Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Megan Murray felt happy when she bought her condo in Kensington. She loved the walkable, up-and-coming neighborhood and was proud she could afford a $320,000 new construction home with high-end finishes.

She wasnt too worried, at first, that the neighbor in the condo next door said there had been flooding in her building before she moved in. Or that puddles somehow kept appearing in her basement-level living room and bedrooms when it rained. She figured that her warranty from Streamline, the company that had sold her the condo, would cover any repairs.

Streamline, which bills itself as the biggest home builder in Philadelphia, tried a few different fixes, but the water kept reappearing whenever it rained, Murray said. Workers sent by the company sealed a window with epoxy, fixed the exterior flashing, and cut grooves into the window well, she said.

They came out seven different times, tried multiple things, never got it right, never fixed it, said Murray, who closed on the condo in 2017.

Things went from bad to much worse in August 2018. A rainstorm hit, and dirty black water bubbled up out of her shower and toilet, covering her floors a few inches deep. The sewer water stained the walls, damaged the floor, and ruined furniture worth thousands of dollars.

She discovered that Streamline had declined to spend about $300 to put in a backflow preventer, a device that keeps sewer water from backing up into home plumbing. Installing one now would cost thousands of dollars.

In addition, workers who removed a section of stained drywall exposed a 6-foot-long crack across the foundation. Finally, she understood the cause of her mysterious puddles. Every time it rained, water was pouring out, Murray said. The cement was actually crumbling, so you could fit your whole hand in there in some of the places.

But by the time she discovered the crack, her one-year warranty had expired. Streamline refused to fix the foundation. The sewer backups too were not the companys issue, they said. City regulations had not required installation of a backflow preventer, company officials told Murray. The brand-new Streamline condo had turned into a source of misery.

Everything they do is to cut corners, she said. They were out to make money just as fast as they could, as quick as they could, and didnt care about what would happen.

Murrays woes echo the experiences of more than 20 Streamline buyers around Philadelphia who have defects in their homes, most of them related to water infiltration. In interviews and lawsuits, the residents describe water-stained ceilings, moldy walls, bursting pipes, leaky roofs and windows, inadequate stucco, and various other construction flaws that plague homes marketed to them as low-maintenance new construction.

Philadelphias Department of Licenses and Inspections has received complaints from Streamline homeowners and is investigating several Streamline projects for possible code violations, a spokeswoman said. The state Attorney Generals Office has also received a complaint about the company, a spokesman said. Details of the complaints were not available.

Homeowners allege in lawsuits, online forums and in conversation that Streamline doesnt reliably or sufficiently respond to warranty claims. The company refuses to address hidden defects that only become evident after warranties expire, even those caused by shoddy construction, homeowners say.

The companys sale agreements also often include arbitration clauses that make it difficult for buyers to recover repair costs and damages through the courts.

You had families, successful doctors, people just starting out, teachers, people that are just excited about the layout of the house and the granite countertops. The last thing theyre thinking about: Is there water inside the walls? said Jennifer Horn, a construction attorney who represents several Streamline buyers. The Streamline houses are young houses that are literally rotting from the inside out.

Philadelphians may know Streamline from extensive media coverage of the 2018 stabbing death of co-founder Sean Schellenger in Rittenhouse Square. The company itself was in the news last year for destabilizing the historic Edward Corner building on Delaware Avenue, which led Licenses & Inspections Commissioner David Perri to sue Streamline and call its renovation efforts incompetent. Neighbors have also criticized the company for a planned development that will displace a Vietnamese shopping mall in South Philadelphia and for proposing a large apartment building next to Edward Corner that some say would be too imposing for the neighborhood.

Streamline acknowledged receiving a list of questions from PlanPhilly but declined to comment.

Schellenger and his business partner Mike Stillwell founded the company in 2008. Schellenger served as the CEO and Streamlines public face, while Stillwell became COO, overseeing construction and other divisions. The young company earned notice from Philadelphia Business Journal in 2013 as the fastest-growing privately owned firm in the city. By 2017, Streamline was marketing itself as a booming business building more than 250 homes a year. Today, it describes itself as the largest residential developer within Philadelphia, with plans to expand nationally.

In interviews before his death, Schellenger touted Streamline as more than just another local home builder. He said the company was more efficient because it handled the whole development process, from buying and demolishing a property to constructing new houses and marketing them. Streamline also sometimes serves as a general contractor, building condos and single-family homes for other property owners.

The company calls itself tech-enabled, because prospective buyers can view floor plans and interior finish options using virtual-reality goggles. It claims to work in the public interest, with the goal of turning blighted land into equal opportunity housing that will revitalize our urban communities, eradicate crime, and improve economic circumstances. To give back to impoverished neighborhoods Streamline targeted for redevelopment, Schellenger started a charity called Helping Hands that holds Easter Egg hunts and gives out Thanksgiving turkeys in Point Breeze and Kensington.

But as it ramped up its housing production, the firm also began accumulating complaints about its construction practices, both from neighbors of its projects and buyers of its homes.

In 2014, Streamline workers at a project on North 19th Street allegedly damaged a neighboring property, resulting in a $30,000 arbitration decision for a neighbor, according to court records. A resident of Bouvier Street sued for $50,000 over damage from Streamline construction next door, and a homeowner on North 20th Street sued for $10,000. Both eventually settled their cases.

Josh and Melissa Stolle bought their Streamline house on North Leithgow Street in Kensington in 2015. They planned to raise their two young children there. The Stolles thought purchasing new construction meant fewer worries about upkeep, but they soon began noticing roof leaks, which Streamline unsuccessfully tried to fix, the couple said.

Black and green mold appeared on the bathroom and closet ceilings, in the master bedroom and a childs bedroom, in a hallway, and on the roof, according to their subsequent lawsuit. Clothing was destroyed, insects infested the house, and the hardwood floors swelled with moisture and exploded, the Stolles said, according to court filings.

