The owners of the recently refurbished office building on Wisconsin Avenue just north of the Bethesda Metro station have signed six long-term leases.

Akridge, which now owns the 1960s-era building with Rockwood Capital, acquired it through a General Services Administration auction in 2010. The building had housed National Institutes of Health offices for many years, but had been vacant since 2002, according to a company news release.

The building, at 7550 Wisconsin Ave., is the first new office building in the Bethesda submarket since 2001.

The new tenants are an unidentified local lodging real estate investment trust, Carnemark Systems and Design, KVS Title, LSoft International, Sandy Spring Bank and SunEdison.

The leases bring the 110,000-square-foot buildings occupancy to more than 65 percent. The building meets standards for gold certification for new construction by the U.S. Green Building Council. It has full-service rooftop entertainment space and a private fitness facility.

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Bethesda office building lines up tenants -- Gazette.Net

Waterford - Charter Oak Federal Credit Union has scheduled the grand opening of its new corporate headquarters and 14th branch office for 10 a.m. Monday, June 16.

The new $18 million office building with a distinctive curved roof just off Interstate 395 marks Charter Oak's move from its current headquarters on Chicago Avenue in Groton, where the 75-year-old financial institution had its start as the Groton Shipbuilders Federal Credit Union, closely associated with Electric Boat.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are among the dignitaries expected for the event, according to Charter Oak.

"This new building reflects our strong commitment to eastern Connecticut," said Brian A. Orenstein, Charter Oak's chief executive officer, in a statement released Monday. "We're very proud of the fact that 85 percent of all the construction work was done by labor and contractors right here in eastern Connecticut,"

Charter Oak said the new branch office at 1055 Hartford Turnpike will create 10 new jobs in the region. The branch will open for the first time at 11 a.m. Monday.

The nearly 65,000-square-foot building features a 28-foot-high atrium, an expansive reception area and a 190-seat community room. Charter Oak, with assets of more than $800 million, is consolidating four offices totaling about 45,000 square feet into the new building, consolidating such groups as fraud and security, lending, marketing, information technology and recordkeeping all under one roof.

The new building will house about 110 employees, about 100 of whom will inhabit the headquarters' administrative offices.

The building's architect was Point One Architects of Old Lyme, with engineering services from CLA Engineers Inc. of Norwich and general contracting by Enterprise Builders of Newington.

l.howard@theday.com

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Grand opening Monday for $18M Charter Oak headquarters

The Daily Briefing Buckeye Forum Podcast

The Dispatchpublic affairs team talks politics and tackles state and federal government issues in the Buckeye Forum podcast.

After nearly three hours of listening to residents express their opposition, Upper Arlington City Council members voted 4-3 last night to approve the controversial rezoning of 1.34 acres of wooded green space north of the Municipal Building that would allow construction of an office building.

For those council members in favor, it came down to a need for economic development to address the citys financial woes, and serving all residents, not just those neighbors who turned out in force last night.

Those opposed to the measure believe the land around any city hall is sacred.

The rezoning actually takes in more than 5 acres, which includes the Municipal Building only because that is the minimum required by office and research district zoning.

But only the small point to the north where Kenny and Tremont roads converge would be positioned for development, City Manager Ted Staton said.

Councilman Kip Greenhill, who voted against the plan, said he thought that in 25 years, someone might ask him, Why did you build your city hall behind a commercial development?

That seemed to be the opinion of most of the 150 people in the audience, a majority of whom are residents of the Trouville condominiums to the south of the Municipal Building, and neighborhoods across Kenny Road to the east.

An attempt by one resident to obtain a temporary restraining order earlier in the day to stop the meeting was turned down by Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Pat Sheeran.

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Upper Arlington council OKs rezoning to allow office building near city hall

Building construction permits over $10,000 in value that were approved in Boulder between May. 26, 2014 to Jun. 1, 2014. Listed below are: the case number; address; total project valuation; owner name; contractor (if applicable); and description.

PMT2014-00139 3665 Paonia St.; $520,000; Kalmia Holdings; Markel Homes Construction Co.; Lot 14: Kalmia Estates, new two-story single-family dwelling to include 3,233 square feet of finished area with 595 square feet of attached garage, 1,296 square feet of unfinished basement, 142-square-foot front porch and 196-square-foot second level deck. House to have four bedrooms, three and a half baths with rough-ins in basement. Includes MEP.

PMT2014-00505 3650 Paonia St.; $592,050; Kalmia Holdings; Markel Homes Construction Co.; New three-story single-family dwelling home to include four bedrooms, three and a half baths with 3,253 square feet of finished area, 1,062 square feet of unfinished basement with rough ins, 832-square-foot three-car attached garage, 132-square-foot front porch, 160-square-foot covered patio and 288-square-foot second level deck. Includes MEP.

