Renovations are continuing at a steady pace on the field house at Burl Fowler Stadium. Jacob Webster, with Webster Flooring, checked the tile installation on the visiting teams locker room. The clips between tiles help to level the ceramic tiles for an even surface. The visitors locker room will have two stalls, two urinals, a Bradley hand washing station, all handicapped accessible, a regular shower and handicapped shower. Murray Bishoff/times-news@monett-times.com

Gyms near completion, field house ahead of schedule

Progress is continuing steadily on $2.1 million in building projects for the Monett school district over the summer.

Superintendent Brad Hanson and school board members toured the E.E. Camp gymnasium recently. Board members were especially struck by the new LED lights in the gym, brightening the facility much more than in the past. The new heating and air conditioning system in the gym as been finished. Floor work is underway this week. Efforts continue on renovating the locker rooms.

Jason Luebbert with Charles Luebbert Hardwood Floors of Jefferson City continued on the first sanding sweep of the E.E. Camp gymnasium floor on Tuesday morning, part of summer improvement projects at the school district. Luebbert planned to make three more passes over the floor sanding before buffing, waxing, adding two coats of seal then painting. He said repeated annual coats of floor finish had significantly darkened the floor. When finished, the color would be much lighter, like new, and quite visible in the brighter LED lights installed over the summer. Murray Bishoff/times-news@monett-times.com

The new gym floor has been installed at Central Park Elementary, which Hanson called beautiful. Work renovating the locker rooms is nearly completion.

Work is ahead of scheduled on the field house at Burl Fowler Stadium. Hanson hoped crews would complete work in the next three weeks, prior to the beginning of football practice.

APAC, which received the contract for resurfacing the parking lot at Burl Fowler Stadium, plans to begin dirt work on July 10. Hanson hoped for drier weather through mid and late July that would help the contractor finish.

At the high school, Hanson observed cooler weather during graduation on May 19 helped the replaced air conditioning system to handle the capacity crowd after months of minimal functioning on a cobbled together substitute.

The air conditioning system at the high school is now working well, he said. Im very pleased. I think the efficiency and ability to handle the load for the gym and commons will be noticeable.

Gold Mechanical, which has been on site since April, remains on the job, working on one of the dampers in the system. Crews moved on to tackle air conditioning on the field house, a new addition, and the E.E. Camp gym, during their stay.

Replacing the air conditioners over the stage at the high school, serving the gym and the commons, ended up costing around $300,000. Under the long-range facilities plan, the school district planned to spend $100,000 a year replacing heating and cooling systems that are now more than 20 years old.

The emergency work took the place of this summers planned $100,000 replacement of 10 more units.

We dont have any immediate needs there, Hanson said. Weve got funds built into the budget as a contingency just in case, so we can replace a unit if we need to. Next summer we will replace another 10 units. I anticipate in will take us another two or three years before we have all the units at the high school replaced.

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Construction advancing at Monett schools - Monett Times

The nine parcels involved in Monday's sale of the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa sold for $5,031,251, or 25 percent less than their total appraised value.

A deed filed Monday showed the Arlington Hotel Co. Inc. sold the four parcels constituting the 478-room hotel to Sky Capital Group LP of San Antonio, Texas, for $4,856,251. The adjacent Wade Building was sold to Sky Wade Building LLC for $75,000, and four nearby parking lot parcels to Sky Southwest Parking LLC for $100,000.

All three purchasing parties listed the same San Antonio address and were incorporated last month by Al Rajabi, who, according to a news release announcing the sale, is the CEO of Sky Capital Group.

Garland County's contract appraisal service valued the four hotel parcels at $5,343,000 and the Wade Building at $411,000. The four other parcels involved in the sale have a total appraised value of $1,111,550. The Garland County Equalization Board lowered the value of the hotel parcels from $8.07 million to $5.34 million after the company appealed the county's contract service appraisal in 2015.

Monday's sale did not include the Hot Springs Golf and Country Club Association, which has the same owners as the Arlington Hotel Co.

