KREMLIN, Okla. On the ballot Aug. 26 for residents of the Kremlin-Hillsdale Public Schools district is an $8.8 million bond issue to build a new high school/middle school facility and a few additional projects.

School officials hope for the nod to:

Build a new 34,500-square-foot, 16-classroom high school/middle school building with a safe room, secure entrances and district and administration offices inside the front entrance.

Install a new heating and cooling system in the existing large gymnasium attached to the elementary building and cafeteria.

Add new drive lanes, drop-offs and parking to ease congestion and increase safety.

Build a new vo-ag facility.

Build an all-purpose practice facility and performing arts building and locker rooms attached to the high school.

Build a new transportation building with garage bays to accommodate full-size buses, store more district vehicles, easy access to bus loop and a maintenance shop.

Scott Vrooman, director of architecture for Tulsa-based TriArch, noted the new design preserves some of the heritage of the original Kremlin school.

The design retains the original brick facade from the 1931 original building, Vrooman said. We are keeping it as a gateway.

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Kremlin-Hillsdale seeks voter approval on new school facility

Under the graceful arches of St. Vincent Basilica, a heavy winch on a scaffold stood ready to hoist the first and largest of more than 3,000 organ pipes to the galley.

Four men lifted the 300-pound, 18-foot-long, tin-alloy pipe, which lay on the floor nestled in a wooden box, near the holy water font in the Unity basilica.

The principal organist, Father Cyprian Constantine, said he will relish the first notes from the new $1.5 million organ as they ring out into the cavernous space.

The basilica is a beautiful space for music acoustically because we have six seconds of reverberation, so sound just carries, he said.

Six employees from John-Paul Buzard Pipe Organ Builders in Champaign, Ill., have worked since early July preparing the structure of the organ the wind chests to provide air and toe-boxes that hold the pipes before the first of German-made metal tubes were hoisted into the gallery and set into place last week.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime project ... because of the size of the room and the acoustics, said Brian Davis, tonal director for the organ builders.

The instrument replaces a Moller organ installed in 1955-56. Because it was controlled by electro-pneumatic action using leather, that instrument showed signs of wear as early as 1971, when Constantine first visited St. Vincent, he said.

Depending on heating and cooling and dirt in the air and that kind of thing, they can be damaged, the organist said. If you have a leather cover on a book, eventually, it can wear through. It just wore out and became very difficult to repair.

Some notes would stop working entirely, or wires crossed and notes played on the wrong key, Constantine said.

The pipes in the new instrument range from the largest first open diapason low C to the smallest at less than a half-inch in diameter, Davis said.

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St. Vincent Basilica pipe organ worth $1.5M nears completion

LITTLE ROCK, AR (News release) Petit Jean Electric Cooperative member Connie Jefferies of Damascus has won the seventh annual contest sponsored by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.

According to Bret Curry, manager of residential energy marketing for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, this years makeover contest was designed for members who reside in manufactured homes.

Manufactured homes comprise 15 percent of Arkansas housing stock, have some of the highest electric bills and are very uncomfortable during hot and cold weather extremes, Curry said. The makeover project serves as a teaching resource for all Arkansans.

As the makeover winner, Jefferies 1999 singlewide home will receive up to $50,000 in energy efficiency improvements. During a recent energy audit, electric cooperative energy efficiency experts pinpointed reasons for the high electric consumption in the 840 sq. ft. dwelling. Jeffries had an uncomfortable home and $300 electric bills last winter, he said.

Our diagnostic testing revealed that 50 percent of the air volume within the home was leaking to the outside, Curry said. We also discovered substandard and improperly installed insulation, inefficient windows, no moisture barrier, an inefficient heating and cooling system and non-Energy Star appliances.

A properly built dwelling of this small size should average total monthly electric bills of $100 or less, Curry said. The good news is our makeover project is a wonderful medium for teaching Arkansans how they can resolve their energy problems, improve the comfort of their homes and lower their utility costs.

The makeover team will begin work immediately and work to finish in three to four weeks. Jefferies will receive an ultra-efficient Water Furnace geothermal heat pump installed by Rood Heating & Cooling. WeatherBarr Windows will provide high-efficiency windows. Rheem Marathon will provide the energy efficient water heater. Roof King will provide a high efficiency overlay comprised of foam, radiant barrier and metal roofing. General Electric will furnish Energy Star appliances. SealantTech and Summit Builders will install closed cell foam to the underside and encapsulate the ductwork. The makeover team will install a high-density moisture barrier.

