Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The following are new progress updates regarding ongoing construction projects throughout the City of Williston.

Preparation for road striping of the 16th Ave. W and 26th St. intersection and as well as the fully paved 16th Ave. extension began on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

Road striping starts on Wednesday, Sept. 30 with landscaping operations ongoing. Permanent signage will follow shortly after.

The intersection will transition from a 3-way to a 4-way stop when the 16th Ave. extension opens in mid-October. At that time, a footpath that spans the length of the 16th Ave. extension will also be available for public use.

The 16th Ave. extension will connect with 42nd St.

The necessary infrastructure is in place for lighting which will go up under traffic at a later date.

Sewer is complete and BEK Consulting is installing water line and storm sewer along the length of the 42nd St. extension, heading west toward 32nd Ave. W.

MMI is following behind with subgrade work to prepare the road for paving which is also scheduled for mid-October.

Once complete, 42nd St. will extend beyond 16th Ave. W and connect with 32nd Ave. W.

The water line and storm sewer are installed with curb and gutter complete in all areas minus the block of 4th Ave. W= between 6th and 7th St. W, and 7th St. W from 3rd Ave. W up to the alley between 4th and 5th Ave. W.

Paving is scheduled to begin next week with all roads in the area reopening in mid-October.

Road construction continues with the pouring of curb and gutter, scheduled to finish early next week. Sidewalk work is also scheduled to begin next week.

To view ongoing construction areas throughout the City of Williston, please visit the 2020 Construction Map at: https://bit.ly/Construction2020.

For future updates, please follow the City of Williston on Facebook (@cityofwilliston), Instagram (@cityofwilliston), and LinkedIn.

For more information on this story, please contact Wayne Wiedrich, Operations Engineer, at 701-577-6368 or [emailprotected]

The City of Williston Public Works and Engineering building is located at 1121 5th St. E, Williston, ND.

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City of Williston Construction Updates - The Roundup

Market SummaryFollow

Installed Building Products Inc. is a Installed Building Products Inc is an insulation installer serving the residential new construction market. The company operates primarily in the United States.

IBP - Market Data & News

Shares of Installed Building Products Inc. (IBP) broke into a new 52-week high yesterday, hitting a peak of $112.60. Shares closed at $110.99 after opening at $111.80 for a move of 1.64%. The company now has a market cap of $3.31 billion.

Investors and traders can learn a lot about a stocks momentum when it sets a new 52-week high. As an example, bullish investors view a company hitting its highest price in a year as a sign of momentum and may interpret it as a signal to buy. On the other hand, bearish investors could view a new 52-week high as a signal of the end of a strong run, with the stock possibly peaking out before an impending period of decline.

For Installed Building Products Inc., the new 52-week high came on volume of 251,582. The stock has a float of 29.8 million shares and average daily volume of $n/a. It has a 50-day SMA of $n/a and a 200-day SMA of $n/a.

For a complete fundamental analysis analysis of Installed Building Products Inc., check out Equities.coms Stock Valuation Analysis report for IBP.

Still paying commissions on stock trades? Equities.com now offers $7.99/month unlimited trading and flat-fee options trading for $89.99/month! Get started today by https://www.equities.com/trading-start

Installed Building Products Inc is an insulation installer serving the residential new construction market. The company operates primarily in the United States. The company installs fiberglass, spray foam, cellulose, and radiant barrier. In addition to insulations, Installed Building Products offers installation services for garage doors, rain gutters, closet shelving, shower doors, mirrors, fireplaces, and bath and door hardware.

Installed Building Products Inc. is based out of Columbus, OH and has some 8,500 employees. Its CEO is Jeffrey W. Edwards.

Installed Building Products Inc. is also a component of the Russell 2000 Index, which is an invaluable tool for any small-cap investor. Consisting of the smaller 2,000 publicly traded companies of the 3,000 largest companies in America by market cap (which combine to make the broader Russell 3000 index), the Russell 2000 gives the most comprehensive snapshot of the small-cap market of any index out there.

