Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

By Catherine Dominguez, cdominguez@hcnonline.com

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

Conroe residents get new roofs following scam

For Tink and Bobbye Calfee, it's easy to see the red flags now.

Several months ago, the longtime Conroe couple put their trust in a local roofing company to repair the damage to their home in the Wedgewood subdivision off Longmire Road following storms that moved through the area in May of 2016. But after signing over an insurance check for $11,000, the Calfees were never able to get the company back to do the work.

And they weren't the only ones; two other homeowners in their neighborhood found themselves in the same situation.

According to Tink, representatives of the company came to their home after inspecting several other homes in the neighborhood and asked whether they could look at his roof. Tink agreed and learned he had damage to his home.

"They said I needed to get in touch with my insurance people to come out and look at it," said Tink, noting company officials said they wanted to be there when that happened. "We did that and the adjuster said, 'Yes you have roof damage.'"

Tink said he called multiple times but could never get the company to come back and do the roof.

The Calfees declined to give the name of the company since the issue is still under investigation.

"I just want (the roof done), but I think they should be put in jail," Bobbye said of the company that took their money.

Bill Harris, who lives across from the Calfees, said the same thing happened to him and he decided to reach out to law enforcement. Before long, a detective with the Conroe Police Department was talking to the homeowners and put them in touch with StormScamHelp.com.

"The roofer had been in the neighborhood working," Harris said of how he came in contact with the company. "It looked good and everything sounded great. I was tickled to death to get a new roof and I made the mistake and gave them money up front."

Harris, like the Calfees, was never able to get the roofer back to do the work.

StormScamHelp.com, contractor watchdog group, is making sure the Calfees and their neighbors are getting new roofs. According to Jessica Sloat, director of sales for Genesis Contractor Solutions and StormScamHelp.com, the roofing materials for the work has been donated by Georgia-based Atlas Roofing and the labor is begin provided by Cypress-based Always Great Service LLC.

"We step in and help homeowners who have been scammed by local contractors," Sloat said.

Sloat said she was contacted by Conroe PD about the issue and asked if we could help out. While Sloat didn't have statistics, she added roofing scams are among the most prevalent with homeowners.

According to InsuranceFraud.org, no single agency collects fraud statistics but the site noted fraud comprises about 10 percent of property-casualty insurance losses and loss adjustment expenses each year and property-casualty fraud equals about $32 billion each year.

Diane Peoples, marketing and communications manager with Atlas Roofing, said the effort is good for homeowners and the roofing business. "We think it is really important to help our contractor differentiate themselves in the market," Peoples said. "We want to see the reputation of the industry elevate."

As for Harris and the Calfees, they just want others to learn from their mistakes and never pay for contracting work up front. Both agree they are lucky to get the help from StormScamHelp.com.

"All this money I thought I would have to beg, borrow or steal to get a roof, I didn't have to do after all," Harris said.

For more information, visit http://www.StormScamHelp.com.

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Conroe residents get new roofs following scam - mySanAntonio.com

The Braves are coming off their worst two-season stretch in a quarter-century, but one wouldnt know from the upbeat mood around the team and the expectations among team members on the eve of spring training.

Its a still-rebuilding team that most have picked to finish fourth or fifth in the National League East, after a 95-loss season in 2015 and a 93-loss, last-place showing in 2016. However, some pundits those who paid attention to the Braves second-half progress and offseason moves think it can be among baseballs most-improved teams.

We are extremely excited for spring training, said Braves general manager John Coppolella, who, along with president of baseball operations John Hart, has steered the franchise overhaul since October 2014. We still have a long way to go, but we are getting closer and closer to where we want to be.

While most in the industry still doubt that the Braves can go from 93 losses to a postseason berth, some can at least see why Braves players and manager Brian Snitker insist theyre aiming high.

When we finished the season you could tell we werent that far off, said Snitker, who took over a 9-28 team on May 17 after Fredi Gonzalezs firing and guided it to a 59-65 record the rest of the way, including 50 wins in the final 97 games.

The Braves did what they did despite getting fewer than six innings most nights from a patchwork starting rotation in the second half. The offense was dramatically improved after the first two months, particularly following a trade for Matt Kemp and the August call-up of rookie shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Coppolella and Hart made fortifying the starting rotation a top offseason priority, and did it by signing former Cy Young Award winners Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey and trading for left-hander Jaime Garcia.

