Today's Feature

Representative Sought Input on Lawsuit.

Carthage City Council met Tuesday evening in a regular session.

Missouri Attorney General’s office representative Bill Bryan was in attendance of the meeting to speak to the Council concerning the status of the lawsuit against Renewable Environmental Solutions (RES). The suit is jointly filed between the City and the Attorney General’s Office against RES.

Bryan said that the efforts of the suit had proven to be effective in that RES has taken better odor control measures, but added that there had still been reports of some odor emissions. Bryan asked the Council for input on the future of the suit.

Council member Diane Sharits asked what would happen if the case was dropped and the emissions began again. Sharits asked if the process would have to start over or if there was some way to pick up where the suit left off.

Bryan said that the Attorney General would intervene in the case of emissions starting again.

"We will jump on RES with both feet as hard and fast as we can," said Bryan of the possibility. "We wouldn’t allow that."

Bryan added that there will be times where human error or equipment malfunction might result in temporary odor emission, but clarified that there was a difference between temporary problems and a persistent odor problem. He said the only surefire way to eliminate any possibility of odor would be to close the facilities altogether.

Council member Ronnie Wells said he found the situation frustrating, especially concerning the involvement of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Wells said that DNR is not in Carthage to smell the odors, and that by the time they arrive the odors have usually subsided. The DNR is the government body that determines whether odor emission is excessive.

Bryan told Wells that his concerns were legitimate, and that several Missouri towns face similar situations. He said that it should be expected for problems to continue to some extent, but that the Attorney General’s office wants the community to be livable.

Bryan said Carthage’s options were to take the suit to trial or to drop the case. He said that the State has resources available, but that the resources are not unlimited.

The Council took no official action on the lawsuit during the meeting, but discussed the case further in closed session. Bryan stayed after the meeting and took part in the closed session discussion on legal issues.

Stench Report:

Wednesday,
8/23/06

No Stench Reported on Carthage Square.

Under the proposed setup fixed cats and dogs would have ta get a license but it wouldn’t cost. Non-fixed will be five dollars please. Under the current system all cats are free and all dogs are two-fifty.

I understand the reasonin’ behind the proposal, and it may encourage some pet owners to take action. Hopefully the real debate will grow to include public awareness of the real cost and fate of unwanted pets.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a ‘92 GMC van that features a fiberglass roof. The problem is that the roof has two rather large holes in it due to a lower-than perceived concrete support beam in my local shopping mall’s parking garage. I need a cheap, relatively easy way to patch this up. Friends have recommended using sheet metal screwed into the fiberglass and sealed with caulk, but I’m a bit worried that I might end up cracking the fiberglass even more with a series of screws. Any recommendations? - Trent

TOM: I wouldn’t mess around with sheet metal and screws, Trent. You can caulk it all you want, but by putting more holes in the fiberglass, you’re exponentially increasing the potential for future leaks.

RAY: Fortunately, there are other ways to fix fiberglass. Lots of boats are made of the stuff, and it’s a very repairable substance. There are patch kits on the market specifically made for repairing holes in fiberglass.

TOM: You can get them almost anywhere, from marinas to auto-parts stores to the automotive section of department stores.

RAY: They usually come with a piece of mesh that covers the hole. Then you spread the epoxy over the mesh and let it dry. And voila! Half an hour later, no more holes. Then, if you care how it looks (I’m guessing you don’t), you can sand it and paint it to match the original color.

TOM: If it’s good enough to keep water from penetrating the boat hull, you know it’s good enough to keep the rain off the shag carpet in your van.

RAY: You might need several of these kits or even a case of them, Trent, depending on how big the holes are.