Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

EDWARDS When someone actually asked them what they think about the community where they live, residents of the West Edwards area clearly said they want a stronger voice in both the current operation and future development of their neighborhood.

In fact, they presented 60 different recommendations focused on topics including equity, funding, resilience, access to affordable and healthy food, social isolation, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, health, early childhood education and more as part of an Urban Land Institute Study that launched last November.

Thats a huge amount of recommendations, noted Emma Sloan, health policy planner for Eagle County Public Health and Environment.

The countys outreach with the Urban Land Institute was a bit unusual. The countys public health department headed up the effort, rather than the countys community development department. Sloan noted that it was a movement back to the roots of community planning when public health concerns gave birth to planning and zoning.

The Urban Land Institute provides leadership for land use issues and works toward creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. The organization has more than 1,400 members in Colorado, and its district council is committed to applying best practices in land use through community workshops, educational events and professional development programs.

In November, one of those workshops focused on West Edwards. This week, the Eagle County Board of Commissioners got a preview of what the workshop report will say.

Sloan noted that the high-density West Edwards area has experienced continued growth and is a central point of the Eagle River Valley. Whats more, there are 20 separate zone districts in the West Edwards area. For the study, two community tours were organized and a group of participants that included county employees, community residents, land consultants, business owners, community organization representatives and special district representatives participated.

The Eagle River mobile home park is a dominant feature of the West Edwards area and according, many of the priorities identified for the larger area are tied to that neighborhood.

Issues regarding the park operations range from concerns about water quality to a new state law allowing the county more regulatory power over the park. Workshop participants stated they wanted to form a homeowners association for the park.

Faviola Alderete, Healthy Communities coordinator for Eagle County Public Health and Environment, said the workshop participants from the mobile home park supported the creation of an HOA to give them the opportunity to have power and a voice.

She added that many of the recommendations identified during the sessions are the responsibility of the property manager, but residents want training regarding the states new mobile home park law. The states new Mobile Home Park Oversight Act specifically allows park residents the right to meet and establish a homeowners association or resident council. The act also gives the county authority to adopt and enforce rules for safe and equitable operation of the mobile home parks. With the new rules in place, workshop participants cited a desire for the county to help with mediation between residents and the property owner.

This (the November workshop) gave residents a chance to say what is the first step, Alderete said.

Sloan noted there are eight recommendation highlights from the workshop specifically address issues at the mobile home park:

Beyond the mobile home concerns, West Edwards residents cited the need for community gathering spaces and a secondary entrance to the neighborhood. They also said they want more trees in the area to reduce heat and beautify the community.

Sloan said neighborhood residents also identified a need for more parking. Folks are dependent on their vehicles for work, she noted. The need for parking spaces was a surprise outcome of this study.

Looking ahead, on March 19 the county commissioners have scheduled a joint meeting with members of the Edwards Metropolitan District Board of Directors. County representatives hope to have the final report from the Urban Land Institute workshop prior to that session.

This study has provided us with the opportunity to demonstrate to the community members of how their voice is important, said Rebecca Larson, deputy director of Eagle County Public Health and Environment. The community wants to be involved. They want to be part of the changes that happen in their community.

More here:
West Edwards residents want a voice in their future - Vail Daily News

This month, Democrat and Chronicle reporters and editors arespending time in the fourthlocation forourmobile newsroom initiative, in the David F. Gantt Recreation Center. The project is taking our reporting team into communitiesin the north-east and north-west of the city. The new commitmentis intended to help ensure the news and information from the Democrat and Chroniclemore closely meetsthe needs of under served communitiesand to open up ways to reach new readers.

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Theconversations have led to range of new stories including a guide to delicious affordable eats in the northeast, a celebration of the life and the ministry of Rev. Norma Ortiz and,an in-depth look at the long-awaited La Marketa development on North Clinton;set against a backdrop of urgent community action to address dangerous activity driven by the opioid crisis.

More: News you can use: D&C news staff will be all ears at mobile newsrooms across the community

Now we're building on that communityengagement and getting ready to launch another service for readers, by creating conversations with readers through atextmessaging systemcalled Groundsource.

Groundsource is new way to deliver text based news to underserved communities(Photo: Matthew Leonard)

In much of Rochester, internet access remains elusive for many lower-income households and the affordability of unlimited talk and text mobile plans mean they're an important tool for many families.This accessibletechnology can be seenin markets across the country delivering readers information ontopics like affordable housing, employment andeducation. In Detroit, for example, one outlet calledOutlier Mediastarted outletting people know if their rental home is at risk of being sold to recover back taxes owed by their landlord. In Oakland CA, a Spanish-language news service El Tmpano began to foster more civic engagement among Latino immigrants there through a listening tour to better understand the needs of community.

In the spirit of news your can really use, one of the first services for readers who opt into theDemocrat and Chronicle's text delivery systemwill be a job newsletter containing employmenttips and opportunities.

