Today's Feature

Requested More Information.

The City Council Public Works Committee took no action and requested additional information concerning the Peachtree Development agreement at Tuesday’s meeting.

Peachtree Development owner Dr. Michael Woody was present at the meeting to discuss the Community Improvement District (CID) agreement draft prepared by the City. The Peachtree Development is to be a commercial subdivision located near the junction of Highways 71 and 571. The CID allows the Peachtree development to add an additional 1 percent sales tax for businesses inside its property, to be used for improvements to streets, sewers and electrical in that area. In the agreement, the CID is to be in place for a minimum of 40 years. The City will use the 1 percent tax generated by the CID area to pay for the improvements for 15 years from the completion of the project.

Woody was at the meeting to discuss 3 items in the CID agreement. The first two items were related to the possible phasing of the infrastructure. In the agreement, projects are allowed to be phased in and payment is to begin after the completion of improvements. Woody asked the committee if the money could be made available from the completion of the initial phase, as opposed to waiting for the final project completion.

Woody also requested that the 15 year time frame be counted beginning when the entire project is complete, not from the completion of the initial phase. Woody noted that he is looking at possible financing for the project, which would eliminate the phases and allow the project to be completed more quickly.

The agreement also includes an expenditure maximum. The agreement states that the expenditure is not to exceed $2.1 million. Woody said that the figures provided were based on estimated construction and material costs in 2004 and that prices had increased. He asked if the cap on expenditure was required. The committee requested to see new and more accurate price numbers from Woody.

The committee agreed to continue discussion when the new information is provided.

Will Result in Demolition.

An automobile accident at the corner of Oak and Baker streets resulted in damage to the back portion of the Route 66 Antiques building. Street Commissioner Tom Shelley has said that a portion of the building is to be demolished due to the damage. Shelley noted that when the demolition takes place, the northbound lane of Baker street from Oak to Olive will be blocked to allow room for heavy demolition equipment. The demolition had not been scheduled as of Wednesday.

Stench Report:

Wednesday,
12/6/06

No Stench Detected on Carthage Square

Around the holidays, I hear a lot of concern from small businesses that the big boys are takin’ over.

Bein’ big I suppose has some advantages, but size and a huge budget doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. The thing that large companies have a real problem with is bein’ able to adjust to a changing local or regional market. Conversely, that is exactly what small companies are best at and their best weapon for survival.

Personal service is somethin’ else small companies and businesses can provide better than most big competitors.

Bein’ able to roll with the punches and rebound from another angle is the spirit of small business people that succeed and continue to add jobs and depth to our economy.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

My name is Heather, and I’m a 20-year-old automotive technical-college student. My pride and joy is a 1985 Ford Ranger. I love my truck dearly, and I plan on keeping her well past her reasonable life expectancy. However, I want to convert her power steering to manual steering. My dad, who is on your evil-genius intelligence level, thinks I’m insane for wanting manual steering. So, what I want to know is, am I completely alone in my love for manual steering? - Heather

TOM: Are you alone in loving manual steering, Heather? Well, we knew a guy once in East Treetrunk who also liked it. So there are at least two of you in the country.

RAY: You certainly can do this, Heather. I believe the 1985 Ranger was available with optional manual steering, so the parts should all exist. What you need to do is compare the two parts lists.

TOM: If you don’t have access to the lists, just go to the parts store and ask to see the lists of steering components for the ‘85 Ranger with and without power steering. Then compare the part numbers, and that’ll tell you which parts are the same and which you will have to change.

RAY: You’ll have to change the steering box, and at the very least, remove the power-steering pump’s belt. In fact, that’s better than removing the pump itself. That way, when you come to your senses in a few weeks, it will be much easier to reconnect.

TOM: You’ll probably find that the tie rods, center link and pitman arms are all different too.

RAY: But you’ll find all that stuff at a junkyard, and you can swap it out in an afternoon, and voilà! Your truck instantly will be impossible to parallel park!

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Penske Chief Grew Up on Gasoline Alley

Tim Cindric, 38, is president of Penske Racing, Inc. It is his childhood memories, however, that we present in this interview, specifically his days around his father Carl’s garage.

ZYLA: Tim, you grew up in racing, as your father did engines for Indy Cars and eventually worked for Herb Porter, the noted Indy engine guru. Can you tell us about this time in your life?

CINDRIC: My father built Indy-car engines back in the ‘60s. Later, Dad worked for Herb Porter, whose garage was near Dad’s at Indy’s Gasoline Alley. Rick Long joined Porter in 1973, and today, Rick runs Speedway Engines. The three of them worked out of two wooden garages year-round at Gasoline Alley. My dad never got a win at Indy, but the company did take care of Goodyear for its tire-testing program.

ZYLA: How did that tire testing with Goodyear work, engine-wise?

CINDRIC: Back then, Goodyear had its own fleet of engines. If you were testing Goodyear tires, Goodyear also gave you an engine to test with. So, not only did you go test tires, you also tested engines. My dad, Rick and Herb had the contract with Goodyear to rebuild the Offenhausers, and then the DFX Cosworth. So, anybody that tire tested was sent an engine to run from them.

ZYLA: That was no doubt a major contract?

CINDRIC: Oh yes, it was their main stream of income. And on occasion, Goodyear would allow those engines to be utilized by teams for qualifying and racing. In the early ‘70s, Mark Donohue qualified on the front row a couple times with engines from my dad’s shop.

ZYLA: What happened to the engine business?

CINDRIC: Rick and Herb started HP engine development, and my dad worked for them. They built what is now Speedway Engines on Gasoline Alley. At that time, it was on Roena Street before it was called Gasoline Alley. They started doing customer DFX engines, and also the engine for the Oldsmobile Aerotech car that Foyt broke the closed-course speed record in.

ZYLA: Any other customers of note from those days?

CINDRIC: Yes, Vermont American for Johnny Rutherford and Howdy Holmes -- that was a big contract. Also Scott Brayton and his 37 car for Brayton Engineering; The American Dream Team with Poncho Carter; The Genesee Beer Wagon with Steve Chassey and sometimes Larry Rice and Rocky Moran. Those are memories I’ll never forget.