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Charlotte Observer (blog)

Check out this new office building planned near Open Kitchen restaurant on West Morehead Charlotte Observer (blog) A stalled office building project on West Morehead Street has new life, with Insite Properties picking up plans for the building. Called The Refinery, the ... office building on the site. The companies said they planned to start construction by the end ...

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Check out this new office building planned near Open Kitchen restaurant on West Morehead - Charlotte Observer (blog)

The Greater Noida authority will shift its administrative office to a new office complex in Knowledge Park 4 on February 21. The complex has been built on a budget of Rs 325 crore.

The authoritys present one-storey office, located at Chitvan Estate in Sector Gamma I, has inadequate space to accommodate the staff and all departments. It also has hardly any parking space, which results in visitors and staff parking their vehicles on the green belt and on the road, causing traffic congestion.

My office, along with other staff members, will shift on February 21. Those who want to shift before that can do so if they have readied their spaces, said Deepak Agarwal, chief executive officer (CEO) of the authority.

The new building is ready to use. The good part is that we have enough space available to also rent out to Central government departments and other offices and earn revenue, said Rajiv Tyagi, general manager of the authority.

The 88,000 square metre (sqm) office complex has three towers of 21 storeys , 17 storeys and five storeys respectively.

The building has an auditorium with a seating capacity of 600 and parking facility for 931 vehicles. It is also a green building, said Tyagi.

Government offices of departments such as sales tax, service tax, Uttar Pradesh stamp and property registration and the Noida Metro rail corporation (NMRC), among others, may shift to the new building, according to officials from the Greater Noida authority.

We have adequate space to accommodate other offices. Now, the respective departments will decide whether they want to shift to this office or not. The good thing for visitors will be that they will be able to get all their jobs done in one office itself instead of going to different places, said an authority official.

Noida authority building delayed

The Noida authority is still being run from its old office in Sector 6. The authority had in 2009 planned to build a new office building in Sector 44 along the Noida expressway. However, because of a legal dispute between farmers and the authority, nothing moved on the ground. In 2016, the authority started construction of another building, this time in Sector 96. However, work is going on at a slow pace there and the authority continues to run from its Sector 6 office, which lacks several facilities such as adequate parking for visitors and authority staff.

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Greater Noida to get new office building from Feb 21 - Hindustan Times

A new beautifully styled show home is to be launched this weekend at the popular Readers Park development in Ballyclare.

Elegantly combining the luxuriously traditional with a contemporary twist, the house perfectly showcases the high standard of finish and design in these attractive modern homes.

Set in the tranquillity of the beautiful County Antrim countryside within reach of the bustling market town of Ballyclare, Readers Park offers homebuyers the chance to enjoy the peace of country living with the convenience of being just a short drive from Belfast.

The development offers eight house types with a choice of three or four bedrooms all exuding style and quality inside and out.

Each property is designed to reflect the needs of modern family living with spacious room layouts, considered floor plans and high specification finishes with meticulous attention to detail.

There is a choice of render or brick finish and many of the house types also offer the addition of a spacious sunroom, perfect for socialising, or that extra bit of living space.

Now homebuyers can see for themselves the high standards on offer with the opening of a new show home this Sunday.

The magnificent detached triple bay home features four bedrooms, the master with en suite; a wonderful living, dining and kitchen space with bright sunroom overlooking a private garden.

Taking inspiration from the Victorian country architecture to be found all around the development, the designer has created an interior scheme that perfectly marries the traditional with the contemporary.

Exuberance sits comfortably with refined understatement in room designs that consider the needs of the modern family.

The open plan living, dining and kitchen space that runs the length of the ground floor of the show home draws the visitor effortlessly to the delightful rear sunroom which is a great space for relaxing and socialising.

A living room with modern wall mounted wood burning stove and bay window provides a cosy retreat for a more formal living space.

On the first floor there are four bedrooms, master with en suite and a generously proportioned bathroom which have all been beautifully presented to complement the home's carefully considered room layouts.

