Today's Feature

Public Safety Committee.

The Public Safety Committee met Monday evening in a regular session. The committee approved a motion to allow the placement of two stop signs at the corner of Jersey and Miller streets. Police Chief Greg Dagnan said that he had received a complaint from a nearby resident concerning the unmarked intersection, and that an accident had occurred there recently. He recommended that the committee approve placement of two stop signs on the north and south sides of the intersection. The motion was approved unanimously.

The committee also agreed unanimously to forward to Council a recommendation to allow an exchange of tracts of land for the area that was to be the location of the Fire Department substation. Fire Chief John Cooper told the committee that when he was having the City-owned tract surveyed prior to having engineering done for the substation, he was contacted by a resident that owns land next to the City land. Cooper said that the resident proposed exchanging equal square-footage of land, which would relocate the City lot to the corner, and consolidate the resident’s three other lots.

Cooper said that City Administrator Tom Short and Public Works Director Chad Wampler were in favor of this exchange, adding that the corner property would allow better access to the substation. The committee discussed the benefits of the corner lot, and unanimously approved a motion to forward to Council a recommendation to approve.

Mornin'
There is nothin’ much worse than havin’ to deal with a problem that shouldn’t a been a problem in the first place. It goes back ta one a Murphy’s observations: "Why is there always time to fix somethin’ when there wasn’t time ta do it right the first time?"

I learned as a youngster to always close the gate. Nothin’ worse than tryin’ to round up a stray cow that wandered out of a gate ya left open. Ya not only waste the time, typically ya fall in a ditch and skin your shin while endin’ up in a pile a fresh manure.

Then ya forget and climb in the farmer’s truck and have to smell your mistake all the way home ‘fore ya end up cleanin’ up the mess ya made tryin’ to solve the original problem. The importance of gate closin’ is a lesson to remember.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

• "My husband has a large family that lives quite a distance away. We are visiting them for the first time with our two young children. To keep the kids from feeling overwhelmed, I created a photo look book of the family members we are likely to be around. The kids will be familiar with their faces, and they won’t seem as much like strangers." -- U.L. in Washington

• "I have a tip about putting out candles. You can put a little water in the bottom of a glass votive cup before you put in a votive candle. Then, when the candle burns and the wax goes down, it won’t stick to the cup. Thanks for the good tips." -- A.D. in Georgia

• Have a leaky fridge door? Try this first. Clean the seal gasket with a mild soap and water. Then apply a very thin layer of petroleum jelly to all sides. If you can shut a dollar in the door and it slips right out, you might need to replace the gasket.

• "Everyone has had the experience of putting a pair of socks in the laundry, never to see them as a pair again. I join my socks together with a safety pin, and they always return to me as a pair." -- J.P. in Maryland

• A great way to clean the shower naturally? Vinegar! Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray directly on shower walls after bathing. It’s great at beating bacteria and mold. And it’s a great natural alternative to chemical cleaners.

• How old is your fire extinguisher? If you don’t know, find out. If you can’t tell, replace it. Fire extinguishers lose pressure over time -- even if they’ve never been used -- so they need to be replaced or serviced every five to 10 years. Yours might be marked with an expiration date. So be safe this holiday, and check it out.