Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

This is yet another example of why we need a diverse combination of public and private investment to address the UKs housing crisis.

Under changes to the PWLB rate, local authorities will pay more on borrowing next year.The change is being widely reported as a move to detertheir aggressive acquisition of commercial real estate but, as Hill notes, a significant amount of the 12bn borrowed by LAs last year was funnelled into housing and regeneration projects.

A rise in the PWLB rate is likely to affect the extent to which LAs are able to invest in housebuilding and regeneration. And although in the general election campaign the Conservatives pledged to build one million new homes by encouraging private sector housing, the provision of low-cost, accessible homes remains a pressing need.

It is estimated that 8.4 million people are affected by the housing crisis, living in unaffordable, insecure or unsuitable homes, or are homeless. Shelter has said that three million new social homes must be built in England over 20 years to solve the housing crisis.

Given the scale of this issue, we need to access as broad a pool of capital as possible and we should think of new ways in which fast-growing alternative finance and private investment can be committed to support accessible housing developments. For instance, allowing LAs to channel funds through alternative finance platforms would see the money go directly to developers to help them build the homes the country so urgently needs.

In addition, private investment could be promoted by policies such as tax breaks for individuals lending to accessible housing developers or relaxing the rules around pensions and SIPPs to allow private pension holders to include such loans in their portfolios.

Property developers are turning to all manner of creative solutions, such as an array of modular housing and modern methods of construction, to try and speed up housebuilding. We should be similarly innovative and resourceful in seeking the right funding mix, to allow these urgently needed housing developments to be built as quickly as possible.

Roxana Mohammadian-Molina, chief strategy officer, Blend Network

Excerpt from:
Housing requires diverse investment | Insight - Property Week

You just need to walk through Croydon town centre to see that it is changing very rapidly.

With building sites all over the place it can be hard to keep track of projects that are underway.

So as we enter 2020, weve rounded up the big projects which have already started or are in the pipeline and will change the face of the town the most in the coming decade.

The area next to Fairfield Halls, which reopened to the public in September, is set to completely change in the next few years.

The Fair Field Masterplan which was granted hybrid planning permission back in 2017, is expected to see 400 new homes, shops, office space and public spaces come to the area.

But Croydon College sold the former School of Art building meaning plans for this part of the scheme have been submitted separately.

Part of the plan is to create a public square as well as a link for pedestrians to access the town centre from Barclay Road.

This was the former headquarters of Croydon Council, which is now based in Bernard Weatherill House on the other side of Fell Road.

Construction by HUB started in May 2018 and the building has gone up quickly in the past few months.

Work is expected to be completed in 2021 and as well as a 35-storey tower, there will also be 21, 19 and 13-storey buildings constructed as part of the major development.

It will be made up of more than 500 flats, of which 40 per cent are set to be affordable.

The Nestle building is currently being converted to look like three three tower blocks of 288 flats.

It is part of 500 million plans to redevelop St Georges Walk into a public square outside Croydon Town Hall from Chinese developer R&F Properties.

In November 2018 offices, including the Fairfield Business School, opposite the town hall were demolished.

A walkway underneath formed part of St Georges Walk and businesses left on the other side of it say they are struggling since the area has become a building site.

Approved by Croydon Council back in December 2015, these plans from Optivo to build more than 100 new flats are due to be completed this year.

The 25 million development will offer 113 new flats at shared ownership or affordable rent.

The tower is close to West Croydon Station.

The worlds tallest modular building went up in an incredibly quick 35 weeks last year.

The two towers of 44 and 38 storeys can be seen near East Croydon Station.

The project from Henderson Park and Greystar is made up of 546 build to rent homes.

Modules were made at a factory in Bedford before being transported to Croydon and slotted onto a central tower. They even include pre-installed kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing and wiring.

It is set to be ready to open in May, with 50 builders working on the finishing touches floor by floor, including painting and floor fitting.

It is expected that a decision will be be made on proposals to build more than 800 co-living flats in a part 49 part 34 storey block from Tide Construction. The same company behind 101 George Street.

The co-living model would see each room being on average 27 square metres with a small kitchenette and en-suite bathroom

Residents would have access to a range of communal spaces, including a kitchen and dining areas.

The plans include a second tower of 120 flats.