What's more, the Russell 2000 is maintained by Russell Investments, a company committed to using rules-based methodologies to construct unbiased indices that differ from the committee-selected Dow Jones Industrial Average or S&P 500.

To get more information on Installed Building Products Inc. and to follow the companys latest updates, you can visit the companys profile page here: IBPs Profile. For more news on the financial markets and emerging growth companies, be sure to visit Equities.coms Newsdesk. Also, dont forget to sign-up for our daily email newsletter to ensure you dont miss out on any of our best stories.

All data provided by QuoteMedia and was accurate as of 4:30PM ET.

DISCLOSURE:The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not represent the views of equities.com. Readers should not consider statements made by the author as formal recommendations and should consult their financial advisor before making any investment decisions. To read our full disclosure, please go to: http://www.equities.com/disclaimer

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Installed Building Products Inc. (IBP) Breaks into New 52-Week High on October 07 Session - Equities.com

For the Tribune

Construction to widen and improve the safety of a 1.5-mile stretch of North William Street (U.S. 117) in Goldsboro began Monday with the installation of orange-and-white drums and other barriers.

An N.C. Department of Transportation contractor, JSmith Civil, LLC of Goldsboro, will widen the road to four lanes between the U.S. 70 Bypass and U.S. 70/U.S. 13.

Additionally, a raised median and concrete curbs and gutters will be built.

Most of the route has two lanes.

The contractor will not be allowed to close or narrow lanes during the morning (6-9 a.m.) and afternoon (4-7 p.m.) weekday commute, so drivers should expect lane closures and delays traveling through the area at other times.

Motorists should slow down and be alert for construction crews and equipment.

The median will improve safety by redirecting drivers on some of the side streets into turning right. If they want to go in the opposite direction, drivers will use a dedicated lane a short distance away to safely make a U-turn. This design is known as a reduced-conflict intersection because it reduces the risk of serious collisions.

As part of the contract, traffic signals will be installed on North William Street at Neil Street, 11th Street, Patetown Road and Industry Court.

The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.

The NCDOT awarded the $15.3 million contract in March. Work could not begin until all of the utility lines had been relocated.

Original post:
Construction begins on William Street - Mount Olive Tribune

Dept. of Public Utilities:

Various locations in White Rock and Los Alamos townsite Asphalt patches

GM Emulsion, under contract with the Department of Public Utilities, will patch asphalt at various locations and times throughout White Rock and the townsite where repairs to water lines occurred earlier in the summer.Work will begin Monday and continue through Friday. Traffic control devices will be set up around the construction zones.

Public Works Dept.:

Barranca Mesa 3 Subdivision Improvements Project

Crews will be paving Camino Encantado this week.

Lane Closure on Sherwood Blvd

Work continues for a water line tie-in; motorists may see a lane closure and flagging operations on Sherwood Blvd because of work on the Pinon Park Splash Pad project.

Pedestrian, Sidewalks and ADA Accessibility Along Trinity Drive from Oppenheimer to 39th Street

GM Emulsion continues construction along Trinity Drive removing curb and gutter and dilapidated asphalt in the buffer zone between curb and sidewalk. Construction crews continue placing new curb and gutter and colored concrete in the buffer space. Work in the area of Trinity 301 Apartments near Oppenheimer includes a partial closure to their driveway entrance as crews replace the valley gutter in sections. Access to the apartment building will be maintained.Crews continue replacing sections of sidewalks on the southside of Trinity; sidewalks will be closed off as they move toward Diamond Drive.

Traffic & Streets Division:

Ski Hill Road (Camp May Rd)

Crews will be doing shoulder, drainage and asphalt patching on the road with flagging operations in place.Work will occur between8:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Other projects:

NM502 Roundabout Construction & Road work (State DOT, Star Paving)

No change to traffic controlfrom last week.There is one lane open in each direction from Tewa Lp to DP Rd. Access to local streets from Tewa Lp to Arroyo Ln will still be provided.

