WILMINGTON, Ohio, Feb. 8, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TimberTech, a leading manufacturer of alternative decking and railing materials, recently entered into two partnerships that will make it easier to select the perfect deck and get the most enjoyment from outdoor living. In conjunction with Decks.com, a leading how-to web site for deck building tools and tips, TimberTech now provides 80 deck plans with more than 700 variations free of charge directly from their web site. In addition, homeowners will see through the eyes of nationally renowned designer, Genevieve Gorder, as she provides professional tips for infusing indoor comfort into outdoor spaces in the company's online magazine, Easy Living by Design.

"From choosing the perfect product to finding a certified contractor that is close to home, TimberTech guides homeowners through the process, making it an exciting and enjoyable experience in a single, easy to navigate web site," said Kimberly Kanakes, senior marketing manager.

The deck plans on Decks.com are designed by professional architects to meet International Residential Code (IRC) building requirements. These plans have traditionally been offered at a retail price of $29.95 each but are now available free of charge from TimberTech throughout 2012.

With tools like the product selector, color visualizer and deck designer along with free deck plans and design tips from the pros, consumers can bring their deck plans to life. From choosing products that reflect their lifestyle to planning a party, consumers can access all the information needed to make well-informed decisions.

In addition to the wide array of product and planning options TimberTech offers, the company will provide homeowners with a seasonal guide to outdoor living in the Easy Living by Design online magazine. Genevieve Gorder, will share professional design tips, tricks and secrets that consumers can utilize to fit their lifestyles.

Three of the free deck plans will endorsed by Genevieve Gorder, allowing consumers to gain additional access to her personal style. Genevieve's favorite plans will be featured in the premier issue of Easy Living by Design in March 2012.

"My passion for interior design and my love for the outdoors will come to life in each issue," said Genevieve Gorder. "TimberTech's wide array of products and design capabilities coupled with my infusion of style are sure to be a catalyst for homeowners to create their own personal outdoor oasis."

About TimberTech

TimberTech is a leading manufacturer offering low-maintenance decking, railing, fencing and lighting products for residential and commercial applications. The company offers a wide range of durable outdoor solutions in an unmatched selection of colors and styles. A leader in quality, innovation and brand, TimberTech products are available through a nationwide network of contractors and building products dealers. TimberTech is a Crane Group business. For more information, visit http://www.timbertech.com, http://www.facebook.com/pages/TimberTech and twitter.com/timbertech_deck.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com
http://www.cisionwire.com/timbertech/r/timbertech-partners-with-decks-com-to-offer-free-deck-plans,c9215569

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TimberTech Partners With Decks.com to Offer Free Deck Plans

Designer Decks Pty Ltd, timber decking specialists, recently announced the launch of their new commercial decking division, Designer Boardwalks. Designer Boardwalks specializes in the design and construction of timber and composite boardwalks in Queensland and Northern NSW. New contracts confirmed for 2012 include the design and construction of a boardwalk for Sunshine Coast Council, and a timber viewing/fishing platform for Gold Coast City Council.

Gold Coast, Queensland (PRWEB) February 10, 2012

Designer Boardwalks is a division of Designer Decks Pty Ltd, which was founded in 2003 and is the largest timber decking construction company on the Gold Coast. Designer Decks has over 30 years combined experience in decking and specializes in the design and construction of timber decks for existing and new homes, including the following types of decking: Outdoor decks/sun decks Pool decks Deck extensions or patios

“We’re very excited about launching our commercial decking division Designer Boardwalks,” said Darrell Rose, owner of Designer Decks. “It brings together our considerable expertise and experience in design and construction of timber decks and boardwalks, and gives us a chance to showcase the same award-winning design and quality workmanship that has made Designer Decks the number one decking company on the Gold Coast.”

The launch comes as a result of the successful completion of boardwalks for Brisbane City Council, Gold Coast City Council, Tweed Shire Council and Byron Shire Council.

Last year Designer Decks successfully completed work on the Jack Evans Boat Harbour, a 2600 square meter boardwalk redevelopment in Tweed Heads, which went on to win the top award at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects NSW Awards 2011.

###

Darrell Rose
Designer Decks
+61 7 5576 8899
Email Information

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Gold Coast Timber Decking Company, Designer Decks, Launches New Commercial Boardwalk Division and Scoops Contracts ...