Speaking ahead of the opening of the show home, Neptune Group's Creighton Boyd said: "We are delighted to be opening our first show home in Northern Ireland at Readers Park.

"The reaction to the first release of homes in Ballyclare has been very encouraging and we are pleased that home buyers value the combination of thoughtful design, quality workmanship and high specification finishes reflected in every Neptune Group home."

These full turnkey homes come with wood burning stoves in the living rooms, multi-room wiring for TV, broadband and Wi-Fi with USB chargers in the kitchen and master bedroom, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and wiring for a security alarm.

Quality kitchens will come with a choice of door colours and worktops and a full range of integrated appliances including a gas hob, electric oven, microwave, fridge/freezer, dishwasher and combination washer/dryer.

Bathrooms will be finished with modern white sanitary ware with chrome fittings and vanity units, plus anti-steam illuminated mirrors and chrome towel rails.

Outside the attention to detail is also apparent with landscaped front and back gardens to include driveways, patio areas and pathways, external lighting and outside water supply.

The new show home is open on Sundays from 2-4pm or by private appointment through the agent.

For more visit Propertynews.

Belfast Telegraph

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Video: Show home launches at Ballyclare Readers Park - Belfast Telegraph

New York Times

House Hunting in ... Montreal New York Times There is a detached one-car garage and a small side room with a conical roof and stairs leading down to a storage area below the garage that could be used as a wine cellar, Mr. Montanaro said. The home is within walking distance of Westmount Park and ...

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House Hunting in ... Montreal - New York Times

STEVE MORAN 10:50 a.m. ET Feb. 15, 2017

Joe Karcz shows tools left behind by the contractor who started but did not finish the work on his house.(Photo: STEVE MORAN)

STAFFORD For Joe Karcz standing on the porch of his yet to be completed home in Beach Haven West, the recently- enacted mortgage forbearance act came just in time.

Karczs original single story home had taken more than three feet of water during Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and needed to be demolished so that he could begin rebuilding.

While his home was gone, his mortgage wasnt. Until recently he was struggling to keep up with the $1,400 a month payments, while two different contractors failed to complete the work, said Karcz, a union steamfitter who is currently on disability.

He said he has had to move more than a dozen times and is still not close to getting a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) for his home.

They built the Empire State Building in a year and 45 days, but I cant get a 1,500 sq. ft. home finished in three and a half years, said Karcz.

Under the new bill, he can now apply to the states Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for protection from foreclosure until at least 2019.

Karcz qualifies to apply for the forbearance since he was awarded a grant from the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation, and Mitigation Program (RREM). The program administered by the DCA, was set up to provide homeowners with a portion of the more than $1.5B in federal aid New Jersey received shortly after Sandy to repair or rebuild their primary residences.

If granted the forbearance, he and others who qualify will have additional months added to the life of their current mortgage and will not incur any additional fees and face no penalty for early repayment should they be able to do so.

Governor Chris Christie reluctantly signed the bill last week after vetoing a similar measure last year.

While he (Christie) was running around the country trying to be President, so many people lost their homes to the banks and mortgage companies,Karcz said.

Despite being one of the first to register for the RREM grants, he did not receive the funding to demolish his house until January of 2015.

The demo work and subsequent construction was to be done by a registered and approved RREM contractor, Karcz said.

I failed seven inspections for everything from electrical to plumbing work done by him and sub-contractors, he added.

Karcz, who has been on disability since before Sandy, and should have had two knee replacement years ago, now has a four inch step up from his living room to his kitchen.

He showed where the contractor built his rear deck too high and installed a sliding door. Then raised the kitchen floor to match the deck and door elevation.

Shortly after, he fired the contractor, who had already cost him all of the REMM funds he received and refused to continue work unless he received more.

Karcz reported him to the DCA, but would not elaborate on what other steps he has or may take.

