Today's Feature

To Review CIP.

The City Council Budget Ways and Means committee will meet this evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. The committee is scheduled to review the five-year Capital Improvement Plans (CIP) for the City Departments. Capital improvement lists project costs for the next five years worth of capital projects and equipment purchases such as vehicles and computers, as requested by each department.

The Public Works CIP list includes several large projects for the fiscal year 2008 budget including the $3.5 million west side sewer improvement project and the $2.5 million Fairview interchange project. Due to these projects the Public Works Department has the highest total for capital improvement projects overall.

The total expenditure for the items currently included in the lists is approximately $23.7 million. Some of those projects span through the entire five projected years and beyond.

The fiscal year 2008 budget hearings are scheduled to begin April 23. Budget packets have been sent to all the departments and are due back by March 23.

‘Course the timin’ of when the steps are placed is secondary to when the dance is executed.

I’m suspectin’ that if ya danced enough times, there would have ta be a few that were followed by an adequate amount of precipitation to be considered a success.

Now there are those who would say this isn’t a rain dance at all, just dumb luck.

I suppose the same could be said when a guy in a boat throws a net in the water. The fact is, the more times ya toss the net, the more likely it is that you’ll have enough for a good fish fry when ya hit shore. The trick is ta not sit on the bank waitin’ for somethin’ ta jump in the pan.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

This Is A Hammer
By Samantha Mazzotta

Can Hardwood Floor Take the Heat?

Q: During the heating season, I notice that my wooden floors creak a lot. I presume it’s because the artificial heat draws moisture from the wood. Is there any way to prevent this from happening? I fear it might weaken the structure of the house. -- Jim M., Quincy, Mass.

A: One of the reasons that wood remains a primary material in house construction is its ability to adjust to temperature and moisture changes without breaking down. A hardwood floor can, with proper care, last a century or more.

That’s why squeaking alone should not be a cause for extensive worry. Wood expands in hot weather and contracts in cold, expands in moist conditions and contracts in low humidity. And each time it adjusts, squeaks and little pops can be heard, especially when walking across the floorboards.

However, squeaky floors are annoying -- especially when your spouse knows you’re on a diet and can hear you sneaking into the kitchen for a midnight snack. To minimize the noise in winter, run a humidifier in the house (be sure it will not leak onto the wood floors). Floorboards that continue to squeak when walked upon can be silenced by rubbing talcum powder between the boards.

If a squeaky floor also shows signs of deterioration or damage, more extensive inspection and repair is probably needed. A squeaky floorboard that has a lot of "give" when walked upon (1/8 to 1/4 inch) needs attention.

At the board’s squeakiest point, drill two pilot holes, one on each edge of the board (but about 1/4 inch inward to keep the wood from splitting) and drive a finishing nail into each. Countersink the nails by placing a flathead screwdriver against the top of each nail and tapping the screwdriver downward with the hammer until the nail head is just below the surface of the wood. Cover with matching wood putty.

HOME TIP: Avoid excessive use of hard soaps and water when cleaning hardwood floors; frequent sweeping, vacuuming or dust mopping will keep floors at their best.