A parking consultant for the would-be developers of CentroVerde, a complex of three six-story buildings to be built in Montclair's Central Business District, tried to reassure the municipal Planning Board on Tuesday that the proposed development would have more than enough parking.

STAFF PHOTO BY DAN PROCHILO

This illustration depicts the proposed third building, at the corner of Orange Road and Bloomfield Avenue, in CentroVerde. The Planning Board heard from the parking expert for the project developers, Montclair Acquisition Partners, on Tuesday.

Tom Calu, the interim executive director of the Montclair Parking Authority, spoke on behalf of Montclair Acquisition Partners (MAP), the company seeking to build the massive project on a 3.3-acre lot where there are now vacant Bloomfield Avenue car dealerships, between Valley and Orange roads.

Calu had been retained by MAP, composed of the Montclair-based Pinnacle Companies that developed The Siena and DCH Auto Group, to provide a vision of how shared parking would work within the Orange Road Parking Deck, which will serve CentroVerde.

A shared parking scheme assumes that the peak parking needs for various uses relying on one parking area - in this case, offices, stores, restaurants and apartments - will occur at different times. For example, the parking demand for the residences could be expected to be lower during the daytime hours, when tenants would be at their jobs, freeing up spaces for workers bound for the offices and retail establishments inside CentroVerde.

Calu said that, once planned additions are put onto the deck, the available parking inside it would be 523 spaces if motorists were permitted to park their own cars, which is what the arrangement would be after the first phase of the project is completed. Phase One calls for the construction of two buildings with a mix of uses, including 262 apartments, to be constructed on Valley Road and at the corner of Valley Road and Bloomfield Avenue.

The parking inventory of the deck would be considerably higher - 686 spaces - if the developers were to introduce almost across-the-board valet parking. A mix of valet and self-parking is expected to be rolled out once the second phase of the project is completed, which calls for either an eight-story hotel or another mixed use building, with 67 dwelling units, at the corner of Orange Road and Bloomfield Avenue.

Calu told board members that, even after the development was fully constructed, its parking needs would not push the deck to its full capacity. During the first phase, the maximum required amount of parking at any one time is estimated to be 460 spaces, Calu said - more than 60 spaces fewer than the allotted amount in the deck.

If there were no shared-parking scenario, which had been encouraged by municipal officials' redevelopment plan for the site, and the developers provided separate sets of parking spaces for each use, the total required number of spaces once the project was totally completed would be about 720, according to testimony at the meeting - a figure not far off from the total spaces provided under the valet-parking situation, Calu said.

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Plenty for all? Montclair Planning Board reviews parking needs of huge project

May 30, 2012 - Texas Collegiate League (TCL) Victoria Generals Opening day of the 2012 summer season is just days away for the Victoria Generals. The team has finalized its opening day roster with the addition of three local products. Victoria natives Kevin Daniels and Hayden Vesely will join Shiner native Blue Hybner to give the Generals some much needed depth across the board this summer.

"We're very fortunate to have such a hotbed of baseball talent right here in our backyard to choose from," commented Blake Koch, Victoria's general manager. "Kevin, Hayden, and Blue are quality players from the area that will fit in well with the pieces we already have in place."

Kevin Daniels, a 2010 graduate of St. Joseph High School, just completed his sophomore year at Blinn College. Daniels put together a solid sophomore campaign, batting .336 with six doubles, one triple, 20 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, and 24 runs scored. For his efforts, Daniels was named to the Region XIV South All-Conference team.

As a freshman, Daniels hit .275 with three doubles, one triple, 28 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, and 28 runs scored. He also was named to the Region XIV South All-Conference team as a freshman as well.

In 2011, Daniels was selected to play in the Texas/New Mexico Junior College All-Star Game played at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

Daniels is currently undecided on which university he will be transferring to in the fall to continue his collegiate career.

"Kevin is a solid defensive outfielder that handles the bat well," stated Koch. "He works hard and plays the game the right way."

Hayden Vesely, a 2011 graduate of St. Joseph High School, followed in the footsteps of his high school teammate Daniels and chose to attend Blinn as well. Vesely hit .267 as a freshman this year with six doubles, one home run, 19 RBIs, five stolen bases, and 34 runs scored.

Vesely showed his versatility defensively by playing multiple positions, seeing time at second and third base as well as in the outfield.

