The Biggs-Gridley Memorial Hospital Auxiliary held their General Meeting at their annual Spring Luncheon Tuesday with the installation of officers. A donation of $2,000 was presented to Chief Financial Officer Wade Sturgeon for the renovation of Hovlid Skilled Nursing which includes new flooring, window treatments and curtains in the resident's rooms. The day room will also have new flooring installed. Three resident rooms have been completed with nine more scheduled to be done. Past President Joyce Spence passed the gavel to President Pat Scheyer preceding the luncheon served by the hospital's dietary staff. Members were presented with volunteer bags as a token of appreciation from the hospital. The installation of officers was held with Martha Wright, Mary Vaughn, Lis Lewis, Joyce Elliott, Sis Hogeboom, Joyce Spence, Sharon Sannar, Winnie Grof and Bernie Kossow joining Scheyer for her year as President. BGMH Director of Facilities/Projects Don Pederson gave an update on current projects of the hospital, including Phase III of the renovation at the Donald Sullivan Medical Specialty Center in the Physical Therapy Department. When this work begins, the department will be moved temporarily to the hospital's Chapel on the east side. For the full story pick up a 3/23/12 edition of The Gridley Herald. Don't miss a story and call to subscribe. 846-3661

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Auxiliary Spring Luncheon held

SALEM This is one of the driest winters on record. It has been dry almost everywhere.

Everywhere, that is, except the Hawthorne Hotel.

On Feb. 27, the historic hotel had one doozy of a flood. During a bathroom remodeling project, a pipe burst in the attic, dumping an estimated 2,500 gallons of water down six floors and all the way to the tavern on the ground floor.

How much water is that? Think above-ground pool.

How bad was it?

Pretty bad. It knocked almost 50 rooms out of commission and caused more than $1 million in damage.

Fortunately, the hotel has insurance. And, fortuitously, this event of near-biblical proportions happened during the low point in the tourism season, when most of the animals are off the ark.

Incredibly, the hotel did not close.

It shifted a few events around and lost some business, but it stayed open. It still had more than 40 rooms available for guests.

Four weeks later, the hotel is still making repairs and drying out. Those ServiceMaster trucks you see parked outside have been pumping in hot air to dry out a few of the walls.

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A winter to remember — or maybe forget

Retail real estate investment trusts and related exchange traded funds will provide investors with attractive dividends as the economy improves and retail sales grow, say S&P analysts.

S&P Capital IQ holds a Marketweight ranking on the iShares FTSE NAREIT Retail Index Fund (NYSEArca: RTL) , which follows a group of retail REITs traded on the FTSE NAREIT Retail Capped Index. The fund holds companies, like Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG - News), CBL & Associates Properties (NYSE: CBL - News) and Macerich (NYSE: MAC - News), that have experienced rising occupancy levels and rent growth. The ETF has an expense ratio of 0.48% and a 12-month yield of 3.35%.

S&P Capital IQ believes retailer sentiment is buoyant, with sales rising, retailers expanding, and many retail REITs trading at elevated levels driven by improving operating results and relatively rich dividend yields, Robert McMillan, S&P Capital IQ Equity Analyst, wrote in a research note. We anticipate that shopping center REITs will use their improving cash flows to increase dividends over the course of 2012.

REITs are securities that trade like stocks on major exchanges. The investments hold physical properties that generate revenue from rent payments. To qualify for favorable tax treatments, the REIT will distribute a hefty portion of its revenue as dividends to investors. [Real Estate: List of REIT ETFs]

S&P calculates that real GDP will expand 2.1% year-over-year in 2012, compared to the 1.7% growth in 2011. Their analysts also project growth in personal expenditures to rise 2%.

Additionally, S&P notes that lower retailer bankruptcies and reduced store closures is helping the retail REITs space. According to CBRE Econometric Advisors 4th quarter 2011 outlook, they estimate the retail space will expand 29.4 million to 37.4 million square feet in 2012 and 2013, respectively, compared to a drop of 3.9 million square feet in 2010 and an increase of 2.1 million square feet for 2011.

