Today's Feature

No Request.

The City Council Public Works Committee met Tuesday afternoon in a regular session. The agenda included a discussion of the extension of 15th street beyond the intersection of 15th and James. According to Public Works Director Chad Wampler the street is platted to continue beyond James but it has never been paved.

At the previous committee meeting citizen Richard Shipman came before the committee to ask permission to pave and extend the street. Committee member Bill Johnson asked Shipman to submit his request in writing, including all related information so that the Public Works Department might be able to review the plans prior to bringing the item before the committee.

At Tuesday’s meeting Shipman was present and had submitted a letter to the Public Works Department. The letter was read and found to contain general information about the area, but not a specific request for extension. The committee asked Shipman to revise the letter so that it contains a proper request for the extension.

During staff reports Public Works Director Chad Wampler informed the committee that a re-plat of land in Myers Park was to be brought before Council for a voice vote at the next Council meeting. If approved the property will be platted for Administrative Subdivision. The item is contingent on the closing of a sale of property for a development in Myers Park.

Street Commissioner Tom Shelley informed the committee that the Street Department will be spraying for mosquitoes in the coming week.

Stench Report:
Wednesday,
6/21/06

No Stench Detected on Carthage Square

Happened by an outdoor flea market this weekend. Found an item I wasn’t lookin’ for but was just what I needed. And at a price I couldn’t pass up.

I know there are lots a folks who spend a lot a time plannin’ just what it is they want and how to go about gettin’ it. Sometimes it just takes blind luck to get it done.

I used ta shoot pool on occasion and I found the same thing true for my pool playin’. I wasn’t that good, but sometimes I was pretty lucky. I suppose ‘cause I wasn’t smart enough ta know I couldn’t make a shot I’d try it anyway. On those rare time when luck was with me, folks would think I knew what I was doin’. If they say my typical game, they likely think that was an "off" night.

You can beat someone who is good, but ya can’t beat someone who’s lucky.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

You mentioned recently that one could determine the integrity of one’s exhause system by plugging the tailpipe. If the engine stalls, the system is in good condition, and if it keeps running, the exhause is leaking somewhere. I tried this on my 1991 BMW 535i, and even though I plugged both exhause outlets and the engine kept running, there were no detectible leaks in the exhaust pipes or components. Does this test still hold true when used on a car, like mine, that has a high-compression engine? - Don

RAY: Yes, it’s true for every car, Don. So either you didn’t plug up the tailpipe well enough, or you do have an exhause leak.

TOM: Cars with dual-tipped exhauses, like you car, are notoriously hard to plug up, though. There’s a chrome-tipped cover that goes over the ends of those two pipes. And if you just cover that chrome piece with a rag, exhause is going to excape around the edges of the chrome cover, even though you don’t notice it.

RAY: So you need to block up the tailpipes themselves, which are behind the chrome tips. The easiest way to do that is with a wet rag. Not only does a wet rag conform more easily to the shape of the pipe to block the exhause better, but it also delays, by at least several seconds, the amount of time it takes for the flesh on your hand to start sizzling.

TOM: If you totally seal the ends of both tailpipes and the car keeps running then you absolutely have an exhause leak somewhere.

RAY: And if you can’t detect it under the car, it could be under the hood. Remember, the exhause sytstem is not just the muffler and tailpipe - it starts at the cylinder head.