Parks advisory board weighs sewer, road repairs and caretaker-house options at Gun Park

The Fort Scott Parks Advisory Board discussed a package of capital and maintenance items for Gun Park on a regular meeting that included sewer for the new shower house, repaving badly deteriorated park roads, and whether the city could lease or otherwise market the vacant caretaker house as a revenue source.

The board — which at the meeting included Parks Advisory Board members Danny Craig, Frank Halsey, Don Crane, Chris Catalano, Kimberly Young, Daniel Wilson and Troy McLaughlin, and city staff Lisa (city staff) and Norman (city staff) — heard staff describe preliminary cost signals and implementation questions. Board members did not adopt any binding policy or spending authorization during the discussion; instead they asked staff to obtain formal cost estimates and legal guidance and to return with recommendations.

Why it matters: Gun Park is one of Fort Scott’s largest park properties and the subject of multiple deferred maintenance items. Decisions about sewer, road surfacing and whether to convert the caretaker house to a short-term rental would affect near-term capital…