By Ashley Mackin

Three coastal improvement projects under the auspices of La Jolla Parks and Beaches (LJPB) were discussed at its May 19 meeting the WindanSea S-Curve, Childrens Pool Walk Beautification, and Whale View Point.

The final stage of the WindanSea S-Curve project and the first stage of the Childrens Pool Walk Beautification project each needed an initial assessment from the citys Planning Division that required a $5,000 deposit.

The Windansea S-Curve project would fix the posts, chains and sidewalk gaps along Neptune Place

The good news from the assessment for Childrens Pool Walk (and for project organizer Phyllis Minick) is that the plans are classified as a replacement project, and therefore are exempt from requiring a Coastal Development Permit and CEQA Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

Our worst fears have not been realized, Neri said. It improves our chances of having Childrens Pool Walk be part of the current lifeguard tower construction and our chances (of finishing on schedule) are better.

One fee Neri said he is hoping to avoid is the city-imposed project management fee. With projects like this, he said, the city typically assigns a project manager, who would collect about 30 percent of the project cost. However, because LJPB and Minick are essentially managing the project, Neri said hes hopeful that District 1 City Councilmember Sherri Lightner will go to bat for the project and waive the need for a project manager and the costs associated with that.

As soon as all the boxes are checked from the Planning Division assessment, Neri and Minick will apply for the next required assessment from the Department of Engineering.

Because the work takes place on a public right-of-way, the Department of Engineering must weigh in. Once that application is submitted, it takes two to three months to obtain a permit.

The project would repair the sidewalk and improve the appearance of the area above Childrens Pool. To minimize cost and take advantage of closures and contractors already on site (for the tower work) construction would need to begin by mid-August.

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Three Parks and Beaches projects making headway

This Oenoke Ridge Road home on the New Canaan Nature Center's Secret Gardens Tour, which was originally a cow barn built in 1890, is now a sprawling property overlooking the reservoir with overlapping hedges, geometric lines throughout, and a spacious stone pool area equipped with an outdoor fireplace and pergola. New Canaan, Connecticut, June 6, 2104. Photo: Jeanna Petersen Shepard, Freelance Photo

This Oenoke Ridge Road home on the New Canaan Nature Center's...

The St. Mark's vegetable garden was a featured stop on the New Canaan Nature Center's Secret Gardens Tour, Friday, June 6, 2014. Photo: Jeanna Petersen Shepard, Freelance Photo

The St. Mark's vegetable garden was a featured stop on the New...

The St. Mark's vegetable garden was a featured stop on the New Canaan Nature Center's Secret Gardens Tour, Friday, June 6, 2014. Photo: Jeanna Petersen Shepard, Freelance Photo

The St. Mark's vegetable garden was a featured stop on the New...

The St. Mark's vegetable garden was a featured stop on the New Canaan Nature Center's Secret Gardens Tour, Friday, June 6, 2014. Photo: Jeanna Petersen Shepard, Freelance Photo

The St. Mark's vegetable garden was a featured stop on the New...

The St. Mark's vegetable garden was a featured stop on the New Canaan Nature Center's Secret Gardens Tour, Friday, June 6, 2014. Photo: Jeanna Petersen Shepard, Freelance Photo

The St. Mark's vegetable garden was a featured stop on the New...

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SLIDESHOW: Secret Gardens Tour

Bidding jobs on TidyLeaf: Get more clients and customers for landscape, pool and much more jobs
http://www.tidyleaf.com -Tidyleaf is a web destination for Everything leafy and more! Handling bids on several jobs from lawn mowing, tree trimming, snow cle...

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Bidding jobs on TidyLeaf: Get more clients and customers for landscape, pool and much more jobs - Video

A home with a swimming pool has become part of the American Dream. Unfortunately, that dream becomes a nightmare when the pool lighting kills a member of the family.

