I went to a seminar many years ago in which government staffers were going to explain the details of a new federal program.

The meeting was at a hotel where a large open area had been sectioned off with room dividers so several sessions could be held simultaneously in smaller rooms.

In the room I was in, there was a space of about two feet where the room divider fell short of reaching the wall.

The two men in charge of the seminar grabbed it and and tugged at it aggressively until they pulled the room divider all the way to the wall, filling the gap. But in doing so, a gap was created at the other end.

One of the men turned to us and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, you just witnessed government solving a problem."

Everyone laughed - but no one disagreed.

That's why when a government program works, it's worth pointing out.

And it sure looks like the city has a good one going.

Last year, the Mason City Council approved a program in which residents could receive tax abatements for new construction or remodeling an existing structure.

It wouldn't be a government program if it didn't have a lot of details to it, but basically, it works like this:

If a property owner makes improvements that increase the assessed value of residential property by at least 10 percent or 15 percent for commercial property, they get a tax abatement. It's a five-year, 100 percent abatement on residential properties and a 10-year, sliding scale or three-year, 100 percent abatement on commercial properties. There is a $75,000 cap on the abated value of residential property.

The idea was to give a tax break to property owners, provide work for the construction industry and show people thinking about moving here what a progressive community we have.

So far, the city has received 42 applications - four commercial, 13 single-family houses, 11 garages or accessory buildings and 14 residential remodels.

Pam Myhre, director of growth development and planning, said the figures represent an estimated $13.8 million investment and over $4.2 million in residential improvements.

And someday, when the abatement periods are over, more money will flow into the city's tax base.

There don't appear to be any losers in this one, folks.

The room divider is covering the entire wall.

Reach John Skipper at john.skipper@globegazette.com or 421-0537.

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John Skipper Column: A program that appears to be working

Jeremy Lin's pull-up three over Dirk Nowitzki in the fourth quarter Sunday was more than just the exclamation point on the rally that led the Knicks to a stirring comeback win.

It was the official end point of Phase 1 of Linsanity. That's the phase where everyone shakes their head in dazed wonderment at what this kid is able to do on the basketball court while silently wondering when his coach is going to turn back into a pumpkin.

Lin is going to have games like Sunday's when he scores 28 points and dishes out 14 assists to bring his team from 12 points down to a 104-97 win, the most impressive of this dizzying run. He's also going to have games like he had on Friday night, when he turned the ball over nine times and played a major role in helping the Knicks lose to a bad Hornets team wearing uniforms that were twice as frightening as the Knicks' play.

In other words, he's an NBA player, capable of ups and downs and all the kinds of games in between that we take for granted from every other starter in the league. The story about his arrival is and will remain an irresistible one, but now that he's arrived the story needs to keep being written without any special credit given for the path he took to get here.

Given the way he played on Sunday, special credit isn't the least bit necessary.

Playing the best team he's ever faced with a defense designed specifically to stop him, Lin didn't back down in the least and kept finding ways for the Knicks to battle through the Mavs.

Had Lin failed, it would have not been a good sign about his staying power because it would show teams could scheme their way into stopping him. The Mavs are a great defensive team and they had a great plan, but it simply wasn't enough to stop Lin from getting the job done.

It helped that, unlike Friday night, most of his teammates came ready to play. The Knicks moved the ball like the textbook Mike D'Antoni offense, pinballing from one man to another until there was an open shot they could bury.

Steve Novak buried five of them at the start of the fourth quarter, taking the Knicks from three down to six up in the process, and then became the latest to steal one of Aaron Rodgers' moves in a swag moment no one saw coming.

J.R. Smith strolled off a plane from Vegas making buckets, working hard on defense and making the perfect first impression on a Garden crowd that was determined to love him.

Tyson Chandler did what Tyson Chandler does just about every night, Landry Fields scored in the first half before Smith and Jared Jeffries glued everything together one more time while also reminding us that dribbling is not for everyone.

