SALT LAKE CITY Its something no other hub airport in the U.S. has pulled off in the current century.

After a span of six years of construction preceded by about two decades of planning the Salt Lake City International Airport is about to open its brand-new, $4.1 billion airport on Tuesday, starting with a massive new terminal and its first concourse.

By the end of the year, a second concourse will open, and the old airport will begin to be razed to make way for the east side of Concourse A to be built right over the top of it.

What this means for Utahns and travelers across the globe isnt just a brand-new, shiny building to replace a more inefficient and aging facility. To airport officials here and nationally, its so much more.

I would dream to see in my career other cities across the country replicate what Salt Lake City has done, said Kevin Burke, president and CEO of Airports Council International-North America, a national organization based in Washington, D.C., that represents U.S. and Canadian airports.

Salt Lake City has taken an airport and turned it into a modern, 21st century facility, Burke said. Americas airports need to be modernized, and Salt Lake City has been on the cutting-edge of that.

To Burke and Utah government officials Salt Lake Citys new airport means the portal from Utah to the rest of the world just got much bigger and with so much more room to grow. It means the state has solidified its foothold in the global air travel industry and therefore positioned itself well for future economic growth as a now much more appealing travel touch point, destination, and home base for businesses.

To state leaders, thats a huge step for their ambitions to brand Utah as not just the Crossroads of the West, but the Crossroads of the World.

But as masterfully designed, impressive and beautiful as Salt Lake Citys new airport is, an invisible force has sucked some of the air out of its grand opening.

The global coronavirus pandemic has led nationwide flights to plummet, threatening the entire airline industry. After a year of averaging about 2.4 million passengers a day nationwide, that dropped to a low of 87,534 passengers nationwide during the height of COVID-19 closures on April 14, according to Transportation Security Administration checkpoint travel numbers.

In February, Salt Lake City International Airport saw a record high of 30,000 passengers each weekend. But when the pandemic hit home in Utah and the rest of the U.S., that number death spiraled to barely 1,500.

Over the past several months, more travelers have begun trickling back to airplanes. On Aug. 31, nationwide air travel was up to 711,178 passengers, according to the TSA. But thats still less than a third of the demand U.S. airports were seeing this time last year.

To Bill Wyatt, executive director of the Salt Lake City International Airport, the COVID-19 pandemic is worse than either of the two other major disruptions to the commercial aviation industry that hes lived through as an airport director.

Worse than 9/11. Worse than the Great Recession.

The pandemic has brought on not just economic hardship thats similar to what airlines and travelers experienced during the Great Recession, but also the fear and uncertainty of air travel that followed Sept. 11, 2001 but on a much more long-term basis, Wyatt said.

The thing about the pandemic is its global its affecting everybody all at the same time. And its invisible. You dont see the virus, but its everywhere around us, and so that has really affected the confidence of the traveling public, Wyatt said.

But still, as he has lived through other downturns, Wyatt said he feels pretty bullish about our future.

This isnt going to last forever, he said. I dont have any doubt the industry will survive, because I think its just too important to the U.S. and the world, really, to have commercial aviation. So I think probably the biggest question is, Whats it going to look like?

Airlines and airports have been forced to confront a new reality: one that requires them to take extraordinary measures like drastically reducing aircraft maximum capacity so there is enough space between seats to give travelers reassurance that their flights are safe. And most airlines have now begun requiring face coverings, making masks the new normal in airports across the country.

To Burke, Salt Lake Citys new airport opening comes at a perfect time when space and cleanliness are more important than ever.

Your timing was impeccable, he said.

In a strange way, Salt Lake Citys new airport is ushering a new era of air travel, when the importance of personal space, cleanliness and hygiene will likely outlive the COVID-19 crisis. So there have been a number of happy coincidences and silver linings that have surfaced as the COVID-19 pandemic aligned with Salt Lake Citys new airport opening.

For travelers traveling to, from and through Salt Lake Citys new airport, space will not be an issue in the massive new terminal and concourses. Everything is spacious from the bathrooms, to the seating areas, to the unique Greeting Room designed especially for large family greeting parties that are common in Utah, especially for families welcoming home loved ones returning from missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Theres also been logistical and budgetary silver linings. The dramatic drop in passenger numbers allowed Salt Lake airport officials to bump up the next phase of the airports construction by two years now on track to save about $300 million.

