Sacramento homebuilders are trying to deal with a severe shortage of construction workers by training high school students in summer internships. They want the teens and their parents to consider the possibility that a construction career might be a good alternative to college, though that can require some convincing.

Theres a negative stereotype about dirty jobs, said Rick Larkey, executive director of the North State Building Industry Foundation. The group is leading the effort to recruit 5,000 new workers over five years in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado counties. A big part of that is the outreach to high-school students through internships and after-school programs.

The foundations pitch on its website is that a four-year college degree isnt the guarantee of financial success it used to be. The American workforce is in desperate need of skilled technicians, and incomes for construction work can rival jobs requiring four-year degrees without the expense of college.

Were trying to give them an opportunity to have a successful and meaningful career that pays well, especially for those that like to work with their hands, Larkey said.

After last decades housing crash, thousands of Sacramento-area construction workers left the industry. Many retrained for new careers or moved away. Now that home construction is on the upswing, builders are finding they cant keep up with demand because they lack skilled laborers. Plumbers, electricians and many other tradespeople are in short supply.

The builders are looking to teenagers, such as Karina Records, to help fill those jobs.

Records, 17, spent part of Thursday morning in the attic of a half-built home learning to install heating and air conditioning ducts. She carefully stepped from rafter to rafter with the sun beating down on the roof above her on a 100-degree day.

My helmet is filled with sweat, she said as she climbed down a ladder to learn how to install a dryer vent. Despite the heat, she said she enjoyed the detailed work of connecting ducts and other tasks involved in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, a field where skilled workers are in high demand.

Records is an incoming senior at Sheldon High School in the Vineyard area of Sacramento County, about 2 miles from the construction site where shes worked this summer. She and 14 or 15 high school juniors from the Elk Grove Unified School District made $10.50 an hour interning with national homebuilder Lennar at its subdivisions near Bradshaw Road and Gerber Road.

Under the instruction and guidance of Lennar mentors, the interns have gotten hands-on experience in nearly every step of home construction. They poured foundations, framed houses and put in plumbing. They hung cabinets, laid carpet and installed wiring. They painted homes, built fences and set up solar panels.

I try to expose them to everything we can so they can make choices, said Sandy Wills,senior construction manager with Lennar at its Vineyard location.

About 30 interns worked at Lennar job sites around the Sacramento region this summer. More than 30 others took part in Mayor Darrell Steinbergs Thousand Strong initiative, learning construction skills, or another program run through the Placer County Office of Education, the Building Industry Foundation reported.

The Lennar interns at the Vineyard project said their exposure to different trades was key to learning what work they found satisfying.

Nick Carlson, 17 and a Sheldon High student, said hed like to be an electrician. The work is challenging, and journeyman electricians make about $35 an hour, or $70,000 a year, he said. Carlson said he sees trade school as a potentially more direct route to a career than college.

A number of interns said they intended to go to college to pursue a degree in construction management or engineering before going back to work in the homebuilding industry. Others said they were still weighing their options but hadnt ruled out going right into a skilled trade.

Chris Rhodes, 17, said he learned about the construction internships as a student in Cosumnes Oaks High Schools Architectural Design and Engineering Academy. He said hell probably go to college to study mechanical engineering but liked knowing he had options.

Construction is a fast-growing industry, Rhodes said. If doors get closed to you, this door is always open.

Jason Kolvoord, 17, said he wants to work in construction for a while before going to college, and Miriam Bell, 17, said she plans to go to trade school but hasnt decided on a trade yet. Both teens attend Laguna Creek High School.

Lennars Sacramento-area vice president for operations, Jeff Panasiti, said there are plenty of jobs for interns who want them after graduation.

You guys are on the other side of the recession, Panasiti told a group of teens in a newly built garage. Seventy percent of construction workers lost their jobs and scattered. Now there are ample opportunities for new workers, he said. The skys the limit.

