TheThe South Marysburgh MirrorMirror What's going The Library on at By Christine Renaud We're ready for summer at the Ann Farwell branch! As you may have no(cid:415)ced, we have a great new picnic table out front of the library. We hope you'll come by and enjoy it now that the nice weather has arrived. Take a book outside to read or borrow a newspaper (special thanks to Lyne(cid:425)e and Mike Pe(cid:427)t who bring us their Toronto Star regular- ly). You can also access the library's Wi-Fi from the comfort of the picnic table. Many thanks to Tom Evans, owner of Evans Lumber and a South Marysburgh neighbour, for this generous dona(cid:415)on! As well, the library received a grant from the PEC Hor(cid:415)cultural Society which provided funds for the flowers in the planter. Thank you to the mem- bers of the Hor(cid:415)cultural Society and to Lyne(cid:425)e Pe(cid:427)t of the Friends of the Milford Library for apply- ing for the grant and arranging the flowers. There are also plans for landscaping and stonework for the yard of the library made possible through the generous dona(cid:415)ons of many library pa- trons. Inside the library, we are crea(cid:415)ng a mini used bookstore for the summer. We have collected some of the best dona(cid:415)ons we've received lately and are selling them for very reasonable prices. These are "like new" books, so please come in and have a look. And if you have visitors over the sum- mer, encourage them to come by as well. Please drop in and borrow books, magazines and DVDs. The health of public libraries is meas- ured by the number of materials that circulate, which means we need people to check out materi- als. Come by help keep our Milford branch healthy! As always, if you have any ideas or programs you would like to see at the library, let us know. 15 Road(s) Rage By Jack Dall It appears that spring has finally sprung and it is (cid:415)me for the County trucks and graders to (cid:415)dy up and gravel the roads that a lot of us in South Marysburgh travel on every day. Has anyone besides me no(cid:415)ced what appears to be a change in the topping that is applied to the road surface? This material, when wet, takes on the consistency of what I am sure some of our local ar(cid:415)- sans, if they desired, could create a beau(cid:415)ful bowl or vase with with the aid of a kiln. When it is dry you can leave a rooster tail behind you that Miss Supertest on Hayward Long Reach would be proud to leave in its path. I have found this material to also play havoc with the handling characteris(cid:415)cs of my car. Pulling it le(cid:332) or right in a split second and giving an unstable feel when cornering. It gathers on the inside of your wheels caus- ing severe steering wheel vibra(cid:415)ons and is almost im- possible to remove once it hardens. I recognize that in dry condi(cid:415)ons it eventually turns into a smooth hard surface. Unfortunately that's only in late July and August if we are lucky and the mi- nute it rains we are back to this soupy mixture all over again. Today's automobiles are equipped with many sensors: ABS brakes rely on them; suspension levels, back up cameras, cruise controls. This material acts like a sandpaper on brake pads causing very premature wear and causes the brake caliper to s(cid:415)ck and not al- low the brakes to fully release. It is hard on today's very thin and light brake rotors. I have personally had to replace at least one MacPherson strut because of premature seal failure on my own car and I am aware of other individuals who have had sensors replaced , twice in some cases. Fail- ures were a(cid:425)ributed to this material. Because of my own experience in the automo(cid:415)ve Industry I can as- sure you that warranty in these types of failures would not apply and would be considered abuse. I have lived on graveled roads my en(cid:415)re life and have never observed these types of road condi- (cid:415)ons un(cid:415)l the last couple of years. Inquiries to our lo- cal Commissioner of Public Works assure me that noth- ing has changed and that it is the na(cid:415)ve soils that are causing these condi(cid:415)ons. I cannot duplicate them on my own property, no ma(cid:425)er what concoc(cid:415)on I put to- gether. I believe that these condi(cid:415)ons are not neces- sary and can be corrected by simply using the proper ra(cid:415)o of gravel to fine par(cid:415)cles that it is presently in use. There should be less maintenance required and it will make our roads a lot safer to drive on. It will also put less strain on our automobiles that we depend on every day. Am I only one?