Mike Scott, the city of Hot Springs' chief building official, said Tuesday that after a buyer had been secured the Arlington's ownership stopped making repairs to comply with the notice of unsafe conditions the city issued in June 2016.

Scott said some of the property's roofs were repaired, and the wooden pool deck was removed. Last year's notice said the deck's bracing was rotted. Scott said the deck has been replaced by metal bridges leading to the concrete patio around the pool.

Scott said he's told the new ownership that exterior problems identified in the notice need to be remedied before winter.

"We agreed the exterior of the building needs to be worked on pretty quickly," he said. "I'd like to see those problems addressed before they go through another freeze and thaw this winter. (The city) is more concerned with the outside, the roof and other big ticket items that need to be fixed."

Scott said when Rajabi was considering purchasing the property he asked what repairs would be needed to comply with last year's notice.

"I've been in talks with him about what would be required," he said. "He had a lot of advisers and other people come in and look at the building. He was trying to decide if he did buy the building what would get worked on first."

The late Morin M. "Monty" Scott Jr., the former owner of the hotel, told the equalization board in 2015 it would take $45-50 million to modernize the property.

"It involves closing the hotel for two years, scaffolding the whole thing, redoing all the windows, waterproofing all the bricks, redoing all the fretwork on top, the towers, the tile work, re-plumbing and electrifying the hotel," he said.

Local on 07/12/2017

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Arlington Hotel sold for 25 percent less than market value - Hot Springs Sentinel

New deck, interior surface, mechanical upgrades among the list of projects

Right after Labor Day, the Hannibal YMCA plans to have a completely revamped pool ready for action, from its new interior surface all the way up to its freshly-painted ceiling.

Aquatics and Marketing Director Kayla Williams said Bleigh Construction crew members began the project Monday, July 10, stripping the old tile surface. Williams said will be replaced with a grippier epoxy finish. The pool will be closed until Tuesday, Sept. 5 during the multi-stage project that spans from replacing the pools interior surface to mechanical upgrades for back filter room and the heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) system. Williams said that several stages will take place to make the pool more comfortable and give the entire area a fresh look for members including a new coat of paint for the walls and ceiling.

We want them to walk into a whole new environment, so were pretty excited to see what the end result is going to be, Williams said.

In addition to installing new surfaces inside the pool and on the surrounding area, crews will upgrade the back filter room and perform improvements on the hot tub. Williams also said the HVAC system will receive a new diffuser to disperse airflow more evenly throughout the pool area.

Executive Director/CEO Eric Abts said the project is estimated to cost between $400,000 and $450,000. During the second day of work, crew members had removed a majority of the tiles that once surrounded the pool, hot tub and other sections. Abts commended the Quincy YMCA and Twin Pikes YMCA in Louisiana for partnering with the Hannibal YMCA to offer indoor recreational swimming locations for members. He also thanked the Hannibal Aquatic Center, Palmyra Community Pool and the Hannibal Country Club for assisting with swim team activities and aquatics classes. And most of all, Abts wanted to say thank you to the wonderful and understanding members during the project.

Williams said the YMCA will close for its annual repairs and deep cleaning Saturday Aug. 26, and YMCA staff members plan to have the revamped pool ready when the rest of the Y reopens Tuesday, Sept. 5. She noted that taking care of all of the projects at once will be more efficient and easier for members, and the improvements are expected to remain durable for years. For Williams, the project reflects the family atmosphere she experiences every day at the Hannibal YMCA.

Thats why I love working here. I could go work anywhere, but its definitely that family atmosphere and thats what we want to keep, she said. And even with our staff, weve just got that rapport with each other, and we just hope that kind of spills out to our members, as well. Everything that we do is for our members, and were hoping that were meeting their needs for sure.

Reach reporter Trevor McDonald at trevor.mcdonald@courierpost.com

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Hannibal YMCA diving into pool renovations - Hannibal.net

PHOTO BORIS PROULXThe minister of aboriginal Affairs and Northern development dr. Carolyn Bennett reiterated his full confidence as to the result of the investigation in the Ottawa Parliament on Tuesday.

