Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

For more that two hours Thursday, members of the Morgan County Regional Sewer District board heard about the process that will establish a rate for uses of the Waverly Sanitary Sewer System.

Board members met with representatives from engineering firm Beam-Longest-Neff, accounting consultants Umbaugh and Associates, Strategic Development Group for publicity and Cornerstone Grants for grant funds to discuss the progress of the system.

At this time, financing for the project will come from several sources, including grants and low-interest loans. Most of the available grants are based on the income of people living in an area.

Due to the wide range of incomes in the Waverly area, some homes qualify for grants while others do not.

Board members discussed having a company do a study to determine how many residents want and will hook on to the new sewer system and to do an income study to help determine what areas qualify for grants.

Determining the number of residents who want the system is vital in helping to determine the user rate. The more users who connect to the system, the lower the rate will be.

According to Doug Baldasari from Umbaugh, who is working on establishing a rate, there are many factors to consider.

Baldasari said Umbaugh does a large amount of work for regional sewer districts. He gave the board a worksheet showing the items that have to be taken into consideration in establishing a rate.

One topic was final construction costs. At this time, the project has not been let out for bids. All construction costs are estimates only. Once the final amount is determined, the rate will have to include money to repay the construction cost.

Also to be considered are operational costs. Once the plant is built and the sewer lines installed, a private company will operate the system. The rate will have to include money to pay for the operation of the plant.

As for repair and expansion costs, according to Baldasari, the rate should reflect funding to pay for repairs of the plant and funding for future expansion.

Some board members expressed concerns that residents may not see the benefits of having a sanitary sewer system. According to BLN, having a sewer system eliminates any future septic system problems. It eliminates the pollution of ground water by septic waste. It also keeps septic waste out of the White River. Having a sewer system can add to the value of property.

There was discussion regarding, once Interstate 69 is complete, development around the Ind. 144/I-69 intersection. Board members said they felt development will depend on the availability of a sewer system.

Decisions to affect rates

Baldasari said the board will have to make some decisions before rates can be established. He said board members will have to determine if there will be a connection fee to hook onto the sewer line. If they decide there will be a fee, a decision will have to be made to determine the connection fee amount, and whether it can be paid upfront or in installments.

Due to the hills and valleys in the area, some homes will have to have a grinder pump to move waste into the sewer line. According to information from BLN, a grinder pump can cost between $4,000 and $5,000. Baldasari said the board will have to determine who the pays for the pumps. He said a decision will have to be made to determine if the district pays, then recovers the money though the user rate, or if the resident pays when the pump is installed.

Baldasari said another factor that affects the rates is whether the board has a part-time or full-time employee to take care of any problems that could develop or if it contracts with the company that operates the plant to deal will problems. That decision has to be made before a rate can be determined.

Amy Miller, of Cornerstone Grants, explained different grants available for the project. She said many of the grants depend on the income of those living in the area.

Scott Burgins of Strategic Development Group said he could assist with meeting with residents. His advice was, Be transparent and dont try to hide anything. Be honest with the residents.

Board members plan to meet with the Morgan County Redevelopment Commission, which is building the sewer plant, to see if there is funding available to do the income study and determine who is willing to connect to the system. They also want to begin the process to educate residents, not only in the Waverly area, but elsewhere in the county, about the benefits of a septic sewer system.

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Sewer board discusses rate process for Waverly system - Reporter-Times

FARMVILLE Construction to install long-awaited sewer lines along U.S. 258 to Watkins Mobile Home Park,a large low-income residential development with several failing septic systems, is scheduled to begin in November.

The Farmville Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 with commissioners John Moore and Brenda Elks opposed to approve the low bid for construction by Ralph Hodge Construction. The Aug. 22 motion, which was made by Commissioner Hunter Walters and seconded by Commissioner David Shackleford, has been in the works since November 2016, when the town first received the construction bid.

Since January, the Farmville Board of Commissioners had repeatedly discussed the project, but either tabled or recessed the issue with no definitive action on whether or not the town wished to proceed or abandon the project.

The project is fully funded by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Water Infrastructure, which awarded the town a $2.386 million Community Development Block Grant Infrastructure in May 2013.

