Homeowner after homeowner told us their stories.

They say Bill Bowen with Green Life Exteriors promised them new roofs and never delivered... either not completing the work or not doing any work at all.

One told us, "I still need a roof. I got nothing."

Another said, "I think they all need to be in jail. These people... they need to be stopped."

After our Call for Action stories authorities charged Bowen.

He took off, but they eventually tracked him down in York County, South Carolina.

Then after facing numerous charges of theft, Bowen made a deal with the El Paso County D.A.'s office. We're told he pled guilty to four felony theft charges of stealing from at-risk adults.

His sentence is 15 years of supervised probation and paying $500,000 in restitution. I'm told compensation is what his victims want the most.

The D.A.'s office tells me if Bowen fails to pay back his victims he faces prison time of 4 to 24 years for each count.

Bowen's formal sentencing is set for April 23rd. We'll let you know what happens.

Read the original here:
Owner of Roofing Company Agrees to Plea Deal

The city of Tybee Island recently used an energy grant to install a geothermal heating and cooling system underground next to city hall. Now the city is in line to receive an additional $90,000 from the state for the heat pumps needed to make the system work, but not everyone digs the idea.

City Councilman Paul Wolff said the system which uses the constant temperature of the Earth to heat and cool will reduce costs by about 40 percent. That will be in addition to the reduced energy use from other grant-funded improvements, including the installation of foam insulation, efficient lighting and programmable thermostats, Wolff said.

The only cost to the city would be about $525 worth of staff time to prepare the request for proposals and move out the old heat pumps, he said.

But council member Wanda Doyle said city halls current heat pumps should not be replaced until necessary and the systems installation and use will likely take more staff time than Wolffs projections.

I have never seen a number of how many staff hours have been spent that were never included in the grant, she said.

The original $300,000 grant was used to make improvements to city hall and three other city buildings. The energy savings derived from the improvements are supposed to be invested in a fund that will pay for additional projects such as the geothermal systems completion.

So far, about $2,100 saved during the first quarter of the fiscal year has been invested, said City Manager Diane Schleicher.

The council will vote on whether to accept the grant during tonights meeting.

More:
Geothermal, showers on Tybee agenda

JOPLIN, Mo Jack Wisener and Dave Tresemer lost their homes on May 22, so as they watched the destruction wrought by tornadoes that killed 39 people across five Midwestern and Southern states last week, they shared a similar reaction.

Saturday, I was feeling moved and hurt because I know what these people are going through, Wisener said.

Tresemer said he felt the kind of empathy that can only come from experience.

THREE ON MISSION

By dawn Wednesday, the two and a third member of St. Pauls United Methodist Church in Joplin were on their way to Indiana.

Were familiar with what they are going through, Tresemer said Monday. Its still fresh in all of our minds.

I was getting ready for church [Sunday], and I told my wife [Sharon], Im about this close to going to Indiana. I said, All I need is a little push. Then I saw Jack at church and asked, What are you doing for the next few days? and he said, Nothing. Then I asked him if he wanted to go to Indiana.

Wisener said he didnt think twice: I said yes.

Pastor Aaron Brown of St. Pauls said the congregation immediately began gathering supplies for the mission.

Having been through what weve been through here and all the amazing help weve received, we were just ready to send some people somewhere, so when these guys stepped up, we were ready to get them equipped, he said.

Read the original:
Joplin church trio on way to help local tornado victims

Australian construction activity has declined for the past 21 months, a report shows.

The Australian Industry Group-Housing Industry Association's performance of construction index (PCI) fell 4.2 points to 35.6 in February.

A reading below 50 indicates a contraction in activity.

The index has now shown a contraction for 21 consecutive months.

All four construction industry sub-sectors experienced falls in activity, with commercial and apartment building sectors posting the largest decline.

The new orders sub-index also declined 1.7 points to 34.2.

Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) director of public policy Dr Peter Burn said the February data showed the rate of decline increased after slowing in January.

"The tentative signs of recovery that had emerged in the closing months of 2011 as interest rates were lowered, appear to have dissipated since the start of this year," he said.

"With new orders also weak in February and with market interest rates now somewhat higher, the outlook for the next few months remains flat, particularly for commercial and residential construction."

Housing Industry Association (HIA) senior economist Andrew Harvey said the index showed the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision to cut the official interest rate by 25 basis points in November and again, by the same amount, in December had not been enough to halt the decline in the sector.

Read the rest here:
Construction activity slide continues

DANBURY -- The city's west side is already home to condominiums and apartment projects. Building has resumed at the long-dormant Rivington project.

And if things fall into place for Greenwich developer Paul Foley, there will be a new mixed-use center -- with a two-screen movie theater, a rehearsal space, retail shops, cafes, offices and dozens of loft apartments -- on Old Ridgebury Road.

"The people who live in Rivington won't have to drive down to Mill Plain Road," Foley said Wednesday of the busy, strip-mall-line thoroughfare that is the lifeline of the west side. "They'll be able to just stop here."

On Tuesday, Foley's project moved forward when the City Council voted 17-4 to approve selling 13 acres of city-owned land off Old Ridgebury Road for $3.2 million to Foley and his company, Greenwich Development Group.

Foley said he hopes to close on the property by June, and begin construction in the spring of 2013.

Foley told the council Tuesday that the project will be a mixed-use "lifestyle center," with each use complementing the others.

"There's nothing like it in the city," he said.

