Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

There were stories about the founding of the State of Israel locked into the memories of people who lived locally as well.

I know that because I was honored to be able to tell a few of those stories.

Most but not all of the main characters in these stories have died, most of them after I talked to them, one long before I talked to his grandson. All the stories have been featured in the Jewish Standard.

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On January 24, 2003, I wrote about Reuel Dankner, who lived in Fair Lawn then; the story was called Its been an amazing life. Mr. Dankner was born in 1922, in Westchester County, but his father had been born in Palestine. The family moved to Netanya when Reuel was 10.

On their first day, he said, the family took a bus to their temporary new home. The bus went from the paved road from Haifa to Tel Aviv. They transferred to another bus to go to Netanya, but after a few miles the bus got stuck in the sand. We all had to get out and push the bus. Our first day in Palestine!

Reuel Dankner

Mr. Dankner described playing baseball in the familys eventually long-term home in Petach Tikvah with a broomstick, and the gloves hed brought from his old home. Just having them made him the home-run king of Petach Tikvah.

At 12, he was recruited into the Haganah. You dont just ask to join. They recruit you, he said. He soon learned how to put a gun together blindfolded. His parents never knew.

The family gave up on Palestine life was hard there and went back to New York. Mr. Dankner joined the American Army in 1942; he did intelligence there, and used the Arabic that he spoke to pick up information in Casablanca. He was on Normandy Beach on D Day, he was at the Battle of the Bulge, he came back home and had a regular life.

In 1948, among other adventures, I was in Los Angeles I did take a load of guns and ammunition down to the Mexican border. He had to leave it there, though, as other people took it across the border and loaded it on ships for Israel. They had my record they knew I had been in the Palestinian underground.

Reuel Dankner died in 2005

In 2003, three local people were among the 70 given awards by the American Veterans for Israel; the awards, celebrated after the Salute to Israel parade, were distributed on board the Intrepid. I wrote about them in the June 13th issue that year, in a story called Steaming Toward Palestine:

Nathan Nadler

Nathan Nadler of Rutherford, born in Brooklyn in 1927, was drafted into the U.S. Army when he turned 18; he was sent to Munich, where he put his training as an electrician to use. After the wars end and his discharge, he saw newspaper ads for the Barney Ross Brigade of the American Free League for Palestine. He went to Union Square to find out about it, but left its office unimpressed. But, he said, As I was leaving, a young boy ran over to me, put a piece of paper in my hand with a penciled telephone number scribbled on it. If youre really interested, call this number, he said. The kid was about 14. He called, was asked to go to a townhouse on Fifth Avenue near the Metropolitan Museum of Art a mansion, he called it, probably accurately and was interviewed by someone who sat in the dark and aimed a flashlight at Mr. Nadler, so he was blinded by it. He never saw his interviewer, but the next day he got a call, telling him to go Pier 32 in Philadelphia. Theyll be expecting you, he was told. He went, boarded the President Warfield, and was gone. He was 20 years old.

The boat was renamed the Exodus.

Concentration camp survivors from DP camps line up in Sate as they prepare to board the Exodus.

After it got to the port of Sete, in France, 4,554 people, all survivors, boarded. The British dogged them for the entire journey to Palestine, refusing to let them off, fighting them when they tried to disembark. One of the crew, standing right next to Mr. Nadler, was killed. His name was Bill Bernstein. They clubbed him and he died, Mr. Nadler said.

He was injured, but he, like everyone else, kept fighting, but in the end they lost. The boat had to take its passengers back, and the only place that would take those passengers all Shoah survivors was a one-time German concentration camp.

Mr. Nadler, meanwhile, as a crew member, was on a prison ship in Marseilles; his leg had been badly wounded. I never made it to Palestine then, he said. Back in the States, he became an electrician.

Nathan Nadler died in 2012.

David Hanovice of Fort Lee was born in Tel Aviv, grew up in Houston, went back to Palestine, and then joined the U. S. Army and was based in the Middle East during World War II. After the war ended he went back to the United States, but in 1948, when Israel was attacked, he returned. He got on a ship in New Orleans, the Yucatan, destined for the Israeli navy. It was all illegal; he couldnt get a passport to Israel, because the U. S. government wasnt giving them, but as a sailor he didnt need one. And no one on the Yucatan told the government that the ship was going to Israel. That wasnt legal either. It was a mishmash of all kinds of deception, Mr. Hanovice said.

David Hanovice

He stayed in the Israeli navy for many years, became a commander, moved back to the United States, and became a chief engineer in the American merchant marine; his wife, Rose, was a nurse in the Israeli army.

David Hanovice died in 2009.

Naomi Kantey of Hackensack was born in Philadelphia in 1925; she was a fervent Zionist and a nurse in the Cadet Nurse Corp. Out of my class, two were selected by the Navy, and I was one of them, she said. The other nurse got sent to California; she went to Queens. The war ended just before her training did. But she knew that there was trouble in Palestine, she said. All of us of that generation were profoundly moved by the Holocaust. We thought about it all the time. That concern propelled her to Palestine but getting there wasnt easy.

Naomi Kantey

She was able to get a passport, but she needed a visa from the British government, and it was denied. I was so sure that I was going to get a visa, the consternation must have registered on my face, she said. The British official took pity on her and suggested that she go to the Jewish Agency. He even gave me their address.

When she got there, she was sent away, but later she got a visa or a vise she later realized that it was a forgery, complete with misspellings. But it got her to Haifa. She was a nurse, and that made her valuable.

At one point, she said, her passport vanished; later it reappeared, courtesy of the Mossad. That is why Ive never been surprised by anything the Mossad has done, she said.

She worked in many hospitals in Israel, and later came back to the United States, where she worked as a nurse in the Teaneck public school system for 21 years.

