Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

VOL. 7 | NO. 2 | Saturday, January 04, 2014

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant capped a busy 2013 on the economic development front with a New Years Eve announcement of a $200 million silicon metal plant near Corinth.

The Mississippi Silicon plant will employ 200 when completed in the town of Burnsville, 100 miles southeast of Memphis. The metal made there will be used in chemical, aluminum and automotive plants.

Mississippi Silicon is a company formed by Investor Clean Tech I LLC and Rima Holdings USA Inc.

Mississippi is providing financing through a state revolving fund for building construction and workforce training. The state is also using new market tax credits. Additional incentives are being provided by Tishomingo County government and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Just before the Mississippi Silicon announcement, Bryants office tallied $1 billion in new investment in the state during 2013 and the creation of 6,265 new jobs.

That compares to $455.5 million in new investment in Mississippi in 2012 and the creation of 2,664 new jobs.

Announcements in 2013 included a $140-million Feuer Powertrain plant in Tunica that will create 300 new jobs; executives of the German-based company broke ground for the plant this past September.

In May, the Danish company Roxul Inc. broke ground on a $160-million plant near Byhalia in Marshall Countys Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park at the Tennessee state line. The Mississippi plant is the first U.S. plant by the company that makes rockwool insulation.

Earlier in December, Aluma-Form Inc., which makes overhead electric utility products, began construction of a $6.7 million plant in a Walnut industrial park. The new plant for the company, which was founded in Memphis in 1961, will create 125 new jobs.

Originally posted here:
Tenn. Prevailing Wage Law Rescinded as of Jan. 1

Penetration Grades Bitumen, the binder used in Bitmac, comes in a range of "penetration grades". There are specific tests that determine just what is the "penetration grade" of a given bitumen, but, rather than go into a lot of very technical and insomnia-curing detail, it is best to think of 'pen' as being a measure of "bitumen softness", of how far a point load will sink into a block of pure bitumen at normal temperatures.

The pen grade of the bitumen binder has a direct bearing on the 'hardness' of the bitmac produced using that bitumen, and so we have a range of penetration grades, from 15pen, which is pretty damned hard, to 450pen, which is relatively soft. A 'softer', more pliable binder produces a softer, more pliable bitmac. Imagine trying to push the blade of a Phillips screwdriver into a bitmac surface; some bitmacs will offer far more resistance than others, and a lot of that difference is dependent on the 'pen grade' of the bitumen binder. So, some bitmacs are harder, or softer, than others, and the degree of pliability can be tailored to suit the requirements of the job in hand.

As a sweeping generalisation, the harder grades (70pen or less), are used as 'asphalts', while the softer grades (100 pen or more, are used as binders for bitumen macadams (bitmac). Bitumens of different pen grades can be blended to create binders with a specific pen grade.

There are different grades of cutback (you knew there would be, didn't you!) ranging from slow-curing, through medium-curing to fast-curing. Medium-curing cutback is a popular choice for hand-laid work, as it gives a good degree of workability for a reasonable amount of time, but still gives a trafficable surface in a matter of hours.

The rest is here:
Pavingexpert - AJ McCormack and Son - Tarmacadam, Bitmac and ...

911- The Yellow Smoke Fountain at the Base of WTC (pre and during demolition raw footage)
I wonder what type of gas this is? Obviously it was needed for melting WTC while it was demolished.

By: xdesmond

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911- The Yellow Smoke Fountain at the Base of WTC (pre and during demolition raw footage) - Video

Battlefield 4 IFV Demolition Gameplay Next Gen PS4, Fun with Vehicles
Battlefield 4 PS4 IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) Gameplay Demolition on Hainan Resort Demolition can be a very fun game mode, give it a few rounds and after...

By: moss2chappy

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Battlefield 4 IFV Demolition Gameplay Next Gen PS4, Fun with Vehicles - Video

Building 7: Controlled Demolition
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By: TheAlexJonesChannel

Original post:
Building 7: Controlled Demolition - Video

1/2/2014 - South Side Leader

Miller said the state grant program was established through a settlement from a suit against banks that used practices that spurred on the foreclosure crisis. Ohio received $95 million, and $3.7 million of this was allocated to Summit County. Of that amount, $500,000 was available outright, and the rest required a match from local communities participating in the program.

Communities had the option to lien back their local match portion of the demolition costs to the homeowner, and they had to use their matching funds first before accessing county grant money, Miller added.

The process to demolish a home through the grant program involved administrative work on the part of the participating communities. After identifying homes to be included under the grant program, the actual demolition process included completing asbestos abatement, clearing the home of all items inside, filling the basement in once the home was demolished, capping the well and crushing the septic tank.

Demolition of substandard homes were easier to accomplish if owners agreed to the process, according to participating community officials.

Miller said all demolitions using Moving Ohio Forward grant funds had to be complete by Dec. 31, with paperwork due by Jan. 31, 2014.

In the South Side News Leader coverage area, Springfield led the effort to clean up vacant and blighted homes. According to Miller, the township got $381,037, with $100,000 provided through the local funds match.

Zoning and Planning Administrator Patricia Ryan said the township had participated in a similar grant program in 2007 that took down a large number of structures so officials were interested once again in taking part. She said 44 properties were taken down by the end of the year.

I think the current grant has helped immensely by eliminating structurally deficient, blighted and/or vacant residences from neighborhoods, and in the long run [this] will improve the values of the remaining properties, she said. All in all, the reactions of the neighbors [have] been extremely positive. Many neighbors came out to watch the demolitions, and in a few instances, cheered. The property owners who signed waivers were thankful that they did not have to pay the full cost of the demolition, which in some instances had kept them from taking the structures down earlier. Many were relieved and thrilled that they now had a clear lot to rebuild or sell.