Boris Proulx

Tuesday, 11 July, 2017 13:58

UPDATETuesday, 11 July, 2017 21:50

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OTTAWA | The wide survey on violence against aboriginal women would be too colonial for the commissioner who resigned Tuesday.

The Saskatchewanaise Marilyn Poitras announced on Tuesday that it resigns its role as a commissioner in the national Survey of women and girls missing and murdered aboriginal (ENFFADA), dissatisfied with the organization, created by the Trudeau government at a cost of nearly$54 Million.

It was the structure [of the Investigation] too colonialist, includes the commissioner of the Quebec Michle Audette, who ensures that the work will continue as planned.

It is a federal law that creates the commission of inquiry, we knew that this was not a large gathering where indigenous laws take precedence, says Ms. Audette.

The ex-president of aboriginal Women of Canada understands, however, his colleague, having left his duties given the intense and politicized, which is to meet with families of victims across Canada.

Theres a lot of pressure. It is normal that people prefer to leave the boat , she explains.

In his letter of resignation, Ms. Poitras has written to the prime minister that she is not able to perform [its] tasks in this structure , suggesting that the problems plaguing the organization.

This year, five other employees have left the investigation, including the director-general Michle Moreau for personal reasons in July.

Anxiety

There are reasons to worry when you see [the number of] commissioners to melt in the sun , reacts Mlissa Mollen-Dupuis, co-founder of the indigenous movement Idle No More Qubec.

The militant indigenous indicates, however, that it does not doubt the ability of the Inquiry to do its work on the ground.

You dont want to lose the commission on the details, added Mrs. Mollen-Dupuis.

The minister of aboriginal Affairs and Northern development dr. Carolyn Bennett has also reiterated its confidence to the four commissioners remaining on Tuesday, and insisted on the fact that he is an independent organization of the government.

I think that the concerns [in the face of these resignations] will improve [the Investigation], I hope, for a better communication with the victims, summed up the minister.

She has no intention for now to change its calendar, and is still awaiting a preliminary report for November. The investigation must always spend a week in Quebec from November 27, Maliotenam, near Sept-les

Tight deadlines

The Investigation officially took shape last September to find out why so many aboriginal women are murdered or are missing in Canada.

Managers find it difficult to carry out this mission by the deadline, scheduled for the fall of 2018.

Get a local took almost six months, so that controlling a simple computer can take up to four months.

The system is so heavy, says Michle Audette, who states that the government has offered a beautiful collaboration during the process.

The commissioners remaining could request additional time for the government to carry out their mandate.

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Another tile to the survey found to be colonialist - The Sherbrooke Times

Why: Because it's wet and it's not a mirage. In the middle of Death Valley, that's enough.

What: From the 1920s until recently, this place was known as the Inn at Furnace Creek and its pool (fed by underwater springs) was the most glamorous body of water for miles around. It was the fanciest lodging in Death Valley National Park, but it would close down in summer because the valleygets so beastly hot. In June,however, managementannounced a $50-million facelift and name change: The Furnace Creek Resort area (which includes the 66-room inn and a more casual224-room "ranch") is getting a big upgradeand a new set of names.

Beginning this summer, the area will collectively be called the Oasis at Death Valley.The inn with this fancy pool (formerlythe Inn at Furnace Creek) is nowThe Inn at Death Valley. It'sclosed for the summer and will reopen Nov. 2 as a year-round lodging.The moreaffordableFurnace Creek Ranch (which also has a pool) is nowthe Ranch at Death Valley. It remains open through the summer, though parts will close as renovations go on.

Thisdoesn't necessarily mean you should go now. It means you should know now. Go when you will be comfortable -- and when the hoteliers can promise you won't be bothered by renovation work.

Where: The Oasis at Death Valley (a.k.a Furnace CreekResort) is 289 miles northeast of downtown L.A.

How much: Checking the first weekend inApril 2018, I found prices (before taxes and resort fees) starting at $409to $528a night at the inn and $239 to $259 at the ranch.

