The Public Works Committee voted Tuesday evening to keep the City Landfill open an additional day each week. The change was prompted by the recycling center located at the site, and by increased usage for the leaf and brush shredding activities. The site had only been open three days a week, Thursday through Saturday for the last few years. The new winter hours will be Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. During the summer it is expected that the site will be open until 6 p.m.

City Street Commissioner Tom Shelley told the Committee that the demand for brush and leaf disposal has grown, and with the addition of the recycling drop off center at the location, he thinks the site will need to be open five days a week soon.

Shelley has reported that the recycling center has attracted about 75 to 100 regular contributors. There is no cost to the recycling public. There is still a load charge for trash (no food garbage) disposal.

The employee that works the landfill has been used for building maintenance two days a week. With the new schedule, some of the Memorial Hall maintenance will fall to employees at that facility.

City Administrator Tom Short told the Committee that he hopes to hire two full time people to work at Memorial Hall. He thinks this would handle the typical tasks of minor repairs. The plan would increase the number of employees at Memorial Hall and may mean budget adjustments. The Council recently voted to hire a facility supervisor to oversee operation of Memorial Hall and the Civil War Museum.

The Committee also approved a request by Leggett & Platt to rename Locust Street to Leggett Way. The two block long street runs through Leggett property where the old Flex-O-Lators plant is located.

Chairman Bill Fortune was assured that there were no other residences or businesses on the street that might be affected by the name change. Committee member H.J. Johnson asked that Leggett help with the cost of the two street signs that will need to be replaced. Shelley estimated the cost to be less than a hundred dollars.

Shelley reported that all street repaving projects that were scheduled for this fiscal year are completed. He said that although all the costs are not calculated, he thinks the total work will be about $15,000 less than budgeted.

The Public Works Committee meets every first and third Tuesday in City Hall.

1999 Carthage Christmas Parade Winners.

news release

Winners in Monday night’s Carthage Christmas Parade are as follows: Church Division, Center Christian Church, Columbus, KS; Youth Organization, Spring Valley 4-H Club; Adult Organization, 4-State Amateur Radio Club; Twirlers/Dance Groups, Carl Junction Strutters; Automotive Division, Eugene Ingram, 1919 Model-T.

In the Business/Commercial Division, KOAM-TV; Horse/Rider Catergory, Carthage Saddle Club; Horse/Wagon, T&T Industries; Specialty/Miscellaneous, National Guard Show Me Challenge; Junior High Band, Joplin North 7th and 8th Grade Band; High School Band, Joplin High School Marching Eagles.

Two additional awards were presented. Harold Duke and his 1939 Chevrolet received the Directors’ Choice Trophy. The Mayor’s Choice Award went to A&W Restaurant.

Nearly 160 individual units and over 1600 individuals participated in the 1999 Parade. The Carthage Technical School Chapter of Skills USA-VICA and Main Street Carthage, Inc. were parade sponsors.

Eminence Chapter #93 Installs Members.

news release

Mrs. Janet Johnson will be installed as Worthy Matron and Marvin Frost as Worthy Patron of Eminence Chapter #93 Order of the Eastern Star at an open installation, Friday, December 10, 1999, at 7 p.m., Masonic Temple, 7th and Maple, Carthage MO.

Installing officers will be Verna Meador, Installing Officer; Dan Hathcock, Installing Patron; Patricia West, Installing Chaplain; Dotti Frost, Installing Marshal; Ellen Watts, Installing Floral Marshal and Linda Ricke, Installing Organist. Stephen Johnson, at Guest Book. The Bible Ceremony will be given by Bobbye Russell, Jennifer Johnson and Amber Johnson.

Refreshments will be served following the installation.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

There are some things ya just don’t want to talk about.

My brother couldn’t eat chicken for years after he helped a farm wife round up supper one summer evenin’. He found that neck ringin’ wasn’t somethin’ he needed to know about.

I have trouble talkin’ about broken legs. After hobblin’ around for a couple months waitin’ on a bone to heal a few years ago, I can’t hear about someone’s fracture without wincin’ a little.

Women who are pregnant always seem to spark conversations about troubles with child birth.

Knowledge may be power, but sometimes there is a short circuit.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click and Clack Talk Cars

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a dark green 1993 Lexus ES300 with 97,000 miles on it. It rides great, and I love the car, but about a year ago, the clear-coat finish started to fade. I had it "detailed," and that helped for a short time, but now it looks like somebody poured milk all over the hood, trunk and roof. Lexus believes I must have done something nasty to this car, and feels no responsibility for the problem.

Do you think the finish on a $30,000 luxury car should fade so badly? The car never went through a car wash, was only hand-washed, and was waxed once a year. Any thoughts on this? —Jeffrey

TOM: Well, if it were my car, I’d look on the bright side. Your Lexus is now probably less likely to get stolen.

RAY: Actually, you’re probably out of luck, Jeffrey. It may be a manufacturing defect, but it’s going to be awfully hard to prove. And to be honest with you, we’ve seen very few other late-model Toyota/Lexus cars with failing paint. So if it is a manufacturing problem, it’s probably an isolated one, which makes it even harder to prove.

TOM: In cases like this, sometimes the manufacturer will offer to pay for part of the repainting cost. But with nearly 100,000 miles, they can legitimately tell you to shove off (so to speak).

RAY: And something "nasty" may indeed have happened to this car, Jeffrey. You say you waxed it once a year. But certain waxes are not compatible with clear-coat finishes. While most modern waxed are fine for all finishes, many older waxes have abrasives that rub off the clear coat. And if you used a can of wax that had been sitting around in your basement or garage for a few years, you may have been responsible for the paint damage.