As a senior at St. Joseph, Vesely compiled a 10-2 record on the mound with a 1.97 ERA. He had 74 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched. He also led the team at the plate with a .456 batting average and 23 RBIs. For his efforts, Vesely was named to the Advocate All-Area Baseball First-Team, the TAPPS District 4-5A First-Team, and the TAPPS All-State First-Team.

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Generals Finalize Opening Day Roster with Local Additions

Longtime French Quarter resident and activist attorney Stuart Smith received the Elizebeth T. Werlein Award, the highest honor given by the Vieux Carre Commission, when the commission presented architectural awards last week for the second time since Hurricane Katrina. The awards covered projects completed in the French Quarter from 2008 through 2011.

In presenting the Werlein award, Nathan Chapman, the 2008 recipient, described Smith as "tireless in his pro bono legal work for the French Quarter." Smith has helped create and set preservation law through his lawsuits, "some of which have gone to the state Supreme Court, setting important precedents," Chapman said.

Smith has often battled what he considered illegal commercial intrusions into residential parts of the Quarter and businesses that he said create excessive noise. In 2003 he led an effort to expand the commission's authority over changes of use in historic buildings. Previously, the commission took the position that it had no authority to authorize or block a change of use, only to regulate architectural changes.

The Werlein Award, established in 1986 as part of the commission's 50th anniversary celebration, honors individuals and groups who have made "distinguished contributions to the preservation of the Vieux Carre." It is named for Elizebeth Werlein, who in 1936 led the successful effort to amend the state Constitution to authorize creation of a body to oversee preservation of the Vieux Carre.

Commission Chairman Ralph Lupin and Director Lary Hesdorffer presented the architectural awards, which recognize excellence in restoration, renovation, reconstruction, rehabilitation and new construction.

The commission formerly presented awards every year, but since Katrina it had held only one previous ceremony, in 2008, honoring projects completed during 2004-07.

Certificates of honor, the commission's top architectural awards, went to the following properties:

1218-20 Burgundy St.: Jon Kemp and John Reed, owners; Frank Masson and Rick Fifield, architects. A certificate of honor was awarded for preservation of this c. 1810 cottage, outbuildings and double courtyards. Built for Jose Antonio La Rionda, it was later used as a school, and it was known for many years until its sale in 2006 by the city as the Cabrini Doll Museum. (Masson, an architect with Barry Fox and Associates, began work on this and two of the other award-winning projects before his death in 2009.)

618-22 Gov. Nicholls St.: 618-20 Gov. Nicholls LLC, owners; Frank Masson and Robert Cangelosi Jr. (Koch and Wilson Architects), architects; Alvarez + Basik Design Group, landscape designers; Paddison Builders & Associates, contractor. A certificate of honor was presented for restoration and renovation of two buildings as a family home: a c. 1870 Italianate building at the rear of the property and an 1828 Creole-style brick double townhouse at the street constructed for Mrs. John Clay, sister-in-law of U.S. Sen. Henry Clay. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the buildings housed the Notre Dame Academy of the Sacred Heart.

910 and 914 Toulouse St.: Tooloose LLC, owner; Trapolin-Peer Architects, architect; Rene Fransen, landscape architect; Vintage Construction, contractor. A certificate of honor was presented for restoration of two c. 1815 brick-between-posts Creole cottages, a service building and a spacious courtyard.

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Vieux Carre Commission honors work to preserve French Quarter

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The Hyundai looks sharper and more upmarket, but feels familiar to drive.

Korean maker's popular small car has come a long way since its launch five years ago.

Hyundai has high hopes for the second generation of its strong-selling small car, the i30, and not without good reason.

The nuggety hatch is the Korean company's strongest seller by a long margin, and a big driver of the company's inexorable growth in Australia over the past three years.

The all-new model arrives just five years after its predecessor was launched, a comparatively short model life in car terms. Indeed, Hyundai points out that every i30 model on Australian roads is still covered by its five-year factory warranty.

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But five years is also an eon in terms of the design, equipment and dynamic improvements its competitors have delivered.

So has the i30 got the chops to not only hold its ground in Australias largest and most competitive segment, but also to steal sales from its highly credentialled competitors?

In a word, yes.

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Driven: Hyundai i30

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Much of the story of Josh Freemans sharp drop between his first and second seasons can be told with one difference between those two years.

