Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

When the Fayette City Council opened their meeting, they welcomed Scott Vogler with MECO Engineering for discussion on the new water treatment plant. It seems there are still issues plaguing the plant and delaying the transfer of usage to the new system. Brand new valves have been replaced and are still not working despite a field technician monitoring them overnight. The problems are now being blamed on electronic issues. To be continued Personnel policy updates were passed and the council had the first reading for the new ordinance modifying parking on West Davis. Commitment to the Moberly Area Economic Development Corporation was approved for another year. Building updates and repairs were discussed for city hall and the electric distribution building. Three windows on the west side of City Hall will be replaced and any damage to the frames repaired. The Council approved a bid for installation of metal siding on the exterior of the electric distribution building but was put on hold. The roof for that building is in need of replacement and insulation is needed to help regulate the temperature inside the building. The council was not ready to move forward with insulating and replacing the roof without investigating the need for additional repairs. Since it would be make sense to install a new roof and siding at the same time, the whole project was put on hold. Discussion regarding the D.C. Rogers lake property continues. The council now plans to keep the property to control the appearance to the lake entrance. The City Pool is another topic on which discussion continues. Bids are still being sought for repairs, grants for repairs are few, and grants for new pools/water parks are offered more often. The council asked for more information about these grants. It was decided the pool will open this season. Automation for the bulk water fill station is being considered. After the new plant is up and running, there will not be staff available to assist with bulk water. Other issues; the number of utility cut-offs for this month have more or less doubled with a total of 15; staff was requested to check into USDA assistance for City Hall renovations; parking is still being looked at; and March 16 at 6:30 p.m. was scheduled for a budget work session. The Council will meet next on Mar. 7 at 7 p.m.

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Fayette City Council Report - The Democrat Leader (subscription)

The Greater Hazleton Area Civic Partnership has nearly enough money to build a tunnel-like box culvert so that people using the Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails hiking and biking trail can safely walk where there is a truck crossing.

Bob Skulsky, the Partnerships executive director, said the group has obtained a $270,000 federal Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grant, and a commitment for another $100,000 worth of pro bono excavation work from Coal Contractors, whose trucks cross the trail, toward the estimated $400,000 cost.

We need $27,000 to complete the engineering drawings to build it, Skulsky said. That is a high safety priority for us, because it is a dangerous situation. We have signs up, telling people Dont cross, high speed truck traffic, and people still cross. We dont want to see an accident out there.

Skulsky explained the culvert, approximately 16 feet long with solar lighting, will enable hikers to walk underneath the crossing.

It is basically a tunnel under the trail for pedestrians to go through, and the truck traffic goes over the top of it, Skulsky said.

The Partnership shopped for the strongest culvert made.

Originally, they only had water trucks going across, Skulsky said of the coal company. Now, they put a rail siding in, and are filling rail cars. We went in for the strongest culvert they could buy because of the weight of those trucks.

The group wants to build the culvert in June, but CAN DO President Kevin ODonnell said conbsidering the time it takes for permits, it would be a tight schedule.

Skulsky agreed, and said some of the preliminary work is done, and the rest could be done in time for June.

We dont need a lot of the clearances for it, just some permitting, Skulsky said. The preliminary engineering is probably going to take a couple weeks to a month, but could possibly be done within a week.

ODonnell cautioned that a concrete culvert may not be available.

PennDOT (the state Department of Transportation) is monopolizing the capacity of all the pre-cast concrete places now, ODonnell said. The liquid fuels tax gave them so much money they are now replacing every bridge in the world. We had to convert to an aluminum bridge in Humboldt Industrial Park. Aluminum is cheaper, but you want a pre-cast concrete box culvert here. It is a more appropriate use. Get your order in quick.

Another project the Partnership wants to do on the trail this year is the installation of new drainage pipes at the beginning of the trail off East Broad Street.

Sue Nasrani, the rails-to-trails chair, explained why that project is needed.

There is a creek that actually goes right through the trail, she said. When it rains, it washes out the beginning of the trail just before the turn.

Skuksky said that project will be done in April or May.

