Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Architects tapped to tweak design

By M.E. Jones

Correspondent

HARVARD -- The proposed Town Hall renovation project that for a time seemed at risk of withering on the vine has been reinvigorated, even reinvented, with a downsized wish list and a recent mandate set by the selectmen to move forward based on the current design but with an "acceptable" price tag. That is, about $2.4 million, which is the balance left from the $3.9 million Town Meeting appropriated for the job in 2012.

From their ongoing discussions, the selectmen's vision now is a back-to- basics version of the existing design townspeople have come to know over the last couple years but leaving out some of the pricier components. For example, the addition and HVAC system will remain in place, with repairs. And instead of gutting the interior of the 19th-century building to create an entirely new look, the new floor plan will be functional but less ambitious, moving all offices downstairs and leaving the second floor pretty much as is, gracious front staircase and all, adding a lift for access.

Selectmen as THBC

Selectmen assumed the mantle of de facto building committee in November, 2013 after voters resoundingly rejected a bid to up the original bankroll by another $1 million to cover a sudden, unexpected spike in the construction cost estimate.

Acting under new marching orders, selectmen discussed next steps with a jeweler's eye to cost control.

With summarized outcomes from those forums in hand, the selectmen discussed the matter again at their Jan. 7 meeting. All things considered, they agreed it was time to talk to the architects - LLB, of Rhode Island - about a design fix.

Citing the contract, Chairman Marie Sobalvarro suggested at the time that there might be no additional cost to taper the design to fit the budget, but even if the architects charged an added fee, money in the schematic design budget should cover it, she said.

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Town Hall project to move ahead

Brookfield, WI (Sports Network) - Former president and fellow of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, Larry Packard, has died.

Packard, who was also known as the "Father of the modern ASGCA", was 101 years old.

He started his career as a golf course architect in the 1940s with Robert Bruce Harris, who was one of the founders of the ASGCA, before starting his own firm in 1954.

Packard was president of the ASGCA from 1970-71 and was one of the first architects to address environmental concerns for golf courses, advocating the use of effluent for course irrigation.

"Larry Packard was a pioneer in the game of golf," ASGCA president Rick Robbins said. "Those who influenced his work date back to the 1800s, and the courses Larry designed still stand today and will for decades. Those who play the game will be positively impacted by Larry Packard for generations to come."

Packard had worked on more than 600 golf courses in North America, including Innisbrook Golf and Country Club in Palm Harbor, Fla., Turnberry Country Club in Crystal Lake, Ill., Lake Barrington Shores in Barrington, Ill. and Countryside Country Club in Clearwater, Fla.

He also designed and renovated golf courses in Egypt, Guatemala, South Korea and Venezuela.

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Former ASGCA president Packard dies

St. Johns city council has approved in principle the expansion of downtowns Scotia Centre. Earlier this month, council gave the go-head for East Port Properties to add a three-storey building to the 235 Water St. property.

The extension will be constructed on the podium deck, or open space, that faces Water Street, said Coun. Tom Hann at city councils Jan. 6 meeting. The development will consist of three storeys, and will create over 2,600 square metres of floor area, which includes Class A office space and retail space at the street level.

The amount of open space left after the construction will remain open to the public, said Hann. The plan is to revitalize the podium space at the rear of the building facing Harbour Drive, what is known as Ayers Lane. Its also proposed for redevelopment.

Under downtown parking guidelines, the development would require 36 parking spaces to be created, but the developer is considering payment in lieu, said Hann.

The proposal was in front of the citys standing committee on planning and development in December, which recommended approval, attaching the conditions that the developer submit landscape design and art work for the remaining podium space, discuss parking options, and that council schedule a public meeting on the application.

Mayor Dennis OKeefe said more parking spaces are being created downtown, but the city is also starting to see more applications from developers who plan payments in lieu of parking spaces in their proposals.

Weve got to have a serious look at that before we end up defeating what weve created, lets put it that way, he said.

Hann noted that the city hasnt actually accepted any proposals with payments in lieu yet, but there are three or four on the books.