Amar'e Stoudemire's defense remains terrifying and his lack of hops when directly under the basket is dismaying, but he grabbed a bunch of offensive rebounds down the stretch to give the team second chances. 

That leads us to the next big question for the Knicks and, no, it has nothing to do with Carmelo Anthony's return ruining everything because Anthony is a big, ball-hogging monster who is jealous of Lin's success or whatever WFAN callers are running with these days.

If you watched the Mavs trapping Lin 30 feet out and totally selling out to keep him from the lane without realizing that you can't do that when Anthony is on the court, then there's no amount of reason that's going to make you realize how basketball works.

It has to do with a rotation that has grown exponentially, without even including the in-uniform but unused on Sunday Baron Davis, and D'Antoni managing it without turning anyone off over the second half of the season. 

Additions by subtraction -- no more Billy Walker or Mike Bibby -- take care of some issues, but balancing out everyone's time while keeping everyone sharp will take a little trial and error.

It's a good problem to have, especially when you've got Lin running the show to make sure everyone gets their chance to shine and that any errors can be erased in a flash. Lin's not the question mark, he's the given that will make the rest of the engine run and that's why it is time to stop talking about where he came from.

Now is all about where he and the Knicks are going.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter and he is also a contributor to Pro Football Talk.

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Part One of the Jeremy Lin Story Is Over

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Crescent Real Estate Holdings LLC announced today that its three Class A office properties in Denver recently received LEED certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) under the Existing Buildings (EB) rating system. Johns Manville Plaza, located in Denver CBD, achieved LEED EB Gold status, and 707 17th Street, also downtown, and Peakview Tower within the Denver Tech Center each achieved LEED EB Silver. Out of the 26 premier office buildings that Crescent owns or manages through its subsidiaries and joint ventures, nine have earned LEED EB Gold or Silver ratings. The remaining properties are expected to achieve LEED status in 2012.

“Our customers want LEED certified buildings,” said John Zogg, managing director of leasing for Crescent's Denver portfolio. “To them it means that we care about their experience, the communities that surround us, and ultimately the cost savings that we are able to achieve and pass on to them. It's good for everyone.”

Johns Manville Plaza, a 29-story, 675,400 square-foot Class A office property located in the heart of Denver's 17th Street Financial District is home to a prestigious customer base including Johns Manville and AECOM. The plaza area adjoining Johns Manville Plaza and 707 17th Street is downtown Denver's largest and most beautiful plaza with trees, flowers, and outdoor seating. Crescent has plans to further enhance the plaza in 2012 by upgrading the plaza seating and retail amenities.

707 17th Street, adjacent to Johns Manville Plaza, is a 42-story property that holds the Marriott City Center hotel on the first 20 floors and Class A office space on the next 22 floors. The office component totaling 550,000 square feet is home to A-list customers including Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. and KPMG. The exterior of 707 17th Street consists of black reflective glass and the lobby has a Raja Pink granite floor, polished black granite walls accented with the Raja Pink granite and 2 large displays of art glass.

Peakview Tower, a 10-story, 264,149 square-foot Class A office property, is located in the prestigious Greenwood Plaza Office Park within the emerging Fiddler's Green submarket of the Denver Tech Center. Customers of Peakview include W.J. Bradley Mortgage Capital Corp., Dean Evans & Associates, Inc., and American Title Services. The property offers easy access to interstate freeways, the light rail system, and Denver's two airports. Peakview Tower also has an unobstructed view of the Rocky Mountain Front Range and countless amenities within two miles including nearly 200 restaurants, 11 hotels, 27 banks and seven major shopping venues.

ABOUT LEED

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, and operations and maintenance solutions. For more information, refer to http://www.usgbc.org.

ABOUT CRESCENT

Crescent Real Estate Holdings LLC is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Through its subsidiaries, Crescent owns or manages a portfolio of 26 premier office buildings totaling over 9.5 million square feet located in select markets across the United States with major concentrations in Dallas, Houston, Denver and Las Vegas. Crescent also holds investments in resort residential developments in locations such as Scottsdale, Vail Valley, and Lake Tahoe; luxury hotels; and the wellness lifestyle leader, Canyon Ranch®. For more information, visit Crescent's Web site at http://www.crescent.com.

