Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Nearly three weeks ago, the Tiverton Town Council approved a $58,500 contract with environmental firm AECOM to study the effects of failing septic systems and assess the feasibility of installing sewer systems in northern parts of the town near the state line.

Members of the council and the towns Wastewater Management Commission agreed the study is one step toward complying with Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management regulations and satisfying the requirements of the states Cesspool Act of 2007.

The act required that homeowners and business owners replace failed septic systems with newer septic systems or tie into a sewer system. The act also states that septic systems cant be closer than 200 feet from the shore or other bodies of water used for drinking water or recreation.

At the councils Sept. 10 meeting, Wastewater Management Commission Chairman Leroy Kendricks presented a map of the town highlighting the areas near the state line where septic systems are failing and where hazardous soil had been found, according to a DEM inspection program. They include properties on Bay Street, Cooper Street and Judson Street, as well as Old Colony Terrace.

Kendricks said the program revealed quite a few failures in those areas, calling it a serious problem. The DEM has put the town on notice regarding these systems.

He cited the closure of Fogland Beach early last summer as another reason Tiverton needs to study its wastewater management.

When the beach is closed down because of bacteria counts, its on the entire town, Kendricks said. Is it runoff, is it from septic system?

We know for a fact that the septic system problem may not be the entire problem, but it is certainly a significant contributor to the problem, Kendricks said, adding that stormwater drainage may also need to be looked at. I think the responsible thing to do is to take this thing seriously and get ahead of it.

Its also in the interest of the town to come up with a comprehensive solution, Kendricks added.

In an interview with The Herald News, Kendricks said the study would look at where to recommend sewer installation. The facilities plan would also assess how to finance the system determining betterment fees for residents and businesses, and looking for loans and grants to cover installation costs.

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Tiverton contracts firm to study effects of failing septic systems

GLENROCK At the very end of the service, in the little log church filled to overflowing, Deacon Leigh Earle held the microphone.

And in a strong, clear voice, Annie Danaher shared the Closing Reading, from Hebrews 12:1-3, advising to look to Jesus the pioneer.

It was fitting that Danaher, a Glenrock pioneer herself, should close the service celebrating the 125th anniversary of the establishment of Christ Episcopal Church in Glenrock, Sept. 23.

She and her husband, Dan Danaher, were the first couple married in the same log church in November 1939. On Sunday, four generations of her family attended the anniversary celebration.

The original church was built about 1887 and was the only church building in town until the Baptist and Catholic churches were built in the early 1900s. The original church burned in 1925 and construction on the new log church began in August 1937.

According to church records, logs were cut and brought down from the mountain and the building was erected by the late Doc Robbins and Billy Kimball. The ladies of the church washed and oiled the logs.

The first service held in the new log church was on Feb. 13, 1938. Several expansions and additions have taken place since then, but the original log church remains the cornerstone.

The Rt. Rev. John Smylie, bishop of Wyoming, was the celebrant at the service, assisted by numerous other participants. Marty Strand was the event committee chairman.

In his sermon, Smylie noted things other than the church that were 125 years old, including the telescope, the contact lens and Notre Dame football.

Today we celebrate the stories of the lives that have been changed, that would have been different had not Christ been born into this place in Glenrock, he said. The Lord has given this community a dream that will last into future generations. Today, we gather and celebrate the dream of God for this place.

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Glenrock church celebrates 125th anniversary

When Prestonwood Baptist Church opened its first satellite campus six years ago, it was little more than a group of people meeting weekly at Prosper High School.

The "sanctuary" was put up and taken down each week, a process that could last several hours. After two years, a permanent facility was built in southern Prosper, giving the North Campus congregation a place to call their own. Now, after four years, that home is getting much larger.

Sunday morning the congregation will dedicate a new 75,000-square-foot expansion, doubling the church's size and adding 30 classrooms, 21 offices, a new gym and preschool worship area. The yearlong construction project should allow for a better worship experience, said campus pastor Marc Rylander.

The addition will also allow the church to rid itself of the temporary buildings that have been used to house adult Sunday school classes since the 2,000-member congregation outgrew the original building in 2010.

With a total membership of more than 33,000, a large number of members live along the State Highway 380 corridor. As a result, opening a satellite campus closer to these members made sense, Rylander said.

"It has become more and more evident that this campus is already fulfilling the purpose that we set out," Rylander said. "We are seeing high percentages of people that attend our services that live in this 380 corridor of northern McKinney, northern Frisco, Prosper and Little Elm. ... We wanted to build a place that would reach people who would not otherwise be able to come and experience our church, and that has been accomplished."