Cooperative members submitted more than 1,500 applications in this years contest. In addition to the grand-prize winner, 16 runners-up will receive a 40-gallon Rheem Marathon energy efficient water heater.

Winners of the 40-gallon Marathon water heaters are:

The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas comprise 17 electric distribution cooperatives; Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AECI), a Little Rock-based cooperative that provides services to the distribution cooperatives; and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. (AECC), a generation and transmission cooperative. The distribution cooperatives provide electricity to approximately 500,000 homes, farms and businesses in Arkansas and surrounding states.

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Damascus Woman Wins $50K Energy Efficiency Home Makeover

This post comes from Marilyn Lewis at partner site Money Talks News.

Homeowners fantasize aboutmakingfabulous changes to their homes: adding rooms, beautifying the grounds, and remodeling kitchens and baths. In reality, however,these dream jobs may not be financially possible.

Don't let that stop you, however, from taking good care of the home you have.

Here are 15 small jobs that let youinvest in your home andhold down household costs:

1. Change HVACfilters

Your furnace and air conditioner filters trap airborne allergens and dust so you breathe clean air. These filters need changing on a regular basis while you're using your furnace or air conditioning.

Angie's List says 60 percentof furnace and air conditioner service calls are because of dirty filters. Those tiny particles of dirt can hurt yourfurnace's heating coil and fan. Changingfilters regularly also canlower utility bills$100 a year, becausedirty filters force HVAC systemsto run harder and use more energy.

Changing filters is a simple, important homeowner skill. Filters can be simple or higher-tech, as BobVila.com explains:

Consult your owner's manual to locate your system's filter. Inspectfilters regularly and install new ones every month or two, or even more often. Thatdepends on how dirtythe filteris (BobVila.com shows examplesof dirty and clean filters).

2. Fix leaky faucets

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Stop putting off these 15 home repairs and upgrades

Waco, Texas (PRWEB) August 05, 2014

Mold doesnt ask for much when it comes to a place to call home. In fact, all mold needs is a warm, moist surface to settle in and begin growing and causing damage and health issues for homeowners. Rainbow International says its important for homeowners to have a professional assessment of affected areas, remove the damaged materials, and eliminate moisture sources to reestablish a healthy home environment.

If not prevented or treated quickly, mold can grow and cause health issues for those living in a home. Headaches, breathing difficulties, persistent cough, cold symptoms, burning or irritation of the eyes, nose, throat or lungs, asthma attacks, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, skin irritation, allergic reactions, and infections in immune-compromised individuals are all common symptoms families experience when mold is present in the home.

The best way to prevent mold in the home is to control moisture and clean up water damage quickly. Consider these basic suggestions for mold prevention in the home:

If you suspect mold issues, dont wait. For information on dealing quickly with mold in your home or preventing it in the first place, contact your local Rainbow International or visit RainbowIntl.com.

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Stop Mold In Its Tracks Before It Spreads: Rainbow International Offers Tips on Controlling Mold in the Home

East Brunswick, N.J. (PRWEB) August 05, 2014

Gold Medal Service, an award-winning heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical, drain cleaning, and waterproofing service company serving all of New Jersey, encourages area homeowners to make sure their own water supply is clean, and to take steps to avoid polluting municipal water supplies, during National Water Quality Month in August.

Water is one of the most important substances on the planet, so its important that everyone has access to clean water, both in and out of their homes, said Mike Agugliaro, Gold Medal Service co-founder. Since August is National Water Quality Month, its a good time to have a plumbing expert assess the water quality in your home, and learn the steps you can take to minimize your impact on your municipal water supply.

A plumbing services expert from Gold Medal Service can install a water conditioner or a filtration and purification system. These systems make the water that circulates through a home as clean as possible, ensuring that it is safe for families to use for drinking, bathing, and cleaning. Purified water also minimizes the risk of illness, improves foods taste, and ensures that a home stays cleaner.

However, its also important for homeowners to do their part to protect their municipal water supply and the delicate ecosystems that each supports. Especially vital in coastal states like New Jersey, polluted rain runoff can lead to beach closures and fish kills from too much bacteria in the water. Polluted storm water can also contaminate local drinking water supplies.

The risk of pollution in water systems grows as populations surge, especially in urban parts of the state that have seen a lot of recent growth. In fact, 21 cities in New Jersey face a looming deadline to get permits by the end of this year, and submit plans to control and upgrade their sewer systems.

