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ITHACA, N.Y. Going into these meetings, one can often tell which site plan reviews will be thornier than others - usually the bigger and higher-profile, the more debate they generate. However, that's not always true. Sometimes, a poorly-sited restaurant generates more debate than a multi-story building downtown. It depends on how controversial it is, or what kind of curveballs they and the other stakeholders are throwing.

Thanks to the DOT, the seemingly routine procedure of a final site plan approval turned into one of those quagmires this month, though eventually, the project in question did get the permissions needed to move forward. Several other projects were also discussed, including one other final site plan approval, for the new Byrne Dairy on the South Meadow Street Corridor. Grab your coffee or tea, because this month is one of those lengthy write-ups.

As is customary for these recaps, for those who like to read along, the 254-page Planning Board agenda is here.

First up were the lot subdivision reviews - these are when property lots in the city, technically known as parcels, seek legal reconfiguration, either to be split up, reshaped or consolidated. This month, there was only one on the agenda, which is a subdivision of the Chain Works District property (formerly Morse Chain/Emerson Power Transmission) at 620 South Aurora Street.

About 0.9 acres of the 96-acre parcel will be subdivided and held by Emerson Power, in an area off of South Cayuga Street with underground storage tanks and for which there are no redevelopment plans. Emerson is legally required to remediate all the land to pre-established standards, which in this case, is the more stringent 24-hour exposure standard since the Chain Works District will have residential uses. The remaining 95 or so acres would then be sold to the development group led by Dave Lubin, so that they could begin work on the Chain Works District itself - the first phase involves remedial work and conversion of four uncontaminated buildings into a mix of industrial uses, commercial uses, and 60 apartments.

Board member C.J. Randall excused herself from the review due to her company having previously done work for the project. Sarah Snyder of law firm Harris Beach PLLC walked the board through review. There was one comment from a South Hill resident in opposition to work on the site citing topography, which the board flatly disagreed with because the remediation needs to be done, and the steeper portions of the site aren't being developed. Apart from a brief legal tweak to add clarity for the trail easements, the board had no further comment and voted unanimously in favor.

For the uninitiated, Site Plan Review (SPR) is where the review of new building proposals happens. In the interest of not pushing ten pages of material, if you want a description of the steps in the project approval process, the "Site Plan Review Primer" is here.

During SPR, the Planning Board looks at sketch plans, declares itself lead agency for state environmental quality review (SEQR), conducts a review and declares negative (adverse effects mitigated) or positive (potential harmful impacts, needs an Environmental Impact Statement), while concurrently performing design review for projects in certain neighborhoods for aesthetic impacts. Once those are all good and finished, they vote on preliminary site plan approval and, after reviewing a few final details and remaining paperwork, final site plan approval.

At the top of the SPR agenda this month was the City Harbor project, proposed by Lambrou Real Estate, Edger Enterprises and businesswoman Elizabeth Classen on the site of the former Johnson's Boatyard at 101 Pier Road.

As previously detailed, the two-phase project consists of a restaurant, waterfront promenade and marina, and 156 market-rate apartments. A 60,000 square-foot medical office building for Guthrie Clinic is part of the project. Phase one would also rebuild Pier Road to include sidewalks, street trees, a fire engine turnaround, and new and improving parking areas. While the project team plans to partner with the city to rebuild the golf course clubhouse in phase two, almost all improvements in phase one are on private property, with the exception of some of the greenspace and reconfigured parking areas.

This was to be City Harbor's final meeting. Preliminary approval was granted in May, but final approval, on the agenda for this month, is contingent on relatively minor things like proof of legal easements, material samples, and the submission of additional drawings for the sake of complete documentation.

Given the talk about the DOT's recent proposal to ease traffic congestion on the West End as a stipulation before signing off on City Harbor and Carpenter Park, the project does come back with a contingency that says they have to prove they have financing available to take other means to ease congestion if the DOT plan doesn't happen, and that this "Plan B" option is doable and will be before the board for discussion. This isn't as big of a concern for City Harbor because it's not as impacted as it's neighbors on Carpenter Park, whose plan actually puts a new access break into Route 13 from the northwest side. But the bigger issue is that parts of the plan, namely $500,000 in pedestrian travel and sidewalk improvements on Route 13, would not happen if DOT doesn't sign off because they don't get their couplet.

That proved to be a major concern during the hour-long discussion. According to David Herrick of the engineering firm T.G. Miller, while the DOT is asking to do the couplet further down 13, they're out of the developer's control, and the project team is concerned about what happens if the DOT's couplet is rejected, putting their plans into jeopardy, and holding up their project and other nearby proposals for what could be years. The DOT couplet was proposed at the figurative "eleventh hour", and while City Harbor is happy to fund the approved work at Willow and Dey Streets, they were clearly anxious about being subject to the whims of the state. Board Chair Robert Lewis was sympathetic, calling the whole DOT regulatory and review process "byzantine".

"It's a pretty big hammer, what DOT issued. They're not going to permit the improvements to Route 13 proposed by this project, which are mitigations committed in Part 3 (of environmental review). It's very difficult for the developer because they can't build those improvements until the DOT is satisfied the city will look at (these couplets)," said city Senior Planner Lisa Nicholas.

Other board members also expressed consternation with the DOT, though they wanted City Harbor's Route 13 improvements addressed one way or another. It's just rather unfortunate that, even if approved, those can't happen until 2023 due to the DOT's schedule of work. "I think it's unfortunate they're holding these projects hostage. I feel uncomfortable removing conditions from Part 3 (of the environmental review), and I want them to start building as soon as possible...can we put the condition in as something needed for a certificate of occupancy?" Asked board member Emily Petrina.

"Tell us what would make you feel comfortable, put our feet to the fire...help us figure out how to move these things along and how to do this. I'm pleading," said developer Costa Lambrou.

"I don't think we can put the toothpaste back into the tube, but every development will face this situation and we have to get a handle on it. The Planning Board can be a force in recommendations to the Common Council, whether a waterfront transportation study or the couplet," said Nicholas.

"Nobody's saying leave the condition in as written. A few are saying strike it, a few are saying to move to a condition to a certificate of occupancy to move it down the road and give time, I'm hearing one person say to blow it up into a bigger transportation study, and I'm hearing a request for reassurance on the bond. I'm not sure what will work and what won't," said Chair Lewis.

