Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

One of the best moments of a long, hectic day often comes at the very end, when you fall into bed, pull up the covers and drop off to sleep.

Unless, of course, your bedroom is an uninviting mess.

A poorly chosen paint color you would rather forget, an uncomfortable rug underfoot and the glare of streetlights outside are just some of the problems that can conspire to create a room you would rather avoid the opposite of an ideal environment for deep sleep.

Our bedroom environment is probably the most modifiable factor that can influence our sleep health, said Natalie Dautovich, an assistant professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and the environmental fellow for the National Sleep Foundation, which has declared March 8 the beginning of Sleep Awareness Week. There are things we can do to improve the bedroom that will help us to fall asleep more easily, return to sleep when we wake up during the night and stay asleep until our desired wake time.

Specifically, the ideal bedroom environment is dark, quiet and cool very cavelike, in a sense, Dr. Dautovich said.

But by adding comfort and a feeling of security, we can do much better than a cave. For tips on how to design a restful bedroom, we consulted designers and scientists.

When your objective is to create a comforting environment, the bedroom is not the place to experiment with dazzling patterns or bold colors like lime green or fiery orange.

I like to make bedrooms super calm, said Timothy Godbold, an interior designer in Southampton, N.Y., who favors a crisp palette of whites and light grays with few, if any, pops of bright color. My clients tend to be super busy people who work a lot, so when they go to bed, they want to clear their minds.

Mark Cunningham, an interior designer in New York, also prefers a tightly controlled color palette. A lot of times theyre kind of monochromatic, he said of the bedrooms he designs. I think its a nice relief and retreat to go into a serene bedroom.

That doesnt mean light colors are the only option. Dark colors can be equally inviting, so long as you choose neutrals and stick with them. In one Manhattan apartment, for instance, Mr. Cunningham used a palette of dark grays, resulting in a deeply cozy, cocoon-like bedroom.

The easiest way to surround yourself in a calming color is with a fresh coat of paint. But in a bedroom, many designers instead opt for a soft wallcovering.

For one San Francisco home, Alison Pickart, a Bay Area designer, created a bedroom with walls upholstered in gray silk velvet. For me, bedrooms always need to feel super cozy, and I always love to layer textures, she said.

But the look and feeling of velvet isnt its only asset it also helps keep the room quiet. Its dead silent, she said, because of the acoustical quality of the velvet on top of the cotton batting.

An economical way of achieving a similar effect is to use wallpaper with the look of fabric. In some of her projects, Ms. Pickart has used Suede Lounge wallpaper from Phillip Jeffries, which looks and feels like natural suede once it has been installed.

Even patterned wallpaper can work well in a bedroom, as long as the colors arent too wild, said Ellie Cullman, a founder of the New York interior design firm Cullman & Kravis Associates. Sometimes it creates an element of restfulness, because its like being enveloped in the pattern, Ms. Cullman said. It can be very cozy.

An easy way to make a room with wood floors quieter and more inviting is to add carpet.

We always love a carpet in a bedroom, said Lee Cavanaugh, a design partner at Cullman & Kravis. Its nice to be able to step out of bed and not just feel a cold wood floor.

The softer the carpet the better, since its a place where youll often be barefoot. When the budget allows, we like to use a carpet with silk in it, because thats really soft, Ms. Cullman said. But there are a number of pleasing options that are less expensive, including rugs made from wool, cotton and other natural fibers.

Usually, designers install a wall-to-wall carpet or a large area rug that extends under the bed and other furniture, leaving a border of exposed wood around the edges of the room.

The choice comes down to the desired look, as well as the layout of the room, Mr. Cunningham said. Often, he said, if there is a walk-in closet or dressing room adjacent to the bedroom, well do wall-to-wall, just so it can run into the closet.

Light is the most dominant cue for our circadian sleep-wake system, Dr. Dautovich said, so controlling the illumination from windows is important.