One of the campus' original attendees was Ben Hangartner, a Celina resident who originally attended services at the main Plano campus after joining the church in 2006. Much of the growth Prestonwood has experienced in the past six years can be attributed to efforts to reach out into outlying communities through the North Campus, Hangartner said.

"It was huge for everyone in the church, but it was biggest for those who hadn't come to our church yet," he said. "A lot of people didn't want to attend a church in a high school, for whatever reason. ... When we finished at the high school we were averaging about 500 adults per Sunday. When we opened our own building we doubled in size overnight."

Sunday services at the North Campus feature everything you would expect at a Baptist church: a choir, scripture readings and a sermon. The only difference is that about 70 percent of the time the sermon is delivered by Pastor Jack Graham at the Plano campus, which is then simulcast to the Dallas and Prosper campuses.

While a church as large as Prestonwood may seem daunting to some people, Frisco resident Sonnya Airhart said there is still a sense of community among the members.

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Plano church expands satellite campus

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of stories exploring how a wave of luxury housing is affecting the community.

In the winter of 2003, Amy Perez Ortiz brought her daughter to the Andrew Riverside Presbyterian Church. She had to bundle her 1-year-old daughter in a snowsuit because the sanctuary was freezing since the northern wall had collapsed.

We had to say goodbye to the building, she said. We sat and looked at the stained glass windows for a long time.

By Christmas, the church was demolished, and Perez Ortizs daughter had to be baptized at the University Avenue YMCA where the congregation has been holding its services ever since.

Almost nine years later, Andrew Riverside is getting a new home at its old address, on the ground floor of a student housing complex coming to the corner of Fourth Street Southeast and Eighth Avenue Southeast in Marcy-Holmes.

College Property Management broke ground on the Elysian on Saturday. Construction starts Tuesday, and the complex is set to open next fall, according to CPM.

The five-story, 56-unit building will house 147 bedrooms, according to city documents.

The church has owned the vacant lot since the original building was razed in 2003.

Henri Mitambo joined the church as a University of Minnesota student just before the building was demolished. Without a permanent home, about a quarter of the congregation left Andrew Riverside, but Mitambo stayed and now serves as chair of the churchs worship committee.

It was difficult, he said. But we realized that the church is about the people.

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Church makes a comeback in new apartment complex

MONROE, Ohio - The last Sunday in September was a special day at the Solid Rock Church in Monroe as it dedicated its new Jesus statue that faces Interstate 75.

The original "King of Kings" 62-foot sculpture burned down in June of 2010, after it was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm. It was made of foam and fiberglass, which church officials admit contributed to the fire.

The 1600 member church held a special dedication service for 7:00 p.m. Sunday to celebrate the construction of the new "Lux Mundi" statue, which is named for "The Light of the World". The service is also honoring Pastor Lawrence Bishop who died last year after spearheading construction of the original Jesus statue for the church.

Solid Rock church is planning to hold a fireworks display following the dedication service.

Church leaders are relieved the new statue is finished and ready for its dedication.

"It's a big, big event for us. As you said, it's been over 2 years, it's been a long process. But, we're very pleased with the final product. Peoples' reaction has been very positive for us. So it's a great day," said church administrator Ron Carter.

Some church members remember the statue fire brought their congregation publicity that was both good and bad.

"When it got burnt down, people looked at it in different ways. Some people left the church, they thought it was a bad sign. That this was a bad place to be. Other people saw it as a good sign. It's the most that Jesus has been in the news for a while, so. It being rebuilt just puts it on people's minds and in people's hearts," said Nick Isbel.

The new Jesus statue is designed by Japanese American sculptor Tom Tsuchiya. It has its arms reaching forward rather than up to the sky, in a design some referred to as "Touchdown Jesus".

"Ultimately, I hope Lux Mundi will be a constant reminder for all of us to get along with each other," Tsuchiya said.

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New 'Jesus' dedicated by church

FAIRFIELD -- Black Rock Congregational Church is getting ready to move from its sanctuary into temporary quarters to make way for its new home.

A groundbreaking ceremony -- the culmination of several revised plans over the years, which initially sparked fierce neighborhood opposition -- will take place Oct. 8 at the church. The final services in the old house of worship at 3685 Black Rock Turnpike will be on Oct. 14.

While construction on the new sanctuary takes place -- a project expected to take 15 months -- Sunday services will be held at Notre Dame High School on Jefferson Street, while weekday activities will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, 2475 Easton Turnpike. Church offices will move to 626 Surf Ave. in Stratford.

