SERVING HENDRICKS COUNTY SINCE 1847
Page A-6
MASTERING THE HOUSE Tim Paino
Owner/Inspector Heartland HouseMaster
useful tips for homeowners
Start Thinking AC
April is here and warm weather is around the corner. As things start to heat up, it is time to think about that air conditioner (AC). It is strongly recommended you have your air conditioner equipment serviced each year before the demands of the Indiana hot humid summer arrives. Equipment should not be tested until the outside temperature is above 60 degrees for three days. This means the best time to have your spring tune-up is between the middle of April through May. Besides regular service we should be changing the filters, keep debris and growth away from the outside unit and maintain the insulation around the refrigerant lines between the outside unit and the inside unit. The average life of an air conditioner with no maintenance is 10 to 15 years, with regular maintenance that life expectancy can be extended to 20 to 25 years. This brings us to the issue of R-22 freon. If your AC equipment was manufactured before 2010, there is a good chance R-22 freon was used as the coolant. The 1987 Montreal Protocol was signed by the United States promising to phase out the use of R-22 because of the Ozone-depleting affects. In 2010 the manufacturing of equipment using R-22 was banned and then on January 1, 2020 the production of R-22 was banned. This resulted in the on-hand inventory of R-22 became valuable and expensive if needed for repairing old equipment. To have R-22 installed into your unit during a repair could cost you $300 to $600 easily. That does not include the cost of the service time and repairs needed. Most times the service company will strongly recommend totally replacing your furnace and air conditioner to avoid overpaying for repairs only to be left with outdated equipment. Along with changing the furnace filter to help lower the expense of cooling our homes, a programmable thermostat helps systematically adjusting the settings at times of the day when you are away. The other thing you can do, not part of a traditional service call, is check your ducts for leaks or poorly insulated areas. Return ducts in a hot attic can raise the temperature of the air going back through the system, making your equipment work harder. The goal is to stay comfortable while spending the fewest dollars possible. Make that call to schedule your spring checkup now to be able to enjoy those hazy lazy days of summer. _____________________________________________
A Note From Bee Noel Gatlin’s description of his first home and furnishings brought back memories of our first home. Like Noel, we had very few new things to start housekeeping but we didn’t care. We were just happy to be able to buy a house rather than rent. This was 1961 and the house was $11,000. We easily found a used stove and refrigerator but had to go to a laundermat to do our washing. A friend at work knew our situation. So when her sister-in-law decided to sell her reconditioned washer and dryer for $50, she told me. We were thrilled to have a chance to buy them. They lasted for about five years. We worked them hard because we had two babies in cloth diapers during that time. At some point the washer developed a dead spot in the motor and we would have to get behind the washer and pull a belt to get it past the dead spot. We never had any trouble with the gas dryer. When it came time to move we had to buy new appliances because the new house did not have gas and we couldn’t get behind the washer. As soon as the new appliances were delivered my husband installed them. He had no sooner installed them and the installer from Sears called and said he was on his way out to install them. What? install them! Since we had never had a new appliance we did not know we got free installation and the salesman must have just assumed we knew. The installer said he still had to come out. He complimented my husband on what a good job he did. Bee Jones ______________________________________________
Letters To The Editor To the Editor: Standard deductions for Federal and State income taxes need to be increased SUBSTANTIALLY as well as it’s cost of living, inflation increase. Why do lower and middle income taxpayers pay more in Indiana State taxes than USA federal taxes? I paid $381 more in Indiana income tax in 2018, $448 more in 2019 and $487 more in 2020 than I did in Federal tax because primarily the standard deduction is $2500 for my state which is not adjusted for inflation and $13600 for federal in 2018, $13850 in 2019 and $14050 in 2020 which is adjusted for inflation each year; but, at a substandard rate. The Hendricks County tax rate was increased 3.3% for 2019 and 9.6% for 2020 that added to this increase. In addition we pay a Indiana sales tax of 7% to 9%, wheel taxes, property taxes, license taxes, gasoline taxes, gaming taxes, excise taxes, etc. Contact your IN Governor Eric Holcomb 317-232-4567, IN Senator 317-232-9400 and your IN State Representative 317-232-9600. M Brent Pittman Brownsburg
The Republican
Voices
We offer Voices as a place to share a story, a memory, an idea, a comment, a criticism, or a solution. Contributors must include name, address & phone number. We look forward to hearing your voice.
Exploring Hendricks County
Thursday, April 8, 2021
ASK MR. TRAFFIC By Chet Skwarcan, PE, President/ Founder of Traffic Engineering, Inc. Chet@TrafficEngineering.com
By Jackie Horn
Why We Need More Green Arrows Why We Need Less Green Arrows Burnett Woods in Avon is just one of the properties managed by the Central Indiana Land Trust. The grandkids enjoyed exploring the woods last April. If it’s been wet, come prepared with muck boots.