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Homebuilders want high school students for construction jobs - Sacramento Bee

Q: How do I stop my wood-burning fireplace from smelling like smoke in humid weather? A faint smoke smell would be OK, but this is obnoxious. It seems worse when the air conditioner or even the washer and dryer are running. The smell just wafts on in from the chimney. We have a glass door installed, but it doesnt help.

A: Chimney smells stink up indoor air when the air pressure is lower indoors than out. Especially in a house that was built to be fairly airtight, this can happen when a dryer or other exhaust fan runs or if there are leaks in heating and air-conditioning ducts. To equalize the pressure, air moves down the chimney, making your house stink. Summer conditions add to the problem because the outdoor air is hot and humid and therefore heavier than the drier, cooler indoor air.

In theory, closing the damper on your fireplace should stop the airflow where the air picks up the smell. But fireplace dampers often dont seal very well. For a better seal, you could have a chimney sweep install a spring-loaded stainless-steel damper at the top of the fireplace flue. We called a local company that estimated the job at $630.

Or, for $42.99 to $86.99, depending on the chimney width, you could install an inflatable device known as a Chimney Balloon, available at Amazon.com. It has mixed reviews, however, with some buyers reporting that it punctures easily. Filling a hefty plastic bag with insulation and stuffing that into the chimney opening at the base of the fireplace might work just as well and would surely cost less. Just be sure to remove the plug before you use the fireplace.

If closing off the chimney doesnt stop the smell, call a heating and air-conditioning company to assess air balance in your home. It might help to pipe fresh air directly to combustion appliances (which would include the dryer if yours is a gas model). Or you might benefit from a heat-recovery ventilator, which could introduce more fresh air but in a way that uses the temperature of indoor air to preheat or precool it so you dont waste energy. Sealing leaks in heating and air-conditioning ducts or balancing the system by adding more openings might also be part of the solution.

Q: Our KitchenAid Superba garbage disposal was installed in January 2011. For the past few months, it has failed to grind up and flush vegetable matter that it previously had no problem with. The blades rotate, chopping up the waste, but the waste does not exit the unit. I called the manufacturer for guidance. I was told to fill the disposal with ice to help with grinding. Although some relief was obtained, much of the waste remained in the disposal. Any ideas about why it is failing?

A: This is a three-fourths-horsepower model thats still sold. It has a five-year limited warranty that would cover a repair visit to your home if it were still in effect. But the warranty expired about 1 years ago, a sign that its probably time to replace the unit. The current cost is $279 at Lowes and perhaps even less from other retailers if you shop around online.

If youre reasonably handy, you could probably install a new unit yourself. KitchenAid provides installation instructions that appear straightforward. Lowes could install it for about $120, a local spokesman said.

You might try repeating the ice trick a couple of times. Disposals sometimes work poorly because of a buildup of grease and other debris. Ice particles whip around in the mechanism and pick up the gunk, helping to clean it.

Also try another cleaning method that the manufacturer suggests in its care manual: With the unit off, place a stopper over the opening and fill the sink halfway with warm water. Mix one-fourth cup baking soda with water and dump it in. Turn on the disposal as you remove the stopper. If youre lucky, the force of the water, plus the bubbling action and grease-cutting properties of baking soda, will help restore the units performance, as well as eliminate any foul odors. After the sink drains, remove the sink baffle and clean it by hand or in the dishwasher. Replace it before you operate the disposal again.

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How to stop fireplace smoke smells during summer - Daily Herald

Clark Construction Group has been selected by University of California San Diego (UCSD) to build the$608 million North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood, a 10-acre project designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification. HKS Architects will lead the design team for the project and Safdie Rabines Architects will also assist with design.

The mixed-use neighborhood will blend academic residential, commercial and cultural programming and will house 2,000 beds. The development will have tenants such as Sixth College, Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities. The campus will incorporate student housing academic buildings and research spaces, general assignment classrooms and community service programs. Additionally, the project will include the Craft Center, a space providing non-curricular classes that will engage the campus and surrounding community and will feature 9,000-square-foot retail space.

