12-06-2012 00:52 Contact us : Call us now : 720-366-1512 Website : Meiers Mechanical (M and M Heating & Air-conditioning) has been in business for over 14 years and is family owned and operated in Longmont, Colorado. We specialize in Furnace Installation, Furnace Repair, Air Conditioning Installation, Air Conditioning Repair. We service all brands, including Trane and Carrier. We install and service furnaces, A units humidifiers and all over HVAC components for Longmont, Boulder, Erie, Broomfield, Loveland, Lyons, Frederick, Johnstown and Fort Collins. We also offer 24/7 emergency service. Call us today!

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M and M Heating and Air Conditioning - Video

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - Saving money on electric bills just got a lot easier for homeowners interested in adding insulation to their attic and reducing their home's heating and cooling costs.

Attic Armor insulation from Fi-Foil Company, a product designed using advanced Gas Filled Panel (GFP) insulation technology, combines insulation R-value with radiant barrier performance to provide an easy to install do-it-yourself project.

GFP Insulation Technology was developed using the same proven technology used in low-e, argon gas-filled, double-paned and triple-paned windows. Attic Armor consists of multiple, honeycombed layers of thin, low-e metalized aluminum. These baffled polymer chambers are enveloped by a sealed barrier and filled with either air or a variety of inert gasses.

Fi-Foil has packaged the product for retail centers that do not have the room for bulky fiberglass or foam packaging. Attic Armor is packaged in 48 square foot boxes in two SKUs. The boxes are only 12" x 6" x 18" or 26". Two boxes easily fit in a shopping cart and will insulate a 10' x 10' room.

Fi-Foil licensed this GFP technology and perfected the manufacturing process for large-scale production. The company now holds the exclusive licensing rights to GFP technology for use in residential and commercial building applications.

GFP thermal insulation technology was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, and developed by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Attic Armor for residential installations and GFP Insulation(TM) for commercial applications utilize an advanced insulation technology. Attic Armor was named product of the year at the Global Insulation Conference & Exhibition held in Toronto during September 2011.

These sealed exterior aluminum foil barrier films provide thermal resistance, flammability protection, and properties to contain air or a low-conductivity inert

gas. GFP Insulation incorporates an advanced design and specially formulated components to effectively address the three methods of heat transfer: radiation, conduction and convection.

In addition to unique thermal characteristics, GFP Insulation is fiber-free, does not off-gas. It is mold resistant and will not absorb moisture, is packaged flat and expanded for installation, lightweight and easy to transport and install, and meets LEED and other Green Building Rating System requirements.

For further details, call Fi-Foil Company, Inc. at 1-800-448-3401, email info@fifoil.com, or visit http://www.gfpinsulation.com.

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Fi-Foil's New Award-Winning GFP Attic Armor Insulation for D.I.Y.

Q: I plan on remodeling soon, and I want a natural-looking kitchen that will include a lot of "green" features. As far as the kitchen sink, what ideas can you suggest for materials, colors and style? Thanks in advance for some suggestions!

Fredd, Florida

To go along with the green aspect with cast-iron sinks, some manufacturers have expanded color choices to include more natural colors. Today, colors like sea salt, frost and caviar seem to be popular. As far as style, "apron front" or "farmhouse"-type kitchen sinks seem to be making a big splash in the building and remodeling industry.

So, there are a few good natural kitchen-sink choices and colors that could grow into some nice ideas for your kitchen.

Master plumber Ed Del Grande is the author of "Ed Del Grande's House Call," the host of TV and Internet shows, and a LEED green associate. Visit eddelgrande.comor write eadelg@cs.com. Always consult local contractors and codes.

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Styles, colors for a green kitchen

FEB. 15, 1923

The real estate page featured a story about a new fireproof office building at 15 Beach street, at Union place, in Stapleton (which still stands today). "This building, which is owned by Otto W. Pape of Stapleton, will give an office and store building to Staten Island that will compare favorably with any building in New York or any other city in point of construction, utility and finish. The structure, which is of the type known as a 'flatiron' ... is being built at a cost of $300,000. Among the firms that have already signed leases are Lockwood and Cotton for a drug store on the ground floor, Rueben Mord for a dry goods store, and the Staten Island Savings Bank. The Pape Building will be five stories high. Some of the openings for stores will be made easily removable for the entrance of automobiles, so making the stores adaptable for automobile show rooms. The building throughout will have abundant toilet facilities."

