Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Floods cause greater property damage and more deaths than tornadoes or hurricanes. And Houstons flood is truly a disaster of biblical proportions: The sky unloaded 9 trillion gallons of water on the city within two days, and much more might fall before Harvey dissipates, producing as much as 60 inches of rain.

Pictures of Harveys runoff are harrowing, with interstates turned to sturdy and mature rivers. From Katrina to Sandy, Rita to Thoku, its easier to imagine the flooding caused by storm surges wrought by hurricanes and tsunamis. In these cases, the flooding problem appears to be caused by water breaching shores, seawalls, or levees. Those examples reinforce the idea that flooding is a problem of keeping water outeither through fortunate avoidance or engineering foresight.

But the impact of flooding, particularly in densely developed areas like cities, is far more constant than a massive, natural disaster like Harvey exposes. The reason cities flood isnt because the water comes in, not exactly. Its because the pavement of civilization forces the water to get back out again.

* * *

There are different kinds of floods. Theres the storm surge from hurricanes, the runoff from snowmelt, the inundation of riverbanks. But all these examples cast flooding as an occasional foe out to damage human civilization. In truth, flooding happens constantly, in small and large quantities, every time precipitation falls to earth. People just dont tend to notice it until it reaches the proportions of disaster.

Under normal circumstances, rain or snowfall soaks back into the earth after falling. It gets absorbed by grasslands, by parks, by residential lawns, by anywhere the soil is exposed. Two factors can impede that absorption. One is large quantities of rain in a short period of time. The ground becomes inundated, and the water spreads out in accordance with the topography. The second is covering over the ground so it cannot soak up water in the first place. And thats exactly what cities dothey transform the land into developed civilization.

Roads, parking lots, sidewalks, and other pavements, along with asphalt, concrete, brick, stone, and other building materials, combine to create impervious surfaces that resist the natural absorption of water. In most of the United States, about 75 percent of its land area, less than 1 percent of the land is hardscape. In cities, up to 40 percent is impervious.

The natural system is very good at accepting rainfall. But when water hits pavement, it creates runoff immediately. That water has to go somewhere. So it flows wherever the grade takes it. To account for that runoff, people engineer systems to move the water away from where it is originally deposited, or to house it in situ, or even to reuse it. This processthe policy, planning, engineering, implementation, and maintenance of urban water systemsis called stormwater management.

According to my Georgia Institute of Technology colleague Bruce Stiftel, who is chair of the school of city and regional planning and an expert in environmental and water policy governance, stormwater management usually entails channeling water away from impervious surfaces and the structures built atop them. In other words, cities are built on the assumption that the water that would have been absorbed back into the land they occupy can be transported away instead.

Like bridges or skyscrapers designed to bear certain loads, stormwater management systems are conceived within the limits of expected behaviorsuch as rainfall or riverbank overrun events that might happen every 10 or 25 years. When these intervals are exceeded, and the infrastructure cant handle the rate and volume of water, flooding is the result.

Houston poses both a typical and an unusual situation for stormwater management. The city is enormous, stretching out over 600 square miles. Its an epitome of the urban sprawl characterized by American exurbanism, where available land made development easy at the edges. Unlike New Orleans, Houston is well above sea level, so flooding risk from storm surge inundation is low. Instead, its rainfall that poses the biggest threat.

A series of slow-moving rivers, called bayous, provide natural drainage for the area. To account for the certainty of flooding, Houston has built drainage channels, sewers, outfalls, on- and off-road ditches, and detention ponds to hold or move water away from local areas. When they fill, the roadways provide overrun. The dramatic images from Houston that show wide, interstate freeways transformed into rivers look like the cause of the disaster, but they are also its solution, if not an ideal one. This is also why evacuating Houston, a metropolitan area of 6.5 million people, would have been a terrible idea. This is a city run by cars, and sending its residents to sit in gridlock on the thoroughfares and freeways designed to become rivers during flooding would have doomed them to death by water.