Planner Nicholas was convinced a waterfront district transportation study would have to be done, but there's no formal proposal or money for that at the present time. Plus, since DOT has wanted this for a while and it has these projects before them, they can do what they want and twist some arms (though member Garrick Blalock expressed significant annoyance that a project in Lansing would not be subject to this, but send its commuters down 13). Nicholas recommended that the board state something to Common Council to commit to some kind of transportation study as part of the couplet review.

The consensus with the rather scattershot viewpoints is that the board didn't want to hold this project up because all this is happening so late in review, but it does want the transportation study to be done. The issues with the conditions agreed to in the preliminary approvals stem from an unpleasant juxtaposition of timing, state meddling, and concerns from the board and developer. The board wants those Route 13 pedestrian improvements, but didn't want the developer hanging on DOT's plans, which DOT may not approve even if the city wants it and the developer is willing and financially capable. The city and the Syracuse office of the NYS DOT have different ideas on the traffic situation in the city's West End neighborhood.

Going around, Blalock voted to strike the Route 13 improvements condition as phrased, citing the willingness of the developer and the plan to back it up with a bond if developer were somehow unable to do it. "I rigorously reject to holding any permit hostage to Common Council or DOT," he added. Randall voted to strike it, Petrina agreed, Vice-Chair McKenzie Rounds agreed, board member Mitch Glass voted to strike, though with reservation, and board member Elisabete Godden wanted a rewording but liked the $500,000 commitment if they couldn't build due to DOT (the board acknowledged the developers may have to pay more if costs go up in the future). A majority were for removing the condition, with support for a bond in that amount to finance the work if/when it's approved by DOT.

"Okay, I feel like we put one condition to bed, but there's a lot left to this resolution here," said Lewis. At the suggestion of Herrick and Nicholas, the board also struck a condition about emergency access, because city fire chief Tom Parsons said that if Willow Street were blocked due to a train, in that very rare case they could use the existing waterfront trail for temporary access.

In the end, the board struck the two conditions and granted unanimous final approval, removing some of the tethers that DOT has on the project, but acknowledging that much more would need to be done regarding the traffic in the city's West End. The board decided after further discussion at the end of the meeting to encourage a "holistic" push for a thorough waterfront traffic study, but decouple it from individual projects, since it was a much broader look at both the waterfront, and to some extent impacts from the rest of the city and surrounding commuter towns.

If this all sounds confusing to you folks, don't worry - it sounded confusing to the board too. "Sh*t was complicated today," Lewis quipped at the end of the meeting.

Next up on the list for this month's site plan reviews was the 12-story Asteri Ithaca Green Street Garage redevelopment at 120 East Green Street. The Asteri proposal by The Vecino Group includes a 217-unit low-moderate income apartment building with commercial space on the lower levels, and an expanded publicly-accessible garage next door, which will grow to seven floors with an additional 241 parking spaces (350 total).

As noted by city planners, the lower three floors of the U-shaped building will house amenities, a 49,000 square-foot conference center and a small amount of retail space. The Cinemapolis Plaza will keep its current public pedestrian passage between the Commons and Green Street, with lighting, signage, art, and landscaping improvements. Initial plans called for Cinemapolis to relocate for part of the construction period, but the latest construction plan lets them stay in their theater with only a few short offline periods. The Vecino Group and their partners are also requesting consideration of a City Hall Plaza next door on the small parking lot between the project site and City Hall. That plaza would feature a large outdoor gathering spot with paving, lighting, landscaping, and furnishings while retaining a few off-street parking spaces.

No votes on Asteri were scheduled for last night's meeting, just an update on the latest revisions. Landscape architect Kate Chesebrough of Whitham Planning and Design led the presentation. Among the changes were a change at the board's suggestion from fiber cement panels to metal on the lower floors, shorter mechanical screenings on the roof to make the building look a little shorter, and new drawings for lighting and proposed areas for art murals. The project is planning a trip to the Board of Zoning Appeals in October.

Several members expressed concern with First Ward councilor Cynthia Brock's letter, who stressed that the city made its decision in favor of the Conference Center portion just as the COVID situation was getting out of hand in March. Members weren't sure what could be done with the space if the conference center, intended for a 2023 opening, couldn't be used as intended for some time. On the aesthetic side, Mitch Glass hoped to make the facades a little less bland, to which Blalock agreed.

"The conference center decision isn't ours. I've never been a conference center booster. But it's not our decision to make, it's council's," said Lewis. "The thing they passed has a conference center. That's where we are...I'm excited to get into the design changes and materials, there's more to dig into."

The board liked the changes so far and looked forward to further discussion of the project next month. The board may host a special second meeting at the end of September to discuss the project once environmental review is complete.

Developer Jeff Rimland's 13-story proposal on the eastern end of the garage came back to the board to continue its public hearing and go through Design Review on the architecture and aesthetics. Unlike earlier incarnations, the latest design for the mixed-use building proposed for 215 East State Street no longer builds into the Rothschild Building and displaces the shops and shop-owners along the Commons, but went back to the initial proposal which builds atop a rebuilt eastern third of the garage.

Rimland's proposal rebuilds the eastern third of the garage with two levels of public parking (about 130 spaces), one ground-level private parking area for the building's occupants (34 spaces) and 10 floors of residential with approximately 200 apartments. A residential lobby would front Green Street, as well as an access hallway between the shops lining the Commons. As with Asteri, the board was going into this meeting with a continuation of Part 3 of the Full Environmental Assessment Forms (FEAF) on the agenda. For this, Chair Lewis excused himself due to potential conflicts of interest, letting Jones take the reins as Planning Board Vice-Chair.

On the agenda last night was the potential completion of environmental review, with the Planning Board potentially issuing its Declaration of Environmental Significance, and writing up its recommendation to the separate Board of Zoning Appeals to allow for rear yard and floor count variances. This was also the only Board of Zoning Appeals Recommendation scheduled to be discussed this month, so there won't be a separate section for BZA recs in this month's roundup.

Project engineer James Trasher of CHA Inc. and architect John Abisch of BSB Design walked the board through the latest updates. Some of the street trees were removed due to underground utilities, and replaced with shallower bushes and flowering plants. The project will also follow the Ithaca Green Building Policy guidelines, including air-source heat pumps, LED lighting, low-water fixtures, and photovoltaic capacity, though it won't be built with arrays. Board member Randall noted the plants around the transformer would likely get crushed (snow banks), though she appreciated the effort. All in all, the discussion was focused on details, and fairly uneventful.