More here:
6 big things set to change the face of Croydon in the 2020s - MyLondon

Each years CES is overrun by concept TVs that are destined to either remain prototypes for years to come or be released with such high price tags that they might as well not have come out at all. And look, Im not going to try to claim that CES 2020 was much different. Samsung had a weird rotating 4K TV meant to show off vertical videos, 8K TVs were still just as pointless as ever, and LG Display showed up with another rollable TV that descends downward rather than rising upward.

But if you look a little closer, youll see some real progress among the TVs people might actually buy. The more important story from each years show is in the often-overlooked midrange, and that happened in a big way at CES 2020. High-end technologies trickled down after years of being unaffordable or impractical for most people, while the slow emergence of the new HDMI 2.1 standard is beginning to open up a lot of functionality that was previously exclusive to niche sections of the market.

OLED TVs are a good example of high-end tech entering the midrange. Just a few years ago, they were unaffordable for the vast majority of people, but last year, we started to see LGs sets getting discounted to that all-important $1,000 mark, which is the upper price limit for 90 percent of buyers, according to NPD sales data. Even then, OLED TVs were still only available in bigger TV sizes, presenting another barrier to entry for many households.

At CES 2020, however, we saw signs of change. Vizio, which has a strength in affordable TVs, announced that it will be releasing an OLED model this year, while Chinese manufacturer Skyworth said it plans to enter the US market for the first time with an OLED TV in tow. Meanwhile, LG and Sony, which have been producing OLED TVs for years, announced 48-inch versions, making it the first time weve seen 4K OLED TVs under 55 inches in size. Pricing for all three models is yet to be announced, but all the signs point toward the technology inching toward mass-market affordability and accessibility.

Also continuing to emerge at this years show is the HDMI 2.1 standard, which is important not so much because of its topline specs (such as support for 4K at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz), but because of the new features it brings to the table. Features like variable refresh rate technology will be a massive benefit for gamers once game consoles catch up, while others, like support for Dynamic HDR, will deliver picture quality improvements for TV and film content.

These features arent completely new. Variable refresh rate tech has been available on PC monitors for a few years, while Dynamic HDR is available via the dynamic metadata baked into the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ standards. But HDMI 2.1 has the potential to one day turn these into basic, standardized TV features. In theory, you wont have to make sure you buy certain models of Samsung TVs to pair with your Xbox One or LG TVs to pair with your Nvidia-equipped gaming PC to get variable refresh rates. Instead, you should eventually just be able to mix and match HDMI 2.1 devices to get these benefits as standard.

Thats the theoretical future, and at CES 2020, were seeing TV manufacturers inch toward it. Vizio says its made the upgrade across its lineup, while LG and Sony have confirmed support in their 8K models. But weve still got a long way to go before you can take all of HDMI 2.1s features for granted. TV manufacturers are allowed to pick and choose which of the standards features they support, and a lot of them are currently doing exactly that. In a rundown of Sonys A8H 4K OLED, for example, HDTVTest notes that Sonys latest 4K OLED will support just one of the HDMI 2.1 standards many features: eARC. Weve still got a long way to go before HDMI 2.1s benefits become ubiquitous.

Beyond the devices coming this year, CES is also a show where you get a glimpse of what TVs might look like in a few years time. Samsungs 8K Q950 (aka its bezel-less 8K TV) is a prime example. Thats not because it has an 8K resolution, but because the idea of a TV with barely there bezels seems both highly desirable and almost inevitable, given the way TV designs have been going. Not to mention the fact that manufacturers have already gotten very good at almost eliminating screen bezels on smartphones to the delight of consumers. Throughout the week, the worst thing Ive heard people say about the Q950 is that they wish its bezel-less design was available on a 4K TV, which feels like a good sign for its wider demand.

8K TVs made yet another appearance at this years show. The jurys still out on whether the new resolution is the future of TVs, but everyone can agree its definitely not the present. That was true last year, and its still the case today where 8K content is more or less nonexistent, not to mention very bandwidth-intensive to stream. In fact, with LG and Samsung now involved in a minor proxy battle over how exactly to measure 8Ks roughly 30 million pixels, it almost feels like weve taken a step backward over the past 12 months.

Personally, Im still unconvinced that 8K is even necessary in the first place. 4K has already given us a massive resolution bump over 1080p, and even then the more important improvements were less about the resolution itself, and more about the technologies it bundled together like HDR, a wider color gamut, and increased color bit depth. Maybe one day 8K will find its own collection of picture performance enhancements, but Im skeptical that the resolution justifies the upgrade by itself.

