Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Ceilings have a way of really showing defects when the drywall is not installed properly. While the visibility of ceiling defects can be reduced (e.g., through recessed lighting, flat paint, and other methods), the goal of every ceiling drywall installation should be to reduce or eliminate errors during construction. Everyone likes a clean-look drywall ceiling!

The first step in preparing the ceiling is to ensure there are no major issues with the sub-structure of the joists above, no plumbing or electrical issues to be addressed, and that, in general, you can live with a sealed ceiling. After thats complete, the ceiling should be strapped to ease installation.

Strapping a ceiling is the process of installing wood (or, in advanced installations, another material) perpendicular to the joists. The strapping serves as the nailing surface for the drywall. You should never install ceiling drywall fastened directly to the joists above. Why? There are several good reasons:

Strapping the ceiling also has the added benefit of reducing noise transfer from the floor above if you use an advanced material like resilient channel instead of 13 wood.

Ceilings are most often strapped with 1 x 3 uniform spruce lumber. Most home improvement stores will sell strapping in bundles, with sizes ranging from 8 feet to 16 feet. In general, you want to buy the longest strapping you can transport / install in the space.

Calculating the amount of strapping you need is simple. Measure the ceiling across parallel to the joists. Take the number of inches and divide by 16, then add 1. That gives you the number of straps to be installed. Measure the ceiling perpendicular to the joists. If this number is less than 16 feet, you can buy one strap for each length. If this number is greater, youll need to be additional straps to be installed on each length. Pick the best combination of strap lengths to achieve the ceiling.

Ceiling strapping should be installed every 16 inches on center, perpendicular to the joists above. Remember, a sheet of drywall is 4 feet, or 48 inches wide. 16 inch on-center spacing allows the drywall to be fastened four times across its width (one on each end, and two in the middle). On-center installation is important, because every 48 the strapping will be shared by two pieces of drywall. In other words, the center of thethird piece of strapping from the wall should be 48 away from the edge. This pattern should be followed all the way across the ceiling.

To keep the strappingperpendicularto the wall and in a straight line, you may want to snap a chalk line across the joists after making measurements, and before installing the strapping.

10d nails are appropriate for ceiling strapping. You can use two nails at every intersection between a joist and the strapping.We highly recommend using a framing nailer to speed installation! (Otherwise, youd be swinging a hammer upside down a few hundred times!)

Do not use finishing nails! Finishing nails will not provide sufficient hold in the ceiling above. Eventually, the strapping will pull away from the joists, and youll have a collapsed ceiling.

We recommend against screws only because of the unnecessary added installation time.

Installing ceiling strapping greatly eases drywall installation on the ceiling and ensures a smoother, even drywalling job. Special thanks to Todd over at Home Construction Improvement for helping us out with this article and for providing the two photos above.

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How to Strap a Ceiling Before Installing Drywall - One ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. Ribbons of gray, coral and pink swirl overhead in the second-floor gallery at Washington's Renwick Gallery before forming an intricate vaulted ceiling. Illusions of domes and boxes appear and then fall away as viewers move through the room. Realism turns abstract.

The overhead magic is created by Parallax Gap, a new installation that plays with perspective and illusion as it transforms the museum's stately Grand Salon.

Commissioned by the museum for the large room where Janet Echelman's woven sculpture, 1.8 Renwick, was displayed, the work depicts nine ceilings from 19th- and 20th-century buildings, including designs from Philadelphia City Hall, the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building across Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.

Layers of fabric stretched on frames are hung in layers from above. The work spans 67 by 38 feet and takes up 10,000 square feet, but it still allows parts of the gallery's own ornate ceiling and skylights to peek through. The individual ceilings overlap and collide with one another, depending on a visitor's point of view. Its name plays on its jumpy perspective, as a kind of optical interaction.

Brennan Buck and David Freedland, partners at the architecture practice FreelandBuck, created the piece, which was selected by the museum in its ABOVE the Renwick competition in 2015.

It will remain on view through Feb. 11.

Parallax Gap, which is the first architecturally focused work commissioned by the Renwick, pushes the definition of craft in the same way the nine site-specific works in Wonder did, says Abraham Thomas, curator-in-charge of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's satellite space for contemporary craft and decorative arts. Wonder was the blockbuster exhibition that celebrated the Renwick's reopening in 2015 after a two-year, $30 million renovation.

Thomas said he wants to build on the experimental nature of that show, which pushed the boundaries of American craft to include large-scale works of contemporary art. This installation's focus on architectural is the next step in defining craft as a process, he said.

