Park Windfall.

The City Council Public Services Committee was informed during their regular meeting this week that approximately $16,000 remains in the civic enhancement fund carried over from the Parks Department. When the Parks and Recreation Board was dissolved the Parks Department was moved under the direct supervision of the City. After accounts were moved onto the City’s books the Parks enhancement fund remained intact, but unnoticed until auditors advised that the account be closed as the City also has a civic enhancement fund. Most of the funds in both the City and the Park Department enhancement accounts have been donated.

Suggestions for possible use of the funds are using approximately $10,000 to install a recirculation pump system in the Central Park fish pond, using approximately $5,000 for fencing at Griggs Park and the remainder for small projects at Carter Park.

The Council Finance/Personnel Committee has expressed concern last fall about the high water bills being charged to Central Park. The fish pond fountain currently flows water and excess goes directly to the sewer.

Opening Reception Tonight for Joplin Photographer Bill Perry.

by Robin Putnam, artCentral

Hurray for no snow !! It was fun for a while but enough is enough. Who would have thought we would be cleaning up ankle deep leaves in January ??!! This last cold spell was enough to make those last leaves fall. Hopefully the wind will pick up and clear out this whole yard !!

Tonight is the opening reception for Joplin artist Bill Perry. He is exhibiting his latest photographs from his travels to exotic places. This show’s pieces are of the Masai tribe in Africa, Italy, the Imperial Sand Dunes in California and rumor has it there are photos of Car-thage’s own Brent Irwin and his gorgeous horse.

Bill is very much the professional. He develops and prints all his pieces. It’s a special process called silver gelatin. Some of the photos are black and white and some are sepia, which is a redish brown hue. We’re sure you’ll find something awesome, even inspiring in these quiet looks at other places and other lives.

As usual the evening’s festivities start at 6 and go until 8. We are serving fabulous foods such as grilled, lemon pepper salmon with chive cream, baby new potatoes stuffed with bleu cheese and bacon and the most heavenly sauteed mush-rooms !! And of course a variety of beverages.

Everyone is invited and well behaved children are always welcome. We hope you’ll join us tonight !!

Right now in our Member’s Gallery we have two pastels, two Butcher prints, a few oil paintings and a limestone sculpture of a horse’s head as well as two print racks full of original drawings and a few prints. All of these are for sale at very reasonable prices ..........check it out !!

More.........next week. 358-4404. 1110 E 13th & www. ozarkartistscolony.com

Happened by the Street Maintenance Barn the other day. The roll up doors were bein’ installed and looks like the buildin’ will be completed any day. Just in time for the next big snow storm.

The size and layout is a vast improvement over the 1950’s metal buildin’ that has been used for all these years.

The fact that their is no longer a wood burnin’ stove used for heat has proved to be a benefit to the local residents. Quite a few folks took advantage of the $25 a rick firewood the City was sellin’ out at the landfill. A good chunk of that was used by the Street Department in the past.

I’m assumin’ there is still wood available, ya might want to stock up for the next blast a cold air.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Oak Street health & herbs

Natural Nutrition

by Mari An Willis

I am concerned for the future and the quality of herbal products which are now bombarding the shelves of any retail outlet from lumber stores to gas stations and even to a laundromat. Why? We all know the answer and that is $$$. Believe me, this industry was nothing like it is now. When I started out over 20 years ago, we were oddballs. Persistent and stubborn with our message as the Missouri mule! Quality was an issue then as now, but as we struggled along we knew that it was only those who believed in the usage of herbs and food supplements who were willing to bite the financial bullet and continue along the path, educating as we went along. NOW, I am bombarded daily with companies who have the newest and the best with no history and lots of attitude.

In 1994 when we were working hard to help with the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act which would allow us to keep access to herbs and supplements without prescriptions, we did not see this coming. The influx of inferior products and mass marketed products with some misinformation or lots of hype has diluted the integrity of the message.

Let me make it clear. I am in favor of people making a good living. I am in favor of quality herbal products and an informed public and ones right to choose, but I have never been as close to a situation where I see potential for a huge fall of a way of life. I compare it to the buy-out of small farmers by huge corporate farmers who have presented us with some major health challenges through the desire to produce bigger, better for less, and eliminate US from the picture except as consumers.

Maybe it is just my personality type, but I certainly like to know who I deal with and that we have common goals (if possible). I know that is what drives me to live in a small town with an environment of individual expressions. I am for personal involvement based on knowledge. I do know when making our choices we must stay awake, not letting mass media be the driving force in our decision making processes.