"Everyone here is very excited, as evidenced by an overwhelming number of volunteers -- 450 to help us set up/tear down at Notre Dame High School every Sunday," said Ken Brix, executive director. They needed only 160 volunteers.

The new church will feature a larger worship center, a dedicated wing for children's education, an expanded welcome center, two rooms dedicated for junior high and high school students, a cafe, a larger kitchen and a dedicated prayer room.

Brix said the new complex will allow the church's pastors and staff to serve more people. "We see it as our mission to reach as many people as we possibly can for Christ, so the primary motivation is to have more space for more people to hear the gospel," he said.

The congregation membership totals about 2,000 people, and the existing sanctuary seats 500. The new worship center will seat 950.

The new building will be built in two phases. The first involves construction of a 53,000-square-foot first floor, while the second phase will be construction of a 17,000-square-foot second floor. The existing building is a one-story, 33,000-square-foot structure.

Northbound and southbound turning lanes will be added to Black Rock Turnpike as part of the project in order to improve traffic flow, and the church's two driveways will be combined into one.

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Church prepares for new home

Company is only online appliance parts retailer to win prestigious award 6 years in a row

Encino, CA (PRWEB) September 28, 2012

Since 2000, Bizrate Insights has awarded the Bizrate Circle of Excellence Award to those retailers who consistently gather customer feedback and earn ratings from their customers that are statistically significantly above the Bizrate Insights North American Retail Network averages for the award period. Bizrate Circle of Excellence Platinum winners represent the top 0.7% in customer satisfaction and also received scores of 9.0 and above across seven key satisfaction indicators which include On-Time Delivery, Likelihood to Buy Again, and Overall Satisfaction. APPs score achieved during the 2012 award period is 9.5.

We are excited and honored to receive the Bizrate Circle of Excellence Platinum Award again this year, and to be recognized by Bizrate for six years in a row, says Roman Kagan, CEO of AppliancePartsPros.com. This award carries great meaning for us, since everything we do, from employee recruiting and training to providing fast shipping and 24/7 customer service, is grounded in our philosophy of helping our customers to resolve their appliance repair issues quickly and easily.

APPs goal of empowering its customers by providing them with the part that will fix their broken appliance and equipping them with the knowledge to do the repair themselves saving them money on costly service calls starts with empowering and equipping its employees. The company created Pros University, a state-of-the-art facility that ensures employees are not only initially trained, but also receive ongoing technical training with hands-on experience to better serve customers. It also regularly seeks employees input on making the company better and promotes peer recognition for going above and beyond expectations.

In addition, APP acknowledges its motivated and dedicated customer service professionals for high scores achieved during their technical appliance training and year-to-date quality of service ratings as part of Customer Service Week. The company has taken pride in celebrating this congressionally and internationally recognized event every year. This year, starting next week on October 1, APP will celebrate its people with games complete with prizes in the style of 1970s and 1980s TV game shows as well as gifts. On Wednesday, October 3, an awards presentation and ceremony will be held during a catered lunch.

About the Bizrate Circle of Excellence

The Bizrate Circle of Excellence recognizes those online retailers within the Bizrate Insights Network who have demonstrated outstanding performance, as rated by their customers, throughout a one year period. In 2012, over 5,200 online retailers in North America were considered for the award. Winners consistently obtained feedback from their customers throughout the award year and received the highest ratings. Platinum winners received a rating of 9.0 or above in all seven key satisfaction indicators. The ratings are from direct feedback, collected at the point-of-sale and after the delivery of goods, from customers concerning seven key satisfaction indicators.

About AppliancePartsPros.com

AppliancePartsPros.com has helped millions of people fix their appliances since it was founded in 1999. With over 1.9 million parts in stock, award winning customer service open 24/7, and fast parts delivery (less than 2 days on average), the company makes it easy to find the right replacement part for broken appliances. AppliancePartsPros.com also provides "Ask a Pro" free tech support and how-to videos. Additionally, customers benefit from a 365 day no-hassle return policy.

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AppliancePartsPros.com Wins Bizrate Circle of Excellence Platinum Award for Sixth Year Running

COLUMBUS Jane Evans Novicki remembers visiting her grandmother at the L-shaped apartment building that stood at the corner of 14th Street and 28th Avenue.

Rose North Evans lived in the two-story brick structure for less than a decade after moving there around 1947 and Novicki was just a child at the time but the building had a character to it that was hard to forget.

The biggest thing that everybody remembers about those places is that they had those Murphy beds, Novicki said, recalling nights spent on the bed that tucked inside the wall.