As a rookie, Freeman threw six interceptions. In his second season, Freeman threw 22 picks and that was a big reason why the Bucs dropped from 10 wins to six wins. Its also a big reason why theres a new coaching staff in Tampa this year.

One of those new coaches is working to turn Freeman back in the right direction. Offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan spoke to Sirius XM Radio about his plans for Freeman this offseason. Cutting down on those interceptions is right at the top of the list.

When an incompletion is not only OK, but its a good thing, Sullivan said. When a sack is not only OK, its a good thing. Its all about protecting the football and making those smart decisions.

The Bucs may have helped make one of those smart decisions for Freeman when they traded tight end Kellen Winslow. According to ESPN, 10 of Freemans 22 interceptions came on passes intended for Winslow. Freeman might have been over-reliant on Winslow last season, he targeted him 111 times, and defenses adjusted to the tandem.

Freemans problems didnt come just on throws to Winslow last season, but changing the mix at receiver could still have a positive effect on Freeman. Especially since Vincent Jackson is one of the new additions.

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Buccaneers working on Josh Freeman’s decision making

May 28, 2012

The State Exchange Bank, circa 1921.

For this week's installment of our ongoing series of historical "walks" through Culver's downtown, I have to resist the temptation to tell the "story" of the State Exchange Bank (today's First Farmers Bank) as an institution, and the giants who made it what it was (such as W.O. Osborn). It's a remarkable story on multiple levels, and you can read it online at the Culver Public Library's and Judi Burns' websites, and in Latham Lawson's extensive printed history, archived at the Center for Culver History on Main Street.

The State Exchange really began south of the bank's present locale at 101 N. Main, but at least by 1901 it was known simply as the Exchange Bank, at 103 S. Main, which is home today to Skyline Builders and was for years Cultice Insurance. Schuyler Shilling bought the bank operation from M.C. McCormick with resources of $20,000.

John Osborn had owned the bank prior to McCormick, having bought it as an investment, ironic given the stature John's son Will would give the bank in its heyday.

Shilling's daughter, Minnie, would wed 1905 Culver High School classmate Will Osborn in 1906, Minnie already having been a teller at the bank.

On April 11, 1907, Shilling announced plans for a $10,000, two-story brick building on the corner of Main and Jefferson Streets. In its original incarnation, the bank entrance faced the intersection at a 45-degree angle, and the second floor of the building was home to Culver's branch of the U.S. Post Office, as well as renting space to the Culver Masonic lodge. By then, W.O. Osborn was cashier and Minnie assistant cashier, though by 1912, Osborn -- then an attorney -- became full partner with his father-in-law in the bank business.

Five years later, the bank's charter with the Banking Department of the State of Indiana led to its new moniker, The State Exchange Bank of Culver.

Were this a full-blown history of the bank itself, I'd detail major points such as the fact that in 1918, the bank became the only one in Marshall County to meet every quota of World War I Liberty Loan Bonds; the dramatic 1920 robbery there, in which Culver businessman Jacob Saine was shot at his shop across the street (102 S. Main St.); and the organization of the State Exchange Finance Company in 1923.

In 1924, the bank began an enlargement by purchasing the lot to the north (while work progressed, the bank operated from the Menser Building across the street). The stately new exterior, completed in 1926, was made of Bedford limestone trimmed in maroon brick, and the main entrance shifted to face Main Street. The Barnes Construction Company -- precursor to today's Easterday Construction -- occupied space for some time on the second floor of the bank as well. By 1952, the Russell Easterday Construction Company was listed there. During that period, the floor was also home to Western Union, Bettys Beauty Shop, and the Methodist Church office (the church itself was two buildings north at that time).

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If these walls could talk: 101 N. Main Street

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Jets linebacker Bart Scott is the latest player to come forward to say that even though the game of football has been great for his own life, he doesnt think its worth the risk of injury for his son.

Scott told the New York Daily News that even though he has been richly rewarded for playing the game he loves, he doesnt believe its the right sport for most people.

I dont want my son to play football, Scott said. I play football so he wont have to. With what is going on, I dont know if its really worth it. . . . I dont want to have to deal with him getting a concussion and what it would be like later in life.

