Improvements planned at Leclaire Park

Cody King cking@edwpub.net

Photo: Bill Tucker Intelligencer

Leclaire Park will be getting a retaining wall installed in the coming weeks.

Leclaire Park will be getting a retaining wall installed in the coming weeks.

Retaining wall, new sidewalk considered

Leclaire Lake is going to get a significant upgrade in the coming weeks.

As discussed at last weeks Administrative and Community Services Committee meeting, Public Works recommended the approval to award Keller Construction, Inc. the base bid amount of $124,124.33 for the installation of a retaining wall and replacement of the sidewalk.

The wall will be along the east side of the lake, parallel to Madison Avenue and will also include the removal and replacement of the sidewalk, removal and reinstallation of a concrete fence and removal and replacement of the storm sewer.

Alderman Will Krause said this park improvement is definitely necessary to improve the site.

Its got to get fixed and its going to be a park improvement, visually to the area. Aesthetically, I think it will also help cut down on our moss issue that we have on that side for numerous years now, Krause said.

The Leclaire Lake project includes a base bid of 325 feet of retaining wall installation and an alternate bid, which includes 421 feet.

The retaining wall, along with the other park improvements, will improve pedestrian mobility and safety along Madison Avenue and around the park as a whole.

City Engineer Ryan Zwijack said if approved by City Council, prior to the installation, the lake will need to be lowered to accommodate the contractors.

The lake will be slightly lowered to a level of five to six feet. They have a range at which they have to keep it so the contractors dont pump it all out and kill all the fish. They have to keep it within a certain range, Zwijack said.

The project received a total of three bids, with the base bid amounts ranging from $124,124.33 from Keller Construction, Inc., $139,240.41 from RCS Construction, Inc. and $143,259.60 from Stutz Excavating, Inc. The engineers estimate for the base bid was $150,000.

Following approval from Council, Director of Public Works Eric Williams said contractors are hoping to have the project completed before the school year starts.

By the time, if Council approves and contracts are executed, the (time) blocks I believe will be 30 to 45 days, Williams said. I know they were trying to get it done before school starts.

As discussion came to a close, aldermen Will Krause, Art Risavy and SJ Morrison took a vote.

Krause made the motion, seconded by Risavy.

The motion was subsequently approved at Wednesday's Council meeting.

More here:
Retaining wall, new sidewalk considered - The Edwardsville Intelligencer

A Terre Haute man was injured when he was thrown from his vehicle after it rolled over a retaining wall Sunday evening.

Danny Corbett, 73, was taken to an area hospital for non-life threatening injuries, police chief John Plasse said.

The incident occurred about 7 p.m. at Sycamore Manor assisted living complex. Corbett told police he had stopped his vehicle and got out to pick up something he had dropped. Corbett said he thought he had put the vehicle in park, but it began to roll forward so he tried to get back inside to stop it. He was halfway inside the vehicle as it drove off the ledge and crashed below, throwing him to the ground. The retaining wall is about 6 feet high.

The vehicle continued for several feet before rolling to a stop.

Read this article:
Man injured after vehicle rolls over retaining wall | News | tribstar.com - Terre Haute Tribune Star

Mike and I are kicking around whether or not there is a good alternative refrigerant for R-22 in A/C service ??

ICOR Nu22-B came up - is there any info you learned folk can pass on?

Past use, oil change info, capacity loss / gain etc. would be appreciated - or is is a buch of ' snake oil ' ?? Perhaps this discussion has already gone around the bases ??

Thanking you in advance - - - - -

Superheat and subcooling tell it all !

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the public's own money. - Alexis de Toqueville, 1835

What I always found ironic about the phase out is in the end its because these refrigerants are said to deplete the ozone. Global warming accelerates the ozone depletion process, refrigerants have a GWP number as well, global warming potential. R-410A, the R-22 replacement has a higher GWP than R22 but R22 has a 0.034 ODP while R-410A is "approximately" zero. I guess I don't understand how one is better than the other. The largest global warming source, coal fired utilities, are unregulated when it comest to CO2.

