Today's Feature

People Like It Here: Challenges ahead.

A work session of various volunteer citizens and City staff was held in Memorial Hall Tuesday evening.

After a brief presentation by Sara Copeland of Planning Works of Kansas City, hired by the City to create an updated Comprehensive Plan for Carthage, six groups were formed of eight to ten citizens to assess the strengths and challenges of Carthage. Most of those attending the work session have also volunteered to serve on various focus groups to give Planning Works a glimpse into the values and desires of the community.

At the end of the small group discussions, a recap of opinions was presented to the entire assembly.

Although there were some expressions of controlled growth for the community, the main theme expressed by the majority of the reports was that of quality of life. "Small town atmosphere regardless of size" was how one group summed it up.

"Just like it is with better quality of life," was how another group saw Carthage in thirty-years.

The groups saw the City’s location, historical significance, city infrastructure, city services, quality of life, school system and low cost-of-living as current assets.

Challenges for future include attracting higher paying jobs, housing, how to properly deal with the growth of the Hispanic population, the development of I-49, managed growth, maintaining and improving the environment, retaining historical character, and long term funding for City services.

Southward Expansion Requires Long Term Planning.

The key to growth in any community, according to Carthage Water and Electric Plant General Manager Bob Williams, is a functioning sewer system. Expansion in the southern portion of Carthage is gradually eroding the efficiency of the City’s ability to cope with sewer demands. Williams attended the Economic Development focus group Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Hall and responded to questions by other focus group members.

The main concern expressed by Williams is dealing with the lay of the land as Carthage expands south of a line approximately between Fairview Avenue and Airport Drive. A ridge follows that line and forces sewer line to have lift stations, or pumps, to push sewage over the ridge to the existing sewage treatment plant north of town. At some point, according to Williams, a second treatment plant will be necessary south of that ridge to allow for a gravity fed system to service expansion.

Although housing developments must pay for a good portion of the cost of installing lift stations, CW&EP must maintain the pumps and pressurized lines. Too many small lift stations will create a "maintenance nightmare" says Williams.

The line currently being installed to service Schreiber Foods’ new facility on Fairview and the new hospital building on HH will not be accessible by individual home sites that might want to annex into the City. Any taps into the line would be required to have too high of pressure to be economically feasible for individual households.

"The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer Conference includes meals."

"Don’t Let worry kill you off - let the Church help."

"For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs."

"Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones."

"Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 P.M. Please use the back door. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Church basement Friday. The Congregation is invited to attend this tragedy."

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Click & Clack Talk Cars
By Tom and Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

Last night, my neighbor knocked on my door an hour after I got home. He asked me if I had left my car running for a reason. I told him that I had turned off the car and had the keys in my pocket. He said, "Well, your fan has been running for an hour or so, and real loud!" He was right! I put the key in, turned it to the "accessory" position without starting the car, and then switched it back off. The fan finally stopped. Sadly, the car would not start the next morning without a jump. Two to three times during the past three months I have returned to my car in a parking lot to find the stereo playing while the key was still in my pocket. Clearly, some switch is staying connected when it should be off. Is it part of the ignition switch? Where should I look first? Thanks. - Brad

TOM: Look to the ignition switch itself, my boy.

RAY: I agree. If it had just been the fan, I might have suggested a faulty fan timer, or something like that. But when you threw in the fact that you come back to your car, and it’s listening to Jimmy Buffett all by itself, I think it has to be a bad ignition switch.

TOM: It’s allowing accessories to draw power from the battery without the presence of the key. It’s acting as if you left the key in the "accessory" or "start" position, even though you didn’t. And that’s what killed the battery.

RAY: Have your mechanic test the ignition switch. He’ll do that by unplugging it while the fan or the radio are misbehaving. I’m guessing a new switch will solve the problem.