More Plans, No Discussion.

The City Council offered no discussion on the motion by member Jackie Boyer to allow an expenditure of $1,600 for a report concerning Lodging Tax Funds from the consulting firm of Phillips-Ward and Associates of Joplin. The Council approved the motion 10-0. The money will come from the Lodging Tax Fund. Approximately $30,000 was budgeted this year for studies according to City Administrator Tom Short.

The motion came as a recommendation from the Lodging Tax/Tourism Committee to offer options as to how the approximate $120,000 a year tax revenue should be spent. The Committee has received recommendations for action from the Chamber, Main Street, and Victorian Carthage. The group wanted yet another opinion before voting on any particular plan.

The voters approved raising the lodging tax, which is charged on motel and bed and breakfast rooms, from 2% to 4% last April.

Phillips-Ward and Associates has also offered to complete a marketing plan for an additional $5,000.

Nascar to the Max

This week’s race will be held at Darlington (S.C.)Raceway. Darlington is a 1.366 mile, high banked, egg shaped oval. When building the track, Harold Brasington, the original track owner, was unable to buy property from his neighbor who didn’t want his minnow farm disturbed. Brasington was required to significantly narrow the end of the track nearest the minnow pond and alter the banking accordingly. The unique design makes it difficult for teams to get the chassis of their car set up for the entire race. If a car runs well through one set of turns at Darlington, it typically doesn’t run very well through the other set. A Darlington victory usually goes to the team who best makes chassis adjustments to their car throughout the race, usually one of the more established and well-funded teams. Of the 43 drivers who will start the race, look for Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, and Jeff Gordon to contend for the win. Bill Elliott, having won here before, could break out of his winless slump and Rookie Kevin Harvick could also contend.

Holding true to form, last Saturday night’s race at Bristol was a real fender bender. A new race record for caution periods was set with 16 for a total of 92 laps. Race winner Tony Stewart and third place finisher Jeff Gordon had the least damage of any cars on the track and even Tony was sporting a significant bumper pucker. Rookie Kevin Harvick made a late race charge for the win but was never able to close to within less than two or three car lengths. There were a few hot tempers in the garage after the race as a result of Ricky Rudd’s last lap bump of Rusty Wallace which resulted in Rudd edging Wallace for forth place. Wallace retaliated after the checkered flag by bumping Rudd on the cool down lap causing more damage to egos than sheet metal. Their on track actions did require their attendance in the Nascar trailer for a reprimand from race and Nascar officials.

Here’s a plan. Call the Kansas City Star and tell ‘em ya got sixty grand to spend next year on advertisin’ Carthage and all it’s attractions.

Call the Tulsa World and tell ‘em the same thing and also the St. Louis and Wichita papers.

I’d bet you’d have all the FREE help ya wanted in comin’ up with ways to spend the money. Most likely it would actually attract some folks ta boot.

I’m guessin’ we’d also save the 15% that the ad agencies usually get and still have some folks who deal with advertisin’, mainly the staff of the newspaper, puttin’ together a campaign that made some sense.

Use the other twenty grand for some brochures and billboards. Spread the remainder around to the local groups promotin’ tourism and be done with it.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click & Clack
TALK CARS

by Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

I live right in New York. I’ve got a 1977 Ford Pinto Wagon that came from Florida. It’s in very good shape (ugly green, though). To me it’s worth fixing, but to a limit. Right now I’m driving it with no power steering. The rack is leaking, and possibly the pump and lines. I want to switch to manual steering. Will the steering column fit, or will it need to be replaced? - Don

TOM: What a perfect car for New York City! You should nominate this car for "official vehicle of the Big Apple," Don. Why? What car could possibly be any less desirable to thieves?

RAY: Well, several of my brother’s cars come to mind. But the answer is that you ought to be able to switch to non-power steering pretty easily. You’ll need a new steering rack, and I’d look first for one in a junk yard.

TOM: Most people don’t realize that steering a car with broken power steering is a lot harder than steering a car that never had power steering to begin with. That’s because, even when the power steering isn’t working, you still have to move all the power steering-related valves and components in the rack, which is hard to do!

RAY: Once you get a manual rack for this car, you can just leave all the other power steering stuff in there and disconnect it (the pump, the lines, etc.). And then you can implement a slightly less intensive Pinto Urban Upper Body Building Program. Good luck, Don.