Ryan said there are a lot more homes that should be torn down, and added township officials are committed to making such improvements. She said the township has routinely allocated some money for nuisance abatement demolitions every year.

Original post:
Demolition grants helping communities

Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun

Residents of some estate in Pakoto area of Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun State, on Thursday, appealed to the state government to stop the demolition of houses in the communities.

In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ifo, residents of the affected estates urged Governor Ibikunle Amosun to invite them for a meeting to resolve issues arising from the demolition exercise.

NAN reports that the estates include Pacific, Anuoluwapo, Ikeoluwa and Gods Own.

They belong to the Community Development Association of Ifo Local Government Area.

More than 100 houses have been reportedly demolished in the estates.

The Chairman of Ifo Local Government Council, Mr. Solomon Ogunrinde, told NAN that the demolished houses were on a land acquired by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in 1979 to build a hospital.

Ogunrinde said that a Memorandum of Understanding on the land was signed in 2010 by the traditional rulers of the communities and the management of LUTH.

He said that out of 2,045 hectares of land, 1,000 were given to the state, 750 to the communities and 250 to LUTH.

The chairman said that the residents were surprised to see government tractors on December 31, 2013 demolishing their houses.

More:
Communities appeal to Amosun over demolition of houses

Watching the old Brighton Surf Life Saving Club building being demolished came with a twinge of sadness for club patron and life member Maurice Bell, who helped build it back in 1976.

However, despite all his memories of the old building, Mr Bell, who was president at the time it was built, was pleased the $465,000 project to build a new club was taking another step forward.

''It's a big step for our new club to see the old one come down,'' he said.

It took only about half an hour for the building to be flattened yesterday morning, leaving the way open for work to start on the new building on January 20.

''The great thing about it is that Fulton Hogan have donated their time and machinery to do the job, and we have club members providing security.''

The club also wanted to thank G.J. Gardner Homes, which was taking on the surf life-saving club as a community project and had provided a temporary clubhouse.

''Without G.J. Gardner's support we could not do this.''

The new 330sq m building, due to open about halfway through this year, would be a facility for the whole community and not just the life-saving club, Mr Bell said. The old building had limitations in terms of storage, and to add to it was not economic.

Rebuilding committee convener Scott Weatherall said the project was about ''future-proofing'' the club for another 35 years.

- vaughan.elder@odt.co.nz

Read more from the original source:
Demolition starts on clubrooms

FLEMINGSBURG | Demolition of the old pool hall building along South Main Cross Street in Flemingsburg has been completed.

According to Mayor Marty Voiers, demolition on the building was completed in late December.

"All the work within the contract has been completed," Voiers said. "We left a few side edges, such as the corners of the building. It doesn't look nice, but we did it because it provides more stability. Eventually, we plan to find a way to cover those up."

Voiers said he is unsure about the future of the site, but will discuss it with city council.

"Once things have settled down a bit, we will decide where we want to go from here and what the future of the spot will be," Voiers said.

In the past, Voiers mentioned the possibility of building a deck for public use.

The demolition began in October and was completed by Willie Jarrells for a total of $60,000, according to Voiers.

According to Voiers, the building has needed demolition for some time, due to the increasingly instability and danger of collapse.

In July, council voted to approve the sale of the building, after debating the best course of action. Two bids had been presented to the court for demolition, but both were too high.

R.J. Construction offered a bid of $111,081 to tear down the building, while W. Thomas offered a bid of $135,000.

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Poll hall demolition completed

Los Angeles prosecutors charged that Becker built a Hollywood Hills West mansion with such disregard for public safety and building codes that he should be held criminally liable for the death of a Los Angeles firefighter who was crushed by a thousand pounds of ceiling while battling a blaze there in 2011.

Becker, 49, was set to go on trial for involuntary manslaughter and faced up to four years in jail. But on Friday, the case came to an abrupt end with a judge agreeing to a deal that will keep the architect in jail for a total of only six months in exchange for a no-contest plea.

Prosecutors, the victim's family and firefighters opposed the resolution, saying Becker deserved more punishment. About 15 uniformed firefighters attended the court hearing Friday to lend their support. More than 400 firefighters submitted letters to the court.

In offering the deal, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert Perry questioned the strength of the prosecution's case. He suggested that a Los Angeles building and safety inspector who reviewed Becker's home may share some of the blame.

The inspector, Brad Bescos, signed off on the house three months before the fire, according to court records. During an interview with investigators and then in his testimony at a preliminary hearing in 2012, Bescos offered conflicting accounts about whether he saw some of the building code violations or whether Becker might have hidden them during an inspection. The confusion damaged the inspector's credibility in the eyes of the judge.

"There are serious issues of proof for responsibility of the loss of life," Perry said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Sean Carney, who had offered Becker a plea deal of two years in jail, criticized the judge's offer Friday, saying it missed an opportunity to send a stronger message to architects who might be considering skirting the rules.

"It is a sentence that undermines any deterrent effect that says they can blame it on city bureaucracy's negligence," Carney said outside the courtroom, flanked by firefighters.

"I don't think six months in jail is worth what all these guys went through," retired firefighter Kevin Mulvehill tearfully told reporters. "Everyone who responded has a life sentence."

After 11 years of designing massive villas on a Spanish island, Becker had set his sights on a new challenge: a lot on Viewsite Terrace straddling a hillside a mile up from West Hollywood's ritzy Sunset Plaza.

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Architect reaches plea deal in L.A. firefighter's death