By unanimous vote, the board closed the environmental review and passed a unanimous negative declaration, meaning all impacts are effectively mitigated. Some minor design changes are still in the works before September, but with SEQR complete, the project appears to be on the easy path to approval, pending BZA.

That could be a bit tricky. The rear yard setback is to maintain the continuous building wall on Green Street and that will be accepted easily enough, but the building is 14 floors and 156 feet, taller than the 12 floors/140 feet allowed on the site, and the BZA is typically averse to height variances. But the Planning Board sought to emphasize in their recommendation in favor the housing in a location the city wants housing, the connectivity to the Commons, and that a lot of the height variance comes from the existing garage and from the "top floor" roof terrace, which isn't a fully built-out floor. With a hopefully favorable result from the BZA, the project will be back before the Planning Board next month.

Next up on the agenda, Byrne Dairy's proposed renovation of the former Denny's restaurant at 323-25 Elmira Road into their new large-format convenience store and gas station. Byrne Dairy would replace the existing flat roof with a peaked roof, and install new exterior finishes on all sides of the building. The new fuel canopy would be built on part of the existing parking lot, and fitted out with six gas pumps. Byrne Dairy would reuse the existing curb cuts, but because of the new gas station, the parking area would be reduced from about 60 spaces to 30, Along with the structural improvements are the usual complement of landscaping, lighting, signage, bike racks and a new sidewalk connecting the front of the building to the existing sidewalk along Elmira Road. You can read more about the plans for the article earlier this month here.

As a renovation of an existing structure, the review process has so far been smooth; in fact, after only a couple of months, the project was already up for Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, which would be perfect for its fall 2020 construction timeline. Coming into the meeting, Byrne Dairy added a six-foot cedar privacy fence at the rear, and submitted a signage package to meet city regulations. City forester Jeanne Grace asked to remove the plan for pear trees, which will be replaced with hawthorns, and some red maples were moved.

"This is a great reuse of an existing space. I wonder if, given the city's emphasis on reducing vehicular use, we want to address the use of fuel pumps. I don't know if we just want to like, say that somewhere," said board member Rounds. Chair Lewis suggested it be added as a "whereas" in the resolution, acknowledging that the city wasn't interested in promoting gas pumps but would accept it in a high traffic area by a local business for a structure being reused.

The board agreed to the additional wording with unanimous consent. The negative declaration on the environmental review passed unanimously, and since the project seemed "pretty well baked" per Lewis, the board decided to vote on preliminary and final site plan approval. After planner Nicholas asked to add a condition for a legal easement for city maintenance, the project received its unanimous approval.

Last but not least for site plan reviews, Arnot Realty's mixed-use plan for the 400 Block of West State/MLK Jr. Street. Plans submitted by Arnot call for a mixed-use five-story building. The new 114,000 square-foot structure would house 129 apartments and 5,500 square feet of ground-level retail, to be split for up to three tenants. The ground level would host about 50 covered parking spaces to be accessed from Seneca Street, as well as a landscaped plaza, bike parking, new and wider sidewalks, and other site improvements. Existing shade trees along Corn Street would remain, and a pedestrian sidewalk bump-out is being considered for the corner of North Corn and West State, to slow traffic and improve pedestrian visibility. The corner building that houses Mama Goose would have its facade saved and incorporated into the new building, but otherwise, all existing structures would be replaced by the new development. You can read more about the project here, or visit the developer's brand new project website here.

The track for this project will be a little lengthier, as it has to take a trip to the Board of Zoning Appeals before final site plan approval can be granted. The project site is in both the CBD-52 and the B-2d Zoning Districts and will require a 2-foot variance for height in the B-2d zone. The variance will allow for the floor heights to align across the two zones given the 12-foot ground floor height requirement in the CBD-52 district - otherwise, the floor plate would have a two-foot jump in the middle of the building.

Last night was a chance for Arnot's team to give an update on the project, listen in on the Public Hearing for the proposal, and respond to the board as they continued with Part 2 of the Full Environmental Assessment Form, one of the earlier steps within the SEQR environmental review process.

Architect Eric Colbert walked the board through the latest designs, and had some bad news. While they hope to save the facade of the existing corner building, the facade is in very poor shape, and may be beyond stabilization in the event of major construction work. In that case, they would build new brick walls matching the original design. Horizontal canopies would also be added to the original building, per the board's suggestion from the last meeting, added interest to the West Seneca Street facade, and safety bollards were added to the access driveway off North Corn Street. The Public Hearing was opened and closed shortly thereafter, since there were no public comments given for discussion.

Generally, board members were positive about the proposal, though they were not without some reservations. Board member Jones suggested striping or raised sidewalk for pedestrian safety along West Seneca Street, and asked whether there would be affordable units, and her colleague Glass made it clear that some inclusion of affordable units would play into his vote, and he also questioned why the developers would talk about the Mama Goose Building's facade issues. Glass stated concerns that Arnot's team was potentially trying to lead the board on since the design in the renders didn't match the existing historic building on the corner (the facade was much more minimal), and that it seemed like the destruction of the facade was already baked in. Lewis expressed concerns that the project emphasized studios and "junior one-bedrooms" over larger, more family-friendly units.

"It is our 100% goal to reuse the brick facade structure," said Arnot Realty's Peter Dugo. "The purpose of showing those photos is to show that, despite our best efforts, it may be unsalvageable. Those renderings don't show (the facade) off as much as real-life does, but it is planned to maintain the intricate details that currently exist." The project team also seemed reluctant to commit to firm numbers of affordable units for their project.

As planned, Design Review and SEQR part 3 is planned for next month, and likely more debate about affordability and the historic portions of the structure will be coming.

Last on the SPR agenda and the new project before the board this month is Cornell's plan to replace the existing two-lane bridge structure over Hoy Road, reconstruct and repair the bridge abutments, install means restriction and associated surveillance equipment, reconstruct and improve the approach roads, sidewalks and pedestrian crossing, install new lighting, and replace the stairs, railing and retaining walls that ascend from Hoy Road at the bridge to the Crescent Parking Lot. The university is planning for a temporary pedestrian bridge to be installed during construction, and a 1.1-mile vehicular detour will be established. If you want to read more about the proposal itself, the Voice has you covered here.

