The Allen American (Allen, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 4, Ed. 1 Monday, July 18, 1983 Page: 2 of 58
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Page 2A - ALLEN AMERICAN - Monday, July 18, 1983
opinions
here, there and beyond
Home sweet home
by Jack Stein
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THE WORST ROADS in the nation must
consumer alert
Jim Mattox, Attorney General
na Staton, 542-3088 for location and directions.
nex.
Science in McKinney. Call 542-5566 for more information.
cafeteria.
Allen Volunteer Fire Department—Second and fourth Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Fire Sta- Senior Citizens Luncheon—Second Wednesday, Noon Luncheon, First Baptist Church.
Senior Citizens Center-Blood pressure checks first Thursday at center, Old Middle
tion.
American Business Women’s Association—Collin County Charter Chapter—Fourth School. 11 a.m. till noon.
kkkkk
Fairview City Council—First Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Fairview City Hall.
Let us display your notices of events in The Allen American Community Calendar, call
Fairview Planning and Zoning Commission—Fourth Thursday, 8:00 p.m., Fairview Ci- 727-3352.
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Tri Cities Political Women’s Club—Third Tuesday, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in individual
homes. For more information call Linda Schenck, 542-3269 or Marilyn Smith,
IN ANY CASE I learned that several
states I haven’t visited or a few years have
changed, at least as far as the people,
motorists and highways are concerned.
Tuesday, 7:00 p.m., Jean Williams, 727-5995 or 727-6522.
Bi-Weekly Club—Second and fourth Monday, 7:00 p.m., member’s home.
Getting away from the office for a vaca-
tion is a dream almost everyone envisions
and looks forward to throughout each
year—and I'm no exception. Our recently
completed vacation was talked about for 10
years, and planned extensively for the past
six or seven months.
It was to be the vacation trip to end all
vacation trips, especially since it was the
first our young children were able to enjoy
and the first for Brenda and me in more than
four years.
Collin County Humane Society—Third Thursday, 7:00 p.m., Lone Star Gas Building, , School home economics room.
McKinney.
Epsilon Sigma Alpha—Second Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., member’s home, Charlene
Blackburn, 727-3036.
cafeteria.
Allen 4-H Club—Meets second Tuesday, Old Middle School. 7:30 till 8:30 p.m.
NOW THAT it’s over, I think it could be
several more years before we take another
such vacation. Afterall, we traveled more
than 3,000 miles in 10 days which just about
did everybody in. It was good to set out eyes
upon friendly Allen upon our return and
believe me, we're not ready to leave again
for any extended trips.
We’ll probably confine our trips to “get
away from it all" to a few short excursions.
Room, Heard Museum.
Ladies Auxiliary of Allen Fire Department—Third Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Fire Sta-
left over from another job, and he happens to be in your
neighborhood for the day, you should be wary.
Remember, if the contract is signed in your home, you have
three days to cancel the contract and receive back, in full, any
monies you have paid.
• Check to see if the contractor is licensed and bonded. Many
cities in Texas require that certain contractors register and obtain
bond. Call your city building inspection office to see if the contrac-
tor has fulfilled any of these requirements.
--Check with your local Better Business Bureau or the nearest
Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division office to see
what type of complaint history the contractor has and whether or
not he is a Better Business Bureau member.
-- Avoid paying him for work that is to be performed too far in
the future. If at all possible, only pay for work that has actually
been performed. If he uses subcontractors, obtain their names and
verify that they have received payment. This will avoid their plac-
ing liens on your home later if they have been paid by the contrac-
tor.
Most home improvement contractors are honest, hard-working
businessmen who are truly interested in customer satisfaction. By
taking a few extra steps and a little extra time, you can be sure that
you have obtained the services of one of them.
Allen Planning and Zoning Commission—Second and fourth Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Plano Toast Masters—Every Wednesday, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Harrington Library, 1501
Rountree Elementary. 18th St., Plano. For more information, call Aaron Booker, 542-6690.
Allen Rotary Club—Wednesday, 12 noon luncheon, Old Middle School Cafeteria. Power, Inc., Board of Directors—Third Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., 1130 East Dallas North
Allen School Board—Second Monday, 7:00 p.m., High School Library. Parkway, Plano.
Allen Sports Association—First Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Rountree Elementary School Prairie & Timbers Audobon Society—Fourth Tuesday, Heard Museum of Natural
Allen Independent School District Community Education Advisory Council—First tion.
Tuesday, 7 p.m., Allen High School Library. Lions Club of Allen—First and third Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Old Middle School, Jerry
Allen Jaycees—Second and fourth Thursday, 7:30 p.m. at Old Middle School, Mike Wilson, 727-5749.
Garvin, 727-4598 or Mike Roberts, 727-6685. Lovejoy PTC—Third Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Lovejoy School Auditorium.
Allen Jaycee-Ettes—First and third Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Call 727-6709 for information Lovejoy School Board—Second Tuesday, 7:00 p.m., Lovejoy School.
and location. Lucas City Council—First Monday, 7:30 p.m., Lucas Community Center.
Allen Masonic Lodge— Second Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Masonic Lodge. Lucas Planning and Zoning Commission—Second Saturday, 9:00 a.m., Lucas City
Allen Municipal Court—Second and fourth Wednesday, 7:00 p.m., Allen Municipal An- Hall.
nex. Lucas Volunteer Fire Department—First Saturday, 9:30 a.m., Fire Station, third
Allen Parent Teacher Association—Third Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Boyd Elementary Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Fire Station.
cafeteria during school term. Lucas Women’s Club—First Tuesday, 10 a.m., Lucas Community Center.
