Rafkind Road improvements could get underway as early as April.

PHOTO BY DEBBIE WALSH

Borough Engineer Paul Darmofalski delivers a presentation on a Rafkind Road sidewalk assessment and road-paving project.

Residents who live in the Phase II section were invited to the Feb. 18 Borough Council meeting to hear a presentation on the project, which includes new curbing, sidewalks and paving. Residents will be responsible for paying the costs for sidewalks that bound the front of their properties on Rafkind Road.

Borough Engineer Paul Darmofalski said the total project cost of Phase II is estimated at $835,000 including the cost of the sidewalks. The borough received a $250,000 New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) grant for the project. The borough's share of the costs will be $380,000 and the residents' share will be $205,000. The 4-foot-wide sidewalks will be 4 inches thick, and driveway aprons will be 8 inches thick. Darmofalski said a property with 100 feet of frontage will have an estimated assessment of $4,867.

At the onset of the presentation, Mayor Jonathan Dunleavy recalled that when the borough received bids for Phase I of the project last fall, the bids came in 38 percent lower than projections and it is hoped the municipality will have the same luck with Phase II. Dunleavy said Darmofalski uses conservative numbers when coming up with the estimates.

According to the mayor, some residents living in the Phase I area were contemplating sidewalk replacements and had sought contractors' estimates for the work. Dunleavy said these residents were pleased with the borough's projections, which came in lower than private contractor estimates. Phase I, which stretches from Glen Road to the end by Martha B. Day School, and Phase II, which encompasses Rafkind Road from Union Avenue to Glen Road, will be completed at the same time.

Dunleavy told residents that the borough acts as the banker for the project. It will bond the project and assess residents based on linear footage. The interest rate secured will likely be in the 0.75- to 1.5-percent range, and the project will be paid for over a 10-year period. If residents recently replaced their sidewalks, they should arrange for Darmofalski to inspect the sidewalk.

Darmofalski said Phase I consisted of 60 properties and 25 of those property owners asked him to visit to complete a sidewalk or apron inspection. Of the 25, 15 did not have to replace their sidewalks or a portion of their sidewalks.

"Most of what we kept was new or almost new. I can't have a checkerboard," he said.

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Bloomingdale to make presentation on Rafkind Road improvements

Khan Al-Ahmar: School is Out
Subscribe to our mailing list: http://bit.ly/1jxSx7B. Defence for Children International Palestine produced a short film about the Khan Al-Ahmar School in th...

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West Union demolition
On Tuesday, February 25, 2014, after much preparation, demolition of the core of the West Union began. Within a few short hours, the front wall was down. The...

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360 degrees view of Apple #39;s new Spaceship campus during demolition of HP old campus -1
360 degrees view of Apple #39;s new Spaceship campus during demolition of HP old campus South and North of Pruneridge cupertino TilTul http://tiltul.com LinksYou...

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360 degrees view of Apple's new Spaceship campus during demolition of HP old campus -1 - Video

The Demolition of the Bicycle Shop 006

By: Headly Westerfield

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The Demolition of the Bicycle Shop 006 - Video

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Wednesday that "strategic demolition" of some fire-damaged vacant homes will begin within 30 days.

The announcement Wednesday night came at the start of Duggan's first State of the City address. It's the first such speech since Detroit was allowed to enter bankruptcy.

Duggan said the demolition will be paid for using $20 million in an unused escrow fund earmarked for burned houses.

The address also came less than a week after state-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr filed his plan to pay creditors while providing money for city services and improvements in the coming years.

Duggan, a former medical center chief, was elected in November.

The mayor's power is restricted. Most of the power once exclusive to the mayor's office now resides with Orr, who has complete control over all city finances, how much is spent and what the money is spent on. A deal with Orr gives Duggan control over day-to-day functions of city government.

"The question I get now, almost everyday somebody asks me: 'Aren't you discouraged?'" Duggan told several hundred people in a packed City Hall auditorium. "'You're the mayor of a city that's in bankruptcy. You don't have control of your own destiny. And of course, you're not really the mayor. The emergency manager is in charge.'"

About $500 million of the $1.5 billion in Orr's plan would be used to knock down up to 450 decaying, abandoned properties each week. The U.S. government also announced in September that it would direct more than $100 million in grants to help Detroit tear down vacant buildings and spur job growth.

The Associated Press

First published February 26 2014, 4:22 PM

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Detroit Mayor: 'Strategic Demolition' of Burned Homes Starts in 30 Days

Published: Wednesday, 2/26/2014

ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said today that strategic demolition of some fire-damaged vacant homes will begin within 30 days.

The announcement came at the start of Duggans first State of the City address and the first such speech since Detroit was allowed to enter bankruptcy.

He said his administration and the City Council are both working to improve the city.

The change has started and the change in Detroit is real, he said.

Duggan said the demolition will be paid for using $20 million in an unused escrow fund earmarked for burned houses.

