Today's Feature

New Chairs for Memorial Hall.

A bid for 250 new chairs for Memorial Hall was approved at the City Council Meeting last Tuesday. These chairs will replace several older worn chairs from the hall.

Two bids were received by the Public Services Committee. One bid was from Four State Office Products for $3,559.50 equaling $14.13 per chair and one bid was from Adirondack Direct for $3,212.50 which is approximately $12.85 per chair. The bid from Adirondack was approved by the Council. Two years ago the City purchased 100 new chairs for the hall. The new chairs will match the color of the previous purchase and will be used in conjunction with them. The bid price included shipping and the chairs are expected within two to three weeks.

This is one of many improvements to the Memorial Hall that has been discussed lately. Another improvement in the planning is the removal of a partition wall in the basement. According to City Administrator Tom Short the basement auditorium of the hall can hold approximately 80 people now, but with the removal of a section of wall the area could hold up to 125 people. Short says that the bids are out for this proposed construction.

One year a neatly painted "Sr. ‘64" showed up on the water tower. Questions were asked, but the perpetrators were never uncovered (I didn’t graduate in that year by the way).

Even earlier a pipe barricade was constructed in front of the high school because two distance tire marks were left one weekend from the front door to the street. (I was too young to drive at the time and never had a car that would burn that much rubber).

There were clues. Only a couple of the seniors of ‘64 would have the foresight to put in the apostrophe. Only a positrac rear end would leave two tire marks for the whole distance. I’m sure the trail is cold by now.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Snow Shoveling Can Put Heart at Risk

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband is 59 and overweight. Where we live, it snows and snows and snows. My husband insists on shoveling our snow. I think it’s dangerous for him, but he says he can handle it. How big a danger is shoveling snow for someone like my husband? — K.L.

ANSWER: After snowstorms, emergency departments always fill with people who have had heart attacks from shoveling snow. Your husband is typical of those who have heart attacks from ill-advised shoveling.

The energy cost of snow shoveling is enormous. Shoveling heavy, wet snow requires an energy expenditure equivalent to running 9 miles in an hour or playing an entire game of high-intensity basketball.

Snow shoveling has unique features that add to its demands. It uses muscles in the arms and back that are not well-conditioned in anyone but a dedicated athlete. Arm-muscle exercise is much more demanding than leg-muscle exercise. It raises the heart rate and blood pressure to levels far higher than does leg exercise. The nature of the work, therefore, greatly taxes the heart.

Inhaling cold air puts another stress on the heart. It has to pump blood faster and harder to keep the body warm.

Even people who are fit to shovel should do so sensibly. They should use a shovel with a small scoop to reduce the load, take frequent breaks while shoveling and they should push snow, not lift it.