Demolition plans are moving forward for a vacant home on Ann Arbors east side and a small former gas station on Main Street.

A building official said he expects the home at 3123 Cherry Tree Lane to be down in the coming days while a small structure at 800 N. Main St. will be demolished in around three weeks following an asbestos survey.

In recent years, neighbors of the Cherry Tree Lane property have complained that the home has served as a shelter for vagrants and leaks in the structure have produced significant water damage and mold in the interior.

The city's Building Board of Appeals ordered the house demolished in 2012, but Ralph Welton, the citys chief development official, said the city found its owner, George Patrikakos, was living in Greece, which presented legal challenges. He also had a reverse mortgage on the home, which further complicated the situation.

Patrikakos isnt in a financial position to bring the home up to code, Welton previously said, and it was lost to foreclosure.

Its time, Welton said of the homes demolition. The order to commence demolition has been issued to the contractors, so it should be complete within the next few days.

The struggle to get the property up to code started over ten years ago when building inspectors found a variety of issues in an illegally built addition, including holes in the wall that made it possible to see outdoors. A pipe from the bathroom sink drained into the shower and wires were running through the furnace.

Sections of siding are missing and debris remains scattered around the driveway and front lawn, though the home has been closely monitored over the last year.

The city will pay for the demolition and place a lien on the property.

The colorful former Main Street gas station has also been a focus of the building department for the last seven months.

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Demolition orders filed for 2 long-vacant Ann Arbor structures

LOS ANGELES (KABC) --

The demolition project, dubbed the "Century Crunch," will close the portion of Century Boulevard at 9 p.m. on Friday, July 25. The roadway will remain blocked until 6 a.m. on Monday, July, 28.

Metro officials are warning people expecting to travel to Los Angeles International Airport to plan ahead and avoid the area if at all possible. The closure means anyone traveling to and from the airport will be facing a serious traffic nightmare.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti urged Angelenos to plan ahead in a news conference held Monday.

"World class cities have world class airports, and world class cities have world class transit. And we all know Los Angeles is the greatest city on earth," Garcetti said. "So we are going to take down this bridge and we're planning ahead to make sure that disruption is minimized."

Motorists heading toward LAX between 9 p.m. July 25 and 6 a.m. July 28 will be diverted north of La Cienega Boulevard, west on Manchester Avenue, then south on Airport Boulevard, and then west on Century Boulevard.

Motorists leaving LAX will take the same detour in reverse. Lanes will also be reduced on Aviation Boulevard during the demolition project.

Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, says part of planning ahead means taking advantage of alternate routes. She also urged Angelenos to board FlyAway buses that serve Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Westwood, Santa Monica and the La Brea stop on the Expo Line.

Metro CEO Art Leahy encouraged people to take the Green Line.

"There is a convenient shuttle there from the station right into the airport," Leahy said.

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'Century Crunch' to shut major road to LAX

St. Johns, Florida (PRWEB) June 24, 2014

Pricing for Oxford Estates, a new community in St. Johns with homes built by MasterCraft Builder Group, was released to a VIP list on Friday, June 13 before being released publicly. The semi-custom homes in this community will range in size from 2,700-4,000+ square feet with prices starting in the mid $300s.

Buyers have the option of choosing between five custom home floor plans, each featuring a three-car garage, with three elevation options (exterior front facade designs) for each plan. Depending on the elevation chosen, stone, stucco, brick or a combination of the three is used to accentuate the fine design details in each home. The team at MasterCraft Builder Group will work with buyers to choose the best floor plan and customize the interior to meet individual needs, design aesthetic and budget to truly make each home one of a kind.

This luxury-gated community is sure to be one of the most enviable addresses in St. Johns. Oxford Estates is nestled on more than 90 acres on Longleaf Pine Parkway north of Greenbriar Road. Phase One, currently under construction, will have 132 quarter-acre home sites, most of which back to preserved land, a lake or a combination of both. Oxford Estates provides its residents with many amenities, including environmentally-friendly natural gas, close proximity to the St. Johns River, no CDD fees and top performing public schools in Cunningham Creek Elementary, Switzerland Point Middle School and Bartram Trail High School. Gas lanterns adorning a lushly landscaped stone entry will add a touch of elegance to the community. A step above the rest, Oxford Estates will be the place youll love to call home.