We believe we are completely ready to go with that, Skulsky said. The estimated cost is $8,333. We got half from Luzerne County Recreation and Conservation fund through a grant. One of the biggest cost factors is the pipes. One of the volunteers went out on his own and got a contractor to donate the pipes to us. The Hazleton City Authority has agreed to do the pro bono work to dig and put the pipes in.

Weather permitting, Skulsky said that project can be done in early spring.

We have a lot of things happening in early spring, and we are not sure we are going to be able to fit them all in, but we pushing to get the pipes in, Skulsky said. We have to do it before the fall (season).

The rails-to-trails committee is looking at installing pavers, or bricks, at the beginning of the trail to thank people who have donated to the trail.

But we cant do that before pipes are in, because that area washes out, Skulsky said

Another spring project will be tree planting.

Skulsky said Jessica Wykoff, the Partnerships Volunteer In Service To America worker, obtained a $2,000 TreeVitalize grant to plant more trees at the trail.

The new trees are going to be planted out on the old abandoned reclaimed mine lands, Skulsky said. They lack any sufficient vegetation yet, so we are developing a riparian buffer (a vegetated area that helps protect a stream from the impact of adjacent land uses) so the trail doesnt wash out. They will be available for adoption. There is a two-week window in the spring which is an optimum time to get them in. Its a lot to get that done. It is weather dependent. If we have five inches of rain before that, you cant dig into the ground.

More trees will be planted with funds from another grant obtained last year to treat diseased hemlock trees in the new picnic area at the beginning of the trail.

The other half of that grant is going to replace trees in the first half-mile of the trail that died, Wykoff said.

Some of the trees will be planted as part of a new Waterboxx project, which is a system designed to give trees in normally dry areas moisture.

It really helps our trees, especially the new ones, because it provides water right around the roots on a regular basis, said Sue Nasrani. It helped the new trees grow.

Finally, the 14th annual Hike and Bike event will be held at the trail on Saturday, June 10.

jdino@standardspeaker.com

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Rails-to-trails projects include lighted 'tunnel' for hikers - Standard Speaker

DANVILLE Danville District 118 school board members awarded contracts Wednesday to two different contractors for roofing projects at Southwest and Liberty elementary schools.

The board approved a bid of $1.1 million from Industrial Services of Illinois in Mattoon for the Southwest project, and a $354,725 bid from Advanced Commercial Roofing of Champaign for the Liberty project.

A total of five contractors had bid on three different packages: the Southwest project, the Liberty project, and a combined bid for both Southwest and Liberty projects.

The districts architect, BLDD Architects of Champaign, recommended the board accept separate bids from two different contractors for the Southwest project and the Liberty project because it was more cost effective than a combined bid from one contractor.

The districts Buildings and Grounds Director Skip Truex told the board last month that the roof at Southwest has lost hundreds of shingles, causing leaks in some of the classrooms. He estimated the cost of a new steel roof at $1 million.

Truex said Liberty School also needed a new roof and some tuck pointing for an estimated cost of $500,000.

The projects will be paid for by leftover money from a $3.4 million federally funded Qualified School Construction Bond (QSAB) the district received to replace windows at Danville High School, along with money the district has set aside for building repairs.

Board President Bill Dobbles said, Were pleased the bids came in low, and there might be some money left over to do some work at Edison.

We dont want what happened to Cannon to happen anywhere else, he said.

Board members also:

Approved job descriptions for a maintenance worker position and for a maintenance painter position.

Revised job descriptions for kitchen helpers and food service/playground monitor. The kitchen helper description changed the lifting requirement to 40 pounds from 50 pounds. The monitor description increases the maximum shift to three hours from two-and-a-half hours.

Approved Ameren Illinois request to change the electric easement to Lot 18 in C.C. Tinchers Addition to accommodate the reconstruction of Fairchild Street.

Approved hiring Greenside Lawn Care of Champaign at a cost of $1,550 to mow the districts property during the 2017-2018 mowing season.

Approved purchasing new performance risers for the North Ridge Middle School music department for $10,263 from the StageRight Corp. of Clare, Mich. The current risers are worn, and new risers have been requested by choral director Jennifer Woodrow since last school year. At the Jan. 18 meeting, the board approved purchasing new risers for the Danville High School music department.