We're also looking for community input on what informationpeople could most use.

Democrat and Chronicle(Photo: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Read or Share this story: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2020/02/05/text-messaging-news-service-launching-meet-needs-underserved-rochester-communities/4333734002/

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Get job tips and opportunities, other news you can use with our text-based information system - Democrat & Chronicle

Editors note: This story originally appeared in the current edition of the Roaring Fork Weekly Journal, an Aspen Daily News sister publication.

Brightly colored and teeming with life, the residences of the Roaring Fork Mobile Home Park sit atop prime real estate, just across the Roaring Fork River from downtown Basalt. Seen by everyone who walks across the bridge by 7-11 or drives into town through the roundabout, theyre about as integral a part of Basalt as youll find.

Except that theyre not. If you look at a map showing the towns oddly shaped boundaries, youll see that theres an island of unincorporated land lying in Pitkin and Eagle counties right near the middle of the largest of the three barely connected blobs that make up Basalt. Thats the RFMHP. It means that the parks residents, though they literally live within Basalt, arent Basalt voters and cant serve on town council or some committees, such as Planning and Zoning.

Look more closely at the map and youll see that the middle blobs western border also makes a conspicuous detour around another mobile home community called Homestead Park. Clearly a part of Basalts desirable Old Town neighborhood, its residents nevertheless live in Eagle County, as do the residents of the Aspen Basalt Mobile Home Park, which sits in an island in the westernmost Basalt blob, adjacent to Willits.

Thats how a town wherein roughly 50 percent of the students in the public schools are Latino can have an official demographic makeup of 86 percent white and just 16 percent Latino, and it gets to the heart of a longstanding issue in town: Though there is a sizable Latino population in the area, there are very few Latinos in leadership positions helping to ensure that all perspectives and communities are given a voice in local doings.

Given the strange contouring of Basalts town limits, it might seem like one step in alleviating the problem might be to talk to the owners of the mobile home parks where the residents are largely Latino about annexation into the town, but that could mean bad news, according to Basalt Mayor Jacque Whitsitt.

If you want those people to be protected and have a roof over their heads leave them alone, she said. What do you think happens when a trailer park is annexed? For an annexation to happen the landowner has to voluntarily ask for it. The reason a property owner with a trailer park asks to be annexed is because they want to kick all those people out and put a ton of development there. Thats, Im gonna say, 99.9 percent of the time.

As if to prove Whitsitts point, just downriver from the RFMHP sits the still-unfinished Pan & Fork parcel, where longtime mobile home park residents were uprooted to make way for a river park and considerable commercial and residential development. Though the circumstances are slightly different, the RFMHP, like the erstwhile Pan & Fork park, sits in a flood plain and would seem a prime candidate for redevelopment for safety and economic reasons.

Fortunately, said Whitsitt, thats less likely to happen if the mobile home parks continue to not be a part of town.

Those people are protected, she said. Nothing will happen to them. They will remain safe for as long as they are in the county. And I guarantee you, if somebody wants to buy that park and wants to come into the town and annex, they will all be gone, and there will be a development there.

Its a credible concern, but with developments like the large Tree Farm project in El Jebel already going on in unincorporated Eagle County, its fair to question what kind of security the parks really have, whatever their official address, and whether they really would be doomed if they were annexed.

Located at the western side of Basalts Old Town neighborhood, Homestead Park is nevertheless part of unincorporated Eagle County and not included in the Town of Basalt.

The parcels of land that are being developed that have not been annexed, that remain in unincorporated Eagle, are being developed, and that has happened rather quickly, said Basalt Town Council member and current mayoral candidate Bill Infante. Annexation is not equivalent to development. Annexation means democratic enfranchisement.

Said former town manager Bill Kane, also a candidate for mayor: I have to believe there might be some scenario where there would be some mixture of replacement housing built on the site. I would doubt that any one of the three property owners would do it (annexation) out of the motivation to kick people out. I cant imagine thats the case.

Infante favored providing residents of the mobile home parks with all the information they need outlining the pros and cons of being part of Basalt and then letting them guide the decision of whether to be annexed or not. He and Kane also thought it would be helpful if the people in the parks could somehow buy the land under the trailers, which would make annexation more attractive.

That would be a solution, said Kane.

Regardless of whether the parks ever come under the umbrella of the Town of Basalt, there are still opportunities for Latinos to get involved in town government, and all three mayoral candidates the third being former town councilman Robert Leavitt felt the town should be doing more to encourage that sort of involvement.

Securing more diverse representation on town council is one of the goals in our strategic framework. We want more diversity on council, said Infante. This is about socioeconomic exclusion. These are low-income people. We need to include them because theyre part of our community, and part of that inclusion means getting them the vote.