The Braves believe that trio, plus the additions of versatile veteran Sean Rodriguez and former All-Star catcher Kurt Suzuki, will help make their first season at SunTrust Park successful. They also know how important spring training can be, to build on the momentum of late last season.

Here are five things to watch as spring training gets underway, with pitchers and catchers reporting Tuesday. This is a condensed version of a complete story that appears on myAJC.com (usethis link) and in Sundays print version of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Braves moved quickly in November to sign baseballs oldest starters, Colon and Dickey, and trade for Garcia. All are innings-eaters if healthy, and Colon was an All-Star season at 43, posting a 3.43 ERA in 191 2/3 innings.

Swanson debuted in August and quickly became a fan favorite and a Rookie of the Year candidate for 2017. Hes just one of many top prospects wholl get attention from fans, media and team officials at spring training.

Ender Inciarte emerged as a strong leadoff hitter in 2016, and Kemp gave the Braves a needed presence in the cleanup spot behind Freeman. For 2017, Snitker plans at least one key change involving Swanson moving up to No. 2.

The Braves re-signed Jim Johnson to a two-year extension on the final day of the season and said he would enter spring as closer. But they also said that could change, and several hard-throwing young relievers are on the rise.

Chemistry and camaraderie

It would have been easy for the Braves, after a 9-28 start under Fredi Gonzalez, to have sleep-walked past 100 losses. That they turned it around under Snitker and were competitive for the last 3 1/2 months said plenty about Snitker and about the teams talent and leadership.

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Upbeat Braves look to build on momentum at spring training - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Adam Warren pitched in 29 games for the Chicago Cubs to help the team win the NL Central but could only look from afar when his former teammates won the franchise's first World Series title since 1908.

The 29-year-old right-hander was traded July 25 to the New York Yankees along with three minor leaguers for closer Aroldis Chapman, who played a key role as the Cubs came back from 3-1 Series deficit to defeat the Cleveland Indians.

When the Cubs won Game 7 in Cleveland, Warren was watching on television at his Tampa home and briefly pondered what the on-field celebration would have been like.

"I thought about it for a second, that'd be pretty cool to do," Warren said Thursday after a pre-spring training workout at the Yankees' minor league complex. "I'm a big believer things happen for a reason, and my wife was nine months pregnant. It seemed to work out that we were back home ready to have the baby a week after the World Series."

After dealing Chapman, New York traded reliever Andrew Miller to the Indians. Warren and Miller were teammates on the Yankees in 2015.

"Unique experience for me and my wife," Warren "It was such good baseball. I was rooting for Andrew Miller when he was in the game, and I was rooting for the Cubs because I knew all those guys. Having a little vested interest with the Cubs made it a little bit fun."

Warren was first traded to the Cubs in December 2015 as part of a deal that brought second Starlin Castro to New York. Warren appeared in 147 games for the Yankees from 2012-15 and made 29 relief appearances with them last year.

He went 3-2 with a 5.91 ERA for the Cubs.

"I wish I could have been there, I wish I could win a World Series, and hopefully we'll do that with this team," said Warren, who is competing for the final two rotation spots.

Warren and Chapman, who signed with Yankees as a free agent during the offseason, will have the opportunity to return to Wrigley Field when New York plays a three-game series there from May 5-7.

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After pitching 29 games for Cubs, Adam Warren watched World ... - Chicago Tribune

President Trump arrives back at the White House on Monday after spending the weekend in Florida. The president has struggled to get his Cabinet appointees through the Senate in part because Senate Democrats have continued to delay the process. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption

President Trump arrives back at the White House on Monday after spending the weekend in Florida. The president has struggled to get his Cabinet appointees through the Senate in part because Senate Democrats have continued to delay the process.

Updated on Feb. 10 at 1:40 p.m. ET.

If President Trump were to call a meeting of his Cabinet today, he wouldn't need a very big table. Or, he'd have to invite a bunch of Obama administration holdovers serving temporarily in acting roles.

