Chris Janson of MSA Professional Services and Ben Sandell of landscape architectural firm Confluence unfurled long topographic maps of downtown Burlington and the Highway 61 corridor across an array of rectangular conference tables at the public library Wednesday evening.

Armed with fistfuls of highlighters and colored sharpies, the two began crisscrossing the maps with lines and annotations as people filed into the conference room.

Tuesday and Wednesday saw Burlington's Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee out in force, holding four several-hour-long future land-use brainstorming sessions, which left Janson and Sandell's heads swimming with ideas.

"We covered just a massive amount of things in the past couple of days," Sandell said. "Good discussion on a lot of different points. We got feedback from everybody, and almost all the different angles were represented. I thought it was very productive."

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One workshop session was held Tuesday, with three more dominating the committee's time from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday The range of issues discussed spanned the minutiae of street-scape and signage design to the prospects of entire commercial and civic developments across the city.

"It's an elephant," said Don Traman. "You can only take a bite of it at a time. But there's different people to take different bites."

Traman serves on the flood protection committee for the Friends of the Depot. He said his personal priority for the city is to see the historic train depot revitalized. While he understands there are a variety of other areas the city must prioritize and plan for, he doesn't think he or other residents of Burlington should shutter their visions of the community's future for the sake of practicality.

"Get your vision, and let it run wild," Traman said. "You can always cut back on your vision."

Florence Paterno of Downtown Partners agreed with Traman.

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Ideas fuel city planning

SHIPPENSBURG -- The restoration and return of a Shippensburg University landmark will be celebrated with a rededication ceremony at 4 p.m. Saturday.

After a three-month restoration, the fountain in front of Old Main returned home in April. Originally dedicated in 1896, it was a gift from that year's class. This year's dedication ceremony will mirror that of its predecessor.

"It's going to be kind of interesting," said Tim Ebersole, executive director of university relations. "We looked at the original program from 1896 when the class dedicated (the fountain). We're going to have people that represent the people that were there."

Participating will be SU President Bill Ruud, master of ceremonies; B. Michael Shaw, SU Council of Trustees; Krista Williams, Council of Trustees student representative; Franklin County Commissioner Bob Thomas; Shippensburg Mayor Bruce Hockersmith; Kelly Atland, immediate past president of the alumni association; and Jonathan Michael, a student, said Pete Gigliotti, communications director at SU Each participant will represent the person in that position in 1896, Gigliotti said. For example, the fountain song and SU alma mater were sung in the past ceremony; this time around, Atland will recite the song and Michael will sing the alma mater.

An iconic landmark and most popular photo backdrop on the campus, the fountain's absence from campus for restoration this winter left a kind of void.

"When they took out the basin and there was

The fountain was disassembled and sent to Robinson Iron in Alabama in late January.

A team of companies led by Kreilick Conservation LLC, Orland, oversaw the renovation. The conservation company is partnered with Robinson Iron and Outerspaces, a Pennsylvania-based landscape architectural firm.

The project included putting down new concrete, relaying some of the original stones and then constructing a new basin. The fountain was returned in April and is now up and running.

The fountain was last renovated in the early 1960s. It has received regular painting and maintenance since it was first installed.

Excerpt from:
Shippensburg University's historic fountain being rededicated Friday in ceremony copying 1896 event

PASADENA - A classic 1963 mural of the first Rose Parade painted by famed Claremont artist Millard Sheets is coming home.

More than two years after it was taken down from the former Home Savings lobby on Colorado Boulevard in a Chase Bank corporate makeover, the entire 50-foot mural is expected to be installed in the lobby of Pasadena City College's Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium this summer.

"It's been restored, and it looks fantastic," said Tony Sheets, Millard Sheets' son, himself a noted artist.

"What we agreed to is I'm gifting it to the city of Pasadena so that ultimately they have control of its whereabouts," he said.

"As it stands right now, it's on a 25-year loan to PCC. They have a terrific

The 1963 mural of the first Rose Parade that famed artist Millard Sheets painted for Home Savings has been restored and will be installed at Pasadena City College's Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium. (Courtesy photo)

The donation's value is being "worked on" by appraisers, Sheets said.

Sheets, who runs the nonprofit Millard Sheets Center for the Arts at Fairplex in Pomona, said his main concern had been finding a place in Pasadena where the mural could be installed in a single sweep. Anything else was a "deal-breaker," he said.