South Eastern School District is once again battling a mold problem in its middle schools.

The district is spending about $25,000 to clean up mold in South Eastern Middle School-East after air quality tests revealed mold spores.

The mold is primarily in the locker rooms and gym area, possibly because of increased humidity, said Superintendent Rona Kaufmann. The HVAC system is being cleaned, too. That's only months after spending $112,000 last summer for mold remediation in South Eastern Middle School-West.

Air quality tests have been done on a quarterly basis in both buildings since the issue arose. Kaufmann said some students in East complained of mold-related illness, but that it was impossible to know if it was directly related to the school's condition.

The nurse's office in both schools have been keeping track of any students who have symptoms related to mold-caused illnesses, Kaufmann added.

"We're taking it seriously," Kaufmann said.

More mold remediation work needs to be done in the West building, she said, in the gym area. Plans for that work haven't been finalized.

Work in the East building is beginning this month and will be done after hours.

Results of the air quality tests, recommendations and pictures of remediation can be found on the school website by clicking "Air Quality at SESD."

Follow this link:
Mold problem resurfaces in South Eastern

KITCHENER — They’ve still got the front porches, barbecues waiting for summer and pastel-coloured cottages where inmates themselves carry the keys.

But the Grand Valley Institution for Women, Kitchener’s federal prison that opened in 1997 as a kinder, gentler kind of jail, is most certainly a changed place.

A trip behind the razor wire will show you it’s nearly bursting at the seams with an influx of female inmates — housing 177 women on a recent visit, three times the number it was designed for when it opened with eight cottage-style units 15 years ago.

The formerly minimum-security prison now houses some of Canada’s most notorious female offenders, and will soon include Tooba Yahya, the mother convicted of four counts of first-degree murder in the recent Shafia honour-killing trial.

It took The Record more than three months to get permission from Correctional Service Canada to tour the institution. Once inside, the photographer was prohibited from taking any images of inmates, including pictures that didn’t identify the women.

Space at Grand Valley is at such a premium they’re extending the prison’s perimeter to build a new food services building near Homer Watson Boulevard. Those cottage units have now doubled to 16, and temporary portables fill the space where women used to play baseball.

Tenders are also out for a new two-storey, 40-bed minimum security unit to be built on a hill overlooking the prison. This February, construction will wrap up on a 16-bed building in what used to be Grand Valley’s courtyard.

The prison is so full Grand Valley recently ran out of mailboxes for inmates, has converted private family visiting rooms into sleeping quarters for inmates, and put bunk beds in what used to be single rooms.

It all means warden David Dick has had to get creative to find spaces for his growing population.

And his problem isn’t expected to go away any time soon.

“If they arrive at the front door, I have no choice. They’ve got to come in,” he said. “The legislation has had an impact on our numbers, and that impact is likely to be permanent.”

The space crunch is being driven by a dramatic increase in the number of women getting jail terms longer than two years, sending them to federal institutions instead of provincial jails. Canada’s female federal prison population has grown by 40 per cent in the past decade, and that growth appears to be speeding up.

Crowding has become such a challenge that some federally sentenced women are being transferred involuntarily to provincial jails because there’s no room for them.

Women who’ve spent time at Grand Valley say the population explosion isn’t just making it more cramped. It’s also increasing wait lists for rehabilitation programs and pushing tensions to the breaking point.

“It’s just warehousing now. It’s not about rehabilitation. It’s pure security now,” said Toronto’s Surriff Atkinson, who was first sent to the prison in 1999 for trafficking cocaine.

Programs that once dealt with issues like anger management or violence against women have been replaced by religious-based volunteer-run programs that don’t appeal to all inmates, she said.

Inmates at Grand Valley made 124 formal complaints in 2010 to the Office of the Correctional Investigator, more than any other women’s prison in Canada, according to the 2011 annual report by prison ombud Howard Sapers.

Many of the complaints have to do with the conditions of their confinement, and that’s no surprise to the federal watchdog.

“The more crowded an institution becomes, the more there’s an increase in tension within the institution,” Sapers said. “It affects the institutional climate.”

It’s meant more inmates living on top of one another, pushing some tensions to boil over.

Former inmates interviewed for this story witnessed fights breaking out between women made to share tight spaces. The Elizabeth Fry Society and the union representing prison guards have raised concerns about the makeshift accommodations too.