God Bless the USA

We recently had a very bad experience with NU-22 on a 100Ton Trane split system. The unit has 8 compressors and a few of them were being replaced; reason(s) for failure is unknown. The technician who replaced compressors and was charging the system was under the assumption the NU-22 refrigerant was a drop-in, so he was just adding refrigerant to clear the sightglass. That would be a mistake in any case, adding refrigerant without measuring superheat and subcooling. Anyway, the new compressors failed, locked-up, oil was washed out. To make a very long story short, more new compressors were installed, but R-22 was put back in the unit, and those compressors are still working. Is NU-22 or NU-22B a drop-in refrigerant? I don't think so. Is NU-22B an acceptable replacement? I don't know, but I am convinced that great care should be taken to get before and after measurements, particularly superheat. The PT chart for NU-22 and NU-22B suggests that the TXV would need to have spring pressure increased when the conversion is done.

We're awl pawthetic and kweepy and can't get giwrls. That's why we fight wobots.

Copper wouldn't hold those pressures, either.

God Bless the USA

I'm just wondering what everone elses lessons were when r12 went out. Mine was a little stress for the first 1.5 years or so then I played around with two of the drop in replacements and settled on Hot Shot.

I even had a guy try to sell me a new jug of R12 and turned him down cause Hot Shot has so far taken care of all the R12 needs I've had.

Point is, for me, the R12 thing became a non-thing very quickly once I found a suitable replacement.

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the public's own money. - Alexis de Toqueville, 1835

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R-22 Refrigerant ' replacements - HVAC-Talk: Heating, Air ...

The agreements are designed to boost efficiency and effectiveness within the federal programs. The CHAMP agreement, for example, will enable investment of an estimated $75 million through a single contract, rather than splitting up five years of efforts across eight sites, to reduce administrative burdens and leverage purchasing power.

Modern supply-chain management techniques will benefit NNSA through lower prices and reduced time necessary for repairs, replacements and modernization of HVAC components. Design work began this month.

"I'm proud of the CHAMP team," says Mark Martinez, LLNS' principal associate director of operations and business. "The selection of Burns & McDonnell is a crucial milestone in our efforts to modernize HVAC infrastructure complex wide in order to further NNSA's mission and perform cutting-edge science."

Burns & McDonnell FES, a subsidiary of Burns & McDonnell, has supported Department of Energy operations in Kansas City for more than a decade providing utility system management, engineering/design support and construction oversight for Honeywell FM&T plant management operations. When NNSA decided to relocate from a 3 million-square-foot facility into a new one measuring 1.5 million square feet, the FES group served as owner's representative for NNSA and oversaw the successful move of the complex's 3,000 pieces of equipment and 40,000 moving crates.

"We are proud to support NNSA in its effort to address its critical infrastructure needs in protecting our nuclear enterprise," says Dave Barr, vice president and director of federal projects at Burns & McDonnell.

For photos and support materials, visit our Media Kit.

About Burns & McDonnellBurns & McDonnell is a family of companies made up of more than 5,700 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is 100 percent employee-owned and is proud to be No. 16 on Fortune's 2017 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit burnsmcd.com.

Contact: Mark Fagan, Burns & McDonnell 816-822-3966 mfagan@burnsmcd.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/burns--mcdonnell-upgrading-climate-control-systems-for-nuclear-security-facilities-300484353.html

SOURCE Burns & McDonnell

http://www.burnsmcd.com

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Burns & McDonnell Upgrading Climate Control Systems for Nuclear Security Facilities - PR Newswire (press release)

BAMBERG -- Bamberg County Council gave final third-reading approval to the county's $14.3 million spending plan for FY 2017-18 at a special called meeting on June 30.

The budget calls for a general fund of $7.2 million, along with separate accounts set up for special revenue ($3 million), enterprise ($1.5 million), debt service ($300,000) and capital projects ($2.2 million).

Council members Trent Kinard, Sharon Hammond, Larry Haynes, Chairman Evert Comer Jr. and Joe Guess Jr. voted to adopt the budget. Council Vice Chairman Clint Carter and Councilman Rev. Isaiah Odom were not present.