Instead of having to operate both the new and old airport as previously planned, the lower demand will allow all operations to move into the new facility by the end of October and pave the way for demolition of the old airport to begin sooner.

But looking beyond the pandemic, Burke said Salt Lake Citys grand airport opening has positioned Utahs capital well into the future for air travel meaning the state will reap economic benefits in the form of business and tourism growth for decades to come while other airports will struggle to keep up.

The reality is, air travel will come back, Burke said. People will begin to travel. A vaccine will be found. ... The good news for Salt Lake City: You now have an airport that can handle it all. It might not be full now, but it will be full soon.

Wyatt predicts the new airport, which is Deltas fourth-largest hub, will help usher in nonstop flights to Asia.

Thats something I can imagine in our future, Wyatt said. The natural assets of Utah will attract more tourism, and the burgeoning tech community here will definitely drive more traffic as well. But if we dont have a new facility thats efficient, we just cant handle it all.

Wyatt also predicted that airlines will likely scrap smaller, older aircraft to consolidate their maintenance costs.

When the green light comes on again, the industry is going to be a lot smarter, and its going to get a lot smaller, Wyatt said. So Delta and big carriers are getting rid of their older aircraft, older planes that arent as efficient. Its a good opportunity to reduce their fleet size.

That could mean plane tickets are going to get more expensive as airlines must establish a new pricing structure when theyre expected to keep middle seats open to maintain passenger confidence in safety and cleanliness, Wyatt said.

If the industry is smaller and demand rebuilds quickly, there will be more passengers than seats, and its entirely possible it could be more expensive, he said, though he added hes confident that when a vaccine is established airlines will likely go back to flying relatively full planes.

Burke said any city with a brand-new airport has a competitive advantage. Businesses want to know that you can get your people and cargo in and out safely and efficiently, so a new airport is an asset to your company no matter what industry youre in, he said.

Still today, airports across the country struggle to provide comfortable, efficient and modern spaces for passengers to enjoy rather than just endure in their travels, Burke said. He called Salt Lake Citys new airport a window into what airports should look like.

Having a brand-spanking-new airport in Salt Lake City is a great example of what a community can do to work together to create an airport of the future, Burke said.

The reality is in the airport system in this country, the average terminal is about 40 years old. And that was all pre-9/11, he said, noting that passenger traffic and expectations surrounding air travel have soared since then.

Up until now, Denvers International Airport that opened in 1995 has been the U.S.s newest large hub airport built from scratch. Other airports like the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport which opened its newest terminal in 2008 have a similar linear layout to Salt Lake Citys new airport, with underground tunnels connecting parallel concourses (through Detroit has something Salt Lake City doesnt: an indoor train). Airport officials consider the long, straight concourse design a gold standard for efficiently moving planes to and from gates while avoiding wait times and bottlenecks.

The new airport was designed by the global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm HOK, which has been behind multiple state-of-the-art projects, including New York Citys LaGuardia Airports new Terminal B.

Moments before the curtain was about to drop during an opening ceremony for Salt Lake Citys new airport last month, Wyatt admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic which he called the single-biggest financial hit to the commercial aviation industry in history gave him feelings of concern and doubts of whether the new airport would finish on time.

It would really come down to Delta, Salt Lake Citys largest stakeholder in the project, which calls Salt Lake City home to its fourth-largest hub.

After consulting with Delta, the answer from Atlanta was, Put your foot on the gas pedal, Wyatt said.

Scott Santoro, vice president of sales for Deltas West Coast, said the new airport solidifies Delta as the airline for passengers to, from or through Salt Lake City for business and leisure travelers for many, many years to come.

Its been very easy for us to look at this and slow it down due to the pandemic, but although the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our day-to-day business, it has not impacted our commitments to you, commitments to the community that we serve, Santoro said during a recent opening ceremony for the airport. Regardless of the level of service that we provide, the promises that we made to you and those we partner with we kept.

Santoro said the pandemic has allowed us to reprioritize our efforts and ... throttle forward and accelerate projects like this one.

About 19,000 Delta employees took early retirement packages in July to help Delta through this crisis, he said.

In written responses to the Deseret News for this story, Santoro said Delta has remained a dedicated and strategic partner to Salt Lake City for the past 60 years, and intends to continue that relationship for another 60 years. He said Salt Lake Citys new airport marks the first strategic milestone within our $12 billion investment to modernize our nations aviation infrastructure.

