Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

by MORGAN CHESKY / KVUE News and photojournalist ROBERT MCMURREY

kvue.com

Posted on March 28, 2012 at 6:28 PM

Updated today at 6:41 PM

AUSTIN -- In downtown Austin, everyone's always heading somewhere. For Trisha Raglin, it was a show she was alreadyfive minutes late to.

"I like the parking meters now," smiled Raglin. "They're much easier to use." Not as easy is finding a place to park. The spot Raglin was lucky to find on Congress won't be around much longer. It's one of the two parking places in a pilot program with the City of Austin and Royal Blue Grocery.

"As the downtown area becomes more and more dense, parking is going to really dry up," said Royal Blue co-owner Craig Staley.The reality droveStaley to the City with a plan -- turn parking in front of the grocery into patio dining.

San Franciscois on the front edge ofthe idea. Decks and plants transform the space, making more room for patrons.

"We've got to find some other ways to get people in and out of the downtown area," explained Staley. "That's bikes, and it's walking, and it's mass transit, and all those other options." Advocates say by converting parking spots into patio space, it would bring much more foot traffic into downtown, but that's not the traffic local businesses are worried about.

"I just have to sit and watch them take my two parking places away," said Bill Koen.

See more here:
Controversy surrounds plan turning parking spots into patios

The Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Grill/Griddle features two reversible cooking plates with independent temperature controls.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner how you want it.

Appliances don't always cooperate with what's on the menu.

Kitchen countertops have become landscapes populated by quick and easy meal-makers that can provide an almost endless variety of food options. Still, despite the great abundance of options to choose from, that doesn't mean a particular appliance knows how to adjust to the situation. Unless, of course, it is adjustable.

The Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Grill/Griddle (model number 38546) eliminates either/or choices by being able to be configured into exactly what is required for the meal. Featuring two separately reversible plates, the countertop appliance is capable of being all grill, all griddle, or a little of both.

Each half of the appliance has its own temperature control. The 180 square inches of cooking area are delineated by a center channel that collects grease into a tray underneath. Suitable for breakfast, lunch, and dinner operation, the versatile cooker makes it easy to prepare all ingredients with a minimum of hassle, from pancakes in the morning to grilled burgers at night. When it's all said and done, the nonstick cooking grids pop out and can be cleaned in the dishwasher, making it easy to get the grill and griddle combo ready to do it all again the next day.

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Grill, griddle or both

DESTIN The two towers of the Emerald Grande have become a landmark, easily recognizable from as far away as Okaloosa Island and even Shalimar.

Destins skyline could be changing again as Legendary Inc., the developer of Emerald Grande, is working on plans for the next phase of HarborWalk Village.

Legendary CEO Peter Bos said the company is looking to build a new 100- to 150-room hotel and a second parking garage just east of the towers.

See a view of the Destin Harbor

Rumors have been swirling that new construction at HarborWalk Village was months or even weeks away from starting. While work on some smaller additions is under way now, Bos still is finalizing his timeline for the hotel and parking garage.

A lot of people just build single projects where they build a building and thats all they put on the land, and thats all there is, Bos said. For me, I spend a lot of time, and Ill spend an extra year just working on details of planning, trying to figure out where everything goes. When its all done, it all needs to fit together and not just look like a bunch of buildings jammed on one site.

We think the timing is about right, Bos said. The rumor is a little ahead of reality, but not much.

The primary construction at HarborWalk Village which includes the Emerald Grande, a parking garage, shops and restaurants began in February 2005 and continued through June 2007. The initial master plan included a second set of towers that were nearly identical to Emerald Grande.

While the proposed hotel will not be identical, Bos said it will be architecturally compatible. The next construction phase also will include several buildings, he said.

The hotel and other buildings will be constructed on what is now a parking lot and The Shed Barbeque and Blues Joint. Bos said The Shed likely will move closer to Destin Harbor.

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Major expansion eyed for HarborWalk Village (SLIDESHOW)

The architects of a disastrous foray into professional sports by the suburban city of Glendale, Ariz., will not be around to deal with the fallout.

Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs, 68, announced this week she will not seek a sixth term in office this summer. Earlier this year, Glendale city manager Ed Beasley, 53, said he planned to retire some time this year.

The politician and the bureaucrat are leaving behind a debt of almost $1-billion (all currency U.S.) for the city of 250,000, much of it created by the decisions to build an arena for the NHLs Phoenix Coyotes (and to spend more than $50-million propping up the team) and a spring-training complex for Major League Baseballs Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.