Records show use-of-force incidents, reported security issues and assaults, both between inmates and on staff, are all on the rise, Sapers said.

Security staff has been increased, Dick confirmed, but that’s because the prison population is growing and incidents of violence have risen in step. It’s an inevitable result of having more inmates, he said.

“There has been a rise in the number of fights between inmates, yes,” he said. “You put more people into a defined space, and you’re going to have more disputes … There’s no question there is frustration with the added numbers.”

Some former inmates complain that wait lists to get into some programs are now so long that an inmate can spend six months at Grand Valley without getting in. But others seem to recognize the prison is at the mercy of the courts, which is sending a steady stream of women its way.

“It’s not really their fault that so many more women are being sent to prison,” said Georgina Poirier, a Cambridge mother who was released from Grand Valley in 2007 after a drug trafficking conviction.

“It’s hard to accommodate everyone, and there’s only so many (program) spots open.”

The warden argues that more judges are choosing to send women to federal prisons because they offer such a range of treatment and educational programs for women.

That’s a change from the 1990s, when many judges sent women to provincial jails to avoid time in Kingston’s infamous Prison for Women, the warden said. That was before the regional federal prisons were built to keep women closer to their homes.

The number of women in Ontario’s provincial jails, meanwhile, is actually dropping, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

“Judges used to bend over backwards not to sentence them federally. That’s all changed now,” Dick said.

For all its overcrowding, Grand Valley is still trying to do corrections in a more progressive way. Much of the minimum security unit feels like a high school, where women in grey sweatpants linger in the halls and offer a pleasant hello to new faces.

There’s a library, a “grocery store” where inmates can pick up their week’s food and cook it themselves, and a spirituality centre where someone strums an acoustic guitar. In a far corner of the property, inmates have built a “sacred ground” area, a space for campfires and quiet reflection.

There are classrooms where inmates can work toward their high school diploma — an important goal in a place where as many as six in 10 never finished school. Officials here know an inmate who is released with few job prospects has a good chance of returning to prison.

“If they don’t find work when they get out, they may be back,” said deputy warden Pam Gray.

There has even been a partnership with the Accelerator Centre, where inmates have been trained off-site to gain skills that could help them start their own business upon their release.

Within a few weeks of arriving at the prison, every inmate is entered into a program that teaches them about things such as addictions and employment skills. There’s a special version for aboriginal inmates, who represent about a third of all inmates.

There’s the gymnasium where women still play volleyball and basketball, but because of space constraints it also doubles as a meeting room for parole officers and social agencies. It’s also used for classes on everything from yoga to quilting.

Grand Valley’s founding philosophy of women living and co-operating together in small groups in a house-style setting is still working the way it’s supposed to, Dick insists.

And with an army of volunteers, estimated at as many as 600, coming to the prison to run programs for the women, there’s still a wide range of activities to help inmates better themselves.

“Certainly, as your numbers increase, the dynamics change. There’s no question about that. But I think we’ve been relatively successful in minimizing that impact,” he said.

The prison has also increased the number of officers running in-house rehabilitation and counselling programs, Dick said, but it’s not staffing that’s the problem. The prison now employs 214 people.

“Our problem now is not finding program facilitators, but finding space where they can do it,” he said. “As our numbers have grown, I’ve had to add parole officers. But we have not grown in space.”

Grand Valley is not the minimum-security institution it used to be, although about 60 per cent are here for non-violent offences, such as drugs, fraud or shoplifting.

Today, parts of the institution look more like a conventional prison, with a maximum security unit, segregation cells, uniformed prison staff and razor wire. About 20 per cent of inmates here are “lifers,” serving long sentences for crimes such as murder.

In 2004, Grand Valley added its 27-bed, maximum-security unit, which looks like the type of imposing cellblock you might see on television. Inside, groups of eight women live in small, college-dorm-style rooms with bunks behind heavy steel doors. It’s attached to the segregation unit, where on a recent visit a guard kept an eye on an inmate on suicide watch through a small window in her cell door.

“We’re seeing many things in women’s prisons that weren’t in the original plan,” Sapers said. “The environment within women’s centres has certainly hardened.”