That's what derailed an earlier proposal to install the colorful mural at the Pasadena Convention Center, Sheets said: the mural would have had to be "broken up in pieces" to accommodate doors, among other problems, he said.

Joe Futtner, PCC's interim dean of visual arts and media studies, said the mural is a great addition to the campus.

Link:
New home finally found for Millard Sheets' historic Rose Parade mural

General News of Thursday, 31 May 2012

Source: Daily Graphic

A government report has revealed that public officers at the Lands Commission, the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Town and Country Planning Department designed various illegal schemes to allocate government bungalows and parcels of land to politicians, government officials and their friends, without Cabinet approval and direction.

According to the report, the first phase of the Cabinet-approved allocation of government bungalows for redevelopment took place between 2000 and 2003.

However, at the time of operating the redevelopment programme, other schemes targeting government bungalow plots were also being operated outside the Cabinet-approved scheme.

The illegal schemes were operated by public officers at the Lands Commission, the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Town and Country Planning Department, it said.

Giving a background to the redevelopment scheme which was initiated in 1998 by the Rawlings administration and continued by the Kufuor administration, the report, excerpts of which are available to graphic.com.gh said the government targeted the redevelopment of plots of land with government bungalows in the prime areas of Ridge, Cantonments, Kanda, the Switchback Road and the Airport Residential Area.

Most of the bungalows were put up in the 1940s and 1950s and were in deplorable states.

To guide the execution of the redevelopment project, it said, the Cabinet, in 2000, discussed and approved a fair and transparent competitive bidding process.

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Public Servants Illegally Allocated Government Property - Report

GARNER A design proposal to remodel and expand the 1978 Garner Public Library would cost approximately $2 million, Garner library and city officials learned Tuesday.

The report, by OPN Architects of Cedar Rapids, was presented to members of the City Council, library board and library building committee, City Administrator Randy Lansing said Wednesday.

The price tag for the remodeling and new additions would be $2,091,676.

With the two proposed additions, the library building, located at 416 State St., would be 9,100 square feet.

The cost estimate includes new construction, remodeling of the existing 6,100-square-foot building, all-new mechanical systems, design work and administration of the construction contract, Lansing said.

An 800-square-foot addition on the east end of the structure would house a large fireplace and lounging area for reading.

A 2,200-square-foot addition on the west end would house a kitchenette, public restrooms, staff area and conference room.

A large skylight and elevated ceiling are planned in the center of the building.

Areas to be remodeled include a young adult area, main collection and juvenile (childrens) collection, Lansing said.

The architectural report followed three days of meetings with the city in March to hear what citizens wanted for their library.

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Garner studies plan for library remodeling, expansion

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Asphalt shingles are a common roofing material - and a common waste in home repair projects. In fact, every year 10 million tons of shingles are torn off roofs in the U.S., and some estimates say shingles may account for up to 5 percent of total annual building-related waste.

Owens Corning (OC), a leading global producer of residential and commercial building materials and an industry leader in shingles recycling, and Earth911, Inc., host of the largest and most accurate recycling directory in the U.S., have partnered to help raise awareness about the environmental opportunities that shingles recycling presents and encourage more homeowners and contractors to get involved. Recycling shingles has a number of benefits:

We are excited to help bring shingle recycling to both consumers and contractors, said Barry Hornbacher, Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt Shingle Recycling program manager. Together with Earth 911 we have created a cost-effective and convenient solution that will reduce the environmental impact of installing a new roof.

Earth911.com now hosts a new Shingles Recycling page with expert-level resources to address crucial shingles recycling know-how. Earth911 and Owens Corning will also develop stories utilizing facts, tips and ideas to help readers improve their knowledge about shingles recycling.

Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt LLC is the first roofing manufacturer to establish a program for recycling shingles. Since the program began in 2009, more than 100,000 tons of shingles, or over 1000 miles of paved roads, have been recycled.

Throwing away millions of barrels of oil each year in the form of shingles is a waste of valuable resources, said Earth911 CEO Barry Monheit. Through our partnership with Owens Corning, well work to educate more homeowners about the potential environmental benefits of shingles recycling and make an impact on the demand for wider shingles recycling opportunities across the country.

Contractors can take the Preferred Contractor Shingle Recycling Pledge, connecting contractors with convenient recycling facilities. Currently there are 43 major cities with drop-off locations for shingles recycling, and the network is expanding to more locations across the U.S. Recently, the Shingle Recycling Pledge was also expanded to homeowners, who can commit to using only contractors who recycle shingles to make their own home repair projects more sustainable.

