Today's Feature

Plan Will Return to Council.

The Public Services Committee met Monday evening in a regular session. The meeting was held in the Carthage Memorial Hall as part of a continuing evaluation of the parks and recreation system.

The committee heard from Kellogg Lake Nature Center and Preserve boardmember Jo Ellis concerning the board’s three year proposed plan for improvements and additions at the park. At an earlier date Council had rejected this plan, sending it back to the Public Services committee for clarification and further study. Ellis presented the revised plan and noted the changes made at the recommendation of City Administrator Tom Short. The changes primarily make specific the oversight of all projects by the City.

The "Three Year Strategic Plan" is an overview of the proposed projects. If the plan is approved by Council each individual project would still need approval by the Public Service Committee and by City Council.

The committee discussed the changes and found them to be satisfactory and a motion was made to recommend to Council the approval of the revised plan.

The committee approved a motion to allow the extra expenditure of $400 from the parks capital improvement budget for the purchase of a Chevy Silverado. $16,000 is budgeted for the purchase of a light duty truck in the current budget. Through the state contract this Silverado can be purchased for the department for $16,400. Short told the committee that the Parks department is under budget in other areas of its capital improvement budget. A motion was approved to allow the extra $400 to be used beyond the budgeted amount for the purchase of the truck.

Following the meeting the committee and Short toured Memorial Hall. Short pointed out several improvements that were made during the renovation of the hall several years ago.

Parks Director Alan Bull and Committee member Larry Ross were both absent from the meeting.

Stench Report:

Tuesday,
2/6/07

No Stench Detected Near the Carthage Square

Valentine’s Day (February 14) comes in the middle of the week this year so there is no room for error. A card the day after only adds to the sting.

Put your strategic plan into motion so as to complete whatever goals you set by the end of this week. You do have the weekend as a cushion, but use such contingencies with caution. Be careful out there.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

• Still keeping to that New Year’s resolution to get fit? Great job! Here are some quick ways to sneak in more exercise: A 15-minute walk with the dog burns 50 calories, based on a 150-pound person. Try doing isometric exercises in the car -- isolate one muscle group (such as thighs, buttocks or biceps), squeeze and hold for 10 seconds, then release. Take the stairs, and park your car far away from the entrance to the store.

• "Here’s a ‘tip’ I really love if you have a metal door: Get magnetic hooks and attach them to the door on cold, snowy days. Mittens, coats, hats, etc., can be hung right on the door, so they are out of the way, but still accessible right when you need them. The hooks can be put away at other times so the door does not look messy." -- B.N. in Colorado

• February sale items: Be on the lookout for post-Valentine sales on perfume, jewelry and personal-care items. Also on sale this month: air conditioners, computers, electronics, exercise equipment, floor coverings, mattresses and used cars.

• Travel Notice Tip: Apply at least eight weeks before departure for your passport. As of January 2007, a passport will be required for re-entry to the United States from previously passport-free areas, like Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Bermuda and the Caribbean, if you’ve traveled by air. The deadline for having a passport for land and sea travel is January 2008.

• "I made my own dry-erase board with a picture frame. It’s large, and I cut a piece of poster board in a fun color to fit inside the frame. I can write on the glass with a dry-erase marker, and it works great and looks fine." -- O.C. in Texas