Naomi Kantey died in 2015.

In the January 9, 2015 issue, I wrote a story, Scheherazade in Cresskill, about Shlomo Lev.

Mr. Lev was born in Odessa in 1927; a natural storyteller and extraordinarily wild child. His adventures arent relevant here, and must have been horrific for his parents, but theyre great story fodder.

Shlomo Lev

In 1933, he and his family moved to Palestine, and Mr. Lev grew up in Givat Yam. He wanted to fight the Germans and tried to join the British army when he was 16 he was too young for that, but not for the British navy but instead he was being secretly recruited into the Palmach. It sounds like a good adventure, he said. After his stint there ended, he joined the Palyam, Palestines new navy. They smuggled immigrants from Europe into Palestine. There were more adventures. He fought the British until the State of Israel was established, and then he joined the new countrys merchant marine.

In 1954, the Egyptians captured his ship in the Suez Canal really, it is impossible to make Mr. Levs story short, its glory is in its meticulously delivered wild details and he and his shipmates were imprisoned. It is at this point in his story that Mr. Lev brought out the underpants that hed sewn for himself while he was in captivity, in possession of a needle, thread, and the remnants of a shirt made of fine Egyptian cotton, but underwear-less.

After some time he and his companions were released, he came back to the United States, had more adventures, and raised a family here.

I am thrilled to be able to report that Shlomo and Alma Lev are still living in Cresskill, and most likely Mr. Lev has even more stories to tell.

In our November 27, 2017 issue, Paul Caine of Tenafly told the story of his grandfather, Wolf Herman Silberstein, a New York City patrolman who was born in Brooklyn in 1906 and died in 1948.

Mr. Caine knew very little about his grandfather until recently the story I wrote, My grandfather did what?, is about what he learned. The way he uncovered it bears re-reading, but this is the gist of it: His grandfather, working with another Jewish NYPD cop, Leon Katz, were helping the Jews in mandatory Palestine. As I put it in that story, quoting a story in the Jerusalem Post, Mr. Katz, another former New York City policeman and a onetime inspector general of the citys prisons, who made aliyah in 1981, talked about how he put together a group of other city cops who had, not to put too fine a point on it, smuggled guns to mandatory Palestine as it fought for freedom from the British.

Wolf Herman Silberstein

The story described not only how Mr. Silberstein and Mr. Katz stored the guns, but also how they sweet-talked the FBI into letting them go. Other NYC police brass knew about the gun-running, Mr. Caine said, but they liked Mr. Silberstein and Mr. Katz; moreover, because most of them were Irish and sympathetic to the struggles against the Brits, they had sympathy for the cause as well.

When Mr. Silberstein died, he was honored with a blue funeral, as an ocean of uniformed NYPD cops stood shoulder to shoulder at the Shomrim Societys cemetery in Queens.

There probably are many other stories of local people who were involved in Palestines struggle to become Israel or in Israels first years. Some might come from the people who were there; by now probably many more would come from their children or grandchildren. We would love to hear those stories. If you have any to tell, please email me at joanne@psfam.org.

Read more:
Stories from the Jewish Standard about Israel's first years - The Jewish Standard

John Bisset/Stuff

Police are investigating the death of a Brazilian man in Southland on Friday.

Police are still trying to piece together how aBrazilian man living in Southland died.

Honorary Consul for BrazilAna CristinaTurnbull confirmed that the man was JoelPalmeira.

Altitude Resurfacinggeneral manager Shaun McGowan saidthe incident that claimed the life of Palmeiraon Friday was a tragic accident.

Palmeira, who was a father of two, went missing on theWaiau Rivernear Lake Monowai at 6.50pm.

A police Search and Rescue team found his body four hours later.

READ MORE:* Brazillian man dies on southern river* Southland Brazilians mourn the loss of community member* Family of fugitive found dead in Taranaki creek still seeking answers over his death

A police spokesperson said itwasstill unclear how Palmeira died, butthe case had been referred to the Coroner.

Turnbull said the man was working in NewZealand as an electrician.

She said his employer had notified the Embassy of Brazil of his death and had offered their assistance to his family.

"Altitude Resurfacing wishes to express its heartfelt condolences to the family of one of our valued team memberswho tragically lost his life in a recreational accident last week," McGowan wrote in a statement to Stuff.

He said it was a "sad and shocking time for the victim's family" and his team.

The incident happened during an after-hours social event.

"After finishing work for the day on February 21, the team took a well-earned opportunity to socialise together in the afternoon," McGowan said.

"He was a well-loved member of our team, whose contributions on both professional and personal levels were greatly appreciated by everyone at Altitude Resurfacing. We will all miss him," McGowan said.

He said the company was supporting Palmeira'sfamily "as much as we can" and had offered to contribute towards the cost of transporting his body back to Brazil.

A Facebook fundraising page had been set up by friendson Saturday to help withtransportation.

The page had raised$13,686by Wednesday morning.

Palmeirais believed to be an active member of the Southland Brazilian community.

The Southland Multicultural Society has postponed itsBrazilian Day event, which was scheduled to take place at Southern Institute of Technologyon Saturday.

McGowan also said Altitude Resurfacing had made arrangements to ensure its staff had access to support services during "this deeply sad time".

Read the original here:
Employer of a Brazilian man who died in 'tragic accident' says he was a well-loved team member - Stuff.co.nz

The Portland Public Library will close for six to eight weeks beginning on March 9 for renovations.

The Portland Public Library will close for six to eight weeks beginning on March 9 for renovations.

The Portland Public Library will close for six to eight weeks beginning on March 9 for renovations.

The Portland Public Library will close for six to eight weeks beginning on March 9 for renovations.

Portland Library to close for up to 8 weeks for renovations

PORTLAND - The Portland Public Library will close for six to eight weeks beginning on March 9.

