Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

MONSON, Mass. The town's oldest church had lost its steeple twice before.

It happened first in a windstorm in the 1880s, then again in the hurricane of 1938.

So when a tornado tore off The First Church of Monson Congregational's steeple on June 1, 2011, the pastor knew rebuilding already was a tradition.

"We can look back and say, 'The church has been through a lot in its history and we're going to get through this,'" the Rev. Bob Marrone said Wednesday.

Across Massachusetts, three people died in the storm that also left $200 million in damage to insured property in its wake. In Monson, First Church became a disaster relief center in a town where 40 families lost their homes.

The kitchen of First Church, a member of the United Church of Christ, turned into a hub where volunteers served 30,000 meals to tornado victims in the weeks after the storm. Sunday school classrooms became space where people could donate or collect free clothing and household supplies.

Without electricity after the tornado, the church also became a place for residents to swap news. People shared tidbits about which house to head to for cold milk or where to go for showers that also were sometimes cold, church music director Michael-Thomas Gilman said recently.

"We went to bed at dark and got up at dawn. It really brought the town together. It really was a Norman Rockwell moment," he said.

A year later, First Church's steeple still is missing. The organ still needs a $30,000 cleaning to purge dust and plaster deposits.

But some physical damage to the structure already is fixed. And Marrone says the congregation of about 360 people also is rebounding when it comes to their spiritual side. Ranks of the faithful even grew by about 15 members after the tornado. This year, the congregation also will mark 250 years since the church's founding.

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Year after deadly tornado, Mass. church that offered relief is rebounding, replacing steeple

SWAINSBORO, GA (WTOC) -

Sunny skies mirrored the moods of Calvary Methodist Church members who awaited their congregation's groundbreaking for a new building. The oldest member, Sarah Johns, 99, is ready to see construction begin.

"I'm absolutely glad. I can't remember anything in my life that I'm more pleased with. Cause I have prayed when it was bad that it would somehow get fixed," said Johns, known to the congregation as Momma Sallie."

She and others watched in horrorthe morning of Sept. 29, the day after her birthday,as Calvary burned to the ground. Police later arrested two men, Steven Davis and Anthony Williams,for starting the fire as, investigators say, theystole copper and other metal from inside.

"All I could think to do was cry and that's what I did. I just asked the Lord to help us get what we had back," she recalled.

She saidprayer has helped her forgive them for what they did to her church. Members are excited for construction so they can see progress when they ride by every day.

"In the past, everything was behind the scenes, trying to get the plans ready, trying to get the contracts and that sort of stuff," explained member Randall Kersey.

"It is good to get the rubble out of the way. When the rubble was here, it looked like devastation, like trouble. Now, it looks like hope. It looks like something good can happen," added Pastor Nick Hazleton.

Insurance will pay for a large portion of the new sanctuary and classroom building. However, they have also seen donations filter in from across the community and beyond. The mailing address to make donations is:

Calvary United Methodist Church P.O. Box 683 Swainsboro, Ga. 30401

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Church begins construction after arson claims building

QUINCY -- Quincy Village plans to build a 36-unit apartment building for low income people age 55 years and older.

Construction on the apartment building is expected to begin this summer and be substantially complete in spring of 2013. All common areas will be handicap and mobility accessible. Some apartments will be designed for people with vision and hearing impairments.

"We are excited to be able to offer this new level of service to the residents of our area," stated Lou Varella, Executive Director of Quincy Village. "These well-designed, comfortable apartments will complement the continuum of care currently offered at Quincy Village and enable us to reach out to serve people with limited resources."

Presbyterian Senior Living of Dillsburg operates the 360-acre continuing care retirement community in Quincy Township near Waynesboro. Quincy Village provides skilled nursing and rehabilitation services, personal care, and independent living apartments and cottages. About half developed, the site has 173 cottages, 10 apartments, a 32-unit personal care center and 134-bed medical center.

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency recently awarded federal low-income housing tax credits to the project.The tax credit program previously allowed development of low-income housing developments elsewhere in the county, including Hamilton Park Apartments east of Chambersburg and Sunset Court north of Chambersburg.

Enterprise Community Investment Inc. of Columbia, Md., is the for-profit partner financing the project and using the tax credits. Presbyterian Senior Living has worked with Enterprise on eight other projects, according to Varella.

Founded 30 years ago, Enterprise has raised and invested more than $11 billion in financing more than 300,000 affordable homes in communities across the nation.

Quincy Village acquired township approvals before seeking the housing credits, according to Quincy Township Supervisor Kerry Bumbaugh.

"They are set to go," he said.

Presbyterian Senior Living, founded in 1927, provides healthcare, housing and other services to more than 5,400 older adults in the mid-Atlantic region of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and southeastern Ohio. Their website is at http://www.presbyterianseniorliving.org.