The SLC airport has and continues to be a valued hub for our network, enabling our customers to reach their travel destination with ease and comfort, Santoro said. This new SLC airport affords customers a more convenient travel experience, intertwined with luxury and innovation. We are so proud to have been a strong, strategic partner to the SLC airport and look forward to only strengthening our relationship with them, the city of Salt Lake, and the people of Utah for years to come.

While the pandemic has brought about challenges, Santoro said, Delta continues to deliver on strategies that streamline our business and operations.

In a way, COVID-19 has allowed the airline to take a breath and look the future, he said.

This period of time has allowed for us not to pause, but pull the future forward in a way we may have not been able to do so in the past, he said, calling the new airport one such example, and we were able to deliver this project both on budget and on time. As a significant hub location for our network, this new SLC airport holds tremendous value for our network at large and has and will continue to give Delta a competitive advantage in the region.

To Burke, Delta doubled down on its commitment to Salt Lake City as an investment in the future positioning itself to rebound swifter with a major hub that will be appealing to travelers as the economy bounces back.

Burke and Wyatt said Salt Lake City also has an advantage of being home to a hub airport since hub airports have been better off financially amid the crisis than smaller airports throughout the country.

Delta carries about 60% of Salt Lake Citys total airport traffic.

Wyatt acknowledged Salt Lake City has put a lot of our eggs in one basket with Delta, but he said if he were to choose any partner, it would be that airline.

I would much rather be in our position than almost anyone else, Wyatt said. If youre going to identify a carrier ... I think theyre the strongest at the moment. Theyre incredibly well managed. They made a really big commitment here, which I think is very important, but theyre also just a great hub carrier.

Maureen Riley, who was executive director of the Salt Lake City International Airport before she retired in 2017, is given much of the credit for the foresight and financial planning that enabled Utahs capital to make the new airport possible. Wyatt credited her, his predecessor, with squirreling away a big bundle of cash so the airport could start the project in a financially strong position.

I dont think very many people get to experience what Ive experienced to see a dream come true, said Riley, who anticipated when she began saving money for the project in 2008 that she likely would retire before its completion. But she got to attend last months opening ceremony, where she was repeatedly credited for making it possible.

It was a very big dream, she said, crediting so many other people involved, their teamwork, and untold hours of planning bring it to fruition.

In 2014, when construction began, the Salt Lake airport was the only hub airport in the U.S. without debt. Now, Salt Lake City does have a fair amount of debt to help pay for it, but 19% was paid for with cash. Of the $4.1 billion price tag, over 60% is paid for using bonds, 5% is paid for with rental car fees, 4.5% is paid for by the Transportation Security Administration, which will provide funding for the baggage system, and 7.2% is paid for by fees collected from passenger airline tickets, according to airport officials.

Federal COVID-19 relief, through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, provided the Salt Lake City International Airport with a years worth of debt service payments, Wyatt said, which helps bring financial stability for the project. By the time phase two, which includes Concourse B, opens in 2024, Wyatt said hes pretty confident that the COVID-19 situation is going to be well resolved by that time.

So I would say were in a pretty enviable position, he said. Were opening the new facility just as this business gets to take off again, literally and figuratively.

Riley said when the pandemic hit and she pondered its impact on the project, she recalled that airport officials had built in a couple of discrete stopping points in case of an economic downtown, including one that could have been this fall with the opening of the first concourse.

I thought, Well, if they need to stop, they can stop, she said. But word of Deltas commitment was very encouraging.

All of us want to believe there will be a vaccine and we will get through this, and it may take longer than we know, she said. But this is a project of the future.

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How Salt Lakes new airport is ushering in the future of air travel - Deseret News

Dutchtown is one of the archetypal neighborhoods in St. Louis. It seems like everyone has heard of it, many people have roots in it, and few who do not or did not grow up within its boundaries truly understand it. It's one of the largest and most densely populated neighborhoods in St. Louis, and its past and future arecritical to the overall health of the Southside. Even people who do not live in Dutchtown should care about what happens in this neighborhooddue to its location right in the middle of the city.