Staff is always looking at it from the point of, what can we do as an alternative to payment in lieu? he said. Can we find parking elsewhere? Can we find parking in some of the new parking garages? Can they find parking in Atlantic Place and so on? Staff is always aware of the situation of trying not to erode any advancement that weve done in terms of identifying parking spaces in the downtown.

Council voted to accept the planning and development committee reports recommendations.

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Developer plans Scotia Centre expansion

Ashburn-based Meladon Development Group submitted a rezoning application for its Cascades Overlook development on Jan. 8.

Their proposal is to change the land, which was formerly the Faith Bible Church campus, into a development with 253 multi-family dwelling units, 135,000 square feet of retail space, 8,000 square feet of office space and a minimum of 8,600 feet for civic use in Sterling.

New zoning would change the land from single-family residential and planned-development office park to planned-development town center.

The Board of Supervisors will decide whether or not to approve the request in February.

Don Wooden, the president of Meladon Group, understands that the process won't be easy, and that there are opponents to the development, but he believes he has made a strong case to make the new zoning possible. Wooden hopes that a promise to build 100 percent of the commercial space before they begin residential construction will put approval of the development over the edge.

Apartments within the complex are currently slated to be named Eagles Crest; the Meladon Group's Cascades Overlook is not related to the apartment complex of the same name already in Sterling.

"We have two key components," said Wooden.

"One: we have a signed lease with Harris Teeter. And then we have a restaurant destination where we intend to bring in five restaurants called the crescent area.

It will encompass a very lively public space. The neatest part of that space is we are having a Loudoun County wine tasting area."

Wooden said one of the restaurants that would occupy the space has already signed an agreement with Chuy's Mexican Cantina, a Texas-based company, which will take 7,000 square feet of space.

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New development seeks Board approval in February

RICHFIELD - Young women and little girls are being sold for the purpose of sex in countries around the world - including the United States.

A Snyder County woman is ministering to those forced into sex trafficking both abroad and at home.

Kristen Kreider of Middleburg is a missionary with Compassion First in Indonesia and will be a house mother/mentor for a new restoration home for sex trafficking victims here in the United States. The new home will be located at an undisclosed location in Juniata County.

Photo submitted by KRISTEN KREIDER Kristen Kreider styles hair with young women in Indonesia.

A meeting about the restoration home possibilities will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday in the fellowship hall of Richfield Mennonite Church. The meeting will feature Jeanne Allert, founder and executive director of Samaritan Women, which is the group leading the ministry of the home.

Kreider first became involved with the mission while staying in Indonesia in 2013. The 2011 Midd-West High School graduate said she felt "called by God" to serve in some capacity in Indonesia. In January of last year she made her way to the country and admittedly "wandered around blindly" for the first couple of months. Kreider had been to the country in 2010 to meet a child she had sponsored with Compassion International. She had kept contact with some of the translators from that trip, and one of them hosted Kreider at her home when she returned in 2013.

One Sunday last March Kreider said she was in church in Indonesia and was introduced to two Americans who were with a group known as Compassion First. The group's goal is "providing long-term, hope-filled solutions for victims of sex trafficking," according to its website. The couple asked Kreider what skills she had. Kreider noted she was a cosmetologist who had attended McCann School of Business and Technology in Sunbury.

It turned out the organization needed someone to train young women in that field for the sake of finding employment for them.

Kreider then began working with the young women - all under the age of 18 - who had been victimized by the sex trafficking industry.

The website humantrafficking.org explains that most girls sold into the industry are between the ages of 10 and 17. The number one cause of this forced labor is the lack of employment opportunities and poverty in Indonesia. Compassion First "seeks to always employ long-term strategies while engaging in transitional care for these victims," its website indicates.

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Snyder County woman ministers to victims of human sex trafficking

Russia ramped up pressure on Ukraine with a threat of withholding aid until the country forms a new government after the cabinet loyal to President Viktor Yanukovych bowed to nationwide protests and quit.

