Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Opinion / Leila Molana-Allen

Yemen has been at war for 50 years, my guard Ahmad says, looking over his shoulder as our driver wrestles the pickup trucks front wheel out of yet another pothole. When is it our turn for some peace? In fact, the Shabwa region, linking the mountains of south-central Yemen to the Arabian Sea, has been a comparatively conflict-free spot in the war-torn Arab nation.

Since the civil war began in 2014 the province has in turn played host to government forces and the Iran-backed Houthi militia, as well as al-Qaeda, armed southern separatists and Emirati-backed mercenaries. But since late 2019, when government forces regained control of Shabwa and its capital Ataq, locals have begun to hope that better security could lead to increased prosperity.

Almost everyone I meet during the week-long trip through the areas half-built streets and lush desert valleys speaks in hushed tones of new work opportunities and even the hope that foreign investment might return. New buildings are popping up and the resurrection of public services is planned if not quite under way yet. But those living close to the provinces borders fear as much as they hope. In neighbouring governorates to the north and west, the multi-front, multi-party war that has killed more than 120,000 people rages on and the prospect of the fighting creeping back south is never far away.

Indeed, later the same day we receive word that a car bomb has exploded on the sea road, bringing violence back to an area that had been calm for months. Ahmad might have to wait a little longer for peace sadly there are still plenty of potholes ahead.

Leila Molana-Allen is Monocles Beirut correspondent and reports from throughout the region.

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Monday 7 December 2020 - The Monocle Minute - Monocle

SO PAULO, Brazil It is eerie to see Oscar Niemeyers whitewashed monolith in Ibirapuera Park stand so empty. The building traditionally hosts the So Paulo Biennial, now postponed to September 2021, due to the pandemic. In the meantime, a number of smaller shows take place, starting with the exhibition, Vento (Wind). As curators Jacopo Crivelli Visconti and Paulo Miyada note, while they didnt originally envision this deathly aura the space is usually teeming with works and people its proved fortuitous. It reminds visitors that Brazilian modernisms claim to transparency, embodied in Brutalist architectures clean lines, obscured that movements entanglement with nationalist politics of its time, and the latters oppression of Black and Indigenous Brazilians. The exhibitions underlying impulse is to evoke these obscured histories and reclaim whats been repressed.

Vento takes its name from Joan Jonass video, Wind (1968), installed on the ground floor. In it, performers sway, buffeted by ghastly winds in a mesmeric dance of physical resistance. Its striking to see such bodily pliancy within these solid concrete walls. And yet, theres resonance: Niemeyers sinuous ramps testify that the modernists too conceived of organic forms. Picking up from Jonas, a spirit of resiliency blows through the show. It echoes the theme of obscurity, that which cant be easily absorbed into the hegemonic culture.

The Indigenous artist Jaider Esbells The War of Kanaims (2020) a series of eleven acrylic and pen paintings, composed mostly for the Biennial is a luminous example of such thematic confluence. In various Amerindian cultures, kanaims are complex dark forces. As Esbell pointed out in a Biennial talk, they are protective, albeit violent, spirits. Ebsells works blend dark and luminous qualities perfectly. Their vibrant colors stand out against the uniformly black backgrounds. Humans, spirits, and nature appear in dense configurations, whose minute patterns give them the luxurious feel of handwoven tapestries. While the animals are easily identifiable (e.g. snakes, a frog, birds), the representations are neither entirely figurative nor abstract. In one painting, a group of tribesmen, perhaps mounted by kanaims, with their red glowing eyes, crowd the works lower edge. The raised yellow spears echo in the forests green and purple vertical lines. The composition pulses with mesmerizing energy a bodys thrall in natures war/dance tug, evocative of the Jonas video, menacing yet sublime.

