Myers Park Development Changes.

The City Council is scheduled to discuss a change in the regulations for the Myers Park Development during its regular meeting in City Hall tonight at 7:30.

The ordinance would not make any major changes in the requirements set out in the original plan adopted in November of 1997. The main focus of the changes would remove the formation of an oversight committee with landowners as members.

The 1997 plan outlined a procedure for the City to eventually turn over the role of reviewing construction, development plans and alteration of improvements within the development to the committee. The committee would have been elected by a vote of all landowners in the development.

During the last Council meeting, Economic Development Director Max McKnight reported that one potential buyer was concerned with possible problems the committee structure might face at some point in the future. The Council voted to have McKnight draw up an ordinance that moved the plan into City code, with the City Engineering Department to oversee adherence to the Development Plan.

Christmas Preview Sale.

Release by McCune Brooks Auxiliary

The McCune-Brooks Hospital Gift Shop is just one means through which the Hospital Auxiliary raises funds for the benefit of the hospital. The Gift Shop is located just inside of the front lobby of the hospital and is open weekdays from 9 a.m. till 7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. till 3 p.m. The Gift Shop is operated at all times by some sixty volunteers, who are members of the Auxiliary. They carry a variety of very attractive gifts and greeting cards all through the year, in a moderate price range.

On November 14, 1997, the Gift Shop will be having a "Christmas Preview Sale" at which time all of the new Christmas gift and decorating items will be shown and made available to purchase for the first time. From 9 a.m. till 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, all new Christmas items will be 10% off. The Auxiliary would like to invite and encourage the public to come and see what the Gift Shop has to offer. Punch and cookies will be served for the occasion.

The Hospital Auxiliary is also offering their very attractive, newly published cookbooks for sale at a reduced price through the Christmas season.

9-1-1 Is For All Callers and Phones.

The Jasper County Emergency Services Board has the statutory duty to plan, coordinate and supervise the delivery of 9-1-1 services throughout all of Jasper County. The Board has always sought to provide both wireline and cellular subscribers the same quality of emergency assistance. In Jasper County, considerable effort has been made to have cellular towers direct 9-1-1 call to the PSAP (public safety answering point) that should be best able to dispatch the required emergency services or based on location, transfer the call to a more appropriate Center without ever dictating that a caller, during an emergency, hang up and call another number. The Board has never made such a distinction between a cell phone user in or out of the County whose call for help reached the County 9-1-1 Center. Any 9-1-1 customer that has a concern about how a call is handled, is encouraged to report the event to the Administrative Services Section of the County 9-1-1 Board at 358-7000 ext 3300.

The recent media reports of cellular callers being disenfranchised from the same standard of care as wireline callers by policy raises some serious questions. The Board will continue to work with the cellular service providers, agencies and partner PSAPs in an effort to make good customer service the first priority on every call. Cellular callers may certainly access emergency services by using 9-1-1, wherever the call is routed, the receiving Center should make every possible effort to assist the caller.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

I always enjoy drivin’ through the City seein’ how different folks deal with the Maple leaf layer this time a year. Last Sunday seemed to be the day for a good number to take care of this annual chore.

The folks who do the baggin’ are the most impressive. Row upon row of neat bags stacked along the property line. These are real leaf pickers.

The burners seem to have a much more varied approach to the situation. The various leaf containers, from the small to the extreme large bring a different strategy. The ground burners have to take a little more care and the wind dictates to a larger degree.

There are usually some mulchers about, but the heavy layer this year will most likely discourage most. Proof again that we live in a truly diverse community.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

DIET SUPPLEMENT ALERT: If you’re using a diet supplement containing ephedrine, you could be at risk for developing a heart attack, seizure, nervous system problems, and other dangerous conditions, all of which can be serious and, sometimes, fatal. According to the FDA, ephedrine, which is a stimulant, is a primary ingredient in many illegal drugs. But when sold as a dietary supplement which may be touted as a product that can increase energy and weight loss, it can get around the strict no-use laws. One product to be aware of is the Chinese herb, ma huang, which contains natural ephedrine. (And being natural doesn’t make it less dangerous.) Read your labels carefully so that you don’t become a sad statistic.

IF THE SHOE FITS, wear it. Properly fitting shoes can be more than just comfortable; they may help you avoid serious foot problems including, for diabetics and others with circulation conditions, amputations of toes or feet. As a matter of fact, former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop says that if more people wore properly fitted shoes, we’d see a large drop in the number of diabetic amputations that occur far too often among the elderly, among others. Good fit also means fewer corns, calluses, bunions, hammertoes, or other painful foot deformities.