The former owner of Columbia Park Golf Course plans to build an office building and a restaurant just off Columbia Center Boulevard with some of the $2.46 million he earned in a lawsuit settlement with the city of Kennewick.

Gary Long Jr. has requested permits to build a 9,500-square-foot office complex and a 4,000-square-foot restaurant at 901 N. Colorado St., where the Tri-City Development Council, or TRIDEC, used to have its offices.

Nick Kovarik, Long's attorney, said construction could begin this summer if the site plan permits are done in time.

The site includes a strip of land that Long got from the city in May 2010 to resolve a second dispute with the city over taking back the golf course and reimbursing him for his long-term investments in the course.

The settlement approved was separate from Long's breach of contract lawsuit over developing the golf course amenities to include an RV park.

At the time, the city council agreed to give Long the strip of land in a 6-1 vote, with Councilman John Hubbard opposed. The agreement gave Long $250,000 in cash and a quit claim deed to the strip of land where the Toyota Center sign is located, said Kovarik, who is based in Spokane.

That strip will provide more spaces for parking for Long's new buildings. The marquee sign will remain in place.

"We plan to have landscaping all along Columbia Center Boulevard with trees," Kovarik said.

Long's two new buildings also will require removing a pork chop-shaped island at the intersection and repositioning of the light signals, which Kovarik said will make a safer intersection.

He declined to give more details on the plans for the buildings.

Read more:
Man to use lawsuit proceeds to build office complex, eatery

Residents of the Bishops Landing subdivision off Route 139 can see the tombstones from their back porches.

From some of the townhouses in the complex, the cemetery cant be more than 40 or 50 feet away.

So when bacterial contamination started to show up in the developments wells, people started to, as one town official put it, put two and two together.

The implication is gruesome, but state and local officials wont say directly that the cemetery is responsible for the contamination.

But whats certain is that the water in the wells is no good, and Bishops Landing residents will be footing the bill for the fix.

The 23-unit complex had been using a four-well water system for more than 20 years that was never registered with the state, a Department of Environmental Protection spokesman said last week.

The system is too close to, in addition to the graveyard, Route 139 and the paved access road to the cemetery all sources of potential groundwater contamination, officials say.

Health Agent Sandra Gabriel said she got a call from state Department of Environmental Protection in July of 2010 saying that E.coli bacteria had been found in the water.

There have been quite a number (of tests) with total coliform bacteria in the water, said Ed Coletta of the DEP.

Gabriel went to the development to advise residents to boil water before drinking it. She said the Board of Health has been working closely with the neighbors.

More:
Are cemetery bodies polluting Stoughton wells?

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

PARISHIONERS of the Beato Pedro Calungsod church in Barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City celebrated the last beatification anniversary of their patron saint yesterday.

The church, located on a hill, was filled to capacity with local devotees and residents from nearby villages.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, who led the concelebrated mass, said the weather 12 years ago in Rome was fair just like the weather yesterday.

Our celebration today is joyful, he said, referring to the coming canonization of Calungsod on Oct. 21.

Palma reminded the people in his homily to follow the example of the Visayan martyr, who was beatified by Blessed Pope John Paul II in Rome on March 5, 2000.

Faith

He said Pope Benedict XVI has declared the year 2012 as a Year of Faith. The Catholic Church also marks the 50th year since the Second Vatican Council was convened and the 20th year since the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

This year, we hope that we give importance to faith, he said.

Excerpt from:
Parish rushes to prepare Calungsod church

By Stefanie Bainum sbainum@abcnews4.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) A downtown Reverend calls it a sign from above, tons of rain and little flooding at the Crosstown this past weekend. The Crosstown construction project has been underway for a few months and it already seems to be working.

This past Sunday was different than any other for Revered Randolph Miller and the parish of Nichols Chapel A.M.E Church.

"I said oh God it rained all night last night' and I wondered how will it be this morning because normally when that happened we would not have church on Sunday morning because the water would be so high," said Revered Randolph Miller. "I called one of my parishioners and she said, Pastor there is no water, come on to church'."

It's an answered prayer for many in the West Side area of downtown Charleston, as memories of flooded streets remain high.

"Then there was a time we were in the church and the water would start rising so highit would be in the cars," Reverend Miller said.

Reverend Miller has been a game player in the flooding project-- accompanying Mayor Joe Riley to the State Infrastructure Bank meeting last year to ask for the 88 million dollars to complete the Crosstown flooding project.

"I talked to them about being Moses and the flooding of the waters and Joshua crossing the Red Sea, and it looks to me that they heard me."

The bank granted the City of Charleston the funding last month.

"It's all worth it for what we received this morning,I will take it anytime," Reverend Miller said.