Craft is a verb, not just an object. It is an attitude, he said.

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Grand illusions: Renwick Gallery's ceiling installation celebrates the art in architecture - NewsOK.com

New Hope Presbyterian Church (EPC) wanted enhance its visual presentation during services. The Fort Myers, Fla., house of worship turned to Cape Coral, Fla.-based Creative Sound and Lighting Solutions to design and install a solution that includes projectors by Eiki International, Inc.

The integration firm installed two Eiki EK-511W LCD projectors for the front and an EK-301W as a rear confidence monitor. However, the setup for the two front EK-511W projectors was no small challenge. They ended up being suspended from the lighting bars over the stage area to visually blend in and not attract attention, according to an Eiki International, Inc. press release.

The Eiki EK-511W projector offers 7,500 ANSI lumens brightness with 80 percent uniformity and a 2500:1 contrast ratio, which was crucial to this installation because of ambient light conditions, adds the manufacturer.

For the rear confidence projector, the Eiki EK-301W proved an outstanding choice, thanks to its horizontal and vertical corner Keystone correction.

The brightness of these EK-511W front projectors was crucial to the success of the installation, says Creative Sound owner Rob Robinson in the press release.

With all the ambient light throughout the sanctuary, we needed serious lumens (brightness) to blast through to those 10-foot wide screens with a 22-foot throw. Equally notable, we had to mount the EK-301W rear projector very high. This projector was positioned a good 15 feet above the rear screen, but with the amazing corner correction in the unit, the imagery fits on the screen perfectly.

The idea was to use projection technology to help engage and inspire the congregation and that required displaying a wide range of content, Robinson continues. They use ProPresenter, a church presentation software package designed to make high-quality worship experiences easyand with this they can easily project lyrics, images, and video in a very compelling manner. They also have a full-time livestream person in the projection booth who can place any camera shot up on the screens. As a result, there is a lot of compelling imagery throughout services.

With video projection technology, questions inevitably arise during most installations; so responsive, capable support services are crucial. When queried about Eikis support services, Robinson was very complimentary. Steve Rubery, Eikis National Sales Manager, was my guiding hand on this project, says Robinson. Steve was always there on the other end of the phone when I had questionseven with the East Coast / West Coast time difference. He always makes certain that were covered.

With the successful opening of services at New Hope Presbyterian Churchs new sanctuary, Robinson reports his client is very pleased with the Eiki projectors, Ive received numerous compliments from church management. Going from a single 2000 ANSI lumens projector to the new, dual projector setup was a significant upgrade. The images, videos, and other content on the screens is bright, vivid, and really grabs ones attentionall of which makes their services that much more interesting. This new projector setup really positions them well for many years to come.

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Eiki International Projectors Descend from New Hope Presbyterian Church Ceiling - Commercial Integrator

When looking ahead to what the Dennos would be showing in our galleries this summer, I knew there was a likelihood the exhibitions would not open when planned given the gallery renovations taking place.

I had invited three noted artists with connections to the region to show as part of our summer schedule.

Sally Rogers, an Northwestern Michigan College art department alum who had gone on to a very successful international career as an artist. Sally and I had been talking about an exhibition for some time. She was considering moving her studio from North Carolina to Traverse City and I told her that would be a great time to do the exhibition. It turns out she elected to make the move to New Mexico instead, where she is now building that new studio. Sally was one of a number of artists I wanted to be sure to exhibit while I was still at the Dennos, hence I invited her to show this summer. She has a major outdoor sculpture, Nexus, installed on our campus as well.

The Grand Traverse region abounds with many fine artists who focus on the landscape of our region. In my time here I have always been drawn to the work of David Grath. His palette and interpretation of that landscape was one that I found refreshing with images I could return to again and again and enjoy the result. David was another one of the artists whose work I wanted to show in a larger presentation at the Dennos. It turns out my invitation came on his 80th birthday!

The sculpture court walls of the Dennos have always been a place to showcase large scale works and they present an opportunity to look at the court itself as an installation space. It is also the visitors first look when they enter the Dennos, so what is shown there sets the stage for what is to come for that visitor. The court has also become a social space and we often end up hosting events that make it difficult to install from the floor up in the court because of that. Some of our recent exhibitions have been installed from the ceiling down to make the floor area accessible for such events.