Overcrowding has meant inmates are being pushed into higher level security classifications, sometimes unfairly, as violence rises, and many can’t access prison programs, such as in-house employment or mental health services, Sapers said.

With inmates sleeping in spaces they were never intended to, the prison ombud says, there are concerns around personal security, hygiene and access to fresh water.

An overburdened prison also spends most of its resources just trying to secure its own population, and has less time and money to deal with the rehabilitation of inmates, he said.

“As a consequence, we do see there are delays in getting people into programs, there are delays getting people into their treatment plans,” Sapers said.

But the overcrowding isn’t likely to ease any time soon, Sapers warns. Despite the plans for the 40-bed addition, he’s concerned the expansion may not be enough to deal with a coming influx of new female prisoners, thanks to new federal tough-on-crime legislation.

The number of women in federal prisons jumped by 15 per cent in just one six-month period last year, according to his office.

The plans for the extra beds at Grand Valley were made before the Conservative government introduced changes that are expected to place even more women behind bars, Sapers points out.

“The net impact of those legislative reforms will be to add new population on top of that which was already projected,” he said.

“It’s now an open question whether the additional capacity will be enough to meet the demands that will be placed on the correctional service.”

gmercer@therecord.com

A troubled legacy

The construction of the Grand Valley Institution for Women was in part a response to the troubled legacy of Kingston’s Prison for Women.

The 90-year-old stone prison, closed for good in 2000, was the subject of 13 inquiries and commissions, and was once famously described as “unfit for bears.”

In 1990, the federal government commissioned a task force that recommended closing the outdated prison and replacing it with smaller, regional residential-style centres.

The new era of women’s prisons ushered in a whole new way to house female inmates, with an emphasis on co-operative living arrangements and increased programming. Grand Valley was opened in 1997.

Grand Valley, by the numbers

 • Inmate population has tripled from 64 women in 1997 to about 180 today.

 • Minimum-security housing units have doubled, from eight to 16.

 • A 27-bed maximum-security unit was added in 2004.

 • New 40-bed minimum-security unit to be built next year.

 • New 16-bed unit opened this month.

 • The prison now employs 214 people.

 • There are about 570 women in federal prisons in Canada, one third of them aboriginal.

Continued here:
Women’s prison a crowded, harder place

By Jean Nayar
From Home Sweet Solutions 

What's the best way to hang a bathroom mirror? The answer depends on what kind of bathroom mirror you'd like to mount, as mirrors are either framed or frameless:

Framed mirrors can be hung using a traditional picture hanger, or by way of the wire hanger typically pre-attached to the frame.

Frameless mirrors, on the other hand, are best hung with mounting clips and mirror brackets.

Both mounting methods are easy and ideally rely on wall studs to ensure that the mirror will have enough support to keep it from falling off the wall and breaking. If mounting onto studs is not feasible, you'll need wall anchors to support the frame. Frameless mirrors can also be mounted with mastic, a very strong adhesive. If you want to remove a mirror applied with mastic, however, you'll damage any drywall behind the adhesive, and the mirror will break. (The methods described here do not involve mastic.)

SUPPLIES

Pencil
Measuring tape (or metal ruler)
Level
Stud finder
Drill
Screwdriver
Drywall anchors
Drywall screws
Metal mirror J-clips and slide-in brackets (optional)

HOW TO INSTALL A FRAMED MIRROR

Determine bracket type:

1. Examine the type of brackets on the back of the mirror. They will either be individual picture brackets or two brackets on each side of the frame attached to a long piece of wire. Individual brackets will require one screw for each bracket. Wire hangers that are less than 3 feet long can be hung on a single screw in the middle. Wire hangers that are more than 3 feet long will require more screws.

Position the mirror:

2. Hold the mirror against the wall and place a level at the top of the mirror. Mark the mirror's placement with a pencil around the top and bottom corners.

3. Slide the stud finder along the bathroom wall to locate the stud(s). Mark the location with a pencil.

4. Measure the distance from the top of the mirror to the hangers or wire on the back of the mirror. Use this measurement to mark the positions for the screws, placing at least one mark on a stud if possible. Use a level and a yardstick/metal ruler to mark the position of the other screw if needed.

