The Jamestown Area Historical Society is hoping community members will give the latest Opera House renovation project a lift.

The organization hopes to raise $65,000 for an elevator that can carry people needing assistance from the first floor to the main auditorium.

We have people whod like to come (to opera house events), but they cant climb those stairs, said Ted Sesslar, president of the historical society. He said that three flights of stairs lead to the auditorium.

The renovation of the opera house has been an ongoing project over the past decade since the Jamestown Area Historical Society began leasing the building.

When we took over the building, it was in shambles, Sesslar said. It needed a new roof.

The opera house, built in 1889, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

With about $350,000 in federal, state, and county grants as well as private donations and fundraisers, the historical society has made major repairs and renovations to the building, according to Sesslar.

Renovations and repairs have included replacing the roof, window replacements, exterior brick and facade renovations, HVAC and electrical upgrades, painting and plastering the auditorium, and refinishing and installing chairs in the auditorium.

The building, which seats about 300 people, is being used for weddings, school plays, and all types of musical performances. In addition, the Greene County Council on Aging operates a Senior Citizens Citizen in a space in the building.

Sesslar said installing an elevator is estimated to cost $65,000. It also could help move people and stage equipment to the auditorium.

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Historical Society raises funds for Opera House elevator

Choosing an AC Contractor

Itstechnically still winter, so why worry about air conditioning? The best way to deal with air conditioning issues is to prevent them from occurring. With proper maintenance and preventive care foryour A/C unit, you may be able to avoid a broken system this summer. BBB recommends planning ahead to make sure that your air conditioner is working properly when the temperatures are high.

Residential heating and cooling units are expected to last 15 to 20 years, said Mechele Agbayani Mills. So choosing a good HVAC tech is vital to your homes comfort for years to come.

Last year, BBB received more than 9,000 complaints against heating and cooling contractors and repair services. Some of the most common mistakes consumers and business owners make when looking for repairs stem from hiring the first contractor they find, not doing the proper research, and not getting all the details of their service or repair in writing.

BBB recommends the following tips to make sure your inspection and service go off without a hitch:

Research the companys background and licensing.While friends, neighbors and colleagues are often a source for referrals, make sure you also review a prospective companys BBB Business Review at bbb.org to see if they have pattern of consumer complaints or a poor record of addressing them.Confirm that the company is licensed and insured.Consumers can check the status of a license at the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) website at http://www.license.state.tx.us or through TDLRs customer service lines at 1-800-803-9202 or 1-512-436-6599. In addition, state-issued license numbers, which begin with TACL, must be on all print advertisements, company vehicles, business cards, work proposals, and invoices. If no license number is evident, the contractor is most likely not licensed to work in the state.

Continued here:
Choosing an AC Contractor

Highlights from the Batavia City School District (BCSD) Board of Education meeting on Feb. 26 include news and updates about the following:

Preliminary Budget Update

Superintendent of Schools Christopher Dailey and Business Administrator Scott Rozanski have met with the Budget Ambassadors and are reviewing the ambassadors budget surveys. Those suggestions and comments will be brought into consideration as work on the Proposed Budget for the 2013-2014 school year continues.

Before the process began, the board of education had directed Dailey and Rozanski to contain any budget increases to no more than a 2 percent. Preliminary figures presented by Dailey indicate that a rollover budget -- one that maintains but does not add any new expenditures - would result in a 4.26-percent increase to the budget and a consequent 6.11-percent increase in the tax levy.

Furthermore, the superintendent noted that the calculation for our districts Property Tax Cap Levy* equals a limit to a 5.51-percent increase (*As has been widely reported, the Property Tax Cap Levy, popularly called the 2-percent tax cap, is actually calculated by using the states eight-step formula, then adding items that the state has identified as exempt from the restriction. If a districts proposed budget falls at or below this calculated limit, passage of its budget requires 50 percent voter approval. If a proposal exceeds the calculated limit, passage requires 60 percent voter approval. )

In order to get to a flat 2 percent tax levy increase, nearly $750,000 needs to be reduced from the preliminary budget, or, to close the gap between the 2 percent goal and the allowable threshold, nearly $638,000 needs to be cut.

Dailey and Rozanski will continue to process the ambassadors comments as well as all the updated figures for such things as retirements and state aid and will report to the board as progress is made toward the final budget proposal.

Legislative Updates & Promoting Local Involvement

Superintendent Dailey reported that the Genesee Valley School Boards Association Advocacy Forum and Legislative Breakfast was well attended by regional school officials and students, including several from our district.

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Proposed budget and capital project, plus a call for legislation topics of Batavia school board meeting

KEARNEY Despite introducing a bill to close the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers in Kearney and Geneva, state Sen. Brad Ashford now says the Kearney facility could remain open if it meets youths needs.