Access to Central Ave and 4thSt from NM 502 remains closed for the next 2 weeksfor construction of the roundabout. Central Ave and 4thSt can still be accessed via Knecht Street.

For updates from the State, visitwww.nmroads.com.

Overhead Line Work: San Ildefonso Rd at Broadview Dr. and North Mesa Park

On Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m., Cablecom, LLC will be closing lanes along San Ildefonso Road near Broadview Drive and near North Mesa Park to work on overhead lines. Through traffic with a flagging operation will be in place in both locations. Sidewalks and shoulders will be closed. For concerns or issues, please contact Cablecom, LLC project manager, Javier Gonzalez at 505-260-5688.

DP Rd (Work related to Canyon Walk Apts and The Bluffs)

Qualcon Builders, LLC 120 DP Road Utility Infrastructure Replacement

Phase 1 of construction began September 14thand will continue for approximately 10 weeks.

This past week, work began on the trenching and installation of a sewer pipe along the north side of DP Rd. During the week of October 5, trenching work and placement of the sewer line will continue along the north side of the section of DP Rd from Canyon Rim Trail to Fire Station #2.During these trenching activities, portions of DP Rd will be restricted to one lane traffic, controlled by a flagged/signaled system. Access to businesses will be maintained.

Vehicles and pedestrian traffic are urged to follow all traffic control devices and maintain a safe distance from the work zones listed above.

Sign up for Cone Zone to be delivered to your e-mail on Fridays link to the Subscribe to Newsletter option at the bottom of the Countys website atwww.losalamosnm.us

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County: The Cone Zone Week Of Oct. 5 - Los Alamos Reporter

Each room in your home represents a different aspect of your life, which means that your happiness is largely dependent on your home decorating skills. Samantha Wong reports

In order to successfully apply feng shui in your home, you need to determine where each room is located on the bagua map. This is simple enough to do but first you need to decide whether you are going to follow the Western (BTB) bagua or the traditional bagua. Both BTB and traditional baguas are divided into nine squares (see the BTB map overleaf), with each square representing a different aspect of your life wealth, fame and reputation, love and marriage etc. Each square also corresponds with one of the five elements and a colour or colours.

Simply put, the bagua connects aspects of your life with areas in your home. This allows you to work on specific areas in your life by improving the energy in the corresponding area of your home.

You can do a BTB bagua reading in three easy steps. Step 1: Draw the BTB bagua map on tracing paper. Step 2: Superimpose your map over your floor plan, aligning the bottom row of your map with the wall of your front door. Step 3: Note down which parts of your home fall under and are therefore governed by which sections of the bagua map.

A traditional bagua reading works in much the same way, except it takes the points of the compass into account. You need to take the compass reading of your front door in order to line up a traditional bagua map with your floor plan.

If your floor plan is not a perfect square or rectangle, sections of the bagua will be foreshortened or missed out altogether, and youll have to work at filling in the space (and therefore the energy) that is lacking. Remedies include introducing potted plants to activate the area or hanging crystals, especially when there is a window. If a whole section is missing, place mirrors on both walls of the interior corner to expand the area.

Extensions, like a bay window or balcony, are a positive in feng shui even if they fall outside the bagua map. This is because they extend the good energy that you are creating within your home.

Plotting your courseIn many ways a bagua reading is so literal, you can work out how to boost the energy in a room intuitively. Worried about your health? Revamp the decor in the centre of your home (which falls under the health section of the bagua map). Hoping to travel again soon? Decorate the travel corner of your home (bottom right on the map) with photos of the countries you want to visit. Sex life in need of a boost? Place candles and flowers in the love and marriage section of your home (top right).

