Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Published: Sunday, March 31, 2013 at 7:29 p.m. Last Modified: Sunday, March 31, 2013 at 7:29 p.m.

Gainesville landscape architect Larry Teague, of Zamia Design, is the winner for North Florida at the recent Florida Association of Native Nurseries Real Florida Landscapes Design Competition.

Teagues winning residential design explored the possibilities of landscaping using Florida native plants, and has been selected as one of three demonstration landscapes at the Native Plant Show to be held Thursday and Friday at the Osceola Heritage Park Exhibition Building in Kissimmee.

. . .

William L. Grant, a freshman at Morehouse College in Atlanta, has been nominated for membership in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, which honors high achieving first- and second-year college students. Grant, who is the son of Tammy Williams of Gainesville, graduated last year from Eastside High Schools International Baccalaureate program.

. . .

Martin Wegman, a student in the University of Florida College of Medicine and chief quality officer of the College of Medicines Equal Access Clinic, is one of 20 medical students, residents and young physicians in the country receiving the 2013 Medical Student Leadership Award from the American Medical Association.

Wegman, who was named a National Quality Scholar by the American College of Medical Quality, serves as a board member for the local nonprofit Southwest Advocacy Group, or SWAG. He also founded the Health Outreach Quality Improvement program, a partnership with the Equal Access and UF Mobile Outreach clinics.

. . .

Khary Khalfani, a sixth-grader at Oak View Middle School in Newberry, is one of three winners of the 2013 Black History Month Essay Contest, sponsored by the office of Gov. Rick Scott.

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Gainesville landscape architect wins regional accolades

Ashburn, VA (PRWEB) April 01, 2013

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Originally posted here:
2013 Top Home Security App for iPhone and Android Published by 6Webs.com

FITCHBURG -- The oft-vandalized former Central Steam Plant is one step closer to demolition thanks to the city being awarded a $500,000 brownfields remediation grant from MassDevelopment.

According to Mayor Lisa Wong, the grant funds will be used for asbestos abatement at the plant and demolition of the building. The city applied for the grant last spring and received confirmation of the award last week, she said.

"The Central Steam Plant is one of the last major sites in the city that was abandoned and left for the community to cleanup," Wong said Saturday. "The state has been wonderful in providing the funds necessary for Fitchburg to turn an eyesore into a community space for nature lovers. With significant transportation projects underway in West Fitchburg, this is a great way to spruce up an area where we anticipate future growth and investment."

Wong expects the project to cost about $500,000, but the final amount won't be known until bids come in. If they come in a great deal higher than that, the city may opt to do only a partial demolition or supplement the project with Community Development Block Grant funds set aside for demolition purposes, she said.

The Central Steam Plant, built in 1928, used to supply steam and electricity to power the mills along the Nashua River in West Fitchburg. It was last used in the 1980s, when it was damaged by a fire, Wong said. The city took control of the plant in 2004 and built the Steamline Trail in 2006,

The Central Steam Plant has been the target of repeated vandalism over the years, due to the presence of brass and copper items that thieves sell for scrap metal. Much of the machinery in the building still contains oil, and June break-in caused a large amount of that oil to leak into the Nashua River.

Over the next few weeks, the city will sign the agreement with the state and then develop a bid package, Wong said. She expects it will take several months to bid the project and said a contractor should be secured by early summer.

The project will start with asbestos abatement. That portion alone may take up to two to three months, she said, due to the layout of the building and a series of catwalks that may or may not be safe for workers to stand on.

Follow Alana Melanson at facebook.com/alanasentinel or on Twitter @alanamelanson.

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Grant will pay for demolition of Fitchburg plant

MT. VERNON The city council will hear bid results for the demolition of Horace Mann School during its meeting tonight.

The council approved seeking bids for the demolition of the former grade school in February. Bid specifications include the abatement of friable asbestos and black mold.

The school was deeded to the city for $1 in 2002 after the consolidation of District 80 schools into the Primary Center, J.L. Buford Intermediate Center and Casey Middle School.

