Kansas Senate passes Riverfront Authority bill

Legislation, if passed by house as well, would be a big boost for proposed Fort Scott riverwalk project.

By Robin Hixson

Herald-Tribune

Topeka, Kan. -- The Kansas Senate passed Senate Bill 321 on Wednesday which, if passed by the Kansas House, will facilitate creation of the Fort Scott/Bourbon County Riverfront Authority needed to guide and administer development of the Riverwalk project planned for construction along the Marmaton River in Fort Scott.

Fort Scott Economic Development Director Dale Bunn said the legislation is needed to create the authority to acquire and manage the land for the project. Once completed the park would include a campground, multi-use trails, a botanical garden, areas for viewing wildlife, a picnic area and fishing area around a small lake, seating, informational signs, and a parking area, all along a stretch of the Marmaton River from an area directly east of U.S. Highway 69, extending west past North National Avenue. This recreational area would pass through a lowland area just between the Fort Scott National Historic Site on the south and the Marmaton River on the north.

In December, Fort Scott businessman Dean Mann, co-chair of the Develop the River As An Asset committee, described his vision for the completed Riverfront Development, imagining people paddleboating on the Marmaton, others bicycling on the asphalt-paved trails, and others enjoying the wildlife and the botanical garden area.

"I believe having recreational activities where people can get out and walk and enjoy nature is a real plus to the quality of your life," he said in that December interview. "That's what this creates, a place where they can get out and see nature and exercise by walking and share in family type of activities. It's geared toward creating a higher quality of life."

In a more recent interview, Bunn said creating a better quality of life for Fort Scott is an essential element in the successful recruitment of business and industry, and it's a basic consideration for families who are considering Fort Scott as a place to settle.

Altogether, Mann said, the park will encompass between 30 and 40 acres. Because the proposed park is in a low area, it has been designed to sustain a minimum of damage in the event of a flood.

As the project moves forward, the Riverfront Authority is working with college students from the University of Kansas and Fort Scott Community College, as well as such agencies as the Marmaton Watershed District, The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

As explained in a supplemental note to Senate Bill 231, the Riverfront Authority will be charged with the responsibility of promoting the general welfare and encouraging capital investment to create recreational, retail, entertainment, economic development, and housing within the riverfront area. It will engage in planning, design, acquisition, construction, operation and maintenance of the riverfront area for public use. The Riverfront Authority will have the responsibility of generating and administering operating capital for the Riverfront Development from federal and/or state grants and from funds donated by private entities.

The Riverfront Board would be the governing and administrative body and would have six members, none of whom would be an elected official. The members would serve without salary, but would be reimbursed for duty-incurred expenses. Three of the members would be appointed by the Mayor of Fort Scott, with the approval of the Fort Scott City Commission, and the Bourbon County Commission would appoint the other three. Of the first appointees, the Mayor and City Commission would name one board member to a one-year term, another to a two-year term, and the third to a three-year term. The Bourbon County Commission would also designate its appointees' terms the same way. Future members of the Board would all be appointed to three-year terms.

Proponents of Senate Bill 321 are optimistic that, having passed the Senate, it has an excellent chance of passing the House, as well.