But theres more to the bagua than that. Youll see from the map below that each bagua square corresponds not only with an aspect of your life but also with one of the five elements. So, once you know where a room fits in the bagua map, youll know which element needs to be supported in it. Lets say your living room falls under the creativity section of the bagua map, which is supported by metal if you feel you are lacking in creativity, youll benefit from introducing more metal into your living room.

An easy way to boost the presence of a particular element in a space is through colour use for instance, metal is commonly represented by the colour white, so you can invite more metal energy into a space by introducing some white-coloured furnishings. But take another look at the map below, youll see that colour-use in the bagua is more complex, since colours in each square correspond with both the element and aspect of life represented. For instance, you can up the metal energy in the creativity section of your home by adding white-coloured accents, but to boost the travel section of your home, also associated with metal, you need to decorate with grey and black, as well as white.

By learning about the bagua, you can improve your quality of life. So think about which aspect of your life needs work. Lets say its your relationship with money. Work out which room in your home falls under the wealth section of the bagua (top left on the map). Which element do you need to boost in that room to bring more money in? Wood. How do you do that? By incorporating plenty of blue, purple, red and green accents into your decor. Throw in a piece of real wood furniture and youll soon be as rich as Jack Ma.

Read more from the original source:
Feng Shui: The Bagua Map - Around DB and Life on Lantau

In June 2018, we brought you news that Parks and Recreation actor Rob Lowe and his wife Sheryl, a jewelry designer, had listed their Montecito home for a whopping $47 million. While the exorbitant price tag raised some questions about how much Rob Lowe is actually worth, the home's price made more sense after we saw just how grandiose the estate truly is.

Fast forward over two years later to current day, and the 20-room home, known as Oakview, has finally been sold! According to Variety, the estate recently sold in an off-market sale for $45.5 million.

Initially listed with Sothebys International Realty, the home was re-listed with Eric Haskell of The Agency and Luke Ebbin of Compass in August, 2019 for $42.5 million these agents handled the final sale. Now, the Lowes can officially say their goodbyes, raking in a generous profit that sits in the middle of their first and second asking prices.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

The home features six bedrooms, eleven bathrooms and nine interior and two exterior fireplaces. It elegantly blends West Coast living with the tranquility of the Virginia countryside, where Lowe grew up. "Ive always been drawn to a historic, east coast American aesthetic," he told Architectural Digest in its November 2010 cover story on the home.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

Over the years, the couple had tapped architect Don Nulty, interior designer Kyle Irwin, landscape architect Mark Rios, and feng shui expert David Cho to incorporate their personal style throughout the 10,000 square-foot home.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

In addition to the spacious backyard, the grounds boasts a gorgeous resort-style pool and hot tub, as well as a two bedroom guest house. There's also a championship-sized tennis court with two observation areas.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

As Lowe said back in 2018, "with our boys now out of the house, were looking forward to our next real estate adventure." We're excited to see where the couple ends up next!

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Rob and Sheryl Lowe Just Sold Their Montecito Mansion for $45.5 Million See Inside - HouseBeautiful.com

Joe TaschlerMilwaukee Journal Sentinel

Members of the board that oversees Miller Park approved a plan Tuesday to spend $1.8 million to upgrade the system that controls the ballparks retractable roof.

The Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District boards finance and operations committees voted unanimously to spend the money to improve the system as part of the 2021 maintenance and improvement plan for the ballpark.

The roof panels are moved by a complex system of motors and drives that haul it along a track.

Much of the controls for the system as well as various parts of the drive system have become obsolete and have reached their usable life after 20 years, said Kristi Kreklow, associate director of the district.

In 2018, workers removed and inspected one of the 10 bogies that haul the roof panels into place. The bogie was making unusual noises but was deemed not to be faulty in the $900,000 project.

The spending for the latest project is coming from whats known as the districts segregated reserve fund to which the district and the Milwaukee Brewers each make contributions.

Improving the roofs drive and control system has been planned and is not a surprise. Original plans for the stadium called for the systems to be replaced once they turned 20 years old.