The ground floor also includes a sound installation by the Colombian artist Gala Porras-Kim, Whistling and Language Transfiguration (WaLT) (2012). The whistles are tonal translations of the Indigenous Zapotec language, historically used to evade the Spanish in what is now Southern Mexico. Such secret tonality also figures into Carla Zaccagninis From Bell To Fate (2017), a sound installation on the upper floor, with a bell from the Nossa Senhora do Rosario dos Homens Brancos (Our Lady of the Rosary of White Men) Chapel, in the colonial town of Ouro Preto. In the Biennials educational publication, Primeiros ensaios (First rehearsals), Zaccagnini discusses her belief that the tolling connects to the repressed tonal signals of enslaved Africans, though such a metaphoric leap somewhat occludes the historical resistance of the Catholic Church to racial inclusion in its ranks.

More direct is another installation: a sound loop of the Maxakali shamanic chants, which point back to the insistence of Indigenous tribes emphasized by both Esbell and Ailton Krenak, an Indigenous activist, writer, and founder of the ForestPeoplesAlliance, in his interview for Primeiros ensaios on memory being preserved not in things but beings, reinforcing the importance of sacral, tribal, familial continuity.

The oneiric quality of Jonass and Esbells works resonate in the paintings of the still little-known Brazilian modernist Eleonore Koch. Her exquisite renditions of Rio de Janeiro emptied squares and parks with rudimentary architectural forms la de Chirico posses an instinctual lyricism. Same goes for the light installations of Clara Iani, Education by Night (2020), in which geometric blocks are lit up to project transfigured shapes on the walls. Theres something about the way these spectral evocations which distort matter yet capture its essence that perfectly encapsulates the mythical power of Esbells entrancing fabulations.

Ventos insistence on centering the poetics of the repressed is a welcome gesture after the last biennial all but sidestepped urgency and historical perspective, in favor of often tepid formalism. And while its still too early to glean this editions full ambition, one would hope that after Vento it will prove more of a gale than a passing zephyr, potent enough to raise some dust in Niemeyers drafty halls.

Vento (Wind) continues through December 13 as part of the 34th So Paulo Biennial, Though its dark, still I sing (Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, Ibirapuera Park, So Paulo, Brazil). The exhibition is curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti and Paulo Miyada.

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Winds of Change at the So Paulo Biennial's Introductory Show - Hyperallergic

GREENWICH Greenwich Communities has completed a $1.6 million project to refurbish all the kitchens in 110 housing units at the Wilbur Peck Court apartment complex.

In any size home, no matter if its a multimillion-dollar home or its a public housing unit, what are people most proud of? Greenwich Communities Director Anthony Johnson said. Its the kitchen and how it looks. It sets the tone for the rest of the house. That was our thinking here.

The kitchens now all have stainless steel appliances, beautiful cabinetry and new microwaves and ventilation systems. This goes along with fresh paint and new bathrooms as well as stained wood flooring in the 110 apartment units.

Families spend a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking and preparing meals, Johnson said. It has its own panache depending on how it looks. This is a good thing and needed.

The downtown housing complex was built in 1953, and the kitchens have not been collectively improved in 40 years, Johnson said.

This was something we had wanted to get done as part of the five-year plan, and we saved enough money to be able to do it, he said.

The project took a year to plan, and the work has been underway for several months, Johnson said. Only a few final touch-ups remain, he said.

The coronavirus pandemic delayed the work, because of slower delivery of the appliances from China, Johnson said. They are still waiting for the final few refrigerators, he said.

Greenwich Communities is the new name for the Housing Authority of the town of Greenwich, which oversees all the town-owned public housing. Renovations, improvements and new construction have been its priority in recent years.

It is important that our residents and their children live with dignity and feel like they fit in, Johnson said in a statement. We have worked diligently through fiscally responsible asset management of our resources and strong partnerships with state and local agencies to help strengthen family life, foster stable home environments, and promote self-sufficiency.

Greenwich Communities is part of the town government structure, but it operates independently and is responsible for financing all the projects.

Overall, Greenwich Communities oversees 837 units in town spread over 15 properties. It also assists 343 families through the Section 8 subsidized housing program. Through all its efforts, Greenwich Communities serves 2,574 residents.

