Saturday, April 28, 2012

MAYOR Mauricio Domogan appealed anew to Malacaang for the immediate release of the P80 million rehabilitation fund of the collapsed Irisan dumpsite retaining wall.

The mayor said he took advantage of the presence of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo during the dialogue conducted by the DILG on the SM City Baguio issue.

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Domogan said the city hopes to receive the fund as soon as possible to implement the rehabilitation work before the onset of the rainy season to avoid further untoward incident in the area.

The mayor said President Benigno Aquino III issued a memorandum to declare Baguio City along with Boracay as national asset and historical heritage sites and the city can use this to justify the release of the fund.

We hope that with the Presidents good intention for our city, Malacaang will see the urgency and the necessity of releasing the fund to help us rehabilitate the dumpsite, Domogan said.

The mayor earlier admitted being apprehensive the fund will not make it in time before the typhoon season.

I really hope the release of this fund will not drag on knowing the situation at the dumpsite which still poses risk especially if the retaining wall will not be repaired before the rainy season, he said.

The retaining wall collapsed at the height of a typhoon in August last year causing a trash slide that killed five persons and buried houses along Asin Road.

Link:
Mayor appeals anew for release of dumpsite fund

Posted: Apr. 28, 2012 | 2:05 a.m.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, Ryland Homes plans to celebrate the grand opening of its new Maravilla Courtyards in Mountain's Edge, a master-planned community in the southwest.

The new-home community features two-story homes with rooftop decks.

"This is a completely unique concept and one we know new-home shoppers will like," said Mara Glaser, sales agent at Maravilla Courtyards. "Each of the three floor plans offered include an option for a rooftop deck. They are incredibly flexible, giving homeowners the option to use them for cooking, entertaining, sunbathing and peaceful relaxation."

During today's event, home shoppers are invited to stop by for a free lunch from noon to 3 p.m. and tours of the model homes. There also will be special activities, including a children's planting station with Star Nursery and entertainment. Event sponsors include Star Nursery, Xyience, Furniture Market, Pizza Hut, Evergreen Recycling and Sweet Glory Cupcakes. Prize drawings will be held for items including a flat-screen television.

Maravilla Courtyards offers three floor plans ranging from 1,852 to 2,157 square feet with prices starting at $154,990. The floor plans include such appointments as rooftop decks, two master suites and three-car parking.

Among the highlights of Maravilla Courtyards' location is its proximity to the newest park opened at Mountain's Edge. The 20-acre Nathaniel Jones Park includes a lighted basketball court, tot lot with shade structure, children's water play area with splash pad, turf areas, walking trails and shade structures. The park incorporates the natural terrain to complement design and to conserve water.

"This beautiful park is so close to Maravilla that some of our guests think the neighborhood has its own 20-acre park." Glaser said. "It is certainly lovely to see from the rooftop decks at our model homes and all of the neighborhoods' rooftop decks will look over either the parks, lights of the city or other natural areas surrounding Mountain's Edge."

Maravilla Courtyards showcases two of its three floor plans as model homes. Plan 2144 includes three bedrooms, 2 baths and a two-car garage with 2,144 square feet of living space.

"This home is extremely flexible," Glaser said. "It can be built with up to five bedrooms or with a dual master bedroom option. The front door also opens midway between the first and second floors, with the great room, dining room and kitchen all located on the second floor."

See the original post here:
Ryland To Host Grand Opening Today

By MARK LAW

Staff writer

STEUBENVILLE - The Jefferson County commissioners Thursday approved the formation of a countywide port authority, two days after Steubenville City Council gave its OK.

A port authority is an economic development tool, capable of using eminent domain powers, issuing bonds and generating money through assessments for infrastructure for economic development projects.

The city had a port authority and council voted to abolish it to make room for the countywide port authority.

The county and city will each have four appointments to the port authority, with the county's Regional Planning Commission naming a member. There will be no elected officials on the port authority.

County Commissioner Thomas Graham said the port authority is a "major accomplishment" for the entire county. He said it will take time for the port authority to get going, but he believes it will be best for economic development throughout the county.

"It is an excellent step in the journey for the community to take on economic development," said county Commissioner David Maple.

He added all the prior organizations in the county pushing economic development were positive steps to improving the economic outlook for the county.

County Commissioner Tom Gentile said the creation of the countywide port authority has "been quite a task." with the Community Improvement Corp. and Progress Alliance all meeting to discuss the issue over time.

Continued here:
Port authority creation done

Residents in the rural, disadvantaged Menifee community of Quail Valley were given some words of encouragement recently from officials hoping to replace their failing septic tanks with a full-blown sewer system.

"I'm more optimistic than some people but I'm hoping that within five years, we'll see construction on a new sewer system here," said Ron Sullivan, a board member with the Eastern Municipal Water District. "But we have to be patient when we're working with state and federal funding sources."