If you drive through most of the neighborhoods today, you wouldnt know there was a national recovery, Duggan said in his evening address. People in this community see parts of the country doing well and even parts of the city doing well and others are left behind.

Duggan, a former medical center chief, was elected in November. His power is restricted while Detroit remains under state oversight, but blight removal and demolition of what could be 70,000 or more vacant houses and other buildings are under his control.

Detroit is going through the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, and Duggans address came less than a week after state-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr filed his plan to pay creditors while providing money for city services and improvements in the coming years.

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Demolition of vacant Detroit homes to start

GAUTIER, MS (WLOX) -

Wednesday sledgehammers were swinging inside the Singing River Mall marking the beginning of demolition for the shopping center. Crews put up fencing and an excavatorsitsat Singing River Mall for its demolition.

With golden sledgehammers and a champagne toast, city and county leaders and key stakeholders said goodbye to the mall and hello to the Gautier Town Center.

Once demolition of the 53 acre site is complete in about seven months, shoppers will see construction on the new $90 million, 380,000 square foot open air retail space.

"It absolutely will drive more traffic in here. We believe here in Jackson County, we'll take the opportunity to give everybody a great shopping venue," said Gautier Mayor Gordon Gollott.

The new commercial development isn't only going to bring more shopping options to Gautier, it's also going to bring jobs in construction and in retail.

Just the Super Wal-Mart alone is expected to bring in well over 1,000 jobs. City leaders say this new project will draw shoppers from all over.

"What the numbers show us is that we're going to be pulling from the east. We'll be pulling from Mobile. We'll be pulling from Alabama. That's critical to the state. That's critical to the county. And so we're excited to see that transformation take place," said City Manager Samantha Abell.

Shane Morrison and his partners are the developers of the Gautier Town Center. Morrison says what attracted him to Gautier was its citizens.

"It really started with the support of the community. The county, the city has just been incredible as far as wanting this project to happen and getting behind it with their full support. So that was the biggest key in letting us know that we think we could be really successful here," said Morrison.

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Golden sledgehammers used to begin demolition of Singing River Mall

Many Home Show vendors utilize their products in displays showing their creativity. Outdoor living areas, such as this patio, are a strong trend in both new builds and home renovation, says Teresa Groves, executive officer of Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga, which sponsors the Tri-State Home Show. IF YOU GO

What: 48th annual Tri-State Home Show.

When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 28-March 1; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, March 2.

Where: Chattanooga Convention Center, 1150 Carter St.

Admission: $7 ages 17 and older; $2 senior adult discount on Friday; $1 discount Saturday and Sunday to anyone bringing a canned good for donation to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.

Website: http://www.hbagc.net.

More than 225 vendors will display the latest in home products and services across 470 booths at the 48th annual Tri-State Home Show, which opens Friday, Feb. 28, in the Chattanooga Convention Center.

"We like to say everything for your house is under one roof," says Teresa Groves, executive officer of the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga, which sponsors the expo. "Homeowners should come visit the Home Show if they are planning to do anything to their homes."

Kristin Randle is counting on the Home Show to get word out about her company, Mission Stone & Tile on East Main Street, which opened in Chattanooga last June.

"We carry a lot of natural stone -- marble, granite and travertine -- as well as a lot of porcelain tile and glass mosaic. We specialize in importing tile and mosaics. A lot of our custom mosaics are made just for us, so we are the only place people can get them. The items we are showing at the Home Show will be some that are unique to our store."

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Tri-State Home Show opens Friday - Feb. 28-March 1

After the Topeka Home Show began in 1962, its attendance quickly grew, soon attracting thousands of people each year seeking home improvement products and advice.

Now, in its 52nd year, the home show attracts about 10,000 visitors annually.

In the years before big-box stores and showrooms, the home shows popularity grew quickly as larger, more elaborate displays from vendors helped attendees visualize what they could do with their own homes.

The Topeka Capital-Journals archives document the shows evolution since its inception by the Topeka Home Builders Association.

In 1967, according to one record, booths at the show were loaded with literature on electric or gas heating, custom kitchen cabinets, pocket paging systems, vacuum cleaners, ladies wigs, sewing machines and other items. An article described the plethora of wares this way:

For the farmer, a Columbus, Neb., based irrigation equipment company features a field walking sprinkler system which will water a quarter-section.

For the businessman always away from his office, a radio equipment distributor explains a pocket-pager that enables a secretary to call her boss to the phone, no matter where he might be in the city.

Nearly five decades later, those once newfangled pagers have been considered obsolete for years.

In 1974, the home show was held at Forbes Air Force Base, newly decomissioned from military service, according to another article. The show was housed in one of the hangars that formerly sheltered warplanes.

That year, the show featured demonstrations of refrigerators, fireplaces, lighting fixtures, and even a steam carpet cleaner.

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Topeka Home Show opened many doors since 1962