The easiest way to reduce the light from outside whether its from the moon, an early sunrise, streetlights or the headlights of passing cars is with blackout shades or curtains that have a blackout lining.

The way the sun rises at dawn is particularly powerful. The gradual onset of light cues the body to suppress melatonin and start feeling alert, Dr. Dautovich said. If your desired wake time is after dawn, then blackout curtains can help with that.

Of course, bedrooms arent used solely at night. Most people also want privacy and some light control during the day, without having to make the room completely dark. Many designers use multiple layers of window coverings that might include blackout shades inside the window and sheer curtains over top.

Cullman & Kravis frequently goes one step further and installs blackout and solar shades inside the top of each window, and then a decorative treatment, like embroidered curtain panels, over the window casing, for a softer appearance.

In bedrooms with many windows, Mr. Godbold recommended installing motorized shades that can be raised and lowered with the push of a button (or smartphone tap), from a company like the Shade Store or Hunter Douglas.

You dont necessarily have to have electrical wires in your walls near the window casings, he said. There are a lot of battery-operated ones that are really good.

In the same way that layers of window coverings provide better control of natural light, layers of light fixtures can help create the right atmosphere at various times of day.

We are firm believers in lots of layers of light, said Ms. Cavanaugh, of Cullman & Kravis. We like an overhead light fixture, art lights, sconces and lamps.

Installing numerous fixtures and lamps may also make it easier to support the bodys natural circadian rhythms.

Dont try to get everything out of one fixture in the middle of the room, because youre probably not going to be able to do it, said Mariana G. Figueiro, the director of the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. You really need bright light during the day and then dimmer, warmer colors in the evening, because thats what gives you that robust light-dark pattern that helps maintain entrainment for the circadian system.

Bedroom light fixtures and lamps should be on dimmers, she said, and bulbs should have a warm color temperature of about 2,700 kelvin. That way, all the fixtures can be switched on at full wattage to brightly illuminate the room in the morning, but then the ceiling fixture can be switched off and bedside lamps can be dimmed in the evening.

Also consider having a storage place for electronics like smartphones inside the drawer of a nightstand, for example where they wont disrupt sleep with late-night notifications.

A platform or a four-poster bed? A soft or firm mattress? Many pillows or just a few?

When designing the centerpiece of the bedroom, so much comes down to personal preference and sleep habits. But there are some rules of thumb.

In general, our mattress height is usually around 24 or 25 inches, Mr. Cunningham said, although some people may like it a few inches lower. To avoid ending up with a bed thats uncomfortably high, he said, consider how the height of the bed frame, box spring and mattress will add up when shopping for components.

For a reassuring sense of enclosure, Mr. Cunningham often uses four-poster beds in his projects. (He has also designed an upholstered model of his own, which he sells through his Manhattan showroom, Marked.)

Its also possible to create the illusion of a four-poster bed, if you dont want to splurge for one. In a house in Greenwich, Conn., Mr. Cunningham installed a ceiling-mounted drapery rail above the bed, with long, sheer curtains that can encircle it and park at the four corners when open.

As for choosing a mattress, Ms. Pickart stressed the importance of trying out several mattresses in person to find your preferred comfort level, rather than taking a chance with an online order. Its something that you return to every day to recover and prepare for the next day, she said. You really have to take your time and find the right thing.

To finish it off, Mr. Godbold usually keeps the bedding simple, topping mattresses with white sheets, a blanket or duvet and a minimum of pillows.

For me, its about having one or two pillows per person, and thats it, he said, noting the current trend away from the sumptuously overblown beds of decades past. Its not that grandma vibe of having way too many pillows on your bed.

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How to Get the Bedroom of Your Dreams - The New York Times

On a hill overlooking a middle-class neighbourhood and a hospital lies one of So Paulos slums home to about 300 families trying to eke out a living in the largest city in Brazil. Here in Boi Malhado, ramshackle dwellings built with planks of wood and corrugated iron are perched precariously on the hillside. Only recently, one house belonging to a mother and her newborn baby collapsed. Both survived but the remains are there for everyone to see.