PMT2014-00832 1440 King Ave.; $1,460,328; Jeffrey Flynn and Karen Sandburg; J.A. Long Construction Co.; New single-family dwelling with attached garage total of 4,380 square feet of finished space, with 535 square feet of unfinished basement, 592 square feet attached garage and 154 square feet of deck. Includes all associated MEPs (with irrigation system). Please refer to PMT2014-00831 for demo permit.

PMT2014-01338 1606 Conestoga St.; $250,000; Westland Development; Spectrum General Contractors I; Interior tenant remodel of 3,282 square feet for Blackbelly restaurant. See ADR2014-00025 and ADR2014-00052 for approved minor modification. Includes associated MEP.

PMT2014-01506 2880 Folsom St.; $149,491.74; Goose Creek; Corona Sierra Colorado Inc.; Tenant remodel to existing medical office. Occupancy will remain in medical office. Scope of work includes changes to interior layout of office space through the demolition and construction of interior walls. Includes associated MEPs.

PMT2014-01554 815 Park Lane; $100,285.39; James and Suzanne Balog; Hughes Construction Co.; Addition and remodel to existing single-family dwelling. Scope of work includes new floor area to create a master bedroom and attached garage and second level office. Includes associated MEPs.

PMT2014-01645 4580 Broadway, Unit D; $95,000; 407 S.; G Kenny Builders LLC; Interior remodel of existing Restaurant 4580 to include relocation of bar, dining area and new airlock entry. Includes associated electrical and plumbing, no mechanical.

PMT2014-01810 1317 Spruce St.; $64,000; Hine Associates; Sand Construction LLC; Tenant interior remodel to create new office and conference spaces. Scope to include a new accessible bathroom. No exterior work, separate LAC review and approval required for exterior work.

PMT2014-01847 2325 Hillsdale Way; $200,000; Wei and Yanhua Sun; Remodel and repair of an existing two story single-family dwelling. Remodel areas are in basement (laundry and mechanical), main level (kitchen, dining, bath and closets) and upper level (master bath and closet). Scope includes structural repairs to existing beams and bearing and window replacements as noted.

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Boulder building permits: June 9, 2014

Sunroom Addition Testimonial - Alcoa Custom Homes

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Sunroom Addition Testimonial - Alcoa Custom Homes - Video

Family members have remained at the bedside of a Casper plumber who suffered serious burns when a flash fire ignited while he worked Friday at a Casper assisted living center.

Justin Daniels, 27, has second- and third-degree burns on his arms, neck and face, said his sister-in-law, Linda Schulz, during a phone interview Monday. He is being treated at a Greeley, Colorado, burn center.

He said hes lucky to be here, Schulz said. He thought he was gone.

Daniels wife, Jamie, and kids, Josh, 9, and Layne, 3, must scrub their hands and put on hospital gowns and gloves before they can see him.

Were just doing the family thing and taking turns, Schulz said.

Daniels is now stable and remembers everything from the incident.He was in critical condition until Sunday night, when hospital staff were able to take him off a ventilator.

That was a blessing in itself, because he did burn his windpipe, Schulz said.

Daniels was treated at Wyoming Medical Center before being taken Friday night to the burn center at the North Colorado Medical Center, said Casper Fire Department Spokesman Jason Parks.

Schulz said Daniels was bleeding off a gas line at Meadow Wind assisted living center when it blew, causing the plumber to be engulfed in flames. The hot water heater then blew and the water put out the flames, she said. Daniels has been a plumber for almost 10 years.

A Go Fund Me web page called "Justin's Road to Recovery" was created Saturday and had netted almost $4,000 as of Monday evening. A fund called Justins Burn Fund at Hilltop Bank will begin taking donations Tuesday.

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Plumber stable after flash fire, family says

A plumber suffered burn injuries when a natural gas line exploded at Meadow Wind Assisted Living center in Casper on Friday, police said.

The plumber, who was working on the line when it exploded, was taken to Wyoming Medical Center for treatment, said Casper police Sgt. Lyle Berg. Details about the plumber's injuries weren't immediately available.

The 4:30 p.m. explosion prompted residents to evacuate the center. One suffered a knee injury while leaving the building, which sits at the corner of 12th Street and Walsh Drive on the city's east side.

Buses transported residents to other assisted living centers in the area, said Casper Fire-EMS Division Chief Mark Harshman. Fifty were taken to Park Place, and 13 others were moved to Primrose Retirement Community.