Keeping kids inside a protective bubble has plenty of risks, too there are a lot more kids struggling with health problems related to obesity than there are kids struggling with health problems related to football but Scott said his 7-year-old son will get his exercise through non-contact sports.

He can play baseball, Scott said. I really dont want him boxing, either, even though he wants to box. I wont let him box. Its not worth it. The most important thing for me is him being around and me being able to spend a long time with him and Im sure, at the end of the day, all the things Im able to buy him from playing football, hed much rather have me.

Scott also knows, however, that if a kid is intent on playing football, its awfully tough for his parents to stop him.

I cant stop him from doing what he wants to do, but I would advise him and try to push other things in his face that may interest him, he said. The more you tell him not to, the more hes going to do it. I would support it, because hes my son, but I also would try to push baseball in his face.

If 7-year-old B.J. is as intense as his dad, its probably safe to say he cant wait to get out on the football field, no matter how much his dad tries to steer him in another direction.

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May 24, 2012 - News Release

The University of Guelph today unveiled seven additions to its dramatic "donor wall" in Rozanski Hall. The donor wall in the lobby of the classroom complex honours supporters and tells the story of the Universitys BetterPlanet Project.

Its intended to be an evolving symbol of the issues and needs being addressed as we look to create change and make the world a better place, said president Alastair Summerlee.

Today we are adding to this work of art. The seven new pieces represent extraordinary giving to the University and the potential for growth via the new opportunities these gifts provide.

Donors highlighted today are:

Philip Gosling and Susan Gosling, Gosling Foundation: a second leadership gift to the BetterPlanet Project of $1.5 million to establish the Gosling Research Institute for Plant Preservation;

Tony and Anne Arrell, U of G graduates: $1 million to support excellence in teaching and 20 annual scholarships for students across disciplines;

Wolf Haessler, U of G graduate and founder of Skyjack Inc.: $1 million to enhance the Universitys engineering facilities and to fund 20 new scholarships;

Donald Pestell, Ontario Agricultural College graduate: $600,000 for the D.J. Pestell Student Service and Alumni Centre at the Ridgetown Campus;

The late J.E. Blake Graham, Ontario Veterinary College graduate: $500,000 for the Blake Graham Fellowship Endowment Fund, supporting graduate studies in public health and zoonotic diseases;

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BetterPlanet ‘Donor Wall’ Grows

20-05-2012 03:03 This is a test of our system GWEG using 50 gallons of water tested from the first story of our prototype constructed at the Sidwell Friends Middle School. The test proved successful in generating electricity. On average around 9 Volts and 3.5 Amps and around a 30 Watt power generation. In the video, our system meter (Watt's Up) turns off a couple times due to it not being fed with enough electricity. On Monday (5/21), we plan to install a second floor and hopefully the power issue of the Watt's Up meter will be addressed. In addition, our team plans to play around with different nozzle types to get the longest, highest wattage output we can.

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50 Gallon 1st Floor GWEG Test - Video

20-05-2012 18:38 Robin Gibb RIP 🙁 Part of story: full story here: Bee Gees had the key hits on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, which topped The Billboard 200 album chart for 24 weeks in 1978. It's one of only seven albums since 1955 to log 24 or more weeks at #1. It's the longest-running #1 album by artists who were born in England. (Adele's 21, which has been #1 for 23 weeks, is second in that regard.) In an eerie coincidence, last week's episode of Glee was a tribute to the album. It was the series' second episode-length tribute to a classic album, following its salute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours which aired in May 2011. At their peak in 1978, Bee Gees were virtually as hot and inescapable as any act of the rock era. That includes Elvis Presley in 1956, the Beatles in 1964 and Michael Jackson in 1983-1984. For two weeks in February and March 1978, the trio had three hits in the top 10 simultaneously: "How Deep Is Your Love," "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever." In addition to those monster hits, Barry and Robin had a co-writing credit on a fourth song in the top 10 (Samantha Sang's creampuff ballad "Emotion") and Barry had co-writing credit on a fifth (Andy Gibb's "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water.") Bee Gees (there's no "the" in their name, just as there's no "the" in Eagles or Carpenters) had 15 top 10 hits, which puts them in a three-way tie for the most top 10 hits by a family group since 1955. They're tied with the Everly Brothers and the Beach Boys, which, in its ...

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Robin Gibb Dead (Bee Gees Member) RIP - Video