Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

By Frank Stanfield / Correspondent

LEESBURG City commissioners have given the green light to an architectural firm to design a new community building, which will result in the old building being torn down and the existing swimming pool likely being filled in for parking after this summer season ends.

The move is part of the multi-million dollar Venetian Gardens renovation project that has already brought about the Kids Korner playground and splash pad and is resulting in improvements to Ski Beach.

The proposed 20,700-square-foot building and changes to the entryway at Dozier Circle are part of the third and final phase of construction.

The idea, said City Manager Al Minner, is to create a destination, eventually linking back to downtown.

The existing building is old and would cost too much to renovate, said Mayor Bob Bone. The building, long the site of chamber of commerce breakfasts and other events, now sits near busy Dixie Avenue. Plans call for the new building to be set back farther from the road and to face Martin Luther King Island in the park to the west, and with a view of Lake Harris to the south.

Its bigger than the other one, Bone said of the new building. I like the concept facing out to the island.

Preliminary plans also envision sites for waterfront restaurants and boat docks.

Commissioners agreed to give the job to Borrelli & Partners. The Orlando firm specializes in architecture, interior design and landscape architecture.

The work, which could take six to nine months, is not to exceed $440,232, according to the contract. It includes handling bids and overseeing construction.

Commissioners did not discuss plans for the swimming pool Monday night.

Were always going to have a pool, said city spokesman Derek Hudson. The Venetian Gardens pool opened in 1929. A new pool could be built by the community gym on Griffin Road.

The city is paying cash for all of the Venetian Gardens improvements. Good old-fashioned pay-as-you-go, Minner said.

The city has reserved $4 million for phase three. Depending on what is done, it could cost between $3.5 and $5.5 million, he said.

The city still has reserves, plus it recently agreed to sell almost 2,000 acres to The Villages for about 4,500 homes and could sell fiber optics holdings, Minner said.

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Leesburg OKs new community building, will replace pool - Daily Commercial

June 29, 2017

Marvin I. Adleman, professor emeritus of landscape architecture, died June 21 at age 84 in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, of Parkinsons disease.

A distinguished landscape architect and a native of Philadelphia, Adleman attended Delaware Valley College and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He was best known for his accomplishments during his 36 years as professor of landscape architecture at Cornell, where he built the landscape architecture program and headed the department for most of his tenure at Cornell until his retirement in 2008.

Prior to joining the Cornell faculty, Adleman worked at Sasaki and Associates in Boston before starting his own landscape architecture practice in Philadelphia. In 1992, Adleman was named a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and in 2004 he was awarded the prestigious ASLA Jot D. Carpenter Teaching Medal.

Adleman designed numerous well-known outdoor spaces including the original Ithaca Commons in 1974, one of the first pedestrian malls of its kind, in downtown Ithaca. He also designed the arboretum at the Cornell Botanic Gardens, which was recently named the top university arboretum in the country by Best College Reviews. Adlemans other notable designs included the Laboratory of Ornithology bird garden, the garden at Cayuga Medical Center and Ithacas Cass Park childrens spray pool, as well as the redesign of several outdoor spaces at central New York schools and college campuses.

Marvin Adleman was a consummate educator with thousands of former students that hold him in high esteem not only for his broad professional knowledge but also for his kindness and thoughtfulness, said Peter Trowbridge, professor and chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He will be deeply missed.

Adleman is survived by his widow, Susan (Plaut) Adleman, three children and four grandchildren.

Memorial gifts can be sent to the attention of Peter Trowbridge, Department of Landscape Architecture, 440 Kennedy Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853; reference the Excellence Fund in memory of Marvin Adleman. Memorials may also be made to Temple Beth El, 402 N. Tioga St., Ithaca.

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Landscape architect Marvin Adleman dies at age 84 - Cornell Chronicle

Porches, pools and patios are a sure sign of summer, and five of the unique outdoor settings will be showcased at a Porch Party in Geneseo.

Porches, pools and patios are a sure sign of summer, and five of the unique outdoor settings will be showcased at a Porch Party in Geneseo.

The event, which includes more than porches, is co-sponsored by First United Methodist Church and the Geneseo Chamber of Commerce. It will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 8. Rain date is Saturday, July 15.

Tickets are available at the Geneseo Chamber office and at various local businesses.