It was Beasley who handled the day-to-day operations of Scruggs master plan of building facilities to attract major-league teams. The only scheme that worked out was building a football stadium for the NFLs Arizona Cardinals. Glendale will play host to its second Super Bowl in 2015.

However, the fate of the Coyotes remains up in the air, as the NHL has been unable to find a buyer willing to keep the team in Glendale. Talks with former San Jose Sharks president Greg Jamison have yet to produce a deal and the likelihood of the Coyotes moving to Quebec City, Seattle or Kansas City is growing.

The Arizona Republic has the details of Scruggs decision and her legacy. The most interesting parts are the comments from Scruggss fellow politicians about her reign.

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Architects of Glendale pro sports disaster won't be around for fallout

The Florida Chapter of The American Institute of Architects is celebrating its centennial with its selection of 100 of the most noteworthy buildings in the state. The Florida Architecture: 100 Years, 100 Places online program recognizes buildings that represent the best in architectural achievement. Choices range from the Dal Museum in St. Petersburg to the Olympia Theatre at the Gusman Center in downtown Miami.

The significance is to expose the people of Florida, especially South Florida, to the wonderful history of projects we have here in our area and to get them to go on the website to become more aware about them, said Natividad Soto, AIA Florida vice president.

The recognition is long overdue, said local historian Arva Moore Parks, acting director of the Coral Gables Museum. Coral Gables is represented by its historic Biltmore Hotel, originally designed in 1926 by Shultze and Weaver. Were getting appreciation for our architecture that maybe was overlooked in the past, so Im pleased to see that many out of the 100 are from Miami, she said.

Indeed, Miami-Dade represents more than 20 percent of the picks, with 22 buildings cited. These include the new parking garage at 1111 Lincoln Road which was designed by Herzog & DeMeuron in 2009 and oldies like Vizcaya which was initiated by James Deering in 1916. Plymouth Congregational Church in Coconut Grove, designed by Clinton MacKenzie in 1916, the Gumenick Chapel at Temple Israel of Greater Miami by Kenneth Treister in 1967 and Morris Lapidus work at the Fontainebleau in 1953 also are among the selections.

We are fortunate to have our community graced with so many beautiful buildings designed by prestigious architects from all over the world, said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez in a statement last week.

Not surprised, added Bill Talbert, president of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. We have some of the most interesting architecture in the world, he said, citing the parking garage on Lincoln Road, one of the more unusual picks that not only made the architects list but found itself on the front page of the New York Times in January 2011. The garage, which offers expansive views of the mall and surrounding areas of South Beach has become a popular spot for weddings, parties and even yoga classes.

Who in their wildest dreams would think a parking garage at the end of Lincoln Road would become this famous, Talbert laughed. Its so Miami.

The public now has its turn to join their voices with the 3,200-member architects group and vote on the best of the best in the competition. Visit http://www.aiafltop100.org to select your favorite building via online voting through April 6.

So far more than 300,000 votes have been registered, with the landmark Fontainebleau in Miami Beach and Miamis Bank of America Tower as early leaders.

The initial idea of the contest, Soto said, was to use the buildings as a way to create a sense of community, especially in our area that has a lot of people that are not long-term residents and not familiar with the history of our community. Its a celebration of what weve accomplished in our short history. [E]ven though we havent been around as long as some other cities in the United States like Boston or Washington, we are starting to appreciate our history and this is a way of highlighting that, Soto said.

Read the original:
Architects create list of Florida’s best buildings

Oakley city officials have hired a contractor who will be building a restaurant in the downtown shopping center to oversee the entire revitalization of that site, but not without disagreeing over whether the decision is the best use of public funds.

The City Council agreed in a 4-1 vote Tuesday to pay the Sacramento company Ascent Builders Inc. up to $114,916 to coordinate the large-scale construction that's planned for the commercial center at Main Street and Vintage Parkway.

The topic appeared on the consent calendar, that part of a meeting's agenda where the council places routine items it plans to approve with a single vote unless a member wants to discuss one of them first.

The contractor previously had signed a deal with the owner of Carpaccio's Restaurant to build an eatery there, and City Manager Bryan Montgomery recommended enlisting it for this second job to ease the burden on a city staff that he said is already stretched thin.

Although various employees from the city's engineering, public works and finance departments among others will help coordinate the shopping center's overhaul, Montgomery reasoned in his staff report that Ascent Builders already would be on site and has someone with the experience to manage the multifaceted project.