The expectation is that the upgrade, once complete, will last another 20 years, said Mike Duckett, executive director of the district.

Board members also voted Tuesday to spend $1.3 million to replace the ballparks fire detection system.

The roof-control system and the fire-detection system are the most expensive that the board members considered on Tuesday.

The fire-detection system also is 20 years old, Duckett said, and replacing it was also part of the long-term plan for the upkeep of the ballpark.

The ballpark has about 1.2 million square feet of finished space that the fire detection system covers, Kreklow said.

The fire detection system was put to use in July 2014 after a middle-of-the-night fire broke out in a restaurant area in the left field area of the ballpark. The system triggered the ballparks sprinkler system and alerted Milwaukee firefighters, who responded and extinguished the blaze.

The funds for the upgrades will come, in part, from proceeds of a 0.1% sales tax levied in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee and Racine counties. That sales tax, collected since 1996, was stopped in March. The funds were placed into an escrow account and are being used to maintain the stadium.

The state law that created the tax allows the proceeds to be used only for costs related to the ballpark.

Among other spending items, members of the board also voted to spend $130,000 on a female locker room after the first female coach in Major League Baseball, Alyssa Nakken, began coaching this year for the San Francisco Giants.

The San Francisco Giants first base coach Alyssa Nakken jogs to first base during the second inning of an exhibition baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in San Francisco, Tuesday, July 21, 2020.

LEDs will light field

Meanwhile, the process of converting the lights that illuminate the playing field to LEDs has begun. The new LED lighting system has been delivered to the ballpark and installation will take place this off-season.

The new lights are expected to be ready for Opening Day 2021. The project has qualified for a $90,000 Focus on Energy rebate due to the energy savings that the new LEDs will provide, according to the stadium district. That money will be used to help offset the project cost.

Name change in full swing

The Milwaukee Brewers ballpark will be renamed American Family Field, beginning on Jan. 1, 2021, when American Family Insurance takes over the naming rights.

Thousands of signs must be changed at the ballpark, which has been known as Miller Park since it opened.

State law prevents the stadium district from incurring any expenses related to the name change, Kreklow said.

Rent deferral?

The Brewers pay a $1.2 million annual rental fee to the stadium district, and board members are expecting the ball club to ask for some form of rent forgiveness as a result of the pandemic-shortened MLB season in which fans were not allowed to attend games.

During the teleconference meeting on Tuesday, board members asked whether rent forgiveness or deferral was allowed under the lease agreement with the team.

While there is no specific clause in the lease that mentions a pandemic, there are other portions of the lease that likely address such a situation and would allow some sort of rent forgiveness or deferral, Duckett said.

Board members said they would take up the issue when and if the Brewers formally request it.

Call Joe Taschler at (414) 224-2554 or jtaschler@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeTaschler or Facebook at facebook.com/joe.taschler.1.

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Drive system on Miller Park roof to be replaced as part of planned ballpark maintenance, board members decide - Daily Reporter

A battlefield historian, an anthropologist, and an archaeologist: That's the unique team that monitors underground utility assets for Consolidated Utility District of Rutherford County (CUD).

"Imagine a ratepayer decides to install fencing or a sprinkler system, but no underground assets have been marked by CUD," said Matthew Whitten, GIS/GPR Technician for Consolidated Utility District (CUD) of Rutherford County. "While digging holes, the ratepayer hits and breaks a six-inch PVC pipe, or an 18-inch ductile iron pipe. That person would be responsible for time and damages incurred, and the community would be impacted as services are turned off for repair.

"It's absolutely critical to know exactly where underground water lines are located," saidWhitten, who has a background in archaeology with the Tennessee State Historic Commission, Middle Tennessee State University, and the Rutherford County Archaeology Society.

"We serve CUD and our ratepayers by keeping all our water line maps current," said Pam Sykes, GIS Analyst for CUD. "From line locating to helping inspectors out in the field to locating a leak, that all helps us reduce costs and improve water loss prevention."A Rutherford County native, Sykes holds a degree in anthropology from MTSU and spent more than three years working in the state parks of California.