The current 132 estate-sized home sites are scheduled as one of several phases of development. The entire community of Oxford Estates, once completed, will total a couple hundred home sites. Additional amenities are in the plans as the community progresses.

The area is primed for growth with other new communities in the planning stages as well as the growing communities of Durbin and Aberdeen, and, with several other phases still in the planning stages, Oxford Estates is set to flourish with the area.

For more information on Oxford Estates or to schedule a site visit, please email info(at)mastercraftbuildergroup.com or call Brad Shee at 904-263-5090.

About MasterCraft Builder Group

MasterCraft Builder Group was founded by three close friends who combined have more than 40 years of experience in the home building industry. A shared passion for building quality homes matched with the desire to use more innovative building practices has propelled MasterCraft Builder Group to be one of the premier home builders in Northeast Florida. Whether youre looking for your next home or want to give your home a refresh by remodeling one room or the entire home, MasterCraft Builder Group can help. For more information about MasterCraft Builder Group, please visit MasterCraftBuilderGroup.com.

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Pricing Released for Oxford Estates, a Community of New Homes Constructed by MasterCraft Builder Group

BAKERSFIELD, CA - The Wounded Heroes Fund is nearly ready to hand over the keys for a brand new home to Lance Corporal Jeremiah Thein. Thein is a double amputee, losing his legs in an I.E.D. explosion while serving in Afghanistan. Thanks to community donations, he will soon be able to move into a custom house, designed just for him and his family.

Thein and his family have been staying in military housing in San Diego while his home is being built. He's eager to come home to Bakersfield. He has no clue about the details of the house waiting for him.

"I don't know if he is going to be able to process this, honestly," said Wendy Porter, Wounded Heroes Fund Executive Director.

Porter had been working on making the home a reality for nearly two years when she learned of Jeremiah's brave actions in Afghanistan.

The non-profit built a home for Wesley Barrientos, who lost his legs in Iraq several years ago.

Just down the road from Wesley's home, on September 11th, Jeremiah helped break ground on his home. Today, it's nearly done.

There are huge closets, a roll-in shower, room under the kitchen counters for a wheelchair, every door is widened, and it's all built with community donations.

"To be able to do something like that for somebody who has paid such a high price is incredibly rewarding," said Jim Ward of Northwest Builders who donated his services.

"We are such a patriotic and supportive community, and this really was done on the community's shoulders. Without everyone's support we would not have been able to accomplish this. So, it means a lot," said Porter.

Finishing touches are being made. The pool and barbecue still need to be done. But on July 4th, all will be ready to welcome a hero to his home.

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A home for a hero

Midlands dramatic construction growth in recent years allowed Tony Hinton to retire at 45.

The native Midlander, however, wasnt a real estate broker, developer, contractor or even a private investor. Instead, he was a firefighter and paramedic for more than two decades with a small business on the side.

After eight years, Hintons business Spyglass Home Inspections, finally picked up enough to allow him to retire last year.

While the Tall Citys dramatic increase in housing construction opened new doors for Hinton, it also has put a thorn in the side of some Midland homebuyers. There still is a lack of options for buyers, and several consumers complain about the quality of new homes.

It wasnt until about two years ago that Hintons home inspection business provided enough work to sustain him and his family. Business has tripled since 2012, he said, meaning he no longer has to put his life in harms way working for the Odessa Fire Department and Medical Center Hospital.

I get to be my own boss; I get to make my own schedule and I dont face near the potential dangers, he said.

The growth in Hintons business reflects the overall increase of construction in Midland. In fact, the city issued 732 new residential permits last year -- more than three times the number issued in 2002, as reported last week.

Rise of production homes

More permits have been issued in recent years to help combat the regions severe housing shortage. Most of the residential permits approved are for production home development.

Production builders are kind of a new phenomenon to Midland, said Steve Thorpe, the citys building official.