Given that this is replacement rather than a totally new build, and that it's an infrastructure project on Cornell's campus, the review process for the reconstructed bridge and adjacent spaces will likely be smooth and uneventful. At last night's meeting alone, the board was expecting a project presentation, Declaration of itself as Lead Agency to conduct the SEQR, and host a Public Hearing about the project.

Being a project manager for Cornell and stating that her co-workers presenting the project, board member Goddard recused herself from the review. Cornell's Tammi Aiken walked the board through the plans. The bridge last had major renovation work in 1977, and DOT has flagged the bridge twice for long-term (non-emergency) structural issues in the past couple of years, necessitating the need for rehabilitation before the situation gets worse. Aiken stated that 2022 remains the target date, though depending on the university's financial situation in this COVID-era, it may be pushed back to 2023.

The Declaration of Lead Agency was passed unanimously, the public hearing opened and closed with no public comments written or spoken, and the project continuing to cruise forward. Most of the board had little additional comment, except Blalock, who seemed to show a strong familiarity with the bridge and stairway, with recommendations for railings, building materials, and asking if there was something the could do about the traffic confusion at Hoy Road and Route 366. The board finished their discussions for the night and the project will be back before the members next month.

As the meeting wrapped up, and as touched on earlier, the board discussed adding a second September meeting for the 29th, after their usual meeting planned for the 22nd. Board members were actually somewhat excited, which would be used for non-Site Plan Review matters, as is the tradition for months where there's a free Tuesday after the regular meeting on the fourth Tuesday of the month. The board agreed to have the meeting, but wouldn't focus on project review material, entertaining the idea that Asteri may continue review at that meeting since it's behind schedule, but otherwise not keen on further SPR additions. Topics may include fleshing out a funding application for a waterfront traffic study, and asking the city's Economic Development Director, Tom Knipe, to come in and talk more about the conference center situation.

To end things on a positive note, here's the bright spot to close out this piece. Planner Nicholas noted that all Planning Department staff that had been furloughed due to the COVID crisis have returned to work.

Now that they're back to work, it seems likely they'll be kept busy into the fall.

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Planning Board Recap: August 2020 - The Ithaca Voice

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Hampton Journal real estate transactions for the week of Aug. 30 - TribLIVE

Arizona was among thefirst states to be approved to issue the new $300 per week in federal unemployment benefits established by President Trump's August 8 memorandum. The state, which pays a maximum of $240 in benefits per week (one of the lowest in the nation, just above Mississippi and Puerto Rico), began administering the boosted aid last week.

But for many residents, the arrival of the supplemental benefit isn't without headaches and confusion.

The Trump memorandum, which cut enhanced unemployment from the CARES Act's $600 benefit down to $300 in federal aid each week, applies retroactively to August 1. Many Arizonans aren't seeing the back payments hit their accounts like they were told to expect.

Emma Locarnini, 42, tells CNBC Make It she saw just one $300 payment, minus taxes, hit her prepaid debit card account last week, rather than a lump sum of three weeks of boosted pay retroactive to August 1. The same thing happened again for her payment this week, which she receives on Mondays.

The Tuscon, Arizona, resident has been out of work since the resort where she works shut down in late March. She applied for unemployment benefits as soon as she was eligible and received payments after five weeks of waiting.

With the previous $600 federal boost, along with her maximum $240 benefit from Arizona, Locarnini says she earned just about as much on unemployment as her previous job as a conference services manager.Unlike critics who said the $600 enhancement discouraged people from going back to work, Locarnini found the opposite to be true.

"It's frustratingso much of losing my job is totally out of my control, and I don't like not knowing when I might be able to go back to work," she says. "I'm certainly looking for work elsewhere, but I am competing with so many people. I want to work. I want to be back in the office. I don't want to keep relying on unemployment."

With roughly 100% replacement of her lost earnings, Locarnini and her husband, who was furloughed in March but went back to work full-time in late May, have stretched their income by trimming their food, entertainment and travel spending. Locarnini says she's thankful they do not have the stress of caring for children, and their main expense is a monthly $1,600 rent payment.

"It's a day-by-day thing," Locarnini says. "We don't know what will happen three or six months down the road, but it might be more worrisome later."

Others who rely more heavily on the federal unemployment enhancement are feeling the stress of its absence now. According to reporting from AZCentral, Arizona's Department of Economic Security (DES) said last week it was "working to provide retroactive payments ... and anticipates beginning those payments later this week."

On Monday, DES spokesperson Brett Bezio wrote in a statement to CNBC Make Itthat the state "will finish distributing all retroactive payments within the next couple of days. Due to the number of payments to be issued, we issued retroactive payments in batches over several days. DES anticipates receiving funding on a week-by-week basis, and will make payments until federal funding is exhausted."

The federal program, known as Lost Wages Assistance, is being funded by $44 billion set aside by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). States must apply to FEMA for a grant to fund an initial three weeks worth of benefits. Subsequent weeks of aid are approved on a week-to-week basis so long as funding is still available.

That means, for many Arizona residents, boosted payments this month may be gone just as soon as they arrive.

Of course, that's if unemployment benefits ever make it out to them.

Nearly six months into the pandemic and its ensuing unemployment crisis, thousands of Arizonans have yet to see a cent of jobless aid as the state unemployment office works through a crushing backlog of applications. Last week, the DES releasedroughly 90,000 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) applicationsthat had been previously approved but then flagged for potential fraud andput on hold for payment for up to 10 weeks.

The department said it paid more than $730 million in delayed PUA benefits to self-employed, contract and gig workers last week, with some deposits likely exceeding $8,400. With these applications finally processed, an estimated 500,000 Arizonans are currently receiving unemployment benefits.

But as of Sunday, more than 26,000 Arizona unemployment claims sat in a backlogwaiting to be reviewed by an adjudicator for payment.

Colin Smith, 34, first filed for unemployment when he lost his job with a cannabis company in February, which shut down as a precautionary measure to the coronavirus outbreak before widespread closuresdue to the pandemic. Every time he's filed a claim since, he's notified that his application has been disqualified and he must fax in additional paperwork to verify his employment history.

"It's a broken system," the Gilbert, Arizona, resident says. "I keep continuing to file assuming they'll eventually pay me. This is money I already paid into the system this is my money, and I need it now. Why is this process so hard?"

Adding to the frustration is that Smith recently qualified forSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which he says required many of the same documents to verify his employment history. He says he was approved for SNAP benefits the same day he applied. He estimates he's spent roughly 300 hours trying to get through the unemployment process.