"As the GIS coordinator, I'm the gatekeeper of the data,"Bethany Hall said. "For our ratepayers, I'm like Google. I research and provide options for solving issues. GIS is becoming one of the core departments at CUD. That's happening through the creation of dashboards and web applications."

Before joining CUD, Hall worked for Rutherford County and the City of Murfreesboro in GIS (geospatial information systems) capacities and earned degrees from ITT Tech, American InterContinental University, and MTSU. Though Hall leads the GIS Team at CUD, her previous experiences carried her to distant battlefields overseas."

Hall's journey into GIS began by accident. Her father worked as an electrician and a plumber, and she learned to read blueprints and help him install wiring or plumbing. Through the years, Hall looked for opportunities to use her interests and skills in drafting, geography, and history.

"In 2008, I enrolled at MTSU in the Public History program as a master's degree student," Hall said. "I started doing some training on battlefield GIS. I have a fascination with 20th century warfare, and later I did a study abroad in 2009 with MTSU to the islands of Peleliu and Palau."

A member of Hall's grandmother's family fought in World War II with the First Marine Division at the Battle of Palau and was buried near Pearl Harbor. Hall traced his deployments through the war.

"Palau is tiny -- only two and a half miles long and about a mile and a half across," Hall noted. "It's largely an undisturbed World War II battlefield and still has unexploded ordnance. When I was there, I jumped over a root of a banyan tree, and landed on something metal. I figured my legs were about to be blown off. But what I had landed on were smoke grenades underneath the leaf litter."

Hall would later work on a project with MTSU that would be titled "The Blue Raiders of Vietnam." Sixteen men who attended MTSU during Vietnam died while in service there. Researching the efforts of those soldiers led to Hall's Master of Liberal Arts degree.

The GIS knowledge Hall honed during her education became vital at CUD. "They needed somebody with the GIS background. We're developing a vision for our information, and we can deploy operational dashboards and data-collecting technology to find our underground lines so our field crews can easily locate them."

"Plus, I helped bring in a drone program for mapping and preliminary site design. I've got 30 hours of manned aviation experience and FAA certification. Using drones allows us to check the physical state of our water storage tanks so we don't have to send out a crew in safety gear."

Visit Pamela Sykes' workspace, and you'll see her love of science fiction. Talk to her, though, and you'll hear about her appreciation of science fact.

"My background originally was in physics due to my love of Star Trek," said Sykes. "I went through (MTSU) as a physics and biology double major, but I've always been interested in anthropology, too.

"I really enjoy maps because of orienteering and doing outdoor work. Because of my background in physics, I like the idea of mapping the universe."

After returning to Tennessee, Sykes was approached by a friend about an opportunity with CUD. The role would require GIS capabilities a skillset she had not used in about five years. Fortunately, the knowledge returned to her quickly, and the technology had improved, too.

"The tech became friendlier, thanks to smartphones," said Sykes. "Being able to help our guys in the field use the tools and software, it's all been part of a fun learning curve. As soon as our guys collect data, I'm editing it. Thanks to cell reception, the work moves pretty fast."

Shooting aerial photography and video using CUD's drone gives Sykes yet another avenue to use the latest technology. Like Hall, Sykes is an FAA-licensed drone pilot, having earned her certification in 2019. Part of her work involves flying the drone over worksites for pipe installations or structures for STEP systems (Septic Tank Effluent Pump). The data provided by the drone indicates the exact points where infrastructure has been placed which is vital for inventory control and management.

Sykes has a particular vision in mind for her drone work. "Hopefully, we can start to do some three-dimensional analysis with virtual reality. It would be awesome to see what's underground without having to dig underground. Especially if something is in the road or close to the road that would cause some problems. The thing is, I love technology, and I'm a gadget person. That's part of why I'm here."