There were also card games, and many of them.

There was a bridge game going at all times in those apartments, Novicki recalled. They played lots and lots of cards.

Novicki guesses there was a card table in each of the 12 apartments during her grandmothers time there. The games would bring together the buildings tenants, including Edgar Howard, a former U.S. congressman, lieutenant governor, judge, attorney and long-time editor and publisher of The Telegram who lived around the corner from Evans in apartment 10.

Novicki remembers Howard as the man who smoked up a storm while living there with his daughter Mary.

The building, named the Whitmoyer Apartments at the time, was known for its prestige, which attracted some of the citys most prominent residents after its construction in the 1930s.

Evans was the daughter of James North, whose brothers Luther and Frank were the famed Indian scouts.

In its day, that was the place in town if people lived in an apartment, said Bud Fleischer, whose aunt Grace Schmid owned the property for 41 years. It was the elite.

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Historic apartment building becomes vacant lot

By Alan Thomas athomas@mainlinemedianews.com

The Zoning Hearing Board of Tredyffrin Township heard an appeal from Strafford Station Apartments LLC regarding a proposed 10-unit apartment building and also from three residents seeking relief relevant to impervious coverage and setback restrictions Thursday night.

The board sitting for the appeals consisted of chair Nicholas Deenis, also Arnold Borish, Tara LaFiura and board solicitor Stacey Fuller. Decisions on the apartment plan and on a Yellow Springs Road project will be rendered at next months meeting, according to Deenis.

The application of Strafford Station Apartments, LLC was explained as a new, 10-unit building on the Strafford Station campus that will include community and fitness rooms and be restricted to residents who are age 55 and over.

The relief being asked for includes a variance from the maximum height requirement in order to construct the building with a roof peak 43 feet above ground level, a variance from a limit of six dwelling units, and a variance from the parking requirement of two-and-one-half parking spaces per dwelling unit. The developer and owner of the Strafford Station Apartments, Francis Iacobucci of Havertown, wants to provide 1.5 parking spaces adjacent to the building with additional spaces close by.

Iocobucci said that he could not find any 55-plus apartments in the area. A traffic study saw no significant traffic increases caused by the retirement-targeted project.

The application of Philip and Kamila Jodzio of Yellow Springs Rd, Malvern, was also continued until next month.

The Jodzios want to keep an existing carriage-house on the property for use as a non-commercial guest house while building a new house with a pool. The property and the requested relief from impervious limits are a problem because of steep slopes. Two neighbors had questions about storm water runoff and wanted more time to study the plan, although storm-water mangement measures are included in it.

The impervious coverage created by construction of the home and pool while considering the slopes would total 22.7 percent where the maximum impervious coverage permitted is 15 percent.

Applications of Joe and Roseann Murray of Friendship Rd, Paoli for 30 inches of relief to allow for the construction of a front-yard addition and an application of Ann and James Harris, of Mt. Pleasant Ave, Wayne, to allow for the construction of a garage that will encroach into a side-yard setback by seven-and-a-half feet, were both approved by the board.

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Tredyffrin zoning board hears Strafford Station Apartments appeal

NORMAL Work on an apartment building that will attach to the south side of the College Avenue parking deck could begin by mid-October.

To meet that timeline, developers Illinois Construction is asking the Normal City Council to formally close on the property before the plan has received approval from the Uptown Design Review Committee. That meeting will take place Oct. 8.

The town owns the property and plans to sell it to the developers for $57,000. City Manager Mark Peterson said the proposal to be considered by the council includes a clause that returns the property to the town if the project does not move forward.

Jeff Tinervin, one of Illinois Constructions owners, said the complex, called Uptown North, would be open for move-in in August. Rents would range from about $850 to $1,850 a month.

Planned are four styles of apartments in a six-story building: a studio; a two-bedroom, two-bath townhome; a two-bedroom, 2-bathroom; and a three-bedroom, 3-bathroom.

A previous agreement with the town allows tenants to lease parking spaces at the College Avenue parking deck.

The idea of the apartment complex known as liner housing was first supported by the council in 2004 when it approved a redevelopment pact with Brady Construction and Development. The project never got off the ground after the recession hit the area.

A year ago, Rodney Poole and Associates of Champaign proposed the most recent liner housing project. Illinois Construction has since become the principal developer for the project. The developer has not asked for any public financial assistance for the project. In other matters, the council will consider a four-year contract with its firefighters and expand the enterprise zone to include downtown Bloomington. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at Uptown Station.

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Uptown apartment work could begin soon