Farmville Manager David Hodgkins had hoped Aug. 7 and again Aug. 9 that the board would take action on the low-bid offer, but Commissioner Jamin Dixon requested more information regarding the grant agreement. Dixon wanted to be 100 percent certain the town would not be liable if fewer than 75 homes were connected to the newly installed sewer line.

When the project was first presented in 2013, 81 homes were proposed for connection. Since then, some homes have been removed from the property or demolished.

Referring to the Division of Water Infrastructures letter to the town, Mike Barnette, an engineer with McDavid Associates, the towns engineering and consulting firm, explained the town must hook up all homes within Watkins unless the property is vacant or documentation can be provided to show the residents septic tank is functional.

To date, 20 percent of the parks septic tanks are failing. The park has 91 lots and 80 occupied homes.

This program is designed to help poor people, but if we approve this it will make poor people homeless, Dixon said.

Barnette countered, I respectfully disagree.

Several residents in Watkins oppose the project, according to Dixon.

At least the ones who have functioning septic tanks, Dixon said, turning his attention to Hodgkins. I want to make sure we have been clear with the state that as a town, we are not endorsing to that state that the park residents want (this project). We have heard verbally from them, and now have in writing.

Dixon was referring to an email Elks received from the daughter of tenants who live in the park. The daughter, whose name was not disclosed, informed Elks that her parents are more afraid of the parks owners than the criminals who live around them.

The couple claims when McDavid staff went door-to-door collecting financial information from the tenants to provide documentation of a 51 percent population of low- to moderate-income residents, they were threatened and told if they did not provide a bank statement the sheriffs office would be called, according to Elks.

Her parents are also afraid Country Farms LLC, which owns Watkins Mobile Home Park, will increase their rent if they do not comply with the project, Elks said.

I dont believe anyone on our staff would have bullied the residents. I take exception, Barnette said.

Watkins Mobile Home Park has the lowest available rent in this part of the state, according to Crisp Sellers of Country Farms.

We have never threatened our tenants. Raising rent has never been part of our communication with them, Sellers said.

Dixon questioned if the primary goal of the Division of Water Infrastructure project is to improve the quality of life. This terminology was used when the project was first pitched to the town in 2013, and several town officials believed the project would improve the lives of the residents.

The goal is to eliminate health risks at the park and downstream, Barnette said.

It is projected tenants utility bills will increase by approximately $60 to $70 a month once sewer service is added. The residents of Watkins now receive water service from the town.

Dixon requested assurance that if the residents can no longer afford to pay their utility bill, move out of Watkins and then contact the Division of Water Infrastructure or state governor claiming they were bullied, threatened by the sheriff or that their rent was raised, the town would not be found liable.

It will be known the town went well beyond to look out for the towns citizens and residents of Watkins Mobile Home Park? That we fulfilled every ethical obligation? Dixon asked. I still dont understand, but I am trying to shape this in a way to support it ethically and morally.

McDavid engineers assurances must have satisfied Dixon, who in 2013 voted against applying for the grant funds, but supported the low-bid Tuesday.

The town now has until June 30, 2018, to complete construction of a sewer pump station and sewer lines in the park and installation of sewer lines along U.S. 258 to Watkins.

Walters motion also included a contingency that Country Farms maintain affordable rent within the park for at least one year upon closeout of the construction project. The motion also accepted Country Farms proposal, as previously requested by Moore and Dixon, that the property continue to operate as a mobile home park for at least 10 years as of Tuesday.

Country Farms has established a $20,000 grounds maintenance security escrow for the town to access should it fail to meet the towns required community standards agreement that was entered into in 2014.

They have also agreed to install a border buffer and re-grade the park to improve drainage issues. They have a grounds maintenance agreement in place with a lawn care service and are in the process of hiring an on-site manager.

At the start of this project, Country Farms contributed $25,000 to complete all initial work in support of applying for the grant.

The Enterprise serves western Pitt County including the towns of Falkland, Farmville and Fountain.