The Living and Learning Neighborhood at North Torrey Pines community will consist of seven buildings featuring outdoor space, approximately 1,200 parking spaces, as well aswalking and bike paths. Construction will begin in summer 2018 and is slated for completion in 2020.

Innovative universitieslike many leading urban centersare transforming their campuses into vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods. The Living and Learning Neighborhood will be among the most progressive campuses in the country, as it will offer students, faculty and visitors a truly integrated experience, David Harper, HKS principal & global higher education sector leader, said in prepared remarks. Unlike many traditional universities that silo academic, residential and administrative facilities into separate areas on campus, we are fusing together all aspects of the university experienceliving, learning, socializing and workinginto a single environment.

UCSD has been expanding its campus recently, with other projects in the works including a partnership with BioMed Realty to develop a 110,000-square-foot research hub focused on finding treatments and cures for cancer and other chronic diseases.

Video courtesy of HKS

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Clark Construction Leads $608M San Diego Mixed-Use Project - Commercial Property Executive

Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post

Strong job and population gains continued to support Denvers office and industrial markets in the second quarter, and even the struggling retail sector got some relief as the number of vacant big-box stores declined.

New jobs have created demand for new space, said Matt Vance, an economist and director of research for CBRE in Colorado, which provided a market update Monday.

Of the three major commercial real estate segments, industrial remains the strongest in metro Denver. Tenants have absorbed more space than they have let go for an unprecedented 29th consecutive quarter, with no signs that is about to end.

That is the longest run in my 30-year career, saidJim Bolt, executive vice president with CBRE Industrial & Logistics Services.It is hard to get less vacancy than what we have.

Industrial lease rates continue to rise, supported by restraint in new construction. About three-quarters of what is in the pipeline will be built around Denver International Airport and on the north side of the metro area.

One reason industrial space is in such demand is that consumers are buying more goods online, necessitating more distribution centers and warehouses.

Traditional retailers, however, remain under pressure. Payless ShoeSource, RadioShack, JC Penny, Sears, Kmart, Macys, Guess,Abercrombie & Fitch, American Apparel, Bebe and Gordmans are some of the chains that have announced bankruptcies or wide-scale store closures.

But mixed-use retail, the smaller stores that fill the ground floor of some new urban apartment and office buildings, as well as space for restaurants, remains in demand.

Matthew DeBartolomeis, vice president with CBRE Retail Services, saidmetro Denver developers have nearly 1.2 million square feet of retail space under construction and delivered 313,000 square feet of new retail space, a 9 percent increase compared with the same period last year.

Just two projects, the second phase of the Stanley Marketplace and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in the Sloans Lake neighborhood, accounted for more than half the new retail space added. On the downside, the heavy hail storm in May knocked 50-plus stores at Colorado Mills out of commission until repairs are completed.

A year ago this month, Englewood-based Sports Authority, once the nations largest sporting goods retailer, closed its remaining 460 stores, including 31 in Colorado after failing to find a buyer in bankruptcy.

DeBartolomeis also noted that even the big-box retail spaces that dot the metro area are slowing getting absorbed. There were 92 of those a year ago and 76 at the end of the second quarter.

Chris Phenicie, senior vice president with CBRE Advisory & Transaction Services, notes that all theresidential development in central Denver is supporting both retail and office development, giving the area a vibrancy that appeals to educated millennials and the employers trying to locate near them.

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Denver's commercial real estate market hangs tough thanks to job gains - The Denver Post

Delray Beach has been explosive lately, and more development is on its way.

Shopping, local parking and luxury can be expected at 4th and 5th Delray, a mixed-use project by iPic and Samuel & Associates that broke ground on July 5.

The destination will feature an iPic Theaters complex, which offers an affordable, yet luxurious movie-going experience. The 528-seat theater will debut premium plus seating pods and premium chaise lounges, guaranteeing comfort and class for your night out.