When mold grows to cover an area larger than one square foot, it releases proteins into the air that can create allergies when inhaled, said physician Marilyn Howarth, an occupational medicine expert at the University of Pennsylvanias Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology. It can be addressed only by drying out affected areas and cleaning or removing moldy materials, which can be extremely costly, Howarth said.

It is a problem that is quite prevalent in Philadelphias poor neighborhoods, but it can happen anywhere and does happen in office settings as well as affluent neighborhoods if people dont recognize the need to immediately dry poor substrates like carpets or walls, Howarth said.

An inspector hired by the Stolles found that their home was rife with construction defects and code violations that were causing structural damage and massive infiltration, their lawsuit says. The building envelope was totally inadequate, with flashings that sent water into the walls instead of away from it, stucco thinner than required by building codes, and a lack of openings to let moisture out at the bottom of stucco walls, the inspection found. Water was running down inside the walls, rotting out the wood and insulation.

Streamline had taken out the permits to build the house and marketed it to the Stolles. But in court filings, the company has denied responsibility and tried to shift liability for the construction flaws to a roofer and two other companies. Under Pennsylvania law, developers and general contractors may require subcontractors to assume responsibility for any damage to a project, even if its not their fault. State legislators have proposed a ban on such requirements.

The Stolles learned that the same defects affected a neighbor, who is also suing, and several other Streamline homes. The volume of complaints indicates that Streamline was knowingly building defective homes, the couple argue; they allege the developer acted in a concertedly deceptive fashion over time, engaging in significant, but non-apparent, fraudulent cost-cutting measures.

Builders who construct multiple homes with the same defects face risk of prosecution. The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General in 2016 sued Plymouth Meeting-based David Cutler Group, which calls itself the largest privately owned residential builder in the Delaware Valley. Prosecutors from the offices Bureau of Consumer Protection contended that the company did not comply with building codes and accepted industry practices on installation of stucco, weather barriers, and flashings, resulting in water infiltration and significant damage. The builder, renamed Hudson Palmer Homes, declared bankruptcy in 2018.

If you have knowledge of a repeated defect in the construction of your homes, thats negligence, said Rob Lunny, a home inspector and water intrusion expert based in Bucks County. Its part of what got David Cutler. You cant tell them you didnt know you were putting only two layers of stucco on. You were supposed to put three, you put on two, on thousands and thousands of homes, because you wanted to beat the time and everything else.

Homeowners who encounter construction flaws can have a hard time getting help, whether from Streamline, local government, or the courts.

The company has an online system to report warranty issues, and Streamline staffers will often arrange for repairs, but sometimes they refuse or tell homeowners to fix the problem on their own, owners say. Mark Swisher, a former Streamline construction manager, said he still gets calls from homeowners who are within the warranty period but struggle to get the company to respond.

I tell them exactly what to say, and Streamlines like, No, we wont do it. They constantly fight them on it, he said. The developer is understaffed, Swisher said, and doesnt have the guys that have the necessary background to be doing the actual work.

Swisher worked on Streamline projects in South Philadelphia from March 2017 to December 2018. He said the company dismissed him after he argued with a supervisor over the management of subcontractors and the phasing of construction projects.

While one-year warranties are common in new construction, attorney Jennifer Horn argues that they are worthless when construction defects occur and can even be used by builders to try to avoid responsibility for breaking the law.

When I say to you, Im going to build you a great home, and you give me $800,000, youre trusting that its going to be done correctly with quality construction, Horn said. What were dealing with is not a breach of warranty issue. It instead really is a violation of Pennsylvanias Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.

Even if warranty limitations can be disregarded or overcome, suing a builder can be a lengthy, expensive, and uncertain process, due to attorneys fees, arbitration clauses, and arguments over who bears responsibility, among other challenges. Murray said she called a dozen lawyers, every one of whom said she had no chance of prevailing in a lawsuit against Streamline.

Murrays neighbor Ashley Scott, who lives in an adjoining condo, said she has an attorney and plenty of evidence but hasnt yet moved forward with a lawsuit. Since she bought her condo in 2017, shes fixed an improperly sealed pipe inside a wall, pushed Streamline to upgrade an unreliable sump pump system, and, like Murray, coped with sewer water covering her floors during heavy storms.

Every time I see rain in the forecast, Im afraid to go to the bathroom at night because Im worried theres going to be backflow, Scott said. After seeing water come up through your shower and your toilet, you cant get that out of your head.

After a big sewer backup, Murray pleaded and argued with Streamline staffers, posted angry screeds against the company on Facebook, and attended meetings of local zoning committees, looking for someone who could help her get the builder to act. She said she emailed City Council and never heard back. Councilmember Maria Quinones-Sanchez, whose district includes Murrays home, declined to comment, as did Council President Darrell Clarke.

Swisher did not work on Murrays house, but he said Streamlines standard building practices make basement leaks like hers more likely. The company does not always properly waterproof the outside of new foundations, and when the concrete naturally settles, moisture can widen tiny cracks and lead to persistent leaks, he said.

You have to put on tar, and then youve got to put a waterproof membrane on the foundation. Thats how it should be done. Theyre not doing that, to save money. But its not the right way to do it, Swisher said. All you need is a hairline fracture in concrete for water to start penetrating through. Its definitely an issue that they have.

Murray finally happened to meet Annie Moss, president of the Olde Kensington Neighborhood Association, and told her about the flooding. Developers often need the support of neighborhood groups to get zoning variances. After Moss called Streamline about Murrays problem, the company began the first of several unsuccessful attempts to patch the crack, Murray said.

Last March, about a year and a half after she first saw water on her floors, workers hired by Streamline finally cut out and repoured part of her foundation, she said. The leaks stopped.