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Historic pages from the archives of the Staten Island Advance: Feb. 15, 1923

Story by Corey G. Johnson

The office that oversees the seismic safety of California's public schools can't show that it has approved all building plan changes, heightening the risk that some schools don't meet standards and are unsafe, according to a state auditor's report.

The Division of the State Architect is required to review all school building plans to ensure earthquake standards are met. But a review by the California State Auditor's office found thatchanges in plans frequently aren't approved and that the regulatory office lacks processes to track the alterations.

The report urges regulators to improve their handling of school "change documents" to lessen the possibility of contractors erecting an unsafe building. The report states:

Regulations require that the school districts design professionals submit plan changes to the division for review and approval before undertaking related construction.

However, several holes in the plan change process create a situation where the division cannot demonstrate that it has approved all plan changes before the start of related construction, risking construction that does not meet building standards and that may be unsafe.

In fact, the divisions Project Certification Guide states that there have been many instances where the field change process was not followed and change orders did not receive division approval, yet construction was completed.

In a letter to the auditor, Fred Klass, director of the Department of General Services, pledged that new rules would be implemented by the end of the year that would assure "all relevant plan changes are received, reviewed, approved and documented by the division." The general services department is the parent body of the state architect's office.

California law requires the state architect's office to enforce the Field Act seismic regulations for schools that were enacted nearly 80 years ago. The law is considered a gold standard of construction, and it requires oversight from state regulators to ensure professional engineering and quality control from the early design phase to the first day of classes.

The Field Act grants these regulators "the police power of the state" over the construction of public schools.

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Audit: Seismic regulator must improve building plan oversight

Boston officials plan to give State Street Corp. $11.5 million in tax cuts to construct an office building on the South Boston Waterfront, the latest deal by the city to help transform the once-shabby industrial district.

The proposal, announced Monday, would help finance construction of an 11-story building at the Channel Center complex off of A Street. The tax break, which needs approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, would be spread over 15 years.

The project would be a major boost for the complex and for the wider area, which would be expected to benefit from thousands of new employees dining at its restaurants and patronizing other businesses.

Development activity is beginning to increase on the waterfront, with both office and residential builders moving forward with large-scale projects as the economy recovers - some without help from the city.

State Street, one of the citys largest financial services employers, has been negotiating the tax break for several months.

The new building, at 1 Channel Center, would cost about $225 million and contain about 525,000 square feet of space. It is scheduled to be completed by February 2014. The BRA will consider whether to approve the tax break at a meeting next month.

State Street is the latest of several large companies to win a tax break for new offices on the waterfront, where Boston officials are trying to create a so-called Innovation District with new businesses, retail stores, and residences.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. received more than $21.8 million in city and state tax incentives for a pair of large office buildings under construction at Fan Pier. In prior years, JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Manulife have also been given favorable tax treatment.

Such deals are often controversial, because they are typically given to large, profitable companies. State Street, for example, reported net income of $1.92 billion in 2011 and paid its chief executive, Joseph Hooley, total compensation of $16 million, according to documents filed with regulators.

Moreover, State Street was not proposing to build elsewhere if Boston did not provide the tax break, according to city officials. And development in the Innovation District appears to be moving forward in its own right.

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State Street latest to get tax break on waterfront property

By Casey Ross, Globe Staff

Boston officials will give State Street Corp. $11.5 million in tax cuts to construct a new office building on the South Boston waterfront, part of the citys effort to transform the once shabby industrial neighborhood into a thriving district of new homes, businesses, and retail stores.

The tax deal announced today will help finance construction of an 11-story office building for State Street at the Channel Center complex off A Street. The $11.5 million tax break, which still needs approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, will be spread over 15 years.

Among the citys largest financial services employers, State Street is the latest of several companies to win a tax break for new offices on the waterfront. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. received more $21.8 million in city and state tax incentives for a pair of large office buildings nearby at Fan Pier.

Such tax deals are often controversial, as the companies receiving them are often profitable. State Street, for example, reported net income of $1.92 billion in 2011 and paid its chief executive, Joseph Hooley, total compensation of $16 million, according to government filings.

But city officials say the tax breaks are necessary to spur investment in the neighborhood. In 2008, investment bank JP Morgan Chase & Co. received a $4 million break to move to the waterfront.

The tax concessions for State Street will reduce its tax bill by about 20 percent, but the company will still pay $43.4 million in new taxes over the 15-year period and create 1,200 construction jobs.