With the five-year plan for Wilbur Peck Court nearly finished, the focus will move to Agnes Morley Heights, a downtown complex with 150 units for seniors, Johnson said. Plans are still under discussions, but they want to start off with new windows to improve energy efficiency.

Work is also continuing at Armstrong Court in Chickahominy. In June, Greenwich Communities cut the ribbon on 18 new townhouse units there. Next up, the old buildings will undergo a full rehabilitation, with one- and two-bedroom units combined into three-bedroom units, which are in high demand.

Johnson said Greenwich Communities hopes to begin the construction work in January.

Sam Romeo, chair of the Board of Commissioners, said in June that over the next five to seven years, Greenwich Communities would bring forward plans to build nearly 300 units to increase the towns housing stock.

This is an all-new Housing Authority for the 21st century. Stay tuned the best is yet to come, Romeo said.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com

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It sets the tone: New kitchens installed at Wilbur Peck Court in Greenwich - Greenwich Time

Waterville fire caused by improper installation of wood stove - CentralMaine.com

Posted December 7

Updated December 8

The fire at 37 Carey Lane Thursday in the city's South End started in a barn or garage where a wood stove had been improperly installed.

WATERVILLE The recent, improper installation of a wood stove caused a fire Thursday at 37 Carey Lane that destroyed the structure the stove was in and heavily damaged the adjacent house, according to fire officials.

A couple, ages 32 and 25, and their children, ages 7 and 2, lived in the house, and the father of one of the couple lived in an upstairs apartment, according to fire Battalion Chief John Gromek.

He said two other children lived in the house part-time, but were not there when the fire broke out. An aunt of one of the tenants owns the home, and the family had a contract to rent it, he said. The family members, whose names he did not know, were helped Thursday by the Red Cross, he said.

The barn or garage was a workshop used for the family construction business and all the construction tools inside were destroyed by the fire, according to Gromek. Asked if the house was destroyed, Gromek said he would say so, but that determination is up to the insurance company. The exteriors of two other nearby houses were damaged as well.

Houses are very close together on Carey Lane, and there is little frontage to the street itself. When firefighters arrived after the fire was reported at 12:20 a.m. Thursday, the 32-year-old tenant on the first floor was throwing Christmas presents out of the house and into the street, which made it difficult for firefighters to access the area, Gromek said.

When the on-duty crew got there, the downstairs tenant was trying his best to get as many Christmas gifts as he could he said. He was throwing stuff out the front door into the road.

Firefighters from several other towns helped fight the fire. Gromek said there was heavy fire damage to the back half of the house and smoke damage throughout the home.

The biggest thing is getting the message out on the proper installation (of wood stoves) and following manufacturer instructions thats the big message, especially this time of year, Gromek said.

He cautioned that many people are still without power from the weekend storm and are using older wood stoves, fireplaces or alternative heating systems. It is important that systems that have not been used in a long time be checked before use to make sure they are safe.

At Carey Lane on Thursday, former City Councilor Karen Rancourt-Thomas, who lives next door, said the fire department got to the scene very quickly. Most of the homes on the street were built around the same time, and her own house was built in 1850 by her great-great-grandfather, she said.

Rancourt-Thomas house is just a few feet from the one that burned, yet there appeared to be no damage to her house.

If the fire department hadnt gotten here as quick as possible, my house would have gone up, she said. Were very grateful.

Carey Lane is a short, one-way street off Water Street that loops in a sort of half-circle back to Water Street.

The Waterville Fire Department Facebook page says firefighters from Waterville, Winslow, Skowhegan, Fairfield, Oakland, Vassalboro, Clinton and Albion worked at the scene and Delta Ambulance and the Waterville Public Works Department also assisted.

No one was injured, but a family dog was found deceased at the scene and two cats are still unaccounted for, according to the post.

We urge the public to ensure all solid fuel-burning appliances be installed according to the manufacturers recommendations, the post says. Proper clearance of hot surfaces to combustible materials is critical to the safety of the device. As we approach the winter months it is also prudent to have chimneys inspected and cleaned by a reputable professional.