If it can be changed, then sure, we have a facility there. As long as it can be remodeled so that it can meet the needs of the kids, then certainly Kearney can remain open, Ashford said. But its going to be a lot different facility, and the capacity is going to be significantly less and if we do keep it open. Its not up to me anyway. Its up to the Legislature.

Were not going to keep a facility open in a system that is broken, he added.

Monday, Ashford said if YRTC does remain open, it could serve 75 to 80 boys who have committed more-serious crimes.

But his comments are in contrast with earlier this year when Ashford, chair of the Legislatures Judiciary Committee, introduced LB561, which would close the boys YRTC facility in Kearney and the girls facility in Geneva by Jan. 1, 2015. Monday, Ashford said he doesnt want to close the Kearney facility if it isnt necessary. Instead hes looking at a series of options that include downsizing.

Its not me wanting to close Kearney. Thats not the point. The point is that the facility is too old, that the dormitory style isnt conducive to treatment of those kids and were mixing populations, he said. Its a facility that has had changes in the administration, and it hasnt had consistent treatment planning over the years, and that has to change.

But state Sen. Galen Hadley of Kearney has serious concerns about the bill. He doesnt think the YRTCs problems warrant closing the facilities, and he still supports moving them under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Corrections. Hadley wants to hear some of the plans Ashford has in mind so they can be evaluated.

I just keep hearing many different plans, and no one has really convinced me yet that closing YRTC is going to help these young men. I dont think it should be closed.

The bill will be debated at a March 7 Judiciary Committee hearing. The hearing is open to the public.

In the meantime two of the three living units on the YRTC campus Bryant/Creighton and Lincoln/Washington have been receiving HVAC upgrades, said Carlos Castillo director of state Administrative Services. The projects include equipment replacements and upgrades for the heating and cooling systems in the facilities at a price tag of $2.5 million.

Original post:
Ashford backs off on LB561’s threat to close YRTCs

Highlights from the Batavia City School District (BCSD) Board of Education meeting on Feb. 12, include news and updates about the following:

Capital Improvement Proposal

Blue Devil Update

Staff and Staff Development

Board Members Earn Awards

Capital Improvement Proposal

Jerry Young, of Young and Wright Architectural, presented an overview of the potential capital improvement project that our Buildings and Grounds Committee began discussing in May 2012. Recommendations for this project came out of a state-mandated Building Conditions Survey in September 2010, as well as subsequent reviews of building conditions. The presentation to the Batavia school board will be followed by presentations to the Budget Ambassadors, to school parent-teacher organizations, and to community groups upon request. The board will review the proposal and, if approved by them, it will go up for community vote in May.

Major components of the $3,841,000 proposed project include work at Richmond Memorial Library ($1,590,000), VanDetta Stadium/Batavia High ($548,000), Batavia High School ($406,000), Jackson Primary ($621,000), John Kennedy Intermediate ($557,000), Batavia Middle School ($80,000), and Robert Morris ($39,000). Most of the items outlined and pictured by Young in his presentation addressed building deterioration or legal compliance issues.

Work at Richmond Memorial Library ($1,590,000) would include slate roof shingle replacement, flat roof replacement, masonry restoration on the original building, window and door replacements on the original building and addition, site work (including sidewalks, roadway and parking), and interior improvements such as carpet and emergency lights.

Work at VanDetta Stadium/Batavia High ($ 548,000) addresses both gender-based discrimination targeted by Title IX of the federal Educational Amendments Act of 1972 as well as discrimination based on disabilities as outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The scope of work includes improvements to the girls softball field (dugouts, scoreboard and fence) as well as improving or creating handicapped access to the bathrooms, the concession stand, the ramps to stadium seating, and handicapped seating.

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Capital improvement proposal presented at Batavia School Board meeting

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Portola Packaging, Inc. is announcing a $12 million capital expenditure in its Kingsport, Tenn. and Tolleson, Ariz. facilities. The investment is being made to accommodate growing market demand for its hot-fill and aseptic beverage closures and increased dairy business market share.

Some of the new capital improvements are already under way, with completion expected by the end of the third quarter. New investments are being made in additional high-speed compression and injection molding equipment as well as in existing production line upgrades. The company projects that approximately 30 production employees will be added to those locations when the increased capacity is operational.

This investment comes on the heels of a previous substantial expenditurealso in high-speed compression and injection molding capacitymade over the past three years.

In line with Portola's ongoing objective to create more efficient, cost-effective facilities and improve the environmental footprint, there also will be infrastructure replacements and upgrades. These will include process water capacity, hvac/dehumidification, electric power service and distribution, resin delivery, etc.