The $14,278,775 budget represents a decrease over the $14.5 million spending plan for FY 2016-2017, but the average $60,000 homeowner in the county is projected to see an approximately $55 spike in their tax bill.

County Controller Gina Smith said the largest portion of that increase -- approximately $34 -- is used to cover costs the county is shouldering to meet unfunded state mandates.

Increased retirement contributions, for example, are impacting the county's budget to the tune $63,262. The county's contribution to the South Carolina Retirement System would increase from 11.56 to 13.56 percent, while its contribution to the Police Officers Retirement System would jump from 14.24 to 16.24 percent. Employee contributions to the SCRS would be raised from 8.66 to 9 percent, while the contribution to the PORS would rise from 8.91 to 9.75 percent.

"There is a millage increase for the unfunded mandates. Something that we have been talking about as a group is breaking down unfunded mandates for a number of years," Smith said, noting that 14.3 mills are being levied to address unfunded mandates in this year's budget.

The value of a mill is $26,520, up from last year's $26,000.

"We did one thing new this year at the direction of the county council and the administrator. We broke out to the best that we could any unfunded state mandates. And our intention is to show that separately on the tax notice," Smith said, noting that the county is also having to make up for what the state is not providing through a fully-funded Local Government Fund.

She estimates the levy of 20.5 mills will go toward paying for capital needs, including heavy equipment, vehicles and HVAC replacements and any major building repairs.

Smith also reported that the general fund budget increased from $7,200,095 to $7,227,010, noting, "Most of that was the result of adding a full-time position to the voter's registration and election office."

She said the council had also agreed to increase its municipal detainee fee from $16 per day to $26 per day.

"It costs us on average $79 a day to house an inmate whether it's a county person or a municipal detainee. And we had been charging $16 a day to those inmates. We actually did a survey about a year and a half ago, and Bamberg County was the lowest of all the counties that charged municipal fees," Smith said. "The average is about $38. So we're still below average. We're just trying to make up a little ground."

The spending plan does not include a cost-of-living increase for employees. The average employee with family coverage, however, will not have to pay the $1,300 more per year in health insurance costs because the county is absorbing 100 percent of the increase.

Administrator Joey Preston said the county will also be addressing refinancing the $1.5 million general obligation bond for its now defunct hospital, or else face payments stretching out to 2028.

"At some point and time in the next couple of months, we're gonna come back to y'all. We're gonna try to move toward getting that refinanced over the next year if at all possible," he told council members.

Preston also updated the council on the improvement work scheduled to be done on the County Courthouse.

"What's getting ready to happen with this courthouse is gonna be mammoth as far as the work that has to go into that. ... I think probably September to October is when we'll be coming back before council with a recommendation from the Bambeg Facilities Corporation, which will be the entity that would actually be working with the USDA through the grant and loan program," he said. "Council has to endorse what they do."

Kinard was among the council members who thanked the county staff for solid fiscal management and helping to move the county forward.

"We're doing the best we can do, and I appreciate all y'all do. I think this council has proven that it actually cares," he said.

Continue reading here:
Bamberg County adopts $14.3M spending plan | News | thetandd.com - The Times and Democrat

By Helena Tavares Kennedy

Daniel Reddick, born and raised in Prince William County, wanted to stay closer to home, family and his community, so he decided to start his own plumbing, HVAC and electrical business while working as a plumbing manager for a multi-million dollar service company in Northern Virginia. We saw the need for superior, honest tradesman and a higher level of customer service, said Daniel Reddick.

He started with a side business helping close friends, relatives and referrals, but after earning Master licenses in HVAC, Gas Fitter, and Electrical, he was ready to go out on his own and pursue his dream in 2015. His wife Meaghan helped Daniel by managing their home office, but they have since expanded with another full time office person and two additional skilled tradesman working in the field.

Surprisingly, they found that plumbing isnt the bread and butter they thought it would be for their business, as customer demand for HVAC work as increased quite a bit, leading them to have serviced dozens of HVAC replacements.