Info: The Oasis at Death Valley

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Dip into the grandest swimming pool in Death Valley - Los Angeles Times

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Why take down a fence? Because, as farmers and ranchers understand better than most, economies are fluid: much of the barbed wire that once served to keep out livestock grows obsolete in an era when cash crops, not cattle, rule. Fences may feel permanent, but economies and cultures exist in perpetual flux. And in a volatile global economy ruled by volatile leaders, the fences we erect today to protect our assets are sometimes those that limit our potential tomorrow.

I grew up on a seventh-generation farm where Robert Frosts line good fences make good neighbors enjoyed the weight of papal decree. And yet, even for dont-fence-me-in types like me, Trumps $1.6 million budget for a brick-and-mortar wall along Americas southern border demands a common-sense reply.

In over 20 years of fence-building from Iowa to New Mexico, Ive learned that fences come with a built-in paradox. While they make it difficult to get in, they make it proportionally difficult to get out. On Western ranches, Ive put up hundreds of feet of fence in ruggedly beautiful country. And with each post sunk, Ive experienced a sinking feeling at the logic of willingly sacrificing the long view for the myopic and often mythic protections of a wall.

Consider, too, this inconvenient truth: fences require perpetual maintenance. Like the fraught decision to apply a first coat of paint to a home, the building of a fence commits the fencer, or in this case the fencing nation, to years of upkeep. Shouldnt risk-adverse, dont-tread-on-me types like me those of us predisposed to the fencers mentality in the first place be naturally wary of the no-horizon clause and no easy out commitment of a national wall? Even the urbanite putting up store-bought fence panel from a big box store knows the frustration at having to go around where once they exited freely at their own convenience. Its a straight-up paradox: in fencing others out, we often unwittingly box ourselves in.

Dont get me wrong, years of fence-building and mending have shown me that walls do serve a purpose, though they are far from the cure-all our current fencer-in-chief would have us believe. Used strategically and with care, they sometimes solve persistent problems between neighbors locked in territorial disputes or culture wars.

In the end, however, we should be cautious where our impulse to cordon off is concerned. We should weigh carefully our own motives, the alleged benefits and, most urgently, the literal and figurative cost of building walls the angels of our better natures might soon tear down.

Zachary Michael Jack is the author of many books on rural and agrarian culture, most recently Wish You Were Here: Love and Longing in an American Heartland (2017).

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Fences may keep others out, but they keep us in, too - Albuquerque Journal

Corey Dillon breaks loose on a 37-yard gain in the third quarter, leaving Denver safety Billy Jenkins in the truf behind him. Dillon set an NFL single-game rushing record with 278 yards.(Photo: Patrick Reddy/The Enquirer)

Corey Dillon made a career of leaving wreckage in his wake.

He left the Denver Broncos bruised and embarrassed during his 22-carry, 278-yard, then-NFL record rushing day in 2000. A string of opponents suffered his tenacious running style racking up six consecutive 1,100-yard seasons for the Bengals from 1997-2002.

Yet, Dillons notorious claim hed rather flip burgers than return to the team in 2000 and stating he wanted out in 2003 left scars on Bengals management before eventually being dealt to New England.

Hed win a Super Bowl during his greatest season with the Patriots in 2004 and career numbers should place him in more Hall of Fame conversations.

Still, the path to his ultimate moment in the league was tattered thanks to a rocky means to his Cincinnati end.

Dillon, 42, can see that now. Hes never made contact with the Bengals nor vice versa about a return to Paul Brown Stadium or opportunity to mend fences.

Until now.

As one of the top 50 players in Bengals history the team reached out to invite him back to be honored during a game, as is the case with 49 others. For him, the opportunity presents an ideal opportunity to repair the most significant carnage left behind during his career.

I am a grown man, I can admit when Im wrong, Dillon said. I did some stuff that was not cool, OK? Not cool at all. But, hey, at the end of the day I got the end result that I wanted. That was to play on a stage and actually winning a Super Bowl. Do I wish it would have been with them? Absolutely. Absolutely. It didnt work out that way. I dont have no ill will toward nobody there.