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Waterville fire caused by improper installation of wood stove - Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel

TAMPA Construction crews on Monday night installed the last concrete segment of the Selmon Extension, a 1.9-mile toll-lane connector that officials hope will open next summer.

The connectors two lanes of elevated roadway will link the Gandy Bridge to the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway and Dale Mabry Highway. Construction started in January 2018 on the $230 million project, with completion planned for fall 2020. The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority now hopes to finish in six to eight months.

Joe Waggoner, chief executive of the authority, said the project has been 25 years in the making.

Like our community, we are eager to complete construction to improve travel commutes in Tampa Bay, Waggonner said in a statement.

The concrete segment installed earlier this week was the last of 744. Each weighs about 72 tons. They are propped up by 55 columns rising 30 feet in the air.

Now that all major construction items are completed, crews will shift their attention to details, such as electric lines, lights, drainage and paint.

The house is built, but now we have to put the floor in, the sinks in, those types of things, spokeswoman Sue Chrzan said.

The authority also needs to build the sides of the bridge lanes so motorists dont veer off.

Toll revenue and bonds are paying for the new lanes, which will cost drivers $1.19 to use. Those enrolled in SunPass will pay 94 cents. To drive the expressway end to end will cost $5.04 or $4.07 with Sunpass.

The Selmon Expressway carries about 100,000 vehicles a day and runs 14 miles now, from the corner of Town Center Boulevard and the Brandon Parkway to the corner of Gandy Boulevard and Dale Mabry.

Commuters heading to St. Petersburg now have to get off at Dale Mabry and drive Gandy to reach the bridge over Tampa Bay, adding to peak-time gridlock throughout South Tampa.

When the extension is complete, the Expressway Authority estimates the wait time at traffic signals on Gandy will drop by as much as half to two-thirds.

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Selmon Expressway extension scheduled to open in summer 2021 - Tampa Bay Times

LISTING OF THE DAY

Location: Potomac, Maryland

Price: $5.995 million

Built in 2002 for former NBA All-Star Buck Williams and his wife, Mimi, this six-bedroom, nine-bathroom house in Potomac, Maryland, takes its inspiration from Mount Pleasant, a landmarked circa-1761 Georgian mansion near Philadelphia.

After many visits to Pennsylvania, the couple commissioned architect David Jones of Washington, D.C.s Jones Versace to conceive a modern family home with Georgian flavor. They also worked closely with Mr. Jones on materials, finishes and layouts.

You can see the Georgian style in the homes symmetry and the choices of moldings that represent a certain period, said Marc Fleisher of The Fleisher Group, the listing agent. The result is understated and quite spectacular. This home would cost upward of $15 million if it were in the District of Columbia rather than Montgomery County.

More: Inside This Potomac, Maryland, House Are Plenty of Indulgences

Double front doors open to a bright double foyer whose sightlinesframed by classical porticosstretch to the back of the house. For its gleaming hardwood floors, the owners personally selected individual pine boards reclaimed from Pennsylvania barns. The same flooring runs throughout the house.

Behind a door off the foyer, a formal library boasts custom-milled, whitewashed paneled walls, built-in cabinetry, and a masonry fireplace with a gas starterone of six in the home. Intricate mouldings around the fireplace echo classical motifs the owners and architect researched; likewise, wallcoverings throughout the home evoke the period. A second door on the same side of the foyer leads nowhereits a dummy door, for symmetry, Mr. Fleisher said.

Opposite the library, off the foyer, the airy formal dining room boasts an elaborate chandelier and red damask window coverings. Any sale will include all of the lighting fixtures, window treatments, and wallcoverings, Mr. Fleisher said. The dining room features its own fireplace, with a marble facade.

More: Late Novelist Tom Clancys Baltimore Penthouse Hits the Auction Block

Deeper into the house, the foyer connects to a formal living room with two seating areas and glass-paned doors that access the homes back gardens. Built-in shelving maintains the whitewashed look that defines the main level. The shelves flank another fireplace.

