Published: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at 5:30 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at 6:04 a.m.

General Manager Latisa Baptist said business has plummeted 40-50 percent since road work began over the summer, and the fast food restaurant has been losing $700 to $900 per day since mid-August. She regularly fields calls from people wondering if the business is still open or confused about how to get past the ripped-up asphalt and heavy equipment.

The owner was threatening to close the doors, Baptist said. We didn't know it was going to hit the business like this.

Other businesses along the corridor say they've had the same nightmare, and they've been coming to city commission meetings since last month begging for help from City Hall and the contractor on the $19 million Orange Avenue overhaul that stretches to Beach Street.

After talking at an Oct. 1 meeting about loans or grants to help the businesses during the two-year project, a majority of city commissioners agreed what would be most feasible and truly help the businesses is speeding up work in the hard-hit section of Orange Avenue closest to Nova Road. Work in that stretch that runs between Nova Road and Caroline Street had been slated to wrap up by Dec. 15, but now will be put on pace to finish by Nov. 15, said Ron McLemore, deputy city manager of operations.

Expediting work in that area will cost $70,000, and the expense can be absorbed by the project's contingency fund, McLemore explained in a memo he sent to city commissioners and the mayor Friday. This week the contractor, Daytona-based Thad Con, started extending work hours Monday through Friday and will start working on Saturdays as well, McLemore said. There will be no night work with fears of hitting gas lines and other visibility problems, as well as the strong likelihood of noise after dark bothering people in nearby homes trying to relax and sleep.

City staff has also asked Thad Con to develop a proposal for speeding up the construction schedule between Caroline and Lockhart streets to help businesses in that area.

Over the next week, additional signs to help motorists find Orange Avenue businesses will be installed. Also, city staff is developing an advertising program using radio and print media to help businesses.

Those solutions, which will likely be the subject of discussion at Wednesday night's city commission meeting, might not sit well with businesses that have already asked the city for financial assistance.

I'm not getting any customers, said Eugenio Fernandez, owner of D Town Supermarket. I'm down $1,800 per day. This could kill my business.

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Businesses: Orange Avenue road work hurting sales

By Carmel Loise Matus |Inquirer Visayas

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

LOBOC, BoholLike many of the parishioners here, 67-year-old Amy Ladaga felt her heart tear to pieces when she saw the devastation on their church caused by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake last year.

We were all sad when we saw the extent of the damage. If you were the one looking at it, you would also feel the devastation, she told the Inquirer.

Ladaga was one of over 1,000 parishioners who attended Mass at the alternative church, as well as its blessing, which was built 5 meters from the old St. Peter Parish Church. Many were teary-eyed when the famous Loboc Childrens Choir sang Light of a Million Mornings and Rise Up Again.

The church in Loboc town, built in 1602, was the second oldest in Bohol province. It was heavily damaged when the earthquake shook the province on Oct. 15, 2013.

Its walls on one side remain standing but the convent-turned-museum, sacristy and facade went down in crumbles.

For almost a year, parishioners have been attending Mass under tents set up beside the ruins. They would bring their own chairs, sometimes umbrellas when it rained.

Church repair would have cost at least P200 million, an amount church officials didnt have, so they decided to build a substitute house of worship. Through donations, they were able to raise at least P15 million, mostly from Loboc residents now based in other countries.

With the funds, the officials led by parish priest Fr. Andres Ayco bought a 2,000-square-meter lot for about P5 million and built the 1,000-seat church made of concrete with steel beams and iron sheets. It would be where the 1800s-era pipe organ would be placed instead of the old one.

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Beside church ruins, a new place of worship in Bohol town

Johannesburg - The City of Johannesburg has obtained an interdict ordering a halt to construction activity at the Alleluia Ministries International church in Lyndhurst, the city said on Monday.

The order was granted by the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Friday.

It stated that the church was barred from holding services there, said member of the mayoral committee for development planning, Roslynn Greeff.

The church would only be allowed to continue with its construction and use of the building once it was issued an occupational certificate and a certified engineering report which stated that the building was safe to occupy.

Greeff said the city applied for the interdict after a newly built section of the Johannesburg church collapsed last week.