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Controversial sewer project finally gets OK - Greenville Daily Reflector

Due to an action by the North Branch City council Aug. 22, some residents in town could now have up to 15 years to hook up to city sewer.By a 3-1 vote (Mayor Kirsten Hagen-Kennedy was absent for the meeting), the council approved the repeal and replacement of an ordinance regarding connection to municipal utilities for homes within the citys newly updated urban service area.This matter had been tabled from the previous council meeting, as three of the bodys members Kelly Neider, Robert Canada and Jim Swenson wanted more time to research the issue prior to voting on it.North Branch City Administrator Renae Fry thoroughly explained what the repeal and replacement of the ordinance means for the people of North Branch.She repeatedly stressed it is not in the citys plans to build out utility lines in already existing neighborhoods.This is not a case where individual properties that exist today that might possibly be near a force main or other major infrastructure are being required to hook up, she said. Were really talking about the expansion of sewer into new areas or the redevelopment of existing neighborhoods.She said an aspect of the ordinance update that staff struggled with is what it means to have utility lines available to hook up to city sewer.Running a force main down a street is not a structure that an individual resident can hook up to. Staff wanted to be certain that this hookup concern is only triggered when those lateral lines are installed in connection with a particular project to which an individual property could actually hook up to, she said. So in the case of an apartment building, if were taking a force main with a lateral directly to that site where theres no means for any of the area properties nearby to hook into, that sewer is not available for those residents to hook up to, and therefore the requirements are not triggered.The main language change that occurred with the ordinance dealt with the timeframe in which people had to hook up to city services, if they were deemed available in their area and their dwelling had its own well and septic.Under the previous ordinance, a homeowner who lived close enough to existing utilities could have had a very short timeframe to connect.(The homeowner) shall be required at the owner(s) expense to install suitable connection to the public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this division, within 90 days of the date the public sewer is operational, provided access to the public sewer is within 100 feet of the structure generating the wastewater, if required to preserve health, safety and welfare of the occupants or environment, the previous ordinance read. If no threat to health, safety or welfare exists, and the existing septic system is in full compliance with city, county and state code, then the property owner will not be required to connect to the municipal sanitary sewer system.Fry noted there wasnt a standard to determine if a septic system was operating correctly under the former ordinance, so as part of the new ordinance, residents who live in a home that could be hooked up are required to have their septic systems inspected every three years to obtain a certificate of compliance to prove theyre in working order.If a septic system is in working order, a homeowner could get five certificates of compliance, meaning theyd have up to 15 years to connect to city services.The cost of those obtaining those certificates could range from $250 to $335, Fry noted. She also explained that an inspection cannot be done unless a septic system is pumped. Building official Rich Meyer said after two industry professionals have done soil borings to determine the quality of the soil in a given area, future inspections would cost less, because that aspect of them would no longer be required.Having the 15 years provides you the most options of any policy Ive ever seen, City Engineer Lee Gustafson said. The 90 days is pretty common. If you get to other cities, you have two years to hook up, period, and thats it. To have this type of flexibility for the residents of North Branch, frankly, is almost unheard of. I think youre providing a very good situation for each and every property owner to make individual decisions as to whether they want to hook up or not.Due to water services being controlled by North Branch Water and Light, which is a separate entity from the city, a connection to that utility would differ from sewer.The ordinance was written to cover sewer and water to the extent that water is also available for a particular development, Fry wrote in an email. As separate entities, however, we do not govern Water and Lights practices and it would be up to Water and Light to indicate what evidence they would consider appropriate to demonstrate that the existing well was not contaminated. Our ordinance does indicate that the city would allow a property owner to continue to use their well once hooked up to municipal water, but only for non-potable purposes, such as watering their lawn.

Council, resident commentsFour residents spoke at the meeting; all were concerned about the ordinance update.Ive been very upset about what youve been pulling the last couple of months, Nancy Zacherson said to the council. You make decisions for all the people in North Branch, not just 50 percent of the population.Resident Don Swanson had a few questions for the council.When is the proposed date that sewer and water is going to come down 400th Street? he asked. We dont know if its 10 years or 20 years.Council member Robert Canada, who voted against the ordinance update, has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the change and said he wanted more opinions on it.I would defer this to the new planning commission, he said. I have yet to see input on the positive nature come to us or staff.Council member Jim Swenson said the council is updating an ordinance that has been on the books since 1996 and needed to be changed to reflect the citys current situation.It is not the intent of staff or council to prohibit people from having their own wells and septic systems, he said. We just need to upgrade and change our ordinances because some of these ordinances have been on the books for many, many years and we need to bring things up so when we do get developers and other people coming into the community they know this is what we have.

