County finalizes plans for district meeting

Bourbon County commissioners met with county department heads during their regular Friday meeting to make final preparations for next Thursday's Southeast Kansas District Meeting, which will be at Fort Scott Community College. Registration for the event so far involves 204 people from 17 counties. The total includes about 100 Bourbon County employees who will attend the lunch and opening program, which will be Norm Conard and Megan Felt from the Lowell Milken Center.

County supervisors who have attended similar events in other counties said the response from outside Bourbon County is higher than it has been in the past, mainly because of the addition of programs for emergency managers and geographic information systems departments.

"Things are coming together," Commission Chairman Allen Warren said. "I'm tickled to death."

Commissioner Barbara Albright expressed her appreciation for department heads who helped organize the event.

"Everyone has worked really hard on this, contributed and shared the load," Albright said.

The event will feature a long list of door prizes donated by area merchants, including a Galaxy tablet.

The Bourbon County Courthouse will be closed from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. so employees may attend the event.

Along with plans for the District Meeting, the commissioners also talked about upcoming projects with Public Works Director Marty Pearson.

He told the commissioners he has a verbal approval from the T-Works program for projects including Noble road and tank cars to use as culverts at the Yellowstone Bridge. Pearson said there is roughly up to $300,000 available for the projects.

Pearson also announced his employees are ready to install a dock at Elm Creek Lake that was moved from Cedar Creek Lake, and that the county's new dump truck--purchased late last year--should arrive Tuesday.

In other business:

* Commissioners approved the hiring of Nathan Taylor as a backhoe operator and Robert S. Love as a skid steer operator

* Commissioners met with Pearson for a 20 minute executive session regarding personnel matters pertaining to non-elected personnel. No action was taken

* Pearson said crushing should be completed next week at the Beth Quarry and that the rock at George Quarry is much bigger slabs than the quarry workers initially thought, which will net more product after blasting.