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District 118 OKs roofing bids - Danville Commercial News

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Bilt-Well Roofing Offers High-Quality Roofing Services in Los Angeles - MENAFN.COM

Lana Sweeten-Shults , Times Record News 1:05 a.m. CT Feb. 26, 2017

Barwise Middle School students race to their classrooms in August 2016. The Wichita Falls ISD carved out $25 million for additions and renovations to Barwise, McNiel and Kirby junior high schools, which have all been converted to middle schools.(Photo: Times Record News file)Buy Photo

In 2014, voters scoffed, decidedly, at a bold plan by the Wichita Falls ISD to fix the old-school-buildings conundrum.

The district, after all, faced a facilities crisis as some campuses reached and surpassed the century mark.

The plan: Go to a two-high school system by building a new mega high school, convert Hirschi High to a second, smaller school and add a career and technical education center.

It was a failed attempt by the district to try to do something about its aging facilities.

Some campuses were filled to capacity while others were woefully underused, in part because families were able to chose the school their children attended.

Just a year later, in May 2015, votersgave the thumbs up to another school bond, a $59.5 million bond that cost less than half the price of the 2014 proposal. The new bond, once again, would take a step toward alleviating the aging schools issue by making better use of the districts facilities.

One of the key bond projects to help accomplish that vision: renovating the junior high schools, a major project for the district in 2016.

It was a fast-track project under the helm of Construction Manager At Risk Anthony Inman with schematic designs approved by the school boardin August 2015 by Perkins+Will.

McNiel Middle School sixth-grade reading teacher Datra Lonon talks to visitors about her classroom Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, during a open house. The Wichita Falls ISD moved all its sixth-graders to the junior highs and converted them to middle schools in 2016. Barwise and McNiel received the most extensive renovations with the addition of sixth-grade wings and expansion of common areas, such as cafeterias, gyms and fine arts spaces.(Photo: Times Record News file)

The district carved out $25 million, a little less than half the bond money, to convert the junior highs to middle schools.

Along with amending the school choice concept - students are now assigned to zoned schools, although they still can apply to attend a noncapacity campus - the plan was to move sixth-graders out of the elementary schools.

The district already had closed several elementary campuses over the past few years, including Alamo and Sam Houston in 2014, and converted Zundelowitz Junior High to an elementary school.

Now it looked to add sixth-grade wings to Barwise and McNiel junior highs, along with expanding common spaces at both those campuses, such as cafeterias, fine arts spaces and locker rooms.

About $22.3 million of renovations went into Barwise and McNiel.

Kirby Middle School would also get renovations, though they would be less extensive.

The Barwise and McNiel additions were completed in less than a year, by the summer of 2016, and in time for the first day of class in August. Those campuses welcomed 700 sixth-graders.

Barwise, which already had a sixth-grade presence as part of its leadership academy format, added about 300 more sixth-graders for a total of 400.

McNiel, meanwhile, welcomed 400 new sixth-graders in its facilities.

The Wichita Falls ISD also renovated classrooms and completed heating, ventilation and air-conditioning work at Kirby, which houses about 200 sixth-graders.

On Sept. 11, 2016, the district slated open houses so the public could see the results of the renovation.

Now that those redos are complete, the districts big-picture vision is coming into focus.

The plan is to funnel students through assigned attendance zones, not just to assure that campuses arent being overused or underused, but to hew to the concept of students in those zones remaining together throughout their public school years.

Also, campuses in the same attendance zone, particularly middle schools and their sister high school campuses, are collaborating more so that middle schoolers can make a smooth transition to high school.

A bearded dragon rests in the new Barwise Middle School sixth-grade science lab in this Sept. 11, 2016, file photograph. Barwise saw the addition of about 300 sixth-graders welcomed about 300 new sixth-graders and McNiel about 400 sixth-graders. A bond project completed in 2016 added accommodations to prepare for the influx.(Photo: Times Record News file)

While the middle schools did go through some growing pains at the beginning of the school year as they adjusted to the influx of hundreds of sixth-graders, everyone is back to school, settled in and back to the daily grind of reading, writing and rithmetic.