Clean Water Action recommends the following steps for homeowners in New Jersey, and nationwide, to reduce their impact on water systems:

By avoiding potential contaminants in your homes water supply, you keep the overall supply cleaner, which makes your drinking water better too, said Agugliaro. If youre concerned about the water quality in your home, call a Gold Medal Service expert to check it, and show you how to make it cleaner.

For more information about Gold Medal Service, call 800-576-GOLD or visit http://www.goldmedalservice.com.

About Gold Medal Service Gold Medal Service, rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau, was founded in New Jersey in 1994 with just two employees. Their vision was to provide homeowners with a reliable and trustworthy home service company customers could count on to fix just about anything that could go wrong in a home. Since then Gold Medal has grown to include more than 120 employees and technicians solving plumbing, heating, cooling, electric, drain, waterproofing, and sewer issues for homeowners across the state of New Jersey. Gold Medal Service is an Angies List Super Service Award recipient. For more information, call 800-576-GOLD or visit http://www.goldmedalservice.com.

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Check Your Homes Water During Water Quality Month

When faced with repair bills, it is natural to start questioning whether you should simply replace the system rather than continuing pouring money into it. Use these guidelines to determine your best options.

Repair costs to the heating and cooling systems in your home can be hundreds of dollars and range into the thousands for replacement. Here are some tips for your decision:

1. Look at manufacturers warranties or service contracts to see what may be covered.

2. Determine the average life expectancy of the system using charts you can find online. Does your unit have enough time left on your expected service years to pay for repairs?

3. Is the system reliable? Is it energy efficient? Will it be easy to continue to get parts in the future?

4. A general rule-of-thumb is when the cost to repair exceeds 50 percent of the cost to replace, it makes sense to opt for a new system.

Maintaining a sound roof is crucial to home maintenance. Immediate action should be taken to avoid water seepage and acceleration of damage. If your roof is relatively new and has a single isolated leak, it may make good sense to repair the damaged area. As the roof ages, repairs become less logical and is dependent on the type of roofing material. As a general rule, any leaky roof over 20 years old should be replaced.

Like roof damage, any section of your siding showing rot or broken sections should be addressed immediately. As water, air, dirt and pests find their way into the structure, only bad things can happen. Damaged siding allows air-flow through your home because the homes seal has been compromised. Repair siding when you can be assured that all damaged wood has been removed and a good seal has been restored to the structure. Otherwise, another repair (or full replacement) in the future is almost certain to be more costly.

Rotted frames, deteriorated sashes and noticeable air leaks will bring up the question whether to repair or replace older windows. Energy efficiency is often the driving force of any decision about windows. If you have the old, double-hung wooden windows, there may be other ways to achieve an adequate level of energy savings. With single-pane vinyl or aluminum windows that have seen better days, replacement may be the only way to achieve the look you want while also making your home more energy efficient. Since 2002, builders have been required to install double-pane windows in all new homes for energy savings.

Newer double-pane windows do more than just save money on energy costs. Low E coating absorbs heat and also deflects UV rays. The reflection properties can protect against fading of your furniture and drapery fabrics. You will be pleased with the noise reduction found in most new windows.

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Insider secrets to the repair vs. replace question

New York, NY (PRWEB) July 31, 2014

North Shore Towers, a luxury co-op community based just east of New York City, partnered with GI Energy, one of the nations leading combined heating and power (CHP) systems providers, to complete a $13 million upgrade of its 43-year-old CHP system. The original CHP system had been maintained since installation in 1971 and in an effort to extend the life of the plant, GI Energy was contracted to replace three of six generators and associated electrical and heat recovery equipment, while maintaining continuous operation of the entire complex.

The complex relies fully on the existing CHP system to provide all of the heating, cooling, and electricity with no backup from the utility, making a seamless transfer essential for uninterrupted operation of the facility. Continuous operation was particularly important to General Manager Glen Kotowski whose primary goal was to ensure the safety of residents, with minimal inconvenience.

GI Energy was selected for the project because it offered a comprehensive construction plan and turnkey solution, according to Sal Castro, Chief Engineer at North Shore Towers. Amir Yanni, Senior Vice President of Construction and Project Management at GI Energy, provided an all-inclusive plan including connected on-site back-up generators throughout the duration of the project, explained Castro. This proved to be invaluable. Other bidders concentrated exclusively on their design/build contract, leaving the day-to-day operation of the facility and generator rentals to us. While these construction details were very important; the continued, uninterrupted operation of our buildings, simultaneously, was even more important to us.