The facility, under the ownership of the city, was used as a community center, with several fundraisers held under its roof and as a meeting place for the Heartland Young Marines. In addition, the building was used as a storage facility for the city.

In 2009, the city had to close the facility to the public after finding black mold. An environmental report released last year indicated the building not only has black mold, but friable asbestos, which is asbestos that is more easily released into the air and requires specific abatement procedures during demolition under Illinois Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

Once plans for the building demolition were finalized, city officials and officials from Mt. Vernon City Schools District 80 toured the facility so any momentos could be salvaged prior to demolition.

In other business, the council will:

Hear bid results for the demolition of five residential homes;

Hold a second reading on an ordinance to revise the liquor ordinances to allow for alcoholic liquor sales under the winery license;

Hold a second reading on the transfer of surplus property;

Original post:
Council to discuss demolition bids

CINCINNATI (AP) - Demolition has begun on the historic Cincinnati home of the inventor of Ivory soap after a 4-year battle to save it.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports (http://cin.ci/10opdTg ) that the demolition of the Gamble house in Cincinnati began Monday morning.

James N. Gamble, the son of 1 the founders of Procter & Gamble, lived in the 13-room Victorian mansion from 1875 until his 1932 death. He invented Ivory soap and turned his father's company into an international powerhouse during that time.

Preservationists and neighbors fought the demolition since 2009 through lawsuits, protests and other means.

The home's owner, the Greenacres Foundation, applied for a permit to demolish the house. The foundation had said the house was beyond repair.

The company handling the demolition expected the entire mansion to be pulled down Monday.

Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Here is the original post:
Demolition begins on historic Cincinnati home

12:01 p.m. EDT, March 29, 2013

Q: I'm looking to have my air ducts cleaned but I've seen prices vary from $99 to $800. I have not been given an explanation that I believe as the reason for the price difference. What are your thoughts on the reasons for the wide range of costs?

A: My advice is simple: avoid those low-ball offers. Companies offering a super low price on air duct cleaning might do more harm and no good. The fact of the matter is this: The average air duct cleaning for most homes costs between $300 and $500, with factors like the size of the home, the number of ducts and their configuration affecting the price.

Here's the problem with those $99 specials (we've actually seen them advertised for as low as $49): What typically happens in those scenarios is the company offers this great price, usually in the form of a coupon, to get in the door. Once inside, they almost immediately find other problems black mold is a common scare tactic used by unscrupulous contractors or they try to upsell the homeowner on additional services. Those who fall prey to these ploys often pay upwards of $600, even into the thousands.

I've talked to many homeowners who have been victimized by these scams. Even the ones who don't succumb to the high-pressure techniques are still frequently wronged, as these low-ball companies often use inadequate tools and equipment like handheld vacuums and drills to do the work. They quickly go through the house, vacuuming out a few vents, and are gone in less than 30 minutes. A legitimate air duct cleaning should take three to four hours to complete, according to reputable duct cleaning companies that I've spoken to.

The majority of good air duct cleaning companies use outdoor vented equipment, so all the dust and debris they capture is vented and contained outside the home. A duct cleaner who uses inferior equipment can actually cause more harm by agitating and releasing more dust into your home, or worse, damaging your ductwork.

If a company tells you that you have mold in your air ducts, that could be a red flag. I recommend sending that company on its way before any work is done and having a qualified mold testing firm out to your home to verify if in fact mold is present. If so, the tester can provide that information and a protocol for removing the mold to a separate mold remediation firm.

Unfortunately, the air duct cleaning industry doesn't have many regulations. Most states don't have licensing requirements for air duct cleaners Connecticut doesn't so it's important to do your research and hire a company with a good reputation. Check online reviews and ask for referrals. Ask potential air duct cleaning companies to provide you with a written checklist of exactly what they will do, and if you hire them, ask them to verify each task as they complete it. Qualified air duct cleaners will follow strict standards set by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association and should be happy to show you their credentials.