* * *

Accounting for a 100-year, 500-year, or million-year flood, as some are calling Harveys aftermath, is difficult and costly. Stiftel confirms that its almost impossible to design for these maximal probable flood events, as planners call them. Instead, the hope is to design communities such that when they flood, they can withstand the ill effects and support effective evacuations to keep people safe. The Houston event seems like an illustration that we havent figured it out, Stiftel says.

Many planners contend that impervious surface itself is the problem. The more of it there is, the less absorption takes place and the more runoff has to be managed. Reducing development, then, is one of the best ways to manage urban flooding. The problem is, urban development hasnt slowed in the last half-century. Cities have only become more desirable, spreading outward over the plentiful land available in the United States.

The National Flood Insurance Program, established in 1968, offered one attempt at a compromise. It was meant to protect and indemnify people without creating economic catastrophe. Instead of avoiding the floodplain, insurance allowed people to build within it, within management constraints recommended by FEMA. In theory, flood-hazard mitigation hoped to direct development away from flood-prone areas through the disincentives of risk insurance and regulatory complexity.

Since then, attitudes have changed. For one part, initial avoidance of floodplains created desirable targets for development, especially in the middle of cities. But for another, Stiftel tells me that attitudes about development in floodplains have changed, too. Its more about living with water than it is about discouraging development in areas prone to risk.

Sometimes living with water means sidestepping the consequences. Developers working in flood zones might not care what happens after they sell a property. Thats where governmental oversight is supposed to take over. Some are more strict than others. After the global financial crisis of 2008, for example, degraded local economies sometimes spurred relaxed land-use policy in exchange for new tax bases, particularly commercial ones.

In other cases, floodplains have been managed through redevelopment that reduces impervious surfaces. Natural ground cover, permeable or semi-permeable pavers, and vegetation that supports the movement of water offer examples. These efforts dovetail with urban redevelopment efforts that privilege mixed-use and green space, associated with both new urbanism and gentrification. Recreation lands, conservation lands and easements, dry washes, and other approaches attempt to counterbalance pavement when possible. Stiftel cites Chinas sponge cities as a dramatic examplea government-funded effort to engineer new, permeable materials to anticipate and mitigate the flooding common to that nation.

* * *

But Thomas Debo, an emeritus professor of city planning at Georgia Tech who also wrote a popular textbook on stormwater management, takes issue with pavement reduction as a viable cure for urban flooding. We focus too much on impervious surface and not enough on the conveyance of water, he tells me. Even when reduced in quantity, the water still ends up in in pipes and concrete channels, speeding fast toward larger channels. Its like taking an aspirin to cure an ailment, he scoffs. Houstons flooding demonstrates the impact.

Instead, Debo advocates that urban design mimic rural hydrology as much as possible. Reducing impervious surface and improving water conveyance has a role to play, but the most important step in sparing cities from flooding is to reduce the velocity of water when it is channelized, so that it doesnt deluge other sites. And then to stop moving water away from buildings and structures entirely, and to start finding new uses for it in place.

That can be done by collecting water into cisterns for processing and reusein some cases, Debo explains, the result can even save money by reducing the need to rely on utility-provided water. Adding vegetation, reclaiming stormwater, and building local conveyance systems for delivery of this water offer more promising solutions.

Though retired from Georgia Tech, Debo still consults on the campuss local stormwater management efforts. In one case, the institute took a soccer field and made it into an infiltration basin. Water permeates the field, where it is channeled into pipes and then into local cisterns.

In Houstons case, catastrophic floods have been anticipated for some time. The combination of climate change, which produces more intense and unpredictable storms, and aggressive development made an event like this weeks almost inevitable. The Association of State Floodplain Managers has called for a national flood risk-management strategy, and the Houston Chronicle has called flood control the citys most pressing infrastructure need. A lack of funding is often blamed, and relaxed FEMA regulations under the Trump Administration wont help either.

But for Debo and others, waiting for a holistic, centralized approach to stormwater management is a pipe dream anyway. Just as limiting impervious surface is not the solution to urban stormwater management, so government-run, singular infrastructure might not be either. Its much more difficult, and a much bigger picture, Debo insists to me. There is no silver bullet for stormwater management.