McNiel Middle School Principal Tania Rushing said in August 2016, What I see is a lot of excitement this year. You have a big crop of new, excited kids, and they are going to be together for a while. They are on a campus with people they know and a campus they know.

She was excited about new orchestra, band and choir rooms and about the renovated kitchens.

In the Barwise Middle School cafeteria, new and old meet. Beyond the green painted support beams is the new kitchen. Barwise and McNeil middle schools hosted open houses Sept. 11, 2016, so the community could see the changes to the schools paid for by a $59.5 million bond. About $25 million of that money was spent for junior high additions and renovations.(Photo: Lauren Roberts)

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WFISD completed $25M junior high renovations in 2016 - Times Record News

The Arizona Coyotes alreadysent defenseman Michael Stonepacking prior to the March 1 trade deadline for draft picks, and there remains a large possibility thathe wont be the only Coyote on the move.

The most likely remaining candidate to be traded, according to many, is center Martin Hanzal.

According to ESPN writer Pierre LeBrun, Arizona has narrowed its potential trade partners for Hanzal down to a handful of teams.

The Montreal Canadiens remain in the mix, while the Ottawa Senators have recently inquired, as did the Nashville Predators. But name any contender and its likely they have checked in on Hanzal. As Ive said all season long, the slumping Canadiens make so much sense as a destination for Hanzal, whose 6-foot-6 frame and shutdown talents are things the Habs need down the middle.

The 30-year-old Hanzal becomesa free agent after the season and could be deemed expendable by GM John Chayka if he canbe exchanged for future assets.

The Canadiens and Senators are battlingfor the top spot in the Atlantic Division, as Montreal currently leads the division by two points over Ottawa.

The Predators find themselves fighting for a playoff spot in the West, as their 67 points are tied with the St. Louis Blues for seventh in the conference.

The addition of Hanzal would give any of these teams a solid No. 2 or 3 center down the stretch for their playoff push.

Hanzalwas drafted by Coyotes in the first round of the2005 Draft and has already tied his career-high in goals this season with 16.

The 10-year veteran has also added 10 assists and ranks third on the Coyotes with 26 points.

Arizona, whohas the second-fewest points in the NHL with 49, has multiple young prospectsat center, including 21-year-old Christian Dvorak and 19-year-old Dylan Strome, although neither seems ready to take over as the Coyotes top center.

Along with Jordan Martinook filling in from the wing, Peter Holland, Alexander Burmistrov and Josh Jooris are all recent additions to the group of centers in Arizona.

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Report: Canadiens one of 'handful of teams' interested in acquiring Hanzal - Arizona Sports (registration) (blog)

Johnny First Round has more money than God.

"First Round" isn't John's real name. I gave him that moniker 30-plus years ago when I worked at a restaurant in the Hamptons on Long Island. The assumption being, if you were lucky enough to wait on Johnny, you would be buying the first round of the staff's post-shift drinks. He usually would come in with a group of friends, almost always paid, and tipped like a crazy person. He did this with no show or bravado nor expecting special treatment.

John's pedigree and personal life were well known: family money, prep schools, Ivy League college and grad schools, Wall Street and a stint as a presidential advisor. In a nut shell, Johnny was wealthy, intellectual and politically engaged.

I waited on a lot of wealthy and famous folks that summer. Johnny is the only one with whom I kept in touch. Most of this was happenstance. His house in Connecticut is in the same town where an old friend lives and his summer home on Martha's Vineyard is not far from my in-laws' house.

It was the day after the 2004 election. My mate and I were home mostly for the World Series. The Red Sox had clinched it in St. Louis a few days before. If they lost and returned to Boston for game 7, we would have been the guest of Johnny in his box seats.

G.W. Bush's re-election took some of the luster off the Sox's victory. In addition to the defeat of Boston's own John Kerry, we liberals pretty much got our butts kicked in congressional races. I wanted Kerry to win, but I did, and do, feel Bush was a good man. I can remember being disappointed with the results, but my grief was tempered by the fact that the Sox had broken the "Curse of the Bambino" by winning their first series in 86 years.