Children run up and down narrow passageways between laundry lines and live electric wires; sewers are a hole in the ground covered by a piece of wood; and water access is sporadic its common for the community to go without for days. Our government is very unfair, says resident Mariangela Ferreira, 35. We pay our taxes and we dont even have the basics.

Inhabitants face all manner of health problems, including HIV. It is this that has brought Sandra Santos, a healthcare professional who specialises in educating young people about the virus, here on a Saturday afternoon. Santos, who works at Emilio Ribas hospital is convinced that its areas like this where she must work.

But its challenging. The poverty is breathtaking and Santos had to go through an intermediary to ask the drug dealers that rule this area to allow her into the slum. Healthcare professionals wont enter because theyre too scared, she says. But these are the people who we cant reach and who need our help.

In the past hour, she has spoken to a 20-year-old mother who is living with a diagnosis of HIV. The new mother is taking antiretroviral drugs she started when she found out she was pregnant but Santos fears for the future. If [health services] dont give her the support she needs, she will lose motivation and not take her medication.

The number of young people with HIV in Brazil is on the rise. Figures from 2019 show that from 2007 to June 2019, 300,496 cases of HIV were reported in Brazil. The majority (52.7%) were found among those aged 20-34. While rates among the white population are falling, more black people are becoming infected. In So Paulo, young men account for the most accentuated spread of the epidemic. In the 10 years up until 2018, male 15- to 19-year-olds, 20- to 24-year-olds and 25- to 29-year-olds showed an increase in detection of 3.8 times, 2.9 and 2.3 times respectively.

Santoss work has never been more important. Traditionally her role has been to welcome young people who contracted HIV from their mothers to the hospital, and work with other healthcare professionals to educate them around the importance of taking their medication, as well as helping them to deal with prejudice and stigma in society.

Now she is focusing on prevention. She works with a team of young people with the virus to give lectures in schools and youth centres about what living with HIV is like, and how to avoid getting it in the first place.

Renata Ferreira, 21, is a patient at Emilio Ribas and recently helped to set up an organisation that supports other young people with HIV. She also goes out with Santos and others to talk about her life with the virus.

She was the only one of three siblings to contract HIV from her mother and now lives in Paraispolis, one of the largest favelas in Brazil, with her adoptive parents. She takes antiretrovirals and is undetectable she cannot pass on HIV through sex and can have children without giving them the virus. No one knows about HIV around here. We know it exists but thats it, says Ferreira. We are taught very little about sex and prevention. Even doctors dont know much. At her local health centre, she has found herself explaining aspects of living with HIV to doctors.

Life hasnt always been easy for Ferreira. Until the age of 14 I thought I was going to die, she says. I didnt have other people with HIV in my life. There were times when she gave up taking her medication and struggled with stigma at school. Along with Santos and her friend and colleague Thiago Martins, who also lives with HIV, Ferreira has seen lots of people die. Santos remembers one year when 17 people she was working with died. Wed go from a funeral to a birthday party. It was very hard, she says.

Back in Boi Malhado, Maria dos Anjos, a community leader, sits at a table with Santos talking about ways they can work together. Its so important to talk about HIV. And first we must talk about prevention, says Anjos. I know 11- and 12-year-old girls who have to prostitute themselves to survive. We have a problem with sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy because children dont receive any sex education.

The future may be fraught with challenges and Santos and her colleagues have to work in a difficult political climate: the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, recently labelled people with HIV an expense for everyone. But today has been productive and, at least on the ground, there is hope and appetite for change.

More:
'Health workers are too scared to enter': the fight to treat HIV in a So Paulo favela - The Guardian

Issued on: 03/03/2020 - 17:01

New York (AFP)

Dublin-based Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara were awarded the Pritzker prize on Tuesday -- the first time a female duo has scooped architecture's most prestigious award.

The pair gained international fame for their blocky, brutalist-inspired structures that include Paris's Institut Mines Telecom building.