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Quincy Village to build apartments for low income seniors

Updated: Thu May. 31 2012 07:19:06

ctvwinnipeg.ca

A fire led to the evacuation of a downtown apartment building in Winnipeg on Wednesday.

About 60 people were forced out from the building at 52 Edmonton Street after a fire in the building's attic area on Wednesday afternoon.

No injuries were reported, said fire officials.

Tenant Michael Potts was feeding his six-month-old boy when they were forced to leave in a hurry.

"I heard a knock on the door and I opened up the door and a guy said the roof was on fire," he said.

Brittany Hoorne and her roommate live in the suite below where the fire was burning.

"I hope my stuff doesn't get burnt up," she said.

Officials said one apartment was damaged by fire while several others were affected by water and smoke. They said Wednesday most tenants will have to find somewhere else to stay overnight.

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Fire forces evacuation of downtown Winnipeg apartment building

Construction continues on the Savory House, a three-story apartment building on University Drive. The project is the latest from former Starkville mayor Dan Camp. Camp owns nearly all of the properties in the Cotton District, a 95 percent student-residential and commercial neighborhood near campus. Photo by: Micah Green/Dispatch Staff

Enrollment at Mississippi State University is set to increase for the eighth consecutive year and, with no signs to indicate a change in pattern, University and Starkville developers are making strides to accommodate the continued student influx.

Construction on two new residence halls at MSU is scheduled to finish this summer. Oak Hall and Magnolia Hall, temporary names given to the nearly completed buildings, each will house more than 350 students.

Director of Housing and Residence Life Dr. Ann Bailey said she expects the new dorms to be at capacity by the beginning of the fall semester and she stressed the importance of providing students, especially freshmen, with a comfortable living experience.

Bailey said a housing experience could determine whether a new student stays at MSU or transfers to another school.

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Student housing boom: Innovation key to new developments

I have this idyllic vision of al fresco dining during that brief interlude that passes as summertime in Maine:

Patios with soft lantern light and colorful dinnerware and a shiny gas grill; or a quilted blanket spread on the shore, a charcoal fire smoldering in the sand; or chairs-in-bags streamside with a cracking wood fire.

The sun is setting brilliantly or the stars are shining brightly. The smells of food cooking are stimulating stomachs hungry after a day of outdoor fun. A cooling breeze is blowing lightly.

Perfect.

And very rare.

As we seasoned Mainers know, storm clouds mysteriously blow in from nowhere just as soon as the last of the tablecloths and glassware and condiments are hauled out. Raindrops splash on fresh loaves of bread, the wind scatters the napkins around the yard, the temperatures drop.

Or, maybe the weather holds. But the bugs come out, dive-bombing the drinks, buzzing the sticky sweet ribs, gnawing on exposed skin. The smell of DEET replaces the sweet smell of roses.

You know it happens more often than not.

But do we give up? No.

Mainers are a hearty bunch. We will not be thwarted or stymied by random acts of nature. We WILL get out of our kitchens.

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Cooking 101

Quartz Surface Manufacturer Kicks Off National Countertop Makeover Contest

TORONTO, May 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Caesarstone, the original quartz surface manufacturer, officially announced their Countertop Makeover Contest, which kicks off nationally on Thursday, May 31st and will run for eight consecutive weeks.

Consumers are invited to enter the contest by submitting images of their damaged, boring or just plain bad countertops and simply tell them why they'd love a new one. The winner will be selected by a panel of interior designers and will receive a beautiful Caesarstone countertop makeover - a value of up to $10,000.

"If your kitchen needs a face lift, replacing your countertops is a great option", says Domenic Oppedisano, Chief Operations Officer of Caesarstone Canada". A new countertop can help revitalize an older kitchen, or give it a new look and feel - and Caesarstone quartz surfaces are one of the best choices for countertops", says Oppedisano. They are environmentally friendly, stain, scratch and heat resistant, strong and durable, and their minimal maintenance makes these surfaces ideal for kitchen countertops. They also offer a lifetime warranty, so homeowners can rest easy knowing that their investment is protected.

The contest is fresh on the heels of Monday night's episode of Top Chef Canada, where one of the competitors, Carl Heinrich, won his own custom Caesarstone countertop installation during the Quickfire Challenge. Caesarstone is a proud sponsor of the second season of the well-loved series which airs Monday nights at 10PM on Food Network Canada.

For contest details, please visit http://www.caesarstone.ca

About Caesarstone

Caesarstone, the original quartz surface, is a leading supplier of the finest quartz surfaces to the global marketplace. Caesarstone manufactures high-quality quartz slabs for a variety of uses and applications, such as kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, flooring, wall paneling and more. Their unique variety of colours, patterns and textures, coupled with the brand's incredibly resilient characteristics, is quickly driving the Canadian demand for quartz surfaces and making Caesarstone the preferred choice for kitchen and bathroom countertops.