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Crescent Denver Portfolio Achieves LEED Status

Contractors for the Texas Department of Transportation have begun work on a project that department spokesman Marc Shepherd said had prompted a lot of telephone calls.

Just about where the U.S. 69 North exits is on eastbound Interstate 10, there's a large crack in the pavement.

Shepherd said the crack formed after the retaining wall beneath the interstate shifted. This, in turn, caused the soil supporting that section of roadway to shift as well.

"It left a void underneath the pavement, causing it to drop down 2 to 3 inches," he said.

In December, the department accepted bids on the $791,166.90 project that involves repairing the retaining wall, leveling the road and the repairing the crack. The work requires a couple of stages and crews now are working on the first stage, Shepherd said.

For the next month, workers from Gibson and Associates will be burying and attaching support beams to the wall that runs parallel to frontage road, near where it intersects with Harrison Avenue. These beams will prevent the wall from slipping any further.

Once the wall is stabilized, the work will move onto the road itself.

The department will begin shutting down U.S. 69 North at night, drilling into the pavement and injecting an expanding polymer into the dirt beneath the roadway. The polymer will expand and level the depressed concrete, allowing crews to permanently repair the crack. Shepherd said this work will be done at night to minimize the interference with traffic and increase safety for the workers.

AMorale@BeaumontEnterprise.com

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I-10 at U.S. 69 getting road fix

Senior pastor Jonathan Oastler speaks about his church’s conflict with Toowoomba Regional Council and McNab yesterday.

Nev Madsen

CITILIFE Church senior pastor Jonathon Oastler accused Toowoomba Regional Council and Toowoomba developer McNab of "tag teaming" against his church during a public meeting yesterday.

Senior pastor Oastler repeated his claims that the community church and its affiliated school, the Christian Outreach College, had its objections to the development of massive Masters hardware store ignored by Toowoomba Regional Council.

The meeting was held to rally support before the church's complaint against council is heard before the Planning and Environment Court in Brisbane on March 7 and 8.

About 200 people attended the session yesterday.

Citilife church member and former Christian Outreach College student Rachael Hardie said she attended because she wanted to hear the church's side of the argument.

"I feel it's important to hear what is going on," Miss Hardie said yesterday.

Senior pastor Oastler made it clear that he was presenting only the church's side of the argument and encouraged those in the room to contact council and McNab for their version of events.

Last week a council spokesman said council was trying to facilitate a discussion without-prejudice discussion between all parties in an attempt to reach a fair and reasonable outcome.

McNab also last week informed The Chronicle that it had "all the relevant development permits for a material change of use, operational works and building works to commence and complete the construction works on the Hume St site."

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Church gets heard at meeting

1 March is bringing changes to all homeowners who are undertaking significant building or renovation work.

Changes to the Building Act mean that from the start of next month, all critical building work must be done or supervised by licensed building practitioners (LBPs). This type of work includes foundations, framing, roofing and cladding in residential homes, as well as active fire safety systems in small-to-medium-sized apartment buildings.

"For homeowners, the change means they must make sure that any work done is handled by an LBP, and they submit a copy of the LBP memorandum with their building consent application," says Manager Customer and Regulatory Services Simon Pickford.

"The Department of Building and Housing made these changes in the Building Act 2004 to encourage better design and construction.

"When you're looking at building or renovating, the first question a homeowner must ask is if the person they are working with is an LBP."

Professions required to become LBPs include designers, carpenters, roofers, external plasterers, bricklayers and block layers. Registered architects, chartered professional engineers and plumbers are already deemed to be LBPs.

An exemption will be available to owner-builders (DIYers) when the Building Amendment Bill No. 3 has been passed into law.

For more information on the LBP scheme and on how to find a licensed building practitioner, click on the links at the bottom of this page.