However, the economic downturn triggered a sharp decline in shipping center construction that we see persisting in the near term which should help exert upward pressure on occupancy levels and, ultimately, rents, S&P cautioned.

iShares FTSE NAREIT Retail Index Fund

RTL_ETF

For more information on real estate investment trusts, visit our REITS category.

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S&P’s Retail REIT ETF Pick

Mall of America is moving ahead with plans for a $200 million expansion that would add a second hotel, more retail space and a medical office tower at the megamall.

The project would be another step in MOA's long-planned and oft-delayed expansion. A Radisson Blu hotel is currently under construction on the south side of the Bloomington mall. This expansion would take place on its north side.

"It's the next piece that we're trying to assemble and get financed and move forward with," said Kurt Hagen, senior vice president of development for mall owner Triple Five Group.

If those pieces fall into place, "We anticipate this will be in the ground next spring, about a year from now," Hagen said Friday, March 23.

Back in 2006, officials unveiled a huge expansion plan that would have doubled the size of the megamall, but that plan stalled. Now the strategy is to proceed in smaller steps.

Rochester's Mayo Clinic has formally expressed interest in joining the latest project, which could include 150,000 square feet of medical space, perhaps in a medical office tower. Hagen said both parties are "still exploring" what Mayo's presence would be.

"The building itself could be more than Mayo Clinic," Hagen said. "Mayo is focused on a wellness facility here. They're not focusing on a hospital."

The expansion also calls for another hotel. "Depending on the type and the brand of hotel we choose, that will help us determine the right room count," Hagen said.

The

"We'd like to take it higher-end retail," Hagen said. "All these pieces kind of tie together - the flag and brand of the hotel, the services that Mayo is offering, and the type of retail this wing will cater to."

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Mall of America plans $200 million expansion

ATLANTA, March 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Applied Software, a leading and nationally recognized Autodesk value-added reseller, announced today that it has promoted Steve Foran, Associate AIA, to Vice President of Operations. Foran joined Applied Software in December as Senior Consultant in its BIM consulting group. In his new capacity, Foran will be responsible for establishing and implementing systems to execute Applied Software's strategic plan, and will also oversee internal operations for the growing organization.

With over 15 years of experience in architecture, Foran has advised Fortune 500 corporations, the federal government and higher education and institutional clients by providing leadership in master planning, facility planning and programming, and the development of real estate and sustainable strategies in North America, the United Kingdom and Asia.

"In just a few short months, Steve has proven an apt leader and visionary," said Richard Burroughs, President of Applied Software. "He's done a great job leading our BIM consulting group, and we're pleased that he's agreed to put his experience, communication and organizational skills to work as our VP of Operations."

Prior to joining Applied Software, Foran served for seven years as senior consultant and project manager for global architectural firm HOK in its Advance Strategies consulting group, where he was responsible for the successful delivery of work for global clients in strategic campus master planning, workplace strategy and guidelines, facility planning and change management. Before that, he was a project manager for the restoration and preservation of nationally recognized historic structures for Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architects. Foran is an associate member of the American Institute of Architects and a member of the Urban Land Institute. He holds both a bachelor's degree from the College of Architecture and a master's degree in City Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is a LEED ID+C Accredited Professional.

About Applied Software

Applied Software is one of the largest Autodesk resellers in the Southeastern United States. It is also one of the nation's leading providers of Building Information Modeling (BIM) services including BIM modeling, analysis, training, integration and mentoring, and provides Digital Prototyping solutions to manufacturers. Since its founding in 1982, Applied Software has helped more than 5,000 commercial, academic and government clients achieve high performance and growth. Applied Software's comprehensive array of solutions and services includes product updates, education and a dedicated staff of sales and services professionals. Applied Software is also a holder of a GSA BIM Services IDIQ contract to provide a full range of BIM services to the federal government. Applied Software was selected by Autodesk as its Platinum Reseller of the Year in 2011. Over the years, it has received numerous Platinum and other recognitions from Autodesk, including again being honored in 2012 as a Platinum Club award winner.

Media Contact:Jenn Harrison Carabiner Communications 404.431.3542 jharrison@carabinerpr.com

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Applied Software Promotes Steve Foran to Vice President of Operations

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Starting Monday, the core exhibits at the LBJ Library on The University of Texas campus will close to the public as renovation work on the ground floor and Great Hall begins. The redesign will take the remainder of the year to complete.