The explosion caused some damage to the building, and authorities were assessing the structure to determine when residents could return.

"It was fairly forceful because it did push over a partition wall," Harshman said.

When authorities arrived, they did not find a fire inside the center. The facility's fire sprinklers were activated during the incident.

Carol Burback was working in the center's beauty shop when the explosion happened.

"It was scary," she said. "I have an aging mother. I know how these families would feel."

The evacuation went quickly, she added.

View original post here:
(Updated) Gas line explosion burns plumber at Casper assisted living center

A Dublin plumber who broke a mans skull with a claw hammer after finding him in his former partners bed has avoided a jail sentence.

Simon Early of Old Brazil Way, Swords, got a suspended sentence for the attack which left the victim with a 2.7cm fracture in his skull.

Early, aged 27, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to David Griffin at Ashton Rise, Swords, on October 22, 2011.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring sentenced him to two-and-a-half years in prison but suspended it in full on condition Early keeps the peace for 12 months.

She accepted the attack was out of character and that Early was sorry, but said he could have caused permanent or fatal injury. A probation report said theres a low risk of him reoffending.

Garda David Smith told Anne Rowland, prosecuting, that Early had been dropping their two-year old daughter to the home of his former partner Bethany Hourigan.

The court heard there had been an agreement between the estranged couple that no man would stay at the house while the child was there.

Early went upstairs to find Mr Griffin in bed. He went away, returning with a claw-hammer that he was swinging at Mr Griffins head.

The hammer hit his head and Mr Griffin shouted: Youre going to kill me, to which Early responded: I dont fucking care.

Mr Griffin told garda he was not keen for a custodial sentence to be imposed on Early as he was a father.

Continue reading here:
Plumber who broke mans skull avoids prison

Simon Early (27), pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to David Griffin at Ashton Rise, Swords on October 22nd, 2011. Photograph: Reuters

A Dublin plumber who broke a mans skull with a claw hammer after finding him in his former partners bed has avoided a jail sentence.

Simon Early of Old Brazil Way, Swords got a suspended sentence for the attack, which left the victim with a 2.7cm fracture in his skull.

Early (27), pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm to David Griffin at Ashton Rise, Swords on October 22nd, 2011.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring sentenced him to two and a half years in prison, but suspended it in full on condition that Early keeps the peace for 12 months.

She accepted that the attack was out of character and that Early was sorry but said he could have caused permanent or fatal injury. A probation report said there was a low risk of him reoffending.

Garda David Smith told Anne Rowland BL, prosecuting, that Early had been dropping their two-and-a-half-year old daughter to the home of his former partner, Bethany Hourigan.

The court heard there had been an agreement between the estranged couple that no man would stay over at the house while the child was there.

Early arrived at the house and went upstairs to find Mr Griffin in bed. He went downstairs and returned wielding a clawhammer which he started swinging at Mr Griffins head.

Mr Griffin retreated to the balcony and shouted at Early to relax. He tried to kick the attacker away with both legs, but was backed into the bedroom and fell onto the bed.

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Plumber avoids jail for clawhammer attack

Q: Hi Ed, I am a loyal reader and have learned a lot about plumbing from you. So much so that I know it is possible to have a full bathroom installed in my new basement recreation room. One fixture that must be included is a urinal. What type of urinal do you think would work well in a residential basement bathroom.

Peter, Indiana

A: I do get a lot of questions about installing urinals in residential settings. Sadly though, most of these plans get shot down due to spousal support for this idea. So, if you've got the "green light" to go ahead and install a home urinal, here's what I recommend you check out. There are new style waterless urinals on the market that can be used in residential settings. Since these urinals are "waterless" you can pick up two big advantages over traditional urinals. No. 1, the installation costs can be cut down because no dedicated water line is needed. No. 2, you can lower your water bill since you'll be saving water by not flushing a toilet every time the urinal is used. As far as cleaning goes, the ones I've worked with use special sprays along with a liquids seal in the fixture trap to absorb odors. Just follow the manufacturers regular maintenance schedule. Bottom line: If you want to be a "stand-up guy" and help the environment by saving water, installing a waterles urinal can be the way to go.

Master Contractor/Plumber Ed Del Grande is known internationally as the author of the book "Ed Del Grande's House Call," the host of TV and Internet shows, and a LEED green associate. Visit eddelgrande.com or write eadelg@cs.com. Always consult local contractors and codes. or write eadelg@cs.com. Always consult local contractors and codes. Distributed by MCT Information Services.

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Plumber: Yearning for a home urinal