The neighborhood's boundaries are a little hazy, depending on who you ask. The official City of St. Louis considers Dutchtownmuch smaller than anyone who grew up there recognizes and carves off a chunk for the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. The iconic You are in Dutchtown signs, which youll find around the Southside east of Grand Boulevard, generally place the boundaries as Chippewa dog-legging up Compton to Utah on the north, the Mississippi River on the east, Walsh and Eichelberger on the South, and the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks on the west (which went out of business in 1982). DutchtownStL.org, however, considers the modern city neighborhoods of Gravois Park, Marine Villa, Mount Pleasant, and Dutchtown to all be part of the Greater Dutchtown area.

What I love about the neighborhood is the amazing diversity laid down on what is basically a rigid and standardized street grid; there are only a couple of major streets that break the repetitive rectangular blocks that march south ignoring the gentle rolling hills in what was once the St. Louis Common Fields. And here and there are larger blocks that point back to earlier institutions that once anchored the neighborhood.

The largest break in the street grid is the former home of what was originally Maryville Academy, which sits at the corner of Meramec and Nebraska. The post office, built on one corner of the grounds, retains the name and memory of the former occupant. Founded in 1872 by the Society of the Sacred Heart, an advertisement in The Missouri Republican on August 21, 1872, announced its new location in what was then out in the country (Compton and Drys 1876 Pictorial St. Louis barely fit the northern part of Dutchtown into its publication). A 10-month session was $250, which was a good sum of money at the time, and applicants were to apply with the Mother Superior. Languages, including French, music, and painting were all part of the curriculum.

To the west are the spires of St. Antony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, which still anchors the corner of Meramec and South Compton Avenue. Restored after a fire, the church is also linked to a Franciscan monastery on site. As is common in St. Louis, there was originally another church on the site, but what is interesting in this instance was its architect being a Franciscan brother, Adrian Wewer. When the current church was built, another Franciscan brother, Anselm Wolff, provided the design in German and Italian Romanesque Revival style. But as Ive often mentioned about St. Louis architecture, there is a certain flair and breaking of the rules in Brother Wolffs church: The nave is far too wide, bright and airy, and the windows are too large to have been a Medieval church. We can tell that modern technology, such as steel or iron trusses, have cured some of the original defects of the Romanesque style. It is a beautiful church, and its presence, spotted through the trees and houses of the Southside is an inspiring sight.

Heading down Virginia Avenue, once known as Stringtown Road and one of the few streets to break the grid, the back of Cleveland High School appears. The large parcels of land on the west side of Virginia Avenue allowed for the building of large Italianate villas, such as the Villa Padua, demolished for Cleveland. A photograph of the Barnard Residence below, at the corner of Virginia and Meramec, gives an idea of the opulence of these country homes. Cleveland High School was one of William B. Ittners masterpieces, wedding the beauty of English Tudor schools with modern American technology when it opened in 1915. It sits empty, and was the victim of several fires.

Those landmarks are certainly part of Dutchtown, but the houses where everyday people live, for me, are what make the neighborhood special. The majority of the building stock dates from around the first decades of the 20th century, but there are some interesting exceptions. Here and there, you can spot an old Greek Revival country house, with its center hall floorplan. These are incredibly rare houses, and it is all the more amazing that they have survived. They can be spotted due to their front porches resembling a Greek temple front and symmetrical design.

But some of my favorite houses are the one-story houses, with their elaborate cast iron cornices. I learned from an older Dutchtown resident that he helped his father make these during the winter, and then builders would pick up and install them in the spring as bricklaying and construction started up again in warmer temperatures. These one-story houses are deceptively large; theyre economical, and they have a strong sense of architectural finesse to them, even for relatively inexpensive houses. There are thousands and thousands of these houses in Dutchtown and the rest of South St. Louis, and instead of being boring, the imagination and creativity of the bricklayers gave the faades of each house individuality in the red, tan, or buff brick.

Finally, I spotted these two-family apartments one day. I was struck at just how much thought and work had been put into the design and construction of what are rental properties. This brought me back to my original thought about diversity in Dutchtown: There are mansions sitting right next to apartments buildings, large houses right next to small houses. The beauty of Dutchtown is not just in its rich history, but in how its built environment encourages a strong sense of community across social classesif we are willing to see it.

Chris Naffziger works as the archives researcher in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of the City of St. Louis. His email is naffzigerc@stlouis-mo.gov.