The closure will allow a contractor to re-do portions of the library, as part of the $358,000 renovation of the 37-year-old building.

Even though the library will be closed, Library Director Janet Nocek said some activities will be held there, while others will take place in the nearby Senior Center.

The overhaul of the library will focus on improving the facility in terms of accessibility, service provision and energy efficiency, Nocek said in a statement.

Closing the library should make the project go faster - and go more smoothly, Nocek said in subsequent interview. Were certainly anticipating that the ambiance will be improved, and that the library will be made accessible to all.

Much of the work will involve efforts to make the building more accessible to people with either physical or mental disabilities or a combination of both, Nocek said.

Were trying mightily to remove those things that may be a barrier to our patrons, she said.

The project will involve providing more accommodating seating for members of the aging populations, as well as those with joint issues, she said.

This accommodating seating will be located in browsing areas and near displays of interest to visually impaired residents, Nocek said.

To further serve residents with physical disabilities, the library is installing tables of adjustable height, she said.

New lighting will be installed both at a new and updated service desk as well as in areas of adult browsing, Nocek said.

The lighting will serve to improve usability as well as being more energy efficient, she said.

The library also is addressing the desire of residents who want to use charging stations for mobile devices while reducing or eliminating the problems that can create.

At present, a number of patrons place cords in walkways to meeting roomsand use chairs as tables to get closer to an outlet.

However, in doing so, they create obstacles of wheel-bound persons and tripping hazards for others, Nocek said.

One of the main reasons the library will be closed is because the contractor is tearing up the existing carpet.

New carpet will be installed in the public areas, Nocek said.

Doing so will yield a number of benefits, she said.

It will provide better sound absorption. Color-coded layout of pathways will provide guidance in navigating the library for those with certain cognitive and visual challenges, Nocek said.

The project is being funded by a combination of sources, including a $108,400 grant from the Connecticut State Library, and $250,000 from the Endowment Fund.

It comes amid a surge in efforts to adjust and expand the library experience for residents of the region.

Just last week, Cromwell re-dedicated its library following a $3.2 million renovation and expansion.

And both the Russell Library in Middletown and the East Hampton Public Library have embarked on developing long-term strategic plans.

See more here:
Portland Library to close for up to 8 weeks for renovations - Middletown Press

Keeping up a house takes work. Keeping up a riverfront structure that houses ballrooms, exhibit halls and meeting rooms for hundreds of events and thousands of visitors takes even more work.

Add hurricane-related damage to that, and the workload increases exponentially. That is the reason the Wilmington City Council unanimously approved $1.9 million for repairs to the Wilmington Convention Center.Hurricane Florence inundated the area with record-setting rainfall in 2018, and it caused extensive damage to homes and other structures, including the convention center.The total convention center project, according to city staff, will cost $2.7 million. The city received $763,610 from FEMA funding, and insurance provided $25,463. The remaining funds will come from the Convention Center Fund.The $1.9 million includes roof repair, siding and major structural repairs that have to be done, Convention Center General Manager Fredia Brady said. Some of it has to do with general upkeep of the building, also.The Wilmington Convention Center first opened its doors in November 2010, so it was anticipated that maintenance would be needed to account for wear and tear of the facility, according to Mayor Bill Saffo.The fund created took into account that we would have to do general updating every 10 years or so, and we are getting more conventions, more conferences, more people coming, Saffo said.The project has been divided into two phases. The first phase is an architectural assessment, which has already been completed, and the second phase is the repairs, which are now in progress.One of the major repairs needed to the building includes the outside siding where water leaked behind and seeped inside damaging walls, floors and ceilings.The interior work is in progress and is set to be completed by the end of February.Refurbishing and redoing what needs to be done is expected on a 10- year basis. Repainting and installing new carpets is important for general upkeep of a facility that receives as much traffic as the convention center does, Saffo said.With about 75,000 attendees each year, the 10-year-old building has seen its share of wear and tear over the course of the past decade. Given that the event space is solidly booked most months, it can be difficult for construction crews to get in to make repairs.A reprieve in January allowed an opportunity to take care of some of the much-needed work.Water damaged its terrazzo floors, so convention center officials took advantage of the downtime and blocked out two weeks to get those resurfaced and sealed with a protective coating. Having to work around a busy event schedule, other repairs required careful planning and coordination in order to complete.In November and December, we didnt have any non-event days, Brady said. January was light, but now its February, and weve hit the ground running.Carpets and fabric paneling were replaced in three meeting rooms, all of which had seen hurricane water damage. New carpets were also installed in the ticket office and other administrative offices, and drywall and baseboards have been replaced and painting was completed throughout the space.Carpet has to be consistent from meeting room to meeting room, Brady explained.Both the main ballroom and junior ballroom are set to have carpets replaced and ceiling damage repaired.Exterior work has begun and a November completion is planned.The city has done a really good job studying and looking into how water was getting in and making sure it was fixed and preventing future damage, Brady said.The majority of the recent issues occurred on the north side of the building, which was exposed to extensive water damage during Hurricane Florence. An important component to the repairs is working to mitigate damage from future storms.With the siding, most of the money will go to figure out how to prevent water from getting in there again, Brady said. The city has been really smart about it.The heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit is in need of repair, as well as the gutters and downspouts on the exhibit hall roof that need to be installed.Another much-needed renovation on the north side of the building is the veranda that has been closed to foot traffic as a safety measure.The veranda has separated from the building, so that will be fixed, Brady said. It is not currently open to pedestrians until it is fixed, which will be over the next several months.The roof of the convention center is another concern.It is possible the entire roof will need to be replaced, but that will be several months down the road, Brady said.In addition to physical changes at the convention center, the facilitys management company, SMG, recently combined with AEG Facilities to create a new, stand-alone, global facility management and venue services company, ASM Global, according to a news release.ASM is headquartered in Los Angeles with key operations based in West Conshohocken, Pensylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. The company also has corporate offices in London; Manchester, England; Brisbane, Australia; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.The Wilmington Convention Center is the largest convention center on the North Carolina coast, and is continuing to grow with many conventions choosing Wilmington over nearby Myrtle Beach.The new Aloft Coastline Hotel with 125 guest rooms could be open this year and will increase the capacity to bring in even larger groups for the convention center.It is imperative that we keep our convention center up to date, refurbished and looking good, Saffo said. Tourism is a top industry in our area, employing over 6,000 people, and it is important for us to have an upgraded and very good convention center here.The increased business at the convention center is an asset to the Wilmington area, so any upgrades are considered investments in the city itself.The mission of the convention center was to bring in people, support hospitality, support businesses, and it is doing that, Saffo said. The convention center is a very important economic development tool for our community.

