Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas • 8

8AWednedy August 131 2008 caller-times FROM THE COVER -v'fi O-' rl 't CARTS jtomlA STATION jtomlA say they make it easier for officers to interact with residents And in the St Louis suburb of Pine Lawn Mo the police chief said 15 mph golf carts are less intimidating to the public I At Augusta Ga-based E-Z-GO which makes electric vehicles con-' sumer orders are up nearly 30 percent from this time last year company president Kevin Holleran said New -carts with headlights tall lights turn slgnah and what HoOeran calls "more ofthore creature comforts" cost about tBflOQ Y- One factor that could limit the golf carts! prevalence off the golf course is safety: Studies have shown that roughly half of golf cart injuries occur on streirts or residential property Eqertsho have studied the accident rates say helmets seat belts and driver education programs would mitigate the problem though these measures rarely are mandated Ckeg Wilhite owner of Cars ACarts in Fort Aransas once rented modified golf carts with alkenain vehicle tires for beach traction because he could insure them with a commercial fleet policy He had not had a cart customer involved in an auto collision the three years he rented them he said before shifting his business to gas-powered runabouts that could rewqp more offroad action He sold his golf cart stock for hr niH since 2001 as long as they are regis- tend meet certain legal and safety requirements and travel in areas where the speed limit is 35 mph or less Retired environmental tent Jim Gaw 60 helps Port sas visitors zip across the beach each wed with about 35 daily rentals of neighborhood electric vehicles He and his wife bought the visitor-popular Nautical Wheelers LLC- Electric Buggies Electric Limos and Beach Bikd Rentals in 2004 to hedge their retirement income The Arlington natives plug in their colorfully decorated and individually named beach buggies each night for a four-hour charge Then they're off and running for at least 40 miles the next day of folks are parking their RVs SUV) and (large) pickups to rent our buggies to run around Gaw said "Everybody has aball and the local folks treat them with respect and try to run them down" The neighborhood electric ve- bides offer some safety features that golf carts They have automotive headlights front and rear reflectors windshields with wipers horns turn signals and seat belts for each passenger Drivers must have a valid license and insurance to operate the vehicle This is a real automobile not Just Retired enviraameatal coasuftant An Gaw and Jtis wife Kathy Wilton get an electric vehicle ready last week tn Port Aransas qf folks rent our buggies to run around Gaw said a golf Gaw said While there are no estimates of just how many golf carts are on the roads communities are increasingly signing off on them: Cirdeville Ohio officials voted last month to allow carts on city streets with posted speed limits of 35mphorless At least 40 Wisconsin communi ties including Milwaukee Madison And Radne permit the carts on their roads and more are considering it In Illinois three communities allow residents to drive carts Fuel efficiency the only reason golf carts are being touted by municipalities The city of Corpus Christi police traffic department parking meter of- fleers use golf carts to patrol down- town and uptown meters "We use (the golf carts) because they are cheaper to buy and main- tain and it serves our said police Capt Michael McKinney' He said gas prices are not a fac-' tor as the department has been using the golf carts for many years In Bremen Ohio sheriffs deputies But Radio Business ReportTelevlsion Business Report Voice of the Broadcasting Industry reported on its Web site Auglthat Sagamore-Hill would enter a shared facilities agreement with Evening Post The companies filed an application dated Aug 1 with the FCCrequesting the transfer of licenses The application has been received and filed and awaits approval according to the Website Eagle Creek is planning to sell the rights to the FCC licenses the station's call letters the1 CBS affiliation agreement tower lease studio equipment and other agreements with cable television systems to SagamoreHilL It also' plans to sell -KZTVs building rights of way furniture: vehicles trademarks customer records and marketing and promotional materials to Evening Post KZTVs anten-v'na is in Robstown and its studios and operations are at 301 Artesian St in downtown Corpus ChristL SagamoreHill plans to pay $5 million for its' purchases and Evening Post plans to pay about $15 million according to the agreements filed with the FCC Officials with Eagle Creek and SagamoreHill did not return numerous calls over several days Attempts to reach officials with Evening Post were unsuccessful Tuesday KZTVis Corpus oldest television station opened in 1956 Contact Mike Baird at 886-3774 orbairdmcallercom TANKS jhmlA iAskthe Professionals category: Electronics Technology t-' i tanks of today must have safety measures including leak detection and an extra shell made with material resistant to gasoline diesel and ethanol Coyne said The FEMA tanks are part of a larger problem More than 500000 leaking storage tanks most of which are filled with fuel and oil are buried across the country according to Environmental Data Resources based in Milford Conn about half of all the underground tanks in the country the consulting company says Those tanks are owned privately or by local tntr ynri federal Because underground leaking tanks can go undetected for years If diesel teaks into drinking water affected people could be at a higher risk of cancer kidney damage and nervous system disorders said Rochelle Car- dinaleoneafthe lead coordinators for underground tank cleanup in Iowa A gallon of fad can contaminate 1 million galkms of water FEMA says the tanks have not always been its responsibility The Federal Communi- yptfcuM Cnmmfarinn lim him had oversight although FCC spokesman Clyde Ensslin said the commission believed FEMA was responsible for monitoring and maintaining the tanks FEMA said it Spent $8 million in the 1990s removing and repairing some of them FEMA said it now Oversees 1129 defunct tanks including the hundreds that could be leaking many of which were inherited from the FCC and the Civil Defense Preparedness Agency I FEMA will determine what to do with the tanks on a case-by case basis because ofvaiying state laws been seen as a problem Many of these tanks were built to stare 5000 gallons of dieselfodandplacedaround the country at the height of the Cold War back in the 1960s to fiid dectric generators that could sustain emergency broadcasts by radio stations in case of a nuclear attack or other catastrophe Made of steel the tanks in- evitably rust over time and allow fuel to escape Steel tanks left in the ground for decades rot like Swiss cheese said Pat Coyne director of business development for Environmental Data Resources Inc Coyne said ajoke in the Industry is: percentage of steel tanks leak? 100 In the late 1980s and early 1990s the government insisted on better-made tanks The underground Goto Send It directly tsslc to the professional and get answers! Contact Fanny ChirL-notat 886-3759 or chiri-nottfO caller First? reported on Log on to callerxompros 247 1 f' Tipr t-if -yv' 1 i- The CQSD Bus Routes for 2008-09 Get your bus schedule In this Sunday's CalleMtmea A part of your life 'a I.