Premier Mykola Azarov, 66, resigned yesterday, as Yanukovych tried to ease a political crisis. It was not enough for protesters, who vowed to hold their positions at the site of deadly clashes with police last week in the capital Kiev. Opposition leaders maintained a demand for a snap presidential election and wrangled with government lawmakers on further concessions including an amnesty for protesters and constitutional changes.

Yanukovych, 63, is struggling to contain unrest thats spread from the capital to other cities since his rejection of a European association pact triggered anti-government protests in November. The demonstrations turned deadly last week and the turmoil has led to a tug-of-war between Russia and Europe for influence in the nation of 45 million people.

Elections are the best method for the people to decide, Elmar Brok, chairman of the European Parliaments foreign affairs committee and head of delegation to Ukraine, told reporters in Kiev. The people have lost the belief they can trust what the government says.

A protester throws a molotov cocktail at riot police in the centre of Kiev on January 22, 2014.

A protester throws a molotov cocktail at riot police in the centre of Kiev on January 22, 2014. Close

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A protester throws a molotov cocktail at riot police in the centre of Kiev on January 22, 2014.

The yield on Ukraines dollar-denominated government debt due 2023 jumped 51 basis points to 9.55 percent at 6:29 p.m. today, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The hryvnia strengthened to 8.4750 per dollar from 8.4850 yesterday.

Russia agreed to lend Ukraine $15 billion and give its western neighbor a one-third discount on natural gas supplies to Ukraine after Yanukovych pulled out of the EU agreement, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has said could damage Russias economy.

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Russia Raises Pressure on Ukraine After Its Cabinet Quits

Ukraines president quashed a demand to unconditionally pardon protesters calling for his resignation, prolonging the countrys political crisis after Russia threatened to withhold aid.

President Viktor Yanukovych angered anti-government activists by pushing through a law last night requiring them to leave seized buildings before scores of their detained comrades can go free. It followed a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin that his administration may give Ukraine more aid only when it replaced the cabinet of former Prime minister Mykola Azarov, who resigned under this week.

Yanukovych, 63, is facing calls to step down in protests that have spread from the capital to other cities since his rejection of a European Union association pact in November. The demonstrations turned deadly last week and the turmoil has reignited a tug-of-war between Russia and Europe for influence in the nation of 45 million people. The opposition vowed to brave freezing temperatures to stay on the streets.

The law does everything to escalate the situation, Vitali Klitschko, 39, the leader of the opposition UDAR party, said before the vote. The opposition will hold its position and fight on for the release of all detained and arrested activists.

The yield on Ukraines dollar-denominated government debt due 2023 rose by 9 percentage points to 9.675 at 10:58 a.m. in Kiev, data compiled by Bloomberg show. It follows an increase yesterday of 55 basis points, the biggest on a closing basis since Dec. 2. The hryvnia weakened to 8.4787 per dollar from 8.4750 yesterday to its lowest since September 2009.

Yanukovych had threatened to dissolve parliament if lawmakers approved an opposition-proposed amnesty bill with no conditions, Volodymyr Oliynyk, a member of the presidents Regions Party, told Hromadske television. The approved version expires in 15 days if activists do not relinquish control of the government buildings, according to a copy of the law on parliaments website.

At the end of the marathon session that stretched into the freezing night, the law was passed amid applause from government-allied lawmakers and shouts of Shame! Shame! from the opposition. It was backed by 232 deputies, with 11 votes against and 173 abstentions. Yanukovychs Regions party controls the 450-seat assembly with support from the Communists.

The emergency legislative session ended without meeting opposition demands for constitutional amendments to curb presidential powers.

Yanukovych went on his first ever sick leave today with an acute respiratory condition and high fever, his office said in a statement. Opposition leaders maintained a demand for a snap presidential election as the only way to end the crisis.

The opposition says six protesters have died -- three from gunshot wounds -- and a thousand have been injured in protests, while authorities have detained at least 116 on suspicion of taking part. A policeman wounded in a clash on Jan. 27 in southern Ukraine also died, the Interior Ministry said.