About Owens Corning

Owens Corning (OC) is a leading global producer of residential and commercial building materials, glass-fiber reinforcements and engineered materials for composite systems. A Fortune 500 company for 57 consecutive years, Owens Corning is committed to driving sustainability by delivering solutions, transforming markets and enhancing lives. Founded in 1938, Owens Corning is a market-leading innovator of glass-fiber technology with sales of $5.3 billion in 2011 and approximately 15,000 employees in 28 countries on five continents. Additional information is available at: http://www.owenscorning.com.

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What If All Shingles Were Recycled?

GLEN ALLEN, Va., May 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets announces the release of its latest report on the building-integrated PV (BIPV) market titled, "BIPV Roofing Markets". The report claims that the total market value for BIPV roofing products will reach $3.9 billion by 2016. NanoMarkets expects the market for today's overlay products (a.k.a. building-attached PV) to grow strongly but sees the market for more fully integrated BIPV roofing panels as presenting the largest long-term opportunity. The report stresses that this opportunity is available not just to the traditional PV industry but also to the roofing products industry.

Additional details about the report are available at: http://nanomarkets.net/market_reports/report/bipv_roofing_markets_2012.

About the Report:

This report provides in-depth market analysis of the BIPV roofing industry, examining the ways that BIPV roofing can enable new business revenues at a time when both the construction and PV industries are seeing hard times. Coverage in this report comprises BIPV roofing overlays, rigid BIPV roofing (e.g., BIPV tiles), flexible BIPV roofing (e.g., BIPV shingles) and monolithically integrated BIPV roofing products.

This report also contains granular forecasts in both value and volume (MW and square meter) terms, with breakouts by PV technology, type of building, retrofit vs. new construction, and geographical region. The report also examines the strategies of firms active in the BIPV roofing including: 3S Swiss Systems, Atlantis Energy, Dyesol, GE, Global Solar, Lumeta, Sharp, Solarcentury, Soltecture, SunPower, Suntech Tata Steel and Xunlight.

Findings from the Report:

NanoMarkets projects the BIPV roofing sector at $3.9 billion in revenues in the year 2016, with these revenues fairly equally divided between the overlay, rigid and flexible sectors. The monolithically integrated BIPV roofing market will by then only just have begun to emerge.

BIPV roofing overlays are a mature technology that offers a way to deploy PV that is often easier to install and maintain than conventional PV and represent an attractive product diversification for the roofing products industry. By 2016, NanoMarkets estimate that revenues from BIPV roofing overlays will amount to $1.1 billion.

Of the 160 MW of BIPV roofing products that will ship in 2012, NanoMarkets believes almost 90 percent will be accounted for by crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV technology. By 2016, however, NanoMarkets anticipates that this number will fall to around 50 percent. The big winner at the expense of c-Si will be CIGS, which can be used to make lightweight PV that can be extensively deployed on roofs without the need for additional support.

NanoMarkets anticipates that in the near future, absorber materials such as CIGS and DSC, which can be created with coating or printing will be used to create "monolithically integrated" BIPV roofing panels. Such panels will offer power producing and roofing fabric functionalities that are as melded together as are printing, copying and scanning in an office "all-in-one." NanoMarkets expects such products to be on the market by 2014 and while there will be a lag time before significant revenues are achieved, the firm sees this type of BIPV product as the industry's long term direction.

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NanoMarkets Releases New Report on BIPV Roofing Markets, Sees $3.9 billion ($US) by 2016

NEW YORK, May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Residential Roofing Materials: The North American Market

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0157457/Residential-Roofing-Materials-The-North-American-Market.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Home_Building_and_Improvement

INTRODUCTION

STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The objective of this report is to provide business planners, investors, and other professionals with quantifiable market measurement and analysis that can help them formulate strategic business plans and make key investment decisions.

REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY

Residential roofing is a $5 billion industry in North America that defines the livelihood of more than 25,000 roofing contractors, thousands of employees who manufacture the products, and the distributors that carry these products. Although hard hit by the recent economic downturn, the industry remains a vital part of the economy and an important component in achieving and maintaining the American dream of home ownership.

