Today's Feature

Committee Discussed Paving Bids.

The City Council Public Works Committee met Tuesday in a regular session. The committee approved a motion to recommend to Council a bid for the annual City asphalt paving contract.

Street Commissioner Tom Shelley said that three bids had been received. The bidders submit prices for asphalt per ton laid and for tack oil. The bids received were from APAC Missouri for $40.45 per ton of asphalt and $1.25 per gallon of tack oil; Blevins Asphalt Construction Company for $40.45 per ton of asphalt and $.90 per gallon of tack oil; and Swift Construction for $38.91 per ton of asphalt and $1.75 per gallon of tack oil. Shelley told the committee that when the totals were figured, the bid from Swift Construction was approximately 1.9% lower than the bid from Blevins. Shelley recommended approving the bid from Blevins, although it is higher, because they have previously done quality work for the City whereas the City has no experience with Swift Construction. The committee approved a motion to recommend the bid to City Council for approval. The total project cost is approximately $124,000.

The committee also approved a motion to recommend to Council a bid from Polston Construction in the amount of $86,500 for the first phase of repairs to the drainage ditch from Centennial to 13th Street. Public Works Director Chad Wampler said that the ditch has been eroding due to a curve in the ditch. The project would straighten out the contour of the ditch and place a Geotex fabric under the grass surrounding the ditch. That fabric allows the grass to grow but helps prevent erosion of the soil under it. Five bids were received for the project and Polston Construction was the low bidder.

The committee also approved a request for a lot division at 912 S. Orner. Property Owners Milt and Carol Sealey requested that the irregularly shaped lot be split to allow straightening of the boundary lines. If approved, the remaining lot would still be approximately 8,400 square feet, which meets City lot size guidelines.

Mornin'

My class never got to go on field trips. It was like the teachers warned each other as we moved through the grades.

They’d always tell us about goin’ to the Crayola factory or to the Wonder Bread plant, but always, a week or two before the trip, we’d do somethin’ that made the teacher call it off.

I don’t think that any individual was the cause of the fear teachers seemed to have about takin’ us out in public. There weren’t any mean spirited kids among us. It must have been one of those chemistry things, when we were all together, we became jointly too much of a hassle to deal with.

I think the reluctance to take us on field trips was spawned by the knowledge that we were above average, at least in the energy department.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

The past few days of beautifully warm weather has drawn out the springs early risers... a crocus popped up and my tulips are surfacing. The bright green clumps of grass are popping up. The same property which makes that grass green, chlorophyll, is also very nourishing for the body. You’ve heard it before, "eat your greens."

In 1913, Dr. Richard Willstatter, a German chemist, determined that the chlorophyll molecule closely resembled the hemoglobin molecule, the red substance in blood that carries oxygen. Because of these properties in chlorophyll, it has been suggested that the consumption of this rich substance can build strong blood, provide iron to organs, counteract toxins and help clean and deodorize the bowel tissues. These are just a few of the things that can happen with a diet high in green vegetables and herbs. If this type of eating presents a problem, there is a variety of supplemental chlorophyll products including liquid, capsules and tablets. There is always one rebellious broccoli eater in a crowd! I have heard, read and experienced myself that large amounts of chlorophyll prior to surgery may result in quicker recovery and less blood loss. Rich blood makes rich milk for nursing mothers.

artCentral
Art Notes From Hyde House
By Sally Armstrong, Director of artCentral

Members of the artCentral Board of Directors have been working furiously the past two days on the preparation of a mailing that has been under long-time planning since the fall. We have prepared 500+ pieces to mail this weekend in behalf of the current fundraising project here at artCentral, that being the collection of donations towards the placement of the 2 beautiful Lowell Davis original panels, sketched plans for the mural in the Jasper County Courthouse, "FORGED IN FIRE". If you recall, these panels were given to artCentral , a donation by patron Wendy Christensen last year. The board of directors voted to have the panels framed and present these to the community by hanging them in a public area of the new McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital. Working with several community advisers, we came to the decision to offer donors the opportunity to help artCentral and the local art community through the monies collected. We will honor each donor of $100.00 or more by adding their name or business to the engraved plaque to be displayed with the art at the hospital. The art on the mailing was created by Miriam Putnam and Kristin Huke, and we think they are most beautiful in their own right! Please watch for these attractive square envelopes in your mail soon, and remember, the only funds with which artCentral has to operate are those kindly given to us by our community. One panel is currently on view at Hometown Bank, Carthage south location, and the second, here at the Hyde House. Come by and view them at these locations. Then, I hope you will remember the arts in our area and donate generously!