But that hasnt stopped manufacturers from announcing 8K TVs that youll be able to buy this year. LG had a grand total of eight of its Real 8K models to show off, ranging in size from 65 to 88 inches, Samsung has three 8K series that range in size from 55 inches to a massive 98 inches, which includes the aforementioned bezel-less Q950, Sony has the Z8H (75 or 85 inches), and even TCL reiterated its plans to launch the 8K TV it originally announced last year. Impressive feats of engineering these TVs may be, but ultimately, its still not time to buy one.

The final TV technology that sits in this maybe its the future, but at this point, its hard to say category is microLED. Samsung announced new sizes of its microLED TVs this year, but they didnt make as much of a splash at CES 2020 as they have previously. It might have something to do with the fact that this is the third year weve been able to gawp at The Walls modular panels on the show floor and the first since they actually went on sale. We know the technology works, and we know the tech could theoretically offer a best-of-both-worlds compromise between OLED and LCD, but Samsung is yet to prove that it can manufacture these TVs and sell them for the kinds of prices that mortals can afford, not to mention at the sizes that actually fit in most peoples homes.

Finally, I suppose its only fair to mention the rolling and rotating TVs of CES 2020. Bezel-less, 8K, and microLED TVs have a chance of one day actually becoming mainstream devices, but Id be very surprised if the same thing happens to a TV like Samsungs Sero, which has a mechanical stand that can rotate its display 90 degrees to better show off the kinds of vertical videos that youll find on Instagram or TikTok.

Cast aside the fact that the TV is limited to being just 43-inches big to give itself enough room to rotate, and try and forget that it currently retails for a 1.95 million won (around $1,600) in South Korea, and just think about how long your typical vertically shot video is. Theyre made for mobile, theyre super short, and the idea of cozying up in front of your TV to watch them feels bizarre to me. I like the creativity, but I just cant see the design being useful.

Contrast that with LGs rollable TVs, which I really want to work but feel completely out of reach right now. LG is, once again, promising to release its rollable TV this year, but remember that it made a similar claim last year before going completely silent for 12 months. If and when it does release, there are also reports that it could cost as much as $60,000, which doesnt do much to shift the perception that this is a consumer release in name only.

CES is a show filled with press events and keynotes that are, almost to a fault, obsessed with the future of technology. But away from the flashy concepts and presentations, the TV industrys high-end past is slowly but surely merging into its mainstream present. When manufacturers start announcing firm pricing over the coming months, well see how much progress theyve made.

Correction: A previous version of this article said that dynamic metadata is a feature of the Dolby Atmos standard. Its actually a feature of the Dolby Vision standard. We regret the error.

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TVs at CES 2020: a year for the mass-market - The Verge

Mountain Laurel floor plan features quintessential wrap around porch, panoramic views. Luxurious owner's suite features spa-like bath. Soaking tub, tile shower, double bowl vanity and massive walk in closet. Expansive great room connects with Kitchen. Separated, but open dining room. Media nook, loft, full bath and bedroom on the second floor. Storage galore. Superior wall basement is optional. The Porches of Allenberry offers carefree living along the banks of the Yellow Breeches. Residents will be able to access this world-class fly-fishing stream from the Yellow Breeches preservation area. Architecturally curated with privacy & versatility in mind. Golf cart community with a lit, paved pathway to Allenberry Resort and neighboring hobby farm. Park-like neighborhood lawns and extensive landscaping. Outstanding quality construction features natural stone, LP Smart Side exterior, Anderson 400 series windows and lifetime architectural shingles. Resident exclusive Kipling Meeting House - Community center with rustic fireplace, lounge, bar, kitchen and fitness area. The community provides easy access to outdoor activities, resort amenities and area highlights. Centrally located to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York & D.C. The Porches of Allenberry offers carefree living, lock and leave services combined with exceptional amenities. The Porches is the fastest growing new home community in Central PA. The Porches bring people & nature together.

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Homes Recently Listed in the Carlisle Area - Kenosha News

Belleville Police Station Southeast Addition, 2019 (Photo: Filed / City of Belleville)

The date has been set.

The new Belleville police headquarters will be officially opened on July 29.

The opening will be accompanied by a ceremony and ribbon cutting to mark the memorable occasion.

