Hall Progress.

The Public Works Committee heard that the renovations to Memorial Hall are still scheduled to be completed by mid July. This report comes despite the fact that some delays have occurred.

A replacement elevator has been ordered. The original elevator hydraulic cylinder came a little short of going to the top floor. Engineering Department Director Joe Butler told the Committee that the shaft was available for measurement, but architect specifications were used to order the original elevator.

Butler classified the sump pump discharge as "poor design" and told the Committee that an alternative discharge location would be needed.

Both changes will be completed at no charge to the City said Butler.

Butler did acknowledge that work completed is satisfactory and recommended approving a requested payment. The request shows the work to be 86% complete.

The Committee also approved a recommended proposed change in Memorial Hall rates that will take effect when the renovations are complete.

I hear parents talk about bein’ happy when their kids finally grow outa that "awkward" stage. ‘Course it seems they don’t ever grow out, they just move on to the next awkward stage. From crawlin’ to walkin’ to teeth fallin’ out to voice changin’ to legs growin’ to complexion problems, the list never seems ta end.

As ya gain some maturity ya figure that someday there will be no more stages left.

Unfortunately, I’ve discovered yet another "awkward" situation. I find myself between belt sizes. The notch that feels comfortable is just a little loose and the next notch in puts a real squeeze on the midsection. Very awkward. I don’t really care which, but hopefully I’ll grow out or in to a more comfortable stage soon.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing Services

PRIME TIME WITH KIDS

by Donna Erickson

Some of our best family activities come from the ordinary. I remember a day last June. I was checking off a routine to-do list and noticed my daughter’s writing at the bottom, "Pick up flower bouquet for Latin Teacher." Her 8th grade classmates had collected $16.00 worth of coins and bills for a group end-of-the-year, thank-you gift. What a nice idea, I thought to myself. Anyone who can motivate 14-year-olds to stick with a dead language for nine months deserves an accolade.

En route to the florist shop, we stopped at Target to stock up on the basics. The $1.99 geranium pots in front of the store immediately caught my daughter’s eye and within minutes, our cart was blooming with pink, red and white geraniums, a big clay pot and a sack of soil. An idea was germinating! She dumped her plastic bag of coins at the cash register counter and covered the bill to the penny.

We hurried home where she immediately painted the pot with bright acrylic paints, wrote the date in giant Roman numerals with permanent paint pens, leaving enough room for her classmates to sign their Latin names. I helped her pot the flowers. It was magnificent.

It’s good to step back once in a while as a parent and let the kids take the lead. If we are patient and don’t try to do everything our way, we open the opportunity for our children to learn new skills and grow in self esteem.

So, when you’re plowing through chores during the more relaxed summer months ahead, let the kids sidetrack you once in a while. One thing might lead to another, and whammo! An idea is born. It may be a little thing, but another family memory is in the making and you will have shared it with your children.