Guests will be asked to present their tickets when they arrive for a salad luncheon featuring homemade salads and breads at First UnitedMethodist Church. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Gift bags containing coupons redeemable at local businesses will be distributed randomly at the luncheon.

Diana Holbrook, chairman of the event for the Geneseo Chamber, said, Guests are welcome to ask questions of the owners about their special outdoor oasis and enjoy a variety of activities at each location.

Lets help bring back the good ol days of sitting in your neighbor's porch and drinking lemonade and taking time to visit, Holbrook said. Visit like you used to back in the day and enjoy the company, you know, how you did before cell phones, and all the while enjoying the beautiful yards at your leisure that our gracious hosts have worked so hard on.

Holbrooks goal with the porch party is to bring residents, churches and the business community together.

Homes on the Porch Party Tour are:

Kathy and Mike Duda 920 Neptune St.

Tasha and John Moe 814 Virginia St.

Jackie and Mike Skiles 1011 Finch Dr.

Chris and Jim Stahl 13566 N. 2100 Ave.

Sandy and Gary Sturtewagen 919 Gooseberry Dr.

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Celebrate summer at Geneseo's Porch Party - Geneseo Republic

After stirring up loads of controversy, Hearthstones much-maligned Quest Rogue deck is finally getting nerfed. Instead of triggering the quest by playing four minions with the same name, now players will have to find a way to summon five, which might seem like a small change but is actually a significantly harder task.

Quest Rogue is a deck that gives every minion a 5 health / 5 attack stat line when the player summons four minions with the same name. Since most minions in the deck can be summoned at a very low mana cost, the quest is one of the strongest in the game, and is practically unbeatable unless its up against a deck that specifically counters it.

Apparently, in Blizzards eyes, the card was so strong it warranted some tweaks. Todays changes will make turn-three quest finishes near impossible to pull off, meaning that Quest Rogues will be weaker against aggro decks, but still potent against late-game focused decks that spend a lot of time stalling.

While Blizzards balance team says that Quest Rogue decks arent single-handedly wrecking Hearthstones metagame, they say the change is meant to expand the deck options available to players, which is already a good thing. On top of that, though, the change will address the problem that pro players like Brian Brian Kibler Kibler struggled with: namely, that the deck feels like it has a limited axis of interaction.

If you arent crazy lucky, and you dont kill a Quest Rogue before turn four, youre usually dead unless youre running a direct counter. Kibler actually recommended this exact change to the quest in his video addressing its problems, so he and other pros are happy to see the card changed:

This nerf pattern will look familiar to anyone whos been following Hearthstone for more than a few months. Back in February, when Midrange Shamans and Pirate Warriors smashed almost everything else in the metagame, Blizzard stepped in and nerfed two cards that were key to those decks: Small-time Buccaneer and Spirit Claws. While the nerfs werent so intense that they made those decks irrelevant, they tweaked the game just enough to let other decks like Renolock and Jade Druid back into the mix.

Its hard to know whether the changes to Quest Rogue will have a significant impact on the metagame, because right now, the highest tiers of Hearthstone play are already much more varied than they were back in February. While the Quest Rogue will likely rotate out of popularity, its hard to say whether thatll affect the rest of the tier list ecosystem.

So why bother making the changes? Comparing Februarys nerfs to todays, the one thing that they both have in common is that theyre both set for release about a month before the launch of a new expansion. With Blizzard already dropping hints about an upcoming set of cards, the move is probably more of an attempt to prep for the next set than it is to shake things up in todays competitive scene.

If Blizzard wants to release powerful new cards in the next set, it probably doesnt want boring, static Quest Rogue decklists running amok and deflating their appeal. This issue actually reared its ugly head earlier this month, when Cong Strifecro Shu reached top 20 in Hearthstones Wild mode using a fully-standard Quest Rogue decklist, which seems broken as hell when you consider that Wild players can use cards from every expansion ever released.

If youve got your own Quest Rogue deck and are freaking out about the change, dont sweat it too muchas a consolation prize, once the nerf is live, youll be able to disenchant the decks defining card, The Caverns Below, for a full 1600 dust. Maybe hold onto it though, because with a new expansion coming out soon, who knows? The deck might get a card that brings it back to its former glory.

Joshua Calixto (@hitherejosh) writes about esports, culture, and technology.