Diana Carr creates dimensional work, but does so starting from the wall. We have a wonderful work by her in our collections. After exploring her website and seeing her past wall installations, I invited her to create an installation for the court walls.

The first caution I presented to each artist when inviting them to exhibit was to advise them that the planned opening date, which was for June of this year, could very well be pushed back due to construction issues. So they had to be flexible regarding the actual dates of installation and opening.

Thanks to challenges related to gallery flooring which I have written about in earlier columns, that flexibility was indeed put to the test. In the end we installed the Sally Rogers and David Grath exhibitions before the flooring in the galleries was complete. We finally had a formal reception for these exhibitions on Aug. 2 and the flooring in the galleries was only completed the Monday before.

These exhibitions will have shorter runs than usual. Rogers and Grath close Sept. 9 and Carr on Oct. 1. The remarks from those at the opening reception for each exhibition on its own was very positive. As a whole the three installations play off each other very well. I strongly encourage you to see them before they close. They are a testament to the talented artists Traverse City has produced and that have been attracted to this culturally vibrant region.

Gene Jenneman is the executive director of the Dennos Museum Center. He can be reached at ejenneman@nmc.edu.

Excerpt from:
Museum Matters: Three great Dennos Museum exhibitions not to be missed - Traverse City Record Eagle

LUMBERTON An oven fire at the REMPAC Foam plant on Starlite Drive late Thursday afternoon forced the evacuation of about 35 employees, according to the companys senior vice president, and will delay production for a while.

The fire was quickly contained and suppressed in the 60-foot-long box oven by employees using fire extinguishers, Mike Van Etten said. No one was injured.

However, the Lumberton Fire Department had to be called when flames became localized above the oven and spread under ceiling installation, he said.

There was nothing we could do when the roof caught on fire, Van Etten said. We had to call the fire department.

The fire started about 4:45 p.m, he said. The Lumberton Fire Department was on site within minutes.

According to Van Etten, the major damage to the plant will be the roof. He will not have a good estimate of repair costs until he can get up on the roof and survey the damage.

That roof was put on about three years ago and cost a quarter of a million dollars, he said. I dont think it will cost that much to repair because there probably isnt damage to the entire roof.

This was the first time in the 20 years his company has been in the building at 2005 Starlite Drive that there has been the need to call the fire department to extinguish a fire, Van Etten said.

Our employees have extensive fire training. Some are even members of volunteer fire departments, he said. They knew what to do in this situation. If the fire had not been contained in the oven this situation could have been worse. It could have been real ugly.

He expects the the Starlite Drive plant will be shut down for about a week. Work will continue at the companys two other Robeson County sites.

Employees who work at the Starlite Drive plant should call their supervisor before they come to work, he said.

According to the companys website, it produces he highest quality, cost-effective converted flexible foam plastic products and services which meet or exceed the needs of our customers. We offer our customers a broad range of open and closed cell foamed plastic and sponge rubber materials, unique conversion processes and a corporate commitment to excellent customer service and thorough quality assurance.

A handful of firefighters still were on the scene at about 6:30 p.m. Attempts by The Robesonian to contact Lumberton Fire Department Chief Paul Ivey and Assistant Fire Chief Chris West to get more details were unsuccessful.

Lumberton firefighters responded Thursday afternoon to a fire at REMPAC Foam on Starlite Drive. The fire began in an oven used in the manufacturing of sanding sponges and then got into ceiling installation and burned through the roof.

An oven fire at REMPAC Foam on Starlite Drive caused the evacuation of about 35 employees late Thursday afternoon. No one was hurt in the fire that damaged the roof of the facility that manufactures sanding sponges and other foam products.

Bob Shiles can be reached at 910-416-5165.

Excerpt from:
Robesonian | Fire damages REMPAC plant, no one injured - The Robesonian

By: HomeTheaterReview.com, August 23, 2017

Monitor Audio has added a new in-ceiling speaker to its Platinum II line. The three-way PLIC II speaker features an eight-inch long throw bass driver, dual two-inchC-CAM midrange drivers, and aMicro Pleated Diaphragm (MPD) air motion high-frequency ribbon transducer. The speaker uses Monitor Audio's Tri-Grip fixing system, and an optionalpre-construction MDF back box is available to control sound leakage. More details are available in the press release below.

From Monitor AudioMonitor Audio has expanded its Platinum II range of speakers to include a design- and installation-friendly in-ceiling speaker that offers unsurpassed levels of performance and sublime audio accuracy.