More:
'You Are in Dutchtown': The many architectural styles of the Southside - St. Louis Magazine

An aerial view of the construction site

Initial construction of the Cathedral was supposed to commence in April this year after the laying of a foundation stone on March 5 this year.

However, a visit by the Daily Graphic in July to the 14.5-acre land next to the Parliament House established that the construction of the Cathedral had been halted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Secretary to the Board of Trustees for the National Cathedral, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, in an interview on Accra-based Citi FM, said the construction came to a standstill due to some complications.

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He explained, It had to be delayed because there were few complications with regards to the people who were going to be working on the project.

According to Rev Kusi Boateng, most of the workers were outside the country, and because of the closure of borders, work on the Cathedral had to stop.

If not for the COVID, it would have been middle of this year but because of the COVID, its been rescheduled to October now that the borders are open, he said.

Rev Kusi Boateng also noted that the selection of a contractor for the project had almost concluded.

By the grace of God, the contractor for the project has almost been approved and so by the first or second week of October, construction will start, he said.

He also expressed optimism that the project would be completedonschedule.

Weve made a lot of adjustmentsif all goes on then instead of four years, by the grace of God, in three years we will be near completion of the project.

National Cathedral

The National Cathedral of Ghana is an inter-denominational Christian church that is being built as part of the legacy to commemorate the countrys 60th anniversary.

It was proposed by the government in March 2017 and is expected to be a physical embodiment of national unity, harmony and spirituality.

The design for the cathedral was unveiled by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in March 2018. He said at the time that the construction of the cathedral was in fulfilment of a promise he made to God in the run-up to the general election in 2016.

The cathedral will have a 5,000-seater capacity with chapels, a baptistery, a music school, an art gallery and a Bible museum. The site will also house a music school, an art gallery and a museum dedicated to the Bible.

Construction work is expected to be completed within the next five years and is estimated to cost over $100 million.

A board of trustees to supervise its construction was inaugurated in March 2017 and is chaired by a former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, Most Rev. Samuel Asante Antwi, with the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, the Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle, as Vice-Chairperson, and the Founder and General Overseer of Power Chapel Worldwide, Prophet Kusi Boateng, as Secretary.

It has a heavy representation of the heads of many churches, both orthodox and charismatic.

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Work on National Cathedral to resume in October - Graphic Online

Staff Report

LAKE TWP. Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 2952 Edison St. NW, recently broke ground on a long-awaited education wing of the parish.

Members of the parish planning committee were joined by representatives of Braun & Steidl, architects and Fred Olivieri Construction in celebrating the groundbreaking.

Through the generous support of the parish community, the fund-raising goal was overmatched.

Several unique challenges were met and overcome, many due to the need to meld the new addition with the original wood structure (current administrative offices) and the existing church and social hall.

The new structure will include four meeting/classrooms and a 20-foot extension of the existing social hall. It will bring the total number of meeting/classrooms to six.

Construction is expected to be complete in the spring.

The parish, which began in 1977 as a mission affiliated with St. Paul in North Canton, rapidly grew into a stand-alone parish in 1979, occupying a renovated youth club building.

The current church building was dedicated in 1986.

Holy Spirit serves the Uniontown-Hartville community.

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Lake Twp.'s Holy Spirit parish to add education wing - The-review

By John H. Wright Jr., MAI, and Martin H. Aaron, MAI, SRA

The role that religion plays in the midst of this pandemic is a philosophical matter.

However, the role that religious facilities play is a decidedly practical matter particularly for church mortgage lenders.

Before the pandemic, 36% of Americans attended religious services weekly, and 69% attended at least a few times a year, according to the Pew Research Center. The coronavirus brought attendance to a halt in many states, and some religious facilities adapted by providing online or drive-by services.

Unlike online shopping and curbside pickup for retail, virtual and drive-by religious services havent become a widely accepted new normal (although many larger churches have had success with online services). Even though people are eager to attend worship services for strength and spiritual guidance during this time of uncertainty, there are some concerns that the pause will drive long-term negative attendance and giving trends and affect the use and valuation of religious facilities.

Over the years, religious facilities have expanded to provide childcare, education, elder care, recreation, and community services such as job fairs and food pantries. This, in turn, has affected the ratio of seating to total building area. With social distancing, religious facilities can seat only a fraction of their capacity. Like their public counterparts, religious schools may not fully reopen for some time. These changes could have material value implications.