Read more:
Center of attention - Greater Wilmington Business Journal

Q: Im looking to remodel several rooms, including my kitchen, bathroom, foyer, staircase and living room. Is there one flooring product that can handle all these heavily trafficked, potentially wet spaces?

A: In the past, flooring options were limited to carpet, vinyl, hardwood, tile or laminate, each with their distinct pros and cons. But theres a new product that can serve all these rooms: luxury vinyl plank, or LVP.

LVP doesnt have a very provocative name, and many homeowners remain unaware of it even after seeing it many times at the home store. But LVP can be a superior choice over laminate flooring products of the past. Heres why:

LVP is affordable. You can buy LVP for $3$7 per square foot. Spending more will get you a thicker protective topcoat, but you can get a great floor in a wide variety of styles for under $5 per square foot. A word of warning: Dont be seduced by 96-cents-per-foot blowout prices. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

It comes in a wide variety.LVP offers seemingly endless options, from wood plank to large-format tile, and has a wide variety of textures, including stone and different types of wood. Up close, the look and feel of wood or stone varieties is uncannily realistic.

Its durable.LVP is well-suited for wet areas such as kitchens, bathrooms and basements. In homes with pets and small children, LVP resists scratching, foot traffic and spills. It wont chip or crack like tile if you drop a dish on it. Most LVP products come with at least a 10-year topcoat wear layer.

Its versatile.There are a few different installation options. LVP clicks together easily and can be glued down or float over the existing subfloor. Some products can even be glued down and grouted to mimic traditional tile.

Its comfortable.LVP is soft underfoot, absorbs pressure, and has sound-deadening properties. This makes it a great solution for stairs, multi-floored homes or the kids playroom. Some products are even designed to overlay radiant heat mats, the ultimate in bathroom luxury.

Its easy. LVP is relatively easy to install, doesnt retain dust like carpet, and usually cleans up nicely with just soap and water.

There are some minor drawbacks youll want to know about before jumping into LVP.

LVP lacks longevity.LVP is a one-trick pony and cant be refinished. Within 1020 years, youll need to replace it.

It requires substrate prep.The subfloor under LVP needs to be smooth and level. Unlike carpet, which can be installed over uneven basement concrete, LVP will shift and buckle if the floors are uneven.

Warranties vary.You get what you pay for, so research the manufacturers warranty and specifications. Low-end products will feature topcoat protection layers with warranties under 10 years. And again, beware of blowout prices.

Installation isnt always easy.Asmentioned above, LVP is generally easy to install. But in a home with nooks and crannies, installation can get complicated. Tying it into uneven floor transitions requires some skill and patience. Tricky floor plans will require that you order extra to cover the cut waste. In short, some projects are best left to the professionals.

Joe Reed is director of sales and marketing at Home Run Solutions, a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS). If you have a home improvement, remodeling or residential homebuilding question youd like answered by one of MBAKSs more than 2,700 members, write to homework@mbaks.com.

Read the original here:
This may be the best flooring product youve never heard of - Seattle Times

Ed O'Connor

Depending on when you read this, there will only be about 300 days until Christmas. I dont know about you, but Im getting my Christmas card list updated. Im in a quandary as whether to send cards to all the members of my fan club.

I will probably have to cut back this year. I budgeted $1.50 for postage. It costs 90 cents to send one card to the States. I hope the other member understands.

Its been rather quiet here since the beginning of the year. New Years Day is a bigger holiday in Moldova than Christmas. Well, actually, two Christmas days and two New Year days are celebrated the traditional days and the Orthodox holidays, which are each two weeks later.

However, things are starting to get back to normal as the Moldavian national pastime resumes politicians trying to see who can be the most crooked ... and the Bureau of Anti-Corruption trying to catch them.

And, speaking of national pastimes, the Democratic Theater of Hate continues. Its like watching the movie Groundhog Day. Just amazing. I havent seen Democrats this unhinged since Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans freed the Democrats slaves.

I find it interesting that what the Democrats accuse the Republicans of doing is what the Democrats are doing.

As Joseph Stalins henchman Lavrentiy Beria, the head of the Soviet secret police, once stated: Give me the man and I will give you the crime. Sounds like the four-year Democrat impeachment credo.

Moving again

The biggest happening for us has been an apartment move. After so much noise from the apartment above us for seven months, it was time for new digs. We had the notion that there was some kind of illegal activity being perpetrated.

We spoke to a neighbor about this and were told not to pursue it.

It was the sound of something sliding across the floor, such as furniture or boxes being moved ... for eight hours every night? In a one-bedroom apartment? More than a little suspicious.

And we wanted a larger place. I realized just how small the apartment was when I dropped my handkerchief on the floor and it looked like we had wall-to-wall carpet installed. Plus, we were able to reduce the rent by $80 monthly.