"When developing a new speaker, manufacturers have to consider four audiences--home technology installers, architects, interior designers and end users," comments Monitor Audio's Technical Director, Dean Hartley. "This means that the final product has to meet many demands. We are delighted that we have met all these expectations with the new PLIC II in-ceiling speaker--it's a winning combination of high quality sound, ease of installation and discreet design."

The Monitor Audio PLIC II in-ceiling speaker features an 8" long throw bass driver with Rigid Diaphragm Technology (RDT II) to provide immensely powerful bass lines. This is achieved by the RDT cone reacting to an audio signal with lightning fast precision and without deformation. A rigid aluminum baffle houses dual C-CAM midrange drivers and a Micro Pleated Diaphragm (MPD) air motion high frequency ribbon transducer, directed toward the listening area to deliver the best possible sound balance to the listener.

All PLIC II drivers employ a heavy duty motor system integrating an under-hung motor assembly to ensure the coil always remains in the gap, even when driven hard. The addition of copper 'shorting' rings greatly improves magnetic linearity and lowers intermodulation distortion, resulting in crisp and clear audio delivery. A world first for an in-ceiling speaker!

Designed for installation in both new build and retrofit projects, the PLIC II in-ceiling speaker features Monitor Audio's unique Tri-Grip fixing system. This three-position 'dog leg' style fixing provides a greater contact surface area than other types. This system, combined with the magnetic grille, saves the installer both time and money by speeding up the speaker fitting process.

To ensure controlled audio performance, Monitor Audio has designed an optional pre-construction MDF back box with pre-determined air volume of 24L. The rigid box is available with pre-loaded internal damping material to provide the best possible sound absorption and reduce standing waves.

To satisfy the interior designer and end user, the circular grille can appear almost invisible, by being painted to match the room dcor. Monitor Audio also offers a square option to match lighting fixtures and ventilation.

PLIC II FEATURES AND BENEFITS

High-performance 'no compromise' flagship speaker product. Compact dimensions. Four drivers--full three-way design. 8" Long throw Bass driver featuring RDT II cone technology. Dual 2" C-CAM midrange drivers for wider dispersion. MPD high frequency transducer. Angled midrange and high frequency drivers--directed toward listening area to provide uniform mid- and high-frequency dispersion. Rigid aluminium baffle construction. Highest quality 'push' style termination. Midrange and H.F level adjustment switches (+1/0/-1) dB. Paintable, trimless/low profile circular magnetic grille design--square options available. Highest quality crossover design--including metallised polypropylene capacitor and low loss inductors. Patented Tri-grip dog leg fixing. PLIC-BOX II--specially designed pre-construction enclosure provides ideal controlled performance. Pre-construction bracket for retro fit purposes: CB10 (light brown).

MSRP: $1,500 each

Additional Resources Visit the Monitor Audio website for more product information. Monitor Audio Launches Updated Silver Series Lineup at HomeTheaterReview.com.

Originally posted here:
Monitor Audio Introduces PLIC II In-ceiling Speaker - Home Theater Review

In Joseph Youngs parlor, there are words on the ceiling: They came. They went, they read.

There are words on the computer, the windows, the kitchen cupboard, the bedspread upstairs.

Young is a writer, but his most recent work isnt found on paper. For the foreseeable future, his Hampden rowhouse will tell a story.

The MicroFiction RowHouse is an immersive installation of Youngs microfictions, or stories around 10 to 50 words, by his definition. Using photocopy transfer and a number of other methods, hes printed his stories on virtually every type of surface in every type of room in the house.

The rowhouse, in stories as short as two words, imagines the life of a fictional family that might have lived there over the years, Young said, using the rooms and the items that now tell their stories. The family isnt inspired by anyone Young knows, but rather a conglomeration of different people and things that people tend to do, he said.

The MicroFiction RowHouse is meant to be community-oriented, Young said, open to the public through events, readings and by appointment. Hes raised $1,150 through a GoFundMe campaign he launched in early July to support the project, but will go forward with the installation regardless of how much money that brings in.

Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun

A microfiction story has been printed on the bed sheets of writer Joseph Young's rowhome, dubbed the MicroFiction Rowhouse.

A microfiction story has been printed on the bed sheets of writer Joseph Young's rowhome, dubbed the MicroFiction Rowhouse. (Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun)

The RowHouse kicked off events Aug. 12 with a performance by psychedelic band Duchess and the DeadBirds and will host a number of public workshops, musical performances and literary readings throughout August and September, including an opening reception Sept. 9.