We had stayed up late the night before, but our flight home was out of Hartford so we still had plenty of time to stop in for a late breakfast at John's house on our way to the airport.

We could see the large home in the distance as we drove our rental car up a quarter mile winding driveway. There were two life-sized brass statues under an archway in front of huge wooden doors with Kerry/Edwards hats. Ellie said, "We probably don't have to lock the Kia."

The housekeeper let us in and brought us to the sunroom where John had silver coffee urns, juice, pastries and quiche set out. He was wearing slacks, white linen shirt and a cotton V-neck sweater. He looked tired.

Like us, he was up late watching the results come in, but, unlike us, I'm guessing he gave many thousands of dollars to the losing candidates. Though, as I mentioned, I wasn't happy, I also was not devastated. The same could not be said for John.

Though this happened over 10 years ago, I remember how he looked and what he said. He was sitting at a table with fresh-cut flowers, cloth napkins, china cups and the New York Times spread out. He ran his hands through his perfectly cut salt and pepper hair as his Cartier watch caught the light and said, "How could this have happened? I have never felt that I had less in common with the average American."

If Johnny First Round saw me fighting off laughter, he didn't mention it. What I wanted to say was he had absolutely nothing in common with the average American. Now that doesn't mean my friend wasn't/isn't a good person, a generous person and a kind man. But his life, concerns and issues had little in common with the average American. At the time, I thought I was different.

If nothing else, this past election has been a wake-up call that you don't need to live in a mansion to be disconnected from what almost half of our nation is feeling. I was shocked and dismayed over DJT's election and my feelings have only worsened since the inauguration. We have elected a POTUS unlike any other in my lifetime. And that should tell us all something.

It should tell us that many Americans are disenchanted with the status quo, angry at a disinterested government and (in some cases) desperate. And this is not just an indictment of the left because DJT beat out many main stream conservative candidates as well. The fact this could happen means both sides have not been paying attention. The good news is that Americans, elected or not, are now becoming engaged and aware of those who reside outside the small bubble of our lives.

Both sides would be well served by empathy.

You don't have to have been included in the ranks of the angry and disenfranchised to understand their struggle. And certainly we can all feel for a guy with a 1/4 mile driveway. Just think what a pain it would be to shovel snow off that thing.

Jeffrey Bergeron, under the alias of Biff America, can be read in several newspapers and magazines. He can be reached at biffbreck@yahoo.com. Biff's new book "Mind, Body, Soul." is available at local shops and bookstores or http://shop.holpublications.com/products/biff-america-mind-body-soul

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Biff America: Tips, driveways and desperation (column) - Summit Daily News

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OKLAHOMA CITY - The newest players for the Oklahoma City Thunder touched down in Oklahoma City late Thursday night.

Thursday afternoon, the Thunder organization announced they've acquired forwards Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott plus an unprotected 2018 second round draft pick from the Chicago Bulls for Joffrey Lauvergne, Anthony Morrow and Cameron Payne.

Gibson is in his eighth year in the NBA out of the University of Southern California.

He's averaging over 11 points and seven rebound per game.

McDermott is averaging over 10 points and 37 percent from three per game in his third year in the league.

Thursday night, Gibson and McDermott were greeted by Thunder fans as they touched down at Wiley Post Airport.

We should find out later today if the two new additions will play in the Thunder's game against the Lakers Friday night at 7.

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Oklahoma City Thunder fans greet two newest additions - kfor.com

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson details how the recent coaching changes will impact the Deacs in the second installment of a Q&A from this week.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. After finishing the 2016 season with a thrilling Military Bowl victory over Temple, the Deacs are getting set to forge ahead with the building process with spring camp starting Tuesday.

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson chatted with the media earlier this week. This is the second installment of that Q&A.

On the changes to the coaching staff

Clawson: Obviously, Mike (Elko) had an opportunity he felt he couldnt pass up. That was tough. I hired Mike when he was 23-years old. Hes been with me for the better part of the last 16 years. Clark (Lea) and Mike are close. You hate to say it, but thats part of the only negative of having success. When youre 3-9, 3-9, not a lot of people want to hire your coaches. I think people recognized what a good job we were doing on defense, and Mike certainly deserves a lot of credit for that. As do our players. He had opportunities before, but he felt that this was one he had to take. The good thing for us is that our program is at a point now personnel and facility-wise, that we are probably able to attract people we couldnt have in the past.