With the Senate's confirmation this week of Betsy DeVos as education secretary, Jeff Sessions as attorney general and Tom Price to lead Health and Human Services, Trump now has just seven members of his Cabinet confirmed. By this point in 2009, President Obama had 12 Cabinet members in place and President George W. Bush had his entire 14-member Cabinet.

The Senate confirmation process has been unusually slow. According to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office, Trump has the fewest Cabinet secretaries confirmed at this point in his presidency than any other president at least since World War II.

"You can't play in the Super Bowl if you don't have your team on the field," said Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan organization that is tracking the Trump administration's progress in getting staffed up.

"They are in the Super Bowl," Stier said of the Trump administration. "They are running the most important organization on the planet, and they don't have their team on the field. They don't have their critical people in place and that's vital to being able to do their jobs appropriately."

The Trump administration would like to place the blame firmly on Democrats in the Senate.

"It would help if the Democrats weren't working overtime to unnecessarily block our very qualified nominees so that we could put leadership in place at each of the agencies," said White House principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in an email.

But that is only part of the story. Facing pressure from an activated base, Democrats have slow-walked Trump's nominees.

In remarks on the Senate floor, Democratic Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York described Trump's nominees as "a historically unqualified Cabinet."

Trump went with a number of picks who had little or no experience in the agencies they would be tasked to run. In some cases the nominees actively worked against the missions of the agencies.

Another thing that slowed down the process: Candidates for Cabinet posts are typically pre-vetted, working with the Office of Government Ethics to identify and unwind potential conflicts of interest before their names are even announced. But that didn't happen this time. Two Cabinet-level picks still haven't completed that process.

And that's only talking about the very top level.

"There are an extraordinary number of appointed positions that require Senate confirmation that the Trump administration has yet to even name somebody on," said University of Akron political science professor David B. Cohen. "I mean, we're talking about almost 700 key positions."

So far just 35 have been named, says Stier of the Partnership for Public Service.

"If they don't focus on getting great people in place that understand how to use government effectively," he says, "they won't get done what they say they want to do and they won't respond well to the crises that will inevitably come up on their watch."

But Trump is about on pace with Obama in terms of naming people for those spots, and even ahead of other previous presidents.

Stier says vacancies near the top of agencies are undesirable but certainly aren't unheard of. In 2009, he says, the Treasury Department didn't get its No. 2 official confirmed until May which he wants to make clear was a very bad thing, in the midst of the financial crisis.

A White House official tells NPR the administration is not behind in picking undersecretaries and deputies, pointing to the past two administrations where many second-tier appointments didn't happen until late February or March.

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Despite Recent Additions, Trump Cabinet Still Emptier Than Predecessors' - NPR

Holly Hines , hhines2@press-citizen.com 2:21 p.m. CT Feb. 11, 2017

Tiffin kindergarten teacher Mindy DeVries works with Addy Needham, left, and Lola Spencer in class on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017.(Photo: David Scrivner/Iowa City Press-Citizen)Buy Photo

Teachers in Tiffin said their community is welcoming and attentive to its schools.

They said the city has a small-town vibe, situated around the corner from Coralville, but not too small.

Perhaps these features drew a flock of newcomers to the cityin recent years, causing the Clear Creek Amana Community School District's enrollment to ramp up.

So, to plan for even more projected growth, including new families in North Liberty and Coralville, the district is looking at openingtwo new elementary schools and a replacement high school if voters pass two potential general obligation bond referendums in the next five years.

The first $33.8 million bond issue, which could take place in September, would also includeimprovements at Amana Elementary and a new gym at Clear Creek Elementary, among other upgrades.

Information compiled this school year by RSP and Associatesprojects the district's enrollment to increasenearly 140percent by 2021-22, risingfrom 1,361students in 2004-05to an estimated 3,207students.

In the 2010 census count, Tiffin had nearly 2,000 people, but City Administrator Doug Boldt estimates thepopulation may have hit 3,000 since.

"If were not there right now, were pretty darn close," he said, noting the city is seeing a surge of residential property growth north of Highway 6.

The referendum in September would help the district prepare for an influx of familiesin part by garnering dollars for a $21.2 million elementary school nearTiffin Elementary, which opened in 2015, said Superintendent Tim Kuehl. The new elementary school would open in 2022.

