Eastwood Park Reporter
Minot, North Dakota
Est. 1991
April 1993
Vol 3, No 4
Minot Homes Tested For Lead In Water
By Deanne Clemens
In August, 1992, a total of 60 homes in Minot were required to be tested for lead and copper in the water lines.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) Lead and Copper Rule of the Safe Drinking Water Act became effective on July 1, 1992. This is the first rule which requires sampling from within the consumer's home. The rest deal with source water or treated water, where lead is not common. Most sources of lead in water are from lead service lines in older homes, lead solder in copper piping systems and brass fixtures, which are 8% lead. The water must be in contact with these sources for many hours before there is any appreciable amount of lead present.
The Clemens' home at 805 2nd Avenue SE was specifically targeted because it is one of the roughly 5% in Minot which is most susceptible to the leaching of lead into the water. The water service line runs into the home from 9th Street, so the long contact time could allow the lead to reach a high level.
Lead levels should be under 0.015 milligrams per Liter (mg/L) or 15 parts per billion (one part lead for one billion parts water) in 90% of the sites. This is called the action level. The USEPA calculated the results by lining up the test results from highest to lowest, eliminating the top 10% (6 in Minot's case) and the next highest level must be under 0.015 mg/L. Minot's current level after this round of testing is 0.0074 mg/L, well below the action level.
Copper is also part of this program. The USEPA action level for copper is 1.3 mg/L. The 90th percentile level of the round of testing was 0.0311 mg/L, again well below the action level.
Each home in the sampling received a Laboratory report of all test sites at the end of January, 1993. The lead level at 805 2nd Avenue SE was 0.0008 mg/L, well below the action level of 0.015 mg/L. All copper levels were below the detection limit or well below the maximum allowable level of 1.3 mg/L.
Of the 60 test sites, there were 7 homes that had lead levels below the detection limit of 0.0002 mg/L. One test site had a lead level of 0.0168 mg/L, which was the highest in this sampling.
A second round of testing began in February, 1993. If the results of this round of sampling are as good as the first, the city will then be allowed to go to reduced sampling, which is 30 sites instead of 60, and once a year instead of twice a year.
Special Association Meeting Held
By Deanne Clemens, Sec.
Eastwood Park Historic District Neighborhood meeting, March 29, 1993. Lower level of St. Peter's Orthodox Church. Meeting called to order at 7:30 pm by Pete Hugret, President.
Special meeting to visit with representatives from the Women's Domestic Violence Center. Pete introduced Dena Filler, Director, and Carolyn Lommen. Also Phil Lowe, Kathleen Cunningham and Pete Hugret introduced as board members.
The Homeless Shelter in Minot is closing its operations and the Women's Domestic Violence Center is interested in leasing the buildings for its transitional living homes.
The WDVC has been in existence since 1977, with the Crisis shelter in operation since 1981.
The transitional living home would be open to individuals and their children for a period of up to 18 months. The families would first be housed in the shelter for up to a 30 day period. The average stay at the shelter is 9 days. The families would go through a screening process before being placed in the transitional living home.
Rules and Policies for the transitional living home are not yet organized, but no alcohol or drugs would be allowed. Families would be charged rent if able to pay, also would buy their own food.
It would be required of familes using the transitional living home to be in counseling, also the WDVC would set up programs in budgeting, nutrition, parenting and job training.
Some issues and concerns were discussed.
The safety of transitional living residents and neighbors during crisis situations was discussed.
The yards should be kept up and sidewalks shoveled, if residents don't keep them up, the center would get someone to do it.
A 24 hour on-site manager is not in their budget at this time. Suggestions were made to offer a retired person or mature college student free rent in exchange for managing the building. The apartment building in Eastwood Park could house up to four families; or three if one apartment is used for a manager.
Car congestion on 8th Street is a problem. One possible solution is for the transitional living home residents to park in back of apartment building.
The facilities are to be kept locked with keys only distributed to residents and staff, but the home in N.W. Minot has been found open and unsecured. Suggestions made to have alarm in the transitional living home connected with the police department and have a buzzer system for entry, rather than keys.
HUD required WDVC representatives to meet with neighbors, but WDVC had scheduled this meeting prior to finding out about that requirement. Another meeting will be set up to go over policies and to possibly visit with neighbors of existing transitional living homes, along with Capt. Debbie Ness, a Minot police officer and Eastwood Park resident.
Jacque Younger motioned to adjourn the meeting. Mark Clemens seconded. Meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm. Attended by 18 people.
Victorian Easter Eggs
By Deanne Clemens
"The giving of an egg as a mark of friendship or love is almost as old as the ark, of which it is a symbol, for the ancients used it as a sign of resurrection and brought eggs to the alters for their gods as gifts..."
- Taken from an April 12, 1881 copy of Harper's Young People
It wasn't until after the Civil War that Easter became a popular American holiday.
Decorated Easter eggs made in factories were very popular from the very extravagant outside shell decorations to sugar eggs with peepholes for viewing miniature scenes. There were cardboard-type eggs of many sizes that were covered with brightly colored prints or, even more popular overseas, those covered with silk fabrics or leather.
Confectioners sold "egg heads," for eating or giving, with painted faces, crepe paper hats, and lace collars. Egg heads were also made at home. An 1887 American Girls Handy Book showed how to decorate egg heads to resemble nuns, girls, dudes (complete with top hat and moustache), Humpty Dumptys, and Roly-Polys, which had egg heads and stuffed cotton bodies. Eggs were also decorated to imitate flowers - roses, daisies and chrysanthemums - surrounded by crepe paper petals.
Victorians would dye eggs by wrapping strips of calico fabric or lengths of brightly colored ribbons around them and then boiling. Eggs colored in this fashion could be lethal if eaten, as arsenic was a common ingredient in fabric dyes at that time. This procedure may not work with today's colorfast fabrics.
Natural dyes for eggs to be eaten were much safer - yellow came from onion skins, green came from spinach and beets would give a red color. The longer the egg was boiled, the deeper the color.
To make your own Victorian-style decorated eggs, soak original or reproduction turn-of-the-century postcards or greeting cards in a bowl of warm water for approximately one-half hour. After soaking, the backing can be peeled off, leaving a thin print which can carefully be glued on the surface of an egg shell. If you don't care to blow out the inside of your eggs, they may be purchased already cleaned in a variety of sizes from small quail and pigeon eggs to medium-size chicken eggs to the larger duck and turkey, and the ostrich and goose eggs, which are the largest.
After drying, the egg can be varnished to protect the print. Decorate the print with lace scraps, beads, artificial baubles, small feathers, ribbons and braids, and roses made from satin, bread dough or porcelain. To give your egg a fairyland appearance, cover with pearl flakes or diamond dust.
If you're really crafty, try designing a Victorian egg with filigree (cutwork.) This is done with a small power tool, similar to a dentist's drill and gives the egg shell the look of lace.
Larger eggs may be cut and hinged and can hold smaller decorated eggs or could have an opening cut into the shell and filled with miniature panoramic Victorian scenes - much like a shadow box. Display your egg on a stand or hang by a ribbon attached to the top.
Egg artists have transformed egg shells into vases, ships, baby carriages and cradles, Cinderella coaches, "Gone with the Wind" lamps, or Christmas scenes, complete with music box, miniscule lights and a tiny train set that runs around its track.