Infante favored aggressively soliciting better Latino representation, but at the same time, as Leavitt noted, its a two-way street. The town needs to reach out to the community, but the community needs to reach out to the town as well. You dont need to be a voting citizen of Basalt to come talk at a town council meeting. You cant force people to be involved. Weve tried through the years with limited success.

For Leavitt, whose wife is a mentor in the pre-collegiate program, fostering Latino leadership starts with getting young people, such as the ones whove expressed an interest in helping with his mayoral campaign, excited about public engagement.

If were getting young people involved in the community, theres a good chance theyre going to be involved in the community as they grow up, he said.

Read the original post:
Basalt still grappling with lack of Latino representation - Aspen Daily News

In two very different settings on either end of the urban core are new multifamily developments that both stand in the place of former blight and decay along rapidly growing parts of the San Antonio River.

The Mission Escondida Luxury Apartments (MELA), at 1515 Mission Rd., are only a few minutes drive from the center city and sit along a quiet section of the Mission Reach of the river. Southline, at 226 Newell Ave., extends the footprint of the bustling Pearl campus closer to the Museum Reach and a busy highway.

Though both boast a similar list of amenities and floor plans intended to attract young professionals, they share another common trait: MELA is situated on land once occupied by a decaying trailer park while Southline replaced old buildings and a storage yard belonging to Texas Towing.

Both developments also began leasing in October and new residents are settling in 15 at MELA last Saturday alone, and Southline is already 31 percent leased. Both are managed by Embrey Partners.

The Rivard Report recently toured each site to get an inside look at how the highly anticipated residential communities have taken shape.

The word escondida means hidden in Spanish, and when White-Conlee Development partnerScott Weems first stood on a footbridge and saw the land across Mission Road from the Riverside Golf Course, he thought it was a peaceful and beautiful setting. But people didnt know it was here, he said.

Soon, they did, as controversy embroiled the project. The land was occupied by residents of the Mission Trails mobile home park. Though neglected and decrepit by most accounts, with living conditions so deplorable the residents sued the owners, the trailer park community became a symbol of the toll of neighborhood gentrification.

In 2014, White-Conlee acquired the land for $4 million, and spent another $1 million relocating the residents to other trailer parks on the South Side, then demolished the abandoned and burned-out trailers, and prepped the site for construction.

After a long and contentious process to rezone the area and gain conceptual design approval, construction on MELA began in summer 2017. Its been a challenging development, but its also been very rewarding, Weems said.

The first of five buildings was completed in December. Weems said the final structure in the complex is expected to be finished in May, bringing online a total of 360 studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. So far, MELA is 9 percent pre-leased and 2 percent occupied.

The units range from $999 to almost $2,000 for the base monthly rent, priced according to the location within the complex and views of downtown from the windows and balconies. There are no subsidized or low-income units.

The median gross rent in San Antonio, which includes rent and utilities, is $958, according to census data. The listing service RentCafe reports the average rent for an apartment in San Antonio, which has increased 2 percent since 2018, is $1,039. But the majority of apartment rentals are priced between $701 and $1,000.

The MELA clubroom a space with soaring ceilings, modern furnishings, a business center, and fitness center is open and ready for resident use. Upstairs, a demonstration kitchen provides space for events and meetings, and patios equipped with widescreen TVs overlook a 500,000-gallon pool that is situated at the heart of the complex.

Other amenities include an onsite dog daycare operated by Pawderosa Ranch, bike storage and free bike rental, a game room, and access to the trails of the Mission Reach. White-Conlee donated acreage to the San Antonio River Authority for a linear park near the development that provides public access to the river.

MELA is being marketed to downtown workers, service members based at JBSA Lackland and Fort Sam Houston, and to those drawn to the Mission Reach trails. Weems, an avid cyclist who is renting a two-bedroom unit for that reason, also thinks Escondida will also appeal to those who have roots on the South Side.

While the typical goal of this multifamily developer is to sell the property to an investor within a year or two, Weems said White-Conlee will keep MELA in its portfolio for longer than that. With another six-acre plot of land adjacent to the apartments yet to be developed, the group may move on to that yet-to-be-determined project next.

Southline is the newest multifamily residential development at the Pearl, and much about the four-story community, from the repurposed storage tanks to the library barn door, came from the historic brewery.

The whole idea of the property is to look like an old mercantile building turned multifamily living, so a wealth of original pieces [from the brewery] were used to create that feeling, said Katie Ellis, Southline community manager.

Adjacent the Museum Reach of the River Walk on the southern end of the Pearl, Southline is situated on a strip of land once occupied by Texas Towing and near the site of the seedy former Fox Motel. Construction began in 2016.

Most of the 223 units at Southline are one-bedroom apartments and 30 percent are two-bedroom floor plans, all with 10-foot ceilings, designer kitchens, and custom built-ins. Many of the balconies overlook the River Walk and the fiberglass F.I.S.H. installation beneath a highway bridge.

The rent varies according to unit size, the interior finishes, and location within the development, and range between $1,480 and $2,800 a month.