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Blizzard Finally Nerfed Hearthstone's Quest Rogue Deck - Kotaku

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STANWOOD City leaders are updating local rules after a proposal to build a privately operated waste treatment plant in town caused concern late last year.

Two businessmen from Camano Island submitted an application to build the McDay Septage Receiving Plant and Biosolids Processing Facility. It would treat waste from private septic tanks, and would be located north of Highway 532 off of 84th Avenue NW.

Many people expressed concerns about the plan, particularly about placing such an operation in the Stillaguamish River floodplain and close to downtown businesses. The applicants said they researched issues such as odor and safety.

Now, code updates are in the works. Previously, the city code dealt with sewage treatment plants but did not separately discuss septage. For the purposes of the McDay application, the code was interpreted to include septage under the umbrella of sewage. The difference is that sewage comes from a connected sewer system, whereas septage comes from septic tanks. Both contain human waste.

After a public hearing last week, the Stanwood Planning Commission is recommending that the citys code be updated to prohibit privately owned sewage plants and any septage plants, private or public, said Ryan Larsen, community development director. Only publicly owned sewage treatment plants would be allowed in Stanwood. That recommendation is set to go to the City Council for a vote later this month.

The changes would impact future applications. They do not retroactively apply to the McDay project, which will be considered under the rules that were in effect at the time the application was received, Larsen said.

City planners requested additional information from the applicants in late 2016 in order to continue processing their proposal. As of last week, Larsen said the city had not yet received a response. There is no time limit.

I have not heard from them in months, Larsen said. Theres a whole list of stuff that they needed to do.

The applicants, James McCafferty and Greg Gilday, did not comment about the proposed changes to city code. They still are pursuing development of the property off 84th, McCafferty said in an email. The goal is to bring jobs to the Stanwood-Camano community, he said.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.

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Plan for sewage treatment plant prompts Stanwood to update rules - The Daily Herald

VALDOSTA Every day Jeremiah Lawton expects something to happen to his septic tank. He doesn't know when, but one day, he worries he is going to wake up and find his toilets overflowing.

Lawton, president of the Westwood homeowners association, said he would love to see his septic tank replaced with a sewer system. Monday, he, along with other residents of Westwood Estates, met with theLowndes County utilities director and other county officials to discuss how much it would cost for the county to run water and sewer to their neighborhood, just west of Interstate 75.

Steve Stalvey, utilities director, spoke to the residents of Westwood Estates about including them in the water and sewer system of the county.

His report estimates a cost of $18,000 per resident and a cost of $1.3 million to the county, which would be paid through SPLOST. To move forward with the project, the county would need a commitment of at least 75 percent of the residents.

Thomas Lynn | The Valdosta Daily TimesSteve Stalvey, Lowndes County utilities director, speaks to Westwood Estate residents about extending county water and sewer to their homes.

Essentially, the county would pay to extend their pipes to the neighborhood, while the residents will pay for a sewage pump and installation of everything.

"It's really a team effort to get this thing up and running," Stalvey said. "Ideally, every resident will commit but that's up to (them) to work out."

At the meeting, residents were split. Some wanted to pay for county services, while others were perfectly content with their current system.

Barbara McFarland, a Westwood resident, said she wouldn't mind having county water and sewer but she isn't willing to go into debt to get it.

"It's just too much money," McFarland said. "I'm disabled and on a fixed income. I can't afford paying $10,000 for something I already have."

She has had no problem with her well or septic tank, she said.

But Shirley Garland, a Westwood homeowner, spoke about investing in the neighborhood and increasing home values. She said she was thinking of the future.

"This is modernization," Garland said. "Just like when we switched to cellphones from landlines."

Garland said those who don't want to switch won't have to switch, which is partly true.

Stalvey said anyone with property within 1,000 feet of the water and sewer line of the county would not be allowed a new permit to dig a new well or place a new septic tank.Meaning even if a Westwood resident rejects the proposal and the lines still go in, they will be required to attach to the county line if something happens to their well or septic tank.

"It's the policy that the board has adopted,"Stalvey said. "They want to limit wells and it's for the protection of the community as a whole."

At the end of the meeting, most of the residents in attendance left not sold on the cost of joining the county system. This isn't new. The Westwood Estates community has been looking into extending water and sewer for three years now.