Matthew Whitten started as an intern with CUD and learned about GPR (ground penetrating radar) as a method for locating possible submerged walls. That data provides CUD with an idea of where to plot and excavate. The GPR also identifies submerged pipes that were installed throughout the county prior to satellite imagery being taken.

Unearthing the past comes naturally to Whitten since he's fascinated by archaeology. His collegiate career included work for museums, cemeteries, and an American Indian cultural center. He later gained professional experience developing historical maps and analyzing geographic features.

"I believe that even from childhood we're all explorers," said Whitten. "That just kind of bled over from history into archaeology, showing places on a map, indicating movement of peoples, mapping out a dig site. That transitioned me into my GIS work."

Even Whitten's first connection with CUD related to archaeology. "I met Bethany Hall when I was working a dig in Eagleville in 2014. At the time, I was the vice president of the Rutherford County Archaeological Society. One of the projects was cleaning and restoring the Old City Cemetery, which is now about 200 years old. While working for Rutherford County GIS, Bethany and I went plotting all the cemeteries throughout the county, and we ended up finding new cemeteries."

Today, Whitten uses his archaeological skills in ways that benefit CUD and its ratepayers. "For a recent example, a contractor wanted to cut a drive into a new subdivision. However, the contractor noticed that a main service line ran across where the new drive was to be located. Our team determined that the blueprints did not agree with a true location. We used our ground-penetrating radar to locate where the line ran, which was roughly six feet off from the blueprints. That way, we helped them avoid a mistake."

At Consolidated Utility District, our mission continues to be to provide safe drinking water for all residential, industrial, and governmental agencies, meeting and exceeding all federal and state standards at the lowest possible cost with high quality, efficiency, and integrity.

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How 3 explorers serve CUD and its ratepayers - Murfreesboro Voice

My grassman career started 25 years ago when my dad decided I was old enough to push a lawnmower. Once I mastered the art of keeping the hallowed home lawn in venerable shape, I was promoted to taking care of neighbors' lawns. I mowed, raked, fertilized, and sprayed chemicals with a fastidious concern for perfection. Fast forward a couple decades, and here I am, taking care of those same lawns as owner of Organic Lawn. The only difference is my definition of perfection.

Recently, some friends of mine were lamenting how the Joneses lawn next door was more perfect than theirs. The Joneses watered daily, meticulously mowed, and voraciously stamped out diversity in their sea of Kentucky Blue. My friends just bought their home last summer and dont have an underground sprinkler system and spend most of their time biking and trail running instead of moving sprinklers. Their lawn had gone dormant and turned brown. Not only that, it had a couple dandelions. They were living in shame, avoiding eye contact with the Joneses, shopping for a company to install a sprinkler system, and weighing the pros and cons of spraying chemicals to kill the weeds.

Why were my friends trying to keep up with the Joneses? The Joneses are everything that is wrong with lawn care. Watering too frequently, mowing short, and nuking the soil microbiome with chemicals are the last practices anyone should desire to emulate. Allowing for natural diversity, taking care of the biological communities in the soil, and managing in a way that limits water use are far more important. Brown grass in late summer and the occasional dandelion never killed anyone, but glyphosate certainly has. The Joneses should be keeping up with my friends.

To see what else is happening in Gallatin County subscribe to the online paper.

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Lawn care is more than watering and killing 'weeds' - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Dear Editor,

I read the article about the Spences Bridge charging station (Battle in Spences Bridge over fate of EV charging station, the Journal, Oct. 1) with great interest, as it is a piece of a very important puzzle for the community of Spences Bridge; a wonderful place, unlike any other, that our family has called home for the best part of 32 years.

The most disturbing part, and there were many, was the quote from [Spences Bridge Improvement District] trustee Ross Figley. When asked why the sprinkler system had not been turned on [at the former elementary school grounds] in 2019 and 2020, Figley replied I didnt feel like turning it on. I have my own stuff to do.