At Pearl, were very pleased to have Southline because it fills a niche between the Can Plant on one end and the more exclusive and expansive Cellars at the other end of the spectrum, said Lewis Westerman, senior director of real estate at Silver Ventures, the group behind the Pearl. Embrey Partners also manages the Can Plant and Cellars.

Community amenities at Southline include a pool with private cabanas, library, a culinary caf and lounge, fitness center and a fitness lawn, dog park, private River Walk access, and bike storage. Parking is provided in the basement level.

Preleasing and move-ins began in October, and the development is currently 17 percent occupied.

See original here:
New Apartment Developments Open on Mission Road and at the Pearl - Rivard Report

Looking around at our young, still developing suburbs, I see wide, wild fields being dug up for the foundations of new, large single-family homes with sloping driveways, expansive roofs and well-lit, grand entrances. Or large, multi-story luxury senior apartments and condominiums with beautiful walkways and underground parking. Or lovely, new, smaller one-story homes for those ready to downsize.

What I dont see is investment in housing for those who have more modest income or additional housing for those who need rental assistance or, least of all, housing for those in danger of homelessness.

Choosing where to live and with whom has been a point of pride in our democracy. For generations, immigrants to this country would live where others who spoke their native language and shared their customs settled. That is why our state has so many families who share German, Swedish, Norwegian, Somali and Hmong heritage. We have lived where our people live.

But as our young country has moved through waves of new immigrant settlement, national expansion to the Pacific coast, the ruinous Civil War and shifts in our basic economy from agriculture to industry to technology, the social supports of living among familiar people has mostly collapsed. We are now a mobile society, focused less on the importance of social welfare and support for everyone, black or white, young or old, that smaller, established communities afforded to most everyone.

American emphasis on personal independence, competition and effort have eroded our social safety nets of community and necessary cooperation, values that for generations saw the establishment of hospitals, universities, nursing homes, public transportation and housing projects that addressed our common needs together.

Most of us think that people get the housing they deserve and live where they do because of their individual effort or lack of it. Its a simplistic and incomplete view of a basic human right.

This past November, the entire editorial team of this newspaper devoted time and energy to a series of stories helping readers come closer to the human cost of homelessness in Scott County.

Nearly every week, one or more stories in this paper mention the struggle of teachers working with homeless students, law enforcement encountering people without adequate or stable shelter, churches confronted daily with requests for cash, shelter or food assistance, and our various county social services struggling to keep up with the multiple causes of homelessness: low basic wages, skyrocketing rents, family crises, drug abuse and addiction, medical debt, chronic severe mental health and joblessness.

Our country depends on all our willingness, financially and socially, to address this serious housing crisis together. The greatest problem that advocates for low-cost and transitional housing face in America is the social resistance local homeowners have to placing these alternative housing buildings in their own neighborhoods.

Those who resist these lifesaving efforts believe that their own economic security is at stake, either by lowering the value of their own property or threatening what they believe is the safety of their chosen neighborhoods.

Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, a coalition of 100 congregations in the metro area, is dedicated to growing solutions to our chronic homelessness problem by advocating for public projects and managing housing for people in transition. One such project is in development in Shakopee called Prairie Pointe. Using money from personal donations, private funding and county dollars, this proposed 50-unit permanent housing project would not only provide housing but also child care, career and food supportive resources necessary to help people move toward self-sufficiency.

Housing for all is no threat to our own economic status. People living out of their cars in rural parking lots, children moving between area shelters trying to get through third grade or others recently released from county jails with no job or housing are the real threats to our suburban quality of life.

The solutions are available to us, but we must all be willing to create affordable housing near our own homes and neighborhoods. Its incumbent upon us to challenge our unspoken assumptions about people in poverty, about what we consider basic human needs and how we meet them, and upon what we really base our personal and financial security.

I hope you will join me in being open to learning more about the causes of American homelessnes and how we can continue to work to address this in our suburban communities. Every one of us needs and deserves a home.

Rev. Lynne Silva-Breen, M.Div., M.A., LMFT, served for over 20 years as a Lutheran parish pastor. Shes currently a family therapist/pastoral counselor and can be contacted at inspiringchange.us. She is one of several area pastors who write for Spiritual Reflections, a weekly column appearing in this newspaper.

Read more:
Spiritual Reflections: We must welcome affordable housing around community - SW News Media

By Terry Schrimscher, Sponsored Content

For many families, the changing seasons can spark an interest in household tasks. The arrival of spring, in particular, can be a signal to plant a garden or do landscaping. It may also inspire homeowners to freshen up with new paint or a good spring cleaning.

If you are working on some routine maintenance around the home or preparing to list your home on the real estate market, it might be wise to add pest control to your task list. A termite infestation can damage your home and reduce the value of your property. In fact, a termite inspection is a routine part of the closing process in most real estate sales.