Though Young has been writing microfiction since 2006, the genre has grown in popularity in the last five years. While the exact length and definition of microfiction is subject to diverse views in the literary community, Twitter users like @veryshortstory and @terriblytiny use the social media platforms 140-character limit as a storytelling parameter. In 2012, the British newspaper The Guardian challenged prominent writers to tell tales in tweets. That same year, Twitter began its Twitter Fiction Festival, which ran through 2015. The nanofiction literary magazine Nanoism and its accompanying Twitter account have run since 2009.

The form is attractive because its accessible, but a little bit mysterious, said local writer Justin Sanders. Sanders used to edit a Baltimore-based literary series called Artichoke Haircut and will host a reading at the Microfiction RowHouse in September. How you whittle down these narratives ... thats such a fascinating artistic process.

Sanders sees the form proliferating in the internet age due to increased consumption habits, shortened attention spans and expanded access.

But Young has never tweeted his stories (though he did used to text them, he said). His microfictions read more like poetry than novels, and they take more than a quick scan to absorb.

For a long time, I had this idea that flash fiction or microfiction shouldnt try to replicate what longer fiction is better at, Young said. Trying to create an entire world, an entire story with the same texture that a short story or a novel could achieve in a much shorter form is kind of not using the form in the best way.

But that doesnt mean microfiction cant have depth. In the MicroFiction Rowhouse, Young imagines a familys celebrations, defeats, tense moments and serene ones on the surfaces of commonplace items. The desktop computer reads happy birthday, lending the otherwise inanimate object a personal history. A window nearby speaks of an escaped cat. In the kitchen, there is talk of food stamps and a blood-boiling search for car keys. Upstairs, a story on the bedspread tells of the couple who might lie beneath it.

Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun

Microfiction written on chalkboard on the kitchen cabinets of writer Joseph Young's "MicroFiction Rowhouse" in Hampden.

Microfiction written on chalkboard on the kitchen cabinets of writer Joseph Young's "MicroFiction Rowhouse" in Hampden. (Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun)

Youngs project is eight to 10 years in the making, he said. Hes been actively creating microfiction since 2006, and has published numerous chapbooks, as well as Easter Rabbit, his book of microfiction.

His stories started out as more traditional 500-word stories, he said. Then, they started getting smaller and smaller, partly due to his work with visual artists. But putting his stories on walls and in visual spaces was part of a desire to do something bigger and more physical, he said.

I think Joe was a little jealous of painters because their work had weight, said Hampden artist and Youngs frequent collaborator Christine Sajecki. Sajecki originally taught Young how to transfer words from paper to almost much any surface, she said, and will teach a transfer workshop Sept. 19 at the rowhouse.

To put his stories on most household surfaces, Young made paper printouts of each word and for bigger transfers, each letter at a local FedEx. To complete the transfers, the paper is placed on the desired surface, doused with wintergreen oil and rubbed vigorously with a smooth, flat surface. The magic of the wintergreen oil is a bit of a mystery, but it likely works because copy toner is heat sensitive, Sajecki said, and the oil warms when rubbed.

And the transfer tool of choice? A wooden spoon. Young uses the same one he started with when Sajecki taught him the method in 2008, he said.

It has the right feel and I can vary the amount of pressure I need to apply given the surface being transferred to, Young said. My arm is fairly sore, though it's something I've gotten used to.

Young originally tried to find another space where he could create the MicroFiction RowHouse, approaching both nonprofit and private entities to locate a rowhome for the project, but eventually landed on his own home. His roommate was moving out, and the timing felt right.

I was still putting my microfictions on the walls of galleries and on the walls of some private homes, but Id never gotten to that point where I could fill an entire rowhouse with them, he said, So, I decided that I would fill my own house.

Youngs project is a natural fit for his Hampden neighborhood, where there is a vibrant art scene, said Hampden Community Council President Matt Stegman.

I think thats one of the things we really value in the neighborhood and what makes us different from other places to Baltimore, said Stegman.

This isnt the first time Youngs home has been transformed into an art space. The house itself has a history of creative occupants (he rents it from Donna Sellinger, a member of the Wham City arts collective), evidenced by an upstairs hallway bearing a chaotic collage of wallpaper left by artists past. Young also held a house-wide showing of his works in 2015, he said.

When the public arrives to read his stories, Young hopes theyll find a different way of looking at a story. As for Young, hell be sharing his space with the fictional family for the foreseeable future. Asked how long he planned to keep the microfictions around, he laughed and said, thats a really good question. Im not really sure.