A recent local newspaper story opened with this information: A faulty pool light is central to the investigation of the death of a seven-year-old boy at his Keystone Point home. The same news article cited two other examples of electrocution death caused by outdoor lighting. In one case, a student died at a bus shelter due to a live wire on the bus bench. In the other case, a high school freshman died at an Aventura tennis court when he touched a receptacle box at the base of a 22-foot lighting pole. If a swimming pool is part of your home environment, there are some safety guidelines you need to know. The first step is to know the local safety codes and the National Electric Code when doing any electrical work around your pool. As an example, the NEC indicates that low-voltage lighting systems must be not less than 10 feet horizontally from the nearest edge of the water. You do not want someone to be able to touch a light fixture while part of their body is still in the water.

Use a 12-volt lighting system because they are less hazardous than the 120-volt systems, which must be installed by a licensed electrician. A 12-volt pool light can only be 300 watts.

Pay attention to the quality of the equipment. Mike Gambino, writing for , says the inexpensive plastic fixtures designed for the do-it-yourselfers are not suitable for applications near water.

He points out that these products are very susceptible to damage and have inferior service lives. He recommends quality cast brass or other non-ferrous (non-rusting) metal alloy fixtures such as copper or steel.

Gambino, owner of a landscape lighting company in the Los Angeles area, says that wiring next to water should always be installed in conduit. Although some installers will argue for burying the cable, Gambino finds that the added safety and durability of the conduit system and the ease of replacing wiring or expanding the systems gives the advantage to conduits.

Do not permit any part of the lighting system, fixtures, transformers or wiring to become submerged in water at any time. Transformers should be properly grounded in accordance with both manufacturer recommendations and the National Electric Code. Every component of a lighting system that can potentially come in contact with water must be protected with groundfault circuit interrupters (GFI).

Your careful attention to safety guidelines about your swimming pool lighting will assure happy times not tragic ones around that pool.

Check out our website at and contact us at 305-378-4011 or email us at with any questions and comments.

Short URL: http://www.communitynewspapers.com/?p=84539

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Improperly wired swimming pool lighting can kill you!

246 6th Concession E Waterdown, Ontario L0R 1V0 905-689-5557

There are seemingly endless options for water features in landscape design today. They include pools and ponds of all sizes and shapes as well as hot tubs, waterfalls, cascades, streams and fountains using any number of items for background and building materials. With all of the options available, how can you narrow down your choices? Here are a few factors to consider:

Size and Type of Space Available

Make sure your water feature fits in the space you have available. You want it to be a focal point, but not necessarily the only one. It should stay in scale with your other design elements and your budget too!

Consider the type and location of space available for your water feature. Will you be able to get plumbing or electricity to it if needed? Will construction crews be able to access the area with the necessary equipment?

Safety and Pondless Water Features

Todays water features are usually self-contained, meaning the water doesnt come from the plumbing supply, but from a pond, sump, or other reservoir. They are usually powered by an electric pump, although solar-powered pumps are now available as well. While ponds can be beautiful additions to your outdoor landscape, parents of small children tend to avoid them due to safety concerns. Many municipalities have strict bylaws that mandate enclosing pools and ponds for child safety reasons.

One way to incorporate a water feature into your landscape design without having a pool of water is to use a pondless feature. Pondless water features are fountains, cascades or waterfalls where the water disappears into stones or other porous materials so that it doesnt accumulate into a pool. A simple bubbling rock in your garden can provide a soothing waterfall sound without the safety risk or expense of more elaborate water features.

Hess Landscaping has decades of experience designing and building a variety of water features. Call 905-689-5557 or visit http://www.hesslandscaping.com to find out what they can do for you.

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How to incorporate water features into your landscape design (Home & Design)

The design of Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa at Mai Khao beach was a challenge due to the projects various requirements and limitations. The site, relatively flat, deep and covered by numerous species of vegetation, has a western boundary stretching along the coast. The project is comprised of just over 200 guestroom units including 27 detached villas.

The design approach was premised on the notion that all rooms, and in particular the seaside villas, were to have unobstructed views of the ocean. This aesthetic atmosphere is meant to embrace guests with a strong impression the moment they arrive. This required careful zoning of the different buildings so as not to impose upon guests privacy.