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NB council updates ordinance on sewer connections - ECM Post Review

Drive up and down the streets of any neighborhood and each individual homeowners pride of ownership reveals itself in various ways. In many cases, a homes curb appeal is a quick snapshot of what lies beyond the passerbys view. Regardless of what end of the spectrum a home falls on from snappy and pristine to dull and dingy most homeowners have a list of home improvement projects either written down or filed away in a mental note.

With a list in hand, or in mind, the next natural step is to prioritize the projects. Here is where budgets, wants, and desires start to vie for pick me status. One way to help prioritize the list is to consider the return on investment (ROI) of each project. This is especially helpful when considering how a project, or projects, will impact the current and future market value of the home.

Fortunately, each year studies are conducted to analyze the cost for various upgrades and how much will be recouped on that investment when the home is sold. One such report is Remodeling Magazines Cost vs. Value report.

Results reported in the Cost vs. Value report are produced by researchers scrutinizing 29 popular home improvements in 99 markets nationwide. They poll contractors on how much they charge for these jobs as well as real estate agents who share how much they think these improvements increase a homes market price. Next, each projects upfront cost is divided by the homes resale value. The resulting percentage offers some guidance as to how well the money invested in each particular renovation project pays off.

Comments from Craig Webb, editor of Remodeling Magazine, point out that the value of pricier projects rose significantly over last year. These results may come from the health of the housing market. When the market is hot, Realtors are more likely to give value to more expensive renovation projects, because they expect that the market will stay hot and people will pay the price, he explains. When the market is cool, Realtors tend to put less value on those big-dollar projects, because they have concerns about whether the house will get sold in any state.

Despite the uptick in value associated with pricey renovation projects in the 2017 report, once again the highest ROI projects came with the cheapest cost to complete. This year (same as last year), the number one finisher was installing loose-fill fiberglass insulation in the attic. Hidden away and silently doing its job, according to Remodeling Magazine, with an ROI of 107.7 percent, insulating the attic is the only project that regularly pays back more than the dollars invested.

Number two on the ROI list is replacing an ordinary, run-of-the-mill entry door with an attractive steel replacement door at 90.7 percent, third at 89.4 percent was adding manufactured stone veneer.

Data from the 2017 report suggest that curb appeal projects such as new doors and exterior siding generate higher returns than improvements completed to a homes interior.

Reviewing the individual ROI on all 29 projects analyzed in the Cost vs. Value report, its clear that most renovations wont pay them back in full. On average, in 2017, homeowners can expect to get back 64 percent of every dollar spent on home improvements.

Its also apparent from the data that tastes vary widely by geographic location. For this reason, Remodeling Magazine breaks down its data into nine U.S. regions and then further down into the major metropolitan cities of each state. In Portland, Maine for example, replacing an old entry door with a new fiberglass door earned the highest ROI at 93.7 percent. Next at 91.4 percent was siding replacement, followed by garage door replacement at 85.8 percent.

Wondering what improvements, if any, should be made to your house? Craig Webb says, If you see yourself keeping the house for at least five years, you shouldnt worry about value at all. Housing trends can change dramatically in this amount of time, so whats hot or popular today could be outdated in the near future. Renovate however will make you happy.

However, if youre planning to sell in less than five years, then looking at the return makes sense, says Webb. Be sure to do your research. Remember, tastes vary widely by location.If you, or someone you know, has a project list for their home, refer to Remodeling Magazines Cost vs. Value report for guidance and be sure to consult with your local trusted Realtor.

This column is produced by Rick Bisson and his family, who own Bisson Real Estate with Keller Williams Realty of Midcoast and Sugarloaf.

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What's your return on investment? - The Coastal Journal

Jessica Williams jessicawtn

The Alamance-Burlington School System is close to settling a lawsuit with Dow Chemical, and replacing the leaking roofs that have been a topic of conversation all summer.

Some background:

J.P. Stevens Roofing, which was bought by Dow in 2008, installed six roofs for ABSS in 2005 at Sellars-Gunn Educational Center, E.M. Holt Elementary School, Graham and Broadview middle schools, and two at Cummings High School under a 15-year warranty.

For the past year, major leaks have appeared in these roofs, and now its gotten to the point where four out of the six need to be fully replaced.

Why are the roofs leaking?

Assistant Superintendent for Operations Todd Thorpe says its a materials issue.