We know that termite swarm season will be coming up in another month or two said Fred Smith, General Manager of Vulcan Termite and Pest Control. Customers are going to see termites around their windows, around their doors, and we feel its our obligation to the public to jump on those calls just as quickly as they come in, said Smith.

Vulcan Termite and Pest Control began as a small family business, in 1965, and quickly expanded from termite control into a full pest control service. Today, the Pelham-based business works primarily in five counties surrounding Birmingham.

According to Smith, Vulcan services a lot of homes in the Trussville area and has reached into Anniston, Gadsden and Huntsville, among other.

We do a lot of work up on Smith Lake, said Smith. A lot of our customers in the Trussville and Pinson areas have lake houses. Weve been blessed with the opportunity to go to those customers houses and take care of their lake house and their home here in town, he said.

It gives you a good feeling when your customers believe in you so much that take you with them to work on their vacation home, said Smith.

Trust is one of the main reasons Smith believes the company has continued to grow throughout its nearly 55 years in business. Vulcan currently employs 32 people and has expanded into commercial work servicing local restaurants and office building.

One of the things weve been blessed with is the people who have been here for a long time, said Smith. Ive got several employees that are working on their 20th year with the company. Ive been here for 20 years. One of the things, I believe, we do well is training, he said.

Vulcan retains a board-certified Entomologista scientist who specializes in the study of insectswho regularly reviews the latest pest control techniques and updates the training for the termite and pest specialists who interact with their customers.

Vulcan recently added wild animal control as a new service for customers. Specialists have removed everything from armadillos and racoons from property to squirrels from attics.

Hows your wildlife is one of our advertising sayings, said Smith. Were taking care of those things that get up in your attic and cause problemsthose things that go bump in the night. We do a lot of exclusion work with wild animals. We dont like to kill them if it is not necessary, he said.

Smith offered a word of caution on the process in dealing with wild animals. Many regular pest control companies are not equipped with the correct tools and training to remove the animals safely. Some customers will by a trap for the animals and find out the hard way that trapping the animal is only part of the process.

Vulcan can remove the animals safely and also inspects the home to seal any holes or entrances the animals might use to return. The company offers a warranty period for an added sense of security for customers who might have a recurring unwanted animal guest.

People looking for termite, pest control, or wildlife removal can find Vulcan Termite and Pest Control online at vulcantermite.com. For more information, visitors can use the contact form on the website or call the office at (205) 624-0100.

Go here to see the original:
Protect your investment with Vulcan Termite and Pest Control - Trussvilletribune

A record number of people came out to the Mazatzal Hotel and Casinos ballroom Monday night to learn who would win the coveted Best of the Rim awards.

This year, some 3,000 Rim Country residents cast 280,000 votes for their favorites in 143 categories.

The Roundup will run a special section in an upcoming issue with the winners and five finalists in all categories.

The Tonto Apache Tribes Mazatzal Hotel & Casino once again won honors for best customer service large business and All Stages Carpet Care for best customer service small business.

The Old County Inn was named best business in Pine-Strawberry and owner Michael Dahling was named Best Businessperson in Pine-Strawberry.

In Star Valley, Plant Fair Nursery won for Best Business and owner Glen McCombs was named Best Businessperson in Star Valley.

Shane Keith, with Keith Family Flooring, was named Best Businessperson (male) while Realtor Wendy Larchick, with At the Rim Team Keller Williams, won honors as Rim Countrys Best Businessperson and Overall Best Business in Payson and Rim Country.

BEST ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY/HOME (MEDICAL)

BEST ATV/MOTORCYCLE STORE

Payson Chevron/Rim Detailing and Chore Solutions

OReillys Auto Parts

Payson Tire Pros & Automotive

BEST BANK OR CREDIT UNION

From Head to Toe Essentials Salon

Ironhorse Signs & Vehicle Graphics

BEST HOME CLEANING SERVICE

BEST CLEANING & RESTORATION (COMMERCIAL/FLOOD RESTORATION)

Sunshine Cleaning & Restoration

My Chiropractor of Payson

BEST COMPUTER REPAIR SERVICE

BEST DERMATOLOGY PRACTICE

Payson Dermatology & MOHS Center

AM Jackson Electric & RJC Electric

Rouds Fine Home Furnishings

BEST GAS/CONVENIENCE STORE

BEST HEALTH & FITNESS CLUB

BEST HEALTH FOOD/VITAMIN STORE

George Henry Plumbing, Heating & Cooling

BEST HOME IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTOR

BEST HOME TV & ELECTRONICS

Arizona Care Hospice & Hospice Compassus

BEST HOTEL/MOTEL/CABINS/B&B

BEST LANDSCAPING & TREE SERVICE

Bob Lee & Sons Tree Service

Payson Chevron/Rim Liquor

BEST LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY (MEDICAL)

Sonora Quest Laboratories

BEST GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTICE

Banner Payson Health Care

BEST NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

BEST HOUSE & COMMERCIAL PAINTER

S & C Plumbing and George Henry Plumbing, Heating & Cooling

BEST PROPANE SERVICE COMPANY

Alliant Gas / Pinnacle Propane

Mobile RV & Trailer Repair

BEST SPORTING GOODS STORE

Payson Tire Pros & Automotive

BEST BREAKFAST RESTAURANT

BEST HAMBURGER RESTAURANT

Old County Inn & Pizza Factory

El Rancho Mexican Food & Cantina

Lisa Taylor, Taylor Accounting & Tax Inc.