The city announced the official opening date of the new Belleville police headquarters in the town hall. (Photo: Amanda Smith / Quinte News)

The announcement was made in the town hall on Friday morning and Mayor Mitch Panciuk says the new ultramodern facility is long awaited.

Panciuk also said that the details are currently being worked out, but the facility will be open for tours this fall.

The new building is more than double the footprint of the current police station at 69,000 square feet. The building has been assessed after disasters and requires more than 73,000 concrete blocks, 4,500 steel studs, 1,800 sheets of drywall, miles and miles of electrical and communication wires, 15 high-energy heating, ventilation and air conditioning units and a 200-foot high communication tower. A solar system will be installed once the construction is complete.

The building will also have a community boardroom that will be available for use by non-profit community organizations.

Police chief Ron Gignac at the announcement of the official opening date of the new Belleville police headquarters at the town hall. (Photo: Amanda Smith / Quinte News)

The budget for this project located at 459 Sidney Street is $ 26.3 million and is on schedule according to Chief Ron Gignac.

He says that this new building will be useful for the more than 160 service members.

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Original post:
Police station will open on July 29 - Mash Viral

Thieves cut their way into unfinished bowling alley

Police searching for thieves who cut their way into a bowling alley under construction to steal TVs.

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - Police in Peachtree City are working to track down a group of thieves who stole thousands of dollars from a local business that hadn't even opened its doors yet.

James and Marilyn Royal are opening a new bowling alley in Aberdeen Village, but just last Monday, at around 1:30 in the morning, crooks cut their way into the building through a wall.

"It was an inside job, it had to be," said building owner,James Royal.

Royal saidhe couldn't believe the lengths thethieves went to to break into his bowling alley. "There's a stud here and a stud here, and I'm assuming they had boots on, and Ithink they just kicked the drywall right through," said Royal.

The Royals saidthey're now out about $15,000after these theives stole 16 brand new TV's, power tools and supplies.

"I find out how much they cost, and Igo 'Wow'...Almost $15,000for 16 TV's," said Royal.

The couple said while this is a setback, it won't stop them from opening in the spring. The Royals saidwhen the burglary happened, their security system wasn't installed, but now, it's up and running.

"We should've put the security equipment in once it showed up, but Ireally didn't think of it," said Royal. "Ithought, 'Not in Peachtree City. Crime never happens down here.' But it's coming," said Royal.

Peachtree City Police are hoping to get surveillance from nearby businesses to get a better picture of the crooks because right now thery really don't have a soliddescription to go on. Anyone with information is urged to call officers immediately.

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Thieves bust through wall to break into bowling alley under construction - FOX 5 Atlanta

Proposal made to make Old Mill a three-season facility

KAGAWONG Billings Township council has voted to go ahead with and accept a bid on the renovations and mould abatement of the Old Mill Heritage Centre municipal office, citing the need to have the work carried out to make the building safe and clean for both office staff and visitors and for any subsequent use by others in the future. This comes as council was asked to consider deferring the decision and consider a proposal to make the Old Mill a three-season building.

As was reported in the December 27, 2019 edition of the Recorder, with both tenders submitted for mould abatement and renovations to be made to the Old Mill Heritage Centre Billings Municipal Office having been higher than what had been anticipated, Billings Township council had deferred a decision on which company to choose for two weeks while its engineers discussed the costs involved with both bidders.

This council is committed to spending precious municipal funds responsibly, stated Billings Mayor Ian Anderson at a council meeting Monday attended by about 35 residents. Council and staff take our responsibility to communicate effectively very seriously. We are not perfect and communication can always be improved. We sincerely believe that we have made improvements thus far. Council and staff can and do attempt to answer questions and engage in appropriate discussion, but this can only occur if citizens also engage. The current status of the municipal office in the Old Mill is unacceptable, and in the interest of health and safety, and effective ongoing municipal administration, council believes that we need to act as planned.

Sandy Cook, who at the meeting outlined a new proposal for the Old Mill to be turned into a three-season facility said, were not asking for more money for a project. We are asking for a different project to be considered. Yes, something needs to be done to address problems with the Old Mill, but that doesnt have to mean trying to put it back the way it was.