Just three women have won Pritzkers before them and no Irish citizens have ever picked up the prize.

Architects since the 1970s, the duo have developed a unique style that is modern while emphasizing craft and working with site-specific aesthetics.

The jury cited Farrell and McNamara's "integrity" and "generosity towards their colleagues."

The judges also praised their "unceasing commitment to excellence in architecture, their responsible attitude toward the environment, their ability to be cosmopolitan while embracing the uniqueness of each place in which they work."

The pair say their home of Ireland informed their focus on geography and shifts in climate, resulting in buildings that celebrate detail while remaining modest.

"What we try to do in our work is to be aware of the various levels of citizenship and try to find an architecture that deals with overlap, that heightens your relationship to one another," the Pritzker committee quoted Farrell as saying.

The two women co-founded Grafton Architects in 1978 in Dublin, where they both continue to work and live.

The past four decades have seen them complete projects in Ireland as well as Britain, France, Italy and Peru.

"Within the ethos of a practice such as ours, we have so often struggled to find space for the implementation of such values as humanism, craft, generosity, and cultural connection with each place and context within which we work," said McNamara.

"It is therefore extremely gratifying that this recognition is bestowed upon us and our practice and upon the body of work we have managed to produce over a long number of years."

2020 AFP

See the rest here:
Architecture's top prize awarded to two women - RFI

Want to know how to wire a plug? These simple, step-by-step instructions are intended to help you replace a plug on an appliance, or other electrical equipment, in the event that the plug supplied has been damaged. It's a simple DIY job that should be carried out, with ease, by most. And is a better solution than replacing a product entirely.

Before you get started, it's worth noting that an error in wiring your new plug not only has the potential to prevent your equipment from working correctly, but can also make it unsafe and could cause serious injury. So, if you have any doubts or queries prior to getting started, then you should consult a registered electrician, repair technician, the equipment manufacturer or their agent in order to seek professional support. It's not worth getting this one wrong if you're totally confident in what you're doing.

For more DIY advice and information, head over to our DIY hub page.

Materials needed:

Cabinet Handle Screwdriver Set

Wire Cutters - Mini Diagonal

Instructions:

1. Before starting, check if any part of the plug is damaged. If this is the case, dispose of it and replace it.

2. Note that a plug with exposed conductors will be dangerous if plugged in.

3. Firstly, with the plug on a flat surface, remove the outer screws. Note that the main centre screw may undo but not be removable.

4. Open the plug up and familiarise yourself with the markings on the inside positions of the markings should be Neutral (blue cable; bottom left); Live (brown cable; middle right) and Earth (green and yellow cable; central top).

The mains lead on your equipment may only have two wires inside, Live (brown) and Neutral (blue). This is perfectly normal and your equipment will have extra protection built in so that an earth connection is not required.

5. If your plug was supplied with a flex strain-relief (rubber tube), slip it over the end of your cable.

6. Next, loosen all the small terminal screws inside the plug.

7. Check the instructions provided with your replacement plug and strip back the correct length of outer insulation on your cable. Make sure you do not damage the inner (coloured) cores.

8. Cut the individual cores to length and strip back the coloured insulation of each core according to the plug instructions twisting the copper strands together. The Live (brown) cable will typically be shorter than the earth (green/yellow) and neutral (blue).

9. Beginning with the Live wire, insert the twisted copper conductors into the terminals and tighten each screw securely. Ensure that no strands of copper protrude and that the coloured insulation does not enter the terminal.

If your mains cable does not have an earth wire, ensure the earth terminal in the plug is also tightened securely to prevent the loose screw from falling out.

10. Press the coloured wires into the spaces in the plug so that when the top is attached, wires will not be pinched.

11. Hold the cord grip in position and replace the two screws (if provided). Check that the wires inside the plug are not under tension and that the cord grip will tighten onto the outer insulation.

If you have a rubber flex strain-relief, ensure it is captured with the cable beneath the cable grip or is in position at the exit of the plug as appropriate.