The reception area, with main dining area below, was located at the front of the site, flanked on either side by guestroom wings set along the northern and southern boundaries. The middle section of the site, kept more open following the master plan, could then become the common facilities and garden, serving as view for the guestrooms. Visible from the reception lobby, this central area was created to visually impress guests upon arrival; it includes dense trees, waterfall, fresh water pond and family swimming pool in a natural setting. Hidden amidst the trees and surrounded by a lush green slope sits the circular spa structure, its treatment rooms radiating out from its central pool to provide independence and privacy in each room.

The view path connecting from the lobby lounge towards the main pool and the beach was intentionally laid out, with sand and coconut trees among other local plants, to enhance the guests experience of a tropical beach resort.

The resorts large swimming pool is lined with dark tiles and surrounded by a sun deck. The landscape design introduces grass as a mediating surface between the pool and the beach, allowing the natural tree line and vegetation along the beachfront to be preserved, while creating a shaded relaxation area.

Half of the beachfront area is occupied with villas placed amongst the existing trees behind walls that help maintain privacy. The beachfront communal building is strategically located at the end of the pool opposite the villas to prevent restaurant activities from disturbing guests. The swimming pool and landscaping thus act as a transitional space linking the two areas.

The resort was designed following a unique tropical eastern architectural style. The sloped roofs over the reception lobby and villas are softly curved like flower petals or turtle shells to reflect the natural habitats of the surrounding area.

Dark natural colors are used throughout the site with different elements emphasized by varying tones. The natural materials, expressed in the architecture, interiors and landscaping, were selected to complement one another and for their simplicity, elegance and warmth.

By Architects 49; Team: PrabhakornVadanyakul, PichaiWongwaisayawan, ChanaSumpalung

Location: Phuket, Thailand Completion: 2011 Owner: Seacon Hotels & Resorts Interior Architect: P49 Design and Associates Landscape Architect: Landscape Architects 49 Structural Engineer: Architectural Engineering 49 System Engineer: M&E Engineering 49 Contractor: Project Planning Services

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Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) June 03, 2014

Landscape Structures (http://www.LandscapeStructures.ca), the Greater Toronto Areas leading custom design, build, and landscape maintenance provider, is weighing in on the growing popularity of outdoor living spaces as warmer spring weather finally hits the GTA.

Torontonians love the outdoors and want to enjoy it for as long as possible. To take advantage of the spring, summer, and autumn months, more and more homeowners are extending their indoor living space outdoors, says Sue Shorey, Operations Manager. On top of that, homeowners know that a professionally designed outdoor living space can add value to not just their lives, but also their property values.

Shorey explains that an increasing number of property owners in the GTA are discovering the joys of eating, relaxing, and entertaining in backyard spaces designed specifically for their purposes. Some of the outdoor living space features that are most in demand from Landscape Structures include patios, custom barbecue islands, outdoor kitchens, bars, fireplaces, fire pits, and installed seating areas (e.g. benches, seat walls, ledges, steps, boulders).

Unfortunately, says Shorey, building a backyard oasis, whether its a patio or fireplace, is a lot of work and can require moving lots of dirt, which takes heavy equipment, such as a backhoe or truck. Depending on the design, property owners may also need gravel, sand, and other materials.

When it comes to extending ones indoor living space outdoors, it really is best to hire a professional contractor. Some projects may look easy, but there are a number of logistics that can make it quite complex; especially if it involves water, electricity, carpentry, or masonry. On top of that, certain custom structures, like arbours, studios, custom pool cabanas, pergolas, and outdoor bars and kitchens, may require a building permit, Shorey adds.

Custom outdoor projects, including kitchens, barbecue islands, fireplaces, seating areas, and cabanas, are a great way to extend a homes living space. With a warm fireplace, a homeowner can extend the amount of time they spend enjoying their backyard; sitting on the patio from early spring into late fall.

There are many different ways to maximize the enjoyment and comfort of a backyard. One of the best ways is to bring the convenience of the indoors outdoors. And, like any addition, the homeowner needs to make sure the design, materials, and finished project of their outdoor living space fits in seamlessly with the rest of their home. The homeowner also needs to hire a team of professionals with a proven track record of creating outdoor living spaces that match not just their budget, but also their vision, Shorey concludes.