Mayor Anderson pointed out the municipal office is currently housed in the downstairs area of the Park Centre. Its a building that is busy; there is a lot of use of it. Everyone knows the usage this building receives. The space downstairs is not ideal for the office staff. One of the concerns people are having is with energy efficiency of the Old Mill office space, and we intend to rectify that. And in due course we will be looking at a new municipal office, but not in the short term. And, other commitments we have had to make for projects has maxed out what we have to commit in resources. He pointed out the township has no options regarding the remedial work on the municipal office, to make the space a safe/healthy environment for anyone who works or visits the space in the future.

Ms. Cook made a presentation to council noting that the presentation is meant to uphold the principles and statements included in the township asset management plan bylaw. Council has good intentions and is planning to make some progress towards remediating problems at the Old Mill Heritage Centre municipal office. However, we are presenting an alternative to the proposed renovations.

We are bringing forward a new proposal for the following three reasons: the asset management committee minutes from last August state that the office is too small for the current staff, yet the current proposal of building a cube inside the municipal office is going to further decrease the square footage, said Ms. Cook, noting the Old Mill is the least energy efficient and most propane-dependent building in municipal holdings.

The Old Mill Heritage Centre has the potential to become an asset that fulfills social, economic and environmental goals as stated in the Asset Management Policy cited above, said Ms. Cook. We propose that the Old Mill Heritage Centre be remediated and renovated into a three-season building containing an enlarged museum space on the ground floor and Edwards Studios on top. The proposed renovations would require design and engineering input to remove it from the list of critical buildings as referenced in the Township of Billings Facility Condition Assessment Summary prepared by Tulloch Engineering in February 2018.

Ms. Cook said the new proposal would provide social, economic and environmental benefit, noting the centre is a successful and vital component of Billings cultural scene. The annual events draw hundreds of people and the organization holds ambitious exhibits, but the space is an obstacle to bringing in these exhibits and badly needs updating to accommodate the rigorous requirements of hosting precious collections. The Old Mill, brings together our social fabric; young and old, residents and visitors, in a mutual appreciation of local history and heritage. A beautiful museum space, both interior and exterior, would be a point of pride for the whole communitya jewel on the waterfrontthat preserves an iconic heritage building.

Ms. Cook went on to explain there would be economic benefits as well. She explained if the Old Mill is solely an arts and museum space, the township is then eligible to receive up to 50 percent of funding from the federal Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund (CCSF) for work on the building for interior or exterior work as well as planning, architecture and engineering fees. We may even quality for the rural and remote area increased funding of 75 percent. In addition, the township would be eligible for more federal funding through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) at 75 percent.

With a cost of $75,000 for the engineered floor plan, an estimate of $200,000 for containing contaminated soil and received bids for constructing the inner cube of $180-$190,000, the current plan for the Old Mill renovations will incur total expenses over $400,000, said Ms. Cook, noting it would not address the office space being too small.

In contrast, by applying for federal funding for a three-season building used as cultural space, $400,000 of taxpayer money can buy the township $800,000 to $1.2 million worth of work. This seems like a way more efficient and effective way to spend a lot of money, said Ms. Cook.

There would also be environmental benefits, said Ms. Cook. As a member in FCMs Partners in Climate Protection Program, Billings is committed to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. A significant savings in annual fuel costs and greenhouse gas production is accomplished with a three season, May to October museum and art studio building that may need propane for heating.

The firehall, gym and library are also on the critical list in Billings facility assessment report. The critical designation is for buildings requiring extensive work for long-term sustainability, where the cost of replacing may be less than fixing. Rather than short-term fixes on each of these buildings. perhaps setting aside seed money and augmenting this with other streams of funding available for a multi-use, fully accessible building that could include these services and the municipal office, would be well worth the wait.

In conclusion, the Old Mill is an iconic heritage building and the centre of present and future cultural space. The township and community members can make gains socially, economically and environmentally by pressing the pause button. Pausing the tender process and stepping back to look anew at our beloved asset that is in critical condition, can help us move forward with a more cost-effective, innovative solution that makes real headway on our environmental and infrastructure goals, said Ms. Cook.

There is no question you and others are dedicated and have spent a lot of time researching this entire subject, said Mayor Anderson.

In the next few minutes I will try to explain the current situation and why we are doing what we are, said Mayor Anderson. I also like to thank you for your presentation. Councils decisions are based on a broad range of factors, including legislation, public and staff safety, affordability and advice from both the public and staff and a strategic plan, to name a few.