In addition to accessing food stamps, Smith says he deferred his $700 monthly payments on his private student loans, cut down his utilities usage, stopped driving his car and borrowed money from his mother. He lives with his fiancee, who is still working full-time for a custom home builder.

Earlier this month, President Trump signed a memorandum to defer federal student loan paymentsand set the federal student loan interest rate to 0% through the end of the year but approximately 9 million borrowers who have private student loans will not get total relief under the new rule.

"I've had to change everything," Smith says about making ends meet with no income or jobless benefits. "It's been so long, my deferment period is coming to an end. I have a student loan payment due next week, and I won't have unemployment benefits before then."

Smith is grateful to have help from family during this time.

"I never thought at 34 I'd be relying on my mom to pay my cellphone bill," he says. "I went through two economic crashes in my lifetime, and my story's not unique. So many people have the same story and struggle that we've got to do better. We have to fix some of these broken systems like unemployment."

Other workers may never see the $300 weekly boost, as the new enhancement applies only to workers who receive at least $100 in regular unemployment. The requirement, which the Trump administration is an effort to curb fraud, will exclude an estimated 1 million of the lowest-paid workers nationwide.

As of Monday, the majority of states were approved for the federal unemployment supplement. Only Kentucky and Montana have agreed to kick in an additional $100 in state funds for a total boost of $400 per week to unemployed residents. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has said the state will not pay the extra unemployment benefit at all.

According to the president's order, the federal lost wages program will run until December 6; until the $44 billion FEMA aid runs out; until the national Disaster Relief Fund, which normally funds emergency weather-related aid but will now also fund boosted unemployment, depletes to $25 billion; or until Congress passes new legislation regarding federal unemployment benefits whichever occurs first.

Around 28 million Americans are currently collecting jobless benefits.

Weeks of heated negotiations among the Congress and White House officials over the next round of pandemic relief aidcame to an abrupt halt in mid-August when the Senate adjourned for a recess until Labor Day.

"I don't think every single [member of Congress] understands the struggles people are really going through," Locarnini says of the recent legislative stalemate. "When I work, I can't go home until I get my job done, so it's frustrating to see them say, 'Well, it's our vacation time, so it's time to go home.'"

Smith echoes the feeling of frustration.

"It's so disheartening to see my senators spend millions on campaign ads on TV, just bashing each other but not doing a damn thing about anything," he says. "The fact that they walked away tells you everything you need to know about their priorities."

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New $300 boosted unemployment arrives in Arizona, but not without headaches and confusion - CNBC

While the first impression you get upon approaching the elegantly landscaped, 13-room, two-story Gold Coast home at 153 E. Glenside Ave. in Linwood is apt to be a pleasing one, what really sets this five-bedroom, 3-bath residence apart from so many others in its price range is the treasure trove of hidden architectural assets it was endowed with by its builder three decades ago.

The exterior, in fact, has one feature that tends to makes first-time visitors do a double takethe striking contrast between the grey-brick exterior of the front and the moss green, wood-surfaced side of the house, where its two-car-garage, chimney and upper- and lower-level decks are situated, which makes it appear to be part of a completely different structure (although on closer inspection, the brick front also includes some of that same wood).

That effect, according to its current owner, Atlantic County Freeholder Director Frank Formica, former owner /operator of Formicas Bakery and Caf in Atlantic City, was the creation of the homes builder and original owner, George Thomas, whose firm, Thomas Company, Inc., of Egg Harbor Township, has long done specialty work for the construction industry. And no, thats not vinyl siding, Formica notes, but top-grade California redwood cedar. Its the real McCoy, he says.

But then, so is everything else that has gone into the construction and interior design of this house, which Formica characterizes as the last word in authenticity. All the casing and all the trim work, as well as the interior staircase and the cabinets, are made of No. 1 solid natural oak, and all the hallways, including the 22-foot-high atrium, have solid birch floors. Thats one reason he considers it such a great buy at $449,000 You couldnt replace it today for twice the price with that quality of materials.

Nor, for that matter, could you easily find a home on the market that offers such a unique combination of amenities, such as its two distinctively different wood-burning fireplaces, a traditional-looking type in the sunken family room and a less conventional, semicircular one with an elaborate red brick hearth that adorns the finished basement, and the natural-gas barbecue unit thats built into the lower deck from bricks identical to those used in the living-room hearth.

Then theres what Formica refers to as the all-season room located right off that deck, a huge, totally enclosed sun porch thats both heated and air conditioned. Ive spent more time relaxing in that room than I have in the rest of the house, he says. For a potential buyer who also needs a good place to work remotelyas more and more people are doing these daysthis house also has a first-rate home office, complete with built-in bookshelves (as well as a bedroom that can be converted into a second one if needed).

As for that 1,300-square foot basement, in addition to the aforementioned fireplace, it also has a bar thats suitable for hosting any type of entertainment (as soon as large gatherings become permissible again), an extra bedroom and a full bath, making it an ideal vacation suite for family members of friends.

The list of hidden surprises this home offers also include some cutting-edge energy-efficiency features, such as a wet hot-air heating system controlled by a boiler thats custom designed to send heat to six separate zones via more than 200 feet of cast-iron radiators --one which the owner says has allowed him to keep his biggest heating bills within the $200 range. And thats in addition to what he describes as two ecologically friendly central air systems that separately cool the upper and lower levels.

Another highly economical featureone Formica credits with having saved him thousands of dollars in water bills is a sunken irrigation well and pump installed by Thomas to provide water to a six-zone sprinkler system with 10-12 heads each. Using municipal water for the same purpose, he estimates, would have cost him another $150-$200 a month. (Another significant savings, he adds, can be realized from the fact that the site is not subject to flooding, and thus requires no federal flood insurance.)

The house, according to its owner, also contains numerous other testaments to the ingenuity of the builder. They include a stainless steel baseboard around the walls of the garage, along with a giant matching workbench; two 200-amp electric mains (although the appliances, heating and hot water are all powered by natural gas) with a hook-up that can easily accommodate a generator; a built-in mahogany sideboard in the formal dining room; a lighting system in the foyer that can be programmed to match the occupants mood; a wall of shower nozzles in the master bathroom, and a leak-proof tile tub in the upstairs laundry room in which both the washer and drier have been placed as a safety measure.

