGT.

Several city projects are being funded by a combination of city funds and Kansas Department of Transportation grants. Other development projects are being funded by private investments.

Martin said the variety of projects going on in the county also benefit local contractors.

"I know at the high school they're using local contractors where they can," he said. "I've heard with all of the bond issues they're trying to use local as much as they possibly can. We plan on using local labor for demolition of the Western building. Every dialogue we have about a project within the city and county, we have an agreement where we use local labor and materials and contractors where we can."

Martin commended Garrison for his work on budgeting for these major projects within the last year.

"A lot of taxpayer money has been spent on projects within the last year without raising the mill levy or going into debt," Martin said. "And that's due to a good finance director.

"The city has spent the necessary money in key places to help move the city forward," he said.