New CW&EP Officers Elected.

The CW&EP Board elected officers for the next year during its regular monthly meeting last week. Nominees were Pete Metcalf, President; Bill Putnam Vice President, and Claude Dickens as Treasurer. The slate was voted and approved by the Board.

The Board is withholding final payment to Polston Construction for water main improvements until a final inspection is completed. Engineering Director Joe Butler, Street Commissioner Tom Shelley, and CW&EP System Manager Jerry Simmons are to sign off on the project before the $60,169.70 payment is released. The original contract was for $1,167,513. The construction was part of the $12 million water, wastewater, and storm water runoff improvements that were partially funded by the $6 million capital improvement bond issue approved by voters.

The Board voted to approve the 1999-2000 budget which will be presented to the City Council for approval on June 8th.

A retirement reception for Jerry Simmons and Marge Housh will be held on the Power Plant lawn Thursday, June 24, from 3 to 5:30 p.m.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

The upcomin’ unofficial start of the summer season, Memorial Day Weekend, is no doubt in most folks minds. I’ve been seein’ the boats bein’ dragged out of winter storage for the last several weeks. The "Lake" will see the first big surge of activity by the holiday partakers.

‘Course there are those who will take advantage of the time to get serious about the chores they been puttin’ off for the last few months. Some will put their efforts to gardin’ the garden, or finally gettin’ the garden ready for gardin’. For others the call of the Indy 500 will get a good portion of attention, or at least an excuse to nap on the couch for a couple a hours. The plans have been made in any case, to welcome in the pleasures of summer.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing Services

PRIME TIME WITH KIDS

by Donna Erickson

My three kids are at it again, arguing about whose turn it is to tackle household chores. But when it’s time to dole out a few privileges, such as sitting in the front seat of the car or picking an evening television show, they don’t miss a beat. Suddenly it’s everyone’s turn. Sound familiar?

So far, this chore/privilege board I came up with a couple of months ago is a winner at our house. It’s not an incentive system like most charts; rather, it’s a simple way to keep track of who’s who in the job and privilege categories of day-to-day family life. For a sturdy chore board, we use the following:

• 1 piece of white foam board, cut in an 18-inch-wide by 9-inch-long rectangle (available at art and discount stores)

• 6 adhesive-backed plastic hooks in bright colors

• 6 metal rings (available at stationery stores)

• several plain index cards, cut in 1-inch by 5-inch strips with a hole punched at the top of each strip (one strip for each child for each chore and privilege). If you have, say, two children and six categories, you will need 12 strips.

• 4 one-inch magnet strips

• Markers and ruler

Before you make the board, discuss chores and privileges for a typical week, such as "set dinner table," "vacuum stairs," "choose Saturday bike route," etc.

Use a black marker to print the six categories across the top of the board. Draw vertical lines down the board to separate them. Under each category, attach a hook. Glue magnets to the back of the board.

Print names on each strip. You may want to color-code each name. For example, all of Scott’s strips would be printed in blue.

On each ring, attach strips for each child in the family. On each hook, hang a ring with strips. The name appearing on top of each ring is responsible for the task-privilege in the category. For example, if Jennifer’s name is on top under "water the plants," it’s her turn. When she completes the job, she flips her name over the ring and the next child’s name appears.

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