He said he then took and early draw of $70,000 from his pension to hire a second contractor last July who promised to finish the house in six to eight weeks.

The withdrawal cost me cost me $20,000 in taxes in penalties before I even could put a dollar into the work, he said.

Shortly after taking a $9,500 advance on the work, the second contractor just disappeared, said Karcz.

I sent him a registered and certified letter saying I needed to hear from him or I was taking legal action against him, he said.

He then found out the letter was never picked up.

In addition, the contractor left many of his tools, including power saws and workbenches out in Karcz rear sunroom.

Karcz said that the forbearance will give him a chance to catch his breath and there may even be a light at the end of the tunnel.

He has been an active member of the New Jersey Organizing Project (NJOP) founded by local residents Amanda Devecka-Reiner and Joe Mangino, which has been dedicated to aiding the victims of Hurricane Sandy in their ongoing struggles.

NJOP was one of the main lobbying forces behind getting the mortgage relief bill finally signed into law.

Devecka-Reiner recently put him in touch with representatives from A Future With Hope, a non-profit organization run in conjunction with the United Methodists of Greater New Jersey.

According to the Website http://www.afuturewithhope.org/ they have helped restore 250 Sandy affected homes in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

I called them and in a couple days they showed up with a case worker, construction manager and budget person, he said.

They estimated it might take another $50,000 to $70,000 to fix the mistakes and finish my house, he said.

Karcz said he should have an answer later this week if they will take on his project.

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Passing of foreclosure law good news for Stafford homeowner - Asbury Park Press

BALTIMORE

The Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland is sending out a warning to consumers who get home-repair work.

It comes after a Baltimore woman said she paid hundreds of dollars for work that was not completed on her roof. The BBB said that it started investigating a Baltimore home improvement company after it received a complaint from a consumer.

That consumer, Phyllis Smith, said she is telling her story to try to save others from a lot of expense and heartache.

When it started getting worse, I started looking around to different places, Smith said.

Smith called around to several roofing companies to try to get her leaking, big mess of a roof fixed. She eventually came across a flier for Tri City Roofing, and decided to give the company a chance.

Smith said the owner came out and she gave him $1,200 up front to do the work. But right away she admits that she did not have a good feeling about the company.

I said, You weren't up there long enough to do what you claimed you done because my roof has been worked on before and it took them all day long, Smith said. My roof was still leaking worse than it was from when he came out there before."

Smith claims that Tri City Roofing said crews would come back, but they never did, and communication from there didn't go well.

Smith contacted the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland, and its president, Angie Barnett, said they discovered issues with the business and gave it an F rating.

The BBB was able to verify through the Maryland Home Improvement Commission directly that they have no record that the individual by his name or his business name, no indication that he had applied for, or ever held a license through them, Barnett said.

A license through the Maryland Home Improvement Commission is required for anyone who works on residential property. If a consumer hires someone who doesn't have the license, they cannot get restitution through the state if there's a problem.

The owner of Tri City Roofing told 11 News that he is trying to resolve one complaint about his company that he knows about.

Smith knows that she probably has no recourse in her case, but she does have a goal.

I would prefer nobody else gets in this situation with him, Smith said. I want him stopped. That's all I want for him and the whole company.

BBB officials point out that Tri City Roofing doesn't have a physical location or a website and the PO Box address comes back return to sender.

The BBB is warning consumers to never give more than one-third of a payment upfront for home repair work and to make sure the company is licensed.