Space restrictions, along with elevated risk of infection for elders and the potential for church services to become super-spreader events, prevent many people from attending religious services.

At the same time, community support services that religious facilities provide are in high demand in the midst of the pandemic. Food,daycare, and job and housing insecurity have become grim concerns for many Americans, and religious facilities can come to their aid to the extent that social distancing requirements allow. In some communities, religious facilities even serve as COVID-19 testing sites because of their large parking lots and recognizable locations.

However, religious facilities survive on tithing, donations, foundations and other sources of cash flow that have been curtailed by the economic downturn. Some religious facilities with mortgages have missed payments since the pandemic, or they are debt insecure.

Every market is different, though, with unique advantages and challenges. There has been a surge in religious facility appraisals as lenders grapple to reassess the value of buildings that arent being fully used in the intended way. While some congregations are looking to sell their facilities, lenders are trying to determine if COVID-19-induced trends constitute a short-term interruption or long-term disruption to religious facility use, and resulting in possible changes in the highest and best use of the facility. This process is critical in the accurate estimation of COVID-19s impact on the current market value of the facility.

Looking to the future, some congregations with stable finances might be considering construction plans or additions as they reconcile how to best serve their communities during the pandemic and beyond. An accurate estimate of the market value of the real estate forms the foundation for sound decision making in this unprecedented time.

John H. Wright Jr., MAI, and Martin H. Aaron, MAI, SRA, are Senior Managing Director and Managing Director, respectively, at BBG, a national due diligence commercial real estate firm. They are also authors of The Appraisal of Religious Facilities, the recognized industry standard for valuation of religious facilities, schools and nonprofits.

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COVID-19 impact: short-term interruption or long-term disruption? - Church Executive Magazine

Construction is underway on a 94-unit senior-housing project in Northland, the third such project for a community that has a high concentration of vulnerable seniors, according to data from Ohio State University's Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity.

National Church Residences, based in Upper Arlington, is building the $16 million Northland Gate at 5771 Maple Canyon Drive.

Columbus City Council member Emmanuel V. Remy, who spent six years as president of Northland Community Council, said he remembers the project in its infancy.

"We know the senior population will grow exponentially by 2030," he said. "We also know those residents in Northland and throughout the city would like to age in place. Having the ability to stay in their neighborhood in affordable housing means everything to the seniors out there."

Currently, Franklin County has the second-highest number of people ages 65 and older in the state, according to the 2014 Kirwan Institute study, which said this senior population is projected to grow by more than 53% by 2030, a rate five times more than the anticipated overall population growth of Franklin County.

Remy and others took part in a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 25 for the 3-story, 85,000-square-foot building, which will offer one- and two-bedroom residences.

Rents will range from $400 to $1,000, depending on income levels. The development will provide free Wi-Fi, a fitness center and outdoor walking paths.

Construction will take a little more than a year, said Amy Rosenthal, vice president of affordable development for National Church Residences.

"The community members know best, and they're coming to us saying they have a need," she said. "The data were there, too. Northland was lacking affordable senior housing. It had never received a low-income housing-tax-credit award for seniors. It felt like the time was right."

National Church Residences received $1.2 million in tax credits in 2019 from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, which essentially gave the company the approval to proceed with the project.

The company already has a strong presence in the community: It manages Restoration Plaza I, II and III and owns Northland Community Center for Senior Health North and other properties in the neighborhood, Rosenthal said.

In addition to Northland Gate, National Church Residences is building two other senior-housing developments that should be completed in the next two years, according to information from the company.

Salem Village at Dublin-Granville and Karl roads will have 76 one-bedroom apartments, and Bretton Woods at 4836 Cleveland Ave. will have 62 one- and two-bedroom apartments.

National Church Residences and its financial partners have invested nearly $50 million in the Northland area, according to the company.

"The numbers of our aging population are astounding, so it's important we have partners like National Church Residences," Remy said.

editorial@thisweeknews.com

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National Church Residences breaks ground for Northland senior-housing project - ThisWeek Community News

Eagle Rock news through a Zoom lens | Artwork by Andrew Jacobs, ERNC Communications Director

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE EAGLE ROCK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL

By Sylvia Denlinger

What do Katy Perry, the Catholic Church, and Eagle Rock have in common? If you had been attending ERNC meetings, you would know!

What is the ERNC?

