Today's Feature

Projects for Special Roads District.

City Administrator Tom Short discussed the Special Roads Projects at the last Public Works Committee meeting.

According to Short, the City believes the Jasper County Special Roads District should be using 25 percent of the money collected from Carthage Citizens through property tax for the purpose of repairing City roads. This has been a matter of debate recently because the Road District believes that the money should be used for their Special District roads. The difference in opinion stems from some indefinite statutory language according to Short.

While attending a Road District meeting at the suggestion of the County Commission, Short and Mayor Kenneth Johnson were informed by members of the District that if City Council would submit a list of projects the District would consider the possibility of doing the repairs.

The list proposed at the Public Works meeting consisted of three projects including repairs for River Street, Fir Road and the McGregor Street Bridge. These projects in addition to being high priority for the City also border the Special Road District roads which Short believes will increase the importance of the projects for the District. The committee approved a motion to forward the list to Council. Short told the committee that due to the size of some of the repairs the projects might take multiple years worth of allocation.

Carthage and Carl Junction attorneys are working together to clarify any areas of miscommunication in the agreement with the District as Carl Junction has had similar problems of this nature.

Carthage City Council meets tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

We used ta use old inner tubes for everthing. The original bungie cord, filled with sand to protect young trees, floatin’ on the river, or cuttin’ a strip for our homemade sling shots. The inner tube was a sought after commodity in our neighborhood.

My favorite use of the discarded tire liner was the giant rubber band gun. A simple device that used a foot and a half long two-by-four as a stock and a flap nailed to one end, it provided hours of fun and cost nothin’. The rubber bands were strips of a car inner tube that would fly through the air for twenty or thirty feet. Unlike today’s paint guns, they didn’t leave a welt or require eye protection. We are a tubeless society.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Backed-Up Septic System

Q: My house is 11 years old and has a septic system. We have had the septic system pumped once since we have been here. One of my three toilets keeps stopping up, and I have to break out the plunger. It was happening so frequently that I began to get concerned. I found a product at the store called Rid-X and use it each month. We have had a lot of rain and snow this season. Is using an additive monthly my solution, or is it just masking a bigger problem? — Camilla from Owings, Md.

A: While a septic system additive can provide a nice "kicker" to get the bacterial process going, it can’t be relied upon exclusively. Septic systems should be checked once a year to make sure everything is working properly, and the tanks should be pumped out more frequently than most people think.

For example, a small 500-gallon septic tank serving a family of four needs to be pumped out once a year on average. If there are fewer people in the house, the tank should be pumped less frequently (every two years, say); if there are more than four people, the tank should be pumped more frequently (twice a year). Why would it vary? Humans create a lot of waste, and the more people in a house, the more waste that’s produced.

Fortunately, the septic system deals with things quite nicely. Bacteria in the holding tank actually digests wastes, creating three layers: a top layer of crusty foam produced by the active bacteria; a bottom layer of thick sludge containing much of the wastes that have been digested by the active bacteria; and a middle layer of relatively clean (relative to the foam and sludge surrounding it) water. This water passes through the septic tank’s baffles and out to the septic field, which is usually under your lawn. The water filters through the dirt and gravel beneath your lawn until it reaches the water table, completely clean.

As you can see, bacteria are a big deal in a septic system. You want them to thrive inside the tank, but you don’t want them to leach out into your garden. Not pumping the tank at the right intervals can lead to a buildup of sludge, which blocks the entry/exit baffles.

Invest in a complete inspection of your septic system by a licensed contractor as soon as possible, get the tank pumped and have any repairs made. This will really reduce the frequency of those toilet backups, and you may not have to use an additive.