On the professional side, 4th and 5th Delrays Class A office space, including iPics global headquarters, is expected to spur local economic development.

Shoppers should look forward to the 7,5000 square feet of retail space that will align the streets with new boutiques and retail opportunities.

The development will also include a six-level, 326-space garage adding 238 additional parking spaces. This parking lot will offer a rooftop green space, accessible to the public.

One of the most beneficial aspects of the project is the number of jobs being brought to the community. The theater, offices and retailers together will bring an estimated 421 jobs to the downtown area.

Currently, the local firm of Butters Construction & Development, serving as the general contractor for 4th and 5th Delray, has generated more than 400 temporary construction positions.

Photo courtesy of Samuels & Associates

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Construction Begins On 4th And 5th Delray, A Mixed-Use Project Downtown - Boca Life Magazine

GRAND RAPIDS After running into challenges with leasing retail space at a prominent downtown redevelopment, a DeVos-held entity got permission from the state to delay its incentive loan repayments.

The company behind The Morton, which was redeveloped and managed by Grand Rapids-based Rockford Construction Co. Inc. in 2015, has struggled to lease ground-floor and lower-level retail space in the facility, according to documents filed with the Michigan Strategic Fund.

While the developer has successfully rented commercial offices and market-rate apartments in The Morton, it has leased only 38 percent of the 38,000 square feet of retail space and has no negotiations underway currently with possible tenants, according to the MSF briefing documents.

That struggle to lease the retail space led DeVos family company RDV Corp., the investors in the project, to request an 18-month deferment on the loan repayment related to state incentives.

The MSF board approved the request in late June. The entity previously had awarded the $27 million project more than $4.3 million in incentives in February 2015.

For its part, Rockford executives attribute the challenges to the sites original design.

The Morton ground floor is a unique space and very well located along Monroe Center, Mike Mraz, managing partner of real estate development for Rockford Construction, said in an email to MiBiz. As a renovated former hotel, the available retail and restaurant opportunities are large spaces that are original to the building. We continue to receive interest, and it will take the right operator to utilize the location most effectively.

Lease rates for the available spaces are listed at between $12 and $20 per square foot and tenants are responsible for all utilities and upkeep of their spaces.

Additionally, the MSF documents note that 82 of the 99 residential units in the 13-story building have been leased.

According to commercial real estate sources, a combination of the low visibility related to the buildings original design as a hotel and the need for upfront investment from any new tenants serve as key challenges to getting the retail space leased up.

Its a unique space just waiting for the right user or concept, said Chris Prins, an associate at Grand Rapids commercial brokerage Colliers International Inc., who currently has the listing for The Morton retail space. But its going to take quite a bit for a build-out.

In late May, boutique retailer Apothecary Off Main moved into 779 square feet of space on the ground floor of The Morton building along Monroe Center. The company previously occupied space in the Rockford Construction-managed retail incubator known as MoDiv.

While retail as a whole has suffered in recent years as more consumers have turned to e-commerce for their shopping needs, many sources still say that small, specialty retail particularly in urban environments can have a bright future.

Mraz shares that sentiment with regard to space at The Morton.

We continue to be confident in downtown retail, he said.

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DeVos-held firm gets loan deferment on GR facility amid struggle to fill retail space - MiBiz

This quarter was packed full of groundbreakings! After over a decade of planning, construction has finally commenced on the new St. Pete pier. Construction crews have started driving piles into Tampa Bay to support the over-water portion of the pier. It will take 6 months to complete the pile driving process, however construction on the pier deck is scheduled to begin as early as October.

In other groundbreaking news, located on Fourth Avenue North between Third and Fourth streets, the site of the Museum of the American Arts of Crafts Movementwas fenced off this quarter for site preparation. The $70 million privately funded museum will occupy 137,000 square feet and stand 5 stories tall. The museum will include a 100-seat auditorium, a resource library, a children's education center, a 300-seat upscale restaurant, a cafe, retail store and event space. The expected opening date is May 2019.