WEBVTT FROM A LOT OF EXPENSE ANDHEARTACHE.>> WHEN IT STARTED GETTINGWORSE, I STARTED LOOKING AROUNDTO DIFFERENT PLACES.REPORTER: PHYLLIS SMITH CALLEDAROUND TO SEVERAL ROOFINGCOMPANIES TO TRY TO GET HERLEAKING, BIG MESS OF A ROOF-FIXED BEFORE SHE CAME ACROSSTHIS FLIER FROM TRI-CITYROOFING.SHE SAID THE OWNER CAME OUT, ANDSHE GAVE HIM $1200 UP FRONT TODO THE WORK, BUT SHE ADMITSRIGHT AWAY SHE DIDN'T HAVE AGOOD FEELING.>> I SAID, "YOU WEREN'T UP THERELONG ENOUGH TO DO WHAT YOUCLAIMED YOU DONE," BECAUSE MYROOF HAS BEEN WORKED ON BEFORE,AND IT TOOK THEM ALL DAY LONG.MY ROOF WAS STILL LEAKING, WORSETHAN IT WAS FROM WHEN HE CAMEOUT THERE BEFORE.REPORTER: PHYLLIS CLAIMS THAT HESAID HE'D COME BACK, BUT HENEVER DID.AND COMMUNICATION FROM THEREDIDN'T GO WELL.SHE CONTACTED THE BETTERBUSINESS BUREAU, WHERE PRESIDENTANGIE BARNETT EXPLAINS THAT THEYDISCOVERED ISSUES WITH THEBUSINESS, AND GAVE IT AN FRATING>> THE BBB WAS ABLE TO VERIFYTHROUGH THE MARYLAND HOMEIMPROVEMENT COMMISSION DIRECTLY,THAT THEY HAVE NO RECORD THATTHE INDIVIDUAL BY HIS NAME ORHIS TRADING NAME, THEY HAD NOINDICATION THAT HE HAD APPLIEDFOR OR EVER HAD THE LICENSETHROUGH THEM.REPORTER: A LICENSE THROUGH THEMARYLAND HOME IMPROVEMENTCOMMISSION IS REQUIRED FORANYONE WHO WORKS ON RESIDENTIALPROPERTY.IF A CONSUMER HIRES SOMEONE WHODOESN'T HAVE THE LICENSE, THEYCAN'T GET RESTITUTION THROUGTHE STATE IF THERE'S A PROBLEM.THE OWNER SAYS HE'S TRYING TORESOLVE ONE COMPLAINT ABOUT HISCOMPANY THAT HE KNOWS ABOUT.PHYLLIS KNOWS THAT SHE PROBABLYHAS NO RECOURSE IN HER CASE, BUTSHE DOES HAVE A GOAL.>> I WOULD PREFER NOBODY ELSEGET IN THIS SITUATION WITH HIM.I WANT HIM STOPPED.THAT'S ALL I WANT.HIM AND THE WHOLE COMPANREPORTER: BBB OFFICIALS POINTOUT THAT TRI-CITY DOESN'T HAVE APHYSICAL LOCATION, OR AWEBSITE.THE PO BOX ADDRESS COMES BACKRETURN TO SENDER.THEY'RE WARNING CONSUMERS TONEVER GIVE MORE THAN ONE THIRDOF A PAYMENT UPFRONT FOR HOMEREPAIR WORK, AND MAKE SURE THE

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BBB warns consumers about Baltimore roofing company - WBAL Baltimore

After four years of work, the $11 million expansion to the Morgan County Jail is almost ready to begin housing inmates.

On Tuesday, the Morgan County Commission gave approval for several additions for the jail expansion, chiefly allowing Sheriff Ana Franklin to hire 23 new corrections officers.

Commissioners also approved purchasing 148 mattresses for the second floor of the addition at a total cost of $5,772. However, Franklin said they plan to start with just the first floor before expanding upward.

"I like to do things in phases and in steps to make sure that everything is open and runs smoothly," Franklin said.

Just before the meeting the sheriff's office received their certificate of occupancy and passed the final inspection of the construction phase. They now move into finalizing the technology throughout the building as well as making sure all of the supplies are in place to house the inmates.

Currently, the jail has a daily population of around 480.

Franklin said new classrooms were also incorporated into the design of the building, with smaller rooms being used for counseling, drug counseling, parenting classes, etc. and larger classrooms for both inmate activities as well as officer training.

