Archived News 2014

Friday, September 26, WATER LEAK REPAIRED. CREDIT GOES TO SNIDER CONSTRUCTION.

When the Comanche County Water District #1 called and said that the water meter reader was concerned because the senior center water meter gauge was spinning like crazy, we knew that the bothersome leak that had been bothering us for the past couple of months had gotten worse. The water bill was going to be horrendous, and something must be done. Tom Spears called the only dirt operator he knew, Jay Snider of Snider Construction in Cyril. "Shut off the water to the building on Tuesday and we have a dance on Friday." Tom told Jay. "Sounds like a crisis." Jay replied. "Don't worry, Help in on the way." At 8:30 on Thursday morning, Jay, a backhoe with an operator, and five guys with shovels showed up at the place where Tom said the buried pip was leaking. "Right there is where the water was standing." Tom told them, even though previous probing by Leo Whitley showed that there was no leak there. When their digging did not expose a pipe and Jeff Richardson from Medicine Park Telephone Company, there to protect their telephone and television cables running through the area said, "I think you should look down there. That's where I have seen the water bubbling up." Jay drove to the meter, turned and ushered the water back through the pipe, and the workers watched it bubble up just where Jeff had pointed. Digging exposed the pipe where a previous break had again failed. Jay brought some pipe repair parts and a length of pipe, had his people make the repair, and covered the repaired pipe, tamping it securely into the soil. The final action was Jay draining the air and dirty water from the water line at the Legion Building. When checked on Friday at noon, the ice machine had made a bin full of ice, ready for the Friday Dance.

Thursday, September 18, FLU SHOTS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 6.

The schedule for the 2014 Flu Shots at the Senior Center has been set. After the Potluck Supper on Monday, October 6, between 7 and 8 pm, after the potluck supper. The later start this year is due to the schedule at the Heritage Pharmacy, who is sponsoring the shots. Persons wanting the flu shots must have their Medicare card or an Insurance card.

Wednesday, September 17, FLU SHOTS AT LEGION BUILDING BEING SCHEDULED

Bob Dishman has been giving flu shots for the seniors at the Legion Building each fall for several years. He will do that again this year either on the first Monday or the second Monday of October. The shots will be given in conjunction with the Monday Pot Luck supper. He will set up his table to begin giving the shots at 5:30 and will be finished prior to the meal being served. Anyone can get their flu shot that night. Seniors on Medicare will get the shot at no cost to the senior.

Thursday, September 4, ASCOG PLANS MEDICARE ASSISTANCE AT THE LEGION BUILDING DURING OPEN ENROLLMENT

Twice, during the Medicare Open Enrollment period this year, ASCOG will provide counselors at the Center to assist and provide information to Medicare-eligible citizens of the area. The counselors will be in the Legion Building from 9 am until 2 pm on November 3 and December 4. The counselors will not only give advice and explain various Medigap and Medicare supplemental plans, but will also be prepared to enroll seniors not already enrolled or assist seniors wanting to change their previous Medicare selections. Anyone eligible for Medicare, caring for a person who is eligible, or interested in the Medicare program is welcome to visit the Legion Building on either day and consult with the counselors.

Tuesday, August 26, HOLIDAY POT LUCK DINNER IS SCHEDULED FOR LABOR DAY

Normally there is not a pot luck supper on a holiday weekend, but the upcoming Labor Day holiday is an exception. During a discussion last night the folks at the Monday pot luck decided that there would be a special holiday supper on Labor Day featuring hot dogs with chili and cheese and hamburgers with all the fixings along with any of the sides and desserts brought by the participants. People come between 5 and 5:30 pm and play dominoes, table games, or just visit.... and the volunteers get the supper cooked and served.

Monday, July 14, "BEST CLUE YET ON FINDING WATER LEAK" Says Leo Whitley.

Delayed by holiday absences and generous Spring rain, the search for the water leak that has sent the center water bill soaring in the past few months, has resumed. Senior volunteers have walked the entire length of the six-tenths mile long route, looking for pooling water on the grounds surface which might indicate a leak is the source of the water. Tom Spears walked into a ditch near State Highway 49 and saw water standing on Wednesday, July 9, but decided to wait to discuss the finding because recent rains could have left the pool. Returning to the ditch two days later, he found that the water had not receded or evaporated, but sporadic rain might have fed the pool. He shared the information with Leo the following Monday. Leo probed the area, seeking a soft under surface that would indicate the pool was fed from below. He became convinced that, if the center water line is indeed routed under the highway at that point, the source of the pool in the ditch is caused by senior center water. He is taking action now to get the fiber cable company which dug in the area last September to uncover their cable and the center pipe to discover the leak.

