Parking Survey - Committee Vote.

Parking Fines Could Increase to $15.

The City Council Public Safety Committee discussed the recent survey conducted by the Police Department concerning the two-hour parking ordinance during its regular meeting Monday evening.

Of the 67 surveys returned to the Department by business owners and residents on the square, 41 thought that two hour parking should be kept either on the square or within the downtown business district. About a third, 21, thought the two hour parking restriction should be removed completly. The question of fines found that 24 thought the fines, typically one dollar, were just right, 9 thought they were two low, 18 thought fines should be eliminated, and 12 thought fines should be eliminated in the downtown area except for the Square.

The survey was also distributed to Courthouse workers. All 52 of the surveys distributed to the workers were returned and 35 of those favored elimination of the two hour parking restriction with 12 in favor of keeping restriction for the Square or downtown area.

The Committee voted to recommend to the Council a sixty-day trial period in which they would raise fines to fifteen dollars, eliminat two hour parking except on the Square and one block off the Square, and selling parking permits to residents for thirty-dollars a month. The permits would allow parking in the arteries one block off the square, but not on the Square itself. The fines for moving a vehicle to avoid a fine, or wiping off the tire chalk mark placed by the parking enforcement officer would also be raised.

The recommendation will need to be approved by the full Council and receive two readings before a vote.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

Those telemarket folks would be almost intolerable except that they give me somethin’ to write about from time to time. I don’t know how those who don’t have a place ta gripe can put up with ‘em.

The latest experience involved a caller that swore he represented the local phone service. It appears the computers had fouled up and our company had been over charged. He wanted my name to verify I had been notified. I don’t give that information to unknown folks. I told him I was hangin’ up now. He called back. I asked him his name, he wouldn’t say. I hung up again. He called back. I asked to speak to his supervisor, he said he was the supervisor. I hung up, he called back. This time I listened to a ravin’ cussin’ before he finally hung up. He was a pretty good cusser.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing

Services

Here’s A Tip

By JoAnn Derson

• Need a tablecloth for your picnic table on a windy day? Just use a twin-size fitted sheet. It goes on easy, and the elastic keeps it on the table in even the hardiest gusts. It’s a snap to remove, too.

• "For those of you who like to walk your dog at night, like I do, wrap the sides of your dog’s collar with reflective tape. It’s good for cars, and it doesn’t bother the dog. Also, I let her out in the back in the evening before we go to bed. The back-yard is quite dark, and she sniffs all over the place. She has dark fur, and it is sometimes hard to see her out there. I shine a flashlight over the yard, and it will catch the reflective tape, and I can see what she is getting into." -- M.P. in Colorado

• "Instead of digging through a drawer looking for my skewers, here is how I keep them together: After I wash them and they are completely dry, I wrap them in a piece of press-and-seal plastic wrap. The next time I need to use my skewers, they are in one place, neatly wrapped together." -- S.B in Minnesota

• "Hi, JoAnn. Here’s a tip for your interesting column. If you are bothered by sweat stinging your eyes while working outside in the hot sun, take a sheet of paper towel, fold it three times, place it in the band of your ballcap and put it on your head. It holds the sweat for two or more hours, and no more stinging in the eyes." -- M.V.K., via e-mail

• Go Green Tip: Check your floor vents and air registers to make sure that air can circulate unimpeded by furniture or floor coverings. Change or clean your air filter monthly.