As for the sewer backup problem, she resolved that through a taxpayer-supported program. In December, the Philadelphia Water Department put in a backflow preventer through its Basement Protection Program, sparing Murray and her condo association that expense.

Murray and Scott are among several homeowners who describe themselves as scarred and disillusioned by the experience of buying a Streamline condo and dealing with the company.

Another is first-time homebuyer Kinsey Gates, who fell in lovewith Streamlines floor plan for the Northern Liberties condo she closed on in 2016. But the place was plagued with leaks: Rain gutters inside the walls clogged and burst, and a poorly installed sewer ejection system broke and dripped sewage through the ceiling light openings, Gates said. Streamline fixed one gutter but then refused to pay for repairs to another.

The issue you reached out about recently, out of warranty, is separate from the original issue. It is a completely separate pipe/area of the house, Alexandra DeLawrence, a warranty service coordinator for Streamline, wrote in an email. We will not be addressing this, due to your expired warranty.

Gates and her husband also had worrying natural-gas leaks and ended up spending $2,000 to redo incorrectly installed piping. She feels fortunate not to have had the roof leaks and mold other Streamline buyers are dealing with, but shes taken to warning others who may be enticed by advertisements for the companys latest developments.

A lot of my friends, theyre buying houses, she said. I can tell you immediately based on a picture of a place if its a Streamline house because they use the same exact finishes that they used three years ago. I say, Do not buy that house. I promise you its not worth it.

The homeowners identified by PlanPhilly represent a small sample of the many families across southeastern Pennsylvania who struggle with an epidemic of water infiltration in new homes. Streamline isnt the only builder confronting lawsuits.

Currently, we have actions against Toll Brothers, Pulte, David Cutler Group, NVR, and of course Streamline, as well as others, Horn said.

More than 650 homeowners in the Philadelphia region who bought new homes in the last two decades have suffered serious water damage that required tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs, according to a 2018 Inquirer investigation. Those homes were built by 27 different companies, Streamline among them.

A renewed enthusiasm for urban living and Philadelphias 10-year tax abatement on new construction have contributed to a building boom in the city, especially since the end of the recession. But many builders are unaware of state and local building codes, which describe how elements such as cladding, house wrap, and stucco must be installed or applied to keep water out of a new house, Horn said.

When she deposes builders for lawsuits, she often finds they dont know the rules, dont have architectural or engineering oversight on job sites, and dont properly monitor the subcontractors who do much of the actual construction, she said.

We have this incredible market where theres an amazing demand for homes because people, rightfully so, want to live in Center City. So we have builders who are looking to maximize their profits, and at the time theyre building, theyre giving little or no attention to the building code, and theyre constructing homes that fail to meet even the minimum standards set forth by the building code, Horn said.

Lunny, the home inspector, said the extent of shoddy home construction in central Philadelphia is unbelievable and it seems to be getting worse rather than better.

At the root of it are builders and subcontractors who rush jobs and cut corners to save money, along with building codes that specify only general, minimal requirements and an overwhelmed Department of Licenses and Inspections, he said.

L&I must, must, have better inspections down there, Lunny said. I get it, things are happening fast. The city is looking for tax money, the builders are looking to make money, millennials and consumers have money to spend. But youve got to slow things down. This is too important.

L&I Commissioner Perri is aware of the problem and said he is developing legislation that would require inspection of building envelopes by specially trained third-party inspectors during construction of single-family homes. L&I expects the bill will be introduced in City Councils spring session.

As difficult as it can be to sue a builder, the potential for lawsuits can make companies take more care in waterproofing their projects. But Horn said people buying new construction need to make sure their sales agreements dont include arbitration clauses that weaken their access to legal recourse.

She advises prospective buyers to have an attorney vet their sales agreements for arbitration provisions or other limitations, which is much less expensive than having to pay for a private arbitrator later. Arbitration decisions also often go against homeowners and can be difficult to appeal. If a builder insists on including an arbitration clause, that may indicate the company is unwilling to stand behind the quality of its work, Horn said.

If a builders saying, I want you to be committed to an expensive, secret procedure that is highly favorable to the builder and not to the homeowner, that sends a major, major signal to a family, she said.

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Rotting from the inside: Fast-growing Philly developer accused of defective building - WHYY

For the first time in history Wednesday, Maryland residents were able to watch a video live-stream of the House of Delegates engaged in substantive debate on a pending legislation.

It happened without warning, when Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) decided to activate the half-dozen small, robotic cameras that were installed around the chamber late last year.

She was making good on a commitment made by her predecessor, the late Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel), to launch a pilot program to provide live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of the House.

While the House had already live-streamed portions of three floor sessions this year, Wednesdays broadcast was the first to feature a lengthy and substantive debate.

For decades, legislative leaders opted to keep the drapes in Annapolis drawn, even as cameras became commonplace elsewhere.

But when two lawmakers Dels. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore and Harford) and David Moon (D-Montgomery) introduced legislation requiring that cameras be installed in the House chamber, Busch adopted their push for openness.

The U.S. House of Representatives allowed C-SPAN cameras to provide coverage of the chamber in 1980, and the U.S. Senate followed several years later. Most local governments air their meetings on cable and online, as does the Board of Public Works.

The Maryland General Assembly has long been the outlier. (The legislature does air bill hearings in committee but not votes, where the action often is.)

Day 1

People who tuned into the chambers first-ever floor debate Wednesday got quite a show.

For most of the 99-minute House of Delegates session, lawmakers engaged in a lengthy, passionate debate over House Bill 4, a measure offered by a group of Democrats to restrict the transfer to rifles and shotguns to people who are prohibited by law from owning a handgun.

The floor of the Maryland House of Delegates during debate on House Bill 4 on Wednesday. Screenshot.

House Judiciary Chair Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) debates an amendment on the floor of the House of Delegates on Wednesday. Screenshot.