Art Lloyd, Lloyd Law Group & The Dana Law Group

Annie Cerna, JJs Barber Shop

Juliedon Petersen, Colorz Salon

Autumn Kinzer, Payson Premier Dental

Dr. Kristin Wade, Payson Premier Dental

Dr. David Cluff, Banner Health

Dr. Troy Ford, Payson Eye Care

Kevin Dick, Kevin Dick Investment Management Group

BEST FRONT DESK CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON

Monica Savage, Payson Fire Department

Jimmy Carson, Jimmys All Trades

Scott Crabdree, Crabdree & Shepherd Insurance

Kyrie Brown, A Rejuvenating Massage

Kaylee Cobb, From Head to Toe Essentials Salon and Spa

BEST NURSE OR NURSE PRACTITIONER

Deborah Nichols, High Country Family Care

Craig Miller, DJ Craig Weddings & Parties

Rita Regalado, IMS/LabCorp

Gina Perkes-Tidwell, The Copper Needle

BEST REAL ESTATE ASSISTANT

Susan Ortega, At the Rim Team/Keller Williams

Wendy Larchick, At the Rim Team/Keller Williams

Wendy Larchick, At the Rim Team/Keller Williams

John German, Chapman Auto Center & John Stanton, Payson Roundup

BEST TOWN COUNCILOR/PAYSON

BEST TOWN COUNCILOR/STAR VALLEY

Dr. Lorenzo Gonzales, Rim Country Veterinary Clinic

Heather Watson, El Rancho

Peter Aleshire and Teagan Smith

Worlds Oldest Continuous Rodeo

Wendy Larchick, At the Rim Team/Keller Williams

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE (SMALL BUSINESS)

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE (LARGE BUSINESS)

Wendy Larchick, At the Rim Team/Keller Williams

BEST BUSINESS IN PINE & STRAWBERRY

BEST BUSINESSPERSON IN PINE & STRAWBERRY

BEST BUSINESS IN STAR VALLEY

BEST BUSINESSPERSON IN STAR VALLEY

BEST BUSINESSPERSON (FEMALE)

Wendy Larchick, At the Rim Team/Keller Williams

BEST BUSINESSPERSON (MALE)

Shane Keith, Keith Family Flooring

BEST BUSINESSPERSON IN RIM COUNTRY

Wendy Larchick, At the Rim Team/Keller Williams

See more here:
Best of the Rim 2020 winners | Local News - Payson Roundup

Once again, U.S. policy for human spaceflight is under debate. As reported by SpaceNews, the House Science Committee is pushing a policy more directed to Mars and away from commercial participation. That is sensible if you believe that the purpose of human spaceflight is exploration and that its rationale is geopolitical. That has been true for all of the Space Age, and I believe it will remain so.

Commercial development of space certainly does not need humans in space. In fact, it would be a diversion for commercial interests to have to deal with humans. Not even the U.S. Defense Department has an interest in human spaceflight. Putative lunar or asteroid commercial goals dont need humans robots will mine asteroids or build lunar bases (if anyone does). Tourism is a commercial goal that needs humans (although in the days of self-driving cars, buses and airplanes, maybe less so). But tourism should not be the basis of government-funded space development, unless the trend toward serving only the wealthy continues unabated.

The human spaceflight programs of China, India and possibly Russia have a geopolitical rationale driven by national prestige and regional leadership. Smaller countries with nascent human programs likewise driven by national prestige are stepping forward as partners reluctant to be left out.

This leaves the United States with two choices: compete with developing nations in a new race to the moon, one it could possibly lose; or do what President John F. Kennedy did after the U.S. lost the early rounds of the space race to the Soviet Union set a more distant goal. In 1962, the stretch goal was the moon. Today, it should be Mars.

Diverting our human spaceflight program to support hypothetical commercial lunar interests is not sustainable; it is far too expensive and does not benefit commercial goals. The commercial industry, including NewSpace ventures, has one other interest being a government contractor. It is a matter of semantics whether to call that commercial or not. If the policy is to stimulate a commercial industry, relevant robotic programs would be the better approach.

The other driving factor is domestic politics. The House Science Committee position likely presages what will be national policy if there is a new U.S. president next year. Since none of the Democratic candidates seem to have a civil space agenda, they will likely be highly influenced by the positions Democrats in the House and Senate are currently staking out. That the House Science Committee is interested in Mars fits the geopolitical purposes of human spaceflight. NASAs current plan for putting more footprints on the moon does not.