How does the LPB scheme affect the building consent process?

From 1 March:

When you submit your building consent application, you will need to include a memorandum (certificate of work) from an LBP certifying that the design work complies with the Building Code. Otherwise, your application will not be accepted.

Restricted work cannot start and inspection will not be accepted until the Council has been advised, in writing, of the relevant LBP who will be doing the work.

When your building work is completed, you will need to include the memorandum (record of building work) from your trade LBPs with your application for a code compliance certificate (CCC). Otherwise, your CCC may not be issued.

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Building Act changes coming for homeowners

Leader in Microsoft Enterprise Project Management announced today that it has been selected by the Project Management Institute (PMI) Houston chapter as its provider of Microsoft Project and Project Server training.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) February 16, 2012

EPM Architects announced today that it has been selected by the Project Management Institute (PMI) Houston chapter as its provider of Microsoft Project and Project Server training.

EPM Architects now offers attendees the opportunity to earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) on all of their courses. Project Managers can earn up to 21 PDUs in some courses.

EPM Architects’ President and CEO, Michael Samadi commented, “We have been working very hard for the past year to establish ourselves as the center of excellence when it comes to Microsoft Project and Project Server training. From our state-of-the-art training center to our exclusively published training material, we have continued our investment in establishing the most complete Microsoft EPM training curriculum. It is a great honor to be recognized and selected by the PMI as their training provider.”

EPM Architects currently offers a variety of courses on Microsoft Project and Project Server. All courses are in-depth, hands-on, instructor-led that are taught by Microsoft certified trainers who are leading experts in the industry. Each training class is open enrollment therefore students typically come from various companies and industries. Because of this diversity, class discussions often include a wide variety of comments, questions, and student experiences to supplement the standard material covered in the course. For complete course details, go to http://www.epmarchitects.com/epm-training

About PMI

PMI is the world’s leading not-for-profit membership association for the project management profession, with more than 600,000 members and credential holders in more than 185 countries. Their worldwide advocacy for project management is supported by their globally-recognized standards and credentials, their extensive research program, and their professional development opportunities.

The Houston chapter is one of the largest PMI chapters in the world with over 3000 members from all industries including Engineering and Construction, Industrial, Information Systems, Oil and Gas, Healthcare, Education, Telecommunications, Government, Marketing and Advertising, and Service / Support sectors.

About EPM Architects:

EPM Architects is an Enterprise Project and Portfolio Management consulting and training firm focused exclusively on the Microsoft EPM solution with a Microsoft Certified Gold Competency in Enterprise Project and Portfolio Management.

With clients from Global 50, Fortune 50, 100 and 500 companies, as well as small to mid-sized companies in several industry verticals, they provide unparalleled services in EPM Implementation, Solution Design, Envisioning, Custom Development, and 24/7 Support. Additionally, EPM Architects has a complete curriculum of hands-on open enrollment training courses in Microsoft Project and Microsoft Project Server which are provided at their state of the art Training and Solution Center in Houston, TX. Any training curriculum can also be custom tailored and delivered onsite to meet client needs.

EPM Architects’ mission is simple: To be the leading and most respected Microsoft Enterprise Project Management consulting company in the world by providing outstanding Enterprise Project Management services and solutions through dedication, passion, and excellence.

For more details on EPM Architects’ products and services, please visit their website at http://www.epmarchitects.com or call them at their Houston office at 713.400.9200 or toll free at 1.888.444.3762.

###

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Project Management Institute Selects EPM Architects to be its Microsoft Project and Project Server Training Provider

TEMPE, ARIZ. (AP) - C.J. Wilson parked his car and laughed while signing autographs for faceless fans who handed bats, balls and cards to the pitcher from the other side of a brick wall.

An early rite of spring training complete, Wilson, one of the Angels’ new big-ticket additions, headed to the clubhouse.

“You’re the man, C.J.,” one fan yelled to the left-hander, who signed a $77.5 million contract in December.

“Word,” Wilson said.

He’s the man for one day, and one day only.