12. Tighten securely and gently pull on the cable to check that it cannot move. Note that some plugs do not have a cord grip retained by screws but have a mechanism that pinches the cable. Check that the cable is retained securely. If this is not possible, maybe because of the size of the cable, you will need to obtain a different plug.

13. Double-check that all connections have been made correctly, i.e. Live to Live terminal etc.

14. Replace the top of the plug and tighten the screw securely.

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How to wire a plug use our advice to tackle this simple DIY task - Real Homes

Issued on: 02/03/2020 - 22:40

Los Angeles (AFP)

James Lipton, the US actor-turned-academic who for decades interviewed Hollywood's biggest A-listers as host of "Inside the Actors Studio," has died at 93, the show's network said Monday.

Lipton hosted the influential show for nearly 25 years, conducting hour-long interviews with silver-screen legends from Paul Newman and Dennis Hopper to Julia Roberts and Scarlett Johansson.

"Beloved Inside the #ActorsStudio host James Lipton has died at 93," tweeted Ovation TV, an arts network that acquired the show last year when Lipton retired.

Lipton passed away Monday at his New York home following a battle with bladder cancer, his wife Kedakai Mercedes Lipton told The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times.

The show was conceived as part of a program for drama students at the New School in Manhattan, but the Bravo cable channel picked up the television rights.

Lipton focused on the craft of filmmaking and avoided straying into celebrity gossip.

Nominated for 21 Emmys, the show was praised for its stellar lineup and in-depth discussions, but drew criticism for an approach labeled sycophantic by some viewers.

Born in Detroit in 1926, Lipton embarked on an acting career in the 1940s, and later moved into writing and producing.

During a 2013 interview, Lipton described a brief period in his youth when he had worked as a pimp in Paris.

"We'll miss him dearly, but we wish him peace as he arrives at those pearly gates. #RestInPeace" wrote Ovation TV.

Lipton would finish his interviews by asking each famous guest to answer a series of identical questions, borrowed from French TV host Bernard Pivot.

"If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?" was among the questions.

2020 AFP

Continue reading here:
'Inside the Actors Studio' host James Lipton dies aged 93 - RFI

A family which planned a "nice weekend away" at a holiday camp left after one night because of the "filthy" state of their accommodation.

Teresa Barbato, 21, from Port Talbot went to Brean Sands in Somerset on Friday, February 28, for a three-night stay along with her partner, mother, grandmother and grandmother's partner. They had paid 130 for two apartments.

Teresa received an email from Pontins shortly before the break to offer the family a free upgrade to a higher standard of apartment, called a Club Apartment, which they accepted.

When they arrived, they found that one of the rooms had children's bunk beds in and they claim there was mould in the bedrooms, faulty electronics, and what they thought was faeces on a pull-out sofa bed.

"As soon as we opened the door we found problems. We couldn't believe they expected elderly, disabled people to sleep on bunk beds," said Teresa.

"Also, my mother and I have fibromyalgia and my partner is 6ft 3ins tall so it wasn't appropriate for any of us.

"They ask the age and other details for people before they stay to 'allow the allocation of appropriate accommodation,' which this wasn't."

Teresa's grandmother, Mary John, 68, and her grandmother's partner, Douglas Hookins, 73, both have disabilities.

"We thought a weekend away would be nice and let everyone forget about their problems for a bit.

"After seeing the state of the rooms, we said we'd make the best of a bad situation and just use the rooms as base but by the Saturday morning we'd had enough, we packed up and went home," added Teresa.

On Saturday, Teresa, who has asthma, says she woke up with a tight chest.

"I got out of bed on Saturday and stood right in a puddle of water, there was mould on the walls which must be what set off my asthma," she said.

Her mother, Rebecca Barbato, was staying in the one bedroom chalet opposite and had problems of her own.

"There was a pool of water in the shower that must have been there for days because it had dead flies and spiders in it and there were black stains in the toilet," said Teresa.