This BCC study is a comprehensive reference work that defines and describes the industry. In preparation of this document, we have read, analyzed and condensed information from industry sources, trade literature, producer and distributor web sites and other reference material. The industry is diverse, creative and dynamic. The range of products currently on the market is very broad, far exceeding the ability of any sole distributor to stock and wider than most industry observers may be aware of. There are many smaller producers today that have the capability of growing into major brands tomorrow. Some of these future success stories will ride the wave of demand for new products such as building-integrated photo-voltaic (BIPV) roofing products that are increasingly finding their way into the mainstream of roofing alternatives.

SCOPE OF REPORT

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Residential Roofing Materials: The North American Market

After a horrendous April, Heath Bell and the Marlins have had something to shout about in May. (AP)

The Marlins began the season in April with the fanfare of a new ballpark, new uniforms, a garish home run sculpture and batch of marquee additions, but when manager Ozzie Guillens remarks about Fidel Castro struck a nerve both in Miami and inside the commissioners office, things quickly went south. The Marlins were just 8-14, mired in last place in the NL East when the calendar turned to May, but they reeled off a seven-game winning streak in the first week of the month, and thanks to a recent 8-3 run, their record this month is a major league best 21-8, for a .724 winning percentage. Via a just-completed three-game sweep of the Nationals, theyre now second in the division, one-half game behind Washington. If the season ended today, theyd host the Mets in the Wild Card game.

Dont start printing playoff tickets just yet, though. Though the Marlins are seven games above .500 at 29-22, theyve outscored opponents by only two runs, for a Pythagorean winning percentage of .505; in other words, theyre about three wins above expectations, the type of showing that tends to regress over the course of the season. During their 21-8 run, theyve outscored opponents 131-115, a balance that would be expected to produce a .559 winning percentage, or 16.2 wins in 29 games. In other words, theyve been playing way over their heads lately.

Theyve done so by winning the close ones, going 11-8 in one-run games, 7-3 in two-run games, and 2-5 in games decided by five runs or more. At 18-11 in games decided by two runs or less, their .621 winning percentage is fourth in the majors, and second in the league behind the Mets (16-6, .727). Their 29 close games is tied for third behind the Giants and Tigers at 30.

Again, such performances generally arent sustainable over the course of a full season. Last year, three teams finished with winning percentages above .600 in games decided by two runs or less, which was as many as the previous two seasons combined. From 2000 through 2011, just 21 teams have done so, around two per year. Such a frequency of close games generally wont last, either. The Marlins are on pace to play 92 such games, which would rank as the fourth-highest total since 2000. The record is held by Guillens world champion 2005 White Sox, who played 95 squeakers and went 61-34 (.642) in those games. Oddly enough, all five of the other teams who played at least 90 close games in a season had records below .500 in those games.

Sustaining such success in close games is hard because it usually comes down to clutch performances. Teams outdo their expected winning percentages (in terms of runs scored and runs allowed) by hitting or pitching especially well with runners on base or in scoring position, or in the tightest games what are generally referred to as high-leverage situations. For decades, sabermetricians have sought proof of the existence of clutch hitters players who routinely rise to the occasion and perform better and while anecdotally, fans tend to remember the big hits by the likes of David Ortiz and Derek Jeter, nobody, not even Bill James, has proven their existence to the satisfaction of the general stathead community. Thats not to say that clutch hits dont exist they happen every day its just that predicting who will be clutch is something of a fools errand. The best players tend to hit the best, regardless of the circumstances.

Clutch pitching is a bit of a different story, because managers have more control over how they deploy their relievers, particularly their best ones. They can bring them in to face the top hitters, whereas managers usually dont have a pinch-hitter better than their other hitters waiting in reserve, and they cant alter the order in which their players bat in big situations. Additionally, top closers such as Mariano Rivera tend to allow fewer hits on balls in play, seemingly in defiance of what weve learned over the past decade about the extent to which pitchers can control such outcomes.

So how are the Marlins doing it? Not with the wood in their hands; their batters are hitting a meager .233/.333/.344 with runners in scoring position, which in term of OPS ranks 11th, and is neither as good as their overall .246/.316/.381 line nor the NL average with runners in scoring position of .243/.334/.382. In high leverage situations, the Marlins are batting .249/.332/.398, which isnt significantly better than the league average of .254/.331/.392; their 730 OPS ranks eighth.