A TPO roof has foam insulation, and then it has, for lack of a better word, a piece of white plastic thats really heavy, he explained. Forty-five mil is what we have. If we do it again, I want to go back to 60 mil, which means it will be a heavier roof. So the roof has a layer of plastic and then a screen wire and then another layer of plastic. It should have enough UV protection that the sun doesnt disturb the material, but if we went on the roof and looked, youd see where the top layer of plastic is disintegrating, so were losing layers like that.

Broadview and Cummings have had the worst leaks because the roofs arent shaded by trees, thus theyve been exposed to more harmful UV rays than other facilities.

Graham Middle School is next on that list, but E.M. Holt and Sellars-Gunn are shaded enough to buy them another year or two.

What is ABSS doing about it?

Engineers and attorneys have walked the roofs, pictures have been taken, and core samples have been done by the engineering firms.

Until a settlement is reached with Dow something Thorpe hopes will come in the next few weeks the school system has been approved to patch the roofs at Broadview, Cummings and Graham with a heavy top coating, and replace ceiling tiles under a cap of $20,000.

We know its a temporary fix, but its a fix to get kids back in school, Thorpe said.

In the meantime, planning has already begun for how to swing replacing the worst damaged roofs at Broadview and Cummings this year while students are in school.

These roofs are not residential roofs. With a residential roof, you call somebody, they show up in a week, and three days later theyre finished, Thorpe said. We go through a much more complex procedure. There will be an engineer drawing, it will go out for bids, specs will have to be laid out. Once we get the funding and we can get started, its probably going to be three months, and thats if the weather cooperates with us.

The cost is quite a bit different from residential roof replacement as well.

Broadview alone will cost around $550,000, and new roofs for all five facilities are expected to cost more than $2 million which is why the much-anticipated lawsuit settlement price tag is important.

Once the lawsuit is resolved, Thorpe hopes to be able to present to the Board of Education in September and get the ball rolling as soon as possible.

Reporter Jessica Williams can be reached at jessica.williams@thetimesnews.com or at 336-506-3046. Follow her on Twitter at @jessicawtn.

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School roofs: When will they be fixed? - Burlington Times News

New company in Pensacola gives roof to family in need

A Pensacola family will soon have a new roof over their heads thanks to a business moving into the area.

Tadlock Roofing celebrated the grand opening of their Pensacola office on Thursday by presenting a certificate for a new roof to Habitat for Humanity.

The company will replace a roof for a homeowner who cannot afford the cost of a major replacement.

For a company to come in brand new and say 'I love the community' that just warms your heart. You really say you're about the community," said Josh Womack with Habitat for Humanity.

Pensacola Habitat's Neighborhood Revitalization Board will pick a homeowner in need to receive the roof replacement in early September.

Tadlock said they will begin work right away.

Habitat for Humanity has about seven families who need a major roof replacement, but the nonprofit rarely does them because the cost is so high.

The remains of two of the 10 missing sailor have been recovered by the Navy.

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New company in Pensacola gives roof to family in need - WEAR

POST FALLS A lonely, dirt-filled, circular retaining wall in White Pine Park won't be lonely anymore.

It is now the home of the Kootenai County Kindness Wall, courtesy of the new painting-hiding-finding rock group, KC Rocks.

Everybody has a right to have a smile and a reason for joy, said Post Falls mom Winn Koehler, who arranged the new wall last week. Everybody should be able to feel a little bit of kindness every day in their life.

Koehler originally organized a rock-trading kindness wall in Falls Park where little children and disabled individuals could easily access thecache of decorated rocks and participate in the rock painting/trading community, but it was destroyed.

"This is for little kids and the disabled that actually cant go out and rock hunt, Koehler said about a month ago. "Theres a gal who comes to Falls Park who is in a wheelchair, and she cant actively go out and find the rocks, but she could pull right up to my wall and get a rock, trade them out. The little guys have a hard time finding them and they get discouraged when they dont. I figured this is a good thing for them.

For a week she enjoyed bringing her own wee ones to sit on a nearby bench and witness the magic.

"The excitement and squeals I heard from the little kids when they come up and see all these beautiful rocks was amazing," she said back then. "The joy you could hear in their voices was amazing. It was the greatest feeling ever. It made me emotional. Youd see the big smiles on their face. It was well worth it."