The Williams family used a second living room as a family room and den. With a more casual feel, it features contemporary built-in bookshelves and its own fireplace. The two living rooms are linked.

An adjacent room, which the family called the Conservatory, boasts beamed white ceilings and a wall of glass-paned doors that open to the homes expansive backgrounds. Sunlit most of the day, the conservatory features its own wet bar and kitchenette.

More: An Iconic Mansion in Chevy Chase, Maryland

In the homes main kitchen, cherry-wood cabinetry offsets stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops. A ceiling-height cherry-wood hutch separates the kitchen from an eat-in area. The entire space gets plenty of light from a wall of glass-paned doors that open to the back grounds.

Clever design tucks two guest wings at opposite ends of the house. A short flight of stairs from the kitchen leads to a guest bedroom and bathroom. The guest room connects to its own library, paneled in mahogany. For symmetry, a small staircase also ascends from the conservatoryon the other side of the hometo a separate wing containing two guest bedrooms and two full bathrooms.

The main bedrooms occupy the homes second floor. A sweeping staircase, illuminated by a skylight atrium, leads upstairs from the rear foyer. The owners suite enjoys its own windowed sitting room, large enough for a sofa and chairs. The owners bedroom, windowed on three sides, features its own fireplace.

Along with heated marble floors, its spa-like en-suite bathroom boasts his-and-hers sinks, steam shower, and a standalone tub. A separate sitting area adjoins the other two bedrooms, which both boast their own en-suite bathrooms.

More: A Gilded Maryland Mansion Sells for $10 Million

Set on a three-acre lot, the home enjoys completely level grounds with sweeping south and west exposures, Mr. Fleisher said. Its one of the most beautiful lots in the area. A cabana next to the 50-foot swimming pool includes a kitchenette, bathroom, and changing rooms. One of the homes back terraces is paved in a herringbone brick motif. Mr. Fleisher noted that the homes foundation is all granite.

A pair of three-car garages bookend the housefor symmetry, again, Mr. Fleisher said.

Stats

With a total of 12,636 square feet of living space, the house has six bedrooms, two living rooms, two libraries, seven bathrooms, and two half-baths. The property sits on three acres.

More: Cal Ripken Jr.s Maryland Mansion Sells at Auction

Amenities

Under 10-foot ceilings, the homes lower level includes a billiard and game room, plush home theater, fully equipped gym, and a full bathroom. Clerestory windows illuminate the rooms during the day. The lower level includes the homes main laundry room; the owners installed a second, smaller laundry room on the second floor.

An elevator services all three levels of the home. Like much of the house, its discreet and paneled in white.

Neighborhood Notes

Located in an affluent Potomac pocket known as the Golden Triangle, the house sits on an expansive horseshoe-shaped plot of land that includes about 20 large estate homes on multi-acre lots, Mr. Fleisher said. Its an advantageous location less than five minutes to Potomac Village, 10 minutes to downtown Bethesda, 20 minutes to Georgetown, and half an hour to both of DCs international airports.

From Penta:Vacheron Constantin and The Louvre Team Up to Put a Masterpiece on Your Wrist

Agent: Marc Fleisher, The Fleisher Group

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This Georgian-Style Maryland Home Has Lots of Amenities, Including an Elevator - Mansion Global

One of the most active restaurant corners in Soulard will see new life in 2021. Early next month, Boo Coo restaurant will open in the former Oaked space, at 1031 Lynch St. (Prior to Oaked, Lynch Street Tavern occupied the buildingand before that Fleur de Lilies, Gustos 314, Sage Urban American Grill, and Lynch Street Bistro, which opened in 2007.)

Owner Nikki Westhoff, who lives and works nearby, saysshe'd been talking about opening her own restaurant for more than a year, but, ironically, it was the pandemic that brought the dream to fruition.

