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Hard times close Fort Scott Lanes
By Brett Dalton
Herald-Tribune
FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- After 14 years of digging deep into their pockets and into debt, Bob and Debbie Talbot have ended their attempt at keeping Fort Scott Lanes going.
The Talbots officially closed the doors last month, as March 14 marked the final day it was open to the public. Fort Scott Lanes, 2003 S. Main St., did open back up a couple weeks later for the one-day event Bowling for Kids Sake, a fund raiser conducted by Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Debbie said she and her husband have done all they could to keep the bowling alley going, but numerous factors have caused them to close and put the building up for sale or lease.
"I surrender, man," Debbie said. "We've done the best we can and it's just not good enough."
The main reason for closing shop, the Talbots said, is lack of funding for renovations and repairs needed to keep the bowling alley up-to-date and running efficiently. Bob said the lanes were in desperate need of new pin-clearing machines, as the current ones are around 40 years old.
"Those machines have just gotten worse every year," he said. "They're getting more and more out of date."
The needs don't stop there, however. The roof of the building is still in need of repairs as this past winter's snow and ice storms caused a portion of it to collapse. Debbie said that those needs, along with the others they deemed necessary, would cost around $250,000. She added that it is not an amount they are willing to take on themselves, much like the way they paid for needs in the past. Debbie said she and her husband are now facing serious financial debt due to their persistent attempts at keeping the bowling alley open.
"We've put a lot of money into this that people don't see," Debbie said, "but, we weren't bringing in enough money to pay the upkeep and the bills. We've refinanced our house twice, we've got credit card debt, we've put a lot of our own money into this."
During an interview with The Fort Scott Tribune on Tuesday, the Talbots expressed frustration about what they feel is a lack of support from city and county officials. Debbie said that numerous attempts to receive financial help from the city of Fort Scott and Bourbon County have been unsuccessful. She went on to say that she hasn't felt much support from the city since she and her husband took over the bowling alley in 1993.
"I feel we have been treated like outsiders from the city since day one," Debbie said.
Debbie said she has had many discussions with Fort Scott Economic Development Director Dale Bunn in an attempt to get a grant to help pay for the bowling alley's needs. However, Bunn said on Friday that no grant programs are available for the Talbot's situation. Instead, Bunn told Debbie that a loan could be possible should she create a business plan that shows her goals and her willingness to commit to staying in business until the loan is paid off.
"She didn't want to do that," Bunn said. "She didn't want to do a business plan nor did she want a loan of any kind."
Debbie said that after going into so much debt throughout her tenure as Fort Scott Lanes owner, she was not willing to go into any more.
"Why would we want to go into more debt if we're not going to get any help," she said.
The Talbots said they aren't sure what their plans for the future are, nor are they sure what will happen with the bowling alley building. Debbie added, however, that they do hope whoever the next owner of the building is keeps it as a bowling alley.
"We hope it continues as a bowling center, because the community needs it," she said.
The Talbots also said it is the people that consistently visited Fort Scott Lanes that they will miss the most.
"There were a lot of people, like the senior citizen groups, who came in here all the time," Debbie said. "We always appreciated their support and we will miss them.