"That will save the county some money in sending folks off and we're going to plan on starting that two-week classroom training for our new hires and current employees quickly," Franklin said.

She said the expansion was needed not only because the City of Decatur wanted to house their inmates with the county's, but also because the county numbers are increasing.

"Our numbers have crept up due to a lot of proactive law enforcement and arrests and also due to the increasing problems with drug abuse and the economy. And those things that have coupled together to cause some increase in the number of people that are being housed in our facility," Franklin said.

Franklin said that when she took office in 2011, the daily inmate population was around 216. Today, she said that number is closer to 480.

She said part of the increase is due to steps that have been taken to try and keep repeat offenders off the streets.

"We're doing bond revocations, higher bonds, probation violations, those kind of things that would prevent those people from being repeatedly out in the revolving door that it was because we've had the space to do that," Franklin said.

Commission Chair Ray Long said the City of Decatur is buying 120 beds for their inmates to be housed in the facility. The city put $2 million toward the cost of construction and will pay the county $100,000 per month.

A formal ribbon cutting ceremony will take place Thursday morning to mark the end of construction on the expansion.

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Morgan County Commission approves new corrections officers for jail expansion - WAAY

Scott Broden , USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee Published 12:17 p.m. CT Feb. 14, 2017 | Updated 10 hours ago

Will Jordan(Photo: Submitted)

The Rutherford County Commission will consider appropriating $57 millionthis week to build Rockvale High School by Summer 2019.

The commission meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday in the second-floor courtroom of the County Courthouse on the center of the Square in Murfreesboro.

The commission's Budget, Finance & Investment Committee that's led by Chairman Will Jordan voted the previous week to recommend funding a Rockvale High that will open next to Rockvale Middle and across the street from Rockvale Elementary on New Salem Highway, southwest of Murfreesboro.

"The growth is there," Commissioner Jordan said. "Were growing over 400 high school students a year, I think a high school is our next priority. I agree withthe school board on that. We dont have much choice."

The budget committee did not address $30.2 million in funding for the Rutherford County Board of Education plan to also build Rocky ForkElementary. That school is scheduledto open by summer 2018, next to a Rocky Fork Middle that isscheduled to open this summer on Rocky Fork Road in Smyrna near a bypass over Interstate 24.

"I think we're going to wait and see," said Jordan, who noted the districtmay get relief in serving younger grades if Murfreesboro City Schools pursue a plan to open another elementary school within the next couple of years on the west side.

The city is pursuing 160 acres for a possible school, park and firefighter station on Franklin Road a couple of miles west of Murfreesboro's boundary near Veterans Parkway. A school there could mean relief for Blackman Elementary, and school zone boundaries could be adjusted to provide relief to other schools, including Stewarts Creek Elementary in Smyrna, Jordan said.

Part of the reason Rockvale High is a greater need is because the district is getting an influx of home-school students in the upper grades who want to pursue sports and take foreign language classes that many parents are unable to teach, Jordan said.

"We have a very successful school system, and a lot of people see that," said Jordan, noting that the county's high schools also offer advanced placement credits, ways to earn college credits and many social activities.

When counting $2 million for architecture services, the Rockvale High project will cost an estimated $59 million, according to the five-year school board plan.

County leaders are also talking about the possibility of moving forward on school expansions, including an Oakland Middle Annex buildingfor $13.5 million and an addition at Siegel High for $6.1 million, Jordan added.

In addition to expansions at Oakland Middle and Siegel High, Board of Education Chairman Jeff Jordan said school officials are examining a possible addition at La Vergne Middle, which according to the existing district plan would cost nearly $8.1 million.

"Those are just three areas we're looking at," said Jeff Jordan. "We have a lot of places that need attention because of our growth. We are just growing so fast. What we need are classrooms and desks. That's what we're desperate for in many areas."

The district has 46 schools at this timeand depends on 141 classrooms to serve about 44,000 children from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade.