* * *

One problem is that people care about flooding, because its dramatic and catastrophic. They dont care about stormwater management, which is where the real issue lies. Even if it takes weeks or months, after Harvey subsides, public interest will decay too. Debo notes that traffic policy is an easier urban planning problem for ordinary folk, because it happens every day.

So does stormwaterit just isnt treated that way. Instead of looking for holistic answers, site-specific ones must be pursued instead. Rather than putting a straight channel through a subdivision, for example, Debo suggests designing one to meander through it, to decrease the velocity of the water as it exits.

The hardest part of managing urban flooding is reconciling it with Americans insistence that they can and should be able to live, work, and play anywhere. Waterborne transit was a key driver of urban development, and its inevitable that cities have grown where flooding is prevalent. But there are some regions that just shouldnt become cities. Parts of Houston in the floodway, parts of New Orleans submerged during Katrina, parts of Floridathese places never should have been developed in the first place, Debo concludes. Add sea-level rise and climate-change superstorms, and something has to give.

Debo is not optimistic about resisting the urge toward development. I dont think any of its going to happen, he concedes. Until we get people in Congress and in the White House who care about the environment, its just going to get worse and worse.

Even so, theres reason for optimism. If good stormwater management means good, site-specific design, then ordinary people have a role to play, too. Residential homeowners who install a new cement patio or driveway might not even realize that they are channeling water down-grade to their neighbors, or overwhelming a local storm drain. Citizens can also influence stormwater issues within their municipalities. Many folks know that they have a local city council and school board, but local planning, zoning, and urban design agencies also hold regular public meetingsunfortunately, most people only participate in this aspect of local governance when they have an axe to grind. For the average American concerned with the deluge, the best answer is to replace an occasional, morbid curiosity with flooding with a more sophisticated, long-term interest in stormwater management.

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Houston's Flood Is a Design Problem - The Atlantic

Hello everyone and welcome to another Touchstone Tavern, our roundup of last week'sbest news stories and videos from the world of Hearthstone [Free]. As was to be expected, there's a lot of talk about the current power levels of Druid and the effects that has on the meta (and the game as a whole). So, we have stories both about getting on the Druid bandwagon and trying to beat Druid decks. Thereare also stories about the new short Blizzard has unveiled, which is lovely, as well as the results of the Global Games finals. Overall, the world of Hearthstone seems to be all about Druid issues at this moment, and it remains to be seen whether the Druid-mania will soon subside or whether it will continue until Blizzard does something about the current state of the meta. Let us begin.

Decks Designed to Beat Druid

If you've been having Druid issues, check out this story. The writer put together a list of decks specifically designed to take out that pesky Druid decks. Decks include Pirate Warrior, Exodia Quest Mage, Mill Rogue, and others, and they come with dekclists and short guides. So, if Druid is getting on your nerves, check out this story.

Frozen Throne Legend Decks

This story is all about super-powerful decks that have hit Legend, although not all of them are "interesting." There's a Murloc Paladin that's hit #1 Legend, a Jade Druid (of course), a Pirate Warrior, a Finja Aggro Druid, a Mage Highlander Priest, and many more. If you have the cards, this is a great list to check out, although you'll still need the skills to pilot these very powerful decks.

Token Druid Guide

If you can't beat them, join them, right? If you want to play around with Token Druid, this is the guide you'll need to read. It updates the old archetype with Frozen Throne cards and guides you through putting the deck together and piloting it properly. The guide goes into detail on what each card's purpose is and even what cards to replace in case you're missing some. A detailed guide that's definitely worth a read if you feel like going the Druid way.

Blizzard Responds to Druid Issues

As we wrote about last week, Iksar (aka Dean Ayala) went on Reddit to talk about the Druid issues in the game and how the team is thinking of moving forward on this issue. He talks about how early it is in the meta cycle to be talking about dominance and about nerfing, and how there have been stronger decks in the past. He then went on to talk about specific problematic cards and how the team sees them. Go read the whole story and let me know in the comments if you agree with Blizzard's position.