Insert the screws:

5. Drill pilot holes into the marks for the screws or wall anchors. If the screws will be mounted on drywall rather than on studs, tap the anchors in place with a hammer, using a threaded wall anchor, plastic toggle anchor, or metal expandable anchor, depending on the weight of your mirror. If your marks fall on a stud, drill a small pilot hole directly into the stud. Then insert the screws, leaving a short length of screw extending from the wall surface.

Hang the mirror:

6. Place the mirror hangers onto the screws. If your mirror will be hung on a wire, adjust it to make it level.

HOW TO INSTALL A FRAMELESS MIRROR

Position the mirror:

1. Hold the mirror against the wall and place a level at the top of the mirror. Mark the mirror's placement with a pencil around the top and bottom corners. Determine the number of clips required to support it.

Locate the studs:

2. Slide a stud finder along the wall to locate the studs. Mark their location with a pencil.

Install the clips:

3. Measure and mark the positions of the bottom clips. Drill holes for the screws into the studs if they're centered behind the position of the mirror. If not, aim to position at least one clip on a stud if possible. Otherwise, mark the positions of the bottom clips on the drywall.

4. Tap in appropriate wall anchors and screw in the clips, squaring them into place.

Install the mirror:

5. Slide the mirror into the clips. Mark the positions of the upper clips and brackets on the wall. Remove the mirror.

6. Mark and drill pilot holes. Insert wall anchors if necessary and screw the clip brackets into place.

7. Replace the mirror into the bottom clips and insert the top clips into the brackets to secure the mirror in place.

Jean Nayar is a licensed real estate agent and design journalist who's authored nine books on decorating and design, including Green Living by Design, the best-selling Staged to Sell (or Keep) and The Happy Home Project: A Practical Guide to Adding Style and Substance to Your Home. The former editor in chief of Kitchens & Baths, Easy Decorating and Remodeling & Makeovers blogs at TheHappyHomeWorkshop.com about living with style, sustainability and substance.

Copyright © 2012 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved.

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How to mount a mirror in your bathroom

MILWAUKEE — Remodeling your home can feel like a never-ending project and can be stressful! Many wonder where to begin, and how much it’ll all cost, and others need help coming up with a design. This weekend, those hoping to find some answers and ideas filled the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park for the 2012 Milwaukee NARI Home Improvement Show.

A home is one of the biggest investments most people will make in their lives, and the idea of home ownership has changed in recent years. “People are staying home. They’re not selling their houses. They’re saying ‘okay, let’s make this a comfortable place,’”

Experts at the 50th annual NARI Home Improvement Show spent the weekend giving advice on how to make your house a home. When it comes to the exterior of your home, Randy Miller from Alright Home and Remodeling says a good tip is starting with the roof, and working your way down to the siding and windows. “Taking care of the top and making sure that’s not going to end up having leaking problems, and then you can completely seal it up, and finish up with the siding and caulk,” Miller said.

A common theme at this year’s NARI Home Improvement Show was less maintenance – whether you’re interested in replacing your kitchen countertops: “If you’re looking for a beautiful, almost an art piece, you might go with a piece of granite or marble,” Or – remodeling your bathroom: “We are going to much smaller soaking tubs, bubble massage with a larger luxury shower with maybe some specialty sprays,” Some are getting rid of their bath tubs altogether, as people are busier and don’t necessarily have time to take baths.

The NARI Home Improvement Show even offered tips for redesigning your garden. “Some of the smaller fruited shrubs are really healthy for you and good for the birds, so even if you don’t eat it, it’s good for the birds,”

Nicki Losinski from Bella Kitchen and Bath says: don’t get too caught up in finding the right finish for your wooden cabinets and floors. “You can have the old oak floors that you refinish. They look gorgeous brand-new, and you can pair it with maple or cherry, different wood species,” Losinski said.

Experts say they can provide tips, but the bottom line is: how much are you willing/able to spend to make that dream home a reality.

Continue reading here:
NARI Home Show offers remodeling tips

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Church mission: Reconstruction

Church members travel to Alabama to help repair damaged homes

SUSSEX ? Eight local churches sponsored a team of 24 people to Henagar, Ala., in January. The team’s mission: to help reconstruct homes that were destroyed during the F5 tornadoes which hit the area in April 2011. Thirty-four people were killed in the Jackson and Dekalb counties during the destructive tornadoes. The local nuclear power plant was shut down causing many to be without electricity and therefore notification of the deadly tornado’s path.