GI Energy teamed with Caterpillar distributor, H.O. Penn Machinery, to install three natural-gas fired reciprocating engines totaling 4.8 megawatts. Additionally, the team replaced the cooling tower and installed a new gas compressor and heat exchangers. These upgrades increase overall efficiency, conserve fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions, while extending the life of the plant by an estimated 30 years.

The communitymade up of three 33-story buildings, with on-site amenities like golf, tennis, pool, shopping, restaurants and morewill benefit from reduced running costs and a smaller carbon footprint with new equipment running solely on natural gas at higher efficiencies.

By switching the system at North Shore Towers to natural gas we can increase the resilience of the heat and power supply, while cutting running costs and emissions, stated Amir Yanni, of GI Energy.

The new system is fully operational as of July 23, 2014. The cost of maintaining the system will by cut by almost 40%, equal to about several hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for North Shore Towers. Castro emphasized that, The project was a success largely due to the diligence of GI Energy, and the new equipment should serve North Shore Towers well for years to come.

GI Energy, which has offices in Chicago, New York, Benicia, CA, and Anaheim, CA, has nearly a decade of experience with CHP systems through its acquisition of Chicago-based Endurant Energy LLC in 2011. Endurant Energy had previously been involved in developing and building the largest grid-connected CHP system in a commercial office building on the east coast, a 6.2 MW installation at One Penn Plaza in Manhattan.

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North Shore Towers Partners with GI Energy to Install Turnkey Natural Gas-Fired Combined Heat and Power Plant

1,19 Carramar Avenue, Camberwell. Photo: Supplied

AUCTION NUMBERS: 501

1.30pm-2pm 1/19 Carramar Avenue, Camberwell $1.8 million+ 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 car spaces

This brand new townhouse had about 30 enquires in its first 24 hours on the market. Two upstairs bedrooms and open-plan living and dining room on the ground floor offer an attractive outlook of the pool and the landscaped back garden. The master bedroom has large floor-to-ceiling windows and its own private balcony with a pretty street aspect. But those wanting privacy may want to install blinds. Its within walking distance to Willison station, Frog Hollow Reserve and route 70 trams.

2/14 Hanby Street, Brighton.

Agent Noel Jones, 9809 2000 Auction 11am, August 23

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11am-11.30am 2/14 Hanby Street, Brighton in the vicinity of $750,000 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 car space

This freestanding villa unit is situated in quiet location, facing Hanby Street Reserve and just around the corner from shops and cafes in Were Street. Its also a short drive from Brighton Beach. The property has two separate courtyard gardens with paved and landscaped areas, a workshop and built-in wardrobes in both bedrooms. Additional features include ducted heating, evaporative cooling and a remote garage. Fourteen groups attended its open home inspection last Saturday, including investors and Bayside residents looking to downsize.

1301/480 St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Photo: Supplied

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What to see this weekend and hot auctions

Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) July 28, 2014

Zoning is becoming more and more popular in the residential and commercial markets. In residential applications, accessing duct work can present a challenge in existing construction. When bonus rooms and room additions are considered, there may not be duct work running to these areas.

Jackson Systems introduces the latest in zone control, the Motorized Zone Register (MZR). The MZR is a low-cost, rugged, metal, motorized zone register designed to work with most forced air zone control systems. It can also be used as a stand-alone register with a wall-mounted thermostat to eliminate over-heating and over-cooling in bonus rooms, sun rooms, guest rooms and basements.

This easy-to-install zone register allows zoning to be installed in almost all residential applications. It is designed to fit most register boots and comes in many sizes, most in both tan and white. There is also a polymer version available for side wall installations.

The MZR is a standard register with a 24VAC spring open/power close actuator. It uses standard gauge thermostat wire (plenum-rated wire may be required if running through duct work.) The MZR can be wired to a stand-alone thermostat for control of the register in single zone applications, or it can be wired to a zone panel and for multiple zone applications. Up to 6 Motorized Zone Dampers can be connected to a single zone.

The MZR is another innovative solution from Jackson Systems designed to make zoning easier and more profitable for HVAC contractors.

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Jackson Systems is a leading direct-to-contractor HVAC controls manufacturer and distributor. We produce innovative products for the commercial and residential markets. Ease of installation is built into every design, providing the most contractor-friendly products in the industry. Strong technical support and free same-day shipping are the cornerstone of our excellent client service. Jackson Systems is "Controls Done Right."

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Jackson Systems Offers New Solution for "Zoning the Impossible"