First Multiplayer Raid Pits Players Against Arthas

Gamescom 2017 saw the first ever multiplayer raid that felt more like an MMO than a card game. As this story discusses, this brawl set everyone at Gamescom against a one-million hit points Arthas. Every player tried to do as much damage as possible, and the more damage, the higher the rank the player would earn. The raid-like brawl is part of the new Fireside Gathering Brawls that are meant to make Fireside Gatherings more fun. Let me know if you had a chance to play this Brawl and what you thought of it.

After Frozen Throne, Matches Are Taking Longer

As this story points out, the latest expansion seems to have slowed down matches quite a bit, and that makes it less fun for casual players who want quick games. Although he can't say for sure, the writer of the storydoes believe that Frozen Throne has disrupted the usual Aggro dominance we usually see when new cards are infused into the game. The dominant decks now have strong anti-aggro options that allow them to go to the late game, which gives us matches that last from 20 to 30 minutes each. He even has stats to back that up. While he knows some players like a slower, control-leaning meta, it's challenging to only get through 3 games an hour, especially if you're trying to climb the ladder. Do you like the slower meta, or would you prefer a faster, more aggro-oriented one?

First Animated Short 'Hearth and Home' Is Lovely

Blizzard went all Disney last week and gave us a really nice short called Hearth and Home. This isn't a one time thing either; Blizzard is planning a whole series of comics and shorts (and, of course, merchandise) starring the cast of the short, and I'm all for that. I hope future expansions get the comics and shorts treatment because that would really help build up the game's lore. Check out our full story here.

Czech Republic Wins Global Games

After a long and fun tournament, the Czech Republic Team is the Global Games Champion, defeating the Ukraine in the final. Given that the Ukraine has players like Kolento and Neirea in its roster, beating them wasn't an easy task for the Czech Republic, but they did it. pokrovac, CzechCloud, and StanCifka managed to surprise their opponents with some interesting deck choices and take the title. Go here to see how each match in the finals went down.

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17 Hidden Cards in Hearth and Home

Saltiest Moments #29

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Best 'Frozen Throne' Decks, Decks to Beat Druid, and More 'Hearthstone' Weekly News in 'Touchstone' #110 - Touch Arcade

If you think your home's patio deck needs work, think about the deck of a ship that is 610' long or the deck of a submarine that is 312' long. Much of the decks of the vessels at the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park are wood and a considerable construction project.

WBFO's Mike Desmond reports

From above, the wood on the deck of the U.S.S. Croaker submarine is very obvious because in the middle is a walkway of treated southern yellow pine flanked by rotting cedar. The Naval Park is waiting for bids to come in to replace that cedar.

The bids are already in on a major replacement of the deteriorating cedar on the U.S.S. Little Rock. When completed, replacement of the decking with the nearly maintenance-free composite will cost around $500,000.

"The whole deck replacement that we did here on the starboard side, this was budgeted right at about $150,000," said Park Superintendent John Branning. "And the new contract for the existing wood that's still on the ship is in excess of about $350,000."

When new, both the U.S.S. Croaker and U.S.S. Little Rock had teak decks, which require a lot of maintenance. But, at the time, there were plenty of crew members to do the maintenance. For example, the Little Rock had a crew of 1,400. Branning has six people to maintain everything in the Park.

There is even more aging cedar on the U.S.S. Little Rock cruiser than on the U.S.S Croaker. Some already has been replaced with a composite many can recognize from their own backyard decks.

"It's not real wood. It is a poly board," said Branning. "It is kind of what people are putting on their decks today because it will last 35 years with minimal work - and it does look pretty close to what teak would be after it's weathered a little bit and when it would be holy stoned, what they called it in the Navy, back in the day."

Branning said even composite is not cheap when there is so much of it.

Link:
Naval Park awaiting bids to replace submarine deck - WBFO

ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. - A 22-year-old woman from Rockland County was busted on multiple felonies after being caught with heroin and other drugs.

Police in Ramapo arrested a Wesley Hills resident on Sunday afternoon after she was found to be in possession of 100 decks of heroin, syringes and marijuana.