The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council (ERNC) is part of the Neighborhood Council system created in 1999 when voters in L.A. approved a new city charter.

The Neighborhood Council system gives neighborhoods a voice in local government. It makes sure that neighborhoods hear in advance about city decisions so that people have time to discuss the decisions and respond.

The Charter also allows neighborhoods to be a part of city budget planning. It gives money to the Neighborhood Councils $32,000 in 2020 to spend on local projects and organizations.

Every two years, Eagle Rock can elect 19 people to the Board of the Neighborhood Council. (Elections are coming up in 2021, so watch this space!)

Each Board member receives training in ethics, funding and communication as it relates to the Neighborhood Council. Members are bound by ethical and organizational laws, primarily the Brown Act and Roberts Rules of Order.

In addition, the ERNC creates its own governing bylaws. These are reviewed every two years.

How does the ERNC help me?

The ERNC is a place to start if you have a question, an idea, a project, a problem, based in your community.

When and where does the ERNC meet?

The Board of the ERNC meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. to discuss issues that affect Eagle Rock and vote on how to spend their budget.

In normal times, the monthly meeting takes place at the Eagle Rock City Hall. But now, due to COVID-19, the ERNC is meeting online via Zoom. You can join us for all or part of a meeting from the comfort of your home.

A few days before the meeting, a link to a Zoom conference appears on the ERNC website. Click on the link (it will install Zoom if you dont have it already) and prepare to join in the discussion!

Heres the link to our website to find out more: http://www.wordpress.eaglerockcouncil.org/

And the answer to our riddle? What Katy Perry, the Catholic Church and Eagle Rock have in common is the Bekins Estate!

Bekins Estate is a mansion in Eagle Rock that the Church wanted to buy and remodel as part of a deal that also involved selling a convent to Katy Perry.

In the end, Katy bought the convent but the Church backed out of buying Bekins. Chris Hardwick now owns the property, with no remodel.

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What do Katy Perry, the Catholic Church, and Eagle Rock have in common? If you had been attending ERNC meetings, you would know! - Boulevard Sentinel

From David Clegg

Tyrrell County Manager

Tyrrell County Food Bank project received a tremendous boost when Tyrrell County received a $100,000 grant from the Cannon Foundation. The grant will be paired with an $180,000 Community Development Block Grant to construct a food bank facility for the county. It is estimated that 22% of the countys population is food insecure.

The facility will be located on the site of the recently demolish Flair Building next door to Tyrrell Hall on U.S. Highway 64 East. The Cannon Foundation grant award will allow Tyrrell County to place for bid a 1660 square foot facility. The food bank will be an affiliate of the distribution system of the Food Bank of the Albemarle. Architects for the facility are Cahoon and Kasten of Nags Head.

It is the intention of the Tyrrell County Board of Commissioners to create a non-profit corporation to operate the food bank with management assistance from the county commissioners, Tyrrell County DSS, Tyrrell Senior Adult Center and community based religious and civic organization. The building and equipment will remain property of Tyrrell County.

This new facility will be a great tribute to the faithful volunteers of the Church Road Emergency Food Pantry, said Tommy Everett, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners.

County Manager David Clegg commented, This food bank building will allow us to take full advantage of opportunities to assist our food insecure citizens and leverage many government and private resources.

The Cannon Foundation was formed in 1943 by Charles A. Cannon, chairman and president of the Cannon Mills Company. The foundation, located in Concord, N.C., continues his philanthropic legacy by funding primarily capital and infrastructure projects for organizations across the state of North Carolina. TO date, the foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $305 million.

More here:
Tyrrell County Awarded Cannon Foundation Grant for Food Bank Construction - Washington Daily News - thewashingtondailynews.com

Tony Judnich|Northwest Florida Daily News

CRESTVIEW The massive Patriot Ridge subdivision slated to stand next to the southeast part of Crestview over the next five years will have an alternate access road, as well as many more single-family homes than initially planned.

The additional houses will mean even more traffic on area roads, an impact the subdivision developer and local officials are working to address.

An amended development agreement that includes the alternate access road and 106 additional houses for Patriot Ridge received the Okaloosa County Commissions unanimous approval Tuesday.

More: More new housing is coming, but not much is available to low-income folks

The original county-approved agreement from last fall allowed Patriot Ridge LLC, led by developer Greg Matovina of Jacksonville, to develop up to 570 single-family homes on almost 417 acres.