The mission trip was coordinated by the Goshen and Sussex Christian Reformed Churches. Members of the Beemerville Presbyterian, Byzantine Catholic of Little Falls, First Reformed Church of Little Falls, Goshen Christian Reformed, Methodist of Little Falls, Pompton Plains United Reformed, Sparta Baptist and Sussex Christian Reformed Churches caravanned to Alabama. The trip was organized under the auspices of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, which takes on the job of coming in after state and federal issues are done, to finish the work, making the houses livable.

“It was amazing. We had eight churches and seven different denominations represented. This was truly God at work,” said Bill Garris, a mission member from the Sussex Christian Reformed Church.

“Plans changed two days before we left, but we all accomplished what we set out to do.”

The Henagar Baptist Church served as a temporary dormitory for the traveling tradesmen. The church has a gymnasium and a full kitchen. Cots were supplied to those who did not bring air mattresses. Sleeping bags decorated the makeshift dormitory. Andy Wilks was the mission construction manager and a member of the Henagar Baptist Church. Upon arrival, Wilks had divided the group into skill teams; carpentry, electrical, plumbing and finish work. Each team was given a list of projects needed to be accomplished. The experienced tradesmen worked side by side with less experienced volunteers. The group’s diverse skill sets assisted those in need and taught the less experienced team members. Long hard days were followed by dinner, devotionals and board games.

Pastor David, minister of the Henagar church, took volunteers to his home to watch the Giants game while other volunteers toured the area. Evening meals were prepared by Chef Mark Hrehovcik, who was assisted by Paul Billig and Bill Garris after their hard days work on the reconstruction team.

Women were also involved in the mission trip. Alice VanDeWeert was the "mother hen," helping out with laundry, food preparation for the chefs and organization. Younger women helped by preparing bagged lunches for the reconstruction teams, often including notes of encouragement inside. The young women also helped with the finishing work on site.

“It was nice to see the fathers, with their sons or daughters on this mission trip,” said VanDeWeert, from the Goshen Christian Reformed Church. “They were building family memories.”

Through rain, fog and snow, the volunteers labored on. At the end of the week spent in Henagar, the 24 mission volunteers had completed their tasks on six different homes.

“Our guys did not want to leave until they knew the houses were done, and people could move in,” said VanDeWeert. “When we left, they just needed to move the refrigerators stored at the Baptist Church.”

“It was an example of tremendous teamwork from the mission volunteers and the local community as a whole, so people could get back into their homes,” said Buzz Sargent, head of the electrical team, from Beemerville Presbyterian Church.

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Church mission: Reconstruction

Pleasant View AME Zion Church, Old Columbia Road, Chester: Black History Gospel Fest, 2 p.m. Feb. 26.

ARP

First ARP Church, East White Street, Rock Hill: Youth discipleship groups, 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Beth Moore study on James, 10 a.m. Tuesday and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Foundations for the Family, 5:45 p.m. Wednesday with a meal and activities for all ages. Members will serve lunch Thursday at Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen.

BAPTIST

Sandy River Baptist Association, Upper Division: Usher Ministry quarterly meeting, 10 a.m. today at Mount Prospect Baptist Church, 339 W. Black St., Rock Hill.

Boyd Hill Baptist Church, Glenn Street, Rock Hill: Black History Month Memorial program, after worship Sunday.

First Baptist Church, Lowrys: Men's breakfast, 8 a.m. Sunday. Cost is $3. SYAH and Young at Heart, 11 a.m. Feb. 21.

Great Joy Baptist Church, McConnells: Ash Wednesday service, 7 p.m. Feb. 22.

New Vision Freewill Baptist Church, Mount Holly Road, Rock Hill: Community soup supper, 6-8 tonight. All-you-can-eat soup and salad is $6.

Oakland Baptist Church, Oakland Avenue, Rock Hill: Churchwide brunch, 9:30-10:45 a.m. Sunday. No Sunday school. Daniel Vestal, executive coordinator of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, will speak at 9 and 11 a.m. Ministry Center clothing distribution, 9 a.m. Monday and Feb. 18, and benevolence, 9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, Dunlap Roddey Road, Rock Hill: Valentine's pageant, 6 p.m. Feb. 25.