According to police, the woman - whose name was not released - stands charged with felony counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell and criminal possession of a controlled substance, for the heroin. She was also charged with criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, driving while ability impaired by drugs and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. all misdemeanors. She was also cited for unlawful possession of marijuana.

The 22-year-old was processed and arraigned in the Village of Wesley Hills Justice Court before Judge Philip Schnelwar. She was released on her own recognizance and is due back in court on Tuesday to answer the charges.

For real-time Rockland news updates in your Facebook feed, be sure to "Like" Daily Voice's Rockland County Forum page on Facebook by clicking here.

Follow Daily Voice on Twitter, @DVRockland, by clicking here.

Click here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.

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Wesley Hills Woman Caught With 100 Decks Of Heroin, Police Say - Ramapo Daily Voice

$799,000

Style: Contemporary

Year built: 2003

Square feet: 4,950

Bedrooms: 5

Baths: 3 full, 2 half

Sewer/water: Private

Taxes: $11,441 (2016)

Its as if the designer of this waterfront home were a big fan of those black-and-white cookies (the ones with the dark chocolate frosting slathered next to white vanilla frosting), because the second-story deck outside the master suite of this contemporary is a perfect echo. Consider: The left half of the deck is darkened by shade from towering trees, while on the other half, bright sunshine coats the hot tub, all of which overlooks Fort Pond. In fact, this Lancaster home has multiple decks with water views.

The master suite deck is only one of the serene spots in this 4,950-square-foot house perched above Fort Pond, which a 2011 state study says is 76 acres and 45 feet at its deepest point.

Stepping back into the suite via the slider, youll find an expansive bedroom with two walk-in closets. The bath has a double vanity and a separate oval soaking tub underneath a skylight and next to a frosted window. A large, tiled shower with a glass door sits next to that. The suite includes a separate office.

A door from the master leads to the heart of the house, a great room with 18-foot ceilings and a country cabin motif. The floors and ceilings are clear-stained resawn old timber: white pine above and oak underfoot. The space features a wall of windows, some triangular.

This open space encompasses dining and livings areas and, in the rear of the room, a kitchen with long dark-granite counters, a pantry, and a propane stove tricked out to appear as if it were an antique wood-burning stove.

Two bedrooms, connected by a bath, run off the great room, and a wooden corkscrew staircase leads to a carpeted loft. A half bath completes this floor.

A set of broad stairs goes to the front entry and then on to a plushly carpeted family room with knotty-pine walls and ceilings and a set of windows with views of the pond.

Off to one side of the family room is another bedroom suite, and on the other is an office with pond views so distracting that can serve as a fifth bedroom. A half bath completes this floor.

The 1.07-acre lot slopes to the pond, past a large screened-in gazebo with electricity and a cable hookup, and ends at a 201-foot stretch of sandy waterfront that includes an aluminum dock on wheels. The home has an outdoor shower.

The property is on a private road. Membership in the homeowners association is voluntary, but residents pay into a fund for maintaining and plowing the road.

The property includes a roughly 600-square-foot rentable cottage with one bedroom, a full bath, a kitchen, and a living room. The sale price reflects a credit for up to one year of prepaid rent from the seller, who wishes to live in the cottage part time without beach rights.

The listing broker, Rhonda Sprague of Harvard Realty in Harvard, will hold an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27. Her website is http://www.harvardrealty.com.

Follow John R. Ellement on Twitter @JREbosglobe. Send listings to homeoftheweek@globe.com. Please note: We do not feature unfurnished homes and will not respond to submissions we wont pursue.Subscribe to our newsletter atpages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp.

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Home of the Week: Waterfront contemporary features cottage for rent, multiple decks, and dock - Boston.com

By David Skolnick

and GUY DASTOLFO

news@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

When it comes to the large crowds that will be at Stambaugh Stadium for Thursdays Zac Brown Band concert, the advice is: Hit the decks.

That means head for the parking decks on the Youngstown State University campus, said Danny OConnell, YSUs director of support services.

The Fifth Avenue deck, on the corner of Fifth and Lincoln avenues, can hold 1,260 vehicles. Like the surface lots near Stambaugh, the home of YSUs football team, the cost to park at the Fifth Avenue deck is $20.