House Minority Leader Nicholaus R. Kipke (R-Anne Arundel) debates an amendment to House Bill 4. Screenshot.

The House of Delegates rostrum was briefly empty Wednesday after a parliamentary challenge to a ruling by Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) on a proposed Republican amendment. Screenshot.

The unofficial vote tally on an amendment is broadcast from the House of Delegates. Screenshot.

Not surprisingly, Republican amendments to the bill were defeated and arguments against the bill appeared to go unheeded. All pretty routine stuff in a legislature in which Democrats have the numbers to work their will whenever they choose.

But things got interesting, and tempers flared, when GOP leaders objected to a technique used to try to amend the measure. That led to a ruling from the House parliamentarian and eventually a challenge to the ruling of the chair, a dramatic and rarely used maneuver.

It was tense and unusually watchable, if youre into that sort of thing. (The video is now available online.)

The House livestream is produced by a crew from Maryland Public Television, under contract to the legislatures Department of Information Services.

MPT installed unmanned cameras around the chamber before the session started. They are controlled by a crew that sits in a newly-constructed glass booth high above the House floor.

With 141 members, any one of them could pop up to speak at any moment, a live webcast poses a significant challenge.

Not only does the director have to find the person speaking and cut to them as quickly as possible, they must determine who is speaking and find the appropriate chyron to identify the lawmaker.

The MPT crew did a very good job on their maiden voyage.

Although there were a few awkward instances when it took time to cut to the person speaking, overall the production was crisp, and the video and audio quality were respectable.

The video stream was inset in a graphic that listed the House agenda for the day, giving viewers the opportunity not only to read the bill being debated but also to read amendments as they came up, a very user-friendly feature.

An adjustment period?

The Houses contract with MPT allows for 30 days of coverage this legislative session.

Although local TV news cameras have been allowed on the House and Senate floor for decades, they typically only show up for high-profile bills.

Gavel-to-gavel coverage is altogether different, and there will likely be a period of adjustment.

On Wednesday, viewers could see that some legislators were paying attention to the debate, while others were working on their laptops or talking on cell phones.

At one point during the gun debate, a House staffer appeared dubious of an argument being made by a lawmaker.

In an interview, Szeliga said she is proud of her role in bringing cameras to the floor, and she expressed confidence that viewers will see that the tone of Marylands legislature is much less acrimonious than Congress is. She expects little in the way of grandstanding.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Luke H. Clippinger (D-Baltimore) wasted no time taking advantage of the new technology, posting a clip of himself speaking on the floor to Twitter.

Dont fall for the smoke & mirrors, he wrote. Marylanders want background checks. #HB4.

By 10 p.m. Wednesday, the clip had been viewed more than 1,700 times.

There was a light moment on Wednesday when Del. Carl Anderton Jr. (R-Wicomico) rose at the start of the session to deliver the opening prayer. He was wearing an eye-catching purple plaid jacket, purple patterned shirt and purple striped tie.

In an interview, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) applauded the House for its decision to televise select floor sessions, and he said he intends to bring cameras to the floor of his chamber next year.

Danielle E. Gaines contributed to this report.

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Live From Annapolis, it's the House of Delegates! - Josh Kurtz

Bloomfield High School students share experiences on service trip

BLOOMFIELD Sometimes, you have to journey really far away to understand what you have in your own backyard, according to Bloomfield school counselor and adviser Felice Prindle.

More than 20 students in Bloomfields High Schools International Baccalaureate Creativity, Activity and Service program are back from a service trip to the Dominican Republic, funded in part through community events and fundraisers and taken in December and early January.

And they have had the chance to reflect on what some are calling a visit that has changed them and how they look at life back home.

The students helped poor sugar cane workers in what are known as bateyes, which are settlements and homes for people originally from Haiti who face discrimination and other hardships in their new country. The Bloomfield students traveled to the same area of the country as other Bloomfield students did in 2017.

This project is like taking a journey and recognizing a community and an entire group of people that have been marginalized and forgotten, said Prindle, who organized this and previous service trips.

The students, through the Monte Cocoa Housing Initiative, helped install floors in homes and build latrines for the community. They also worked to improve access to running water as well as serving as teachers for children ranging from as young as 3 to those older than they are.

And the Bloomfield visitors also proved to be apt students as well.

For Marissa Giglia, her definition of wealth changed, particularly traveling from what she calls a largely materialistic society here to find something she and the others who accompanied her on the trip didnt expect to find.

Yes, the workers would go into the sugar cane fields everyday, some working from 3 a.m. to 8 p.m., cutting down sugar cane with a machete, row by row, all day long. All that for $2.50 every two weeks, with much of the money going toward clean water.

Yet, everyone was smiling. The people danced a lot. They came up and hugged these complete strangers from Bloomfield, playing baseball or musical chairs with them and doing their hair.

They treated them like family.

I thought, how rich they are in happiness and family, Marissa said. It was really upsetting to see that they had to live this way and they didnt have a choice to live any better way. But they made the best out of their situation, and I guess that was the most amazing part about the trip.

Upon returning from the service trip, many of the students found a renewed sense of purpose in volunteer work they already had been doing.

Take Christian Reyes, who works with the elderly as he strives to someday become a pediatric nurse. Like his traveling companions, he learned how valuable a smile, conversation, companionship and friendship can be to someone, no matter the language barrier.

And he tries to do the same back home.

Its not my job, its my duty to help, Christian said.

Lauren Bell works with one elementary school student twice a week. She realizes the importance of the connections shes made go beyond simply helping the one student but to the entire class.

In the bateyes, she and other students helped install floors and latrines. But being there for the peoplewas just as important, she discovered.

For me, my presence is service, in a way. Being there for them and not necessary to give them something, she said. For me, that classroom is my version of the kids in the Dominican Republic.