The project site is east of State Road 85 and between Shoal River Drive and Airmans Memorial Road, on property that once contained the Adara Golf Course.

The initial agreement showed the main access to the future subdivision would be via Shoal River Drive east of Live Oak Church Road. Based on a request from commissioners, as well as residents who live adjacent to the future subdivision, the developer more recently was able to acquire about 60 acres directly east of the Patriot Ridge boundary for a secondary access.

The additional access road will connect to Airmans Memorial Road just east of Chanan Drive. Another approved update to the agreement limits access to Skyline Circle through the first phase of the development for emergency vehicles only.

The overall amended agreement now allowsfor construction of a total of 676 houses, which will be built in 16 phases over five years. The price range of the subdivisions interior-lot homes reportedly could be about $200,000 to $400,000.

The project changes received the county Planning Commissions unanimous support in August. Before that meeting, the county provided residents who live around the project site notice of the proposed agreement amendment.

The two members of the public who commented on the then-proposed updated project at the planning boards meeting both spoke in favor of it, county Growth Management Director Elliot Kampert told the County Commission Tuesday.

District 1 County Commissioner Graham Fountain, whose district includes the Patriot Ridge development area and a part of Crestview, and District 3 County Commissioner Nathan Boyles, whose district also includes a part of Crestview, both praised the developer on Tuesday for being able to add the additional access road.

In response to questions from the Daily News, Boyles on Thursday said Patriot Ridge would help provide housing for the military-associated workforce and other people.

Do we have some traffic challenges there (along S.R. 85 by the south part of Crestview)? Yes, Boyles said. But will this project help fill some niches in our housing market? I think so.

More: DOT unveils possible SR 85 upgrades in Crestview

Boyles chairs the Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization, which is helping to plan the eventual widening of a 12-mile-long stretch of S.R. 85.

According to TPO documents, the four-lane S.R. 85 between its connection with State Road 123 north of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and its segment just north of Interstate 10 in Crestview could be widened to six lanes sometime between 2031 and 2040.

The Florida Department of Transportation is the lead agency on the planned, state-funded widening project, construction of which might cost about $50 million.

For fiscal year 2022, the agency has $1.65 million funded for the projects initial planning and engineering tasks.

That is what will kick that process off, said Boyles, who added that the TPO is trying to get the widening work timeframe accelerated.

For its part, Patriot Ridge LLC will widen Live Oak Church Road to four lanes from S.R. 85 to Shoal River Drive, help the county upgrade John King Road, and make other road improvements to help offset traffic impacts stemming from its future subdivision.

See more here:
Okaoosa County approves land, road and housing additions for planned subdivision - The Northwest Florida Daily News

The patchwork of surface parking lots that once blighted DowntownToronto's urban fabric are now few and far between. Rising land values and a planning policies have spelled the demise of surface parking in the city centre, and most of the remaining lots are facing redevelopment in the near future. This week's Throwback Thursday looks back just over two years, comparing an aerial view of a former surface parking lot at Church and The Esplanade with a recent view of its ongoing redevelopment. Back in June, 2018,the parking lot at the intersection's southwest corner was gearing up for the arrival of heavy machinery to begin construction at 75 on The Esplanade. The east-facing view is from the nearby 25 The Esplanade apartment building which overlooksthe site.

Looking east over site of 75 on The Esplanade, 2018, image by Forum contributor mburrrrr

Just over two years later, thenew 29-storey condominium tower, designed by architectsAlliance forHarhay DevelopmentsandCarttera Private Equities, is rising fast towards an eventual height of approximately 100 metres as cladding installation begins on lower levels. Other changes have also happened in the background, with the upper edge of the photo showing slivers of the Sherbourne and Front streetsites of St Lawrence Condos at 158 Front and Time and Space Condos.

Looking east over site of 75 on The Esplanade, 2020, image by Forum contributor mburrrrr

A GIF helps to visualize the last couple years of change.

Looking east over site of 75 on The Esplanade, 2018-2020, images by Forum contributor mburrrrr

We will return next week with another look at the changing face of Toronto. In the meantime, you can submit your own Throwback Thursday comparisons in our dedicatedForum threadfor your chance to be featured in next week's edition.

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Original post:
Throwback Thursday: Parking Lot to High-Rise at Church and The Esplanade - Urban Toronto