"There were also exposed wires in the bathroom and my partner said 'imagine if a child touched those'.

"My mother pulled out the sofa bed and there was what looked like faeces on it."

Shortly after arriving on Friday, Teresa had been to the reception at Brean Sands and said the manager offered her a downgrade to standard apartments, but was told she would have to pay for electricity in the rooms if they decided to move.

She added that a cleaner was sent to their rooms as well but "all they did was let the water out of the shower basin and flush the toilet".

The family decided against the offered downgrade and made the two-hour drive back to Port Talbot on Saturday morning.

Teresa added that she made a complaint on the Pontins Facebook page, but the post had since been deleted and her profile has been blocked.

She said that the family had often gone to Brean Sands for holidays in her childhood but that they had "no intention of going there again".

Pontins has been approached for comment.

Go here to read the rest:
Family leave Pontins holiday early because of 'mould, dead flies and exposed wires' in their rooms - Wales Online

Six Island schools were upgraded or refurbished by the Isle of Wight Council last year and many more are set to benefit from millions of pounds of government funding.

In total, almost 2 million was invested by the council in major projects that have included modern classrooms, replacement roofing and windows, heating systems and electrical works.

However, a further estimated 12 million is set to be spent on the Island over the coming years through the governments Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP).

The programme has already seen the refurbishment of Barton Primary School, Newport, and a new build at Queensgate Primary School, East Cowes which opened last week with major works also planned for Binstead, Brading, Dover Park (Ryde), Greenmount (Ryde), Wootton and Wroxall primary schools.

Councillor Paul Brading, Cabinet member for childrens services and education, said: We are continually investing in our schools to ensure our children have the best possible learning environment.

Thanks to the strong working relationship between the Department for Education (DfE) and local authority, many Island schools are also benefiting from significant investment from the governments PSBP.

Our push on improvements is helping to boost school results on the Island with outcomes improving at a much faster rate than schools nationally.

Godshill Primary School has recently undergone a 640,000 transformation with the council investing a further 790,000 in Cowes and Broadlea primary schools, with the latter benefiting from a brand-new roof.

Around 200,000 has been spent at The Bay Church of England School, Sandown, as part of a series of works which has included the refurbishment of the school dining hall.

Meanwhile, further investment has been made at St Georges special school and Medina House School, both at Newport, to enhance fire safety.

Among the schools to have already benefited from PSBP funding is Gurnard Primary where, last month, pupils were excited to walk into a snazzy new building.

The old school had become very expensive and time consuming to maintain with a leaky roof, blocked drains and temperamental boiler.

The new building has much larger classrooms, benefits from the latest facilities and is fully accessible for children and adults with disabilities.

Headteacher Vanessa Hicks said: We are lucky enough to have two halls, two library spaces, music practice rooms and a specialist science lab.

The learning environment in the new school is outstanding.

The children are now designing our new back garden which will be created on the site of the old school. This will include a natural playground, pond, wildflower meadow, forest school, orchard and allotment so were all very excited to see it develop.

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Millions of pounds of investment in Island schools - Isle of Wight Observer

By John E. LePage Jr.Correspondent

SundayMar1,2020at12:01AM

The Spencer Township Trustees met on Feb. 17. Trustees Brad West and Mark Roberts were present along with Fiscal Officer Darlene Miser.

Bills in the amount of $25,158.92 were presented and approved for payment. Correspondence received included GrassRoots Clippings Newsletter, legislative alerts, and miscellaneous mailings. There were no visitors in attendance.

In old business the trustees discussed the Windstream road bore, Internet connection and the Muskingum Watershed assessment. In new business, the trustees discussed roofing proposals and the possible replacement of a tractor utilizing the state bidding program.

The next regular meeting of the Spencer Township Trustees will be on Monday March 16 at 7 p.m. in the Township Building on Mill Street in Cumberland.