Sullivan was among the handful of speakers to address a crowd of about 45 Quail Valley residents earlier this month at Quail Valley Elementary School. In separate English- and Spanish-speaking sessions, residents listened intently as officials updated them on the progress of installing sewer connections to about 1,460 Quail Valley homes.

"Rumors go around that nothing is happening and that's not the case," Sullivan said. "There is more going on than what people realize."

Quail Valley has long had a problem with failing septic tanks and drainage systems, especially during heavy rains. Most of the homes were built decades ago for part-time residents, but now are occupied by families that live there year-round.

During rainy seasons, homeowners have found their underground drain fields swollen by rain, which has pushed up household wastes into their yards. The bacteria-laden water drains downhill toward Canyon Lake which, while it has a water treatment plant, is still is a drinking-water source for thousands of area residents.

The problem is so bad that a building moratorium is in place until sewers can be installed.

Several agencies have tried to get funding for a sewer system, but so far they've secured only enough to design a portion of the overall plan.

Estimates in 2005 indicated it would take about $45 million to $65 million to complete the overall project, according to Armando Arroyo, a civil engineer with the Eastern Municipal Water District.

But officials say the door may be open a little wider now that a similar $16 million project is nearly completed in the Enchanted Heights area of Perris.

View post:
MENIFEE: Quail Valley residents get sewer update

A house wrapped in black plastic, vehicles with expired tags or no tags sitting on local lots for months, and junk-cluttered front porches.

Butch Schmitz has had his fill of such scenes in the neighborhood that surrounds his home in the 500 block of Alston.

The Marysville resident came to City Council in late March and told members it was time to do something.

This isnt the first time that I have complained to local officials about this problem and it probably wont be the last, Schmitz told the council. Its high time that you do something about it other than just send out letters or issue citations. There are very few of you who would put up with this crap in your own neighborhoods for very long.

Were aware of them. Were working with the property owners, said City Administrator Rick Shain.

He said city inspector Dave Richardson has talked to the owners.

He tries to handle it on a personal basis and visit with them face to face before we take further action, Shain said.

Schmitz said earlier Monday that hed noted the plastic was removed from a nearby house. He hopes changes will continue.

I think one of those houses is coming down, Shain said of another nearby home that burned in a fire earlier this year and is now being cleared.

Shain said he would talk to the council about revising existing housing code to add new minimal standards for housing.

Read this article:
Marysville resident discusses concerns about neighborhood

St. Johns Lutheran Church has received a grant to build a permanent prayer labyrinth and garden, and the church wants it to belong to the community.

"A labyrinth isnt a religious symbol, its a spiritual symbol," said project lead

Shawn McGuire. "There would be no reason to walk in the labyrinth if theres no connection to spirit/self. Whatever ones religion or beliefs, walking the labyrinth clears the mind and gives insight."

The project has been in the planning stages for months but construction will be completed this weekend. It will be made of Tennessee field stone and liriope to outline the paths and half inch brown pea gravel to line the paths.

The labyrinth will include plants mixed into the design, an attached community garden and adjacent meditation area that will make the project not only unique to Jacksonville but the region, according to McGuire.

Other aspects of the project include a "Luther Rose" mural by the meditation area and a prayer for the wall of meditation garden. The only unfinished part may be the fountain. Also a local gardener will be adding more colorful and specialty plants over the next few months.

Volunteers are needed to help with construction, even if by laying just one brick. Show up from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Sunday. The church is at 1950 Silver St.

For more information, call McGuire at (904) 803-4103.

Heres more good news:

See more here:
This labyrinth will be inclusive, church says

Pastor Scott Youngblood stands next to the cross that will be hoisted on top of the new United Methodist Church in west Arlington. The building is being described as "tornado-proof," due to considerable reinforcement and extensive use of metal.

By PATRICK M. WALKER

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

ARLINGTON -- When a tornado threatened his construction site on April 3, Kevin Drake knew just where to seek sanctuary: inside the unfinished home of Trinity United Methodist Church.

Turns out, the 75,000-square-foot building on West Green Oaks Boulevard near Pioneer Parkway was spared a direct hit, although the site was showered with debris from the twister that hit a nearby nursing home and neighborhood.

With a framework of insulating concrete forms, the church will offer refuge against not only worldly temptations but also howling winds -- able to withstand the equivalent of a 15-foot two-by-four hitting it at 100 mph, according to testing done by the Wind Science and Engineering Center at Texas Tech University.

"This is one of the safest sites in Arlington," said Drake, construction manager for Fort Worth-based FPI Builders. "I would think it would fare very well" in a tornado.

Projects like Trinity's raise public awareness of tornado-resistant construction techniques and may lead to greater acceptance of them, said Ernst Kiesling, a professor of civil engineering at Texas Tech and executive director of the National Storm Shelter Association.