Our primary focus is the Old Mill office space repairs in the interest of health and safety and to also to share some of the other projects and costs we are currently looking at, said Mayor Anderson. Tonight we will focus initially on why we have chosen to repair a portion of the Old Mill building to make it a safe and comfortable work environment which will also be much more energy efficient than the old office. At the same time, I will take this opportunity to share some of the other projects and costs your municipality is committed to in the immediate future.

The Old Mill is clearly an important part of our heritage, said Mayor Anderson, giving some of its past history. The township has occupied a portion of the building for the township office since about 1999, he said, noting the building has not been formally designated as a heritage building,under the Ontario Heritage Act.

He pointed out municipal staff began to seriously question air quality in the space in 2018 and council initiated an investigation of air quality in the summer of that year. Broad spectrum air quality testing was conducted by Cassen Testing Labs in early September and Tulloch Engineering was also engaged in September to conduct further testing, provide advice and propose potential remediation options short- and long-term. Further testing revealed mold spores and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). A Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) system was proposed as a means of improving the air quality to acceptable levels, but not as a means of addressing the root cause(s) of the problem. This system was installed in the winter of 2019.

The office was reoccupied in the spring of 2019, but by early fall it was determined that the air quality issues remained. Staff relocated to the Park Centre lower hall in mid-October, and council determined that source remediation work was needed to occur before the space could be reoccupied as a municipal office.

Tulloch defined the scope of the work that was needed and with approval by council, they created a tender for the final abatement protocol. Two bids for completing the work were received by the township, and these were considered on December 20.

At this point in time the building has not been designated as a heritage building, said Mayor Anderson. The work includes demolition/removals of flooring in the east end of the office space (CAO office and back entry/storage area) floor covering, sub-floor and floor joists; the removal of carpeting in the main office; removal of non-load bearing interior walls; installation of a steel-reinforced sealed concrete floor in the east end; smoothing and sealing of existing concrete floor in the main office; installation of commercial floor tiles in entire space; re-installation of washroom; re-installation of electrical, telephone and data lines as appropriate, installation of insulation (R value:24) and drywall; and painting of all wall surfaces, trim, etc.

All the work is being carried out to address health and safety concerns and is required regardless of who uses this space, now and in the future, said Mayor Anderson. It also an opportunity to significantly improve the energy efficiency of the municipal office portion of the building.

To date the costs of the project are at $265,000 including the bids for the proposed work, the meeting was told.

In terms of municipal asset management Mayor Anderson noted the township has many infrastructure assets, roads, buildings, water, recreation, etc. There is a staggering national infrastructure deficit at all levels of government, said Mayor Anderson. The challenge of effective asset management is greater for small municipalities because of limited revenue generation options. The township does have an asset management policy and is engaged in planning. Asset management is focused on long-term and is operation-wide; sometimes, conditions demand immediate action.

Mayor Anderson outlined the townships existing committed/planned projects over the next couple of years: Kagawong Waterfront Development 2020, known estimated cost of $2,045,000 and the municipal portion being $227,000; Main Street Hill engineering and partial reconstruction over the next three years at an estimated $3,750,000 of which the township share would be $250,000; washrooms/shoreline erosion control and roadwork estimated at $1,159,320 with the municipal cost being $260,000; Old Mill road waterline repair, unknown costs at this time; municipal office and soil contamination remediation, of which $206,000 would be paid by the township; Park Centre generator, a cost of $30,000 to be borne by the township; the total firehall renovation and mould remediation costs are unknown at this point; Public Works vehicles pick-up truck and snowplow, $350,000 to be borne by the township; a used tanker for the fire department at an unknown cost; and two bridge replacements to be carried out as soon as possible, for the Old Mill Road and Mud Creek Road, at cost of $1,670,000 with the municipal costs unknown.

There is a level of uncertainty associated with all undertakings, especially with respect to funding criteria, the continuation of funding programs, changes in senior levels of government, etc., said Mayor Anderson. Staff and council work diligently to stay abreast of funding opportunities, and reduce uncertainty and risk in planning, implementation, but some level of both is inherent in the world of municipal operations.

As you go down our list there are millions of dollars that are committed, federal/provincial and staggering amount of expenditures for the municipality. Our budgeting process has to be cognitive of these commitments, said Mayor Anderson. There are limits to senior government largesse, and the history of funding received by any given municipality does impact senior government decisions at any given point in time. There are costs associated with applying for and especially administering any given project, and 100 percent externally funded programs are very rare. And the cold, hard fact is that each one percent increase in the property tax rate generates $18,000. So, for say a $180,000 project requires a 10 percent tax increase.

