Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. A former New Washington High School student was killed early today in an accident in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Jillian Rose Charlet, 22, of Winston-Salem, died at the scene when Vince Sherman Williams Jr., 27, lost control of the car he was driving, a 2005 Honda Civic, police told the Winston-Salem Journal. The car then struck a utility pole.

Williams and Charlets roommate, Choloe Claudette Mores, 21, were taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Speed and alcohol are considered to be factors in the crash, police said. No charges have been filed and the investigation is continuing, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.

Charlet and Morse were seniors at Winston-Salem State University and were scheduled to graduate in May. Charlet was an accounting major and played on the basketball team for three years.

Morse is from Sumerduck, Va., and was majoring in management information systems. Williams was not a student at WSSU, according to the Journal.

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Former New Wash student killed in N.C. auto wreck

WALLINGFORD A South Windsor roofing supplier has moved its operation into the former home of Kamco Supply Corp. at 780 N. Colony Road.

Allied Building Products Corp. recently leased 86,036 square feet from Slomkowski Family Realty LLC.

Allied, a roofing and sheet metal fabrication business founded in Jersey City, N.J., in 1950, moved into the former Kamco space last week.

Kamco merged its warehouse and milling operation out of Wallingford into its East Hartford and Orange plants when the residential and commercial building industry tanked in 2009. It kept about 10,000 square feet of office and administrative space on Route 5.

But the vacant, 125,000-square-foot industrial building served as a bleak reminder of the flailing construction industry until Allied moved in about a week ago.

Thats a substantial amount of square footage, said Doreen DeSarro, business recruiter for the town of Wallingford. Were glad theyre here.

Kamco moved its executive offices in January into a new corporate headquarters at 2 Barnes Industrial Road South in January.

Im pleased they are keeping their corporate offices here, DeSarro said.

Jay Sheehy, president of Kamco and Slomkowskis partner, said Kamco wanted to stay in town and Allied was relocating its South Windsor operation.

Wallingford is a wonderful place to do business, Sheehy said.

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Roofing supplier occupies vacant industrial space in Wallingford

High-end appliance manufacturer Jenn-Air lets consumers digitally swap out kitchen appliances with a mobile app created by Digitas. The free DesignVision iPhone application echoes a print campaign.

With DesignVision, announced last week at a New York design show, consumers can select a Jenn-Air appliance, position it over the current appliance in the kitchen and snap a photo. The finished image shows the selected appliance in place of the existing one. Users can try out different finishes, share the photos, get product specifications and find showrooms from within the mobile app.

Jenn-Air's consumer research showed that its target market would have the technology available and be comfortable with it. "They are very interested in what their kitchen and whole home looks like. They are very visual and enjoy the process of decorating and remodeling," says Brian Maynard, vice president of marketing for Jenn-Air.

According to Chia Chen, SVP of Digitas' North American mobile practice, the agency likes to approach mobile as a way to insert a brand into the moment in consumers' lives where the brand can have impact and deliver value. His team worked with the client to understand the decision process for purchasing luxury appliances. "All of them had a moment of trying to visualize how an appliance would look in their kitchen," Chen says.

DesignVision ties into a four-page, print insert ad running primarily in Architectural Digest. The front page shows a silhouette of a range. Inside, a photo spread highlights a Jenn-Air range and includes a three-dimensional, die-cut piece. Readers are instructed to remove it, stand five feet back from the range in the kitchen, and then hold it at arm's length to "eclipse the competition."

Digitas, Jenn-Air's agency of record, handles digital, traditional and media for the appliance manufacturer.

Chen did not yet have any metrics relating to the number of downloads for DesignVision, but he pointed out that, unlike many apps, consumers might use it only once or twice, and yet that use could translate into thousands of dollars in sales.

The back of the die-cut includes a QR code leading to videos explaining the key benefits of the product and an invitation to visit the company website to learn more. Maynard said Architectural Digest reported four to five times more interaction with the print ad than any others running in the book - based on a reader survey, not on QR code interaction.

"QR codes are interesting but still haven't, in most cases, been utilized in overwhelming numbers. We were happy with the results, not ecstatic. But we do know that consumers are taking this die cut into the retailer and saying, 'This is what I want,'" he says.

