Memorial Hall Plan Proposed.

A Memorial Hall Long Range Plan proposal will be in first reading during this evening's regular Council meeting in City Hall. The proposal calls for a contract with the architectural firm of Pellham, Phillips and Hagerman of Springfield to provide "narrative descriptions" of various aspects of a proposed renovation of Memorial Hall and "schematic design presentation boards graphically describing the proposed physical allocations to accomplish the Plan."

The development of the plan is estimated to take three to four months at a cost of $13,000 plus reimbursable expenses up to $2,000. The cost of the project will be paid out of a $20,000 grant provided by the Boylan Foundation specifically for that purpose.

After the firm presents its final presentation to the Memorial Hall Long Range Planning Committee, the funding for the actual renovation will need to be secured. When that is accomplished, the firm offers its services for basic architectural/engineering services at a cost of six percent of the total budget for the project. An additional contract would be agreed to at that time.

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin

State Representative, District 126

This week I received in the mail a copy of all the legislation that passed in the last Session of the Legislature. Looking through it, I was again reminded of the many hard fought battles and the victories and defeats (mostly defeats) of the Session. It got me to remembering some of the ideas we introduced that didn’t pass and in many cases weren’t even allowed to be debated.

That is one of the worst things about how the House of Representatives is run. If you are not a member of the majority party (democrat) you don’t have much chance of your legislation reaching the floor for debate, much less a vote. The only way we have a chance for input is to offer amendments in committee or on the floor and that is only if the democrats don’t vote to shut off debate which can be done with eighty-two votes in the 163 member House.

One such bill was House Bill 1337. It was introduced and co-sponsored by most of the members of the Republican caucus. It was our answer to the continuing welfare problem. I firmly believe we have too generous of a welfare system that encourages people to stay on the public dole instead of working. What is even worse is that when any of us try to reform the system to require work instead of handouts, we are accused of being cold-hearted, unfeeling, and extremists. How did we evolve into a society where the people that work for a living, pay their bills and pay other people’s bills are the bad guys? The main provision of our bill was to require work for able-bodied adults or no benefits. Lest anyone accuse us of being too mean and extreme there were also child care, transportation, and job training aspects as well. This approach has been put in place in Wisconsin and is working great. Welfare rolls are down dramatically and money is being saved. Why didn’t we pass it here? You tell me. Our bill was never brought up for debate on the floor. We did offer it as an amendment to another bill and it was voted down straight along party lines with republicans supporting it and democrats opposing it.

I can’t understand how anyone could be against the concept of reducing welfare, but the results are in the House Journal. Go figure. Kids say the darndest things.

I can’t end this column without telling you what my eight year old son, Bill said during President Clinton’s non-apology the other night. We had just tuned in to the football game when they broke away for the speech. After a couple minutes, Bill turned to me and said, "Dad, why didn’t he just tell the truth seven months ago? If he had, we would be watching football now instead of him". Kind of sums it up. As usual, I can be reached at House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101 or 1-800-878-7126 or mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions, comments, or advice.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

The same state statute that allows county officials to charge a fee for similar services to other cities in the County also requires the agreements to be authorized by the County Commission. There is some question at this time whether that authorization has ever been secured.

The last official agreement of this nature that I can find reference to 'tween the City of Carthage and the County is back in 1970. Now some might argue that the contract was "open ended" allowing it to be carried forward from year to year. What ever the case, it appears that any contracts from this year forward will come under closer scrutiny of the Commissioners.

Though it looks to be legal for the Commission to allow the practice, the general population prob'ly has some doubts that the County can afford the luxury.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin'.

by

McCune Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

ALLERGIES GOETH NOT BEFORE (or during the fall): Many people assume that with the first cooler days of the season, their allergies will disappear. This is particularly true for those who have had the so-called summer sniffles caused by air conditioner filters that weren’t cleaned or by industrial irritants trapped by hot weather smog conditions. Some tips for dealing with allergy symptoms:

1. Keep your windows closed and use an air conditioner (make sure the filters are clean) when you sleep;

2. Consider using commercial filters to clean pollens from the air;

3. If you jog, remember, the peak times for most airborne pollens are between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. A morning jog during these times can set you up for a miserable rest of the day;

4. If you must go out during these hours -especially if you need to commute at this time, Sister Salerno suggests you take an antihistamine first. She also suggests switching your outdoor sports to evenings.

5. Before planning outdoor activities, check pollen counts with the weather service or with TV and radio forecasts.

6.Windy, dry days ... produce the most misery for allergy sufferers, while a light rain keeps the pollen count down.

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