Allen Parks and Recreation Board—Second Monday, 7:30 p.m., Allen Municipal An- John McVeigh Republican Women’s Club—Second Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Contact Ed-
FELLOW TEXANS drive faster and
more recklessly than anyone else on the
road. We were constantly passed by vehicles
bearing Texas license plates which were pro-
bably seldom driven under 80 mph, despite
the double nickel speed limits.
And that's not all. these same diivers
were constantly weaving in and out of traf-
fic on busy highways, leaving little concern
for their fellow motorists.
But despite this bad mark on Texas, I'm
still proud to live here because I have yet to
visit another state in which life appears to
be better
belong to Louisiana where you can’t afford
to take your eye off the road because of the
debris and high grass left on and adjacent to
the roadway
As for Texas, well, suffice it to say that
Texas is just Texas, but motorists from the
state enjoy the reputation as the worst
drivers on the road.
The only accident we saw (the first I've
seen in more than 20,000 miles of vacation
driving in the past 12 years) involved two
cars from Texas and that’s not surprising
even though the accident was in Tennessee.
7’—
~It‘s possible that the contractor could deceive the customer as
to a particular standard of quality of material. For example, the
contractor might tell you the he is using top grade lumber when ac-
tually it is low grade lumber.
To avoid being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous contrac-
tor, you should exercise caution before committing to purchase his
services. Some of the steps you can take include:
Request references of satisfied customers and call these
customers to verify their satisfaction and to get their impressions
of the contractor.
•Ask the contractor to submit a bid, in writing, specifying ex-
actly what he will do.
If the contractor indicates a time when the job will be finished,
have him commit to that time frame, in writing, on the contract.
•Do not give the contractor a substantial down payment. While
a down payment is standard in the industry, it should not be an ex-
cessive amount.
•Obtain more than one bid. This will tell you if he is competitive
and, especially if the job is somewhat complicated, it will help you
understand if his approach is the most logical or economical.
• Don’t succumb to a high pressure sales pitch. Take some time
to think about a bid before committing to it. If a contractor is
pressuring you to take his services because he has some materials
With the high cost of new homes these days, many homeowners
are looking at the possibility of sprucing up their existing homes or
adding rooms to increase their living space as an alternative to pur-
chasing a new home.
To do this, the homeowner will usually request the assistance of
an independent contractor to make the necessary home im-
provements. Such assistance will prove worthwhile only if the in-
dependent contractor is reputable.
While most of these contractors are responsible craftsmen, there
is a small percentage who prefer to conduct their business by trying
to take advantage of a person’s lack of knowledge or trusting
nature.
Consumers can protect themselves in this area by being aware of
some of the characteristics associated with the less reputable con-
tractors.
Listed below are examples of other types of business practices
that a dishonest contractor might use:
• A homeowner could contract a remodeling job to be completed
in one month, and three months later the work would remain un-
finished.
•A large advance payment might be requested to purchase
materials for the project when in fact the payments are not used to
purchase anything related to your home.
Arkansas, as usual, was miles and miles of
roads under construction, but the people
were friendly.
Tennessee—well, let’s just say this was
the most enjoyable state we visited and I
can strongly recommend the Grand Ole
Opry and Opry Land U.S.A, for any family
vacation. And the people of this state are a
prime example of the friendly south.
lwE/RE MAKING A HOUSE,"
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ON THE OTHER HAND, Georgia folks
were very rude, so bad I’m ashamed to even
consider them fellow residents of the United
States.
Florida highways are one billboard after
another and this state must be able to claim
the title of “Billboard capital of the world."
Again, the people were friendly with the ex-
ception of one employee at Disney World
which is highly overrated in my book.
As for Mississippi and Alabama, we
weren’t in those states long enough to find
out anything other than the people are
friendly, as is the case through most of the
south.
calendar of community events...
Allen Chamber of Commerce—Third Tuesday, 12 noon luncheon, Old Middle School, ty Hall.
Johnnie Caplinger, 727-5585. Fairview Public Works—Fourth Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Fairview City Hall.
Allen City Council— First and third Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Allen Municipal Annex. Fairview Volunteer Fire Department—Second Monday, 7:30 p.m., Fairview City Hall,
Allen Eastern Star—First Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Masonic Lodge, Ms. Shaw, 727-3090. last Saturday, 8:00 a.m., Fairview City Hall.
Allen Extension Homemakers Club—First Thursday, 2 p.m., Old Middle School Heard Museum Volunteers Guild—Second Wednesday of month, 10 a.m., Activities
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Collin County Archeological Society—1st Thursday of the month, 7:30 p.m., Heard 727-3330.
Natural Science Museum. Wesley United Methodist Church Parents Night Out—For parents with handicapped
Collin County Commissioners Court—Monday, 10 a.m., Collin County Courthouse. children. Second and fourth Friday, 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., McKinney, Church
Collin County Hobby Beekeepers Association—First Monday, 7:30 p.m. at Texas 542-2228 or Jayne Wolfe, 542-1072.
American BanklAllen, 542-7915. Young Homemakers of Texas—Allen Branch—First Thursday, 7 p.m. at Allen High
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Lund, Tenlee. The Allen American (Allen, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 4, Ed. 1 Monday, July 18, 1983, newspaper, July 18, 1983; Allen, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1430712/m1/2/: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Allen Public Library.