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Russia Raises Stakes for Ukraine as Yanukovych Digs In

The ruling Peoples Party (PP) has appointed the partys executive member and Minister of Information, Brown Mpinganjira as its vice-president for the Southern region.

Mpinganjiras appointment has been made to replace former Minister of Transport, Sidik Mia who resigned from the party and cabinet last week Friday on undisclosed grounds.

Its true that honourable Brown Mpinganjira has been appointed partys vice-president replacing honourable Sidik Mia, confirmed PP deputy spokesman, Ken Msonda.

Mpinganjira: Now PP vice president

Msonda told Nyasa Times in an interview that the partys decision to appoint Mpinganjira followed a meeting its politburo had over Mias resignation.

The partys politburo met and felt it necessary to fill the vacant position and have a replacement. The office of partys vice-president is very useful and important, especially now that we are heading towards the May 20th tripartite elections, he explained.

Msonda described Mpinganjira as seasoned politician and a hard worker who deserves the partys vice-president position.

Honourable Mpinganjira is one of the respected politicians in Malawi. You may wish to be reminded that he was one of the champions of multiparty democracy in the country during the 1992/93 referendum. He is not a new man in politics, said Msonda.

Mia is one of the top officials, who have resigned from the party, just four months before the much anticipated May 20th tripartite elections, which include vice-party president for Central Region, Dr. Casim Chilumpha and deputy Director of Elections, Benedicto Chambo and district governor for Mulanje among others.

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PP appoints Mpinganjira as Veep: Mias replacement

How to Build a Post-to-Post Staircase System

Many design options are available for finishing an interior staircase system, but the most basic approach and perhaps the most versatile is the post-to-post, which incorporates a handrail suspended between two newel posts. A number of elaborate trim and finishing options make it possible to use this straightforward approach and exhibit impressive dcor and an architectural elegance without much deviation from the basic design.

How to Make a Closet Pants Rack

Pants can be a pain to hang. They're heavy, bulky and don't always fit the hangers. If you have numerous pairs, you can't just stuff them in a drawer unless it's gigantic. And even if you do cram them into a dresser, they next time you pull them out they're crumpled. There's a better way to store pants using a sturdy dowel rod assembly that holds up to 12 pairs.

Trim Carpentry on Stairs

Staircases are made up of different components. Treads or steps, risers and stringers are common to most of them. The design and placement of all of the above can make stair trim carpentry varied. There are options for creativity and function. Anyone with a miter saw can trim stairs successfully with a few tips.

How to Build a Wall of Shelves With Doors Like a Wardrobe

Wardrobe cabinets typically have tall, or full-length doors from top to bottom. If the height of the wardrobe is more than about 60 inches, the doors can be divided into two sections, one at the top and one at the bottom. Build a solid wall of shelves with the characteristics of a wardrobe using different types of plywood.

How to Create a Tree Stump Table

Okay, you finally got that tree stump pulled. Don't haul it to the landfill or burn it, make an end table instead. If you know you want to make a table but don't have any stumps to pull, scope out the brush piles at new construction sites and get permission to haul one away. Once you have a stump, making a table takes just a few hours of power tool work and a couple of creative decisions.

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Interior Remodeling | Building & Remodeling | eHow

Council approves $1.7 million for City Hall

City Council has approved $1.7 million to for City Hall renovations.

More than $1.1 million will be used to repurpose space to create more room for additional council members called for by the citys new 10-1 representation.

The rest will be used to remodel Council Chambers and the Executive Session Conference Room.

The new 10-1 city council will take office this December.

$1.1 million approved for flood-damaged bridge

A bridge that was knocked out by the Halloween floods should soon be repaired.

Floodwaters washed out supports for the bridge over Onion Creek on River Plantation Drive.

City leaders say detours are adding at least 45 seconds to emergency calls, but neighbors say the delays may be even longer.

Families south of the bridge say they have to make a five-mile detour through construction areas and use roads not designed to handle the extra traffic.

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Council Wrap: Money approved for City Hall remodeling, flood-damaged bridge