The house is a good fit for Youngs microfiction, said Sajecki, which often assigns great importance to the space between words.

And the home, though a physical expansion of the genre rather than a digital one, is a natural progression in bringing microfiction to those who might be unfamiliar with the literary scene.

I think microfiction as a genre works well to bring in outsiders, Sanders said. Joes work really speaks to that. Hes turning private media into public media.

MicroFiction RowHouse is located at 3322 Chestnut Ave. in Hampden. It is open to the public during its opening reception on Sept. 9, during other scheduled events and by appointment. Find more information at microfictionrowhouse.wordpress.com. Contact Joseph Young to schedule a viewing at youngjoseph21@gmail.com.

dohl@baltsun.com

twitter.com/dtohl

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Hampden writer uses every surface of his rowhome to tell a story - Baltimore Sun

For half a million people in the border regions of Texas, getting basic infrastructure -- the kind that most Americans take for granted -- has taken decades. These residents have to cope with problems like streets overflowing with sewage from sand-filled septic tanks, high levels of toxic arsenic in their drinking water or roads that flood during the summer monsoons.

But fixing those problems could get even tougher next month thanks to Texas' budget cuts, advocates there say.

The predominantly poor residents of colonias -- makeshift subdivisions often far outside city limits -- have bought land or cheap houses from unscrupulous developers who promised to eventually install electricity, running water and paved roads. The developers often failed to deliver.

Texas cracked down on the worst offenders in the 1990s, but change has been slow. Many of these communities still lack even the most basic infrastructure systems.

The neighborhoods are often so remote that connecting them to city sewer lines or drinking water is prohibitively expensive, at least for the local governments that would normally foot the bill. Putting in a sewer system to serve 5,000 people in an El Paso-area colonia, for example, is expected to cost as much as $40 million. The haphazard development in colonias makes upgrades difficult, too, because its hard to install sidewalks and sewer pipes where roads are steep, rights-of-way arent clear and houses are unevenly spread out. Sometimes the houses are even in floodplains.

Still, government officials have stepped in to address some of the problems. Local, state and federal officials developed programs to install water systems, deliver health services and build roads in colonias. In 1999, Gov. George W. Bush signed a law that created a state ombudsman program to help colonia residents figure out the myriad programs available to help them.

The ombudsmen's program was also responsible for tracking the state's progress in improving conditions incoloniasand reporting those results to the legislature. In its last report, the office reported that the number of people living incoloniaswith the worst conditions dropped from 44,526 in 353 neighborhoods in 2010 to 37,862 people in 337coloniasin 2014.

But Gov. Greg Abbott this summer effectivelyterminatedBush's program. The secretary of state, who administers the program, had asked to maintain funding for it at $860,000 for the next two years. But Abbott vetoed that spending from the state budget. The move came as a surprise to many officials who represent border areas with colonias, because there had been almost no talk in recent years of cutting the program.

But the governors office calls eliminating the ombudsmen's program a matter of fiscal responsibility.

No services to the colonias have been interrupted as a result of eliminating this redundant program, says Abbott spokesman John Wittman. The governor believes that funding to the colonias should go directly to the colonias instead of using tax dollars to fund a bigger government bureaucracy. With the governors action, Texas is shrinking government without interrupting services to the colonias.

But Rep. Mary Gonzlez, whose El Paso-area district includes more than 260 colonias, says the veto will have consequences for peoples health and safety. It either shows the governor doesnt understand the needs of the colonia residents or that hes allowing politics to supersede policy, she says. The decision will have few political consequences for Abbott, she adds: Most of the people affected -- poor, Hispanic and likely Democratic -- are already upset with Abbott for signing a law earlier this year targeting sanctuary cities and cracking down on unauthorized immigrants.

Gonzlez says the state coordinators help colonia residents navigate the complex and often confusing array of services avaiable to them. ButWittman, the governors spokesman, says the ombudsman program actually adds another level of bureaucratic red tape. When the program is eliminated next month, he says, coordination will happen directly between the state agencies providing services and the colonias.

Sam Taylor, a spokesman for Secretary of State Rolando Pablos, also emphasizes that the changes would be primarily administrative. (In Texas, the governor appoints the secretary of state.)

State agencies coordination of colonias projects has evolved significantly since the programs inception, he says. We expect there to be no diminishment of tangible benefits to colonias residents, as infrastructure, agriculture, water, housing and public health programs dedicated to colonias projects continue to be funded in the current budget.