Kailee Lewis paid heed to the lessons taught by the Bloomfield students who traveled to this same community two years ago and to Prindle, who encouraged the students to have no regrets when it was time to leave.

If that meant allowing the kids to hug her and shake her hand, she let them. And yes, allowing them to do her hair.

Two little girls wrote her notes, wrapped in bows and a scrunchie. Translated, one of the notes read, I love you, friend. A little boy wrote in Kailees journal, You gave me my heart.

I know Ill never forget that, Kailee said.

Students, who are preparing to share details of the service trip with the Bloomfield Board of Education on Feb. 5, also have been talking with younger students about their experiences.

Were creating a generation who wants to go and serve as well, Lauren said.

The students go not to travel but to serve, Prindle said. And when they return home, they still want to serve and this group is no exception.

Im really proud of them, Prindle said.

In looking back, Marissa said many would think there are so many differences, but instead, the Bloomfield and Dominican Republic kids learned they are very much the same.

I think that was one of the coolest parts, seeing how we find joy in a lot of the same things, Marissa said.

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From the Dominican Republic, with love and memories - MPNnow.com

Sarah Self-Walbrick

ThursdayJan30,2020at5:42PM

A collection of sketches that offer insight into artist Terry Allens creative process was recently installed in the first and second-floor art gallery in the Texas Tech University System Administration building.

"The Artwork of Terry Allen" will be on display to the public through Aug. 12 at 1508 Knoxville Ave.

The collection hangs in lobby areas that can be accessed during normal business hours.

The artwork was chosen from the larger Allen Collection, housed at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library. The living collection of Terry and Jo Harvey Allens work includes over 200 workbooks, photographs, correspondence, scripts and audio-visual material produced by the couple in their decades of making art. The collection was acquired last year and the Allens will add to it as they continue to make art.

The displayed art includes conceptual sketches of some of Allens sculpture work that can be found throughout the country. The workbook designs show not just the sculpture, but notes about the meaning behind the artwork.

In a sketch for the project Notre Denver - two cast bronze gargoyles sitting in handheld suitcases that can be found in a baggage claim area at Denver International Airport - Allen works through specifics of one of the pieces, but also ponders that "a cathedral is kind of a baggage claim (in a higher sense of course)."

Katelin Dixon, special projects curator at the Southwest Collection, said the selections in this gallery are just a small sample of what the larger collection shows about art concept development.

Allen, who grew up in Lubbock, is a singer-songwriter and multidisciplinary artist. Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band released an album, "Just Like Moby Dick," in January.

Link:
Terry Allen artwork on display at Texas Tech University System office - LubbockOnline.com

PUBLISHED: 13:05 28 January 2020 | UPDATED: 13:16 28 January 2020

Scaffolding is in place around King's Lynn Corn Exchange, where a cinema is being installed Picture: Chris Bishop

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West Norfolk council, which owns the venue, wants to replace a first floor foyer and bar area with two 50-seat cinema screens.

The glazed roof is being replaced with acoustically sealed zinc panels. Repairs are being made to the Grade II listed stonework faade, gutters and flashings.

A new floor will be put in the main foyer, with cladding of the box office and bar counters. The ground floor toilets will be refurbished, with additional female toilets.

A cinema box office and concessions kiosk will be created. A new staircase and lift will lead to the cinema foyer on the first floor. A two-screen digital cinema will be built in the currently under-used space in the upper foyer and front balcony. Screen one will have 58 seats and screen two will seat 52 people, with wheelchair provision for both screens.

Officials expect the cinema will bring in 200,000 a year after it opens this summer.

There will be special screenings for parent and babies, parent and toddlers, 'silver screenings' for the over-60s and family screenings at the weekend.

Elizabeth Nockolds, the council's cabinet member for culturemand heritage, said: "Following the most successful panto run ever, over 22 thousand people came and enjoyed the show, this is the perfect time to start this work.

"The Alive Corn Exchange will have a bright new look and the cinema will bring more people in to King's Lynn who will hopefully stay for longer. This is a golden opportunity for the town."

The Grade II Listed Corn Exchange was originaly built on the Tuesday Market Place in 1854.

In the mid-1990s, it was given a 4.4m refurb which included a rear extension.

The first events after it reopens include Neil Diamond tribute act Sweet Caroline on Thursday, March 5, a Tina Turner tribute on Saturday, March 7 and an evening with Jim Davidson on Thursday, March 12.

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When will King's Lynn Corn Exchange reopen? What work is being done? | Latest Norfolk and Suffolk News - Eastern Daily Press

January 27, 2020

Wind and snow whipping across fjords. A flood of water crashing down from a waterfall surrounded by moss and lush greenery. A van parked precariously on a roadside in the middle of a blinding snowstorm. The steam from hot springs evaporating into the icy air. Boots crunching and scraping along the ice on a black sand beach. A fishing boat navigating ice floes as it chugs into harbour. This is Iceland. In our minds, we can picture how these scenarios might look, but how do they sound?

The Desautels Faculty of Musics composition masters students and the University of Manitobas Faculty of Architecture graduate studio class set out to discover the answer during their trip to Iceland in October 2019, where they recorded the sounds of Iceland. Their findings have taken the form of an interactive installation, s, which will run from January 29th through February 5th in the UM School of Arts Student Gallery on the first floor of the Tach Arts Complex.

Sound and architecture

The trip was coordinated by rjan Sandred, a professor of composition in the Desautels Faculty of Music, and Herbert Enns, a professor of architecture, who wanted to connect their students through topics that touch on both music and architecture. The relationship between the two disciplines is a natural one, though it might not be obvious to those of us on the outside.

Many composers have actively explored the relationship between architecture and music an obvious example being Iannis Xenakis, who was both a composer and an architect, says Sandred.

All music is dependent on room acoustics, and in electroacoustic music the acoustics sound spatialization through loudspeaker systems and the interaction with spaces is a central topic just as a brief example of how we connect, he adds.

