Today's Feature

Public Works Meeting.

The Public Works Committee met this week in a regular session. Items on the agenda included the further discussion of the proposed contract changes for the City’s contract with Allied Waste.

These proposed changes have been spoken about at the previous two Public Works Committee meetings, and have been approved by the committee. The changes include the elimination of the currently offered "single" residential rate, the raising of residential rates to $8.00 and the addition of a "senior" rate in the amount of $6.50.

Public Works Director Chad Wampler showed the committee a copy of the proposed changes in writing, in a draft of the amended contract. The committee approved a motion to forward the changes to Council for consideration. Allied Waste representative Jennifer Fagan intends to be present at the meeting to answer any Council questions.

The committee also discussed the grant received from the Missouri Department of Transportation for the replacement of the Oak Street bridge. Committee members had discussed previously that the bridge is historic, and a memorable landmark for most Carthage citizen.

"You just hate to give something up like that," said Johnson.

City Council accepted the grant at the previous Council meeting but no action has been taken on the engineering of the replacement.

Committee member Bill Johnson asked if the bridge would be shut down if allowed to reach a substandard condition. Wampler said that MODOT would continue to monitor the bridge and that the City could patch it as needed to keep it up to standards, but added that any repairs would not be covered in the grant.

Wampler said that the grant is for "replacement" only and added that the substructure of the bridge is the area that MODOT felt needed repairs, as opposed to the decking.

The committee agreed to present a council bill for the replacement of the bridge without a recommendation from the committee.

Johnson suggested the alternative of having the City engineer look what would be involved in making the necessary repairs. With this information the City could compare the costs of replacing the bridge from City funds against the loss of complete replacement of the bridge. The motion was approved to present this bill and discuss the situation with full Council.

Stench Report:

Wednesday,
10/4/06

No Stench Detected on Carthage Square

Most folks will argue that fact as long as the tree is alive and providin’ shade for the front yard. When the tree dies, however, the true owner, the City, is typically asked to remove that deadwood before it becomes a danger. The City has little choice, since, the tree is their responsibility, or liability as the case might be.

The situation becomes a little less clear when a tree on the City parkway grows to the point of breakin’ up your sidewalk, which also rests on the City parkway. The sidewalk is your responsibility. You can see why folks get a little confused about trees and sidewalks, especially if you (or your grandfather) planted the tree without consultin’ the City.

This is some fact, but, mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

I have a 1999 Subaru Outback that I love very dearly. Last week, the engine light came on, so I took it to my very reputable mechanic. He referred me to the dealer, because my "knock sensor" was off. He warned me that this would be expensive to fix. Since I am quite poor, I am wondering if this is a critical repair. What is a knock sensor? Thanks. - Edith

RAY: The knock sensor, as the name strongly implies, senses when there’s a knock occurring in your engine.

TOM: And it signals the computer to yell, "Come in!"

RAY: That’s awful. Engine knock is also known as pre-ignition. It’s when the gasoline in a cylinder detonates before it’s supposed to. It can happen if you have fuel with too low an octane rating, if the engine is running hot or the outside temperature is very high, or if the engine is traveling under a heavy load - like climbing a hill or accelerating with a couple of mother-in-laws in the back.

TOM: Pre-ignition is bad for the engine. If those extra explosions are allowed to continue over time, they can do damage. The knock sensor alerts the engine management computer, and the computer then retards the ignition timing to correct for it.

RAY: So the answer is that you should fix this, especially since you love the car and presumably plan to keep it for the long haul. It’s not an emergency. It’s not something you need to rush out and do today, Edith, but it’s something you should fix as soon as you can.

TOM: The other reason to fix it is that until you do, your "check engine" light will stay on. If the engine develops Another malfunction, you’ll never know.

RAY: So I’d get it fixed, Edith. It should cost you about $200. That’s not cheap, but these sorts of repairs are the cost of owning a car. You have to expect them occasionally.

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Chase Predictions

NASCAR’s "Chase" for 2006 is over.

So, how did I do in my Chase predictions? My predictions were, in order of finishing: Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Jimmy Johnson, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick. Honorable mention "close but just missing" went to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield, Kyle Busch, Joe Nemechek and Elliott Sadler. My long-shot picks included Casey Mears and rookies Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex.

Five out of 10 is not so good, but who would have thought that last year’s top three -- Stewart (champion), Biffle (second place) and Edwards (third place) -- would not make the Chase this year? I’ll bet no one. As for surprises, Denny Hamlin is indeed a big, pleasant surprise, while Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne making the Chase are not.

As for my pick to win it all? Matt Kenseth in a close one over Kevin Harvick and Jimmy Johnson. Just don’t bet any money on my predictions, as anything could happen and we could end up honoring youngsters Kyle Busch or Denny Hamlin this December in New York City. Yes, it is going to be close for sure.