We have two Master Plumbers, so the plumber that is coming to your home is an expert and has most likely seen every kind of plumbing situation emergency or otherwise, said Meaghan Reddick.

They often go out of their way to help their customers out, even with unusual requests. A recent peculiar project was to install a tankless water heater for a pond for a client who needed to keep his koi fish warm during the winter.

We have hundreds of customers from all over the Prince William region, as well as Loudoun, Fauquier, Fairfax and Arlington, said Meaghan Reddick. We really want to focus on Prince William area customers, since we love feeling the connection of having our neighbors as clients.

What makes Reddick and Sons stand apart from the rest is their incredible talent in the field and in the office with high levels of professionalism, knowledge and customer service. With a lack of skilled tradespeople in the market right now, we are quickly facing a crisis said Meaghan Reddick. If our youth are not trained in plumbing, HVAC, electrical, then who will be serving our future Prince William area? Our country? Our world? We are building a business that can serve your family for generations, so we stay one step ahead in order to keep up with the changing demands in our industry- especially for more energy efficient systems.

We are a family business, we want our clients to feel comfortable and trusting of us, said Meaghan Reddick, and for good reason as their business is named for the future of their company, Daniel and Meaghans young sons. We feel incredibly lucky that our business took off and is growing and thriving in this region. We have incredible clients that share their experiences and have directly impacted the growth of our business. Our desire is to keep our clients safe and happy serving their basic needs.

This family owned business goes beyond serving clients and go out of their way to support the local community and organizations. We love to be active in our community and would love other opportunities to do so, said Meaghan Reddick. Currently, we sponsor a Babe Ruth team at the Greater Manassas Baseball League; Danny is the President of the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) Northern VA chapter; and I am the VP for the Prince William Historic Preservation Foundation.

Helena Tavares Kennedy ([emailprotected]), a longtime Prince William County resident, is a freelance writer and communications consultant at htkmarketingservices.com and livinggreendaybyday.com.

Read more from the original source:
Reddick & Sons Serve Customers and Community - Prince William Living (press release) (blog)

Posted: Jul. 3, 2017 10:10 pm Updated: Jul. 3, 2017 10:42 pm

QUINCY -- A $140,000 adjustment to Quincy's fiscal 2018 budget got a first hearing during Monday night's Quincy City Council meeting.

Director of Administrative Services John "Skip" Bright said the bookkeeping adjustment was needed to account for replacement of windows at City Hall.

"The original budgeted amount for window replacement was to have been completed during the last fiscal year," Bright said. "It didn't get completed because of some remediation requirements and we forgot to carry over the amount" into this fiscal year.

The original contract for replacement windows was approved at $184,100. But A. Fischer Builders Inc. found a small amount of asbestos in the caulk around the first window removed. That triggered federal rules that required an abatement contractor, and the City Council approved a $14,645 adjustment to the window contract in April.

Work on the project continued, but it was not completed until after the new fiscal year began in May.

Also on Monday, the City Council tabled for three weeks an ordinance involving a no-parking area planned on Holford Drive. Alderman Mike Rein, R-5, said he wants to meet with two homeowners to seek a suitable resolution.

Aldermen also voted to buy oil products from Big River Oil Co. of Hannibal for $18,302.

A maintenance contract valued at $7,100 was renewed with Cellebrite USA Inc. of Glen Rock, N.J. The contract covers the Ultimate Touch Mobile Forensic Solution, which is used by the Quincy Police Department.

The council also voted to buy $4,220 in fire hose from Municipal Emergency Services.

Aldermen drafted ordinances to allow for the vacation of an alley in Block 9 of Holmes and Woods Addition, a special permit to allow a truck loading addition at 2311 Broadway, and a special permit to build a 41-by-84-foot building at 620 S. 10th.

The council agreed with Plan Commission endorsement of subdividing and allowing a self-storage facility at 3201 Locust.

Plans for rezoning property at 5503 State were tabled indefinitely when the property owner dropped plans for a project there.

More here:
Budget adjustment for fiscal 2018 made for Quincy City Hall window replacement project - Herald-Whig

R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian

Vacasa rental sign on a Gearhart home.