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Labor turnover problematic for new home construction

(PRWEB) June 23, 2014

Cascading from the ceiling of New Yorks celebrated Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue was a massive wave of pigmented fiber. A site-specific work, titled Pillar of Inquiry/Supple Column was the newest large-scale sculpture by American artist Sheila Hicks. As one of the 103 artists chosen to exhibit at the 77th Whitney Biennale* (March 7-May 25, 2014) Hicks created Pillar of inquiry/Supple Column using significant quantities of brightly colored Sunbrella material supplied by Glen Raven Custom Fabrics.

Sunbrella: The Raw Material The original, tactile Sunbrella fiber was Hicks choice because of its beauty and durability. Glen Raven Custom Fabrics, which has been manufacturing elegant, sturdy materials since 1961, prides itself on the successful production of high quality, performance fabrics for the awning, marine and upholstery markets. Temperature and weather resistant, Sunbrella fabrics have long been used for various applications for their durability and aesthetic appeal and in the design world for their malleability.

Pillar of Inquiry/Supple Column: The Whitney Museum (New York) Hicks encourages interaction with her art works. Her environmental installations blur the line between indoor and outdoor and between interior and exterior.

Pillar of Inquiry/Supple Column, an 18-foot high installation that tumbled and descended directly from the Whitney Museums grated ceiling to the floor (the building, designed by architect Marcel Breuer, will soon to be taken over by the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art), was designed by Hicks to awaken viewers appreciation and understanding of the architecture by which it is surrounded.

I want people to look at it and let their imagination soar, Hicks said. I know that the museum guards and curators frown on touching the art, but this work can really stand up to any test.

A living painting or a calligraphic sculpture, the works lively clusters of intermingled lines invite participation and reinforce the natural cohabitation of art, architecture and the humans who frequent them.

Guest Curator Michelle Grabner chose Hicks and featured her work as part of the fourth-floor exhibit.

I developed a curriculum that presents identifiable themes that are currently established in the textures of contemporary aesthetic, political, and economic realities, Grabner said. Within this curriculum, contours can be drawn around three overlapping priorities: contemporary abstract painting by women; materiality and affect theory; and art as strategyin other words, conceptual practices oriented toward criticality. Theoretically, the works that I included will each demand from the viewer a varied network of analysis.

*The 2014 Whitney Biennial was orchestrated by three curators from outside the MuseumStuart Comer (Chief Curator of Media and Performance Art at MoMA New York), Anthony Elms (Associate Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia), and Michelle Grabner (artist and Professor at the School of the Art Institute, Chicago).

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Artist Sheila Hicks Creates Installations with Sunbrella Fiber

Papanui Library will be closed in stages over the next few weeks while a new air conditioning system is installed.

The closure will take place in two stages: the rear half of the library will be closed from Thursday 3 - Wednesday 16 July, during which time it will offer partial services, with limited access to the collection and no Babytime or Storytime sessions. The library will be fully closed from Thursday 17 July - Thursday 28 August.

The facilitys Customer Service Desk and Board Room will remain open throughout, offering wider Christchurch City Council services and a meeting space.

Libraries and Information Unit Manager Carolyn Robertson says Papanui Librarys heating system has been due for replacement since prior to the 2011 earthquakes.

"There have been issues for a few years now with hot and cold spots developing in Papanui Library - its current air conditioning system is inefficient, and its more cost-effective for us to replace it than to repair and keep it operating.

"Papanui is one of our busiest community libraries and wed like to apologise to all our regulars for the inconvenience," she says. "Its a complicated process, but the installation is being completed as quickly as possible and will make Papanui Library a much more comfortable place to spend time in.

"The librarys ceiling is quake-damaged and is in need of some work," Mrs Robertson says. "Ideally wed be able to do these jobs at the same time, but the ceiling is still subject to an insurance settlement, so that work will come later."

Papanui Librarys after hours return facility will be cleared daily throughout the closure, and items from Papanui Library can be returned to any library in the Christchurch City Libraries network. The nearest large library is Fendalton Library on the corner of Clyde Road and Jeffreys Road. Reserved items will be made available at Fendalton Library unless otherwise requested.

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Papanui Library closes for upgrade

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