For anyone expecting a grudge, you wont find one at Dillons home in Los Angeles. All youll find is a man content in his anonymity and only concerned with finally breaking 80 on the golf course he plays nearly every day.

Hes been retired from the NFL for 10 years now. As in-your-face as Dillon was as a player, he took the opposite approach after football.

Dillon hasnt talked about his polarizing career in Cincinnati. In fact, outside of being tracked down by a tenacious TMZ reporter, even a Google search yields few signs of his whereabouts the last decade. But in speaking with The Enquirer last week for the Bengals Beat Podcast, he felt ready to be heard yet again. Only this time, the mature Dillon played the role of peacemaker rather than bully.

They say time heals wounds, Dillon said. I played seven years hard for the Bengals. Im a part of their history. They are a part of mine. I dont dwell on the past. What happened in the past is done. If I had a magic wand to go undo some stuff I would, but I cant. But that doesnt mean we cant move forward and have a better relationship. Thats how I look at it. I appreciate it for them giving me a call and inviting me back. That means a lot.

Bengals' running back Coey Dillon, 28, waves to the fans as he leaves Cinergy Field for the last time following the Bengals' win over the Cleveland Browns. Cincinnati Enquirer photo by Gary Landers.(Photo: Gary Landers/The Enquirer)

Dillons more than part of their history, hes at the forefront of their record books. His 246 rushing yards as a rookie against the Tenessee Oilers then set the NFL mark for most rushing yards in a game by a rookie. Four players topped the mark since led by Adrian Peterson in 2007, but Dillon still holds the top three individual rushing games in team history. His 278 against Denver tops the chart followed by 246 against Houston and 216 against Arizona in 2000.

He also owns the club record for career attempts (1,865), yards (8,061) and 100-yard games (28). He ranks 20th all-time in rushing yards (11,241), between Hall of Famers John Riggins and O.J. Simpson.

What makes Dillons records more impressive was during the six-year run in which he carried the load prior to Rudi Johnson taking over in 2003, heres a list of quarterbacks handing him the ball: Boomer Esiason (his final season in the NFL), Neil ODonnell, Scott Mitchell, Akili Smith, Gus Frerotte, Jon Kitna, Paul Justin.

On the day of Dillons greatest game and against one of the best defenses in football at the time, Smith and Mitchell combined to go 2 for 14 for 34 yards through the air.

Two. Fourteen. Thirty-four.

Dillons effort now ranks fourth all-time behind Peterson (30-296), Jamal Lewis (30-295) and Jerome Harrison (34-286). None of those three can boast the 12.6 yards per rush of that miraculous day at PBS.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Corey Dillon (28) holds up the ball after scoring on a two-yard run in 1999.(Photo: David Kohl/The Enquirer)

I take my record the way I broke it over theirs any day, Dillon said. Thats 22 carries. They took more carries, played worse defenses than I did and I stack my day up against theirs any day. They can have the record. Thats fine. The way I did it, Ill take that over all of them.

Dillons cleats, jersey and pants from the game went to the Hall of Fame and the Bengals gave him a plaque recognizing his effort.

Thats where a telling revelation in this tale emerges 17 years later. Dillon rolled up a career-high 1,635 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to powering the Patriots to the Super Bowl XXXIX title. By far his most dominant season. He says his championship ring has only been taken out two or three times since and lives in the darkness of a safe somewhere.

The plaque from the Bengals, however, hangs prominently in his Los Angeles home.

I clean that thing off every other day, Dillon said. Thats one of my favorite items that I have. It never gets old to me. Every time I go into my man cave and I look at it, it brings back that memory.

Thats why the invitation to return as part of the Bengals 50 best players program means so much to Dillon. He looks back understanding the error in the ways of his youth and preferring to remember what went right in Cincinnati rather than what went wrong.

Perhaps time does heal all wounds. And for Dillon, its time.

Whether you like me or not, the fact is Im one of their top 50 players, Dillon said. I would love to come back and have everything smooth, nice and peachy. Absolutely. Thats a dream. Come back and everybody is understanding and we let bygones be bygones. Ive been done with it. Im over it. Its been too long. I havent played in 10 years. Worrying about something that happened in 2003 is not on my list to deal with. Trust me.