The location is good. There are four malls within four blocks of where we now live and seven within walking distance, along with five supermarkets and the citys biggest outdoor market. We can walk to all the theaters.

Fourteen travel/tourist agencies are located in a four-block area. Across the street is a gentlemans club.

Well, if it continues, we will be apartment hunting again. Whats it, Ed? The moron in the next apartment has a Siberian Husky in her third-floor, one-bedroom apartment. It started barking and howling all day long.

Now get this ... when we told people about the problem we had with a dog making noise next door, their response was, Oh, the poor dog. THE POOR DOG? Right, poor Phydeaux. What about us having to listen to a yelping cur for hours?

One intelligent person suggested that we let the Hound of the Baskervilles stay in our apartment during the day.

Why do these people think that they exclusively have the cutest, sweetest, most intelligent, most loving, cleverest, best behaved, most precious, funniest, gentlest, most obedient, most playful fleabag on the face of the earth? Beats me.

Give me a cat any day!

Cost of learning

Wow! Little Ralphie, you said that it costs $55 million to operate the Middletown Area School District? And a $6 million shortfall is the worst-case scenario? Wow! But Little Ralphie, whats the best-case scenario?

With the school district population of a little more than 18,000 residents, that is approximately $3,050 for every person. Again, wow!

So, with a budget of $55 million and a student population of about 2,300, that is $23,504 per student. Another wow!

On Eddy Os Wow! Scale, that gets a score of 5 out of 5.

About education ...

I was educated once it took me years to get over it. Mark Twain

I never let school interfere with my education. Mark Twain

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. John Dryden

Intelligence appears to be the thing that enables a man to get along without education. Education enables a man to get along without the use of his intelligence. Albert E. Wiggam

Weather in Moldova

I have been asked about the weather here in Chisinau, Moldova.

Ill start with a quick refresher for those of you who slept through geography class. Latitude is measured in degrees from the equator, north and south.

Chisinau is located at 46 degrees north latitude and Middletown at 40 degrees. So, for those who snoozed in math class, that is a 6-degree difference between the two cities.

Since one degree of latitude equals 69.2 miles, Chisinau is located 415.2 miles farther north than Middletown. But even with this difference, the weather is relatively the same as yours.

Have your eyes glazed over yet?

You would think it should be colder here. Must be that pesky global warming.

Remember that the global warming cult will tell you: Cold weather means global warming, hot weather means global warming, more hurricanes means global warming, fewer hurricanes means global warming, tornadoes mean global warming, no tornadoes means global warming, floods mean global warming, droughts mean global warming, bad weather means global warming, good weather means global warming and early bird migration means global warming. Disease outbreaks, crop failures, snowstorms and dont forget the polar bears ... yep, global warming. Theyll say anything to advance their cult, and even use educated children to do so.

Oops, how dare I? It is now climate change and not global warming.

Why is it that so called climate change never kills climate-change liberals? When is the last time you saw a headline, Hundreds of climate-change liberals found dead hugging polar bears? Me neither, but there is always hope.

And, yes, my name is really ED ... not to be confused with a certain kind of dysfunction that some men get.

Until next time, I remain warmly yours ... Eddy O

Ed OConnor, a former resident of Middletown and Lower Swatara Township, is an expatriate living in Chisinau, Moldova.

More here:
What is the education cost for Middletown students? Wow!: Ed O'Connor - Middletown Press and Journal

ROGERSVILLE Hawkins County facilities manager Sarah Davis hopes to pick up where she and County Mayor Jim Lee left off last year when they implemented spending cuts that are saving Hawkins County $137,676 annually.

With regards to HVAC, however, the county will have to spend money to save money.

During the Feb. 18 meeting of the County Commissions Public Buildings Committee (PBC) Davis asked commissioners to consider a proposal from Trane Heating and Cooling to install temperature controls in the courthouse, courthouse annex and justice center.

Trane estimated the courthouse project to cost $21,000 and the Justice Center to cost $49,000.

The savings at the Justice Center on the courtroom side of the building is estimated at $10,000 annually, just by being able to change the temperature setting automatically when court isnt in session.

Davis said she has the current system set up so she can look at it and change the temperature from her desk, but the existing system doesn't allow for HVAC scheduling.

Because they didn't keep the software updated right now all we have is a $50,000 piece of equipment that we can only change the temperature on, Davis said. We have no way to look to see what the schedule is when it's occupied or unoccupied.This (proposed Trane system) is a very sophisticated system. You can go in and do it remotely, the way Trane has proposed to do this in the courthouse and the Justice Center. I could get the schedules for the courts and only heat and cool those courtrooms on the days that they're being used.

Committee member Charles Thacker suggested scheduling a meeting for next month to give the committee time to study the Trane proposal before making a recommendation. Davis said she would need approval to move forward with the project in time to include the cost for consideration in the 2020-21 budget.

Cost saving summary

Davis presented the PBC with a summary of the $137,675 in cost savings measures that were implemented last year by her and Lee.

Switching from Charter to HolstonConnects saved $10,817 annually; he made AT&T reduce the cost to the county to the state rate, which saved $18,989 annually; discontinued services and contracts totaled $68,156; ending the EMA communication maintenance contract saved $25,834; the EMA moved to the Administration building, saving $5,635; switching to Unifirst mats and uniforms saved $5,132; and seeking lower AT&T rates at the Senior Center and Archive building saved $681.

Priority building projects for 2020-21

Davis asked the PBC to set its priorities for proposed capital outlay projects for the 2020-21 fiscal year so she can obtain estimates for those jobs in time for the upcoming budget hearings. The PBC is expected to have its priorities ready to discuss and approve at its next meeting on March 16.