The last major renovation of the LBJ Library was in 1984, and the redesign calls for a more contemporary, interactive experience for visitors.

Not all areas of the museum are yet closed, however. The public can visit exhibits on the 10th floor, which include the Oval Office and First Lady's Gallery, until mid-July, when they too will close for renovation.

The library's reading room will not close, but remain open for researchers' use Monday through Friday each week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The reading room is always closed on federal holidays. Researchers who plan to visit the facility are asked to notify the library's supervisory archivist of their research topic and travel plans as far as in advance as possible.

Some of the collections housed at the LBJ Library include the Pentagon Papers , LBJ's daily diary , selected speeches and messages , Lady Bird Johnson's oral histories and audio recordings made on Air Force One after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

This is a new day for LBJ, says Mark K. Updegrove, LBJ Library director. President Johnson insisted that the LBJ Library present an unvarnished look at his presidency, along with the triumphs and turmoil of the times. Now is our opportunity to present this story using 21st century technology with state-of-the art interactive elements.

The remodeling is being funded by private donations from the nonprofit Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, which also provides grants for scholars and researchers who utilize the library's collections.

A grand opening will be celebrated in December, in conjunction with what would have been Lady Bird Johnson's 100th birthday. The library was dedicated on May 22, 1971.

The new features of the redesign include:

Online exhibits of an LBJ timeline and his daily diary records will remain accessible to the public.

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Remodeling starts at LBJ Library

Published on: Friday, March 23, 2012

By Nicole Macon

Mold on the walls, a leaky roof, siding that has fallen off and lunch breaks taken in a repair bay that stores chemicals these are the conditions that employees of Seat Pleasants Public Works Building are met with every day.

Mayor Eugene Grant lead a delegation along with Seat Pleasant City Council President Kelly Porter and Public Works Director Johnny Thompson to Annapolis March 10 to request bond funding to improve working conditions for Public Works employees. The delegation attended two back-to-back bond hearings in the Maryland House of Delegates and in the state Senate.

This facility behind Seat Pleasants City Hall has had only minor repairs in its 42-year history to keep the building up to code using funds from state highway user fees and taxes from real estate assessments. With an 84-percent cut in state highway user fees and a 27-percent decline in real estate assessments, the city needs bond financing now more than ever in order to make any substantial improvements to the building.

You do the basic or minimum to make it up to code, but in order to get the building up to modern standards, we need bond funds, Grant said.

The Department of Public Works is requesting $500,000 in bond financing to remove such hazards as a leaky roof, mold growth, and old and inadequate installation, lights and pipes, as well as makeshift doors to the buildings three repair bays made from ply wood by the employees themselves.

The bond funds would also help modernize the building by adding an additional floor to create an office for the Public Works director as well as a rest area, a place for staff to eat their lunch, and an additional bathroom and showers for overnight workers to use. Grant said that during snowstorms workers would sleep in their vehicles parked in the repair bays when taking a rest from plowing snow off the streets.

Grant also wants to add an additional storage bay to store equipment and for workers to repair lawnmowers and change the tires of the vehicles used to haul trash and remove snow from the streets.

Since Public Works Director Johnny Thompson started his position four years ago, he had been pushing for upgrades. Since he started, the department has received a new street sweeper, a one ton pickup truck, a dump truck, and a versatile all-weather tractor, replacing equipment that was more than 10 years old.

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Seat Pleasant requests bonds to repair Public Works Building

Two top rated films, one average, one very old cinema and another one re-release is the Ugadi festival offer in Kannada filmdom. For the first time in nearly 170 theatres producers, exhibitor and distributor MN Kumar is releasing crazy star V Ravichandran Nikesha Patel starring 'Narasimha' that has strong shades of storyline of Telugu film 'Simha Rasi' released in 2001.

The second biggest films for the presence of Tamil action King Arjun as Arjun Sarja in Kannada in 'Prasad' a film with purpose on the physically challenged children in the society is produced by the business tycoon Ashok Kheney of NICE.