Read the rest here:
Church celebrates Crosstown flooding project

Church's plan for solar park blocked by red tape

The government has hit back at claims by the Church of Greece that its plans to build a solar park have been caught up in red tape by saying that the intended site is actually public land, which is due to be reforested.

State authorities challenge the ownership rights that the Pendeli Monastery claims to have, the Environment Ministry said in a statement, which added that church officials have been informed that the land in question is listed as public forestland.

A prerequisite for the investment to go ahead is for the ownership issue to be settled, said the ministry.

The statement goes on to say that even if the ownership issue is resolved in favor of the monastery, which is located in northern Athens, then the question of whether the site in question is located is forestland also needs to be settled.

The ministry said that the state had listed the area to be reforested following several wildfires between 1998 and 2009. Once land is set aside for reforestation, the law prevents any construction from taking place. However, this rule has been broken repeatedly in the past.

The Environment Ministry went on to point out that the monastery has not applied for a license to build on the land, suggesting that the Church may have been looking for favorable treatment from the government.

A spokesman for the Church told Kathimerini on Monday that Archbishop Ieronymos had been encouraged to proceed with the plans for a solar park by previous Prime Minister George Papandreou and current Premier Lucas Papademos.

Meanwhile, Ombudsman Calliope Spanou on Monday gave a deposition to financial prosecutor Grigoris Peponis in connection to the rents paid by her organization. Peponis has launched an investigation into the rents paid by state bodies.

The Ombudsmans rent for offices owned by the Vatopedi Monastery, which is located on Mount Athos, is about 100,000 euros a month. Spanou said she has been asking since last year for the rent to be reduced but the governments Land Service, which is responsible for the negotiations, has failed to deliver yet.

View post:
Church's plan for solar park blocked by red tape

CEBU, Philippines - Blessings keep pouring in for the couple whose faith and generosity made possible the rising of the first church dedicated to Visayan Martyr and soon to be canonized Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

The Blessed Pedro Calungsod Parish in Barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City, celebrated its sixth founding anniversary yesterday since the parish was established in Mar, 5, 2006.Yesterday was also the twelfth anniversary of his beatification.

The church, still half-complete, started only as a nipa hut in 2005 until it gradually improved into a concrete structure through the efforts of couple Servillano and Josephine Mapeso and several other benefactors that include mostly the residents of the barangay.

The lot where the Blessed Pedro Calungsod Parish now stands was donated by the Mapeso family to the Archdiocese of Cebu through a deed of donation signed by former Cebu archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and the Mapeso couple in November 17, 2003.

Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Russel Sungcad said the church still has a long way to go especially on the roofing, ceiling, electrical wiring, the parking area, the rectory, the belfry and the landscaping.

After the canonization of our Blessed Pedro Calungsod in Rome, all celebration will be focused here. We hope that by November or December, our Archbishop can do the consecration of our beloved Parish, Sungcad said.

The existence of this church is another miracle from Blessed Calungsod because it has come into this state even with only meager resources and budget, Sungcad said.

The Blessed Pedro Calungsod Parish has now organized 16 communities and supervised 32 chapels. It covers five surrounding barangays.Sungcad recalled how the people have helped one another to gradually improve the structure. The structure is designed by Architect Servillano Mapeso, the donor of the lot.

The Mapeso family donated one hectare of their 13-hectare property in Cantabaco, Toledo City to the Archdiocese of Cebu when Msgr. Gerardo Jumao-as and Fr. Michael Hisoler came to them looking for a lot where to possibly build a house of God.

The priests offered to buy the one-hectare lot which was valued at over P1 million at the time.

Read more from the original source:
The church that rose from faith

By Stacy Lange

5:07 p.m. EST, March 5, 2012

Members of the church who outgrew their old church are in the middle of building a new one.

Methodist Pastor Jean-Pierre Duncan said when four struggling churches in and around Newton Township merged four years ago a church was just a distant dream.

"The four churches, they wanted to do together what they couldn't do separately. They didn't have very strong Sunday schools in each of the churches," said Pastor Duncan.

Construction at the new Countryside Community Church is well underway. A few hundred members of the four merged congregations raised almost $3 million build the new church.

When finished, the new sanctuary that looks out on to Newton Ransom Boulevard, will seat twice as many members as their current building less than a mile down the road.

Since the merger, church members said they have been running out of room in the current building and there are a few other problems. Members have to cross a busy road to get to services on Sunday.

"The point of our churches coming together was to build our church and reach out to the whole community so we're building a church to invite our entire community to join us," said church member Keith Eckel.

He and other members launched a capital campaign and raised almost all of the money necessary to complete the new building. In a struggling economy, members said they were worried this project would never get off the ground.