Without state-level coordination among agencies, though, some local officials are worried that the responsibilities will fall to them.

For the county, the loss of the ombudsmen office is a big loss for us, says El Paso County Commissioner Vincent Perez. In the time Ive been in office, the ombudsmens office has been the one Ive been dealing with the most when it comes to dealing with infrastructure in the colonias.

Other state agencies havent come forward to tell local communities that they might be eligible for colonia-related programs, and they havent coordinated among government agencies, Perez says.

Meanwhile, the options for counties to step in are limited. Counties are already financially strapped, because the state limits the taxes they can impose, which makes it more difficult for them to pay for services in place of the state coordinators. Texas law also prevents counties from imposing zoning requirements on developments that couldve prevented many of the ongoing problems with colonias, Perez says.

Our county was created in 1850, and honestly, it hasnt changed much since then. Were using 19th-century tools to deal with 21st-century problems, he says. Texas values very limited government, and county governments certainly reflect that.

Perez says pressure to address the infrastructure problems in colonias will continue to build, especially in the El Paso area, where the sprawling city is encroaching on once-isolated neighborhoods. That will actually make it easier to solve some problems, like extending sewer lines. But it also means that other issues, such as flooding caused by inadeqaute infrastructure, will start to impact more and more people.

And its not feasible for many families currently living in colonias to move out, he adds, because affordable housing is hard to find for poor residents.

Youre talking about a family thats lived there for three decades that now owns their property free and clear. To them, its a source of pride, Perez says. Theres a lot of people out there who think [colonia residents] should move somewhere else or be relocated. Its not that simple. Thats why its important to have folks with a lot of expertise in the area of colonias. The office of the ombudsman very often provided that.

See more here:
On the Texas Border, Building Infrastructure Is Hard. Critics Say It's About to Get Harder. - Governing

In the aftermath of his removal, Kevin Connolly resigned from his position on council as deputy mayor, reducing the towns number of council members to three not enough to hold quorum. Connolly was unavailable for comment prior to deadline. Nominations for the upcoming municipal election will be accepted Sept. 5 at the town hall in Cupids.

They may take legal action against the town, the mayor explained. Right now, were asking for suggestions from Municipal Affairs, and we got options were looking over for the future of council.

When asked if council would replace the pipe, Gordon Power said he doesnt feel as though council has a choice in the matter.

The Compass contacted Mike Power, who also confirmed that he had been removed from council, but stated he could not speak on the matter at length due to legal reasons. When asked for his reasoning for the removal of the pipe, Mike declined to comment.

The Compass was directed to Mike Powers lawyer, Bob Buckingham, for any further questions. Buckingham could not be reached prior to deadline.

The report from the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment was made public through an access to information request and is accessible online.

chris.lewis@cbncompass.ca

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Mike Power removed from Cupids council over sewer line removal - The Compass

This landscape architects plans for the U.S.-Mexico border have nothing to do with walls.

The United States and Mexico have shared their current international border for nearly 170 years. Today they cooperate at multiple levels on issues that affect the border region, although you would not know it from the divisive rhetoric that we hear in both countries. President Trumps focus on building a border wall threatens to undermine many binational initiatives, as well as our shared natural environment.

As a scholar focusing on urban planning and design in the border region, I have worked with communities in both countries to restore deteriorated urban and natural environments. I see great potential for green infrastructureprojects that use live natural systems to deliver benefits to people and the local environment. This approach can help mitigate air and water pollution, restore soils and habitats, and regenerate plant, animal, and human communities.

I also see an opportunity for Mexico and the United States to work together on a much larger scale. Rather than spending billions of dollars on a border wall, here is an alternative vision: regenerating the Rio Grande, which forms more than half of the border, to form the core of a binational park that showcases our spectacular shared landscape.

Today the rivers volume is decreasing, thanks to climate change and water diversions for agriculture and municipal uses. It is polluted with fertilizers and sewage, and has lost at least seven native fish species. Restoring it would produce immense benefits for wildlife, agriculture, recreation and communities on both sides.

Mexico and the United States have signed numerous agreements regulating the border, starting with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. In 1944, they created the International Boundary and Water Commission to manage water supplies, water quality, and flood control in the border region.

Environmental issues that affect communities on the border include raw sewage dumping, agro-chemical pollution, and flooding. Loss of riparian habitatthe lush green zones along river bankshas reduced shade and natural cooling in the rivers urban stretches.