A second, roughly $90 million bond issue in 2022 would include another elementary and a new, 1,800-student high school to replace the current building, which the district could use as a replacement middle school. This would free up the middle schoolfor elementary programming and allow the district to consider a new grade configurationfor the elementary schools, Kuehl said.

He said he doesn't anticipate either bond issue would increase residents' property tax rate. Increasing property valuation would generate extra dollars for the projects, he said, although the district would also rely on an extension of the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education sales tax to fund roughly $40 million in project costs.

Kuehl said he is confident the new buildings will be needed.

All indications are that the continued growth is there," he said.

School supplies fill stack of containers at Tiffin Elementary on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017.(Photo: David Scrivner/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

This comes after voters in 2014 overwhelmingly approved a $48 million bond issue that funded Tiffin Elementary, along with additions at the middle and high schools and other renovations.

Teachers at Tiffin Elementary said they support a new elementary sooner rather than later. They said they're already seeing the effects of enrollment growth, even in the school's second year, as new students join their classes.

Kristin Greathouse worked with 20 second-grade students Thursday on reading activities. She said she supports proactive facility planning that keeps up with growing residential development.

"Our district's growing, and the need is going to be there," she said. "Certainly, within the next year or two, this building will be full."

Greathouse andteachers Mindy DeVries and Allison Ruebel said they worry aboutgrowing class sizes if a new school doesn't open soon, a situation that would reduce their one-on-one and small-group time with young students.

DeVries, a kindergarten teacher with 22 students, noted small class sizes are especially crucial in Grades K-2, whenteachers focus on intervening early to help students who might struggle academically.She said all three kindergarten teacherswelcomed multiple new students this year.

"We're definitely seeing the growth happen at this age," DeVries said.

Tiffin principal Dan Dvorak said the school's instructional capacity is about 450 students, and enrollment is already over 400. He noted the building's structural capacity is 550, but the 450 benchmark accounts for favorable class sizes.

Dvorak said without a bond issue andnew elementary, the district will reach a point when Tiffin students must travel to the district's less crowded elementaries inOxford and Amana.

At some point, we just run out of physical space to put kids," he said.

Dvorak said he supports the idea of exploring new grade configurations for elementary school and wants to study examples in other school districts to develop a plan.

In North Liberty, principal Brenda Parker said North Bend Elementary is poised to breach its capacity again next year, after just two years of crowding relief that came with Tiffin Elementary's opening.

Were expecting we will be squeezed for space again," she said.

Parker said staff might resort to holding class in theteachers' lounge and library next year. She said she supports a new elementary in Tiffin soon and thinks North Liberty might be the right spot for the next elementary.

The upcoming bond issue, if approved, would also authorize spending on a security upgrade at North Bend. The school would renovate its entrance, creating a new process for visitors, Parker said, noting the renovation will help staff track who comes and goes.

"I hope people get out to vote, and get us the space that we need, so we can continue to educate the kids the best that we can," Parker said.

ReachHolly Hinesathhines2@press-citizen.comor at 319-887-5414 and follow her on Twitter at@HollyJHines.

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Three new schools under consideration for Clear Creek Amana - Iowa City Press Citizen

Henri de Marne, About the House 12:46 a.m. ET Feb. 11, 2017

About the House(Photo: Getty Images)

Q. Dear Sir: May I start by remarking how we have enjoyed and learned from your articles over the years. My wife and I hope your new endeavors bring you much joy and maybe a bit of relaxation. Thank you for everything. Now onto our question.

In pondering some replacement windows soon, we recall some choices you have mentioned, especially companies that back their product and quality. Of course we are at a loss as to remembering your printed wisdom. We should have saved the info. We currently have mostly Air Tight windows and have been pleased, but our 2nd story garden window is in need of replacement (not an Air Tight product) and with so many companies out there we would appreciate your input. Thank you in advance. Respectfully submitted. Illinois via email

A. Thank you for your kind words. It is rewarding to know that I have been helpful over the years.

If you are satisfied with Air Tight windows, you may wish to contact them and replace the garden window with the appropriate Air Tight product. I have had no experience with these windows.

My many earlier comments on windows over the years made reference to Marvin Windows (and doors), which, over the years, I have found to be a quality brand with exceptional service and very competitive pricing.

