Today's Feature

Revisions to Post & Cable Proposal.

The City Council Public Services committee met late last week, the meeting having been rescheduled due to Labor Day and a number of additional meetings early in the week for the City comprehensive plan. The committee met in Central Park as part of an ongoing parks and recreation system evaluation.

Kellogg Lake Nature Center and Preserve board member Jo Ellis was present to speak to the committee about a proposal to add post and cable fences at parts of Kellogg Lake. If the proposal is approved the post and cable fencing would be placed to allow the option of blocking driving access down to Spring River in cases of high water or rainy conditions. Ellis has told the committee previously that when the entrance to the river gets wet vehicles leave large ruts trying to get back out. This item has been brought before Council before, as an earlier rendition that would have blocked the entrance more permanently. Some Council members opposed the fencing, saying that the option should be available for citizens to drive or walk down to the water. This first presentation of the proposal was rejected.

Revisions included the addition of gates that can be closed and locked but would be left open in fair weather.

The committee discussed the revisions and felt that the proposal in its current form would be acceptable to Council. A motion was made to present it at the next Council meeting, with a recommendation to approve.

The committee reviewed the benefits of Central park and also discussed areas that could use improvement. Parks Director Alan Bull showed the committee a large oak tree which was struck by lightning. Bull said that after the lightning struck a tree specialist from the Missouri Conservation visited to look at the damage. The specialist told Bull to watch the tree because it could get worse or it could recover. Bull said that lately a large branch fell off and the tree looks like it is getting worse. It is now considered a hazard and will need to be cut down.

I don’t suppose anyone figures our system of government is perfect, just the best anyone’s come up with so far. But it got me wonderin’ if I could think of anything that was perfect. The best example I could come up with would be nature.

A rabbit seein’ a coyote comin’ over the hill might have a different perspective. He might not think his situation is perfect. But the coyote prob’ly thinks it’s a pretty good setup. The point bein’, if you look at any particular situation, from where you sit things could always be better, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the system isn’t workin’.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

This Is A Hammer
By Samantha Mazzotta

Cleaner Works Miracles on Hard-Water Buildup

Q: I read your column on cleaning hard water spots off windows and wanted to put in my 2 cents. I use a product called Lemi Shine, which is actually made to work in your dishwasher to clean hard-water buildup. It’s available at retailers like Wal-Mart. This stuff works great.

I used it on church windows at an old church that has a water well, which as you know, can have water with a high mineral content. I mixed some of this product up in a squirt bottle, sprayed down the windows and let it sit for about 30 minutes, then came back and rinsed it off. It took two applications, but it took off 40 years of hard-water buildup on those windows! Hope this helps -- Cheryl H., via e-mail

A: Many thanks, Cheryl! I had heard somewhere that dishwashing detergent could help clean off hard-water spots, but I’ve never tried it. Lemi Shine, however, is not a detergent, but an automatic dishwasher cleaner that removes mineral buildup due to repeated washes with hard water (water with a high mineral content). A check of the company’s Web site (www.lemishine.com) reveals several additional uses, including cleaning hard-water stains from shower doors and removing buildup from fixtures.

This product and similar cleaners can often be used in a diluted form on glass, porcelain and chromed hardware. Just be sure to test the product in a small area of the item you are cleaning, to make sure chemicals in the cleaning product don’t stain or react with the material (especially when cleaning metal fixtures or door frames).

HOME TIP: Hard-water cleaners developed for dishwashers may be used to clean buildup from other fixtures and appliances; always check the manufacturer’s directions on the product label or the manufacturer’s Web site.