Commissioner John Metz requested that mandatory ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) upgrades and roofing projects be moved to the top of the list. Every county building must be ADA compliant by 2023.

Davis described the carpeting in the Courthouse Annex as an embarrassment. She said the carpeting has tape on the floors to keep people form tripping, and the 20-year-old carpeting is in horrible shape.

If we could do sections at a time if we could get our inmate work crew to put the flooring down, I don't think it would be that expensive, Davis said.

County Clerk Nancy Davis, whose office is in the annex, said the carpeting is rumpled in places and she believes it will be a fall hazard.

Leaky Justice Center roof

The Justice Center roof has leaked since the building was renovated into courtrooms and a jail in 2010.

Davis said there have been 18 leaks reported in the current fiscal year and 10 leaks in 2018-19.

There is still five years remaining on the Justice Center roof warranty. PBC Chairman Rick Brewer said the county should contact the contractor who installed the roof and talk about getting a new roof installed at a reduced cost rather than putting Band-Aids on it for the next five years.

Leaky Health Department roof

Davis presented the PBC with an engineer's report that said the flat portion of the leaking roof at the Hawkins County Health Department building in Church Hill can hold the weight of a tin roof addition.

But the existing flat roof would have to be removed to decrease the weight, which would be more expensive. The engineer told Davis the more cost effective option would be to replace the existing flat roof with either shingles or metal on the sloped portion.

The commission approved $50,000 to complete that roof project last year, which Davis said isn't enough. Before advertising for bids she'd like to know where the funds will come from.

We had several leaks last year during the same wet season we're having now, Davis told the committee. The last time we had someone up there (for repairs) was in June. It was $1,300, and I have not had a leak reported since last June. It seems to have stopped the problem.

Brewer said he'd like to see the building before making a decision.

Read the original here:
HVAC controls would save $10K annually at Hawkins Justice Center - Kingsport Times News

Homes, like people and fashions, age.

Unfortunately, nothing stops the aging process in people. The good news is that older homes, just like clothing fashions, can be updated to give them a chic, modern appearance.

Barry Obermiller, owner of Obermiller Seamless; Jody Devore, owner of Drapery Den; Jim Narber, owner of the Floor to Ceiling Store; and Bethany Schock, an Allied member of American Society of Interior Design at the Floor To Ceiling Store, are a few of the professionals in Grand Island who can help people come up with ideas on how to modernize their homes.

As a retail trade center, Grand Island has many outlets where do-it-yourselfers can buy everything from raw lumber to bathroom sinks, fixtures and countertops to kitchen sinks and kitchen cabinetry. It also has a number of one-person contracting and handyman businesses that can do home remodeling. Dont forget the full-service turn-key outlets that let people go in, select the materials they want to remodel their homes and then have that company do the installation.

Starting from the outside

Giving a house a new look can start with the homes exterior, starting with updated replacement windows. Obermiller said people most often start looking for replacement windows when the wood frames begin rotting or when the windows arent working as well as they should in keeping the cold out and warmth in. Consequently, the most important issue for most people is the energy efficiency of the new windows.

After that, people may make a decision about buying aluminum-clad windows or vinyl-clad windows that provide the advantages of wood-frame windows with different exterior looks. People can also get vinyl frame and fiberglass frame windows.

All offer advantages and disadvantages when it comes to durability, heat and cold conduction, and energy efficiency.

Updating the homes interior also often begins at the windows, which can include shades, blinds, shutters and drapes.

We do a lot of layering on window treatments, said Devore, owner of the Drapery Den. She said layered sheers and shades can work in tandem to determine how much light gets into the room. Sheer backing can allow soft, diffused natural light into homes, while more opaque fabric vanes or panels can be either fully open, partially closed or fully closed to provide additional control on how much light comes into a room.

She said fabric vanes or panels in window treatments can provide protection from UV rays that can cause colors in carpets and furniture to fade.

When fully closed, the fabric vanes provide complete privacy for people when they turn on interior lights during the evening and nighttime hours.

How much light to allow into a room may depend on how that space is being used.

Devore said window treatments that allow lots of soft, diffused light into the house can be used for kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms. But people likely will want more opaque window treatments for their TV rooms or home theater rooms, as well as for their bedrooms, where they will want to get a restful nights sleep free from any light.

She said some window treatments, such as Duette Architella honeycomb shades or Duette Trielle Elan shades from Hunter Douglas, incorporate insulating air pockets to reduce heat loss from homes.

You can actually get tax credits for putting these into your home, she said.

Devore said that technology has been incorporated into modern window treatments, which can be motorized or can be operated manually without using any cords. The absence of cords is meant to improve safety for children in the home.

Motorized window treatments can either be hard-wired or battery-operated.

A big trend is to install a hub with the shades so people can operate their shades with their phones when they are out-of-state or when they are inside the house, Devore said.

Sometimes, light sensors are used so that window treatments will automatically be fully open, partially open or fully closed, depending on how much light is shining outside.

Drapery Den still sells what most people consider traditional drapes and curtains, Devore said. For example, one homeowner had a 24-foot-wide patio door that needed a 24-foot-wide curtain that could be opened and closed to cover that wide expanse.

She said some people are getting stationary drapes that remain in fixed positions on both sides of the window. Those stationary drapes are popular because todays homes are increasingly filled with hard surfaces such as vinyl floors, hardwood floors and ceramic-tile floors, with more and more of todays furnishings also made from hard surfaces instead of fabric.

Devore said these stationary drapes are used to soften a rooms look and to add texture. Drapes also improve a rooms acoustics by providing a softer sound in place of the harsher noise that can be created when sound waves bounce off hard surfaces.

Interior designer Bethany Schock said a current remodeling trend is the installation of vinyl floors. Those floors can look a lot like wood, or they can look like ceramic tile with various designs.

