Possible Sidewalk Incentives.

Members of the Public Works Committee reviewed information regarding the sidewalk policies of other cities at their meeting Tuesday afternoon in the ongoing process of determining how to finance private sidewalk repairs. Five cities were contacted: Joplin, Monett, Eureka Springs, Lamar and Neosho.

Both Eureka Springs and Lamar offered ideas of interest to committee members. Eureka Springs is in the process of writing a new sidewalk ordinance after a year of discussion and development. Once passed, the ordinance will be strictly enforced and will hold property owners responsible for repairs. The ordinance addresses the question of historic districts and allows stamped/decorative concrete to be used in those areas. It also requires that Eureka Springs’ Public Works Department establish the bedding or base for sidewalks. Such expenses will be billed to property owners, and if not paid will become property liens.

Lamar enforces its ordinance in extreme cases only and provides an incentive program. Currently, the City reimburses citizens for sidewalk repairs at $12 per square yard of finished walkway, about 50% of the total cost. A plus for this reimbursement method is that prevailing wage requirements do not come into play because the City does not hire contractors.

"Under this incentive in Lamar, do the sidewalks have to be condemned by the City before they’re eligible for it," asked Committee Chair Bill Fortune, "or can someone just walk in and say they want new sidewalks?"

"If you get into that, you also get the people who don’t have sidewalks and may want them," said Committee Member Larry Ross.

Discussion turned to the possibility of a sidewalk incentive similar to the current curb and gutter reimbursement policy for contractors. Under such a policy, an amount of money would be set aside by the City, and citizens making sidewalk repairs could apply for reimbursement on a first-come, first served basis for up to a specified percentage of the cost of the project.

"That sounds reasonable," said Fortune, "but then we need to have some sort of mechanism for identifying the property we’re going to consider eligible. Do we want to get the worst ones fixed, the ones we identify, or do we want to let people walk in off the street and say they want to do it?"

"It’s a good idea to get sidewalks where there aren’t any, but I think our bigger concern is to replace ones that are bad," Fortune continued. "It may require two different programs."

Fortune outlined the next steps to be taken: obtain a copy of Eureka Springs’ new ordinance, look at tying an incentive plan in with such an ordinance, survey and map sidewalks needing repair, and include the sidewalk project in capital improvements discussions coming up for next year’s budget.

Trash Troubles.

Council member Don Stearnes spoke during citizen participation at Tuesday’s Public Works meeting regarding confusion about the correct trash removal day at his business and other complaints he has received about trash not being picked up.

"They’re missing a lot of trash," said Stearnes

"I know they are," replied Joe Butler City Engineering Department Head. "I talked to them about it, and they know it too.

"It seems like in the last two months we’ve had more complaints than we’ve had in all the previous years. I know they’re going through a period of training new drivers and office help, but it seems like we’re having more than we should."

Butler continued saying his office has set up a new system for handling complaints.

"We want to know about any complaints, any time they don’t pick up your trash," said Butler. "If you know in fact that they’ve missed you, call me as soon as you can -- if the driver’s still in town we can get him back out there."

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

I'll say again what I was sayin' a couple a years back. The Double Decker Bus has some good roles ta play for promotin' the City of Carthage. Bein' a mass transit system isn't one of 'em. I don't understand why the decision to drop daily service takes any more discussion.

In the plan I outlined before, we park the bus in a conspicuous spot. I recommend somewhere on the Precious Moments parkin' lot if they'll let us. Put a sign in the window sayin' "Rent Me" with a phone number or other info. If we have ta make a token run around town once a week, fine. It keeps the oil from gettin' gummy.

We get a couple a banners with "Come ta Carthage" we can tie to the sides and make sure it gets in ever' parade in the area. A travelin' billboard with an unforgettable image for the community. The cost is minimal.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin'.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click and Clack Talk Cars

Dear Tom and Ray:

My car is a '93 Volvo 960. When I first turn on the air conditioner, it gives off an odor which makes me think the car is harboring a well-used cat-litter box. This odor ("stink" is more descriptive) goes away after several minutes, only to return each time I turn on the air conditioner. I've tried air-freshener sprays, but they just introduce a new dimension to the problem. I'd love to take care of this problem before next summer. Any ideas? -Edgar

TOM: Well, my guess is you've got yourself a little mold-spore farm there, Edgar. Congratulations.

RAY: There's a part of the air conditioner called the evaporator, which removes the moisture from the air (i.e., "conditions" it). That moisture is then supposed to drain out through a hole in the bottom of the evaporator housing. That's why you often see water dripping out from underneath cars in the summertime.

TOM: My guess is that you don't see much water dripping out of the bottom of your car, Edgar, because your drain hole is all plugged up. That's preventing water from escaping, and creating the perfect breeding ground for mold spores; a dark place with standing water.

RAY: You need to have somebody clear out the evaporator drain for you. It's an easy job and is usually done with compressed air. Then you'd be wise to spray something in the vents to kill the remaining mold spores. There are automotive products specifically designed for this purpose, but consumer products like Lysol seem to work just as well.

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