The upgrade includes providing new quarters for La Costa, a Mexican restaurant on the site, as well as building a two-story structure on the westernmost corner of the shopping center

In addition, the city will create a public plaza, renovate Centro-Mart's facade, reconstruct the portion of Main Street adjoining the shopping center to make it more pedestrian-friendly, and create more space for parking.

But Councilman Jim Frazier objected to bringing the builder onboard without going through a competitive bid process, saying he would prefer the city first issue a request for a proposal to give local contractors a chance at the job.

"We owe them the opportunity to do a project in their own city," he said, adding that he at least wants to make the effort to protect taxpayers' interests. "We're being stewards of their money."

Because construction management is considered a "professional service," however, the city isn't legally bound to solicit estimates from multiple contenders or accept the lowest bid, city counsel Bill Galstan explained.

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Oakley hires contractor to oversee shopping center construction

Full exhibition experience includes kid-friendly features, lectures, dining packages, Paella Nights and a look back at the AGO's past

TORONTO, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - See the world through the eyes of a genius! Tickets go on sale this weekend for the Art Gallery of Ontario's highly anticipated Picasso: Masterpieces from the Muse National Picasso, Paris nearly 50 years after the AGO's last blockbuster presentation of Picasso's works.

"The Muse National Picasso, Paris, is a living legacy to one of the most influential and radical figures of modern art. Its collection is made up of the works the artist kept for himself and his family, making this exhibition of the collection's masterpieces a rare glimpse of 'Picasso's Picassos,'" says Matthew Teitelbaum, AGO director and CEO. The monumental exhibition makes the only Canadian stop on its world tour to bring 147 highlights from the Muse's collection to Toronto, from May 1 to Aug. 26, 2012.

"Pablo Picasso was a versatile and forward-thinking artist, and BMO Financial Group is proud to be the Lead Sponsor of this exhibition," says Gilles Ouellette, president and CEO, Private Client Group, BMO Financial Group. "As a corporate partner, we are pleased to join in the celebration of one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century."

Timed-entry tickets to this family-friendly exhibition go on sale on March 31. Regular-priced tickets range from $16.50 for youth and student visitors to $25 for adults. Admission is FREE for AGO Members and for children ages 5 and under. Tickets can be booked online by visiting ago.net/picasso.

Picasso: Masterpieces from the Muse National Picasso, Paris is curated by Anne Baldassari, chairman and chief curator of collections of the Muse National Picasso, Paris. Elizabeth Smith, the AGO's executive director of curatorial affairs, will oversee the exhibition's installation at the AGO. The exhibition is co-organized by the Muse National Picasso, Paris, and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

LEAD SPONSOR:BMO Financial Group

OFFICIAL AIRLINE: Air Canada

OFFICIAL HOTEL PARTNER: Starwood Hotels and Resorts

Supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Program / Avec l'appui du ministre du Patrimoine canadien par le biais du Programme d'Indemnisation pour les exposition itinrants au Canada.

Originally posted here:
Tickets for Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris go on sale March 31

Behind a crumbling brick facade and rusted security screens in the Shaw neighborhood of Northwest Washington, designer Darryl Carter is building his brand.

This fall, after a year-long renovation, a 19th-century commercial property will become a store and studio for Carter, one of the citys top-tier interior designers. The property includes a two-story building at 1320 Ninth St. NW, parts of which are pre-Civil War, and a carriage house in back facing cobblestone Naylor Court. The rebuilding is painstaking, using architectural remnants and salvaged timbers to restore the structures.

We are crafting something, not just building a drywall structure, says Carter, a native Washingtonian who grew up in Bethesda. Its far more expensive to preserve something than to knock it down.

Shaw is bubbling with clubs and artisanal sandwich shops. But the emerging neighborhood may still seem off-the-grid for a high-end design store.

Carter, 50, doesnt do things in a conventional way, however. A lawyer by training, he said renovating and decorating were always his passions. He opened his own design business in 1998. Hes a regular in shelter magazines, has created paint palettes for Benjamin Moore and has written a book. (His second book, The Collected Home, is slated to be published in October.)

Carter, who is equally comfortable with opera and hip-hop, plans a retail experience far different from either a chain store or an 18th-century furniture shop. He said he envisions a personal, European-style store where customers can buy a candle, organic blanket or a sofa, for example, and have a latte at the espresso bar hes installing in the shops core.

Antiques, curiosities and accessories will be sold there, as well as furniture he designed himself at what he calls accessible prices. The carriage house will serve as a studio staffed with designers who work for Carter, and they will advise clients on a single room or color selection, services Carter has never been able to offer. He plans to host art shows, too. I want it to be a neighborhood gathering place, he says. Carter says he will continue to work with private clients from his Embassy Row digs.