Music and architecture go hand-in-hand, and there are many overlaps between the two agrees Jonathan Bailes, a master of architecture student who went on the trip.

Architecture and sound inspire one another, and the trip was an exciting collaboration in that sense, because we were able to share our specific interests during the travels, he says.

[The trip] was an opportunity to do something outside of a traditionally musical context, says Ross Bugden, a fourth-year undergraduate composition student who went on the trip.

In universities, music tends to be centered around European-classical instrumentation and notational practices, so developing an interactive installation based on field recordings let me think about the organization in a whole new way, he says.

Aside from collecting sounds, making acoustic measurements, and explorations of generating sounds by interacting with the environment, the students were able to amplify each others creativity, and build on ideas outside of their respective disciplines.

It was a nice opportunity to meet and get to know people from another program in the university, something that doesnt happen very often, says Lucas Druet, a master of architecture student on the trip.

It has been great getting to see and learn from the creativity, passion, and talent of the music students, he adds.

Traveling through sound, and recording in harsh climates

Much of the trip took place in northwestern Iceland in the Westfjords, a peninsular region known for its craggy fjords, steep hills, black sand beaches, and its impassibility and isolation during the winter months.

Theres no way to really prepare yourself for how barren it is, says Bugden.

In places like Manitoba, we take the omnipresence of life for granted. In Iceland, there are places where almost nothing lives or grows. Its just naked earth and water, he adds.

Its kind of unsettling and beautiful at the same time.

The recording sites for the trip were not planned in advance, and the day unfolded according to the discoveries the students made.

In preparation for the trip, the composition students bought a hydrophone, an underwater microphone that they used in Icelands many watery environments.

We threw it into every body of water we could find. It got nipped by ducks a few times, says Bugden.

Anticipating the wind and harsh environs, composition masters student Jesse Krause made windscreens for the microphones.

It saved our recordings a number of times. One of us often had the job of standing between the mic and the wind, taking the brunt of the cold with our bodies, notes Bugden. Those experiences at least prepared them for another moment during the trip, when all of the students took a dip in a hot spring pool, and then ran into the ocean.

It felt a bit like jumping into a pool of needles, but it was a really fun moment, admits Bugden.

Among the sounds we explored were the violent torrent of wind and snow as you step out of the quiet, still air of the van; the sublime descent into cramped, humid, and very quiet caves; the hum of a motor and creaks of the van; and the gentle but active daily life of the Reykjavik Harbour, Druet says.

You can definitely guess what a place will sound like by looking at it, but you cant be sure until you go there and listen, says Bugden.

The moments when a space contradicts your expectations are really rewarding, he says.

While traveling from place to place, their Icelandic driver Gunnar Gudjonsson would jump out of the van to scout potential recording locations. At one point, in Snfellsjkull, Gudjonsson exited the van, only to disappear into a hole next to the road.

He emerged after a somewhat concerning five minutes and told us to follow him, says Bugden.

The hole turned out to be a volcanic tube. Also known as lava chutes, these long, cave-like geographic features are formed as a large amount of lava flows from a volcano during eruption. The lava at the surface of the flow hardens in the comparatively cool air, and eventually leaves a hollowed out, underground passage.

We walked deeper and deeper underground for a long time, then stopped and turned off our headlamps, says Bugden.

It was completely black and silent. In a trip saturated with music and light, this moment stands out in my memory, he says.

Some of the recordings the students made were sadly archival in their purpose: the sound of glaciers melting.

Okjkull was a 700-year old Icelandic glacier that was declared dead in 2014 by Oddur Sigursson, a glaciologist with the Icelandic Meterological Office. It was the first glacier in Iceland to succumb to the effects of global warming. Icelandic climate experts estimate that without substantive worldwide efforts to reduce carbon emissions, all of Icelands glaciers will become extinct in the next 200 years. The students recordings of these glaciers death rattles may end up being the only thing thats left of them, and will be featured heavily in the installation.

A trip turned installation

The resulting installation, s Icelandic for ice opens on January 29th at 12:30pm with a reception and a brief talk about the trip. It is evocative of the students experiences, and immerses visitors in a place to which they may never travel or feel connected to, otherwise.

The installation speaks to the environmental effect from human impact on nature. The gallery space will be an immersive sensory experience that takes the viewer through a state of change ice into water, Bailes says.

Its broken up into the zones in the gallery space. The first zone is ice, the second is slush, and the third is water. As a person journeys through the course of the pathways, contact mics will trigger sounds that were taken from our trip. Fabric curtains will guide the viewers along the pathways and our video recordings will project onto these surfaces throughout the space, he explains.

We modeled the installation on a process of melting pushed to surreal extremes, says Bugden.

This process unfolds as a response to the motion of the individual through the space. The installation highlights the disruptive tendencies of human presence in an environment. Were hoping to push people into a state of heightened physical awareness, he says.

You can experience s beginning January 29th at 12:30pm in the UM School of Arts Student Gallery on the first floor of the Tach Arts Complex, 150 Dafoe Road. Light refreshments will be served at the reception. The public is welcome to attend the reception and exhibit. A short video documenting the trip can be found HERE.

Sarah Boumphrey

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Desautels Faculty of Music | The acoustics of Iceland - UM Today

By Tia Lynn Ivey

managing editor

For over 35 years, the Clothes Closet has served families in need throughout Madison and Morgan County by providing free clothes and household items donated from the community. But now, it may be up to the community to help the Clothes Closet, located in downtown Madison directly behind the Morgan County Courthouse.

The building, owned by Morgan County, is in dire need of a new roofa project expected to cost anywhere from $30,000 to upwards of $50,000. Currently, the several dedicated volunteers at the Clothes Closet have buckets set up to catch leaks from the roof while gaping holes in the roof are visible on the outside and inside of the building. While the county is currently collecting bids for the project from local roof contractors, the county has not yet committed to footing the bill for the new roof replacement.