Rawlinson Road Baptist Church, Rawlinson Road, Rock Hill: "Messiah in the Passover," presented by Sam Nadler, 9 and 10 a.m. Sunday. Nadler, a Jewish believer in Jesus, is founder of Word of Messiah Ministries.

Second Wilson Baptist Church, Ashford Street, Chester: Count Your Blessings program, 3 p.m. Feb. 19 with music by the Rock Hill Singers.

Weeping Mary Baptist Church, Rock Hill: The Rev. and Mrs. E.L. Floyd's first pastoral anniversary service, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 19. Lunch served at 1 p.m.

Woodhaven Baptist Church, Marett Boulevard, Rock Hill: Valentine's Banquet, 7 tonight. New members class, 9:45 a.m. Sunday. Hearts of Gold to First Baptist in Rock Hill for revival and lunch, 10:30 a.m. Monday and spaghetti lunch at noon Tuesday.

Zion Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, Pinckney Road, Chester: Encouragement program, 2 p.m. Feb. 19.

CHURCH OF GOD

Gateway Church of God, Shelley Mullis Road, Indian Land: Revival, 6:30 tonight and 11 a.m. Sunday with the Rev. Pamela Willhite.

LUTHERAN

Epiphany Lutheran Church, West Main Street, Rock Hill: Epiphany 101 to learn more about the church begins Sunday. Indoor Craft Blast, after 10:30 a.m. worship Sunday for children age 3 through fifth grade. Lunch provided.

Grace Lutheran Church, Oakland Avenue, Rock Hill: New member class, 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Seniors trip to Newberry Opera House, Tuesday. Bible Study, 7 p.m. Tuesday at Old Town Bistro. Potluck supper, 6 p.m. Wednesday. Church directory photos taken Tuesday through Saturday. Campus Ministry retreat, Friday through Feb. 19.

METHODIST

Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Youth-sponsored chili cook-off, 6-7 tonight. Entry fee is $10. Cost for unlimited sampling and a ballot to vote is $5. Prize for the hottest chili and the crowd favorite. Kids Club, after 10:30 a.m. worship Sunday. Lone Star lunch bunch, lunch after worship Sunday at Bob Evans. United Methodist Women Sunday is Feb. 19.

Bethel United Methodist Church, Curtis Street, Rock Hill: Bethel Soup Kitchen, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays through March. Donations are accepted and proceeds go to the Bethel missions. Open to the community. Valentine Candy Walk, sponsored by the mission team, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. today in the gym. Boxes are $5 and $10. Gift wrap available. Shrove Tuesday pancake supper, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 21. Ash Wednesday service, noon Feb. 22.

See the rest here:
Church news: Black history, chili cook-offs, Valentines

The city has stripped a notorious Greene Avenue church of its tax-exempt status — a bureaucratic move could lead to the building’s seizure after six years of complaints about the rat-infested, apparently abandoned property.

Officials at the Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, a decrepit wreck near the corner of Fulton Street, failed to reapply for the no-tax benefit this fall — and if the inactive church fails behind on its new $14,355 annual tax payments, the city can foreclose.

Frustrated neighbors hope that this signals the beginning of the end.

“This has been going on for more than five years and it’s ruined my business,” said Kay Lee, who owns One Greene, the 11-year-old sushi restaurant next door to the Zion church.

Ms. Lee estimated that she spent $20,000 to renovate her basement to block rats and other vermin that can be heard scratching at the walls of her restaurant.

The history of 5 Greene Avenue is filled with mystery, frustration and city ineptitude.

According to city records, the church took possession of the building in 2005 and almost immediately planned a major renovation. But those repairs did not happen. Instead, a construction scaffolding went up — and the rats took over the property.

“It’s just so irresponsible,” said Phillip Kellogg, manager of the Fulton Area Business Alliance. “From a spiritual standpoint, the congregation should realize how irresponsible it’s being.”

Tyler Kord, the chef and owner of No. 7, a stylish restaurant and bar next door to the abandoned church, added that he offered to do a fundraiser for the congregation and has helped find a buyer for the building.

“But they had no interest,” said Mr. Kord. “We did not wish them any ill, but they’re just not the greatest neighbors.”

Indeed, the building was hit with four violations for hazardous conditions last year alone, and the church owes $58,233 for 13 outstanding violations dating back to the middle of the last decade.