Over the past three years, Portola has grown its beverage closure volume by double-digit percentages annually. Manufacturing and quality initiatives, coupled with new stock and custom closures for tamper evident, aseptic and extended shelf-life applications are responsible for part of the growthparticularly in the juice, dairy and specialty beverage market segments.

"Our focus on lean manufacturing, reliability-centered maintenance, and product rationalization has allowed us to increase unit throughput per employee by 43 percent over the past four years. After the additional capacity is fully operational, we expect to exceed a 75% improvement for the same metric," saidKevin Kwilinski, president and chief executive officer, Portola.

As a result of the decision to expand capacity at the Kingsport and Tolleson facilities, Portola will begin tapering off production at its Batavia, Ill. plant in the middle of April. The facility is expected to be completely shut down no later than August. Geographic location of expected growth opportunities and the level of investment which would have been needed to upgrade this facility were factored into the decision. Affected are 76 employees.

"Our Batavia facility has been producing closures for Portola for the past 20 years. After extensive analysis and careful thought, we came to the conclusion that closing this facility and upgrading production at our other two plants was the best decision for our customers and company. We want to thank our loyal Batavia production workers for their years of service and will be assisting them via outplacement services so they can transition to their next place of employment," Kwilinski said.

The Batavia facility also housed 15 corporate employees (engineering, quality, research and development). That staff will join the rest of the corporate employees in a new, larger corporate headquarters facility in the Naperville, Ill. area.

"Our new and improved U.S. manufacturing footprint will effectively enable us to service our existing customer base while providing a footprint for growth over the coming years. Our Kingsport facility is located in the Northeast corner of Tennessee and is in close proximity to major Northeast, Southeast and Southern shipping lanes as well as a reasonable distance to the Midwest. Our Tolleson location is located in the Phoenix metro area and will primarily serve the Southwest, Northwest and Central U.S. states," Kwilinski concluded.

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Portola Packaging announces $12 million capital expenditure investment in closure business

The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission announced that its $159 million budget for this year reflects stable user fees for their 48 member communities, which include those in the Passaic Valley.

Totowa paid $1,397,189 to the agency in 2012, which is up $215,176 from $1,182,013 in the prior year. That borough absorbs sewer fees for those who use less than $400,000 in gallons of water per year, Mayor John Coiro said.

"It's included in our expenditures each year," he said of the sewer fees. "So if they're not going to increase, our feeling is that's welcome news." That will help to lower the municipal tax rate, he said.

Woodland Park does not charge its residents sewer fees and paid $818,543 to the PVSC in 2012, which is up $16,183 from $802,360 the prior year. That town's borough administrator spoke well of prospect of sewer charges remaining the same this year as last year.

"Anytime you hold charges flat, it's good news for the taxpayer," he said. "It would be nice if they were reduced, but you have to be realistic."

Little Falls paid $862,930 to the PVSC in 2012 which is down $5,030 from $867,960 in the prior year.

Mayor Darlene Post said in an email that the township incorporates sewer fees into the taxes that residents pay. The township does charge Montclair State University sewer fees as the university does not pay taxes, she said. Little Falls also charges residents in Cedar Grove and North Caldwell, fees for homes that are tied into their sewer system, she said.

Post would not answer further questions, did not return calls last week and had instructed the township administrator not to speak to the media.

Although user fees are not increasing, municipalities bills may differ between this year and last year, because they are charged by the amount of sewage they discharge.

"Some municipalities that had increased flow will actually see an increase in their bill and those municipalities that had decreased flow will see a reduction," said Hollie Gilroy, spokeswoman for the PVSC, in an email.

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PVSC 2013 budget 'welcome news' for Passaic Valley towns

Ron Harland has resigned from the Kalona Cooperative Telephone Company Board of Directors, stating that he felt it was time to provide someone else with the same opportunity to serve the Cooperatives members that he has enjoyed for over 34 years. Since Ron was elected in 1978 he has worked to keep Kalona equipped with the latest in telecommunications technology. This has included three replacements of the switching equipment used to connect Kalona to the rest of the world, and the transition from copper to fiber optic cable. He helped guide the company through the unprecedented deregulation of the telephone industry in 1984 and negotiations with AT&T for a direct connection contract to provide the best service and the lowest possible rates for KCTC customers long distance service.

Major changes and many challenges would paint the landscape for years to come, as new technologies emerging in the industry promised to revolutionize the role that KCTC would play as a local service provider. The growth of the company was astounding, says Ron when asked what milestone most defined his term on the board. The construction of the current 8,000 square-foot facility, the installation of a fiber to the node network, and then all the new services that we were able to provide with our new network: Pagers, dial up internet, PCS cell phone service, DSL high-speed internet, Television and HD service have all been available in our community when other providers wouldnt service this area.