If you dont mind a little walk, OConnell suggests the Wick Avenue parking deck, which can be accessed from Walnut Street because Wick is still closed to vehicular traffic as its still under construction. That lot holds 2,120 vehicles. The GPS address is 100 Wade St.

And its only $5 to park there, OConnell said.

Thats a quick option for people to park and it shouldnt be crowded, he said.

Another piece of advice from OConnell: The earlier you get here, the easier it will be to park.

YSU officials will park people starting in the M72, M71 and the new M66 lots on and near Grant and Arlington streets first for those coming east on Fifth and Ford avenues and west on Belmont Avenue, he said. Those lots hold about 300 spaces.

Once theyre filled, motorists will be directed to the Wick Avenue deck unless they decide to park there first, particularly those coming from downtown on Fifth Avenue and then to lots on Rayen Avenue, OConnell said.

As people come down, well be directing people south as each lot [and the Fifth Avenue deck] fills up, he said.

Traffic will be greater because it is on a Thursday, and not a Saturday, like a football game. Also, it will be a regular day of class at YSU.

About 18,000 tickets are being sold for the concert, ranging from $29.50 to $95.50 via Ticketmaster. There were about 2,000 tickets left as of late Tuesday.

Were very happy with sales for the event, said Eric Ryan, chief executive officer of JAC Live, which is co-promoting the event with the Muransky Companies. Tickets have sold great. We hope we can reach 17,000, 18,000 by the time of the concert.

YSU students are being told to park their vehicles in lots and parking structures on the east side of the campus that day. The university will offer a free shuttle bus service from the rear entrance of the Wick Avenue parking deck to Lincoln Avenue.

The university parking lots near the stadium will be open to concertgoers after 2 p.m. Signage will be put up on streets to guide drivers to the parking lots, according to a press release from YSU.

Tailgate lot M70 off Fifth Avenue, which holds 535 vehicles, is sold out. It will open at 2 p.m. the day of the concert. If you want to tailgate and dont have a space reserved at M70, Ryan said people can still come to that lot and do so.

Stadium doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the concert set for 7 p.m. There are two opening acts Darrell Scott and Midland before Zac Brown Band plays.

Well get a 2 p.m. rush, then one at 5 p.m. before the doors open and then another one just before the concert starts, OConnell said.

Downtown will be business as usual, said Michael McGiffin, downtown events director. On-street parking will be free after 5 p.m., as will parking at city-owned lots. Privately-owned surface lots are expected to charge event rates, said McGiffin.

We know we can accommodate this number of people in our downtown and campus area, said McGiffin. He cited past events that attracted similarly large crowds, including March 22, 2016, when Elton John and ZZ Top played concerts at the same time at Covelli Centre and Stambaugh Auditorium, respectively.

Some people will park downtown, but downtown is operating as overflow parking for the event, McGiffin said. Most people will park in the YSU lots. There will be a spot for everybody, but downtown will be a place where a few thousand people will end up parking and walk up the hill to the concert.

Concertgoers should be aware of the restrictions at the stadium, according to JAC Live. None of the following items will be permitted inside the stadium for the concert: food, beverages, backpacks, bags, coolers, fanny packs, containers of any size, video cameras and professional cameras.

Patrons are also being encouraged to bring cash to the concert, in order to minimize the wait at the food and beverage stands. Credit cards will be accepted at select stands.

View original post here:
Zac Brown fans advised to use parking decks at YSU - Youngstown Vindicator

Ken Eisner, the ex-treasurer at his former co-op on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, still sounds remotely bitter about the fate of his roof deck. There was no compensation to people who had that roof space, so we had to rebuild the decks at our own expense, he says.

Eisner was one of four shareholders who, in the 1980s, bought a top-floor unit in a small co-op and gained exclusive access to a roof deck and a quarter of the roof. He also paid extra for the privilege, which was reflected in his monthly maintenance charges. But leaks developed over the years, and the decks had to be removed. There was no compensation to people who had that roof space, so, afterwards, we had to rebuild the decks at our own expense, says Eisner.