Unfortunately, the Falls Park wall was destroyed by unknown persons who threw the painted rocks into the Spokane River. Koehler's friend, Debby Carlson, who also assisted with the White Pine kindness wall, said the destruction of the Falls wall was "heartbreaking."

I was like, Oh my God, after all the work shes done for this, Carlson said, gesturing to the White Pine wall. "We don't want to see this one destroyed."

A friend of Koehler's donated a heavy rock slab to mark the new wall. It tells the three steps necessary to be a part of the KC Rocks community: Take one rock so you have a bit of kindness, leave one to spread the kindness and share one sothe kindness wall can grow.

For info and photos, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/353956238371586/ or visit the KC Kindness Wall KC Rocks Facebook page.

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Wall-to-wall kindness - Coeur d'Alene Press

The Southern Pines Town Council approved $30,000 in new capital improvements at Pool Park during Mondays work session.

Three new retaining walls near the basketball court will replace the existing wood walls and new fencing will be installed at the baseball backstop.

As we continue to improve our parks, there were a few maintenance issues to bring forward. These are projects that our staff cannot do in house because they are more specialized, said Recreation and Parks Director Robert Reeve.

The retaining walls will be constructed with Diamond D block, a rough-hewn, natural looking concrete block that is frequently used in outdoor applications. The three walls will connect directly to the walking trail and will be stepped back slightly more than the existing retaining wall. Each wall will extend between 100 to 135 feet and plans calls for them to be spaced approximately six feet apart.

The top of the walls will be reinforced and will provide block seating, Reeve said. It will give an amphitheater-type look to serve the basketball court and will also provide more seating for the new performance stage.

Reeve said the new walls will create a cleaner, nicer look at the park and are in keeping with the towns multi-phased enhancement program for Pool Park. The project is anticipated to cost approximately $25,900 to install.

By putting in this type of structure, it will be secure and safe and look a lot better. It will also create a new function for the park, he said.

In addition, he recommended new fencing for the baseball backstop area, at an estimated cost of $4,000. The town will also use approximately $860 that was donated to the Pool Park fund by a local Boy Scout as part of his Eagle project.

We all express our appreciation to this young man for his generous donation, said Mayor Pro Tem Jim Simeon.

In other discussion on Monday, the Southern Pines Town Council:

* Considered a request to allow private businesses to use town-owned outdoor facilities. The discussion was raised when a local entrepreneur asked to conduct exercise classes at area parks. The town attempted to hire the woman so the business could operate as a recreation program offering but she opposed the differing fee structure set up for residents and non-residents. The other option is to pay a standard facility fee on a per hour basis.

We want to be fair to everybody and very consistent with how we run our programs based on our ordinance, Reeve said. If we have someone who wants to do a program that we feel could benefit the community, we want to work with them.

The town has traditionally restricted rental use of any facilities indoor spaces and outdoor areas to individuals and nonprofits.

One of the aspects we like about our parks is that people can rent a shelter for a birthday party. You have to balance that will how much you allow private (business) renters to come in and possibly take away those opportunities, Reeve said. We dont want to get in a situation where we have to decide that you can use it but you cant.

* Considered a request to amend the design standards for fuel stations in the towns Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The request is based on a proposed plan to construct a kiosk-style fuel station at the Harris Teeter store location at Mill Creek Village, near the corner of N.C. 22 and Airport Road.

There were some not-quite-anticipated hurdles with design and site work, said Assistant Town Manager Chris Kennedy. As we worked through this application, we ran into some issues with the UDO language.

Specifically, Harris Teeter is interested in building a small fuel station with an attended kiosk; however, current UDO regulations stipulate fuel station pumps should be screened behind the building and the roof line of the canopy must be lower than the building. This language is based on the typical, historical model of a fuel station with an attached convenience store.

In recent years, grocery stores have moved into the fuel business by opening up smaller, kiosk style stations as part of its integrated shopping center services. Examples already in place in the area include the Lowes Food fuel station at Morganton Park South and the Harris Teeter fuel station at Pinecroft Shopping Center in Taylortown.

It is difficult for a small building to screen pumps, as written in the code, versus a more traditional gas station, Kennedy said. We dont want people to think there is a special allowance. We want to make sure we are applying things correctly.There is always a rhyme and reason to why a code gets changes. Over time conditions change and the code has to apply to all kinds of nuance and there are certain situations that dont always fit.