Among the homes other amenities are an eat-in kitchen that has both a comfortably traditional feel and a full complement of top-of-the-line, stainless steel Electrolux appliances (in addition to those 100 percent-oak cabinets); a huge storage attic accessible via a stepladder from the laundry room, and no fewer than three walk-in closets (two of which are in the master suite). Finally, theres whats standing on the front lawnan authentic antique gas lamp from Philadelphias Broad Street (a wedding gift to the builders father), which has been electrified, but retains its original charm.

Adding to this homes appeal is its location in one of the Mainlands most desirable neighborhoods, just a short walk from the Linwood athletic fields, the meadows and bucolic Offs Pond, a popular spot with local nature lovers.

If all those hidden attributes, as well as an outwardly lovely home are the kind sof things youd like your lifestyle to include, the person to contact is Kevin Corcoran from Kevin Corcoran Real Estate in Atlantic City, at (609) 348-0077 or his cell phone (609-432-9226), or email him at 3480077@gmail.com to arrange for a private showing. But dont hesitatea property with so much going for it may soon no longer be on the market.

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Adding to this Linwood homes value is a treasure trove of hidden features - Press of Atlantic City

NASHVILLE, Tenn., (WKRN) If you are in need of lumber, then it is likely you are on a long waiting list with others.

Demand is high and supply is low for lumber. Meaning, prices will continue to soar. If you are planning to build a deck, fence or house this fall, you may want to think twice.

Theyre basically at historic levels across the bar, Chris Lewis said, Vice President of Sales at Rogers Manufacturing Corporation. Its all through the roof.

Lewis said due to COVID-19 production at lumber mills has slowed down. Their production now sits around 60% to 70% of what it should be in relation to the demand.

Theyre all saying were trying, we just cant,' Lewis said in addition to high prices they are also struggling with availability issues.

Amid the onset of coronavirus lumber production slowed, and experts thought demand would drop. But instead, it soared.

[People] are at home bored. Theyre going to build an addition; fix something on their house; build a dec; redo this; or redo that, Lewis said.

According to Random Lengths weekly report on North American forest products markets, the price of framing lumber topped $800 p/bdft last week. Thats a 130% increase since mid-April.

The price last year was just $350 p/dbft.

According to my suppliers, weve seen a two almost two and a half times of cost increase, Jeff Checko said, broker with The Ashton Real Estate Group. Youre going to see impact in the delivered asking prices from builders and quoted pricing for custom homes and home renovation projects.

The recent spike is causing the price of an average new single-family home to increase by $16,000 since late April, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

These builders that have these houses for $350,000-$550,000 now instead of paying $30,000-$40,000 for their framing package theyre spending $75,000-$90,000 for their framing package. So, when does that kill the deal? Lewis asked.

Unfortunately, Lewis doesnt see anything changing anytime soon. Unless, demand drops and supply grows. If prices continue to rise, Lewis said it may be hard for customers to find lumber on store shelves.

We have problems pricing something because we dont know where our cost will be next week, Lewis said. When does it stop, where is the top.

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The price of lumber soars to unprecedented level - WKRN News 2

The world is changing and quickly too. As I get closer to my 80s, I cant keep up.

Have you noticed, phone booths are nowhere to be found. They have been replaced with itty bitty phones we can stuff in our pockets.

Everyone, wanting to be different, is becoming more the same as they race to cover their bodies with tattoos.

Folks, not satisfied with the number of body holes they were born with, are drilling new holes into their bodies to hang metal objects from, which makes it increasingly difficult to pass through the airports metal detector.

These are only a few of the changes. Did I mention the blue hair craze?

It had to happen eventually. I, for one, cannot believe it. Borrowing an old idea, Starbucks has come out with what is certain to become the latest popular craze. It may not replace the blue hair craze, but I am confident customers will be clamoring to be first to get in on this hip action. Check out the sign displayed on a Starbucks coffee shop window.

As the sign plainly states, you can order a head and pay for it with the Starbucks app.

One caution. Do not order a head in the state of Idaho. Ordering a head violates the cannibalism law in Idaho. None of the other 49 states have specific cannibalism laws to make ordering a head illegal.

You have to admit, the window sign helps prove I did not make this up.

Hey, wait just a minute. I wonder if I got the sign all wrong. Maybe I read too much into the the sign, order a head. Yea, I wonder if Starbucks is getting into toilet sales.

Another distinct possibility is Starbucks is bringing back a new and improved pay toilet which customers can reserve by ordering a head. You do not need to carry change for the pay toilet because you can pay with your Starbucks app.

It certainly is a sign of the times.

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Westside Story A Sign of the Times - The Suburban Times

Irelands Kevin OBrien is no stranger to big-hitting exploits but he had cause to regret his batting prowess on Thursday when he smashed his own car window with a trademark six.

OBrien, who scored the fastest century in World Cup history in 2011 to help Ireland chase down a mammoth 327 to secure a famous win over England in Bangalore, made 82 off 37 balls for Leinster Lightning in the Inter-Provincial Twenty20 Trophy.

He hit eight sixes, one of which sailed into the parking lot next to the Pembroke Cricket Club in Dublin to shatter his cars rear window.

After the match, the 36-year-old all-rounder drove the car straight to the garage to get the window replaced.

Dont worry @KevinOBrien113 well get it fixed up as good as new, the dealership said on Twitter. Brien then came up with fitting reply, promising that he would park the car further from next time around.

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Irelands Kevin OBrien smashes own car window with monster six, says Will park further next time - Hindustan Times

Photo by Mark Cornelison | Staff

Photo by Mark Cornelison | Staff

On Tuesday, news that had long been speculated became official: As first reported by KSRs Matt Jones, DeWayne Peevy, the Deputy Athletic Director at Kentucky, has been named the AD at DePaul. The news had seemingly been in the works for weeks and is now finally official, with Kentucky announcing Peevys departure and DePaul following it up by announcing his arrival.

Admittedly, we dont normally do a lot of transactional, athletic department hirings and firings on this website. But it felt necessary here, if only to explain just how much this guy meant to the University of Kentucky, and its basketball program over the last decade and change. And while Peevy was long overdue to get a job of this magnitude (one he will crush, I have no doubt), its important to explain just how big of a hole he will leave behind at Kentucky.

Understand that Peevy has been at Kentucky for so long, that he actually pre-dates John Calipari by a year. In a world where there are now teenagers who dont remember life in Lexington before Calipari was named head coach, Peevy was on the ground in the wild year of 2008 BC (Before Cal) startingin Billy Gillispies final season as the head coach.

