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www.gregmonforton.com Volume 1, Issue 37
Weekend Weather Thursday
H 17º L 8º
Friday
H 16º L 8º
Saturday
H 19º L 4º
Sunday
H 18º L 8º
As reported from Environment Canada www.weatheroffice.gc.ca Harrow AAFC
Fire & Safety Week Page 16
The Dek Caddy... Page 10
Chamber resignations The Leamington Chamber of Commerce had a shakeup last week as two of its threemember executive resigned on Wednesday, October 6 at the regular Chamber meeting. President Nick Mastronardi and Treasurer Natalie Hart-Tilley handed in their resignations, which were accepted by the board. That leaves Vice-President Dharmish Patel, as the only executive member left. The Chambers has approximately 8 directors in addition to its executive. “My own reasons were to focus on other community initiatives and my own business. I do believe that the board needs to create a vision for their future and this needs to be created with all of the board in agreement,” said Hart-Tilley. Mastronardi had actually already completed his twoyear term as president in April, but because no one else came forward, he continued on. “I went as far as my skillset would take me... I told the Board I had gone as far as we could with the mandate we set,” he said. “There was just some friction with management and executive and the direction we set out... It was just time,” he said. Mastronardi is president of Lucier Mastronardi Investments Insurance Inc.
FALL CLEARANCE 25%-50%-75%
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Made in Leamington Local inventor creates the Dek Caddy
By Sheila McBrayne If you’ve ever had to take the deck off your riding lawn mower for blade sharpening or cleaning, you’ll appreciate this local invention. Karl Reidl, a retired General Motors machine repairman, took the deck off his lawn mower and had it tipped on its side against a wall to remove the blades. Not only was it awkward, but when the deck fell over it nearly cut Karl’s hand. “I just thought, ‘this is ridiculous, it’s very awkward and dangerous’,” said Reidl. As a machine repairman he has always had to be creative and he admits he likes to tinker, so he decided to build an arm-like attachment that would fit onto the lawn mower deck and allow easy removal and acts like a rack for the deck to sit on while you change the blades or clean the underdeck. The Caddy also allows you to move your deck (on wheels) to the lawn or driveway for easier powerwashing. The Dek Caddy took Karl approximately eight hours to design on paper and then weld together the steel square piping. He had to make a few adjustments, but he says he pretty much got it right the first try. “The first one was a winner. I had to widen the original and made it collapsible for easy storage and for shipping,” said Karl. His idea has caught on.
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Karl Reidl shows how the Dek Caddy safely and conveniently holds the deck in place.
(SUN Photo)
He’s sold about eight of the Caddys at $125 each. “I had a booth set up at the Ruthven Apple Festival and attracted lots of attention… A lot of people thought it was a great idea,” he said.
The units are made in Leamington in Karl’s back work shed on Deer Run Road. He admits that it’s kept him busy as each is handmade. To see how the Dek Caddy works in action,
go to www.dekcaddy. com to view a demonstration video. “The most important thing is safety. Convenience is an extra bonus,” said Karl.