"We're re-evaluating our five-year plan," Jeff Jordan said. "We're looking at possibly putting some additions to other schools in front of Rocky Fork Elementary. We are really doing that at (the commissionbudget committee's) request."

Additions cost less because they don't require cafeterias, gyms, libraries and in the case of middle schools, parking lots, Jeff Jordan said.

"It's so much cheaper than having to build a whole new school," said Jeff Jordan, noting how challenging it is to fund the building of a new school every year. "It makes it cheaper for the taxpayer."

Reach Scott Broden at 615-278-5158. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden.

Number of students: 2,168

Percentage increase from previous year: 1.8%

Number of portable classrooms: 4

Number of students: 2,038

Percentage increase from previous year: 4.9%

Number of portable classrooms:12

Number of students: 2,090

Percentage increase from previous year: 6.6%

Number of portable classrooms: 0

Number of students: 2,163

Percentage increase from previous year: 6.7%

Number of portable classrooms: 10

Source: Rutherford County Schools

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Rockvale High funding up for vote - The Daily News Journal

Same story, different night for Shaka Smart and the young Texas Longhorns, who fell short on the road to the Oklahoma Sooners Tuesday night 70-66.

After shooting out of the gates early with a 9-2 edge and owning the lead for all but one possession of the entire first half, Texas entered intermission with a 39-38 advantage, despite giving up 11 offensive rebounds and turning the ball over eight times. The Horns then kicked off the final 20 minutes of action with an 8-1 run to push the lead to 47-39.

From that point, an Oklahoma team without its senior leader Jordan Woodard, whose college career is over due to an ACL injury suffered on Saturday against Iowa State, the Sooners surged for what became a 16-point turnaround for a 65-57 lead with under two minutes remaining. Per usual, the Longhorns scratched and clawed to the very end, but not much went Texas way in the second half and the result is Smarts club remains winless on the road this season.

The on-court product was exactly what one may expect between a pair of teams that entered the matchup with a combined 18-31 record. Much of the night, it wasnt pretty for either side, but throughout, the tremendous youthful potential was apparent on both sides.

Jamuni McNease led the way for Oklahoma with 14 points and 14 boards off the bench his first career double double as part of a performance where he outhustled Jarrett Allen on the block much of the night. Kameron McGusty and Rashard Odomes each added 11 points from the wings, as well, while Kristian Doolittle did his part offensively with nine points.

Despite shooting 4-21 from the perimeter collectively, Oklahoma converted 22-31 attempts at the charity stripe, which proved to be the difference in a four-point game that saw Texas miss 9-of-16 attempts. Allen made just 1-8 from the line after going 0-7 last game, though he did finish with 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Fellow freshman standout Andrew Jones added 12 points, though following his 3-3 start for eight points, he finished the night 2-9 from the field. Kerwin Roach Jr. and Shaq Cleare reached double figures on the scoreboard with 13 and 10, respectively.

Summing the night up would sound much like a broken record: Texas offense disappeared at times, the lack of a true point guard was apparent and costly, the Horns displayed flashes of what they could be at times and after leading often, failed to close out a game that was arguably theirs to lose.

This is a team that simply needs to survive the final stretch without a meltdown, largely from a willingness to compete and play together standpoint, and start fresh during the offseason with more pieces and a potentially stacked roster pending possible additions (see Mohamed Bamba) and departures (see Allen and Jones).

Now 10-16 (4-9) on the season, the final five-game stretch wont be kind to the Horns with Kansas State, West Virginia, Kansas, Texas Tech and Baylor set to end whats been a painful season in Austin.

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Second half surge leads Oklahoma past Texas 70-66 - Burnt Orange Nation

Forbes

'NBA 2K18' Wishlist: 30 New Additions That Would Make The Best ... Forbes NBA 2K18 is coming later this year, so this is the time to discuss the features that would make this year's game better than the last. and more »

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'NBA 2K18' Wishlist: 30 New Additions That Would Make The Best ... - Forbes