On Monday, Albert Pujols arrives.

The former St. Louis slugger, who rocked baseball this winter by signing a roughly $250 million contract with the Angels and instantly transforming them into the team to beat, will report Monday to begin the next chapter of his career. The plans are for the three-time MVP to greet his new teammates, take some grounders at first base and then batting practice inside Tempe Diablo Stadium before holding a news conference at a resort hotel across the street.

The Angels have booked an amphitheater to handle the expected media crush.

Pujolspalooza begins.

The 32-year-old’s locker, situated just inside the main clubhouse door and between the stalls of Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter, was stacked Sunday with just-out-of-the-box cleats, jerseys, jackets and everything else he’ll need for the next six weeks in Arizona. At least the Angels’ red and white match the colors Pujols wore with the Cardinals.

However, from the manager, to the league, to the fans, to the city he’ll now adopt as his in-season home, everything else will be brand new for Pujols.

During his lunch break from meetings with coaches, Angels manager Mike Scioscia initially tried to act as if this was just a typical spring for his team. It’s anything but.

“Being in the game this long, you’re always excited this time of year,” said Scioscia, who played 13 seasons for the Dodgers and is beginning his 13th season managing the Angels. “Spring training is really a fun time, seeing the guys again and getting them together and getting on the field.

“I’ll admit there’s a little different excitement this year.”

It’s been that way since Dec. 8, when Pujols agreed to the second-biggest contract in history and joined the Angels, whose owner Arte Moreno spent a combined $331.5 million during the off-season remodeling his team into perennial power.

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Angels prepare for Pujols

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Residential contractors are hoping that tight-fisted consumers will decide they need a new bathroom.

Or maybe it's time for those old kitchen counters to go.

Perhaps it would be better to add another bedroom than move?

After three years of slumping business, builders anticipate that the home remodeling and improvement sector will pick up in 2012.

"We have been in a downturn and a weak market for a really long time," said Paul Emrath, a researcher with the National Association of Home Builders. "But we are starting to edge up to the tipping point.

"The phones are ringing, people are calling and making appointments," Emrath said last week at the association's annual meeting in Florida. "But the next challenge is to turn those over into actual jobs."

In 2011, U.S. residential remodeling added up to an estimated $279 billion, about the same as in 2010 but down almost 15 percent from 2007. And new-home starts have fallen more than 70 percent around the country since the market peak in 2005.

"All things considered, remodeling has held up well in this cycle," said Kermit Baker, a senior fellow at Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies.

"We think we are going to see better numbers coming out of the industry as we move into the second half of this year and into 2013," he said.

The National Association of Home Builders is forecasting an almost 9 percent increase in remodeling this year and more than an 11 percent jump nationwide in 2013.

"We are still not going to be back to where we were at the peak," Emrath said. "It's difficult to get financing.

"And a related problem is the decline in house prices; people don't have as much equity," he said. "People may not want to remodel when they are seeing house prices going down."

Remodeling accounts for close to 70 percent of U.S. residential construction expenditures.

The biggest share of home improvement spending, roughly 20 percent, goes for exterior repairs or upgrades. But kitchen and bathroom jobs are a close second at 19 percent of remodeling work.

Some of the glitzy fix-up jobs of years past are on hold, regardless of what they show on home decorating television shows.

Until nationwide home values improve, homeowners will be more conservative with their remodeling, Baker predicts.

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Contractors anticipate better market for remodeling

Architects in Utah have designed a five-story brick building for the new $30 million federal office building to be built under the Rimrocks north of downtown Billings.

The Boyer Co., and GSBS Architects, both based in Salt Lake City, recently submitted plans to the city of Billings for a design that looks something like the current Parmly Billings Library, only taller and with more windows.

“From my standpoint, I think the building fits the needs. I like the design,” said Marty Connell, president of the Billings Industrial Revitalization Project, a group of business leaders spearheading improvements in the East Billings Urban Renewal District.

The U.S. Department of Interior office building is one of a handful of new buildings in the district, an old industrial zone between MetraPark and downtown.