Foley said Wednesday the development will have a movie theater showing independent films. One part will have about 250 seats, a second will have 300 to 400 seats.

It will also have a rehearsal/performance space that could also be used for film production. Foley said while the developers will own this space, the city will have full use of it for free.

There will also be retail space for boutiques, offices, restaurants, and loft apartments that would appeal to young adults or couples or empty-nesters, rather than families. Foley said he was not sure how many of these units there will be in the development.

See the rest here:
Theater, lofts slated for city's west side

07-03-2012 12:47 When you need a general contractor in Farwell, MN, come to Lifetime Homes Inc. We have many years of experience providing an array of services such as Home Renovations, House Remodeling and much more. We have the resources necessary to get the job done right! We pride ourselves on our excellent service and our affordable rates. For a great service in Farwell, MN, call on Lifetime Homes Inc.

See the original post here:
General Contractor, Home Renovations in Farwell MN 56327 - Video

07-03-2012 13:15 suncoastsd.com Straightforward ad about your skills at helping customers remodel or refurbish their home, whether for a single room or several. New housing costs have you overwhelmed? Why not spruce up your existing home with help from the experts? With the proper skills, tools and experience, we specialize in a wide range of remodeling and renovation services. We work with you to create an exciting design, then our experienced and knowledgeable crews work quickly to complete the job to your satisfaction, while maintaining a high standard of excellence. Whether you want to remodel a single room or your entire home, call us today.

Go here to see the original:
Sun Coast Remodelers - Video

Lehigh Valley Health Network will be the anchor tenant of the six-story office building due to open next year as part of Allentown's hockey arena complex, according to sources.

Plans were unveiled last week for a 203,000-square-foot office building and 180-room hotel attached to the 8,500-seat hockey arena to be built at Seventh and Hamilton streets, but city officials would not reveal the hotel operator or the developer of the office complex.

However, four sources confirmed this week that City Center Investment Corp. will be the owner of the office complex, and that Lehigh Valley Health Network medical offices are expected to be its primary tenant.

Lehigh Valley Health Network spokesman Brian Downs said only that hospital officials have been discussing everything from sponsorship to marketing to medical offices involving the arena project.

"We've been discussing several opportunities to be part of the arena project, but nothing has been finalized," Downs said. "We would like to have an announcement sooner rather than later, but I can't confirm anything right now."

Owned by developers J.B. Reilly and Joe Topper, City Center was created last year to develop around the arena project. City Center Chief Operating Officer Jim Harbaugh echoed Downs' cautious tone, stressing that no deals have been signed.

"It would be great to have Lehigh Valley Hospital as a tenant," Harbaugh said. "But we can't talk about discussions while they are still in progress."

The sources, however, said that City Center has been chosen to own the proposed 200,000 office complex, and while several health care organizations have been considered to be part of a major sports medicine component of the hockey arena, Lehigh Valley Health Network is expected to become the building's anchor tenant.

Allentown is completing demolition of a square block of businesses between Hamilton and Linden streets and Seventh and Eighth streets. The on-site office building would face Hamilton Street; the onsite hotel would face Seventh Street.

The arena is scheduled to be home to the Philadelphia Flyers' top minor league hockey affiliate, the Phantoms, beginning in September 2013. City officials have said the cost of the hotel and office complex would be in addition to the $158 million cost of building the arena, and would be funded by private investors.

Read the rest here:
Sources: Allentown arena office complex to house LVH

SCHERTZ, Texas--Residents living in the Fairhaven subdivision have been asking builder Pulte to buy back their homes for awhile now.

They told News 4 WOAI they are concerned a retaining wall in their neighborhood could come tumbling down. "I feel this is unsafe, the wall is already starting to separate, " said homeowner Bruce Touve.

Neighbors said the cracks and separation along the retaining walls isn't sitting well with them.

"It's just a constant worry, you know what's going to happen when we get a huge storm, or huge down pour, is this all going to come crumbling down?, " said homeowner Priscilla Mendoza.

In a letter to News 4 WOAI, Pulte stated the wall is performing as designed. The letter went on to say "Fairhaven's retaining wall system uses the same design principals as the Texas Department of Transportation." Further more the wall was designed by a licensed professional engineer for that specific location.

Homeowners still don't feel the wall is safe, and want out of their homes.

Go here to read the rest:
Residents fear another retaining wall disaster

Posted: Wednesday, March 7, 2012 6:11 pm | Updated: 8:55 pm, Wed Mar 7, 2012.

Justice is on the move, literally, at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown.

County staff has been scrambling over the last several weeks to find temporary office space for six county judges after mold was found on the inside walls in the area where their offices are located.

"There is no immediate danger but we wanted to get the judges out so we can get rid of it as soon as possible," said Communications Director Frank X. Custer Jr., noting that this situation is yet another problem the new administration inherited from the prior administration and is trying to address in a timely fashion.

The six judges had complained about the air in the plaza section where their offices are located. Custer said he did not know the judges' specific complaints.

However, the new administration contracted with Accredited Environmental Technologies Inc., whose parent company already was on site doing studies in connection with the courthouse parking garage, to test the air quality. The testing cost $5,600.

"Tests found that the air is safe," said Custer.

There is no problem with the air quality and no particulates were found in the air, according to Custer.

But while on site, the testing company did discover mold on the inside of the walls of several of the offices, Custer said.

The county currently is soliciting emergency bids from companies to remediate the situation. The commissioners hope to award the contract at their meeting next week, he added.

View original post here:
Mold found in Montco courthouse