We got a guy who had been a Power 5 coordinator, and truth be told, his defense was better than ours. Statistically, anyway, we were a top-40 defense and they were a top-25 defense. Im thrilled we got somebody of Jays (Sawvel) background. Another thing I liked about Jay, is that in head coaching circles, you become friends with certain guys. (Former Minnesota coach) Jerry Kill has always been a guy who Ive had a lot of respect for. Look at all the Power 5 coaches in the country, and very few of them have climbed the ladder the way Jerry Kill and I have. He was Division II, 1-AA, MAC. Most coaches, their career progression isnt that way. When we were in the MAC together, Jerry and I always got along. I like the fact, similar to Mike Elko, Jay is a guy who has worked his way up. He GAd at Notre Dame, but Ferris State, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, Minnesota he had been with Jerry at almost every step along the way of building programs. Theres an appreciation for what weve done here, how long its taken, where we are and how to build on it, which would be different than if you hired someone from an Ohio State or Alabama.

Im really excited about Jay, and Ive also hired two guys who were successful coordinators at the FCS level. Everybody in our defensive room has been a successful defensive coordinator.

On the pros and cons of having new faces and voices on the coaching staff versus the consistency they had the first three years

Clawson: The negative is that you love having continuity. This is the first time as a head coach at a school where Ive had a system change (as an aside, we follow up on this comment later in the Q&A, but it will likely be in the installment published Saturday). Never had a system change before. The positive is that were getting four coaches who are very bright, have been successful, who will bring ideas into the program. Sometimes, the negative of stability is that youre so used to doing things a certain way that maybe youre ignoring trends in football. When you hire new coaches, who bring in new ideas sometimes you forget why you do what you do. Its just the way youve done it. Most of the things we do, we do for a reason. Its very intentional and thought out. But sometimes its good to have those thoughts challenged. Were going to go through spring, even in terms of how they ran camps or how they ran junior days. Theres always these little tidbits and different ideas that we try to use to make our program better. For eight straight years, (Warren) Ruggiero, (Adam) Scheier, Elko we were all together. Sometimes it good to get new ideas and a fresh perspective on things.

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Wake coach Dave Clawson details coaching additions - Wake ... - Scout

Catcher Matt Wieters stretches with his new team on his first day of workouts with the Nationals. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. The Nationals clubhouse, packed to the brim with spring training hopefuls, had two unoccupied lockers as of Thursday. One was in the back corner, wedged between boxes of gear belonging to Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth, right next to the overflowing locker of catcher Derek Norris. The second was on the other side of the clubhouse, with a few of the nonroster invitees and late additions such as Adam Lind, surrounded by a little more breathing room.

Friday morning, that locker had a nameplate, albeit ina slightly different font than the rest. It read Matt Wieters 32, a subtle announcement of the Nationals newest addition, and the jersey number he will wear for at least one season in D.C.

Number 32 used to belong to Koda Glover, and it seemed to fit the youngster well. Number 32 once belonged to Chad Cordero, one of the early Nationals stars and one of the steadiest closers for a franchise that has struggled to make them stick. Glover seems likely to contend for that closers spot one day. He had never been in big league camp before getting called up midway through last season. When he did, a number 32 jersey hung in his locker the clubhouse staffs choice, not his.

But Glover knew Wieters used to wear that number in Baltimore, so when he met Wieters this week, the 23-year-old kid asked the 30-year-old veteran if he wanted it.

I wanted to. Wieters is a good catcher, been around for a while, Glover said. We talked about it, and I said its all yours.

The nameplate above Glovers locker is now modified, too, the same smaller font as Wieterss, pulled together at the last minute to accommodate the switch. He will now wear Number 30, and said he does not care one bit.

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Matt Wieters, with an assist from Koda Glover, will wear No. 32 with the Nats - Washington Post