Eisners experience is not unique and boards can face expensive lawsuits if they dont handle such situations properly.

To put a roof deck back can be costly, says attorney Lisa Smith, a partner at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, who is currently wrestling with just such a case at a different co-op on the Upper West Side. If the board takes on the expense, then you've got the rest of the shareholders saying, Why am I paying for something that has nothing to do with us? But if they dont, then they have disgruntled roof deck owners saying, What about us?

Usually, the number one priority is to get the roof fixed. You can argue about the cost for months, Smith says. But your roof may not wait that long. No matter how complicated or expensive it may be, the owners of the roof decks must remove their decking, any structures, and plantings, so repairs can be done. Most roof deck owners will not contest this partly because they have a vested interest in making sure the roof does not leak. Most co-op leases and condo bylaws also provide the boards with the right of access to the roof deck in order to repair the roof.

The battle usually arises after the roof is fixed and the shareholder/unit-owner expects the building to restore and pay for his or her individual deck. Often the governing documents, which may have been written over 30 years ago, are ambiguous as to whether or not the individuals right to use the roof also confers the right to have a roof deck on which the individual can walk upon and enjoy their roof space, says Smith. Boards are often reluctant to restore the decks because the roofs of these buildings were not designed for foot traffic or decks and both can damage the roof. The typical compromise solution in such cases is for the co-op/condo to pay for a basic, no-frills, architecturally-OK deck, with any (approved-by-the-board) additions paid for by the owner.

Certainly the best way to avoid conflict and confusion is to make sure obligations for roof access and deck repair are clearly spelled out in the buildings governing documents. To avoid disputes before a deck has to be removed, Smith suggests that boards advise their owners of any policies regarding repairs, replacements, or alterations. This will help eliminate claims that the shareholders/unit-owners were unaware of their obligations. A building information sheet or general Owners Guide may help.

And what of former deck owner Ken Eisner, who moved out of his Upper West building in 2003 and now lives in a co-op further downtown? He learned one valuable lesson from his experience. We don't have any roof decks here. Thats a good thing. Roof decks destroy roofs. Not to mention pocketbooks.

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Roof Rights and Roof Decks: Owners Beware - Habitat magazine

MEMPHIS, Tenn. Just in time for late-summer vacations and students returning to college campuses, Terminix released a list of the top 20 bed bug-infested cities in America, based on service requests the company received during the first half of 2017

The list includes cities across the United States and features the following five top cities: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Las Vegas, and Denver. Four states scratched their way onto the list with more than one city: Ohio, Arizona, Pennsylvania and California.

The top 20 cities for bed bug infestations in the United States* are:

1. Cleveland, Ohio2. Cincinnati, Ohio3. Detroit, Mich.4. Las Vegas, Nev.5. Denver, Colo.6. Houston, Texas7. Phoenix, Ariz.8. Indianapolis, Ind.9. Oklahoma City, Okla.10. Philadelphia, Pa.11. Baltimore, Md.12. Pittsburgh, Pa.13. Washington, D.C.14. Tucson, Ariz.15. San Francisco, Calif.16. St. Louis, Mo.17. Atlanta, Ga.18. Tampa, Fla.19. Memphis, Tenn.20. San Diego, Calif.

The bed bug experts at Terminix say that bed bug infestations have significantly increased since the late 1990s, and while researchers are unsure of the exact causes, factors such as increased international travel and insecticide resistance likely bear some responsibility.

Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate, said Paul Curtis, director, technical services at Terminix, and they can travel to new locations very easilyhitching a ride on clothing, handbags, suitcases and taxis, which can create substantial infestations in no time.

Without the help of a professional, bed bugs can hide undetected for months. Signs of an infestation include reddish-brown blood spots on sheets or mattresses, a strong musty odor, or sightings of the pests themselves, which are the size, shape and color of an apple seed. Home or business owners who suspect a bed bug problem should contact a pest control company as soon as possible to schedule an inspection.

*This list was created by compiling actual services data from more than 300 Terminix branches across the country. The rankings represent Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) with the highest number of actual services between Jan. 1, 2017 and June 30, 2017.