As the top landscape contractor & designer in the GTA, Landscape Structures has over 20+ years of experience designing innovative, enjoyable landscapes that work harmoniously with the natural environment. As one of Ontarios premier full-service design, build, and maintenance landscaping firms, Landscape Structures offers a wide range of services designed to exceed their clients needs using the most efficient and cost-effective methods. Fully licensed, bonded, and insured, the Landscape Structures award-winning landscape design/service teams range of services includes landscape design, native plantings, sod, tree and shrub landscape construction, decks, fences, pergolas, tree houses, lawn care, horticultural assessment, stone walkway paving, stone garden bed retainers, waterfall landscaping, storm water ponds, seasonal clean-up, and snow and ice removal.

To learn more about Landscape Structures, visit the companys web site at http://www.LandscapeStructures.ca. Contact Landscape Structures by e-mail at info(at)landscapestructures(dot)ca or call 1-416-854-2124.

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Landscape Structures, the GTAs Award-Winning Custom Landscape Design Company, Weighs in on Growing Popularity of ...

3 June 2014 | Politics | By: Kate O'Sullivan

While UKIP has been busy racking up national column inches, the Green Party has been rather quietly blooming in London. In last months local elections, they claimed 6.9% of the London-wide vote an increased vote share of 50% up from 2010s 4.6%.

The four council seats in London that the Green Party won (St Leonards, Lambeth; Brockley, Lewisham; Highgate, Camden; Highbury East, Islington) may be a mere third of UKIPs 12 seats, yet the Islington and Lambeth seats mean it has doubled its numbers and probably calls for some recycled partypopper action. The gains also deserve some serious debate and analysis from Londons political folk.

In the European elections, Green Party MEP Jean Lambert was re-elected for her fourth term in the European parliament, costing UKIP a second seat while the Liberal Democrats lost their sole London MEP. Overall, the Green Party won 9% of the London-wide vote share putting them in fourth place behind UKIP but ahead of the Lib Dems adding some leafy green to a bittersweet Farage-Clegg-sandwich.

Look at the London vote share in further detail and the Green Party came in second place behind Labour in Islington (19%) and Lambeth (16%), making them the sole opposition in both, and in Lewisham (16%) and Hackney (21%). Although the party did not win a seat in Hackney (where it has held a council seat in the past) the Greens came second in the boroughs Mayoral elections (17%).

While we see enough of Farages face to keep fish and chip shops across the capital in environmentally-friendly wrappings until next years general election, Green Party leader Natalie Bennetts face (and voice) has been notably absent from the post-election punditry. Why arent the Greens shouting about their successes?

It is true that the Green Partys London election results do not make for fairytale figures it succeeded in retaining its London MEP and gaining seats, but the partys overall vote share was down by 2% in the European elections. Despite local election successes the Greens four seats still sit a good bit behind UKIPs 12. Although the Greens argue that under a pure Proportional Representation (PR) voting system they would have gained 125 seats across London, that is perhaps a debate for another day.

But perhaps its just that the Green Partys voice isnt being heard. With all the allure of UKIPs scandalous policies and the okekoke-style EU referendum debates (are we in? Out? Should we shake it all about?), Green is far from this seasons must-have colour where the press is concerned. Are we witnessing the real potential threats to democracy from extremist parties that the British media are hopelessly seduced by them?

Should the political press be reigning it in a bit and ensuring that vital pre- and post-election coverage is extended to smaller parties like the Greens and independents, rather than focusing on those who make the most obvious headlines? The organisers of thispetition, which accuses the BBC of a media blackout of the green party, certainly think so, and so do the more than 45,000 people who signed it; not to mention thealmost 1,200 complaints also received by the BBC.

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Is The Green Party Missing From The Post-Election Landscape?

CLEVELAND: Every year, the major-league baseball draft leaves hundreds of young players across the high school and college landscape hoping for a professional future.

Meanwhile, the leagues scouting directors and their array of scouts do their homework, crisscrossing the country before gambling on the players they believe have the talent and makeup to become the next class of major-league players.

Thats been the life of Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant for the past seven seasons as the leader of the department that selects and then develops the organizations future athletes.

On Thursday, Grant and his staff have four good shots at landing some of this years upper-echelon talent. They have four picks on the first day at No. 21, 31, 38 and 61.