State Street Bank & Trust Co is Bostons seventh largest employer and keeping this economic giant in the city not only ensures that we are retaining jobs, but is a key to attracting new jobs and creating an economically successful and vibrant city, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a statement.

State Street could not be reached immediately for comment. The company has thousands of employees in Boston and already occupies some of its most prominent commercial buildings.

Channel Centers developer, Commonwealth Ventures, filed detailed plans for the office building last month, but State Street was not formally revealed as the tenant until today. The project will also include construction of a parking garage and public parks next to the new building. Commonwealth has also signed on a new development partner, Area Property Partners of New York, for the project.

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State Street Corp. to get tax break for waterfront building

Rocking chairs add an old-fashioned feel to the residential porches along Officers Circle.

Ray Boren

FORT DOUGLAS Shaded on a summer's day by leafy trees and embracing spacious green parade grounds and a traditional bandstand, the white-trimmed sandstone dwellings and brick buildings along, and near, Fort Douglas' Officers Circle seem a model of all-American peace and order.

As a result, it is sometimes difficult to remember that today's serene enclave high on Salt Lake City's east bench was established exactly 150 years ago in 1862 amid the strife of the Civil War. Early on, the fort was itself a crux of what historian Brigham D. Madsen called a "cold war" and a key engine of the region's economy.

This was back when the Mormon settlers of Utah Territory, which only a year earlier stretched from the Rocky Mountains to the high Sierra Nevada range, were seeking to become citizens of what they hoped would become the State of Deseret. Brigham Young, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was their prophet and their political leader.

Col. Patrick Edward Connor, the founder of Camp Douglas soon to be Fort Douglas, named for the recent presidential candidate and late senator from Illinois, Stephen A. Douglas was the new representative of President Abraham Lincoln's U.S. government and military.

"Both individuals could be quite provocative, in words they used and in their actions," says Ephraim Dickson, curator of the Fort Douglas Military Museum.

That Utah cold war, "almost went to a 'hot war' in 1863 and 1864," Dickson says.

Perhaps oddly, President Young and Col. Connor conspicuously avoided one another. "They were the two most influential and politically powerful people in Utah though in real life they never met," Dickson says.

Dickson and Bob Voyles, the museum's director, are both deep into preparations for the post's upcoming, family-oriented Fort Douglas Day, to be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 16, and the annual Civil War Ball on the preceding evening, Friday, June 15, from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

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Fort Douglas celebrates sesquicentennial with a Civil War Ball, family day

CONWAY -- Betty Owen has the eye of a photographer and the soul of a poet.

Theres something special about capturing a moment in time, she wrote in an email because she wasnt sure she wanted to be interviewed over the phone. A great photo will transport you right back to that place and flood your mind with memories.

She said shes been taking pictures ever since she got a Kodak Instamatic camera with a flash cube on the top, and the walls of her home are alive with images shes taken over the years.

"Little Green Frog" by Conway photographer Betty Owen.

Now, for the first time, Owen is having a public exhibition of her work.

Through July 8, 12 of Owens photographs will be on display on easels in the new commons area between the Laurel Street entrance and the sanctuary of Conways First United Methodist Church, where Owen is a member.

Billy Fallaw, the churchs music director known for his organization and staging of organ and piano concerts, has arranged for exhibits by four or five artists/church members to run consecutively.

There may be more, he said.

The commons area is open every Sunday between 9 a.m. and noon for anyone to view the artwork. People also can arrange to see the exhibits at other times by calling the church office at 488-4251, Fallaw said.

All of the exhibits scheduled so far are either paintings or photographs. Fallaw said one exhibit will be the work of a teenager, another comes from a retiree.

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Downtown church to start exhibits of members’ artwork

AURORA -

Construction plans are underway to rebuild a church damaged during Hurricane Irene.

Dublin Grove in Aurora was the oldest Free Will Baptist Church in Eastern North Carolina, but the 133-year-old building had to be torn down after it suffered major damage during Hurricane Irene.

The church plans to start construction on a new sanctuary in the next few weeks.

"It's going to be nice, Reverend Earl Sadler said. It's going to be a blessing."

The new building will go in the current parking lot, which is next door. Sadler said donations will pay for most of the construction.

People would send us a check with a little note saying I went to church here when I was young,or someone I knew when to church here, Sadler said. So its been very interesting to see the impact this church has had throughout the state, really.

Construction is expected to start in the next few weeks. The church hopes to rebuild by August 25 -- exactly one year after Irene hit.

Copyright 2012 by WCTI12. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Construction Nearing For Irene-Ravaged Church