Working less, I had more time to think about it, she says, and the more my husband and I talked with the owners of Oaked, who own that building, the more sense it made," especially when staffers at next-door neighbor Anheuser-Busch return to their offices.

The name Boo Coo comes from the Cajun termfor beaucoup, the French term for "big" or "many." Westhoff plans to take a more informal approach than its predecessor. Soulard is a casual place," she says. "Our plan is to play more to the neighborhood. People need a place to relax, throw a few darts, play Golden Tee, and watch a game. Aself-confessed sports nut, Westhoffhas installed 16 TVs ("big ones," she says) and two projection TVs in the space.

That part of Soulard needed a little excitement, a little push, and the space is so large that people can spread outno matter how many seats were allowed to use, Westhoff says of the two-level space.

The second floor, which has its own bar and outside deck, will also be used for private events and to showcase local live music. The sprawling first-floor patio bar, made of brick with wrought-iron fencing, is typical of the Soulard area.

The menu at Boo Coo is predictable, but with some unusual flourishes, a few that lean toward New Orleans, one of Westhoffs favorite cities. Chicken wings, fried cheese sticks, and potato skins give way to taco wontons, a muffuletta, nachos served in a Caf du Monde coffee can, and a double smashed burger with cheddar and cream cheese topped with fried jalapeos. The signature item is the Boo Coo Ring, a croissant filled with chicken pot pie fixins.

Having worked for 22 years in the industry, Westhoff says she knows the bar scene welland has a theory regarding bar customers behavior. Bars help other bars, she says. Over the years, Ive watched how people would go from McGurks to Dukes to Mollys to 1860 [Saloon]. We need to recreate that same kind of action in our part of Soulardsouth Soulard. I'd like to see people move from 9th Street Deli to Ds Placeto [Big] Daddys and the Cats Meowto Boo Coo.

I live in the neighborhood, and I know the neighborhood, she adds. Im proud to say that I now own a business in the neighborhood.

Mahe is St. Louis Magazine's dining editor. Originally a finicky eater, he has owned or operated restaurants most of his life. He began reviewing them for SLM in 1991.

December 10, 2020

7:20 AM

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Boo Coo opening in Soulard in early January - St. Louis Magazine

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Businesses in the food and hospitality industries have been forced to overcome multiple obstacles in 2020, with social distancing protocols, indoor dining restrictions, and personal protective equipment requirements all resulting in major operational adjustments over the past nine months. An additional challenge that many business owners are facing comes in the form of the dangerous pathogens and infections that can quickly spread and endanger employees and customers if not managed properly. The team behind The GREEN DRAIN, an environmentally water-free trap seal, has prepared information as to how owners and operators can minimize the risk in the months to come.

"Businesses that operate in the food and hospitality industries are particularly vulnerable to the spread of infections," said JasonBocchino, CEO of The GREEN DRAIN.

"Restaurants, food distribution centers, hotels, and similar institutions typically experience high volumes of human traffic. This can lead to the transmission of harmful diseases, which can be especially dangerous during the winter months."

An infection outbreak can devastate a business in the food or hospitality industry, forcing it to close its doors and lose revenue during its shutdown period. For these businesses, infections and pathogens can spread quickly through unexpected means such as drainage systems. To minimize the risk of harmful transmission, business owners can improve air filtration systems to ensure proper ventilation and circulation, as well as upgrade HVAC systems to achieve maximum airflow control. Owners can also utilize tools such as The GREEN DRAIN to fight against deadly microorganisms, waterborne pathogens, and airborne bacteria that live in drains.

"Thanks to the physical barrier of protection provided by The GREEN DRAIN, food and hospitality businesses can prevent the cross-contamination ofaerosolizedpathogens caused by faulty or evaporated traps," saidBocchino. "The barrier allows liquids to pass down the drain, then automatically seals itself shut to prevent the spread of pathogens. This allows business owners to effectively target and eliminate some of the most problematic disease-related concerns plaguing the food and hospitality industries."

For more information about The GREEN DRAIN and how to keep your business safe from the transmission of potentially dangerous diseases, please visit http://www.greendrains.com.

