The City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular meeting tomorrow evening in City Hall at 7:30.

Two ordinances that would amend the Personnel Policy Manual are scheduled for vote. Council bill 03-49 deals with the designation of Worker’s Compensation Physicians, while Council bill 03-50 would amend the current policy regarding promotions.

Also scheduled is the ordinance that meets State requirements concerning a procedure to disclose potential conflicts of interest and substantial interest for municipal officials.

The agenda includes the first reading of the ordinance to levy City property taxes. The proposed levy would increase slightly according to calculations provided by the state. The estimated increase would be less than fifty cents per year on a residence valued at $80,000. The proposed levy is well under allowable limits set by State statute.

The Council is also scheduled to hear the first reading on an ordinance that would authorize a lease purchase financing of a rotary rough mower for the golf course.

There are variations in the rules for almost any game. As kids part of the ritual at the beginnin’ of any contest was to establish the rules. If after a while the majority wanted to modify the original agreement, the game would change. A very basic lesson in democracy. ‘Course if one of the players didn’t want to play by the new rules, he could always go home.

Most of the time the less rules, the more fun. Like friendly clod fights. Throw a clod, take your chances. The only real rules was no physical contact with opponents and no rocks. Clod contact was, of course permitted at any reasonable distance.

The amazin’ thing is that rules were pretty well adhered to after they were set, accepted as part of the game. This participation in the formation of rules may be a major missing component of the video game frenzy.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing

THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Crooked Door Needs Repair

Q: The antique door to our bathroom is solid oak. Unfortunately, it’s no longer closing straight — the door latch is lower than the hardware on the frame. It’s also scraping the floor when it’s opened and closed. How can we repair this? — Cliff B., West Hartford, Conn.

A: Fixing this problem can be as simple as adjusting the hinge pins of the door, or as complex as resetting them (which isn’t too complex; it’s just a two-person job).

Sticking, dragging doors, or doors that won’t close completely, can have a number of causes. In newer houses, a door’s hinges might have been placed incorrectly, or the mortise of the door might not be deep enough (or too deep). Checking the depth of the mortise is simple: run a finger along the hinge leaf that’s set into the door. If the leaf isn’t flush with the wood, the trouble may lie there. The new wood may have swollen slightly, as well.

Because you’re in an older home, the door probably opened and shut for years with no problem, meaning the hinges are (or were) set just fine. However, the door frames of aging homes typically settle as time passes, and the frame could be slightly warped. The hinges may also have worked loose.

The first (and easiest) fix is to check all the hinges — tap them down into place if necessary — and tighten the screws holding the hinges to the door. If a screw won’t tighten down, remove it, insert a wooden toothpick (or several) into the hole, and reinsert the screw.

If the door still sags, try putting a shim between the bottom hinge and the door. Remove the door completely from its hinges (this is where that second person comes in handy). Then, unscrew the bottom hinge leaf from the door.

Using the leaf (the flat part) as a template, cut a piece of noncompressible cardboard, particle board or sheet brass (available in various precut sizes at the hardware store) to match.

Punch out screw holes in the same area as on the leaf. Lay the shim against the door first, then fasten the hinge leaf to it. Rehang the door and check the fit.

Conversely, if the door latch were higher than it should be, you would place a shim in the top hinge.