To the extent that one can put a finger on it, those close wins owe more to the pitching staff. Marlins pitchers have yielded a .232/.339/.334 line with runners in scoring position, compared to the NL average of .246/.337/.385; that resulting 673 OPS ranks fifth in the league, while the five home runs theyve yielded are tied for second. On the other hand, in high leverage situations the ones that have the greatest impact upon win expectancy, which generally arrive in the late innings when the number of outs is dwindling theyve yielded a .262/.339/.382 line, very close to to the NL average of .255/.331/.392; that resultant 722 OPS ranks 10th in the league.

Another way of looking at pitching performance under such circumstances is through Baseball Prospectus Fair Run Average stat. FRA expresses the number of runs allowed per nine innings after dividing up the responsibility when a pitcher departs with men on base by taking into account the run expectancy of the situation, the expected yield given the number of outs and the location of baserunners. It does away with the distinction between earned and unearned runs scaling about nine percent higher than ERA, pegged to the league scoring rate and adjusts for the quality of defensive support received. Furthermore, it credits the pitchers sequencing (a walk issued with the bases empty is less costly than one with the bases loaded) and his ability to get groundballs and infield popups, which come in handier with men on base.

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Miami's Magnificent May

ReelzChannel Unveils More Original Programming

Another Epic Mini-Series, a Docu-Series and a Scripted Drama All Join the Lineup

A Story Rooted in the Bible, Pawn Stories From the Rich and Famous and a 1940s War-Time Drama

(Albuquerque, NM) Wednesday, May 30, 2012 - ReelzChannel - TV About Movies(R), telling big stories with big stars in major television events, today announced that additions to its programming lineup which begins this fall will feature another monumental mini-series, a docu-series and a scripted series.

The mini-series Barabbas will take viewers on a journey of biblical proportions continuing the story of the man whose life was spared by the decision to crucify Jesus Christ. To be shot on location in Tunisia, this sweeping epic will pick up where the Bible left off, following Barabbas in a powerful story of redemption. Beverly Hills Pawn is the first series born out of the network's development deal with Asylum Entertainment announced last May and is the docu-series that goes inside the world of an extraordinary pawn shop where Hollywood's elite go for quick cash. Beverly Hills Pawn revolves around shop owner Yossi Dina - a master businessman and former army captain who runs his luxury shop with an iron fist and is known for his savvy negotiating and his superior taste. The scripted drama Bomb Girls, starring Oscar(R)-nominee and Golden Globe(R)-winner Meg Tilly, takes place during World War II and captures a period when society was experiencing fundamental changes in the workplace and at home. At the heart of Bomb Girls are the stories of women who risk their lives in a munitions factory in support of the European front. Liberated from social and cultural restrictions, they embrace their newfound freedom, changing their lives - and the world around them - forever. Bomb Girls marks the network's second original series premiere with Muse Entertainment Enterprises, the first being the Emmy(R)-winning The Kennedys.

"REELZ is a network on the move with year to year prime time growth that no cable network could top. We're excited keep investing in our momentum for the benefit of our viewers, advertisers and distributors, packing our fall schedule with big stories, compelling and unforgettable characters and our first foray into reality programming," said Stan E. Hubbard CEO of ReelzChannel.

These three new series join the previously announced eight-part mini-series Ken Follett's World Without End, the second season of Steven Seagal's True Justice and the spy thriller series XIII which premieres Friday, June 29th. Fall also marks the return of the mini-series that started it all - The Kennedys. Boasting an all-star cast led by Emmy(R)-nominee Greg Kinnear as John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Barry Pepper who won the Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie for his portrayal of Robert F. Kennedy, The Kennedys also features powerful performances from Katie Holmes as Jacqueline Kennedy and Emmy-nominated Tom Wilkinson OBE as Joseph Kennedy, Sr. Nominated for 10 Emmy Awards, the mini-series won a total of four as well as three Gemini Awards, a History Makers International Award, a Directors Guild of America Award and a New York Festivals International TV & Film Grand Trophy Award. The Kennedys is a Muse Entertainment Enterprises production in association with Asylum Entertainment.

Added Hubbard, "With each new series, we'll showcase our network's TV About Movies approach with more original programming to take viewers behind the scenes of our series, into the careers of the casts and creators and deep into the vast world of movies that are inspired by the timeless intrigue of politics and religion, the lives of the rich and famous, and life during wartime."

REELZ unveils more original programming:

Mini-Series

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ReelzChannel Unveils More Original Programming