Schock said vinyl flooring is popular because it is super easy to take care of. People here in the Midwest like things they dont have to maintain a whole lot. Thats especially true with the Midwestern climate that ranges from snow to rain and mud to dust storms.

She said homeowners can keep vinyl floors clean with either a damp or a dry mop.

Narber said another reason that people like a vinyl floor is that it has a warm feel to the feet compared to the chill of a ceramic tile floor, as just one example.

Many people still like to have wall-to-wall carpeting in their homes, although ease of maintenance remains a priority.

Schock said carpets will often have subtle blends of colors because a variety of hues can help hide tracking on areas such as doorways and hallways where people do a lot of walking.

You dont have to vacuum as often, she said.

Many people like to have patterned carpet in their homes because it provides another texture to the room and a little bit more of a design element, said Schock, who showed a display carpet that had a subtle plaid pattern.

Todays light fixtures give consumers a choice of either regular or incandescent light bulbs or LED lighting. The LED lights are popular for people who are very concerned about energy efficiency.

Schock said LED lighting comes as a unitary or integrated fixture so you never have to change a bulb. Its rated for 15 to 20 years and usually, by that time, youre ready to change the style anyway.

Narber said a popular model is LED can lights that are small-circumference, circular fixtures that are recessed into the ceiling. It would likely take 50 to 70 can lights to fully illuminate an area encompassing the living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom areas of a home.

Schock said some people like to decorate their homes with chandeliers, which use incandescent lighting. If people like lighting on their ceiling fans, that usually comes as an integrated unit with LED lighting that is certified to last 15 or more years.

Adding a touch of interest

Narber and Schock said many people like to have kitchen cabinets with Shaker-style doors that have no raised panels.

Narber said many people also like farm sinks, which Schock described as sinks with an apron front that has the lip of the sink jut out a very short distance from the kitchen counter.

Schock said pattern tile that forms a specific pattern when all the pieces are installed is a popular floor covering for todays bathrooms.

When it comes to paint, many people like to have soft, relatively neutral colors on all four walls, she said. But some people still like to have a room with three walls covered with a neutral color and one wall with a slightly more vibrant tone for an accent.

Schock said it also makes a difference if a room is a regular rectangular shape versus a room with more interesting shapes or cutouts, because then you can do a couple of different colors to make it more interesting as an architectural detail.

Devore said often people who want to add texture to a room will consider using wallpaper, noting, its coming back.

She said grasscloth wallpaper made from hand-woven strands of natural fibers is an increasingly popular choice. Grasscloth wallpaper can be used on a rooms accent wall.

Narber said many homes built in the 70s, 80s and 90s had lots of rooms. As a result, many people like to remove all the non-supporting walls for those rooms to create an open-concept home.

He said one remodeling job tore down those walls, then installed wooden beams on the ceiling where all the walls had once been located.

Even though there may be definite trends when it comes to remodeling todays homes, I always tell people that youre the one who has to look at it every day, Schock said. You need to be fully satisfied with everything. I can make whatever you want work, but you have to like it yourself first.

Link:
A touch of the new can stop your home from showing age - Grand Island Independent

Today we look at a few basement floor finishing options, with a definite prejudice towards those products offering a clean, sleek, and durable finishand with further preference given to those floorings that provide an easier manor of install for the moderately skilled do-it-yourselfer.

The recommended basement products of choice will be luxury vinyl tile (LVT), stone plastic composite (SPC), and the Dreamfloor collection of laminate flooring.

Notable products left off the list of potential basement options include ceramic tile and carpeting.

I dont like ceramic in the basement because youre basically installing something thats cold and rock hard, over concrete, resulting in a playing and living surface that offers zero impact forgiveness. Plus, cutting, fitting, gluing, then grouting the ceramic joints takes a relatively elevated skillset, a prerequisite we were hoping to avoid.

I avoid promoting carpet as a basement alternative, because I would rather our clientele not suffer a slow, lingering death due to mould, dust mites, and whatever other godforsaken creatures might be found nesting in carpet fibres.

Regardless of my slanted opinion, an article in a most recent edition of Home Improvement Retailing stated wall-to-wall carpeting, and for some reason, black luster kitchen cabinetry, were going to be two popular trends heading into the 2020s. In a related article, the Acme toy people are looking to reintroduce lawn darts and clacker balls to their summer-fun series of backyard toys.

My fear, and my theory, regarding the re-marketing of products best left in a time vault, especially the push to reintroduce carpeting as a viable flooring option, is that were living with a case of generational mismanagement. Essentially, the decision makers of the 1970s, who besides carpeting, introduced society to bell-bottomed jeans, polyester suits, the Hee Haw Honeys TV show, and the AMC Gremlin automobile, now have middle-aged children that have succeeded them in their marketing careers, presently making the same ill-conceived product decisions their parents made 50 years ago.

My suggestion: listen to your gut feeling, and always ask questions because if black cabinetry and carpeting are the supposed next best thing, I think the next 10 years is going to produce a slew of bad ideas.

Back in the basement, whether youve chosen to install a subfloor or not, a Dreamfloor laminate, SPC, or LVT floor are my choices of preferred flooring products.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so as far as which of the three products is the most attractive lies entirely on taste, since the texture and woodgrain features of each are relatively similar.

The LVT flooring does however offer a series of ceramic tile patterns, for those wanting a tile look, but with the cushion effect of a vinyl floor. For under $2 per square foot, the 12-millimetre Dreamfloor laminate is a great value, with its drop-click installation procedure as uncomplicated as you can get, while carrying a 35-year residential, five-year commercial warranty period.

Laminate products will need a foam underlay, with foam underlays differing based on the concrete floor conditions, or plywood underlay situation. So, be sure to discuss the basement conditions with your flooring retailer before choosing a foam underlay.