R.J. Marx/The Daily Astorian

The ballot initiative seeking to repeal Gearharts short-term rental rules.

GEARHART Voters in November will get to decide the fate of Gearharts vacation rental rules.

The bid to repeal and replace the regulations issued last fall gathered enough valid signatures to put the measure on the ballot.

The initiative was presented to the City Council Wednesday night. City councilors had three options: pass the repeal and replace ordinance; reject the ordinance and allow voters to decide in November; or reject the ordinance and come up with a competing alternative.

The council unanimously voted to reject the ordinance and put it on the ballot.

We fully expected the City Council to reject our ordinance, Jim Whittemore, who owns a short-term rental property, said Thursday. Now it is on the ballot. We submitted 242 signatures, which is significant.

According to the revised summary, submitted by David Townsend, Brian and Joy Sigler and Sarah Nebeker, the ballot measure would repeal the special regulations on vacation rentals related to off-street parking, residential appearance, garbage service, septic-sewer capacity inspections and cesspool requirements not required of other city residents.

Our message will show that we care as much about Gearhart as full-time residents do, Whittemore said. We always have. I think that once residents see how much 82 vacation homeowners pay in property taxes and that we will pay close to $50,000 a year for police and fire services, which equates to $500,000 over the next 10 years that our vacation rental ordinance is far more beneficial to the city and the residents of Gearhart than the current ordinance.

Some elements of the original ballot initiative prepared by the city are retained in the rewritten summary, including a vote on future short-term rental zoning amendments, safety inspections and permit fees.

A responsible cap

Mayor Matt Brown stood by the citys rules. Our current vacation rental laws are working very well, Brown said. We have a responsible cap while allowing all current vacation rentals to continue to rent. Substandard septic and cesspools are being repaired and replaced, and bedrooms are being updated with fire egresses to protect children, families and our property owners.

Brown said that the ordinance has stimulated more available housing for full-time residents, who choose Gearhart for its quiet residential nature.

The citys rules regulate short-term rental occupancy limits, parking and property management contact information, among other provisions.

Permits are transferable only by inheritance, not by the sale of the property.

Brown said language in the new proposal is very dangerous to the quiet residential nature of the community and against the language in the citys comprehensive plan.

The revised ordinance would eliminate the ability to protect residents from negative impacts, he said, and allows an unlimited number of commercial vacation rentals in residential zones.

According to Brown, the proposal would eliminate septic inspections for high-occupancy rentals and eliminate state certified fire and life safety inspections. I believe its my sworn duty to reject something that could put lives in danger, Brown said.

Headed to vote

City Administrator Chad Sweet said Thursday that 84 Gearhart property owners had registered their homes as short-term rentals.

Gearhart has about 1,400 voters on its rolls, Sweet said. While the deadline has passed for homeowners to apply for short-term rental permits, the city has extended the period for property owners to make improvements required by the citys current ordinance. Window replacement or installation for safety egress, septic upgrades, cesspool replacement and other fire and life safety issues comprise the majority of repairs or upgrades needed to meet city standards.

Once the city delivers a notice of election, the initiative will be placed on the Nov. 7 ballot, County Clerk Valerie Crafard said.

Brown said, I am looking forward to our citizens getting the true facts on the differences between our current common-sense vacation rental rules and their new repeal ordinance allowing unlimited commercial vacation rentals. I have the utmost faith that our citizens will decide whats best for the future of our quiet residential community.

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Repeal of Gearhart vacation rental rules heads to voters - Daily Astorian

Jefferson County Schools will use $200,000 in 2017-18 capital projects money to fix the Jefferson County High baseball stadium.

The work was unanimously approved during last weeks school board meeting, on motions from Anne Marie Potts and Dusty Cox.

Deteriorating concrete under the main section of seats and the press box is the main issue at the stadium, which has been waiting for attention for a couple of years.

The work will include shoring up the structure using steel and concrete, or a combination of the two. Also included will be new bleachers for the stadium.