Upcoming events

The next card making class at the Presbyterian Church in Cumberland will be March 2. It will run from 1 to 3 p.m. No skills or materials are needed. The cost is a $10 donation to the church.

March 2 The next regular meeting of the Cumberland Village Council is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the village building on Mill Street.

March 3-4 The SouthEastern Ohio Joint Solid Waste Management Districts Recycling Trailer is scheduled to be at the Spencer Township Building on Mill Street in Cumberland. Please do not place trash in the trailer or leave items on the ground next to the trailer. The recycling trailers schedule is subject to change.

Wednesdays There is a quilting group get together beginning at 9:30 am at the Presbyterian Church in Cumberland located at the intersection of Main and Church streets.

Thursdays Euchre is scheduled at the Chandlersville Community Building from 7 to 9 p.m., weather permitting. (The Community Building is the old Chandlersville School located on SR 146 in Chandlersville.)

Read more here:
Cumberland news - News - The Daily Jeffersonian

On Tuesday, March 10th, Michiganders will head to the polls to vote on the Republican and Democratic Presidential nominees. When they get there, theyll see a number of proposals on the ballot aswell.

See key information on voting below, including proposals that 101.9 WDETs newsroom is currently reporting. This article will be updated as we publishreporting.

Voters will need to choose from three ballot types. They can pick a Democratic,Republican,or non-presidentialballot.

A non-presidential ballot is for voters who choose to give up voting for presidential candidates in the primary in order to keep their party affiliations private. Ballot choices are subject to the Freedom of Information Act for 22 months after an election. They will still be able to vote on localproposals.

Here are the ballot initiatives and proposals 101.9 WDETs reporters will be following in advance of the election. This list is not comprehensive, but a reflection of our newsroomreporting.

What: Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties will be asked if they want to renew a millage for the Detroit Institute of Arts. The ten year,.2 mill tax was initially passed in 2012. It costs a tax payer with a $100,000 home $10peryear.

Supporters: Salvador Salort-Pons,Director of the DIA,says the millage has allowed the museum to bus in seniors and studentsand fund community arts programming in thecounties.

In the past we were an organization that generally speaking was looking a little bit inwards. Thanks to this millage and the service agreement we have with Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties we areout-facing.

Opponents: During the 2012 campaign the DIA said it would not ask for a renewal. Critics say its unfair the museum put the millage on the ballot during a primary election,which historically has low voterturnout.

A lawmaker has introduced a bill that would allow communities to opt out of the Detroit Institute of Arts millage renewal, should it pass. State House Rep. Jeff Yaroch represents northern Macomb County communities like Armada, Richmond and Memphis.He says he introduced the bill because most of his communities voted against the millage in2012.

We have our own issues to take care of. We have water, sewerage and roads issues. So maybe some of those communities would rather see their resources go to fixing their own issues than addressing another countysissues.

What:Ferndale Public Schools has a proposal to raise$120 million over 10 years through a bond on the ballot. The bond is structured to avoid a tax increase for Ferndaleresidents.

Supporters:Superintendent Dania Bazzi says the bond is needed to make improvements to the Ferndale High School and Middle Schoolcampus.

That campus the building was built in the 1950s. It is a solid building. But much like your home, its in need of mechanical, plumbingand roofing upgrades, which are substantial on a 420,000 square footbuilding.

What:The proposal would create a policy for the implementation of marijuana facilities, including process, fees and criteria for licensing. The proposal would prohibit sales or marijuana within 1,000 feet of schools, include equity plans for communities impacted by the prohibition of marijuana, and implement a businessexcisetax.

What: Proposal to allow Plymouth-Canton Community Schools to borrow up to $275,000,000 through the issuance of general obligation bonds for the purpose of upgrading school facilities, construction of a new stadium, acquiring instructional technology, and preparing new activity and athletic facilities. Repayment of the bonds is expected to incur an average of 1.65 mills annually for up to 20 years, costing a tax payer with a $100,000 home $165 ayear.