Thursday, July 3, WATER LINE IS LEAKING AGAIN, SOURCE OF SEEP SOUGHT

With the arrival of this month's water bill, Cecil called other officers in the center alerting them to the likelihood of another leak in the center water line. With the water meter six tenths of a mile to the north, finding a faulty fixture or pipe is not a simple matter. Tom Spears and Leo Whitley started the search on Wednesday and thought they had isolated the problem to a joint in the pipe that the Lawton Roughnecks Baseball Team had installed as part of their renovation of Legion Field. Further investigation showed that the pipe in question had no water flowing through it at this time, removing those suspicions. Leo and Tom have agreed to meet after the Independence Day holiday weekend and continue the search.

Wednesday, July 2, KITCHEN DOOR LOCK REPAIRED; WORKS NORMALLY

After months of intermittent latch failures of the Legion Building kitchen door, it now works properly. Leo Whitley and Tom Spears finally gathered enough information to isolate the problem. They met at the building this morning, disassembled the key-button lock handle and made the repairs. After several tries, the latch worked normally. The problem where the outside handle did not disengage from the latch mechanism, allowing the door handle to open the door without an appropriate code being entered, had been occurring with increased frequency recently. Several attempts to fix the problem were unsuccessful. Finally the keypad latch was bypassed, and the door has been secured with the deadbolt lock. That was very inconvenient for people who needed access to the building and did not have a key to the deadbolt. Tom had talked to technical support at the regional supplier and maintenance, Uaccess, Plano, Texas and obtained enough guidance to determine the solution. Leo rebuilt the latch flange in the door, making the latch assembly more secure and rigid. He then polished the connecting rod. After the entire locking assembly was sprayed with graphite, the lock was remounted on the door, and it worked like new. Now a period of careful observation will ensue, to ensure the building remains secure.

Thursday, June 26, FAMILY OF GAIL NIX WILL GATHER AT LEGION BUILDING AFTER FUNERAL

The senior center will serve lunch for the family of Gail Nix after her funeral and internment on Saturday, June 28th. The ballroom will be available for family and friends to gather throughout the afternoon.

Monday, May 26, LEO LOOKING TO LOCATE WORKING WATER PUMP FOR FAILED ICE MACHINE

Leo Whitley, struggling with the ice machine's repeated failures recently, has isolated the problem to the internal recirculating water pump. "Easily replaced." Leo said, "We just have to find a replacement we can afford. RRR restaurant supply normally takes care of major equipment repair for the center. In an effort to conserve the center's limited year-end resources, Leo looked at various sources for the replacement pump; the Internet, local suppliers, and a company in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City proved to be the best price and availability for the replacement part. Leo arranged for the pump to be transported to the center, scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, today being a holiday.

Thursday, May 22, EVENTS FACE SECOND WEEK WITHOUT ICE

The members of the Friday Night Dance band, Killin' Time, expressed a modicum of disgruntlement at not having a working ice machine at the Legion Building for their dance night last Friday. The band is responsible for food and drink for the folk who show up to dance and listen to their increasingly popular music. Alice Law, the female singer for the band and chief caretaker of the folks who attend the dance, arranged for purchased ice in lieu of the locally produced product, but asked Leo Whitley to see if the problem could not be solved before the next Friday. The Hope Reformed Baptist Church service was also without ice on Sunday, but their displeasure at that circumstance has yet to be voiced to the center board. Leo got the ice machine to producing ice twice, and each time the machine soon stopped working again. He isolated the problem to the chilled water circulating water pump and deemed it in need of replacement. He hopes to get the ice being produced soon. He said that the weekend events will likely not have ice, and those responsible for the events should consider bringing commercial ice.

Monday, Mar 2, WEATHER CANCELS MONDAY POTLUCK DINNER

The center board has announced that there will be no Potluck Dinner tonight due to the sleet and ice remaining on the roads and walkways from Sunday's storm. The Tuesday activities are still scheduled to occur.

Friday, Feb 21. LEGION BUILDING FRONT ENTRANCE NOW HANDICAP COMPLIANT

A new front entrance to the Legion Building has been installed, another step to make the facility