Two more city-funded projects broke ground this quarter, as well -- The Campbell Park Skatepark and the new St. Pete Police Headquarters. The 167,000 square foot police HQ, which includes an offsite shooting range, will cost the city $85 million. The old headquarters will be demolished sometime in 2019 after the new complex is complete.

Near Tropicana Field in Campbell Park, the Campbell Park Skatepark finally broke ground after over 2 years of anticipation. Once the 28,000 square foot skatepark is complete, it will be the largest skatepark in the entire state of Florida.

Also this quarter, some smaller townhome projects started going vertical. District on 9th (34 units) and Skye333 (10 units) started construction near the EDGE District. On 4th Ave South, The Sabal broke ground on four townhomes.

In May, we broke the news of First North Lofts, an 11-story apartment tower that will soon rise near the EDGE District. The 214-unit tower will also include 18,500 square feet of ground-level retail space. Groundbreaking is set for the first quarter of 2018.

ONEkeeps climbing into the St. Pete stratosphere. Currently the condo tower is on floor 30 of 41 and the parking garage is on the 6th and final floor. The Hyatt Place that sits on the same block is scheduled to open by the end of the year.

Lastly, with exciting news, we also bring some disappointing news. We've learned recently that 801 Conway, a 35-unit townhome community located on 8th St North, has been cancelled. Unfortunately, the project was never able to obtain the necessary permits to proceed with construction. No future plans have been made for the land intended for 801 Conway.

As always, be sure to check out our previous downtown development updates to track the progress of all active projects currently under construction (1Q16,2Q16,3Q16,4Q16, 1Q17).

1st Ave S. Retail

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Downtown St. Pete Development Update - Second Quarter 2017 - St. Pete Rising (blog)

Construct-A-Lead's comprehensive online construction database supplies the enormous, construction marketplace with valuable information for companies to be able to compete in the multi-billion dollar construction arena. The following construction projects offer users insight into the area's New York construction activity.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) July 11, 2017

Construct-A-Lead, the industry's most comprehensive construction lead service, announces the following New York projects will go forward. Construct-A-Lead's newly implemented advanced search feature allows the user to find their leads or key contacts by project type, location, bid stage, dollar value, company, or keyword.

Users are able to track projects status, save searches, put personalized notes on projects, email a project to a colleague or customer, reach out directly to the decision maker and download construction leads with a one-touch feature.

Interested parties are invited to visit Construct-A-Lead.com and sign up for a no obligation test drive, where they will be able to experience these newly integrated features. Users will be able to receive regular alerts on new and updated construction projects, in accordance with the individual's preference.

An example of the New York projects available within the database is listed below. Reference the Project ID to utilize the new site features and to obtain direct contact information for each construction lead:

New York, NY Echelon - Plans call for the demolition of the existing building and the new construction of a 535-foot, 40 story tower with 27 units in 59,240 square feet of space. Construction start: Q3, Q4, 2017, $25,000,000. Project ID: 1394627

Long Beach, NY Medical Arts Pavilion Plans call for the new construction of a medical facility that will include an expanded emergency department, primary care, radiology services and room for a variety of medical specialists. Construction start: Q4, 2018, Q1, 2019, $99,000,000 Project ID: 1394721

Buffalo, NY The Forge on Broadway Plans call for the new construction of a 230,000-square-foot development to include 159 apartments, 11,600 SF of retail space and 25 townhomes. Construction start: Q4, 2017, Q1, 2018. $48,000,000 Project ID: 1391645

Ithaca, NY 118 College Avenue - Plans call for the new construction of a 4-story apartment building containing five dwelling units with a total of 28 bedrooms to attract primarily student tenants. Construction start: Q1, Q2, 2018. $1,100,000 Project ID: 1394416

Brooklyn, NY 271 Sea Breeze Avenue Plans call for the new construction of a 22-story, 114-unit mixed-use tower to include 32,000 square feet of community space and 200 parking spaces. Construction start: Q2, Q3, 2018, $40,000,000. Project ID: 1394372

Colonie, NY 123 Everett Rd Plans call for the new construction of a 50,300 SF, 2 story medical office building. Construction start: Q4, 2017, Q1, 2018. $10,000,000. Project ID: 1394693

Construct-A-Lead is an online database that connects users to large-scale commercial construction projects, including those hidden, private project leads.

