The City Council Public Works Committee heard a proposed change in the curb and gutter/street paving incentive program for developers.

City Engineering Department Director Joe Butler told the Committee that the current policy is to reimburse $9 per running foot of curb and gutter and $9 per running foot of street paving for housing developments. He says the current limit of $20,000 per developer per year in each of the programs. Since curb and gutter is reimbursed at $18 per foot of street ($9 per side for curb and gutter), it is possible to run out of curb and gutter funds before the cap on street reimbursement is reached. He suggested changing the cap on reimbursement to reflect the 2 to 1 ratio of typical projects.

The Committee asked Butler to come back with a policy that would allow one developer up to a combined $30,000 per developer limit for street and curb and gutter reimbursement. The Committee also asked that no street reimbursement be allowed unless curb and gutters were also constructed.

Butler is also preparing guidelines for an existing street curb and gutter program.

I still get a big kick outa some of the studies and their conclusions.

I see the other day that some group has spent money figurin’ out that quality day care is somehow related to kids that don’t end up in jail as often. They compared these kids to ones who were visited at least four times a year at home by social workers.

Like all studies, the conclusions are drawn that fit the expectations. I suppose there are some who would conclude that social workers should stop checkin’ on kids. Seems they are the ones that get in trouble more often.

‘Course some common sense would tell ya that kids with any kind of quality care make for more stable adults. Just a guess, but stable adults prob’ly raise more stable kids.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Dear Tom and Ray:

My car is a ’93 Volvo 960. When I first turn on the air conditioner, it gives off an odor which makes me think the car is harboring a well-used cat-litter box. This odor ("stink" is more descriptive) goes away after several minutes, only to return each time I turn on the air conditioner. I’ve tried air-freshener sprays, but they just introduce a new dimension to the problem. I’d love to take care of this problem before next summer. Any ideas? -Edgar

TOM: Well, my guess is you’ve got yourself a little mold-spore farm there, Edgar. Congratulations.

RAY: There’s a part of the air conditioner called the evaporator, which removes the moisture from the air (i.e., "conditions" it). That moisture is then supposed to drain out through a hole in the bottom of the evaporator housing. That’s why you often see water dripping out from underneath cars in the summertime.

TOM: My guess is that you don’t see much water dripping out of the bottom of your car, Edgar, because your drain hole is all plugged up. That’s preventing water from escaping, and creating the perfect breeding ground for mold spores; a dark place with standing water.

RAY: You need to have somebody clear out the evaporator drain for you. It’s an easy job and is usually done with compressed air. Then you’d be wise to spray something in the vents to kill the remaining mold spores. There are automotive products specifically designed for this purpose, but consumer products like Lysol seem to work just as well.