Continue reading here:
New Church Nearing Completion

POSTED: 11:03 pm CST March 4, 2012UPDATED: 11:04 pm CST March 4, 2012 The Islamic Center of St. Joseph soon wont be the only house of worship on its block.Right across the street, at 2407 Messanie St., rises the frame for what will be Heritage Church, according to documents from the city.City Planner Dustin Smith noted that work began on the building within the past couple of weeks. Plans for it went through the City Council and the planning commission last fall.In keeping with the characteristics of the buildings around it, the church is required to have a brick or stone facade and to be close to the front of the property line. Another red-brick building on the property will be removed.Once complete, Heritage Church will measure about 1,700 square feet.Were still kind of in the process of determining occupancy, Mr. Smith said, adding that for the time being, maximum capacity is set at 48.A representative from the church declined to be interviewed.Erin Wisdom can be reached at erin.wisdom@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SJNPWisdom. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.blog comments powered by

Go here to see the original:
Construction begins on Heritage Church

The developer rehabilitating two once-prominent Hornell apartment buildings is hoping work will start this month.

Hewan Fraser, co-founder and general manager of the Bronx-based IronShore Property Management, said he hasnt picked an exact date for foundation work on the apartment at 1 Prindle Ave. to start, but believes it will be this month.

For me, Ive got the guys on call waiting to go to work, he said. The swing in temperature is too much right now. It could be the high 40s, then it could be the low 30s.

Fraser was initially hoping the first apartment building would be finished by Christmas of 2011. Surveys and environmental reviews caused delays, though, and Fraser is still waiting to receive the official permit from the city.

He doesnt expect any hold-ups with the permit, meaning all he has to wait for is a stretch of consistently warm weather.

Hopefully well get going as soon as possible, he said. Im anticipating getting the buildings done this year.

Construction will start with the building at 1 Prindle Ave., which will hold six three-bedroom apartments.

Fraser said once the occupancy of the first building is 75 to 90 percent filled, Maple City Savings, which loaned the majority of the funds for the project, will allow work on the second building to start.

The second apartment building is expected to house six two-bedroom apartments.

In addition to foundation repairs, new electric and plumbing systems and flooring will be installed.

Go here to see the original:
Bronx-based developer hoping Hornell project will start in March

Nationwide Flooring Program Highlights Riverstone's Focus on Exemplary Service, Premium Pricing, and Streamlined Operations

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) March 05, 2012

"In the multifamily industry, flooring products including carpeting, vinyl, hardwood, tile, and stone play a major role in determining property value and operational efficiency," stated David Denslow, Riverstone's senior vice president of national maintenance and purchasing. "Shaw's consistent production of high-quality flooring materials reflects the importance Riverstone places on property performance, curb appeal, and client and resident satisfaction."

Riverstone's new flooring affiliation brings many benefits to its clients. By committing to an exclusive partnership with Shaw, Riverstone was able to negotiate industry-leading prices for its properties on carpet and hard flooring products, helping to significantly reduce overall expenses. In addition, Shaw is committed to sourcing sustainable products that reduce waste and preserve resources, complementing Riverstone's desire to incorporate environmental stewardship into its property operations wherever possible.

In conjunction with its exclusive agreement with Shaw, Riverstone has selected two national flooring installers to participate in the overall program: Criterion Brock and the flooring division of Sherwin Williams. By working with a select group of thoroughly vetted professionals, Riverstone guarantees increased efficiency in communication between Shaw and the installers, paving the way for enhanced customer service and higher installation quality.

For MarySusan Wanich, chief operating officer at Riverstone, the company's partnerships with a renowned flooring manufacturer and dedicated installation experts underscore the core of its service philosophy.

"Our business relationships with Shaw, Criterion Brock, and Sherwin Williams are predicated on our shared belief that high-caliber materials are essential in creating unequaled living experiences for residents and exemplary value for clients," declared Wanich. "We are energized at the prospect of partnering with these companies, all of which share our commitment to improving asset integrity and growth."

About Riverstone Residential Group

Riverstone Residential Group, one of the largest third-party multifamily apartment management companies in the United States, is focused exclusively on the delivery of unparalleled property management as well as resident and ancillary services. Riverstone's core service groups include accounting, affordable housing, compliance and property audits, information technology, risk management, human resources, marketing and education, purchasing, and regional maintenance. Ancillary service groups include utility management services, resident screening and receivables management services, client and resident insurance, telecom services, and financial advisory services. The company manages a portfolio of multifamily assets valued at more than $15 billion for leading institutions, pension funds, developers and other major owners. Located in metropolitan markets across the nation, the more than 680 managed apartment properties include high-rise, mid-rise, and garden-style communities in conventional, affordable and receivership assets. The company is headquartered in Dallas, TX. For additional information, visit http://www.RiverstoneRes.com or e-mail ClientServices(at)RiverstoneRes(dot)com.

Susan Morrow smorrow@morrowpr.com 214-632-2711 Email Information

Originally posted here:
Riverstone Residential Group Announces Exclusive Partnership with Shaw Floors