Much like the problems at the football stadium that were repaired a few years ago, water has taken its toll on the masonry, seeping in and damaging the block.

In making the motion, Potts took the opportunity to commend the baseball Patriots first-ever run to the state tournament. Were real proud of them, she said.

School Facilities Director Michael Phagan said he had already had been working with structural engineers, and is ready to move forward with the project so that it can be completed before baseball season begins next spring. The work was scheduled last year, but had to be postponed due to more pressing facilities issues.

Phagan also reviewed the status of other projects that were completed last year, or are still in progress.

One of the biggest, costing just under $200,000, is repaving of parking areas at Jefferson County High.

By doing the base preparation work ourselves, will be able to pave the entire parking lot, including the band pad, Phagan told the board. Weve been down there for weeks, putting in the new base, and fixing storm drains.

Paving at JCHS should begin on July 10, Phagan said.

Another project at JCHS, installation of the lift system at the James D. Swann Performing Arts Center, is scheduled for September. Because bids came in under budget, board members were able to shift $113,000 to White Pine School, to be used on a new gym floor.

Bids for that project will go out soon, Phagan indicated, after officials worked out an ADA/fire code issue.

Phagan also reported that renovation of White Pine Schools kitchen is on schedule, and barring any unforseen delays should be completed by July 31. In response to a question, he said the portable classroom building that was used last year for the transfer of food to the school from Talbott will be converted back to classrooms. Another portable leased for classrooms will be returned, he indicated.

Window replacement at seven different schools will begin in August, and should be completed by the first of the year, Phagan added.

In other action during last Tuesdays meeting, the board:

Approved end-of-year budget adjustments, recognizing additional funds and cleaning up line items in preparation for the annual audit;

Approved the use of the Jefferson County Fairgrounds on September 1, by Carson-Newman University for a Boot Scoot;

Approved membership dues of $4,500 for 2017-18 to Tennessee School Systems for Equity; and

Gave final approval to updates on several school board policies.

See the original post:
Baseball stadium repairs approved by school board - The Standard Banner

John Penney jpenney@norwichbulletin.com, (860) 857-6965 jpenneynb

KILLINGLY Work on three Killingly school roofs is expected to begin later this month and be completed before students return in the fall.

On Wednesday, the towns Building Committee accepted the low bids submitted for the replacement of the Killingly Memorial School and for a partial roof replacement at the Goodyear Early Education Center. The committee did not accept bids for work at the Killingly Central School, though it is expected to do so on Monday.

All the bids were well under what we expected, Community Development Director Mary Bromm said. Thats likely due to companies not having a lot of these major projects scheduled for this summer.

A $1.01 million bid from Hartford Restoration Services was selected for the Killingly Memorial School work, while a $226,000 bid is expected to be awarded to the Cromwell-based Imperial Company Restoration Services.

Residents in February approved a $6.25 million bonding package for school roof and window work, with 70 percent of the cost expected to be reimbursed by the state. Bromm said the planned window replacements wont begin until next year.

That kind of work falls into a separate category that requires legislative approval for reimbursement funding, she said. We should get an answer back by July 2018.

If the final cost of the project is less than the approved bonding figure, officials will simply not bond the entire amount, though the full anticipated costs must have been previously approved by taxpayers.

All three roofs are more than 20 years old and past their recommended lifespan, said Paul Mailhot, supervisor of operations and maintenance for the school district.

"There's been deterioration from (ultra-violet) light and general wear-and-tear from snow and rain over the last two decades," he said. "The rubber membranes are pulling away and we're getting cracks that constantly need patching. Anytime there's a big storm, we're patching and repairing those areas so water doesn't seep inside the buildings."

Residents in February also approved spending up to $3.2 million for several projects at the community center, including exterior brick re-painting, bathroom and locker room renovations and window work.

A portion of that money about $1 million - would be set aside to replace the nearly 100-year-old pipes running through Town Hall. Another $1.8 million was approved for upcoming bridge and culvert replacement, half of which is reimbursable by the state.

Link:
Bids for work on Killingly school roofs 'well under' expectations - Norwich Bulletin