The City Council Public Works Committee will meet this afternoon at 4 p.m. in City Hall. The Committee usually meets on the first and third Tuesday’s of the month but moved the meeting date this week because of a conflict in scheduling for a Committee member.

The agenda includes a discussion of the possibility of increasing street lighting on the Square. Representatives of CW&EP have been asked to bring options and costs.

Also scheduled for discussion are plans for a new Street maintenance building. Street Commissioner Tom Shelley has told the Committee he would like to see the building constructed before winter hits. The old building burned beyond repair last February. The Council has appropriated funds for the new building with a five year lease purchase. The City received approximately $106,000 from insurance on the building and contents. Initial estimates for the new structure are between $175,000 and $200,000.

The Committee will also review the City’s sidewalk incentive for property owners. The City currently pays $1.50 per square foot of replaced or repaired sidewalks.

It’s time ta get ready for the gettin’ ta know the candidates. Up ta now the political ads have been pretty light from what I can tell. I’m guessin’ that since the election is a week from tomorrow, those hopin’ to attract your vote will be usin’ this last week to put their best foot forward.

I’ve heard that the number of absentee ballots are indicatin’ a low turn out for the County races. ‘Course that always makes those votes that are cast even more important. Typically, each vote cast represents five or six registered voters that don’t make it to the ballot. If you’d rather make up your own mind and get your licks in, show up ta vote. If you’d rather have that guy down the street vote for ya, just sit at home a week from Tuesday. Just don’t be gripin’ at the outcome.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Workman's Loan

Dear Al & Kelly:

The wife and I have bought some land outside of the city and have been fixing up the old house there in our spare time. I’ve learned a lot of tips from my friends and neighbors. One handy suggestion for making a sawhorse work a little harder is to add a shelf underneath it. Since most sawhorses have crosspieces to keep the legs from spreading apart, you can set a scrap of plywood or some 2x4s from one end to the other to make a shelf. You can set your hammer, tape, nails, or whatever you need on the shelf.

Many crafts projects and do-it-your-self jobs call for spray painting. It’s usually quick and easy, but you do need proper ventilation and an adequate work area. One thing you need to watch out for when using spray paint is the "overspray," the part of the paint that tends to float through the air and land on surrounding surfaces. If you are working in the garage, for example, your car could get paint on it if you are not careful.

To combat overspray, you can set up a simple "painting booth." Just turn a corrugated-cardboard box on its side and set the item to be painted inside the box. Then, when you spray the paint, the box can catch the overspray.

As a bonus, you can drape a towel or plastic flap over the open side of the box to prevent dust from getting on your project before the paint dries.