Angie Hicks, MCT

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Air duct cleaning should take about 3 hours and cost between $300 and $500

20130326Feng Shui Family-181

By: MINSICIJU

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20130326Feng Shui Family-181 - Video

20130329Feng Shui Family-184

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20130329Feng Shui Family-184 - Video

Griswold softball coach Rick Arremony recalled traveling to Granby last year for a Class M state quarterfinal game, and watching helplessly as a line drive to center field just kept rolling with no fence to stop its momentum.

It didnt cost the Wolverines the game Granby won, 5-1 but, it was frustrating, he said.

Waterford coach Liz Sutman recalls standing inside her dugout at a state semifinal game at West Haven High School. Not being happy with the play on the field, she let her players know about it. Afterward, she realized CPTV, which was broadcasting the game, was attached to her dugout and may have heard every word that was said.

On most high school baseball fields in the state, an outfield fence and two dugouts are common. On most softball fields, the opposite is true.

Its kind of nerve-wracking, Griswold centerfielder Emily Slonski said. If its windy, the ball can just keep going and theres nothing to stop it. If the field is really bouncy, it can also send it shooting past you and it just keeps rolling.

Fences arent cheap, and softball fields generally are not reserved for high school teams.

Arremony, however, has a solution. In many Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference sponsored-sports, there are minimum standards. If a field doesnt meet those standards, a state tournament game cant be played.

Arremony wants to mandate temporary fences for those fields. If the fences arent in place, the home team loses a home game and, sooner or later, the message will be delivered.

Does the Waterford baseball team have that concern? Arremony said. Schools should accommodate the sport and take care of it, if theyre going to have it. They owe that to the sport. Who deserves it more than Liz, with what she has done with that program?

Veterans Field, where Waterford plays, has a fence but is well beyond the recommended National Federation of High Schools distance of 185 to 235 feet. Sutman has looked into a temporary fence, but the field is town-owned, not Board of Education controlled. That means after every game, any banner the Lancers put up must be taken down. The same would be true with a temporary fence, and there is no place to store such an item.

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Lack of fences , dugouts hamper state softball programs

Originally published March 30, 2013 at 8:03 PM | Page modified March 30, 2013 at 10:29 PM

Every hitter at Safeco Field has a sob story (or 10) the blast he was sure was going out until it died in the marine layer.

Well, there's a flip side to that standard tale of woe, of course. For every hitter sulking in the agony of a tater lost, there has been a pitcher reveling in the ecstasy of an ERA preserved.

"If everyone looked back," said right-hander Blake Beavan, "you can think of certain pitches; you're like, 'I don't know if that's going to stay in ... oh, thank you.' That big, deep breath you let out."

Since the Mariners announced Oct. 2 they are moving in the fences for the 2013 season, much of the focus has been on the impact the change will have on hitters, who have exhaled in unison. But the other part of this equation is whether it will backfire by harming Mariners pitchers more than it helps their hitters.

The consensus in the organization is that the tradeoff will be worth it, an opinion strongly held by the Mariners' ace, Felix Hernandez. He gave general manager Jack Zduriencik his blessing for the move last season, and then proved his lack of concern by signing a seven-year contract extension over the offseason.

"I'm not worried at all," Hernandez said. "When we play on the road and play in short ballparks, we've pitched pretty good. I'm not worried about that. We need to keep the ball down and make good pitches."

Pitching coach Carl Willis, in fact, plans to preach to his staff to keep their same priorities.

"I don't think anything changes," he said. "You can't go out and necessarily pitch to the ballpark. We're going to continue to be aggressive early in counts, try to establish pitchers' counts, as opposed to hitters' counts. ... I don't think from our pitchers' standpoint it's going to be that much different."

But there's no doubt Mariners pitchers have thrived from playing half their games in Safeco. In all 13 full seasons since the ballpark opened, Seattle has had a lower earned-run average at home than on the road. The biggest discrepancy of all came in 2012, when Mariners pitchers put up a 2.96 ERA at home (second lowest in the American League) compared to 4.59 on the road (ninth in the AL). The difference of more than a run and a half a game (1.63) surpassed the 1.36 differential in 2000, the first full season of the ballpark.

Continued here:
Mariners' pitching strategy won't change with fences moved in at Safeco Field