The service features hotel construction, office buildings, retail construction, medical facilities, school renovations and much more, to help bid on construction including those hard-to-find private project leads, from planning stage through completion. Construct-A-Lead's daily updates of commercial construction project leads are an ideal solution for those who want to put their product or service into commercial, government and religious structures.

For more information, visit Construct-A-Lead.com online or call 855-874-1491.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/07/prweb14496929.htm

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Construct-A-Lead Announces The Following New York Projects Will ... - Benzinga

Here in Toronto, installing weeping tile systems on the exterior of the foundation wall is a must if you will be waterproofing the exterior of your homes foundation. Toronto is built on top of a large water aquifer, with hundreds of underground waterways. Many areas of Toronto also have high water table issues, where a good thunderstorm can wreck havoc on a homes foundation. An exterior weeping tile system will remove the water buildup on the outside of your foundation and carry it away safely from your home.

When contractors dig out for a basement, they inevitably remove more earth than is strictly necessary. This could be because the soil is unstable, and they do not want it to collapse against a raw wall. Its usually also to make space for a weeping tile system that can help keep the basement dry forever by removing water from outside your foundation wall so it cannot seep into your basement.

An exterior weeping tile system works in similar fashion as an interior weeping tile system, except that water is removed before it has a chance to seep into your foundation walls. Usually, an interior weeping tile is used when, for whatever reason, the exterior of the foundation cannot be dug out and waterproofed properly.

Once the exterior weeping tile system is installed, contractors backfill the space with the soil they dug out previously. Strictly speaking, they should tamp it down as the wall builds up to ground level and then cover it with a sloping hard-standing to lead the water away from the foundation. Less diligent contractors simply pour in barrow-loads of loose soil at the end of the job, tidy up, request payment and go. This will inevitably lead to water build up against your foundation, and eventually more water leaking through the foundation.

Installing an exterior weeping tile system is a fairly big job as you will need to dig out the foundation of your home, which is why it is very (and I stress very) important to have the exterior weeping tile system installed properly the first time as the only remedy for an improperly installed exterior weeping tile system is to dig out the foundation again and fix it.

Water inevitably finds its way down into the ground to reach the outside of a basement wall, no matter what a homeowner tries to do. If its not percolating down through the backfill, then its seeping betweenthe strata towards it anyway. When that happens, you have only twodefenses:

1. A solid, crack-free, fully waterproofed intact structure comprising walls, floor and sometimes concrete ceiling.

2. A set of weeping tiles installed all around the outside of the foundation, to lead ground water away before it causes damage.

*Weeping tiles are an essential belt-and-braces feature of any well-designed basement. Thats because earth expands, shifts and contracts, and inevitably challenges the structures owndefenses.

How Do Weeping Tiles Work?

Dont be confused by the term weeping tile. Weeping tiles are not tiles at all (although they were once perforated pipes made from clay).These days, weeping tiles are made from 4 diameter plastic pipe regularly punched with holes. The idea being that ground water will find its way into them through the holes, and then follow a gentle incline until it discharges naturally (or enters a sump pump for pumping out).

Before the plastic pipes are buried, they are covered with a long open sock or overlapping socks made from rot-proof permeable material. This prevents the earth from clogging up the holes, much in the same way as the original weeping tiles may have kept the underground ditches clear.

Weeping tile systems also need to be graded properly so that water in the pipes will make its way towards the final discharge point.

Having Weeping Tile Problems?