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Cook's Pest Control Announces Key Leadership Changes - PCT Magazine

KINGMAN As part of its consent agenda, Mohave County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Monday to approve a one-year contract with Baron Pest Control of Fort Mohave, with the option for up to four one-year renewals on behalf of Public Works.

Pest control services under this contract will be paid with budgeted maintenance funds approved by the board.

Supervisor Jean Bishop pulled the item from the consent agenda to question why the contract increased by $11,000, and why Mohave Pest Control, which had the previous contract, wasnt included in the bidding.

Rebecca OBrien, procurement director for the county, said every solicitation for services has a prebid conference with any bidder welcome to meet with county staff and answer any questions about amendments to the contract.

Four companies attended the prebid conference, she said. One did not qualify for the contract, and two chose not to submit a bid.

Certain services were specified in the scope of work that were not part of the previous contract, including skunk control, OBrien added.

A representative for Mohave Pest Control told the board she did not attend the prebid conference because she was told there was no way to change the bundling of services in the contract.

The contractor will provide pest control on a monthly basis. The control and eradication of pests shall include, but not be limited to, pests identified in insect and arachnid control and rodent control.

Treatment areas include lawns, trees, shrubs and other landscaped areas. Interior applications include working areas on each floor of the building, stairwells and equipment rooms.

Other action from Mondays board meeting:

Set a public hearing for Sept. 5 regarding a petition to establish a 1.75-mile section of Brooks Boulevard from Painted Rock Drive to Jemez Road in the Valle Vista area as a county highway. One resident said the road is atrocious, really bad, and hes got to pay out of pocket to get out of his own driveway. Another resident said garbage trucks and UPS trucks were getting stuck in the sand, so theyre using Moonscape Way, which was in good condition, but is now getting pounded by the trucks.

Approved funding the remaining portion of three school resource officers of $60,000 or 1 percent of the Sheriffs Department general fund salary budget. Sheriff Doug Schuster said the school district was unsuccessful with grant funding this year, so he worked with Finance Director Coral Loyd to fund the positions. Its important to have detectives in the schools, and theyll work on other cases in the community as well, the sheriff said.

Voted 4-0 to table moving forward with the public auction of property at 802 Beale St. Supervisor Bishop said there may be a problem with parking at the new courthouse, so she wants to work with the City of Kingman on potential uses for the building. County Administrator Mike Hendrix said he would like to explore the possibility of relocating Victim and Witness Services from current offices on Pine Street or CASA from the courthouse.

Read the rest here:
Mohave County Supervisors work out bugs in pest control contract - Today's News-Herald

WASHINGTON Its not exactly the kind of thing that will fill D.C. residents with pride, but the District ranked 13th in the top-20 bedbug-infested cities in America.

The list was released by the pest control company, Terminix, and based on service requests from the first half of 2017.

Experts at Terminix said bedbug infestations have increased since the late 1990s, and while researchers arent sure of an exact cause, they do think things like more international travel and insecticide resistance could bear some responsibility.

Bedbugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate, Paul Curtis, director, technical services at Terminix, said in a news release. They can travel to new locations very easily hitching a ride on clothing, handbags, suitcases and taxis, which can create substantial infestations in no time.

Without the help of a professional, bedbugs can hide undetected for months, Terminix said.

Some signs you might have a bedbug problem include reddish-brown blood spots on sheets or mattresses, a strong musty odor, or signs of the bugs themselves (theyre the size, shape and color of an apple seed).

If you think you have a bedbug problem, you should contact a pest control company as soon as possible for an inspection.

D.C. wasnt alone in having a bedbug problem. Baltimore came in at number 11.

The good news for D.C. residents is 13th place is a big drop from a study that came out earlier in the year by the pest control company Orkin.

In that survey, D.C. came in at No. 2, trailing only Baltimore.

The Terminix survey found Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio, are the two itchiest cities in the country while San Diego came in at number 20 on the list.

The complete list is:

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DC ranks 13th on pest control firm's list of top bedbug-infested cities - WTOP