But the city did not act. A spokesman for the Department of Finance admitted that the agency did not review tax-exempt status for various institutions between 2007 and last summer, when it finally required non-profit groups and houses of worship to reapply for their exemptions.

A lawyer for the Zion church told The Local that the congregation was not aware that it had missed the deadline, and that the church would refile.

“The building is incorporated as a church, so there is no issue about whether it is a church,” said the lawyer, Warren Bennia. “So now the city is talking about imposing a tax on a church for allegedly failing to respond to a piece of paper. The city should not be in the business of stripping churches of their tax-exempt status if they are providing a place of worship.”

The city agrees with the first part, but not necessarily the second. A spokesman for the Department of Finance said that an inspector would likely visit the church building to determine if Zion is truly providing a “place of worship,” as Mr. Bennia called it.

“We are not in the business of stripping any property of its tax-exempt status,” said Owen Stone, the agency spokesman. “But our job is to make sure properties are in compliance with the rules” and verify that “the building is being used as a church.”

Even the pastor of Zion AME suggested that the building would not meet that standard.

“I have been the pastor for five years, and I’ve never even been in the building,” said the Rev. Patricia Phillips. “How do you think I feel, being a pastor and not having a church building?”

Gersh Kuntzman joined The Local in January, 2012 after stints as a reporter at The New York Post and editor of The Brooklyn Paper. Follow him on Twitter @gershkuntzman.

The rest is here:
City Strips ‘Rat-Infested’ Greene Avenue Church of its Tax Exemption

SOMERS ——

There are not many physical remnants of the Somers Congregational Church after a fire on New Year's day destroyed the 170-year-old building and damaged a nearby memorial garden and addition.

Since the fire, the church has been holding Sunday services in Johnson Memorial Medical Center and using a trailer in the parking lot for offices. But the congregation is working to rebuild, and when it does, it will have the help of one of the rare items to escape destruction — the original building plans from 1842.

The plans — a folder full of drawings and construction specifications — were housed in the Connecticut State Library in Hartford, which came as a surprise to church historian Ailene Henry.

"We knew the State Library had some of our record books," said Henry. "But we did not know they had documents relating to the building of the 1842 meeting house."

Reference librarian Carol Ganz said that after hearing about the fire in the news, she went to see what documents the library had on Somers Congregational Church.

Although there are stacks of church records in the state library — there was a big push for churches to bring their records in for safekeeping during the 1930s, 40s and 50s (the library would copy the documents, bind them and return the bound copies to the churches) — Ganz said that building plans are rather uncommon.

"I saw a separate box that said, 'Meeting House Building,' and I thought, 'Oh my gosh, that's the building," said Ganz.

Ganz contacted the church after making the discovery. "We were really very happy to be able to be a small part of helping to rebuild," she said. "That's one of the really nice things about having records in more than one place."

The plans are somewhat vague, giving a rough outline of what the 19th-century congregation had in mind for construction. One document titled "Somers Meeting House to be built in the following manner [way]" — hand-written, of course, in pretty black penmanship — includes some exact measurements for the size of the posts, beams and rafters, but also many general directives, like building "a suitable plinth around the entire house."

Henry admitted that the documents were historically interesting, although less practically helpful. "It's not something that we would call a blueprint today," she said. "Although it did have some information on there."

The Rev. Barry Cass said that the plan is for the exterior of the building, whose steeple was a Main Street landmark, to look basically identical to the old church. Code updates and some minor lighting and electrical improvements will alter the interior slightly.

The building was insured at the time of the fire, he said, and the building committee is already meeting with architects to discuss rebuilding. The organ committee has also been traveling around to hear different organs, and the remains of the structure were just released by investigators, clearing the way for demolition and rebuilding. Ideally, it would be nice to have the church finished for Easter 2013, Cass said, but it's premature to set any dates.

Although it could feel slow-going at times, the pastor said that "things are going as well as expected, maybe a little better."

With a congregation dating back to 1727, the church has played a significant role in the community over the years. In addition to hosting a food pantry and providing other social services, the church was home to Somers' town meetings until the current town hall was built in 1950. The fire that destroyed the church is still being investigated by state and local officials.

"People have been very helpful," said historian Henry. "We will rebuild and the church will carry on."

The rest is here:
Somers Congregational Church: Rebuilding, With Original Plans