For more than three decades Ron Harland has provided invaluable leadership for KCTC and for the telecommunications industry. His consistent and resolute focus on innovation has distinguished us from our peers and he will leave some big shoes to fill for incoming board member Jeremy Kuenster.

Under the KCTC Bylaws, vacancies on the Board are filled by Board vote. Following a diligent search the Board selected Jeremy Kuenster to serve the remainder of Ron Harlands term. They felt that Jeremys business experience would be an asset to the Board and KCTCs members. Jeremy previously demonstrated his interest in serving KCTCs members by running for the Board at the 2012 annual meeting. His term of office will expire at the 2014 annual meeting.

KCTC deeply appreciates the willingness of Ron and Jeremy to share their time and knowledge to guide the company in providing the telecommunications services that are so essential for a strong community wanting to stay on the leading edge of technology and innovation.

Our community is truly lucky to have such high caliber professionals willing to dedicate their time and experience to the betterment of Kalona. If you see Ron around the community please join us in congratulating him and wishing him the very best in his future endeavors.

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of kalonanews.com.

We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.

Excerpt from:
Harland resigns from KCTC Board, Kuenster replacement

SHIRLEY -- Energy Advisory Committee Chairman Bryan Dumont walked away from the selectmen's meeting with several EAC projects in progress and a signed OK from the board to proceed to the next phase on one of them.

The board endorsed an "investment grade" audit agreement with ABM, a Woburn-based company now conducting preliminary energy audit reviews of all the municipal buildings on its list, plus the two school buildings in town.

Dumont explained that the EAC selected ABM from a field of 11 companies responding to the committee's request for proposals. Four finalists were interviewed, he said.

Currently, the process is at the "30-thousand square foot overview" stage, in which the contractor does the initial energy audits with an eye to making energy-saving changes, he said.

In the first phase, the work is minor and relatively inexpensive. Switching out old-fashioned light bulbs for lighting that lasts longer and costs less, such as LED, for example. Costlier items on the to-do list would come later and might include large-scale insulation and repairing or replacing major building components, such as HVAC systems.

Much of the initial work will be paid for from the remainder of a $153,000 state grant, Dumont told the board and there's plenty left for the purpose, he said. The grant came about as a result of the Green Community designation the EAC landed last year, with the blessing of the selectmen and Town Meeting.

The next step

If savings are less than estimated after the work is performed, the company -- in this case, ABM -- must cut the town a check for the difference, Dumont said. It all ties into the state's Green Communities plan, which mandates a 20-percent reduction in energy use over five years as one of its criteria.

In addition to the ongoing energy audits, Dumont said he EAC is moving forward with other projects, such as dousing some useless streetlights and upgrading others with energy-efficient replacements. Bulbs in all 14 decorative street lamps downtown, for example, more than half of which have been dark for some time, will get LED replacement fixtures, with estimated savings of $1,000 per year and more light in the bargain. One more component is on order and expected any day, with work to commence as soon as the weather allows.

Link:
Energy Committee gets OK

SHIRLEY -- Energy Advisory Committee Chairman Bryan Dumont left from Monday night's selectmen's meeting with several projects in progress and a signed OK from the board to proceed to the next phase on one of them.

The board endorsed an "investment grade" audit agreement with ABM, a Woburn-based company now conducting preliminary energy audit reviews of all municipal buildings on its list, plus the two school buildings in town.

Dumont said the committee selected ABM from a field of 11 companies responding to the committee's request for proposals. Four finalists were interviewed, he said.

The process is at the "30-thousand-square-foot overview" stage, in which the contractor does the initial energy audits with an eye to making energy-saving changes, he said.

In the first phase, the work is minor and relatively inexpensive, such as switching out old-fashioned light bulbs for lighting that lasts longer and costs less, such as LED. Costlier items on the to-do list would come later and might include large-scale insulation and repairing or replacing major building components, such as HVAC systems.

Much of the initial work will be paid for from the remainder of a $153,000 state grant, Dumont told the board. There's plenty left for the purpose, he said. The grant came about as a result of the Green Community designation the committee landed last year, with the blessing of selectmen and Town Meeting.

The next step is the "investment grade audit,"

If savings are less than estimated after the work is performed, the company must cut the town a check for the difference, Dumont said. It all ties into the state's Green Communities plan, which mandates a 20 percent reduction in energy use over five years as one of its criteria.

In addition to the ongoing energy audits, Dumont said the committee is moving forward with other projects, such as dousing some unnecessary streetlights and upgrading others with energy-efficient replacements. Bulbs in all 14 decorative street lamps downtown, for example, more than half of which have been dark for some time, will get LED replacement fixtures, with an estimated savings of $1,000 per year and more light in the bargain.

One more component is on order and expected soon, with work to commence as soon as the weather allows.

The rest is here:

Shirley energy board gets OK for audit