It all depends on the cost, said County Manager Adam Mestres, who noted completed bid packages will be presented to the Morgan County Board of Commissioners for review at the Feb. 18 meeting. We are looking for community partners to help with the cost, whether it be the city of Madison, the religious community, or others. But the roof is in bad shape will need to be completely replaced.

Bernice Davis, 91, founded the Clothes Closet over 35 years ago and still volunteers every week, along with other long-time volunteers Dottie Kurtz, Lena Cole, Julia Osaby, and Pat Nesbitt.

When we moved into this building, I thought Thank God, we will never have to move again, but here we are, said Davis as she sorted through donations at the Clothes Closet. This is just such a convenient location for people to get to when they are in need. You would be surprised how many people we have come through herethe families and the children who are helped by what we give out. People truly need this.

Dottie Kurtz recounted helping a young a man find a new shirt for a job interview and single mothers with children find school clothes. Kurtz wrote a letter to the county stressing the Clothes Closets need for help.

Right now its hard to imagine where we would go and still have the space we need and convenience to those who need us, wrote Kurtz, who stressed the important work the Clothes Closet does for the local community. Whether its a 4-year-old child who visited us weekly with her grandmother and watching her learn the value of volunteering with us, a homeless man coming in from the cold and being fitted for new socks and shoes, a group from a local church gathering clothes for a family whose home has burned to the ground, a young man seeking a nice shirt and slacks to wear to a job interview or a teacher at the Crossroads Alternative School seeking old shirts that can be repurposed to create their yearly public art project now installed at Farmview Market. Of course everyone coming through our doors doesnt have such a need but we have been able to help them with clothing, books and small household items so they can have a little extra money saved for their food and shelter.

Kurtz also stressed the importance of the Clothes Closets current location.

Our central location behind the Courthouse has been vital for those who seek our help and many walk or ride with others to visit us. Over the years these people have become extended family to the few of us who regularly volunteer our time each week, wrote Kurtz.

Davis is hopeful that the county and community will come together to keep the Clothes Closet open and at the same location.

We are very hopeful help will come through, said Davis. You know, when I started this all those years ago, it was just about helping people in need. Thats what we do here, what we have always done. It makes you feel good to know you have done good for somebody else. We just want to keep on doing that.

The Clothes Closet is open to public on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Clothes Closet is located in a small brick building directly behind the Morgan County Courthouse, off East Jefferson Street in Madison.

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Time To Help Is Now - Morgan County Citizen

Casagmo condominiums unit owners association has objected to First Selectman Rudy Marconi's suggestion that condos in Casagmo and Fox Hill might, with certain deed restrictions, count with the state as affordable housing.

Casagmo condominiums unit owners association has objected to First Selectman Rudy Marconi's suggestion that condos in Casagmo and Fox Hill might, with certain deed restrictions, count with the state as

Photo: Macklin Reid / Hearst Connecticut Media

Casagmo condominiums unit owners association has objected to First Selectman Rudy Marconi's suggestion that condos in Casagmo and Fox Hill might, with certain deed restrictions, count with the state as affordable housing.

Casagmo condominiums unit owners association has objected to First Selectman Rudy Marconi's suggestion that condos in Casagmo and Fox Hill might, with certain deed restrictions, count with the state as

Ridgefield condo owners insist their units arent affordable housing

Casagmo is in an uproar, triggered by First Selectmen Rudy Marconis suggestion that units in the Main Street condominium complex might help the town meet the states affordable housing requirements.

As you may know, unit owners at Casagmo have invested heavily in recent years to renovate, repair and upgrade the complex, James Hulbert, president of the Casagmo Phase II and Master Associations, said in a Jan. 17 letter to Marconi. We have spent millions of dollars on siding and roofing replacement and are in process of completing a costly drainage/paving project. There have been other projects as well and future projects are planned.

These projects have been initiated to protect and increase the value of the property to the benefit of all unit owners as well as to improve the quality of life for our residents, the letter reads. These investments coupled with the prime location off historic Main Street, within walking distance of all the downtown amenities, is making Casagmo a more sought after and desirable place to live.

Marconi discussed the 307-unit Casagmo and the 287-unit Fox Hill condominiums off Danbury Road at a Jan. 7 public hearing of the Planning and Zoning Commission, concerning revisions to the Town Plan of Conservation and Development.

Speakers at the hearing decried how the towns affordable housing law allows developers to circumvent local zoning if 30 percent of the units in their proposed projects would meet state affordability guidelines. Marconi noted that the town would be exempt from this provision if 10 percent of all housing units in town were deemed affordable by the state, and deed restricted so that theyd remain affordable for the next 40 years.

Marconi had said many units in Casagmo and Fox Hill might be in a price range that would meet the state guidelines, but theyd need to be deed-restricted to satisfy the state requirement and count against the 10 percent needed to get out from under the towns affordable housing law.

The Casagmo owners took umbrage with this.

We want to let you know that we are caught off guard by your recent comments suggesting that the town should encourage units at Casagmo to become deed restricted as affordable so they can count toward the town having 10 percent of its housing stock meet state affordability standards, Hulbert wrote.

Your comments made to the Planning and Zoning Commission during discussion of the draft Plan of Conservation and Development for Ridgefield have been published by the local newspapers (Danbury News-Times, Ridgefield Press), the letter reads. Casagmo is a private community and we are disappointed these comments were made without first letting us know or contacting us to discuss.

One of the concerns at the complex appears to be a fear that prices could be hurt just by being mentioned as a location where units might count against the state affordable housing requirement.

We understand there is a real need for affordable housing in Ridgefield, Hulbert wrote. However, we also have a concern that your published comments could have a negative impact on the overall value of our property and of our unit owner investments.