SPC floors are essentially a limestone/PVC composite, along with a foam backing fixed to the underside of each plank. As a result, the SPC plank works independently, and is ready to install directly over concrete, or a plywood subfloor, without the need of having to first lay an underlay foam. Selling for $2.50 to $3 per square foot, the SPC floor is a drop-click, 5.5-millimetre product, or about half the thickness of a quality laminate floor.

However, SPCs are every bit as tough as a laminate, offering a 30-year residential, 10-year commercial warranty package. The bonus, or advantage, of the thinner SPC is that its somewhat pliable in nature, which allows the SPC product to conform to those slight irregularities often found in concrete floors.

Next week, LVT flooring.

Good building.

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Handyman Hints: Final words on those basement floors - Brockville Recorder and Times

EVERETT When Lynnwood resident Aristotle Roberts arrived at Paine Field at 3:12 p.m. on Monday from San Francisco International Airport, he was greeted with a bottle of Champagneas he became the one millionth passenger to pass through the terminal gates at the Snohomish County airport.

Just nine days before the anniversary of the opening of Paine Fields commercial terminal, the milestone was a big one for the small airport.

To celebrate, the airport awarded Robertswith one million days of free parking at Paine Field, two free round-trip flights to any destination served by Alaska Airlines or United Airlines from Paine Field, and the bottle of Dom Prignon.

Hitting a million passengers in under a year demonstrates the appreciation regional travelers have for Paine Field and the idea that you can use public-private partnerships to achieve civil projects to benefit the public, not only here in metro Seattle, but around the country, saidBrett Smith, CEO of Propeller Airports, the firm that designed, built and operates the Paine Field passenger terminal.

A year into operations, Paine Field has already become a frequently used favorite of travelers around Snohomish County and Seattles North End who are relieved to no longer have to fight traffic down to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when flying to destinations along the West Coast. Alaska Airlines and United Airlines have responded to that demand by adding flights at Paine Field.

When Paine Field first opened its passenger terminal on March 4 last year, Alaska Airlines was operating only three daily flights, the airport parking lots were practically empty, security lines were no more than a few passengers long, and the lounge, still awaiting construction of the Beechers cafe, was roomy, underpopulated and relaxed.

A year later, 24 daily flights operate out of the small Everett airport via United and Alaska Airlines, serving 12 cities in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. This month, Alaska Airlines announced upcoming nonstop service to Boise, Idaho, out of Paine Field that will begin in June. Monthly passenger traffic has increased from 47,428 travelers in March 2019, to 71,022 this February. The Beechers cafe is open and bustling around takeoff time, and the airports four parking lots are well populated. Last August, during the height of the summer travel season,Paine Field saw as many as 98,068 passengers.

Nonetheless, the airport still boasts a relaxed atmosphere and personal touches. The atrium where ticket counters are located has a hotel-lobby feel, and if you so choose, theres even a valet to help park your car. The promise of getting from the curb to your seat in the airport lounge in 10 minutes is still a reality with security lines that are never more than four or five passengers long. Even with short security lines, though, Smith urges travelers to arrive early to make airline workers preboarding processes easier.

Smithsaid his focus is still on maintaining quality service as the airport celebrates the past years growth.

I view this more as checking in to a hotel, he said. The problem with too much growth is its almost impossible to provide a personalized experience. Thats going to be the trick as we grow to maintain this level of service.

Smith treats Paine Field like his home away from home. In the lounge, he just had a telescope from a World War II battleship installed after he discovered it at an antique store in New York. When we stopped to take a look at the Beechers cafe that provides all the food at the airport, Smith pausedto pick up a crumb he spied on the cafes floor. Later, he seemed dismayed to note a barely detectable fray in the carpet by one of the terminals.

The terminal has worn well because we use quality materials, he said. Indeed, the terminals look only improved since the first flights took off from the airport last year.

Smiths attention to detail seems to be paying off with customers.

One traveler from British Columbia stopped Smith in the terminal to tell him what a happy surprise his Paine Field experience had been.

Its so un-airport-like. Its more like a home. The design creates a less stressful experience, the traveler told Smith.

For Jennifer Trumbull, anArmy engineer and writer who flies nearly every monthwith her partner and her service dog Sophie Anne, the convenience of Paine Field is that she gets to avoid highway traffic to get there.

Coming from the Marysville Armed Forces Reserve Center, Trumbull said she cant get out of work early enough to navigatetraffic all the way to Sea-Tac. Although she has had two early-morning flights from Paine Field get canceled and moved to afternoon flights, she said the convenience of getting to and from the Everett airport is worth it.

Flying out of Paine Field for the first time, Whidbey Island resident Fran Kendall said she was impressedbyhow stress-free the experience is, noting that the airport isnt busy and the staff are very nice. Kendallenjoyed her experience so much that she immediately went online to see where else she can fly to from Paine Field.

So whats in store for Paine Field?

Smith foresees a long life span for the airport andplans to continue improving the customer experience.

The airport will soon offer individual-sized luggage carts for travelers at no cost, and Smith is currently working on two larger projects to improve customer convenience:He is hoping to get approval from Snohomish County to create a cellphone waiting lot, and eventually hopes to have rental cars on site at the airport (right now, travelers have to take a shuttle van from rental car sites to the airport).

According to Smith, Paine Field iscurrently at its maximum capacity for flights, but he anticipates adding maybeone or two more destinations in the future, depending on what customers are most interested in.

Everyone asks for Hawaii, Smith said. Id love to see a Dallas or Chicago flight. We really serve nearly every major West Coast city right now, [and fly] as far east as Denver.

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A year and 1 million passengers later, Everetts Paine Field airport has become a hit with travelers - Seattle Times