Maynard disputes the idea that magazines are no longer important to advertisers. Some magazines went away, but those that remain are still an integral part of our brand online," he said. Consumer research has shown the brand lift among consumers who have been exposed to both digital and traditional messaging from Jenn-Air is more than the sum of the two individual channels.

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Jenn-Air Kitchen App Ties Print to Mobile

In just a few days, the town expects to open bids for the reconstruction of the retaining wall in front of the Surf Club. A portion of the wall was destroyed when Tropical Storm Irene roared through town in late August. The town had expected the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reimburse 75 percent of the estimated $250,000 replacement costs, but learned recently that will not be the case.

First Selectman Fillmore McPherson told the Board of Selectmen Monday that FEMA will reimburse the costs for replacement of only the damaged section of the retaining wall-about 130 feet of the total 260-foot replacement the town has planned.

"Since that entire section of the retaining wall protects the Surf Club building, Town Engineer Mike Ott and I agree that the town would be well served to replace the whole piece," McPherson said.

Ott explained that the present seawall is approximately 600 feet in total and that the town was interested in replacing only 260 feet. Of the 260 feet, only about half was destroyed by Irene. Under FEMA regulations, the town will be reimbursed for 75 percent of the replacement cost for only the damaged section, not the full 260 feet, as the town once assumed.

The new section of seawall will be designed "very differently" from the one it will replace, Ott said. The new 260-foot replacement will be "thicker, deeper, well reinforced," and with more stable footings.

"The present wall has footings that are too shallow and the construction is not the type that is proper." To provide adequate flood protection for the building, the new retaining wall should include the full 260 feet, he said.

"It only makes sense to do the complete job while we have a construction crew on site replacing the damaged section of the wall," McPherson said, although the costs may be more than originally anticipated.

Both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance have approved a request for a special appropriation to cover the costs of the reconstruction. That figure may change now, McPherson said. The town will wait to see what the construction bids reveal.

"Because both boards approved the earlier request, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss this change," McPherson said. The two boards have agreed that replacement of the full 260-foot section of retaining wall "makes sense," even with the new ruling from FEMA.

A special town meeting has been set for Monday, April 2 at 7 p.m. at the Town Campus for residents to vote on this special appropriation and a second, which is a request for $450,000 for reconstruction of a damaged section of Middle Beach Road, another victim of Irene.

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Costs May Increase to Replace Surf Club Wall

Miguel Caperon, with Mr. Fix It, takes a computer desk apart at a mold infested local residence on Monday morning. (Photo by Beatrice Richardson)

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Led by a local remodeling company, a number of individuals, businesses and community service organizations are coming together to help repair a local home ravaged bymold.

The call for action was raised by Billy Goethe last week after he visited the home of a family of three on Sheila Lane. Goethe, the owner of residential repair and restoration company Mr. Fix It, said he had been called out by the family to give an estimate for repairs to theroof.

Goethe described the condition of the roof as really bad, and found the interior of the house was in a similarstate.

Thats the first thing I saw. Thats all mold, he said early Monday morning, pointing up at the ceiling near where the cooling unit was originally placed. The mold, appearing as a bluish-grey stain, was visible throughout theceiling.

It goes all the way through the house, he said. For comparison, he said a typical mold removal job consists of one room within a home, usually confined to a kitchen orbathroom.

Once Goethe learned of the scale of the problem and the familys inability to pay for what he considered crucial remodeling work, he said he went back to his office and ruminated on hisoptions.

I didnt commit to anything at first, hesaid.

After sleeping on it, Goethe said the thought of the familys youngest member living in such conditions drove him to the decision to do all that he could to help thefamily.

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Group rallies to fix moldy home

The weather is not the only thing that shocked Burlington neighborhoods last week. Saturday, in particular, was full of summer excitement as students came out to backyards, porches and even the streets in celebration of Saint Patricks Day.

Temperatures reached in the 80s in the past week. For some students, spring can be one of the best times of the year. For Burlington residents, however, it can be one of the worst, according to police records, which show increased noise violations and drinking tickets during these months.

Hundreds of students gathered in backyards, on porches, and even some in the streets to celebrate the Irish holiday, which Burlington residents have deemed one of the worst Saint Patricks Days in recent years, according to multiple Front Porch Forum posts. Front Porch Forum is a free online service whose mission is to help communities become better connected through posts that recognize community issues or just want to spread word about upcoming events. Besides talk of how rowdy students got on Saturday, members of the website use it to create awareness about other issues and even propose solutions.