Only two positive initiatives for human spaceflight have politically succeeded in the United States. President Kennedys determination to beat the Soviet Union to the moon was the first. The second was President Bill Clintons decision to build an International Space Station with Russia. (I dont count President Richard Nixons decision to develop the space shuttle as positive since it was a consolation prize for rejecting the Mars and space station recommendations).

Will the United States accomplish a third politically successful human spaceflight initiative? None of the back-to-the-moon initiatives of the past 30 years have made it and all (including the current one) have lacked popular interest.

The only new geopolitical driver I can imagine is international cooperation. Sadly, not under the current White House administration, but perhaps under the next one. If so, the House Science Committee bill might be a good starting point

Louis Friedman is co-founder and executive director emeritus of The Planetary Society.

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OP-ED | For the United States, a second race to the moon is a second-rate goal - SpaceNews

All Malibu dumpsters will be required to have locked lids by the summer of 2020. On Jan. 27, city council voted, 5-0, to bring back an ordinance requiring locking lids on dumpster bins at all times. The ordinance covers bins for commercial waste, organic waste and recycling. Dumpsters will also be required to have double plastic lids.

The desired outcome is to improve the cleanliness of these trash areas, prevent the presence of rodents and discourage the use of rodenticides, Environmental Sustainability Analyst Christine Shen said during her staff report on the item.

The current municipal code requires that solid waste container lids be closed at all times and that trash areas be kept in clean and sanitary conditions. The city can require locking lids if the code is not followed, Shen said.

In June 2019, the council directed Environmental Sustainability Department staff to bring back an ordinance requiring 24/7 locking lids by June 2020. Staff was additionally directed to implement the Enhanced Dumpster Implementation Program, Shen said, which involves monitoring by sustainability department staff and the issuing of warnings and corrections, Clean Bay restaurant inspections, follow-up inspections and complaints from the public.

Council was given a choice between two options, which were recommended by the Environmental Sustainability Subcommittee (ESS). Option one would target only repeat violators; option two would require locking lids for all businesses.

Jimmy Chavez, manager of Dukes Malibu Restaurant, spoke in favor of option one.

It wouldnt put costs onto every business, just the violators within the City of Malibu, since it takes a great deal of energy, training and education to keep your trash areas clean, and we feel strongly that we do a good job as do many other businesses in Malibu and shouldnt have to pay the additional costs to enforce that, Chavez said.

Other food service managers weighed in to agree with Chavez and point out that the locked bin solution might not be able to solve all pest issues.

Kian Schulman, co-founder of the environmental nonprofit Poison Free Malibu, came prepared with a seven-minute slideshow featuring photos taken between Jan. 17-19 of numerous dumpsters across the city that were not in compliance with current city ordinances.

Several of the Clean Bay city-certified restaurants for 2019 have been the worst offenders for trash control, Schulman said.

She criticized the citys efforts to enforce clean and sanitary dumpster conditions, describing Malibus dumpster problem as severe.

Cumbersome and frequent, multiple warnings just doesnt work. Education alone doesnt work. Two visits a year doesnt work. A straightforward 24/7 dumpster lid lock ordinance is simple to implement and enforce with clear, strong penalties, Schulman said.

Schulman said the staff reports statement that only a minority of businesses have poor solid waste practices is not true, and that very few businesses are obeying the existing code.

Schulmans photos depicted, to name a few examples, five Malibu High School dumpsters with lids open, overstuffed dumpsters with open lids at Zuma Beach Plaza, a Malibu Village dumpster with a broken lid that has not been replaced, she said, since June 2019. Schulman also showed photos of dumpsters with rodent holes in their lids.

Many of the dumpsters featured belonged to Clean Bay Certified restaurants, Schulman said.

Schulman concluded her presentation by emphasizing the importance of returning to 24/7 lid locks.

Council Member Skylar Peak, a member of the ESS, explained why two different options were proposed even though we had said that we wanted them to be locked all the time.

I think theres no solution that everyones going to be cheerful and happy for, Peak said. Because, on one hand, we have people that are concerned about the environment that want them to be locked all the time, and then on the other hand, we have business owners that are expressing their concerns with costs and staff time, et cetera, et cetera.

Council Member Jefferson Zuma Jay Wagner, also a member of the ESS, mentioned dumpsters with bear lids as a previously discussed alternative option.

Mayor Pro Tem Mikke Pierson said that when he was a business owner in Santa Monica, he used locking lids because thats the only thing that would work. Pierson said he liked the bear lids that Wagner proposed because they cannot be overstuffed.

Waste Management Route Manager Steve Lee said that locking bins are already being delivered to Malibu. He said bear bins are not being used anywhere in the region.