Are you looking for someplace to explore that you don’t have to share with a hoard of other walkers, bicyclers, or skateboarders? Check out ConservingIndiana.org . The website connects with the Central Indiana Land Trust and the resources the organization is responsible for protecting. The CILT currently protects 20 land tracts in central Indiana. Twelve of the locations are open to the public for walking (four-legged friends are welcome if leashed), birdwatching, photography, and just soaking in nature. Of those open to the public, three properties are in or very near Hendricks County. Burnett Woods Nature Preserve is located on East CR 100 South in Avon. Wallace F. Holladay Preserve at Ameriplex is just over the county line in Marion County northeast of Sodalis Nature Park and Hemlock Ridge is in Putnam County southwest of North Salem. The CILT website profiles the properties complete with a description, map and directions, parking instructions, and tips for exploring. Most of the tracts do not have trails and folks are free to roam and enjoy. Make sure to read the prohibited activities. These lands are protected and that means NO removing rocks, picking flowers, berries, nuts, or mushrooms. The group’s site also publishes a weekly newsletter. Central Indiana Land Trust is currently promoting a “Trek Our Trails” challenge. To enter the challenge, participants visit the five required preserves and take a selfie in front of each preserve’s sign. Post the photo on social media (details are available on the website) and after all five sites are visited, everyone in the photos will receive a pin and be entered into a drawing for more prizes. The five required properties are: Burnett Woods (Hendricks County), Fred and Dorothy Meyer Nature Preserve (Morgan County), Laura Hare Preserve at Blossom Hollow (Johnson County), Meltzer Woods (Shelby County), and Noni Werbe Krauss Nature Preserve (Hamilton County.) The challenge concludes on Black Friday, November 26, 2021, so there’s plenty of time to plan outings and participate. Wildflowers are blooming. Trees are leafing out. Birds are singing. With the CILT properties, there are so many more places to be explored and experienced!
In reviewing the top ten questions asked this week, #7 actually had to do with traffic engineering (#3 was interesting but unrelated to traffic engineering — but if you’re curious, yes, the medicine is helping). Question #7 had to do with the appropriateness of left and right turn lanes at busy intersections. Also, when are green arrows truly appropriate and how long do turn lanes need to be, anyway? First, some housekeeping. Before reading any further, please enable cookies (i.e., have several within reach). Also, we noticed your spam-blocker is active (but that’s ok, nobody likes spam). Getting back to question #7, turn lanes are recommended whenever the overall intersection operates more efficiently because of them versus without them. Note the word, “recommended.” This is because turn lanes are expensive and the associated roadway widening often requires buying land from adjacent property owners. Relocating utilities or ditches also impacts the cost of adding turn lanes. Cost/benefit analysis required. Also, note the word, “overall.” Although adding a turn lane may improve the efficiency of turning vehicles, it’s possible the net efficiency of the intersection may diminish. Take, for example, a signalized intersection. Adding a turn lane (with a turn arrow) results in three things: 1) vehicles using the turn lane experience elevated moods, 2) the “green time” available for other vehicles is reduced, and 3) the “red time” available for other vehicles is increased. The decision to add a dedicated turn arrow should be coupled with some serious signal programming to ensure the time allotted to said green arrow is appropriate based on time of day and, the concurrent demands of overall traffic (CDoOT). Fortunately, modern traffic signals are “traffic-actuated” and can detect the presence of all vehicles allotting green time accordingly and efficiently. Regarding the physical length of turn lanes, well, as a minimum, they should be long enough to store the number of vehicles making that particular turn. And on high-speed roadways, turn lanes are often extended several hundred feet to allow turning vehicles to decelerate in the turn lane (instead of in the through lane). So think twice when wishing for a green arrow. And when the car behind you starts honking, stop wishing and get moving… ______________________________________________
A Squirrel About Town By Archy “Are there any poets in the Squirrel Salon?” I asked Archy. “Of course,” the squirrel answered in a ‘what do you expect’ tone. “Oscar, of course, but there are several who push their talent in that direction. Take Percy, for example. A romantic to the core. While Walt’s thoughts tend to meander in several directions at once. Both talented, in different ways.” I asked Archy if he had written any poetry. His eyebrow lifted immediately. “I don’t write poems,” he said with a bit of dramatic flair. “I live one.” He waited for that to soak in. I nodded. “You do have a gift for clarity in your descriptions.” A compliment goes a long way with Archy. “Exactly!” he said. “Poetry can make things clear. A word can become an avalanche. Poetry clarifies what we see and what we can’t yet see.” “A dish of Irish setters,” I said. “Precisely!” the squirrel exlaimed. “Poetry describes things that can only exist in the imagination. And in a way that can travel from one imagination to the next. I believe you’re developing a squirrel’s eye view of the art.” Archy was reading my thoughts. “That’s why you have copy of Leaves of Grass within reach most of the time.” I admited that Walt Whitman had a special effect on me. I always feel like he’s standing behnd me, looking over my shoulder as I read. Archy chucked. “Does that to me, too. And Emily Dickensen is always impatiently tapper her foot.” The squirrel and I have much in common.