For example, these comments introduce an unknown regarding the future of Casagmo and unknowns tend to concern potential buyers, leading them to wait and see what happens. Markets generally react negatively to uncertainty, Hulbert said. We also believe that the town government has no standing to force or encourage individual unit owners in a private condominium association to add deed restrictions which could change market value.

Hulbert asked Marconi to publicly retract his comments.

Asked by The Press if he had a response, Marconi said the comments were just an example of what we might consider.

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Ridgefield condo owners insist their units aren't 'affordable housing' - The Ridgefield Press

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Jacksonville, Florida, roofing contractor for fall hazards at three construction sites and is seeking $1,007,717 in penalties. OSHA cited Florida Roofing Experts, Inc., owned by Travis Slaughter, under its egregious citation policy with eight willful violations of the fall protection standard.

Tong_stocker / Shutterstock.com

Days earlier, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit found Slaughter; Florida Roofing Experts; and its predecessor firm, Great White Construction, Inc., in contempt of court for failing to pay $2,202,049 in penalties for earlier safety and health violations. Slaughter could face federal incarceration if he and his company fail to pay the outstanding penalties plus interest and fees.

Employers that ignore multiple court orders requiring correction of violations and payment of penalties will be held accountable, Solicitor of Labor Kate OScannlain said in a Department of Labor statement.

This enforcement action demonstrates that OSHA will utilize every resource available to ensure that safety and health standards are followed to protect workers, OScannlain said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission issued 12 final orders to pay penalties for multiple egregious, willful, and repeat violations for lack of fall protection and other safety and health hazards cited October 2, 2017, and June 5, 2018, at worksites in Florida.

The court held the companies and Slaughter in civil contempt on January 3, 2020.

On January 9, OSHA cited Florida Roofing Experts for four new fall protection violations at a worksite in Middleburg, Florida, and four new violations at two jobsites in Fleming Island, Florida.

New fall protection violations cited included:

This employer has an extensive OSHA history with willful, serious, and repeat violations that has demonstrated an egregious disregard for the safety of their workers, OSHA Atlanta, Georgia, Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer said in an agency statement.

The employer continues to allow employees to work without fall protection and has made no reasonable effort to eliminate the risk, Petermeyer said.OSHA has investigated Florida Roofing Experts and its predecessor, Great White Construction, 19 times within the past 7 years, according to the agency, resulting in 42 citations related to improper fall protection, ladder use, and eye protection.

The agency now has placed Florida Roofing Experts in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) due to the high-gravity willful, egregious violations related to fall hazards.

The SVEP replaced an earlier Enhanced Enforcement Program (EEP) deemed ineffective because agency personnel failed to consistently conduct follow-up inspections. Employers in the more narrowly focused SVEP are subject to mandatory follow-up inspections.

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Over $1 Million in Fall Hazard Penalties Sought by OSHA - EHS Daily Advisor

There are at least 13 candidates jockeying to replace the late City Commissioner Nick Fish in May.

Yesterday, one of them, Tera Hurst, the executive director of Renew Oregon, a clean energy group, picked up a valuable endorsement from NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon, the group formerly known as the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws.

"Tera Hurst will be an incredible addition to City Hall. [At Renew] she has redefined what an environmental leader looks like, and inspired NARAL to support Clean Energy Jobs, with the understanding that reproductive justice includes environmental justice," says the endorsement, which goes out to 13,000 NARAL Oregon members and probably many more than that on social media.

Although endorsements don't always mean a lot, NARAL's pick is helpful in a crowded field in which candidates don't have much time to distinguish themselves from each other before the May 19 primary election. It also comes at a time when abortion rights are under threat around the country and in the federal courts.

NARALPro-Choice Oregon positions itself as a key player in that fight. "NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon is the leading grassroots pro-choice advocacy organization in Oregon," the organization says on its website. "We educate our members and identified supporters, provide strategic advice to candidates, mobilize get out the vote efforts, and ensure that pro-choice policies are a top priority in local and state government."

Typically, before groups active in Portland city electionssuch as public employee unions or business groupsissue endorsements, they ask candidates to fill out questionnaires, come in for interviews, or both.

Hurst says the choice makes sense. "It is common for an organization to quickly endorse its chosen candidate, who they know is an uncompromising champion of their mission," Hurst says in an email. "NARAL was not only confident in my candidacy for City Council but also invested in sending a strong message of early support in an open election."

One of the other candidates in the race, Margot Black, the founder of Portland Tenants United, expressed disappointment that NARAL endorsed without interviewing other candidates.

"I'm a little puzzled why an organization like NARAL would make such an impactful endorsement without any process at all," Black says. "There are a number of progressive women in this race and I think it make sense to conduct and endorsement process. I imagine people on NARAL'S mailing list would assume there was a process."

Former Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith, perhaps the best-known candidate in the race, declined to comment directly on NARAL's decision, although Smith noted she'd worked closely with the group at the county and hopes to do so again if elected.

"I appreciate the work they do," Smith says. "My campaign is going to be about povertyputting roofs over people's heads and put food on their tables." (Julia Degraw, who ran against Fish in 2018 and is running again, could not be reached for comment.)

Although NARAL recently released a slate of statewide endorsements which mentioned NARAL's political action committee was "meeting with amazing candidates every day," Christel Allen, NARAL Oregon's political director, acknolwedges in the case of the City Council race that didn't happen.

"In this case, we didn't [interview candidates]," Allen said in a statement. "We take our endorsements seriously, and this was a unanimous decision. We recognize Tera Hurst as a true reproductive freedom champion and a leader in our organization. We are proud that pro-choice voters trust us to support candidates like Tera who will go above and beyond to champion our mission. We know she will be an extraordinary partner in City Hall."

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In Crowded Race to Replace Nick Fish, NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon Endorses One of its Own Board Members Without Interviewing Other Candidates - Willamette...