And yeah, if that feels like a lifetime ago, it basically was. Peevys job responsibilities also reflect just how long ago, and just how different Kentucky was at the time. Poor Peevy spent his first year in Lexington trying to drum up any positive media coverage he could for the Kentucky basketball team, in a year when there really was no good news to report. Yes, there was a time not long ago where Kentucky didnt have enough media coverage. Unlike today where it is impossible to keep track of all the newspapers, blogs, podcasts and radio shows who cover the team.

It also means that as Peevy walks out the door, he leaves with a little piece of history with him. He has been there since Day 1 of the Calipari era.

And when I say since Day 1 I mean, the guy was literally there Day 1. When I wrote my book One and Fun some of the best, most vivid stories I got from the entire book centered around Caliparis opening few days as the Kentucky basketball head coach. They were stories that many others had long since forgotten, or simply never took the time to commit to memory. It was Peevy who was there alongside Calipari as he prepared his opening press conference the day he accepted the Kentucky job. It was Peevy who tried to pass along notes, ones that Calipari stubbornly (surprise, surprise) chose not to use.

But it brings me to two important points. One, its that Peevy leaves as basically the unofficial historian of the Calipari era in Lexington. Two, outside of Kentuckys assistant coaches, Peevy quickly became Caliparis most-trusted right hand man at UK.

Really, the best way I can put it is this: You know how John Calipari is just a crazy visionary? A guy who comes up with a million new ideas every year, ranging from Big Blue Madness stuff to schedule quirks, the NBA Combine, on and on and on? Well, if Calipari is the guy throwing a million ideas at the wall, Peevy was the guy who had to execute them all.

When Calipari said I want to beef up the schedule early in his time at Kentucky, Peevy helped create the CBS Sports Classic (an event that Indiana was originally supposed to be a part of, according to Peevy). When Calipari said that he wanted to take his team down to the Bahamas for their once-every-four-years foreign tour, Peevy was the guy who had to call Atlantis and figure out where the team would play, how many hotel rooms theyd need and how to get opposing teams into the country. When Calipari wanted the latest and greatest crazy stunt at Big Blue Madness (think, John Wall dancing in the rafters) Peevy was the guy who worked with UKs operations team to make it happen.

And those are really just examples of things I know about personally. I cant imagine how many other hats he has worn at UK over the past 12 years.

More than anything though, what will be missed most around Lexington is Peevys unique ability to build relations and connect with people. See him at a UK basketball game and the poor guy never got a moment of free time, shaking hands with old friends, chatting with media members, you name it.

That extends beyond just gameday as well, as Peevy was essentially the connective fiber of Caliparis La Familia culture in Lexington. Yes, Calipari is the Godfather, and yes, Calipari is in touch with his former players daily.

But so too is Peevy.

And in the same way those former players inherently trust Calipari they trust Peevy the same. Meaning that if you ever needed John Wall or Jamal Murray or Willie Cauley-Stein for something, Peevy was the guy to go to. He might not be able to get you on the phone with the player that day, but any time Peevy asked one of the guys for a favor, they obliged. It was never a hassle for the player. It was never a wild goose chase where you had to track down the player through a million PR people. If Peevy vouched for you, that was all the players needed to know. Usually you were on the phone with them within a day or two.

Add it all up, and thats really why it is impossible to fully explain what Peevy leaving means to Kentucky basketball. Yes, he had a fancy title of Deputy Athletics Director in Lexington. But thats just a job title. Kentucky will be able to fill the job. But theyll never be able to replace the person theyre losing.

In the end however, what it all boils down to is what I said up top: Kentucky should just be thankful they had him as long as they did.

Hell make a heck of an Athletic Director at DePaul. A job he was long overdue, and way overqualified for.

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DeWayne Peevy will be impossible to replace at Kentucky - kentuckysportsradio.com

The vast majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs indoors, most of it from the inhalation of airborne particles that contain the coronavirus. The best way to prevent the virus from spreading in a home or business would be to simply keep infected people away. But this is hard to do when an estimated 40% of cases are asymptomatic and asymptomatic people can still spread the coronavirus to others.

Masks do a decent job at keeping the virus from spreading into the environment, but if an infected person is inside a building, inevitably some virus will escape into the air.

I am a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Much of my work has focused on how to control the transmission of airborne infectious diseases indoors, and Ive been asked by my own university, my kids schools and even the Alaska State Legislature for advice on how to make indoor spaces safe during this pandemic.

Once the virus escapes into the air inside a building, you have two options: bring in fresh air from outside or remove the virus from the air inside the building.

The safest indoor space is one that constantly has lots of outside air replacing the stale air inside.

In commercial buildings, outside air is usually pumped in through heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. In homes, outside air gets in through open windows and doors, in addition to seeping in through various nooks and crannies.

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Simply put, the more fresh, outside air inside a building, the better. Bringing in this air dilutes any contaminant in a building, whether a virus or a something else, and reduces the exposure of anyone inside. Environmental engineers like me quantify how much outside air is getting into a building using a measure called the air exchange rate. This number quantifies the number of times the air inside a building gets replaced with air from outside in an hour.

While the exact rate depends on the number of people and size of the room, most experts consider roughly six air changes an hour to be good for a 10-foot-by-10-foot room with three to four people in it. In a pandemic this should be higher, with one study from 2016 suggesting that an exchange rate of nine times per hour reduced the spread of SARS, MERS and H1N1 in a Hong Kong hospital.

Many buildings in the U.S., especially schools, do not meet recommended ventilation rates. Thankfully, it can be pretty easy to get more outside air into a building. Keeping windows and doors open is a good start. Putting a box fan in a window blowing out can greatly increase air exchange too. In buildings that dont have operable windows, you can change the mechanical ventilation system to increase how much air it is pumping. But in any room, the more people inside, the faster the air should be replaced.

So how do you know if the room youre in has enough air exchange? Its actually a pretty hard number to calculate. But theres an easy-to-measure proxy that can help. Every time you exhale, you release CO2 into the air. Since the coronavirus is most often spread by breathing, coughing or talking, you can use CO2 levels to see if the room is filling up with potentially infectious exhalations. The CO2 level lets you estimate if enough fresh outside air is getting in.