He is keen to be part of the renaissance of Shaw, one of the citys oldest commercial and cultural districts.

I have never been one to follow the leader, Carter says. His location is just north of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and within sight of City Market at O, a mixed-use redevelopment that includes the former Giant Food, which is being re-created in the spirit of a 19th-century marketplace.

The property had been in decay for years, with missing windows and no working plumbing. It has served as a thrift shop, hardware store and apartment building. Hes restoring it with a cache of salvaged materials, including granite blocks from Baltimores Druid Hill and arched glass doors from Georgetowns Dumbarton House. The flooring is being milled from reclaimed timbers from the former embassy of the Central African Republic. Ive been like a squirrel gathering all the parts of this building over the last four years, Carter says.

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Darryl Carter to open studio and store in Shaw

WASHINGTON -- Los Angeles County, Calif., leads the nation in total county remodeling expenditures per year at $8.4 billion, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Meanwhile, regarding remodeling dollars spent per household, Nantucket County, Mass., ranks highest with a yearly average of $8,520.

"Residential remodeling is one of the housing industry's bright spots, and in some parts of the country this is more true now than ever," said NAHB Remodelers Chairman George "Geep" Moore Jr., GMB, CAPS, GMR and owner/president of Moore-Built Construction & Restoration Inc. in Elm Grove, La. "The level of remodeling activity varies by region and town, but home owners throughout the country are increasingly choosing to renovate their homes or build additions to meet their changing lifestyles."

While the average value across all counties nationwide for total remodeling expenditures per year is $66 million, the following is a breakdown of top counties by region:

West: Los Angeles County, Calif., $8.4 billion Midwest: Cook County, Ill., $4 billion Northeast: Nassau County, N.Y., $1.9 billion South: Miami-Dade County, Fla., $1.7 billion

The average amount spent on remodeling projects per household nationwide is $1,907. The top counties by region for remodeling spending per home are as follows:

"Nationally, we're forecasting a continued increase in the demand for residential repairs and improvements," said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. "Based on our analysis of the remodeling spending numbers, we are able to identify areas of the country where our members can take advantage of this growing opportunity. The county estimates also include useful information on the local conditions that influence remodeling spending--particularly the number, age and value of owner-occupied homes."

The NAHB model uses data from the American Housing Survey--which is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau--to estimate local remodeling based on home and home owner characteristics. It is then applied to the information on every county's homes and home owners that the Census Bureau released late last year from its American Community Survey.

A list of the top five counties for remodeling spending and average remodeling spending per home in the Northeast, Midwest, South and West regions is available http://www.nahb.org/topremodelingcounties. To search all counties, visit http://www.nahb.org/countydata.

For more information about remodeling, visit nahb.org/remodel.

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NAHB Identifies Top Counties for Residential Remodeling

NEW ALBANY A man who had been a contract employee for the New Albany High School band has been arrested for child seduction, according to Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin.

Scottsburg resident Jacob M. Blanton, 25, has been arrested and charged with child seduction, a class D felony, which carries with it a potential sentence of six months to three years, according to a press release from Indiana State Police.

Goodin said Blanton had sexual relations with a female under the age of 18 in Floyd County. He couldnt state whether that person was a student; however, according to state code, to commit child seduction a person must be in a position of power or trust over the victim. Goodin said Blanton received that charge for having been a contract employee for the NAHS band at the time of the incident.

Blanton, who was also the former band director at Madison Consolidated High School, has previously been charged with child seduction. He is accused of having sexual relations with two girls, with one of them being a student at Madison Consolidated. According to the probable cause affidavit in that case, the sex acts with the student took place in the school. The other girl was a student at another high school where Blanton had formerly taught and also was involved in a regional band program headed by Blanton, the document said.

Blanton had been released from jail on $10,000 cash bail in November after entering a not-guilty plea in the Madison case. He was arrested again on the New Albany case Wednesday morning.

Goodin said ISP opened up the New Albany investigation in December. He said he was unsure when the alleged incident happened. The affidavit in the New Albany case was unavailable, due to the courthouse being closed for the evening.

According to court records online, a $10,000 court-cash bond has been posted in the New Albany case.

Multiple calls to various administration members at New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. were made, but only one person was able to be reached. Deputy Superintendent Brad Snyder returned the message, saying he was out of town and didnt know the facts on this case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Former band director again arrested for child seduction