Today's Feature

Committee Discussed Cleanup.

The City Council Public Works Committee met late last week and discussed the ongoing storm debris cleanup efforts.

Public Works Director Chad Wampler outlined the course of action for J & R Disaster Services, with whom the City has a contract for storm debris removal.

Wampler said that the City had been divided into quadrants, the center of which is the corner of Macon and Garrison. Wampler said that the crews have begun cleanup in the Northwest area, and will move from there to the Northeast, then to the Southeast and finally to the Southwest. The crews began removal from school properties Wednesday, and Wampler said that several down power lines had been found during the cleanup process that might not have been found so soon otherwise. The totals from Wednesday were 1,219 cubic yards of debris hauled to the City landfill.

Wampler also said that the crews had been struggling against the cold weather and some minor equipment malfunctions, but that good progress was being made. The City landfill and recycling center is being kept open 7 days a week. J & R Disaster Services is scheduled to make three separate passes through the City.

Street Commissioner Tom Shelley said that since December 9th the Street Department had worked almost solely on debris cleanup. Shelley said that the department was focusing primarily on alleyways, as the contracted cleanup is being done from City right-of-ways.

City Administrator Tom Short said that a meeting will be held on January 10 with FEMA to discuss reimbursements for the storm cleanup. Citizens with questions about the debris removal are encouraged to call the Public Works Department for more information at 237-7010.

I gathered up the pick and a shovel or two and commenced to dig. After a few hours of gettin’ through the soft top soil, I discovered that the earth gets pretty solid. I had, however, etched out enough ground to make a pretty nice fox hold of sorts. ‘Bout big enough to hold two small boys duckin’ the oncomin’ rounds of imagined enemy fire.

‘Course at that age, a fox hole worked pretty well, too. In fact it didn’t matter much that it was only a couple a feet deep. The imagination wasn’t limited by the confines of space.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

This Is A Hammer
By Samantha Mazzotta

Quick Action Prevents Frozen Pipe Damage

DEAR HAMMER: Last year during a spell of unusual cold, I turned on the kitchen sink tap and noticed the water flow was very weak. Right away I knew that a pipe was freezing. My husband went to the cellar and felt along the cold-water supply line until he found a couple of very cold sections of pipe. Because water was still flowing through the tap we didn’t shut off the flow of water. We wrapped old towels around the freezing spots and poured hot water from a tea kettle over each towel. Very quickly -- within 20 minutes -- the water began flowing normally from the tap.

This year we wrapped insulation around the supply lines, both hot and cold -- to conserve heat in the hot line, and to prevent the cold line from freezing. Just wanted to let you know that the "hot-water-and-towels" method is no-cost and really works. -- Blair W., White Plains, N.Y.

DEAR BLAIR: Thanks for the story! Insulating pipes and monitoring the flow of water during cold spells are effective ways to prevent frozen and burst pipes. It’s a good idea, when temperatures in your area drop well below normal, to let the taps drip steadily until the weather improves -- water moving through the pipes will help prevent freezing as well.

This winter is already shaping up to be exceptionally cold and snowy in the East and Midwest. In addition to preventing pipe freezes, homeowners should make sure that heavy snow doesn’t cause problems, either. High snowdrifts can cover vents you don’t normally pay attention to, such as dryer and heating vents, potentially causing gases to back up into the house. Ice can form inside unshielded vent stacks, so that sewer gases don’t vent properly. Clear snow and ice away from ventilation exit points as soon as a storm ends.

HOME TIP: A diminishing flow of water from the tap during a cold spell can signal that a pipe is beginning to freeze.