New Engineering Firm Recommended.

The City Council Public Works Committee voted Wednesday afternoon to recommend that negotiations be entered into with Sprenkle and Associates of Monett. The firm was one of five that submitted proposals for service as the City Engineer. Tri-State Engineering of Joplin has held the contract for the last nine years and was narrowly edged out by the selection committee appointed by Mayor Johnson.

According to Public Works Committee Chair Bill Fortune the selection committee had to have several votes before the decision was reached between Tri-State and Sprenkle.

Fortune also told the Public Works Committee that both firms had submitted cost proposals and were considerably higher than the current contract. He said the City currently pays Tri-State $44 an hour for engineering services and the new proposals were more in the $80 per hour range.

Committee member Jim McPheeters said he would like to see the contract require that a firm representative attend Council meetings and the Public Works Committee meetings.

There’s prob’ly nothin’ more irritatin’ that havin’ someone ya don’t recognize wave real big at ya from across the street.

It’s not the fact they’re bein’ friendly that is the problem. The irritatin’ part is spendin’ the rest of the day tryin’ to figure out who they are. Even days latter ya find yourself spendin’ a few seconds tryin’ to remember.

I suppose that is one a the problems with livin’ in a small town. You can irritate folks without even tryin’.

It’s like the old trick we’d play as kids. Standin’ on a busy street corner and pointin’ up to the sky. ‘Fore long ever’one is tryin’ to see what you’re pointin’ at.

If ya want to really befuddle someone ya don’t know, pick a busy spot and walk up and tell ‘em how good it is to see ‘em again.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Oak Street health & herbs

Natural Nutrition

by Mari An Willis

The arrival of spring has an obvious effect on our moods.

It is so wonderful to wake up knowing one is not paying the gas company for the privilege of waking up warm!!! I do think all of our pollen plus all that blowing up from the south has played havoc with our allergies. Good thing we have several herbal compounds to help with allergies.

Ran across this publication which explained the use of hawthorn in quite simple terms: thought I would pass it on. Because of the potential of hawthorn on heart health it has been the subject of many clinical studies the world over. Hawthorn has impressed researchers with so many benefits for the heart that it has become the most frequently prescribed treatment for heart condition in Germany. Among the benefits:

• Increased blood flow and circulation. Decreased congestion and arrhythmia with no side effects (Hoffman 1995).

• Lowered blood pressure improved fatigue and endurance (Schmidt, et al. 1994) (Hobbs & Foster 1990).

• A clinical trial found hawthorn decreased angina attacks by 87%, compared to 37% with a placebo (Weilang et al. 1984).

• Oxygen levels increase in the heart and provide better balance of oxygen supply. (Lianda et al. 1984).