The 17 tornadoes that hit North Texas that afternoon caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage but took no lives. At the very least, Kiesling said, the outbreak should be a wake-up call for the need for more storm shelters, whether public buildings or reinforced rooms in a home, he said.

Originally posted here:
Sturdy Arlington church doubles as storm shelter

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - When a tornado threatened his construction site on April 3, Kevin Drake knew just where to seek sanctuary: inside the unfinished home of Trinity United Methodist Church.

Turns out, the 75,000-square-foot building on West Green Oaks Boulevard near Pioneer Parkway was spared a direct hit, although the site was showered with debris from the twister that hit a nearby nursing home and neighborhood.

With a framework of insulating concrete forms, the church will offer refuge against not only worldly temptations but also howling winds able to withstand the equivalent of a 15-foot two-by-four hitting it at 100 mph, according to testing done by the Wind Science and Engineering Center at Texas Tech University.

"This is one of the safest sites in Arlington," said Drake, construction manager for Fort Worth-based FPI Builders. "I would think it would fare very well" in a tornado.

Projects like Trinity's raise public awareness of tornado-resistant construction techniques and may lead to greater acceptance of them, said Ernst Kiesling, a professor of civil engineering at Texas Tech and executive director of the National Storm Shelter Association.

The 17 tornadoes that hit North Texas that afternoon caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage but took no lives. At the very least, Kiesling said, the outbreak should be a wake-up call for the need for more storm shelters, whether public buildings or reinforced rooms in a home, he said.

Government incentives, like mitigation grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, can also help, but funding is usually scarce.

Tarrant County, for example, received $400,000 in 2010 for homeowners to use on tornado safe rooms, and that money is long gone.

"My bottom line is that the (property owner) is the key person who decides what is going to go in," Kiesling said. "Waiting on the government to create incentives or adopt new standards is an unsure and complicated path that can take a long time.

"It's like wanting to win the lottery without buying a ticket."At Trinity, the new buildings are being constructed with insulating concrete forms, a technology that originated in Europe after World War II and has been slowly catching on in this part of the U.S., said Ann Crocker, the church building committee member who suggested the material.

Continue reading here:
Church to double as storm shelter

By Nia Calleja Philippine Daily Inquirer

PHOTO BY ARNOLD ALMACEN

Garbage in, garden delights out.

The Marikina City government since Monday has been churning out hundreds of paving blocks out of used styrofoam packaging and plastic wastes, in a project that shows how recycling can both protect and beautify the environment.

It only takes two workers, a shredder, and a styro-plastic densifier (a three-meter-high piece of equipment fed with raw materials through a cylindrical mouth), to turn trash into two-inch thick blocks durable enough for parks, indoor flooring, or sidewalks.

Apart from providing the city government with an alternative source of construction materials, the project can help reduce Marikinas garbage output and its P30-million annual budget for collecting and hauling household waste to a landfill in Rodriguez, Rizal province.

The shredder and densifier were acquired by the city government for P400,000 under a project dubbed From Wastes to Landscape.

The savings the city will get and the benefits to the environment will definitely surpass the cost of acquiring the technology, according to Oliver Villamena, the assistant city environmental officer.

PHOTO BY ARNOLD ALMACEN

The recipe is quite simple: For every 20 kilos of styrofoam and a corresponding amount of used cooking oil, the machines can produce at least 21 blocks.

See more here:
Marikina turns junk styros into patios

In todays Weekend section, one of the Posts foreign correspondents, Emily Wax, is your guide to the areas many markets selling international food and products. She found everything from bamboo salt toothpaste to authentic naan at store shelves near you.

Our picks for the best events this weekend include a Parisian market in Georgetown, the Sweetlife Food and Music Festival and the annual croquet match between St. Johns College and the Naval Academy.

Speaking of the Sweetlife Food and Music Festival, one of the headliners, Avicii, is one of the biggest stars in electronic dance music, which places him amongst the worlds biggest rock stars these days. Read about his rise to the top. Also see record reviews of rockabilly singer Nanci Griffith, bluegrass group Dailey & Vincent, indie-folkers Good Old War and progressive bluegrass group Punch Brothers.

Also in todays issue of Weekend:

Fritz Hahn takes a look at the new Town Hall, which features a biggger dining room, bigger kitchen, bigger bar and a new courtyard patio.

If the idea of sitting out and enjoying a nice meal or a drink on a patio is enticing, see our picks for the best patios for a long lunch.

What happens when you mix a blue singer with no theater experience and Shakespeare? You get an Old West take on The Taming of the Shrew, beginning Tuesday at Folger Theatre.

D.O.L.L.: DIWO OPNSRC LMFAO LHOOQ, the acronym-heavy exhibit at Artisphere, features interactive and high-tech art that ranges from brilliant to banal.

Get the latest movie reviews, including the new Jason Segel romantic comedy The Five-Year Engagement and John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe in The Raven.

Read more:
International markets, Avicii at Sweetlife and best patios for a long lunch: Weekend update