Recognizing these issues, the United States and Mexico established the Border Environment Cooperation Commission in a side pact to the North American Free Trade Agreement. This organization funds environmental programs proposed by local communities and governments within a 400-kilometer-wide strip along the border. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Border 2020 program also provides grants focused on environmental issues in the United States and Mexico.

I have coordinated applied collaborative design studios, in which students work with local and state planning authorities to address problems such as flooding and lack of accessible, high-quality public space. These projects seek to improve urban infrastructure systems in ways that increase ecosystem services, such as improving water quality.

For example, as part of the Border 2012 (precedent to Border 2020) program, the EPA provided funding for a pilot program to build flood-prevention detention ponds in Nogales, Mexico, a sister city with Nogales, Arizona. City leaders wanted to assess whether the ponds could also serve as public space amenities. Working with students from Arizona State University, my colleague Francisco Lara Valencia and I produced a report for local planning authorities. In it we proposed creating a network of connected green spaces to absorb stormwater and provide park lands, bringing nature into the city. By doing so, EPA and Mexican authorities could have a positive environmental impact on both cities.

I also worked with students at the University of Texas at Austin to create a green corridor master plan for the city of Hermosillo, Sonora, in 2015. Green corridors typically run along natural or artificial waterways to soak up stormwater and provide places to play. The city is now launching a strategic plan that incorporates these concepts.

In 2015 and 2016, UT Austin developed an urban planning and design strategy for border towns in the state of Tamaulipas that are expected to be impacted by oil and gas production resulting from recent energy reforms in Mexico. Our case study city is Ciudad Miguel Aleman, a border sister city with Roma, Texas, separated only by the width of the Rio Grande.

The plan and designs propose to leverage construction of infrastructure for oil and gas production fields to include detention and filtration ponds and green corridors, which will serve as high-quality public spaces and mitigate flood risks. It also calls for creating natural preserves and recreation areas on the Mexican side of the river, mirroring existing areas on the American side.

A green vision for the border region would expand this sister-city-specific approach into a large-scale urban ecology and planning effort. This initiative could integrate streets, parks, industries, towns, cities, creeks and other tributaries, agriculture, and fracking fields throughout the Rio Grandes entire 182,000-square-mile watershed.

One possible starting point would be to restore riparian zones along the river through the binational metropolis of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, redesigning the existing channel. Recreating natural habitat on both sides of the river would cool and clean the air and provide attractive public spaces.

But why stop there? As the Rio Grande advances to the Gulf of Mexico, it cuts through incredibly valuable, beautiful, and remote landscapes, including Big Bend National Park in Texas and the Caon de Santa Elena, Ocampo, and Maderas del Carmen reserves in Mexico. Traveling its length could become a trip comparable to hiking the Appalachian Trail, with opportunities to see recovering natural areas and wildlife and learn from two of the worlds richest cultures.

Together these areas form a vast, potentially binational natural park that could be managed cooperatively, much like Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park on the U.S.-Canadian border. In fact, advocates on both sides of the border have been pursuing this vision for more than 80 years. When Texas officials proposed creating Big Bend National Park in the 1930s, they envisioned an international park. In 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt wrote to Mexican President Manuel Avila Camacho that:

I do not believe that this undertaking in the Big Bend [establishment of Big Bend National Park] will be complete until the entire park area in this region on both sides of the Rio Grande forms one great international park.

Discussions lapsed in the 1950s, then resumed in the 1980s at the grassroots level, but were drowned out by debates over border security and immigration after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

It is not clear whether Congress will provide the $1.6 billion that President Trump has requested for work on a border wall. In any case, building a wall on a wide, inhabited river corridor with flood risks is a dubious goal. As experts have pointed out, it is more effective to police the border with technology and human power than to build a barrier.

In fact, restoring river habitat could improve border security by fostering higher and more constant water flow. Making the Rio Grande healthier would also benefit farmers and energy producers on both sides of the border.

In his 1951 essay Chihuahua as We Might Have Been, the American cultural landscape scholar J.B. Jackson wrote that rivers are meant to bring men together, not to keep them apart, and that the border imposes an artificial division on a region that humans accepted as one unified entity for hundreds of yearsthe Spanish Southwest. This vast shared watershed should remind us that we are fragile in isolation, but powerful when we come together.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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A Landscape Architect's Green Vision for the U.S.-Mexico Border ... - CityLab