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SP Approves Improvements at Pool Park - Southern Pines Pilot

Stiperstones and Corndon Hill Country is a beautiful upland area that crosses the Welsh English border between the Shropshire Hills and Montgomeryshire.

The Landscape Partnership Scheme aimsto conserve and enhance the local heritage and wildlife, raiseawareness, and provide opportunities to all for involvement, access and learning.

Itbrings together local people, groups, organisations and professionals from England and Wales, and covers an area bounded by the settlements of Churchstoke, Chirbury, Minsterley, Pontesbury, Bridges, Wentnor and Norbury see map below.

The Scheme is divided into four programmes reflecting the special qualities of the area, and is runningfifteen projects, ranging from heritage restoration and habitat management, to training young people in rural skills and offering grants and advice to landowners.

Take a look at oureventspage for local walks, talks and activities, includingourexciting local archaeological project, or help start a project in your local area throughDown to Earth.

Supported by Heritage Lottery and other funders, the Scheme is running for five years,ending April 2018.

Map of Scheme area (click on map to expand)

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Home - Stiperstones & Corndon Hill Country Landscape ...

Tumamoc Hill, a favorite walking spot for Tucsonans, will expand the hours it is open to the public starting Sept. 5.

The new hours will be from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, giving walkers 18 hours each day to enjoy the scenic 1-mile path. The change came as an effort to allow the community to enjoy the hike up the hill while also preserving the sites scientific, natural and cultural integrity.

The west-side site will also include signs displaying the new hours of access and wire cables along the path and top of the hill where Ben Wilder, interim director of Tumamoc Hill, said the most damage to sensitive areas is being done. The cable fencing will be to prevent public access to areas beyond the walking path.

With the increase of numbers in recent years, weve seen a very alarming degradation of the top of the hill, Wilder said.

Tumamoc is an 860-acre ecological reserve and U.S. National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the University of Arizona in partnership with Pima County.

Before, the hill was closed to the public between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays. This made it difficult for UA police to enforce rules, and for damage to be done at night.

UAPD was ticketing grandparents walking with their grandchildren in the evening around 5 p.m., Wilder said. Now, were kind of flipping that and trying to accommodate walking preferences if you want to go at sunrise, the middle of the day or evening.

Over the years, Tumamoc has seen a dramatic increase in foot traffic.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, no more than about 100 people would regularly walk the path, Wilder said. Today, that number is about 1,500 a day.

Tumamoc has seen over 4,000 years of human use (if you include settlement along the Santa Cruz) and has been a cultural gathering place for the valley of Tucson, Wilder said. This (current) migration of people is just the latest chapter in this story thats been going for thousands of years.

Tumamoc is a beautiful gathering place with a deep cultural history, Wilder said, and he sees it as an opportunity to let people see research in action. But this is an ecological reserve, not a park.

There are no pets, bicycles or smoking allowed on Tumamoc.

New phone app to enhance experience

Walkers on Tumamoc will also have a new way to enjoy their strolls a soon-to-be-released phone app that is similar to the one that supplements the drive up Mount Lemmon.

The app, for both Android and iOS devices, will feature six sections that are meant to narrate the hike up the hill.

The first section is an introduction and overview, followed by information on the desert laboratory site and history of the buildings. The desert lab buildings were built more than 100 years ago, and today, the glass in Wilders office is wavy with age.

Then the app walks listeners through the landscape, ecology and seasons of the desert.

At the top of the hill, the app delves into the archaeology of the site, including the history of the people who made the same climb thousands of years ago, and stories of the Tohono Oodham, descendants of the people who used to live on the hill.

There will also be 16 YouTube videos of additional content for those seeking a more thorough picture of the site.

The tour will be narrated on the app by Alberto Burquez, a researcher at the Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, in Spanish, and David Yetman, a research social scientist at the University of Arizona Southwest Center, in English.

The bilingual aspect of the community that uses the hill has been overlooked, so in terms of my tenure here, its one of the most important things to support, Wilder said.

The music accompanying the app is by Calexico and Gabriel Naim Amor.

Contact Mikayla Mace at mmace@tucson.com or (520) 573-4158. On Twitter: @mikaylagram

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Tumamoc Hill to be opened during the day for walkers starting Sept. 5 - Arizona Daily Star