A square building is the least expensive to build and the design undoubtedly is dictated by the lot size and federal government regulations, Connell said.

“Maybe it could be more architecturally pleasing, but it’s sure better than the federal courthouse,” Connell said.

The $60 million federal courthouse being built at North 26th Street and Second Avenue North is expected to be ready for occupancy by late summer. The General Services Administration owns the courthouse land and building and federally owned buildings don’t have to submit plans to local governments for review.

But the Interior office is a private project, so Boyer, the builder/owner, must have its plans reviewed by the city of Billings. Boyer will lease the building back to the GSA for at least 20 years to house about 400 Interior department employees.

John Brittingham, a registered architect and professor at Montana State University Bozeman, said the GSA has been “very aggressive in supporting the pursuit of excellence in design” over the past 15 years.

This Billings design is “fairly generic,” Brittingham said, and is modeled after loft buildings that were historically used as light manufacturing warehouses in Chicago and New York City. The building seeks basic Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification.

Designs for an $18 million library to be built at Sixth Avenue North and North Broadway are shooting for a high silver LEED rating.

The Interior building appears to have equal amounts of glass on all sides, Brittingham said, rather than treating elevations differently in relation to the sun for better energy efficiency.

“On the southern exposure, you might have more glass to gain exposure to the sun in the winter months,” he said.

In the starting blocks

Boyer won the GSA contract last October, but getting the sale closed with Aldrich’s Lumber and getting started has taken months. However, once construction starts, the pace will be rapid to meet a completion date of summer 2013.

Demolition of the lumber yard buildings was completed last week and the rubble is almost removed. The bidding process, which will determine how much work goes to local companies, should be completed in March, said GSA regional spokeswoman Sally Mayberry in Denver.

Steel will start going up in May or June and that work has been awarded to Lundahl Building Systems Inc., of Logan, Utah.

The plans allocate $13,285,000 to construct the shell. The balance of $16,715,000 will be spent on interior finishes and on a separate warehouse and storage yard still being designed for a site at the southern end of South 27th Street.

Building plans cover 133 pages — 30 inches tall by 42 inches wide — plus 2-inch thick specification books. The documents specify everything from details on the tile wainscot to where to install toilets and electrical panels.

Brian Anderson, a senior plan examiner at the Billings Building Department, said reviewing 20 pounds of drawings will take at least a week of uninterrupted work.

“It’s a fairly typical project,” Anderson said. “It will probably go smoothly and will be a success.”

The building will be heated and cooled by two boilers pushing hot or cold water throughout the building. The exterior will be covered by reddish bricks with a matte finish. The GSA requires that the brick to be manufactured within 500 miles of Billings. A brick called “sunset” specified in the plans is made at Interstate Brick in West Jordan, Utah, which works with Boyer and GSBS Architects.

Landscaping includes two-dozen plants: trees of Honey Locust, Canada Red Cherry, Lindens, Crimson Pygmy Barberry; Peking Cotoneasters and fragrant sumac shrubs; and Foerster’s reed grass.

When the building is completed next year, the Interior employees now working at the James F. Battin Courthouse at Fourth Avenue North and North 26th Street will move in. Eight years ago, tests showed several high readings of asbestos in the courthouse built in the 1960s. Future use of the Battin building has not been determined.

City input

Some Billings officials saw the plans before Christmas, but had only a modest input into the design, according to city/county planning director Candi Beaudry.

“We did offer suggestions, one which was to put in a boulevard sidewalk,” Beaudry said. “That was important because we’re trying to create a softer feel.”

The EBURD renewal district is close to adopting zoning codes that would strongly influence building designs. The Boyer Group was aware of the proposed codes, Beaudry said, but they didn’t affect the office design.

So far, Boyer has hired three local companies to work on the office tower: Collaborative Design Architects; Sanderson Stewart, an engineering firm; and Langlas & Associates, which is the chief local contractor.

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Go North: 2 new building projects aid rebirth of North Side