Council then looked at considering the two bids for the work to be done on the municipal office, from First General Services (Rob Scott) of Little Current $179,850 and Rob Seifried Construction (Kagawong) of $189,999.

I guess in comparing both tenders they are very similar, said Councillor Sharon Alkenbrack. There is not a lot of difference. This (office space) has to be fixed. I like to support local business, and support accepting the bid from Rob Seifried Construction.

Council passed a motion, unanimously, to hire Rob Seifried Construction for work to be undertaken at the Old Mill Heritage Centre township office at tender of $189,999.

Continue reading here:
Billings votes to go ahead with planned work on Old Mill township office space - Manitoulin Expositor

An annual ranking of Canadian cities for bedbugs shows Vancouver has itched its way into third place.

On the 2019 list released by Orkin Canada, Vancouver is bested only by Toronto in first place and Winnipeg in second. St. Johns follows in fourth and Ottawa in fifth.

The only other B.C. city to make it to the top 25 is Burnaby, coming in at 19.

As in previous years rankings, larger cities and travel hot spots populated the top of the list, with bedbugs reported in both clean and dirty homes, and office buildings. According to the pest control experts, bedbugs were a rarely experienced irritant just 20 years ago, but have become a common problem in urban centres.

Signs of a bedbug infestation include tiny, dark coloured spots or stains or cast skins. The critters are often spotted in and around mattress tags or in seams, under seat cushions, behind headboards, creases of furniture, buckling wallpaper and carpets.

The ranking is based on the number of commercial and residential bedbug treatments carried out by the company between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2019.

1. Toronto2. Winnipeg3. Vancouver4. St. Johns5. Ottawa6. Scarborough7. Halifax8. Oshawa9. Sudbury10. Hamilton11. Windsor12. Edmonton13. Montreal14. North York15. Moncton16. Calgary17. Mississauga18. Etobicoke19. Burnaby20. Whitby21. London22. Saskatoon23. Peterborough24. Nepean25. Dartmouth

When travelling, dont put clothing or luggage on the bed, which allows the bugs, if present, to climb in.

Use metal luggage racks to keep suitcases off the carpet and away from walls or wooden furniture. (The bugs cant climb metal surfaces very well.)

Use plastic bags to pack clothing. This prevents the spread of bedbugs if they do happen to hitch a ride in your suitcase.

Its rare but bedbugs can thrive not just in hotels, but also on airplane and train seats, buses and rental cars.

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Vancouver ranked third most popular city for bedbugs in Canada in 2019 - Vancouver Sun

Global Ecdysone Market Research Report 2019-2024 published by Market Research Place interrogate the rudimentary factors of the market such as market overview, product classification, market demands, leading manufacturers and their adopted business strategies, and applications. The research report serves details on industry business trends and the enterprise data in order to understand customers and the merchandise driving profitability and furnish growth. The report aims to help market players to plan and implement their strategies in fields such as emerging geographies and new technologies.

The authors of the report have given enough details enabling users to take an informed decision to achieve their goals. The market Ecdysone report attracts the strangest insights of this business also creates a forecast. The report creates awareness among consumers about the influence and greatness of the product and development of advanced products that can motivate the market during the forecast period (2019 to 2024).

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The key players are analyzed along with their product category, basic data, sales volume and value of revenue as well as gross margin in percentage terms. In addition to the data part, the report has provided an overview of the market, including classification, application, manufacturing technology, industry chain analysis.

A comprehensive demonstration of the market in the form of extensive graphical elements such as diagrams, graphs, and realistic figures makes the report easy-to-access source. This particular representation specifies the current position of the specific Ecdysone market industry on the global and regional level.

Geographically, the market is leading by these regions: Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, South America, Middle East & Africa. The growth figures experienced by the market, logistics, and the historical performance of the market in the given region are also presented for each regional market in this report.

Ecdysone market competition by top manufacturers/players includes following key players covering sales revenue, price, gross margin, main products etc.: Cayman Chemical, Hello Bio Ltd, Enzo Life, Sapphire North America, Hangzhou Greenskybio, Toronto Research Chemicals,

The report tracks various market opportunities, market risk, and market driving force. Then it stresses probable risks associated with various opportunities in the Ecdysone market and also gives a clear and precise market overview combining statistics and estimates. The most influencing driving and limiting powers in the market and its effect on the worldwide market has also been explained in the report.