Community meetings are held in multiple wards to address the on-going conflict between students and neighbors regarding noise and general neighborly responsibilities. Of course, for many students who celebrated the holiday on Saturday neighborly respect and responsibility was non apparent.

The Burlington community has always had to deal with certain holidays where students tend to get a little out of control, Saint Patricks Day being one of the worst. The warm weather and the fact that the holiday was over the weekend this year only contributed to the debauchery that took place, said Julian Golfarini, SGA President.

Debauchery downtown, you can change that culture a little bit, but trying to stop people from drinking on Saint Patricks Day, in my opinion, is a cultural thing, if you go to any college campus in America you will find people drinking on Saint Patricks Day, said Golfarini.

Drinking holidays however do not spark the concerns that many Burlington residents have regarding young people, but the ever-continuing cycle of new students moving downtown and the ways in which these new students contribute to the community. Once people start drinking; things can get out of hand quickly and there is a liability both to the leaseholds and the landlords. Overall, I think respect is key...respect your privilege to live off campus, respect the laws re: noise and fireworks, respect your neighbors, respect your home, respect yourself not to get wasted and put yourself at risk said Ann Lang, a Burlington resident.

Gail Shampnois, a member of the Department of Student and Community Relations and leader of the Community Coalition, believes that students have the power to get involved and better their communities. Shampnois, along with the SGA, set up a cleaning crew of students that went out on Sunday following Saint Patricks Day, to help clean up some of the destruction. Broken glass from car windows and beer bottles covered streets and sidewalks. Beer cans and other trash was spewed around town. The group of students that helped out was about 30-40, said Golfarini.

What Shampnois and Golfarini agree on is that students need to play a more responsible role in their communities. Its getting all the partners to the table to create social capital said Shampnois, students, residents, landlords, and the police department, all need to come together in order to make a difference.

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Burlington recovers from Saint Patricks Day

St. Andrew Catholic Church Crosswalk The St. Andrew Guadalupanas Society of Pleasanton will hold their annual Crosswalk on Good Friday, April 6. The Stations of the Cross will start at 11 a.m. at the church grounds, due to the construction at the Atascosa River Park. The covered dish luncheon will be afterward in the stage part of the church hall. Everyone is welcome.

All Saints Episcopal Church Here is the schedule at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pleasanton: April 1 - Palm Sunday: 10:30 am. Procession of the Palms; Reading of the Passion Story in parts by the congregation; service of Holy Eucharist. April 3 - Tuesday: Seder Meal, Long Hall, 6:30 p.m. Come, bring a friend. April 5 - Maunday Thursday Service of Holy Eucharist, 1:00 p.m. with the Rev. Craig Pooser. April 8 - Easter Sunday - 10 a.m. Coffee Social, favors for the children. 10:30 a.m. Flowering of the Cross with wildflowers followed by service of Festive Holy Eucharist, with the Rev. Craig Pooser. The Episcopal Church welcomes everyone. Casual attire is fine. The church is located on Hwy. 97W in Pleasanton across from Virginia Twins Garden Market.

For more information please call Pastor Joe Berkley, Poteet UMC, 210-833-0192. First Baptist Church of Pleasanton Sunday morning, April 1 at 10:50 a.m., First Baptist Church, Pleasanton, cordially invites the community to celebrate the Easter season by joining us for the musical O What a Savior presented by the Adult Choir followed by the observance of the Lords Supper. Thursday-Saturday, April 5-7, is Pre-Easter Youth Retreat at Alto Frio Camp. There will be a ropes course and climbing wall, basketball, volleyball, dodge ball, and softball. Registration deadline is Sunday, April 1. Youth must submit a medical release form at the church office or website at http://www.fbcpleasanton.org. Click on Solid Rock Youth tab. Cost is $60 per person, it includes dorm housing, meals, and a t-shirt. On Resurrection Sunday, April 8, there will be two worship services, one at 8 a.m. and the second at 10:50 a.m. Coffee and doughnuts will be served at 9:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall with Sunday School for all ages at 9:30 a.m. We pray you have a blessed Easter and share the good news of Jesus Christ with your loved ones. Tuesdays and Thursdays is Zumba Fitness Ministry led by Cheryl Price-at 5:45 p.m. The cost is $2 per session. On Wednesdays, Family Night meals begin at 5:15 p.m., AWANA Clubs from 6:00-7:30 p.m., and Youth Solid Rock at 6:30-8:00 p.m. AWANA clubs are for children first through sixth grade. First Baptist Church is located at 400 N. Reed St. in Pleasanton. The church office can be reached at 830- 569-2582.