These are definitely going to need to be a special order, Lee said. Theres a lot of mechanisms that go along with those containers, too, which are going to take quite a bit of maintenance.

Council Member Rick Mullen said it might be better to stick with the original plan of locking lids rather than trying to import lids from long distances.

Council members unanimously voted in favor of option two requiring locked bins citywide, with staff to bring back the official ordinance text at a future meeting.

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All Commercial Dumpsters Must Have Locking Lids By This Summer - Malibu Times

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) More than 60 food violations from six different establishments in Lincoln were recorded during health inspections by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.

They include:

The Fox Bar & Grill

The restaurant near 14th and Pine Lake was slapped with 15 food violations during an inspection on December 16.

According to the inspection report, an environmental health specialist recorded seven critical violations.

Among major marks include employees and a manager not having proper food permits from the health department.

The report also noted grilled chicken and hamburgers were not being kept warm enough and an employee didnt know the proper temperature in which they were to be stored.

Chicken and hamburger sitting on the grill were also recorded at 99 degrees, well below the required 130-degree minimum, according to the report.

The health specialist also ordered chicken sitting on a rail be thrown out after its internal temperature was too warm to be safe. Other chicken did not have a proper expiration date.

Chemicals were also being improperly stored on a dish machine and the restaurant did not have a proper plumbing system to ensure contaminants dont get into the restaurants water supply, the report stated.

The restaurant told 10/11 NOW: All violations have since been fixed.

Russs Market

Russs Market #21 at Coddington and West A in Lincoln received 12 food violations during a December 12 inspection.

Among five critical violations in the inspection report include food left sitting out on a cook line without ice. The report stated that it was unknown how long food had been left out. It was thrown away.

Meat stored inside a cooler in the kitchen area was found to be more than a week expired, according to the report.

Other major violations in the report include rotisserie chicken being improperly cooled, air fresheners being stored among produce and other sprays being kept above bakery items.

The store was also hit for storing bug spray in the kitchen. The report noted chemicals were not from a licensed pest control operator.

B&R Stores provided 10/11 NOW with the following statement:

Food safety is our number one priority and we take it very seriously. Once the health department issues were pointed out to us, they were corrected immediately and a response sent to the health department that met their expectations.

Issara Modern Asian Cuisine

The Asian restaurant at 14th and Pine Lake was inspected by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department January 3.

During that time, an inspector noted 16 food related violations, including three which were critical.

An inspection report noted a violation involving compliance with required food handler permits.

Food items, including tomatoes, tofu and eggs were being kept in a cooler without proper date markings. The foods were ordered to be thrown out, according to the report.

A hand washing sink was found without soap, dented cans stored on a shelf were thrown out and sauce items inside a cooler were not marked with dates.

Floors and walls inside the kitchen area were also found to contain food debris, the report noted.

A request for comment was not answered.

Subway

The sub sandwich chain location at Sun Valley and East O in west Lincoln was written up for ten violations during an inspection.

Two violations were noted as critical by the environmental health specialist.

According to the report, an employee did not wash their hands before putting on gloves to prepare food.

The inspector also wrote that clean pans were found sitting in dirty water soiled with food residue.

Other major violations in the report include missing paperwork and no probes for a thermometer.

The report also stated that refrigerated meatballs did not have a proper open date.

A request for comment was not answered.

Kurry Xpress

The Indian restaurant at 14th and Pine Lake Road received seven violations during a health inspection January 8.

According to the inspection report, among the two critical violations include noncompliance with required food handler permits.

There was also no person with a valid prep or cook permit from the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, the report noted.

During the inspection, the environmental health specialist found eggs being improperly cooled on a counter in a deep pan covered in a wrapping material.

The report also said meat was found to be improperly thawing on the counter.

The facility was also written up for using the wrong type of chest freezer. A commercial freezer is required, over consumer types.

A request for comment was not answered.

Habibi Kabob and Shawarma

Eight food violations were found during a January 7 inspection of Habibi at 84th and Holdrege in Lincoln.

The inspection report noted no employee with a valid prep or cook permit was on hand at the start of the inspection.

According to the report, the restaurant did not have a food handler employee list during the inspection.

Other violations recorded by the inspector include a broken hand washing sink, chicken being improperly thawed, pickles being stored on the floor of the facility as well as pans and clean dishes being stacked before fully dry.

Habibi provided 10/11 NOW with the following statement:

The food handler permit got renewed for the employee [and] the new employee got their food handler permit as well the same week. The health inspector was happy with how clean the restaurant was.

10/11 Clean Plate Award Winner

The 1011 Clean Plate Award for January 2020 was presented to general manager Jeff Meints and his staff at Hog Wild Pit BBQ, located at 33rd and Cornhusker Highway in Lincoln. According to city inspection records, the barbecue restaurant has among the best Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department inspection scores in the Capital City.

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Restaurant Report Card: The Fox Bar & Grill among six restaurants with more than 60 food violations - 1011now