Annie Zeni Marketing Manager Caesarstone Canada T: 416-479-8437 azeni@caesarstone.ca

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Caesarstone Canada Presents: The Counter Offer

UPDATED at 6:25 p.m.

ST. LOUIS An interior decorator admitted in federal court here Wednesday that she bilked wealthy clients including former St. Louis Cardinal Scott Rolen out of more than $1 million.

Officials said she also cheated the wife of ex-St. Louis Blues player Doug Weight, although she did not plead guilty of that count.

As part of her plea on three mail fraud charges, Kay T. Ottinger, 51, of St. Louis, acknowledged inflating invoices from real companies and creating fake invoices so she could pocket more money for her work.

Ottinger and clients of her company, Well Appointed Inc., had agreed that she would be paid a flat fee and between 15 and 30 percent of the cost of furniture and other items used in the decorating.

A federal search found invoices that had been inflated by tens of thousands of dollars, court documents show, and fake invoices that had been created to inflate and, at least once, to double a real bill.

One of the counts to which Ottinger pleaded guilty involved the creation of a fake invoice for Rolens Florida home from Old World Pavers for $88,970. That invoice was more than $66,000 higher than the $12,000 bill that Ottinger paid, court documents show.

In the indictment, Ottinger was accused of inflating an invoice for services and labor to Weights wife by $20,175.

The investigation began in 2010, when another Ottinger client and an employee approached federal prosecutors with their suspicions.

At sentencing August 27, Ottinger could face 15 to 21 months under federal sentencing guidelines and will be ordered to pay back the money.

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St. Louis interior decorator admits $1 million fraud

Bruce and Kay Chambers.

Kay Chambers always seems to get more than what she has bargained for.

Just looking for a dance partner at a nightclub in 1986, she ended up meeting Bruce McCann, her future husband.

Then in 1993, when she and Bruce as newlyweds bought a rundown Victorian home in Crescent Hill, she expected a few minor renovations. But she hadnt imagined the 17-year overhaul that would follow.

Kay presumed the house, which was originally a duplex, would remain that way. So when Bruce destroyed it to turn it into a single-family home, and Kay found it in shambles, she was shocked to say the least.

I grew up in old homes and wanted a project, said Bruce. I probably looked like a kid in a candy store with a sledgehammer.

The home was habitable after six months of intense renovation, a feat Bruce undertook himself with the help of contractor Andre Faget and Barry Hunt of Hunt Remodeling. But there was still much work to be done.

I was over here morning and night, said Bruce. Sometimes, Id be here 13 to 14 hours a day.

Kay gave Bruce full license to restore the home as he wished. So he demolished everything, apart from a few lighting and plumbing fixtures, the windows and main staircase.

He even stripped the walls of their Victorian-style, patterned wallpaper. But it wasnt until last year that Bruce and Kay had them painted. They were reluctant to do so because they felt the patchiness of the walls added a sort of whimsical charm to the home.

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The Museum of Bruce and Kay

Amy Suardi recently started growing some of her familys food. On many days, she can be found with her children in the front yard of her home in Tenleytown, tending their edible garden. Later, the family might make pizzas (using herbs theyve grown), tidy up the house (with cleaning supplies theyve made), watch a DVD (TV programs are not permitted) or play games the children invented.

While Suardi, 42, has fashioned a lifestyle for her family that is reminiscent of a slower, less stressful era, she is also decidedly 21st century: She blogs about her life, and gets paid for it.

(Katherine Frey/THE WASHINGTON POST) - Mark, left, and Luke help their mother tend the edible garden in the front yard, which grows tomatoes, kale, basil, blueberries and arugula.

(Katherine Frey/THE WASHINGTON POST) - Luke, left, and Mark play in the sunroom as their sister Sofia does her homework at the dining room table.

I dont make a lot of money, but the trade-off is that I can be home with the kids, she says. I can also make dinner every night and take care of the house.

For Suardi, thrifty living is at the heart of the life she craves. On her blog, Frugal Mama, she shares her experiences, offering insight on creating a high-quality life on a small budget.

Her expertise, she says, is based on learning to live on a shoestring since college, first as a single young woman in New York, then as the wife of a doctor in training.

My philosophy, she says, is about finding the fun in saving and keeping life simple so we have time for whats important.

With her husband, Enrico, now working full time after recently completing his medical training, and with Suardi earning money by writing, the couple has more income than ever before. However, they are also both in their mid-40s, have four children (ages 10, 8, 4 and 1), almost no money in retirement and a 100-year-old house that needs work.

For Suardi to remain an at-home working mother while they bulk up their retirement savings, the family cuts corners wherever possible: The children attend public schools and co-ops and wear secondhand clothing. The adults drive used cars and use pay-as-you-go cellphones. They clean their own home, shop at thrift stores, dont have cable, walk instead of drive when they can and eat most of their meals at home.

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Frugal Mama Amy Suardi discusses her budget- and splurge-friendly lifestyle