The greatest source of pride for our community has always been our beautiful Green Space. The school and its ground is a special place for many of us. I remember my kids going to the school when we arrived to call Spences Bridge home in 1988. I remember hugging home plate during a fast-pitch ball game and George Billy brushing me back with a windmill fastball that scared the bejeezers out of me. I remember all the Easter Egg hunts with our kids and then our grandkids at the well-manicured, lush green grass of our school yard. I remember the campfire and fireworks of Halloween.

I hope next years Desert Daze will have the bighorn sheep visiting our beautiful green grass of home: the school grounds.

Certainly, after losing our Steelhead family, the off-season has become a challenge, especially to the local businesses. Certainly, electric cars need charging year round, and their numbers are increasing at a significant rate. Certainly, it would be in the best interest of the community to find a way to keep our charging station. BC Hydro has agreed, and says that they only need an agreement with the SBID and it can indeed stay.

Spences Bridge has spoken loud and clear. They would like to keep the station. The only thing standing in the way is the three trustees on the Improvement District, and stand in the way they did. By a vote of 2 to 1 they have made the decision for all of Spences Bridge: the charging station has got to go! So, so sad.

As sad as it is, this is not the biggest issue. The biggest issue is family and friends.

For decades our families have had their own community backyard: the school grounds. Our kids now our grandkids, and even a great-grandkid or two love to come home. Spences Bridge lives within you. It draws you back: the river, the bighorn, the people, the sunshine, the scrumptious fruit and veggies, and yes, the school grounds!

Yes, the charging station is critical to the traveling public who help keep our businesses open, but it takes a back seat to family, friends, and the place they call home: Spences Bridge.

I refer back to the statement of Trustee Figley: I didnt feel like turning it on. I have my own stuff to do. I look at Chair Mike Jefferson, who though he does not live in Spences Bridge, has been the trustee driving the move to get rid of our charging station.

They are elected and paid taxpayer dollars. They have a mandate to represent the wishes of the community, not their own personal agenda; especially an agenda that has a significant impact on our community. This is not about politics: this is about our town, our families, our history and, I would suggest, our future.

The AGM is coming up soon. I would ask the two trustees who voted to have BC Hydro yank our charging station, most likely forever, to do the right thing: step down and call an election.

The grass can still be green, we can replace the dead trees, we can have ball tournaments and put our beautiful school grounds on display to the Trans-Canada Highway audience once again.

Thank you for your service. Now let someone who lives in Spences Bridge and someone who is not too busy to water the lawn make it happen.

Citizens in concern,

Steve and Paulet Rice

Spences Bridge, B.C.

Dear Editor,

In May, Ashcroft Terminal created a working group to examine issues associated with gate installation and develop alternatives to riverfront access at the slough, located on the Inland Ports private property. To be accepted as part of the working group, one had to apply and meet eligibility criteria. Essentially, this meant that all working members were handpicked by Ashcroft Terminals management team.

The working group consisted of representatives from elected bodies, employees of the Terminal, and the community at large. Examining the selections carefully, one finds that all selected elected representatives (Bonaparte Indian Band, Village of Ashcroft, Village of Cache Creek) have direct associations with Ashcroft Terminal or Landucci investments as employees, former employees, or business partners.

Add another three employees of the Terminal and the mix is six to three. Not great odds for true community engagement.

Besides the obvious unbalanced weighting in the working group itself, Ashcroft Terminal also brought in a facilitator, an engineering consultant both paid by Ashcroft Terminal and representatives from CN and CP, for extra expertise or intimidation, depending on how you look at it. The working group was co-chaired by a member of Ashcroft Terminals management team and a former Ashcroft mayor who lobbied hard on Ashcroft Terminals behalf when he served as mayor, and worked for the company after retiring.

I would say that the deck was stacked against the community having meaningful consultation even before the process began. But maybe Im just biased.

Gloria Mertens

Ashcroft, B.C.

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