The future of the project depends on what the community agrees to do.

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256

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Westwood residents debate water, sewer extension - Valdosta Daily Times

Paving the pump station by the Olympic Discovery Trail is one of the final projects for the Carlsborg Sewer Project. Physical work began in April 2016 and it will cost more than $9 million to finish. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

After more than a year under construction, the Carlsborg Sewer Project wraps up this week, Clallam County staff report.

Meggan Uecker, solid waste coordinator for Clallam County, said this week crews with contractor Pacific Civil and Infrastructure will stripe the roads including Carlsborg Road and Business Park Loop, pave the pump station, reroute the Olympic Discovery Trail and pave a portion of Hooker Road south of US Highway 101.

About 85 sites, Uecker said, can begin connecting to the system starting July 5.

They have until December to connect to the system, she said, but county staff are available to help people through the process. If residents do not finish their sewer by December, theyll have to renew their application and pay the current connection fee of $1,500.

Physical work on the $9.22 million project began in April last year and was deemed substantially complete prior to an April 1 deadline this year to obtain a 0.25 percent interest rate on the $10 million state Public Works Trust Fund loan.

The completion means water can travel through piping from the Carlsborg pump station to the City of Sequim via the Dungeness River Bridge over Highway 101 to a collection system at Grant Road and sent to the City of Sequims Water Reclamation Facility.

Uecker said they are holding off on saying just how well the project went because county staff are in the assessment process.

Were excited its done and ready to move into this phase (of completion), she said.

With the project nearly complete, Uecker said traveling should be easier following the cleanup and a new center turn lane painted along Carlsborg Road.

With it being unmarked, people were complaining of other folks not knowing where to drive, she said.

Businesses rebounding

Late last year, several Carlsborg businesses reported having a hard time with the construction detouring traffic away from the area, leading some to cutback on staff hours and days of operation.

Lisa Deese, owner of the Old Post Office Sweets &Gifts, 751 Carlsborg Road, said her business has been night and day and really close to not surviving.

It was so dead during the construction but now Im going to have to kick it into high gear, she said.

Now that the construction is over, its been amazing. All of my customers are thrilled.

Val Culp, co-owner of the Old Mill Cafe, 721 Carlsborg Road, previously said they were one of the businesses to cut back on staff hours but theyve gone back to pre-construction operations.

Its definitely a lot better since the road was finished, she said. Now that its picked up, weve got our regular schedule again.

Michael Dew, owner/general manager of Pioneer Propane, 931 Carlsborg Road, said in the winter construction made it difficult to get in and out of his business. However, his sales representative Stephanie Segle came up with the idea to introduce a loyalty card where after customers buy 50 gallons of propane in a canister for barbecues/RVs theyll receive five gallons free.

Dew, who opened Pioneer Propane in 2009, said Segles idea helped his business stay proactive and the idea was a boost for the business.

Logistics

Uecker said residents who signed up before March 31 paid $500 to connect to the sewer and those who sign up before April 1, 2019, will pay $1,500. Residents who sign up after that will pay $8,000.

A lot of sites can still connect and with a change in zoning many properties can sub-divide which may create more hook-ups, she said.

Carlsborg sewer customers will pay a $26 base rate per residential unit and those with meters will pay $8.66 per 100 cubic feet of water used per month and non-metered customers will pay a flat monthly fee of $78.80 per unit.

County officials estimate the average sewer bill to be around $70.

Dew, whose business is right next to the pump station, said he was a supporter of the system early on and signed up when first available.

It worked for the Romans and it certainly can work for us, he said.

Culp said she and her husband Larry opted not to connect to the sewer because they spent $40,000 in June 2015 to install new septic tanks at the prompting of the Department of Health.

I cant see paying the (connection fee) and paying to decommission the tanks, she said.

Were going to ride it out.

If the Culps or any homeowners/business owners with functioning septic systems not connected to the sewer system were to sell, thed have to connect within a year. Newly constructed homes also must connect to the system within a year because new septic tanks are not allowed in the Carlsborg Urban Growth Area.

For more information on the project, contact Uecker at 417-2441 or muecker@co.clallam.wa.us and/or visit http://www.clallam.net/PublicWorks/CarlsborgSewer.html.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.

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Carlsborg Sewer Project to finish this week - Sequim Gazette