Market segmentation by type: UV 90%, HPLC 60%, HPLC 60%, HPLC 95%, HPLC 98%,

Market segmentation by applications: Cosmetics, Commercial Pest Control, Agricultural, Others,

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Ecdysone Market 2019-2024 Global Industry Analysis, Future Growth, Business Prospects and Forecast - BulletintheNews

A fringe political party is hoping for better returns in 2020 after adding a high profile independent lawyer as co-leader. Alex Braae reports.

A courtroom champion of stopping 1080 drops and promoting medicinal cannabis rights is turning her attention to parliament.

Independent lawyer Sue Grey gained national profile through cases like the Brook Valley 1080 drop, acting on behalf of the Renton family in their bid to access medicinal cannabis for their son Alex, and the Saxmere case against the Wool Board. In that time she has been no stranger to controversy.

Now Grey has been elected as the co-leader of The Outdoors Party, a group formed in 2015 with positions on issues around hunting, fishing and land use matters. She brings with her additional profile to a party which was only able to field four candidates in the 2017 election, gathering up a mere 1,620 party votes.

Alternative views on major environmental issues will be at the forefront of The Outdoors Partys push to win seats in the 2020 election. That includes opposition to the pest control poison 1080, which has been a major flashpoint for wider concerns and conspiracies around ecological health and government decision making.

Many conservationists, including those at the Department of Conservation, heavily back the use of 1080, saying that it is the safest and most effective way to protect native bird populations from being wiped out by pests. At times, the tactics of anti-1080 activists have turned nasty, including threats being made against DOC staff.

Grey characterises her partys views on 1080 as balanced, saying theyre based on science, environmental management, and animal cruelty concerns.

Weve actually been walking the walk on these issues, and we really have an in-depth understanding, from the perspective of hunters and fishers who have been in the outdoors for decades.

I wouldnt say skeptical, Id say were looking for better solutions.

A 1080 protest outside Parliament (Radio NZ, Phil Smith)

Its a more moderate position (but on the same continuum of views) to that of the previously registered Ban 1080 Party, which contested the 2014 and 2017 elections and received several thousand votes in each. Grey confirmed that since that party deregistered, many former members had moved to join The Outdoors Party instead. She also said there had been a really diverse range of people joining from other established parties.

Grey did not disclose exact membership numbers, as is standard for most political parties. However, she said The Outdoors Party has comfortably the required 500 members needed to stand for the party vote, adding that our membership has doubled over the last six months or so, and its all been growing since the start of the party.

The Outdoors Party is currently working on its strategy for the 2020 election, but Grey confirmed that it will involve targeted campaigns at electorate seats. She will be standing in Nelson, where she is based, and says shes confident of giving incumbent National MP Nick Smith a run for his money.

Hes done a good job for Nelson over the last 20 years, or however long hes been there, but the time has definitely come for a change. If we can win one electorate, were on the same footing as ACT, and weve got other very good contenders around New Zealand.

Grey has previously tussled with Smith in court, in the defence of Rose Renton, who was found guilty of offensive behaviour after rubbing rat poison on Nick Smith at a protest.

There are plenty of fertile issues for The Outdoors Party to campaign on in 2020, including tapping into anger among gun owners at the buyback programme. They will be competing for space there with many other parties, including ACT, New Conservative, and National.

Party co-leader Alan Simmons went as far as to accuse the government of tyranny in how the new laws were being implemented. He also alleged that a parliamentary Select Committee had suppressed his testimony to them on the matter.

The party has also pushed a range of other issues, ranging from a call for fisheries management to be rebalanced so that it is less focused on commercial operations, to concerns around cellphone towers and the 5G network, another position which sits uneasily with a claim to scientific credibility.

Grey says people power is the underlying idea that connects the issues relevant to The Outdoors Party, arguing that too many decisions are taken in Wellington without regard for local views.

Weve had a whole cycle of nationalisation of decision making, which has disempowered our communities. I see the brunt of that with my legal work, and people are extremely frustrated.

Whether Grey gets the chance to take that message to Wellington as an MP will depend on extremely difficult hurdles being overcome. The Outdoors Party are yet to register in nationwide polling, and it is incredibly rare for minor parties to win electorate seats.

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Outdoors Party reckons it can ride an anti-1080 wave to parliament in 2020 - The Spinoff