She said the collapse came after the church ignored the city's calls to stop its alleged illegal construction.

"It is unfortunate that the church chose to ignore these notices and continued with construction," said Greeff, adding that the church had no approved plans and had no permission to be operating as a place of worship.

The church, however, denied any illegal activity.

"Alleluia Ministries International has been shocked by media reports that we are busy constructing our church building illegally," church spokesperson Ndivhuwo Khangale said in a statement last week.

"All our architectural plans, including the soil analysis, are in place."

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News24.com | Court orders church to stop construction

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The tallest apartment building in New York has reached its peak of 425 metres but the spectacular views over the city don't come cheap.

The penthouse, which is currently under construction at 432 Park Avenue, sold for $US95 million ($108.7 million) and the sub-penthouse on the 95th floor is currently listed for $97.3 million.

Prices in the 104-apartment tower more than half of which have sold start at $8 million.

But given the super-tall skinny tower is located at the southern end of Central Park, an area colloquially known as the 'billionaire's belt', it is likely that many of the remaining apartments will sell before it opens next year.

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"It's almost like the Mona Lisa," said Harry B. Macklowe, the developer building the $1.49 billion tower.

"Except instead of it looking at you, you're looking at it wherever you are. You can't escape it."

Not that everyone agrees the building, developed with the CIM Group, based in Los Angeles, is a work of art.

"God, does it stand out," said New York resident Marlene Rosenthal.

"It's a status symbol, and that's the name of the game in this city."

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New York's tallest apartment tower tops out

SINGAPORE - Imagine an apartment block built by stacking separate rooms together, complete with finishings and fittings. That is how a new executive condominium at Canberra Drive will be assembled, using an advanced construction method that is expected to raise productivity by more than 40 per cent.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

Here is the media statement from Singapore Press Holdings:

Transforming construction productivity through innovative technologies at BuildTech Asia 2014

BuildTech Asia's exhibition showcase and conference sessions span across the 'hardware and software' of the built environment - from construction technology to facilities management solutions

SINGAPORE - The fourth edition of BuildTech Asia 2014, the region's leading trade show for the built environment, opens today as part of a week-long series of events under the Singapore Construction Productivity Week.

Organised by Sphere Exhibits and hosted by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the three day trade exhibition is held from 14 to 16 October at Singapore Expo Halls 3 and 4.

The event was officially opened by Ms Grace Fu, Minister, Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Over 200 exhibiting brands from nine countries including Australia, China, Germany, Ireland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan will be showcasing a wide array of products, machineries and cutting edge technologies from Autodesk, Bonco Enterprise, Higa Trading, Hydro Dynamic Engineering, Shinhan Tech-Engineering, Straits Construction, and Zuuse Australia among many others.

To address the productivity challenges faced by the industry as it copes with a tightened supply of foreign workers and evolving standards, this year's BuildTech Asia provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas for a more streamlined workflow, from sourcing of building materials to management of building facilities.

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More funding, facilities and training for construction productivity drive

DBOX for CIM Group/Macklowe Properties432 Park towers over neighboring buildings.

On Friday, construction topped out at 432 Park, a luxury condominium that's now arguably the tallest building in New York City. It even has the new One World Trade Center beat, not counting that building's spire.

At 1,396 feet, 432 Park towers above a row ofsuper-tall buildingsrising on the southern end of Central Park, an area that's already earned its "Billionaires' Belt" nickname.These skyscrapers are so tall theyneeded approval from the Federal Aviation Administrationbefore construction could start.

Its almost like the Mona Lisa, developer Harry B. Macklowe said Friday, The New York Times reported.Except instead of it looking at you, youre looking at it wherever you are. You cant escape it.

The building, which cost $1.3 billion to construct, hastwo penthouses, one on the 96th floor that sold for $95 million and another on the 95th, currently priced at $85 million.

The building's architect Rafael Violymade news back in September 2013 when his Walkie Talkie building wreaked havoc on London's streets, emitting a reflection so hot itmelted carsandliterally fried eggson the sidewalk. But if these renderings are any indication, this building should be more of a success.

We recently saw renderings of the apartment building's interiors, and the designs are magnificent.