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Corey Dillon wishes to mend fences with Bengals - USA TODAY

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Snow fences along a Lower Valley highway are not going to be replaced any time soon.

State Department of Transportation officials were hoping to replace the State Route 241 fences that were destroyed in a range fire last year in time for this winter. But the work is being delayed so engineers can examine the area and determine the best way to proceed, said WSDOT spokeswoman Summer Derrey.

The fences were used to reduce the amount of snow blowing on to the road, a popular connector route for Lower Valley residents heading to the Hanford nuclear reservation and other points in eastern Washington.

This winter, the road was closed for the equivalent of nine days from mid-December to early February as a result of blowing snow.

Derrey said among the concerns are finding a cost-effective material that could survive wildfires like the one that destroyed the original fencing.

"Creating a wooden structure would be pointless, because it would burn," Derrey said.

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WSDOT: Need more time to replace snow fences along State Route 241 - Yakima Herald-Republic

PERRYSBURG The division of planning and zoning gave several recommendations for renovations and additions during a series of meetings on Monday.

During the Architectural Review Committee meeting, the board reviewed a signage package for Fort Meigs Family Chiropractic. Mark Easterling, zoning inspector, remarked that he found the requested signage to be within requirements. The board unanimously approved the recommendations and a motion for the package was moved forward.

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Dear Carolyn: My fiancs sister and I have a strained relationship. I see her only at Thanksgiving, Christmas and occasional family events. She does not acknowledge me upon entering a room, her home, or my home. She heads straight to one of her family members without a word even when I acknowledge her. As the event progresses, she may engage me in a conversation, but only about her job, her vacation, her husband, etc. Never a question about me.

I believe this stems from her jealousy of my son and his accomplishments, as her son had the same opportunities, but did not put in the same effort as mine did.

I am not sure how to handle this and every time I see her she infuriates me.

Carolyn says: So your best explanation is your own awesomeness, basically.

Its rare that my sympathies change so abruptly over the course of a short letter. Paragraph 1, Im feeling your pain; seven words into Paragraph 2 Im on Team Sister and googling whiplash symptoms.

To each his own, of course, but if I had to pick one common denominator to human likability, Id choose this: humility, manifest as willingness to look inward for fault when something goes awry.

The alternative is to be the finger-pointer, the one who finds someone or something else to blame for her misfortune, thereby asserting by implication her own purity or righteousness. Those are the off-putting ways of a know-it-all.

This is not to say your fiancs sister is blameless; her ignoring you is bush-league stuff. She doesnt have to like you, but civility demands that she at least throw a hi-how-are-you your way. This lapse could hint at other failings, as well (though mere awkwardness seems possible, too).

But you cant fix what she does. You can only fix what you do and for that you have to be open to the possibility that some of your choices are flawed enough to need fixing. Which means admitting fault.

You give yourself a great place to start in your letter: Admit you are smug about your son and his accomplishments.

Then, admit your smugness could have at least some part in alienating your fiancs sister.

Then use this insight to approach her from now on not as a rude familial appendage, but as your equal in the struggle to be understood and appreciated.

Thats a fine place to start any do-over regardless: shared humanity.

Specifically, make the effort to see her, to see how you might legitimately annoy her instead of focusing only on how she annoys you and to see how you can be the one to disarm.

Im not offering this as some miracle path to friendship. You might just not like each other, and for good reasons.

But your marrying her brother means shes not going away, so doing the hard work to soften your opinion of her will be worthwhile no matter how it plays out; compassion mends what contempt tears apart.

Plus, this is not the last difficult relationship you will ever have to navigate. If you can go into these situations from now on with full awareness that sometimes you are the bad guy, then youll have taken the most important step toward not becoming just that.

E-mail Carolyn Hax at tellme@washpost.com.

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Hax: To mend fences, improve yourself - StarTribune.com - Minneapolis Star Tribune