This is most likely because thelong, open socks (or holes in old clay pipes) have become clogged. Thesedays, this can largely be avoided by covering the pipes with fine gravel. Unfortunately, when they do clogtheres little option but to dig them up and lay in new ones. If installed properly, an exterior weeping tile system should work fine for many years.

Have questions about installing an exterior weeping tile system or repairs to your existing system? Nusite Waterproofing has been installing and repairing exterior weeping tile systems in Toronto for over 30 years. We have an A+ Rating with the BBB and are a top rated waterproofing company in Toronto on Homestars. We offer free, in-home estimates and inspections and can point out where and how water is entering your basement.

NuSite Group is a Toronto based basement waterproofing and foundation repair company that specializes in Basement Waterproofing, Basement Lowering, and Foundation Repairs.Call us today at 416-622-7000 or 905-731-1228 for a free in-home estimate and inspection.

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How Does an Exterior Weeping Tile System Work? - Nusite ...

Updated 5 hours ago

The Society of Sculptors will bring about 40 sculptures to Millvale's Riverfront Park as part of the first SculptureFest.

The free festival, slated for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 22, will feature sculptors demonstrating mold making, casting, metal manipulation and clay sculpting at the park's pavilion. Guests visiting Ton Pottery at 220 North Ave. may view owner Dan Kuhn using his pottery wheel and an exhibit of wall sculptures originally planned to hang at the nearby Millvale Studios, now closed because of a recent fire.

The Society of Sculptors, The Frick Art & Historical Center, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art and Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area will lead family-friendly, hands-on activities.

Families and individuals will be able to talk with the artists who are demonstrating and ask questions, touch materials and interact, said Duncan MacDiarmid, Society of Sculptors president. So it's very much about a festival that engages people, rather than perhaps a more traditional arts festival where you walk around and look at booths.

I do feel that as human beings we enjoy working with our hands and we enjoy creating; and with so much technology in our lives, we've moved away from that. And this festival is sort of about bringing that back into the spotlight.

These artists, among others, will provide demonstrations on the following topics: Susan Wagner, sculptor of PNC Park's Roberto Clemente statue, and Gadi Leshem, figure modeling; Donna Penoyer, jeweler, turning a clay-like substance into solid metal when heated at a high temperature; Pati Beachley and Ed Parrish, melting and casting aluminum; Anders Anderson of Red Tile Clay Works, mold-making, and James Shipman, wood carving.

MacDiarmid anticipates that most pieces will remain inside the pavilion because it will take a lot of effort to move them around the park.

My hope is that as the festival becomes better known that people will want to start to do that. And it will become Pittsburgh's very own Burning Man (after the annual Black Rock Desert, Nev., festival).

In addition to viewing the art, guests may listen to music from Jeremy Boyle of Joan of Arc, The Working Poor and a live broadcast from The River's Edge online radio station.

Sprezzatura, Grist House Craft Brewery, Frank's Pizza and Chicken, and First Course Cafe will serve refreshments.

Following SculptureFest 2017, Millvale Yoga Collective and Panza Gallery will present the Art and Afterparty from 6 p.m. to midnight at Panza Gallery, 115 Sedgwick St., Millvale.

The free event will feature art from the Pittsburgh Society of Artists' Choice Exhibition, complimentary refreshments and music from the Tim Vitullo Band, Bindley Hardware Co. and We Were Telepathic.

Millvale Yoga Collective owner Jenny Sines, whose studio was located inside the Millvale Studios building, is temporarily holding classes at Panza Gallery and the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania. She and the other party organizers plan to raffle art and gift baskets donated from local businesses to raise funds for the artists affected by the fire.

She hopes the event strengthens the creative community in Millvale and continues its momentum, in all mediums: music, art and movement certainly to also help Millvale Studios, but also just to go get people inspired.

Erica Cebzanov is a Tribune-Review contributor.

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Millvale Riverfront Park to host interactive sculpture festival - Tribune-Review