Designer Deborah Berke says her focus was to make the most of the apartments' perch above the city. Double-height ceilings and beautiful oak flooring are highlights, while huge square windows provide an unparalleled view.

432 Park contains 104 apartments, which start at $7 million.

From the outside, rows of six 100-square-foot windows give the building the square look of a waffle iron.

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432 Park Is Officially New York City's Tallest Apartment Building

BRANSON, Mo. -- The Branson Board of Aldermen may vote on an ordinance that would ban indoor smoking at public places in the city.

The revisions include moving the distance smokers can be from doorways to 10 feet rather than 25 feet, while also lightening the smoking restrictions on outdoor areas like restaurant patios and golf courses.

Other revisions to the draft include the definition of a serving area, additions to the definition of public place, and additions to prohibitions of smoking in the city.

Those opposed say the city is overstepping it's boundaries - with the ordinance being considered despite a handful of businesses allowing smoking inside.

Others argue that enforcement of a ban would take away from more "pressing" issues in the city and that many tourists would no longer come to Branson if it was smoke-free.

Branson City Aldermen and proponent, Rick Davis, has voiced in the past that surveys have shown 87% of visitors support smoke-free environments in restaurants and hotels.

Davis has also said that restaurants in other cities, with similar ordinances to the one being considering in Branson, have seen an increase in business.

Public comment periods have already been held on the ordinance. The Board could vote tonight. The meeting is at 7 pm at Branson City Hall.

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Branson Aldermen to Vote on Smoking Ordinance Tonight

Enmax should have power restored to all of west downtown by midday Thursday "if all goes according to plan," power company CEO Gianna Manes said on Monday.

The utility has pulled out 3.5 kilometres of cable damaged in an underground vault fire Saturday night, and has begun to replace it, the CEO told reporters at an Emergency Operations Centre briefing.

Earlier, the city-owned utility had estimated it could take until the weekend to restore power to several high-density blocks of the downtown. Manes said the clearer timeline has come after 20 Enmax workers have worked continuously in confined underground spaces.

The city's roads should all be back and running during Tuesday morning rush hour, Mayor Naheed Nenshi told the briefing. There will be some lane reductions in the area where the fire occurred.

Seventy per cent of residents in the blackout zone have self evacuated, fire chief Ken Uzeloc said. City crews are doing checks on the many seniors who have chosen to stay in their buildings.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Mobile users, view live updates in our ScribbleLive blog:http://bit.ly/oct12fire

For much of the morning and early afternoon Sunday, residents of the area's condo towers and apartment buildings could be seen hauling belongings out of their homes in suitcases, grocery bags, and trolley carts. Others sat on the curbside, waiting for suburban friends or family members to pick them up.

Many of these residents had spent the night in their powerless apartments, fully expecting life would be back to normal when they woke up. It was only Sunday morning, as news began to trickle in, that they realized it might be a good idea to find another place to stay.

Taara Smith sat outside her Calgary Place apartment building, waiting for the friend who has offered to take her in for a few days.

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LIVE: Power could be restored Thursday to thousands in downtown Calgary after underground fire

A respected construction consultant warned that the high-tech, million-dollar gym floor being built for the new Police Academy was doomed to buckle but he was ignored, The Post has learned.

The revelation surfaced as the city prepares to rip up and replace the botched polyurethane floor at an extra cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I saw the story in The Post, and I said, Holy moly! I consulted on this thing! said flooring expert Janos Spitzer, referring to the papers exclusive report on the floor fiasco earlier this month.

Sources had told The Post that the flooring at the new Queens facility was buckling because of the citys cost-saving decision to forgo installing a protective vapor barrier under its plywood base.

In January, a sub-contractor hired Manhattan-based Janos P. Spitzer Flooring Consultants, Inc. to evaluate work on the 45,000-square-foot floor.

On Jan. 24, Spitzer inspected the in-progress construction and found subfloor assembly, too springy and too damp for the polyurethane surface being planned, he wrote in a report.

The city Department of Design and Construction, which is overseeing the project, countered in a statement, The subfloor is absolutely usable ... Additionally, an analysis by DDC has found that the subfloor performed, and continues to perform, as designed.

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City could have avoided police academy gym floor flop