What: Proposal to increase a millage on taxable property by 1.9 mills over 10 years, 2020 to 2029, for enhancements to local public school districts. The millage would raise an estimated $55 million if approved, and costa tax payer with a $100,000 home $95 peryear.

Schools that would benefit from the millage include Anchor Bay School District, Armada Area Schools, Center Line Public Schools, Chippewa Valley Schools, Clintondale Community Schools, Eastpointe Public Schools, Fitzgerald Public Schools, Fraser Public Schools, Lake Shore Public Schools, Lakeview Public Schools, LAnse Creuse Public Schools, Mount Clemens Community Schools, New Haven Community Schools, Richmond Community Schools, Romeo Community Schools, Roseville Community Schools, South Lake Schools, South Lake Schools, Utica Community Schools, Van Dyke Public Schools, Warren Consolidated Schools, Warren Woods Public Schools and Macomb Intermediate SchoolDistrict.

What:A proposal to allow Birmingham Public Schools to borrow up to $195,000,000 through the issuance of general obligation bonds for the purpose of upgrading school facilities, construction of a new stadium, acquiring instructional technology, and preparing new activity and athletic facilities. Repayment of the bonds is expected to incur an average of1.24 mills annually for up to 20 years, costing a tax payer with a $100,000 home $124 ayear.

What:Proposal to extenda millage on taxable property for up to 18 mills for general school operating purposes, restricted to 16.9698 mills on owner-occupied homes, for 10 years, 2020 to 2029. This millage would raise approximately $42,309,000 in the firstyear.

What:Proposal to allow the city to continue to levy a 7.5 mils property tax in Center Line for 10 years, 2021 through 2030, for public safety, police and fire.Based on current taxable property value the millage would raise approximately $1,160,000 and cost an owner of a $100,000 property $750 ayear.

Read more from the original source:
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PUPILS at Gurnard Primary School have returned to a shiny new school after the half-term holiday.

The old school had become very expensive and time consuming to maintain, with a leaky roof, blocked drains and temperamental boiler.

The new building has larger classrooms, benefits from the latest facilities and is fully accessible for children and adults with disabilities.

Headteacher Vanessa Hicks said: "We are lucky enough to have two halls, two library spaces, music practice rooms and a specialist science lab.

"The learning environment in the new school is outstanding.

"The children are now designing our new back garden which will be created on the site of the old school (formerly Solent Middle School).

"This will include a natural playground, pond, wildflower meadow, forest school, orchard and allotment so were all very excited to see it develop."

According to the Isle of Wight Council, it upgraded or refurbished six schools last year and many more are set to benefit from millions of pounds of government funding.

In total, almost 2 million was invested by the council in major projects that have included modern classrooms, replacement roofing and windows, heating systems and electrical works.

However, a further estimated 12 million is set to be spent on the Island over the coming years through the government's Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP).

The programme has already seen the refurbishment of Barton Primary School, Newport, and a new build at Queensgate Primary School, East Cowes which opened last week with major works also planned for Binstead, Brading, Dover Park (Ryde), Greenmount (Ryde), Wootton and Wroxall primary schools.

Cllr Paul Brading, Cabinet member for children's services and education, said: "We are continually investing in our schools to ensure our children have the best possible learning environment.

"Thanks to the strong working relationship between the Department for Education (DfE) and local authority, many Island schools are also benefitting from significant investment from the government's PSBP.

"Our push on improvements is helping to boost school results on the Island with outcomes improving at a much faster rate than schools nationally."

Godshill Primary School has recently undergone a 640,000 transformation with the council investing a further 790,000 in Cowes and Broadlea primary schools, with the latter benefitting from a brand-new roof.

Around 200,000 has been spent at The Bay Church of England School, Sandown, as part of a series of works which has included the refurbishment of the school dining hall.

Meanwhile, further investment has been made at St George's special school and Medina House School, both at Newport, to enhance fire safety.

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School's cool! Gurnard pupils return to a shiny new building after half term - Isle of Wight County Press