Litter Problem Ridiculous.

The City Council Public Services Committee, during their meeting last Thursday evening, directed Parks Director Alan Bull to gather information to be presented to the Public Safety Committee concerning the problem of excessive litter in the City parks.

Committee Chair J.D. Whitledge told the Committee that he inspected the Kellogg Lake area and Carter Park on a Sunday, and the soccer fields on the Myers Park development on a Monday. He said at the two parks most of the trash barrels were turned over with trash spread. The soccer field area was worse he said.

"It was a disaster," said Whitledge. "We’re talking trash everywhere, bottles .... I was never so disappointed in all my life."

"This is not just a problem at Kellogg Lake Park," emphasized Whitledge. "It’s out of hand, it’s just ridiculous."

The Committee has discussed the possibility of prohibiting any glass containers in the parks or making it illegal to consume beer or alcohol in the parks.

The current City code prohibits the consumption of alcohol only on public streets, sidewalks or alleys.

If you’ve taken a drive through the Kellogg Lake area on a Sunday, you’ve prob’ly notice that a large amount of beer is consumed at that location over the weekend. The evidence is typically stacks of empty 12 or 24 packs.

The folks gatherin’ hasn’t fostered any real problem as far as rowdy behavior, but the aftermath, especially broken beer bottles, continues to raise concern.

If the consumption of beer or alcohol is prohibited in the park system, it means no beer at the golf course or at the many company and family picnics that book in at Muni Park each year.

The elimination of glass containers may curtail some danger in the aftermath, but someone’s still got to take out the trash.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Workman's Loan

by Al Carrell and Kelly Carrell

Dear Al & Kelly: Ever painted yourself into a corner? Well, I have - or at least I was trapped in my basement for a short time. I painted the basement steps and realized when I was at the bottom that I was going to have to wait until the paint dried before I could get back up. Then I was told that I should have painted every other step, waited for them to dry and then paint the rest. It sure makes sense to me. I just wish I had heard that one before I was trapped.

Dear Kelly: My pictures and wall hangings always seemed to be crooked, and I knew I was straightening them daily. My sister told me to glue a small scrap of sponge in each corner. Not only do the sponge pieces keep the pictures from moving around, but they also help the things to hang flatter, so there’s no longer that slight angle down.

Q: Please tell us if there is anything that we can do to help preserve our new ceramic-tile countertops.

A: The glazed surface is resistant to most spills, stains and scratches. However, wipe up spills as soon as possible.

The grout between the tiles can absorb moisture and spills, so be sure to seal it. Avoid using abrasive cleaners, and use a cutting board.

SUPER HINT- If you like the look of stained glass but don’t want to replace a window, you can attach a stained glass panel to an existing window with glue or glazer’s points.