About The GREEN DRAIN

The GREEN DRAIN is an environmentally friendly water-free trap seal, which can be installed in basically all floor drains without the use of tools.

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The GREEN DRAIN on Preventing Infections in Food and Hospitality Businesses - PRNewswire

As UMass Amherst looks ahead to the start of the spring semester, students, faculty and staff who return to learn and work in person will encounter a transformed center of campus following the completion of a series of major construction projects. Among the marquee projects are the renovated Student Union, the new Worcester Commons, a major upgrade to campus infrastructure and striking landscape improvements.

These long-planned projects are now coming to fruition, and they are going to markedly improve the student experience at UMass Amherst, said Shane Conklin, associate vice chancellor for facilities and campus services. We are, of course, implementing COVID-related restrictions for the spring, but people will immediately benefit and in the long term these investments will have an even greater positive impact for decades to come.

Campus Core Utilities, Landscape and Accessibility Project

A major infrastructure project in the center of campus immediately north and west of the Lincoln Campus Center was completed early in the Fall Semester.The Campus Core Utilities, Landscape and Accessibility Project is a $31 million undertaking with major underground infrastructure investments, as well as accessibility and landscape improvements, which was started in May 2019.The project includes the waterproofing of the parking garages subterranean roof systems, as well as new steam, data and electric duct banks, domestic and fire water services, storm drainage, sanitary sewer and other utilities that feed approximately 100 buildings. Many of the utilities replaced were more than 75 years old.

Given the extent of earth removal required to install the new underground infrastructure, campus planners also identified an opportunity to address accessibility issues in the campus core and integrate comprehensive landscape improvements. The enhancements include an accessible entrance to the garage, an accessible west entrance to the Campus Center, and an accessible pedestrian path from the Student Union to the Worcester Commons.

New Worcester Commons

Earlier this fall, the new 87,000-square-foot Worcester Commons, which replaces the old Worcester Dining Commons, was opened on a limited basis for student dining, with reduced seating capacity due to COVID-19 safety protocols. When the facility eventually is fully operational, it will be able to seat more than 950 people in various dining areas. It will feature residential, grab-and-go, retail and restaurant dining options as well as a campus bakery. The building will also house a Neighborhood Center of student spaces, including lounge space, meeting space for students and student organizations, music practice rooms, a contemplative space and a fitness room. It also includes a new campus restaurant.

The $68.8 million project is expected to be fully completed, with landscaping and new parking lots, before the start of the spring 2021 semester. It is targeted to be certified LEED Gold for sustainability.

Student Union

Progress continues on the comprehensive renovation of the Student Union, with student businesses and student government representatives now in the process of moving into their new spaces. The building is expected to officially open in February 2021. The $64.2 million project to update the 1957 building includes a rain harvesting system, which was requested by the student body, and it is targeted to be LEED Silver for sustainability. Students approved a $100 increase in the student activities fee to partially fund the renovation in December 2017.

The building will feature a Main Street promenade that will be a hub of student activity, a black box theatre, and a new, third-floor ballroom. The facility is designed to be the student living room of the campus, and will provide comfortable and expansive space to gather, informally and formally, and will support the endeavors of more than 200 student organizations.

Once open, the Student Union will house:

When the Student Union was built more than 60 years ago, it was the largest building on campus, serving 4,800 students. Today, the campus has more than 31,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Given that growth, the upgraded facility will provide students with modern spaces to meet 21st century needs and build community in new ways.

Additional Project: University Drive

A project to improve University Drive was completed in the Fall 2020 Semester. Changes include complete new paving and bike lanes, improved drainage, new sidewalks and a roundabout at Fearing Street to slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety in the Southwest Residential Area.

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Impressive Set of Core Campus Improvements, including Student Union and Worcester Commons, Will Be Ready for the Spring Semester - UMass News and...

Each Sunday morning, the air of Pelham Street is punctuated with the sound of chimes. The services at Channing Memorial Church are virtual on Zoom and Facebook, but the chimes are live, played by people inside the steeple.

