County Vote Tomorrow.

County Planning-Zoning.

Polling places in Carthage will open at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning and stay open until 7 p.m. The only issue on the ballot for Carthage residents is the question of the whether to approve the Jasper County Comprehensive Plan.

Approval of the plan would initiate an election of a fifteen member permanent County Planning Commission next April. Representatives from each township would be elected by voters in unincorporated areas of the County and elected members would serve four year terms without compensation. The Commission would have no authority over incorporated areas in the County that have zoning regulations.

The Plan submitted by the temporary Planning Commission recommends that any zoning regulations "not require a large and complex bureaucracy; does not regulate agriculture; must be straightforward in its aims and understandable in its implementation; should respect private property rights; and should not involve itself with trivial issues; instead, it should focus on larger land use and land value protection questions."

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

I’d have ta guess that it seems odd to some that city folks get ta vote on an the County planning/zoning issue when it only directly affects the country folks. The fact that more people live in incorporated areas than not adds to the oddness.

If this passes tomorrow, the country folks do get to elect their representatives to the Commission that will make the rules. At that time the city folks will be out of it. Unless, naturally, they move to the country.

‘Course there is good reason for the population as a whole to get involved in the issue. County issues do, at some level, affect all of us, wherever we live. Givin’ the city folks a say and then havin’ ‘em butt out of the process prob’ly is a good balance.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Workman's Loan

The Super Handyman

Q: I remember hearing that if you're building a deck with pressure-treated lumber, you can prevent warping and splitting if you put the proper side facing up. Which is the top side and will that do away with these problems? —I.H.

A: The boards should be bark-side up. You can tell which it is by looking at the end of the boards to see how the growth rings curve. However, this just helps keep the deck boards from warping and splitting. The real key is to treat it with a water seal about a month after building the deck.

Q: I have some holes in my wood paneling and want to patch them and paint. What do you patch them with and what type of paint should be used over the wood?

A: Rather than paint, we would try to find a patching material that would match. Most places that sell paneling will have matching wood putty to match that can be used to hide the few nails that may be used to hang the paneling. Many other types of patching compounds are also available in many different shades at paint and hardware stores.

SUPER HINT - A good place to clean off the tip of your soldering iron while you are working is on a steel wool pad. Such pads can be found lying around in the average workshop.