Good Shepherd Lutheran

Church Here are the upcoming holiday services at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, located at 2507 Hwy 97 East in Pleasanton:

Palm Sunday, April 1- Worship service - 10:30 a.m.

Good Friday, April 6 -Worship Service - 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, April 8 - Breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt - 9:30 a.m.

Worship Service - 10:30 a.m.

Easter, ways to fellowship at First Baptist Church- Poteet Easter Sunday at First Baptist Church Poteet will be a wonderful day to fellowship. Come hear the Word of God as we celebrate all that Jesus Christ has done and the hope of eternity He promises for those who believe and place their faith in Him. Breakfast will be cooked and served Easter Sunday morning by the Deacons of the church. Serving will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall. Sunday School classes start at 9:45 a.m. and Worship Service begins at 11:00 a.m. Please come join with us as we grow in the Lord. All men in Atascosa County are invited to attend a Wild Game Breakfast on April 21 here in the fellowship hall beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eggs, biscuits, gravy and wild game sausage will be served. There is also a guest speaker who will speak on leaving a legacy. Come and join other men as we eat, fellowship and grow closer with Jesus. For more information or to RSVP to make sure that we have enough food, please call the church office at 830-742- 3856. We look forward to seeing you here!

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Easter season services, church events

Thomas Grubba

The spacious living room features a skylight and fireplace, and tall sliding glass doors that open to one of several patios.

Twice a week, The Chronicle features a local home on the market that caught our eye for its architecture, history or character. See more photos at http://www.sfgate.com/ZHQD.

Address: 66 Alvarado Road, Berkeley

Asking price: $1.6 million

Description: This one-story contemporary has been updated for modern indoor/outdoor living. A brick path leads to the home's double-door entrance, which is draped with lush vegetation. The entryway opens to a spacious living room featuring skylights and a wood-burning fireplace. Tall sliding-glass doors in the living room open to one of several patios. Just off the living room is an open dining room and the kitchen, equipped with modern appliances, an island and circular-patterned wall tile. The kitchen and dining room have access to another patio. The master bedroom has his-and-her closets and an updated bathroom with tub. There are hardwood floors throughout. The home has four other bedrooms, any of which can be used as a home office or gym, and three additional full bathrooms.

Don't miss: The private, lush, landscaped yard featuring patios, a meditation garden and garden boxes with vegetables and herbs.

Built: 1941

Size: Five bedrooms, four bathrooms in 2,693 square feet of living space.

For more information: Leslie Avant, Pacific Union International Inc., (510) 338-1341, http://www.66Alvarado.com

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Open-plan Berkeley home with lush landscaped yard

After months of work and numerous public consultation sessions, architects unveiled a design concept for a new Powell River Public Library building at an open house on Monday, March 26.

The library had contracted with Miller Hull Partnership, from Seattle, Washington, and Public Design, from Vancouver, BC, for the project. In February, architects displayed three designs and asked for comment and feedback. The designs generated responses on a multitude of attributes, including parking, use of the site, what the building looked like and its shape, said Ruth Baleiko, of Miller Hull Partnership. The architects took all of those comments, distilled them and combined everything into one design that satisfies as much of that criteria as possible, she added. We went through all of those comments and isolated the common themes people had, whether it was sustainability, use of the site, cultural aspirations, she said. There were some great ideas.

The proposed location for the new library has also generated a protest group, which uses the slogan, Save Willingdon Beach, on large, yellow buttons. The group is opposed to the location, the empty lot on the corner of Marine Avenue and Abbotsford Street, known as the old arena site.

Both opponents and proponents of the library attended the open house, which was held at Powell River Recreation Complex. Some proponents stood outside the complex with signs that read, Yes 4 library, Willingdon Beach is not in danger and I [heart] my library.