The chimes play every Sunday from 10:45 to 11:15 a.m. Five dedicated volunteers chime the historic William Blake bells after the 10 a.m. online service. In the bleakness of virtual reality and empty church halls, neighbors wouldnt have it any other way.

It sets a benchmark for the rest of the week, said Paul Doucette, who has lived two houses away for 20 years.

Doucette was raking leaves on this crisp Sunday, enjoying what has been remarkably warm November weather. I was just thinking how lucky I am to rake leaves to a concert, he said.

Across Touro Park, John Gillespie, who has lived within the echoes of the bells for 18 months, was walking his two dogs. I love it, he said. I just think its a nice way to start the day. Its nice to have less tourists and more bells.

Channing Memorial Church has the only mechanically operated chime in Newport and now boasts 17 bells. (Photos by Grace Trofa)

Also walking her dog was Sarah Pierce, who rents an apartment within 20 feet of the church. I used to travel through Europe. I traveled through Spain, and no matter where I was, there was always a church playing bells. It reminds me of that, she said

She found the sounds even richer because people are making them ring in real time. Channing Church has the only mechanically operated chime in Newport. Other churches play electronically generated music.

I especially enjoy them because they are not a machine, she said. People are playing them inside.

There were seven tones last year; now there are nine, for a total of 17 bells.

The volunteers are really skilled chimers, said Channings office administrator Michelle Dubuc. It has been wonderful that during this pandemic we can play the bells and listen, and at last be together in that way. The whole Newport community has enjoyed them, and the weather has been fabulous, she said.

The volunteers who make the music are Linda Beall, Jim Freess, Christine Ariel, Janna Pederson and Cynthia Skelton. Christine Laudon has also been an integral part of the bell restoration and expansion projects, Dubuc said.

The console for the bells is located in a small loft on the second floor of the northwest tower. It looks like a small upright piano, and has 17 short levers, each connected by a steel cable to the clapper of one of the church bells. By pushing down on a lever, a cable pulls on a clapper, striking the immobile bells.

The console dates to 1881, when the original nine bells were installed. They were donated by Mrs. Alfred Smith, wife of the famed real estate agent and developer of Bellevue Avenue, and were cast at the William Blake Foundry of Boston.

The bells were refurbished in Holland in 2007 by the Royal Eijsbouts Foundry, which also cast the seven new ones. Last February, the two latest bells were installed.

Coat and gloves were needed by volunteer Christine Ariel in order to stay warm in the belltower to sound the chimes. By pushing down on a lever, a cable pulls on a clapper, striking the immobile bells.

They all had to be re-tuned by carefully lathing the interiors, a process guided by a sophisticated computer modeling system to create clear, precise tones. The work was done before, during and after the 2008 completion of the tower restoration, with parishioners fearing it wouldnt hold.

Now, nothing can hold back the sound.

In addition to the usual Sunday bells, the chimes will ring on Christmas Eve, from 3 to 4 p.m., and Christmas morning, from 11 to 11:45 a.m.

Tradition of Christmas Chimes

On Christmas Day 2010, chimer Christine Ariel performed the first Channing Church chime concert. At that time, with only 10 bells, there was a lot of improvising, Ariel said.

This year will be the 10th annual chime concert, but the first with the full set of 17 bells.

Ringing bells on Christmas Day is an age-old and popular tradition in Europe, and we are particularly proud to have one of the few instruments that can follow in that tradition, said Ariel, who will be playing with Linda Beall at 11 a.m. We hope everyone will enjoy our selections of both sacred and secular tunes.

For singalong purposes, Ariel provided the following lyrics to a well-known tune:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old familiar carols play, and wild and sweet, the words repeat, of peace on earth, to all goodwill;

Till ringing, singing on its way, the world revolved from day to day, a voice, a chime, a chant sublime, of peace on earth, to all goodwill.

Go here to see the original:
Channing Church Chimes Play On - Newport This Week