Welcome to “At Home With Tom & Sandy.” Here we are, Tom, speeding through 2020 already. Speaking of warp speed, yes Tom, I am exhausted, done-in, spent and dog-tired – and on the other end of the spectrum, exhilarated, ecstatic, delighted, joyful, overjoyed and euphoric. Tom: For some of our readers that many not know, the month of January kept you going almost 24/7 with the second fantastic Boot Camp you orchestrated. You and the YCCA are certainly going above and beyond to help with the … [Read more...] about YCCA Boot Camp Teaching Young Adults Construction Skills
Columnists
Struggling with the Costs of Road Maintenance
As I have mentioned before, we are always looking for citizen input. Lately, some of what we’re hearing isn’t always making sense – people want us to fix our roads but they don’t want to pay for it. Back in May 2019, the Town of Chino Valley held an election asking the citizens for a property tax for a road maintenance program. The amount per taxpayer was fairly cheap, and gave the town the ability to maintain our 153 miles of roads every seven years. The initial proposal had a sunset of 20 … [Read more...] about Struggling with the Costs of Road Maintenance
Preparing for Fire Season
Despite ongoing cold temperatures, it is always important to remember in our area that fire season is right around the corner as we approach late spring and early summer. While we are always thinking ahead and working hard to be prepared, it in no way means we can let our guard down. In fact, Prescott Fire Chief Dennis Light points out that, historically, some of the biggest campaign fires that have occurred in Arizona immediately followed a wet season. We are fortunate to have a number of … [Read more...] about Preparing for Fire Season
Reviewing the Four Pillars of a Loan Application
With a mortgage loan application, there are four specific areas that are considered when making the determination as to whether the loan will be approved or not. I like to consider these areas the four pillars of a loan application. The reason is that each of these four areas is unique, but equally important, to the loan application. If one of these pillars is weak or non-existent, the application becomes unstable, much like a weak leg on a table, and the application stands the chance of not … [Read more...] about Reviewing the Four Pillars of a Loan Application
Managing Development, Maintaining Values
As we celebrated the groundbreaking on the new passenger terminal at Prescott Regional Airport (PRC) in early January, there was much discussion about the growth and development in our community. Celebrating nearly a year and a half of service with United Express and more than 73,000 total passengers as well as the support of the Federal Aviation Administration with more than $10 million in grant funding, it is clear that Prescott is a desirable place to be and travel from. So much of this … [Read more...] about Managing Development, Maintaining Values
So, I Really Need to Clean My Carpets Again?
I hear this question often. People want to know if it is necessary to clean their carpets every six months or even once a year, especially if they have little foot traffic and the carpets don’t look dirty. So, to maintain and extend the life of your carpet – how often should you clean? A Good Cleaning Never Did Anyone Any Harm... Why are some homeowners so reluctant to clean their carpets in the first place? Some have expressed a concern that cleaning their carpets will only make them … [Read more...] about So, I Really Need to Clean My Carpets Again?
IT Budgeting for the New Year
You can tell a lot about a company by the way it spends its money. Historically, businesses do not consider increasing IT budgets. In fact, IT, more than any other area within an organization, has been forced to do far more with far less. But a shift in priorities and investment is emerging. With more of the spotlight on information technology, IT budgeting becomes more important than ever. Outside of salaries and general personnel costs, your budget needs to account for several areas of … [Read more...] about IT Budgeting for the New Year
When is the Best Time to Take Blood Pressure Medication?
In the United States, about one-third of us have high blood pressure. That is roughly 100 million people, and it underlies many chronic illnesses. It is an epidemic, but a treatable one. There are a lot of good medications available; if taken correctly, we lower risk for heart attack, stroke, heart disease and hardening of the arteries. Blood pressure is continually changing from moment to moment in all of us. From sitting to standing, during exercise and rest, it also fluctuates during the … [Read more...] about When is the Best Time to Take Blood Pressure Medication?
Why Working in Retirement Doesn’t Always Work
As we’ve all heard, even the best-laid plans can go awry. When those plans involve retirement, the stakes are high. Let’s say you were planning on continuing to work in retirement to supplement your monthly income. It’s easy to see how a change in those plans could impact you significantly. Sadly, some people interviewed by Business Insider found that to be the case in a recent article. Among the workers interviewed were a salesman with 42 years of experience and a veteran of the … [Read more...] about Why Working in Retirement Doesn’t Always Work
Understanding How True Utility Bill Reduction Works
No one product makes a house or a building energy efficient. This means that a salesperson for windows, heating and cooling systems, insulation, tankless water heaters, fireplaces, aerosolized duct sealing, radiant barriers, etc., who tries to convince you that his or her product is a panacea – is probably misleading you. Most salespeople on a straight commission program want to do one thing: sell a product or service, regardless of whether it saves you money. The problem is that a house is a … [Read more...] about Understanding How True Utility Bill Reduction Works