'Narasimha' in the direction of S Mohan - actor turned writer and director has some new additions to the 11 years old subject. Hamsalekha has rejoined V Ravichandran and given the music. Suresh Byrasandra is the cameraman of 'Narasimha' that also stars Jayanthi, Srinivasamurthy, Padma Vasanthi, Priyanka Chandra, Srinivasa Prabhu, Ravishanker and others.

'Prasad' a poignant story by AKK Entertainment is on the physically challenged child in a middle class family. The fortune of child Prasad father changes and the young boy becomes the swimming champion. Madhuri Bhattacharya, Master Sankalp, Ramakrishna, Ninasam Ashwath, Kshama and others are in the cast. Manoj Sathi has directed this film. Music maestro Ilayaraja has scored the music. Sanjay Malkar has stood behind the camera.

Naveen Krishna and Neethusri starring 'Jeevana Joke Alli' is releasing without publicity in Savitha mini theatre adjacent to Sampige theatre. Jayanth has penned the story, screenplay, dialogues and directed the film. Rajesh Ramanath has scored the music and Gauri Venkatesh is the cameraman.

'Silence' film by Venugopal as director and Krishnamurthy as producer is returning after five years of start. It is based on the two characters in the real life 'Dhandupalya' treacherous gang members.

Another film 'Aa Marma' is releasing again after first release in Uttar Kannada region in Bengaluru city.

Five Kannada films are contesting in the box office with stiff oppositions of other language films like - Naa Ishtam, Yee Rojullo (Telugu), Maasi (Tamil starring Arjun), The Hunger Games (English), Agent Vinod (Hindi) etc.

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Five for festival today!

Should a roof replacement project proposed for the school systems Administration Building at Sandwich Road be funded via the historical resources account of the Community Preservation Act, or should the project be shifted to traditional capital outlay committee review?

The Bourne Historical Commission wrestled with those questions this week. CPA guidelines allow funding for projects at significant properties that feature preservation and restoration, but not necessarily replacement features.

The commission, however, previously endorsed window replacement at the Bourne village administration building that once served the community as a schoolhouse, rationing board office in World War II and later as an American Legion Post. So not endorsing the roof proposal could be problematic.

The question is, Why not capital outlay review? commission chairman Donald Ellis said.

Members dont know how old the admin roof is, but the shingles have not been replaced in 50 years. They generally agree there is nothing particularly historical about the asphalt shingles.

The building is historically correct; it was moved to the site and dates to the 1880s, Ellis said. But do we want to support it? Or not? Were on record having done the windows. It is a town building. This should probably be a capital outlay request. But this (CPA funding) is also probably a way to get this project done.

The commission voted unanimously to recommend the $50,000 roof replacement project to the CPA Review Committee. At that point, however, school system managers will discuss the proposal.

CPA historical resources funds have been used for a variety of projects in recent years that also lent themselves to capital spending review; notably boiler replacement at Town Hall.

And then there was the positive CPA recommendation to fund slate-roof replacement at the Swift Memorial United Methodist Church in North Sagamore; and refurbishing the rail-switching center tower owned by the state and leased long-term to a private railroad contractor in Buzzards Bay; who refused to otherwise repair the structure.

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Should Bourne CPA funds pay for ‘Admin’ Building roof replacement?

HIGHER COSTS: A domestic electricity meter. Source: AdelaideNow

A BIG power bill can be a shock to the system, but there are many ways to save while keeping the house ticking over.

Jules Layland, from Somerton Park, received a free energy audit from AGL Energy and just a few small changes made a big difference to the four-person family home's quarterly power bills.

It cut her bill from about $500 to $400 a quarter - a saving of 20 per cent, or $400 a year.

"I think everybody should get one done, especially now electricity is going up," she said.

"Apparently we're going to cop the highest charge for electricity in the country, or the world."

She swapped the tumble drier for a clothes airer, switched off the second fridge, stopped leaving energy-hungry appliances on standby and started using ceiling fans instead of the airconditioner.

On advice from AGL, the family also bought an LCD TV, because the technology is more efficient than a plasma screen TV.

AGL is just one company offering free energy audits under the Residential Energy Efficiency Scheme.

Nick Branson from the State Government's Energy Advisory Service said the intention was to audit 17,000 low-income households under the scheme over three years.

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Get an audit to zap power bills