Today's Feature

City Council Meeting.

Final Meeting for Don Stearnes.

Don Stearnes attended his final City Council meeting last Tuesday evening, after which a farewell gathering was held. Mayor Kenneth Johnson asked for an amendment to the agenda to allow the Mayor’s appointments as the last order of business. The appointments began with a motion to accept the resignation of Stearnes followed by a motion to accept the Mayor’s appointment of Tom Flanigan. Both motions were approved unanimously. Members of the Council each took a turn in wishing Mr. Stearnes their best in his reloca_tion to Texas. Several Councilmembers cited Stearnes as their inspiration in joining Council, and said he set a good example to follow.

Stearnes spoke last, thanking the Council for the time shared, the Mayor, and several others he had worked with throughout the years.

The agenda contained no old or new business. City Administrator Tom Short gave a summary of upcoming projects including raised fees for the board of adjustment and new written procedures for building permits.

I see they are makin’ cars in Europe that run on compressed air. They say it take about four hours to "pump ‘em up" to drive about fifty miles or so.

The environmentalists aren’t impressed. Even though nothin’ comes out of the exhaust but air, they say the production of electricity to run the pump isn’t any cleaner than runnin’ a gas engine.

‘Course the answer to that is a person powered pump. Like those pedal boats at the lake. While you are stalled in traffic, you could be pedalin’ away to build up enough air to make it to the next stop light.

Or better yet, have the pedals in the back seat to burn off some of that energy that kids (or guest passengers) build up on a long trip. It would also save that trip to the gym.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Dear Tom and Ray:

My youngest son has been diagnosed with autism. One of the problems that can be faced by autistic people is an over-sensitivity to sound. Certain sounds can be very painful to them. Well, while we were on our way home from Grandma’s house in our old van - a bare-bones 2000 Plymouth Voyager - the little guy started to scream. It took us a while to figure out that his discomfort became greater with the vehicle speed, and worsened when we drove on rain grooves. We just purchased a 2003 Dodge Caravan that is pretty decked-out and much quieter. However, I want to get the new van as quiet as possible on our modest budget. We live in Arizona, where rust isn’t an issue, but I’m wondering if undercoating would quiet the van any more - Ken

TOM: geez, what a tough situation, Ken.

RAY: I don’t think undercoating is going to do much in this situation. What really makes a difference in interior noise is 1) how well the car is put together, and 2) how much sound deafening insulation has been stuffed into every crack and crevice during the manufacturing process.

TOM: I’m sure the 2003 Caravan is a lot better then the 2000, because if nothing else, it’s newer and has fewer rattles, squeaks and vibrations coming up from the road.

RAY: But if you’re looking for the simplest, most effective way to get a quieter ride, I would say that tires would top my list.

TOM: These days, most cars have all-season tires. But since you live in Arizona, wet weather and snow are probably not concerns for you. So, you can afford to emphasize noise reduction in your tire search and look for a nice soft, quiet tire.

RAY: Good luck, Ken.