The 21st selection is the Indians first-round pick based on their record from last season. The 31st pick came as compensation for losing free-agent pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. The 38th is the clubs competitive balance pick and the 61st is their second-round selection.

For a draft that Grant believes is equal in its high school and college talent and heavy in depth overall, having four early selections could be a coup.

There are a lot of similar players who fall into that range between picks No. 21 and No. 61, he said. Its exciting.

Exciting now, sure, but not so much in the past six months when it made for a bunch of added preparation that led to the Indians increasing their scouting staff, including three national cross-checkers.

Last year we had the fifth overall pick and then we didnt pick again until No. 69 on the second day, Grant said. So, we went and saw the best players just once, making the assumption that they wouldnt get back around to us when it was time for our second pick.

But this year, we definitely spent more time on those we consider to be the top 150 players in the draft. Our area scouts saw a player four to five times, then we had our cross-checkers seeing those guys three to five times. So the number of looks were getting is significant.

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Indians looking for a big haul with four picks on the first day of upcoming MLB draft

Cargill crystallizers: this view shows two crystallizer beds during harvest season. The upper bed has been drained and displays the tracks left by the harvesting machinery as it gathered salt. The lower bed awaits harvest with a load of magenta pickle that will soon be drained. Photo by Cris Benton, published in his new book,Saltscapes.

Cris Benton, a retired professor of architecture and former department chairat UC Berkeley, recentlypublishedSaltscapes: The Kite Aerial Photography of Cris Benton(Heyday Books, 2013), whichprovides a fascinating, and beautiful insight into the salt evaporation ponds of the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay. The photographs are taken using a kite and radio-controlled camera, a technique Benton pioneered in the early 1980s. Berkeleyside talked toBenton whose work has been shown at the Oakland Museum of California, the Exploratorium, and the Cooper Hewitt Museum among others about the story behind the images, as well as some of the joys and hazards of kite aerial photography.

Can you tell us how and when you started this type of photography?

I started my kite aerial photography (KAP) in 1984. The idea sprang from a confluence of photography and radio-controlled sailplanes, two of my favorite pastimes. I often flew my sailplanes down at Cesar Chavez Park where there is a fine community of kite fliers. While flying my planes one afternoon I bumped into Anne Rock, a Berkeley resident who talked about using kites to raise cameras. Having previously considered mounting a camera on one of my planes the kite idea struck me as brilliant since kites tend to be a stable, self-tending platform.

I spent a few years sorting out how to fly kites, mount the camera, compose the photographs, and keep my lofted gear from crashing. There was a middle period during which I travelled broadly with my KAP gear in a continual quest for aerial images compositionally worthy of display. I am now well settled into my third period, use of the technique in sustained studies of specific landscapes.

This bleached white skeleton is a former bush that died when a small salt pond at the north end of the Coyote Hills was connected to tidal flow via a culvert. The crackled ground texture surrounding the skeleton is a harbinger of greater change associated with the new tidal regime. Photo, by Cris Benton, published in his new book,Saltscapes.

What do you like about the images that you create with kitephotography?

I was pretty much seduced by my earliest results. Here were intimate, low-altitude aerial views of the very landscape I had just occupied as a photographer. As architects we are trained to think about relationships and juxtapositions in the built environment think birds eye perspectives. The kite provided a graceful, economical means to achieve these novel views. And the views could be quite surprising.

My radio can pan and tilt the camera, switch between portrait and landscape formats, and fire the shutter. I compose the images by watching the camera as it floats above and forming a mental picture of what it would see. Comparing this imagined view to the actual photographs is always a learning experience. Interesting details otherwise unseen the tracks of animals across Bolinas Ridge or the Spengers Restaurant roofscape emerge as discoveries that contribute to a sense of place.

Homage to Rothko. This shallow mud levee separates a distribution channel containing Bay water from a former salt pond loaded with a substantial amount of residual salt. As the summer season progresses, the rains of winter evaporate from inactive ponds, salinity increases, and different halophiles prosperPhoto by Cris Benton, published in his new book,Saltscapes.

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Cris Benton: Seductive images of a landscape in transition