Fun things to know and share

Feeling the need to take a break from crime news and such, here's some fun stuff to share:

Talk about book work: Last week, 41 different people volunteered a total of 303 3/4 hours to help make the summer Friends of the Brentwood Library Book Sale a success. Just how successful was it? Try $10,860 successful. What a great bunch of volunteers they are. Thanks too to the hundreds of people who donate books to make the quarterly sales possible, and those that come to buy.

Sweeney's loss, scout's gain: It wasn't quite a full house at the City Commission meeting last night. Commission Joe Sweeney took a rare night off, so the invocation he was down to give was offered instead by Commissioner Paul Webb. So who did that leave to lead the Pledge of Allegiance? Commissioner Webb was down for that one.
No concerns. Mayor Betsy Crossley tapped Boy Scout Andrew Wilson who was in the audience to lead the unusually large crowd. Wilson, a member of Troop 1 and a rising 8th grader at Brentwood Academy, did a fine job.

How about those chairs! Anyone who's visited the Municipal Center's board room in the past month or so couldn't have helped but notice that something was missing -- the permanent chairs. They have made their return, each recovered in royal blue upholstery fabric and accented in metal trim dressed up with a fresh coat of black paint.
The commissioners went on and on about how great they looked and how "green" they were, despite their eye-popping blue. The city saved a bundle of cash by refurbishing instead of replacing.
"We didn't throw the old ones away, we didn't take up any landfill space," Commissioner Regina Smithson noted.
All true. But after sitting in one of them for close to 90 minutes, I wish the city had invested a little more to have them restuffed.
At least they're easier on the eyes, if not the seat!