Outdoors, CO2 levels are just above 400 parts per million (ppm). A well ventilated room will have around 800 ppm of CO2. Any higher than that and it is a sign the room might need more ventilation.

READ: Colorado Sun opinion columnists.

Last year, researchers in Taiwan reported on the effect of ventilation on a tuberculosis outbreak at Taipei University. Many of the rooms in the school were underventilated and had CO2 levels above 3,000 ppm. When engineers improved air circulation and got CO2 levels under 600 ppm, the outbreak completely stopped. According to the research, the increase in ventilation was responsible for 97% of the decrease in transmission.

Since the coronavirus is spread through the air, higher CO2 levels in a room likely mean there is a higher chance of transmission if an infected person is inside. Based on the study above, I recommend trying to keep the CO2 levels below 600 ppm. You can buy good CO2 meters for around $100 online; just make sure that they are accurate to within 50 ppm.

If you are in a room that cant get enough outside air for dilution, consider an air cleaner, also commonly called air purifiers. These machines remove particles from the air, usually using a filter made of tightly woven fibers. They can capture particles containing bacteria and viruses and can help reduce disease transmission.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that air cleaners can do this for the coronavirus, but not all air cleaners are equal. Before you go out and buy one, there are few things to keep in mind.

The first thing to consider is how effective an air cleaners filter is. Your best option is a cleaner that uses a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, as these remove more than 99.97% of all particle sizes.

The second thing to consider is how powerful the cleaner is. The bigger the room or the more people in it the more air needs to be cleaned. I worked with some colleagues at Harvard to put together a tool to help teachers and schools determine how powerful of an air cleaner you need for different classroom sizes.

The last thing to consider is the validity of the claims made by the company producing the air cleaner.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers certifies air cleaners, so the AHAM Verifide seal is a good place to start. Additionally, the California Air Resources Board has a list of air cleaners that are certified as safe and effective, though not all of them use HEPA filters.

Both the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that poor ventilation increases the risk of transmitting the coronavirus.

If you are in control of your indoor environment, make sure you are getting enough fresh air from outside circulating into the building. A CO2 monitor can help give you a clue if there is enough ventilation, and if CO2 levels start going up, open some windows and take a break outside. If you cant get enough fresh air into a room, an air cleaner might be a good idea. If you do get an air cleaner, be aware that they dont remove CO2, so even though the air might be safer, CO2 levels could still be high in the room.

If you walk into a building and it feels hot, stuffy and crowded, chances are that there is not enough ventilation. Turn around and leave.

By paying attention to air circulation and filtration, improving them where you can and staying away from places where you cant, you can add another powerful tool to your anti-coronavirus toolkit.

Shelly Miller is professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom.Read our ethics policy for more on The Suns opinion policyand submit columns, suggested writers and more toopinion@coloradosun.com.

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Opinion: How to use ventilation and air filtration to prevent the spread of coronavirus indoors - The Colorado Sun

By Shirley Salemy Meyer

Im an avid painter. Fine art, such as peonies rendered in watercolors or portraits captured by oil, is not my forte. I favor the practical arts. Each year, in late spring and early summer, I paint something a room, a radiator, a patio chair, a window seat in my century-old house. In a week or a weekend, I see a dramatic change.

The notion of change is often thought of as difficult changing jobs can be laborious, changing routines can be disconcerting, even frightening. But change can also be transformative. I approached this years painting season, a time when COVID-19 forced me to change my routines and added layers of worry about my elderly parents in quarantine and my teenage children in remote learning, with a profound need for something new. The slowness of rolling a fresh paint color along nine-foot-high walls, of brushing another layer of semigloss onto wide, decorative wood moldings, allowed contemplation during this disquieting time, a stocktaking of present-day problems and future possibilities.

During my weeks of isolation in Essex County in the midst of the dangerous pandemic, sobering protests urging us to acknowledge and fight racial injustice, and stubborn national leadership one project led to the next. I painted the attic, the mudroom and two bathrooms.

Painting is a methodical, meditative process. I use a roller to cover broad areas of the walls, and then carefully drag my brush along the narrow spaces that the roller is unable to reach. I dont use tape to protect the window and door casings, the crown and baseboard moldings, when I cut in. Instead, I rely on my steady hand and a sharply angled brush. My body leans into the wall, nearly hugging it, as I pull the brush along the edge of the molding to get a clean line. The result of this slow, intimate work is a new look.

Sometimes, change can cause harm. The baseboard moldings are a mess, scuffed up by kids shoes and toys, and contain sections that are wavy and chipped. But lead paint is present amid the layers of paint. Ill never risk sanding the molding to attain a smooth finish when lead paint dust can be so damaging to our health. I can live with the moldings flaws.

But most change is a mark of progress. My drop cloths are a historical record of change in the house: old sheets with dump trucks or bright green polka dots, discolored shower curtains and plastic tablecloths splattered with glitter glue. After each painting project, I wash them all, then store them in a basement room where I keep supplies. The room is filled with old gallons of paint and quarts of colors I tested in various rooms. I recently cleaned out the cans that I will never need again: an electric blue and lime green that were on the walls of the girls room a decade ago; a soft blue that adorned the baby room the bedroom with the crib and changing table that two of my kids cycled into as infants and out of as toddlers. My youngest remained there a twin bed replaced the crib and the changing table became a bookcase and now three of its walls are painted white, the fourth a brick red.

The dining room has been three different colors in 19 years: golden yellow, off-white, and now a saturated, smoky blue. The color of the living room has changed from gold to beige to taupe during that same time period. The most dramatic makeover during my current painting season was in the mudroom, with the walls changing from fiery orange to a serene blue-green hue.

Each time Ive painted a room, Ive gained a new understanding, a new way of looking at the house and my environment. I never realized the usefulness of a bedroom window seat with storage until I painted it. I didnt appreciate the intricacy of the balusters in the attic until I painstakingly brushed them with paint. That gorgeous new color in the mudroom, which toggles between blue and green depending on the time of day, opened my eyes to how much sunshine enters the room.

Right now, we all would benefit from such a new perspective a shake-up in our thinking, a revitalization in our own lives and a much-needed boost to the collective well-being of the country. If only it came as easily as a few fresh coats of paint on imperfect walls.

Shirley Salemy Meyer, a Maplewood resident, is a part-time lecturer in the Writing Program at Rutgers-New Brunswick.

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Painting is slow, meditative and a way to bring change | Opinion - NJ.com