The design concept is for a 15,000 to 16,000-square-foot building all on one level. Because its one storey, the building wont block the view from Marine. It has a green roof with skylights and is nestled into the bank on Marine. We actually get amazing thermo performance out of these walls that are against the soil, Baleiko said. In the winter, theyre going to feel warm and in the summer, theyre going to feel cool.

Because its essentially a high-powered retaining wall, Baleiko said, the back wall can be built for a lot less cost than those that are in the public eye. Its doing a lot of work for us, she said.

The building is longer and narrower in proportion, because the site has a 100-foot setback from the high water mark, Baleiko explained. We can actually only build within a thin, skinny portion next to Marine, she said. Were trying to stay within that, so this is actually the shape that the site allows.

The west side of the building has ample windows, to take advantage of the view. The north end of the building has a meeting room, with a courtyard in between that room and the rest of the building. Theres also a porch area thats screened with sun screens at the north end.

The green roof has skylights, which, along with the courtyard, will glow at night from lights inside. The roof will be able to grow grasses and other shoreline plants. The roof helps increase the amount of pervious soil on the site, Baleiko said. Right now the site is covered with asphalt and gravel and surface rainwater cannot be absorbed, she said. What weve done is taken the roof and made it more like nature. Water will be absorbed at the rate that it would be if this was a park-like site. So were actually improving the condition of the site. By having that thick buildup on the roof, it makes our building perform more efficiently in terms of energy usage.

The inside is free span, with columns at each of the ends. That means the stacks, the activities and the programming can take any shape inside, Baleiko said. Hopefully that will enhance the lifetime of the building.

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Architects unveil library design

BOSTON, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IA Interior Architects (IA) is pleased to welcome Reetika Vijay and Paul Comeau as leaders in its Boston office. Reetika joins as Managing Director, and Paul joins as Project Director. Both offer extensive expertise in the Boston market and are a valuable addition to IA globally.

"Every IA office is built around strong leadership and team players. Reetika and Paul, well-known in the Boston market, are a powerful and proven team. Given their years of experience working together, complementing each other's skill sets and areas of focus, they bring remarkable energy, expertise, and creative presence to IA Boston. We're excited to have them on board in the Boston market and as a part of IA's firm-wide leadership," says David Bourke, Managing Principal, Eastern Region.

Reetika brings over 17 years of project management and interiors experience working with Boston architectural firms such as Sasaki Associates, Spagnolo Gisness & Associates, and Payette Associates. She has led the project conception, execution and delivery of over 5 million square feet of commercial interiors.

Paul joins IA with over 22 years of experience managing all phases of the architectural and interior design process, from feasibility studies through construction administration for complex corporate projects. He has worked closely with Reetika for over 8 years, both at Spagnolo Gisness & Associates, and at Sasaki Associates.

"IA has so much to offer and I'm happy to be a part of it," says Reetika Vijay. "Not only is it unique in that it is the largest architecture firm dedicated exclusively to the practice of interiors, but IA's model is distinct. Each office functions as an active participant in the local market while also performing as an extension of a larger platform with capabilities to serve clients around the globe."

"It is an honor to be joining a top notch organization that excels in corporate interiors and beyondlocally, nationally, and globally. I look forward to serving clients that I have worked with in the past in a broader way, and sharing the firm's resources and best practices," says Paul Comeau.

Reetika and Paul plan to strengthen the unique IA brand in the local market with a client focused, nimble approach. They believe Boston has a rich history of supporting great architectural design firms, and thatIA has much to provide to the local commercial real estate community.

IA Interior Architects is located at 160 State Street, Boston Ma 02109. Reetika can be reached at 617-699-8452 or r.vijay@interiorarchitects.com. Paul can be reached at 617-721-7652 or p.comeau@interiorarchitects.com

ABOUT IA INTERIOR ARCHITECTS Founded in 1984, IA Interior Architects is the first and largest global architectural firm focused exclusively on interior architecture and workplace strategies. IA helps clients in diverse markets worldwide align their business strategies and core values with the dynamic use of space. IA has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, London, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, Raleigh, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Washington, DC and has partner affiliates in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia and Australia, Canada, and Latin America through the IA Global Alliance. For more information, visit http://www.interiorarchitects.com.

Press Contact: Sofia Zimmerman 917.579.5702 s.zimmerman@interiorarchitects.com

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Reetika Vijay and Paul Comeau to Lead IA Interior Architects in Boston