Q. Can I use Kaboom with OxyClean on acrylic surfaces? Via email

A. Kaboom with OxyClean is recommended for use on ceramic tile, porcelain, plastic, but is not recommended for use on marble, fabric, carpet, brass or aluminum.

Acrylic surfaces are a form of plastic, so you should be OK.

Q. My home was built in 1937. My cellar has both a cement floor and cement walls. I call it a wet cellar because after a very heavy rainfall water appears on the floor of the cellar. I leave nothing on the floor and the moisture eventually leaves on its own. The fact that the furnace is down there helps.

Here is my question. My painter wants to paint the cellar floor. I might be selling the house in a year or two and he thinks that painting the floor will help the cause. I am afraid that the paint will slow down the ability of the cement floor to dry after taking in water. Should I paint the floor? If so, what kind of paint should be used? Thank you. Really like your column. Rutland via email

A. Painting the concrete floor is likely to turn into a disaster and make the sale of your house more difficult. The leakage you are experiencing would simply cause the paint to peel.

Moreover, concrete is a somewhat porous material, its porosity depending on how it was finished.

It is most likely that, in a house built in 1937, when technology was not as advanced as it is today, the concrete was poured directly on the soil without the proper stone bed and plastic vapor retarder.

Capillary attraction, not broken by stones and plastic (or XPS foam, used today as a vapor retarder), is causing moisture to travel through the concrete and evaporate in the cellar, which would cause the paint to peel.

My advice is to leave the slab alone.

The leakage after a heavy rainfall may be the result of deficiencies in grading and water disposal around your house.

Most houses suffer from flat or negative grade around the foundation. In heavy or long-lasting rainfall, and when snow melts, water percolates down to the footings and finds a way inside.

Final grade should slope gently away from the foundation to drain water away from it, and be covered with a healthy stand of grass. Flowerbeds and shrubbery are best planted a few feet away from the foundation, as they encourage water retention.

Downspouts need to discharge on splashblocks that follow the grades gentle slope. Patios, walks, driveways, etc. must slope away from the foundation as well.

If all those elements are properly done, the chance is great that leakage will be eliminated unless you are experiencing an underground spring or rising water table after a deluge.

Q. I sent you an e-mail last year about the icicles hanging from my gutter on my attached garage which is unheated. There were also icicles on the gutter near the front door and above the back door from the heated laundry room. Your reply indicated that the icicles were forming due to the heat escape from the house.

In the fall we removed the gutter guards (white plastic with screening and another layer of plastic with 3/8-inch diameter holes). We then cleaned whatever garbage was left in the gutters that the gutter guards did not filter out and left them uncovered for the winter.

Interestingly, this winter after heavy snow and below freezing temperatures here in Illinois in December, nary an icicle had formed on these gutters. It appears that the gutter guards were the problem although I dont know why. I wonder if this icicle problem occurs with any type of gutter guard.

Thought youd be interested to know what I discovered. Illinois via email

A. Icicles form when the snow cover on a roof begins to melt, either from natural causes (warming temperatures or the suns action) or from an attic in which the temperature is above freezing.

In the case of icicles forming at your unheated garage, they are the result of natural causes.

As the melting snow travels toward the eaves and meets colder surfaces, it freezes and turns into icicles. If there are gutter covers, it freezes on top of them and continues outside the gutters.

If there are no gutter covers, the gutters and the downspouts fill up and icicles will form as the subsequent water overflows.

If you havent yet seen any icicles this winter, it is either likely that the conditions have not yet been met for their formation or that the gutters are not yet full of ice. Time will tell.

Send questions via email tohenridemarne@gmavt.net or mail your questions to Henri de Marne, c/o Dennis Redmond, Burlington Free Press, 100 Bank St., Suite 7, Burlington, Vt. 05401. Henri de Marnes book, About the House, is available at http://www.upperaccess.com and in bookstores.

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It's time to find replacement windows - BurlingtonFreePress.com

Indianapolis, IN - No matter where you live or the season, theres no bigger energy user in your home than your heating and cooling system.

Todays angies list report focuses on an efficiency investment you can barely see. The best part, it save you some green every time you pay a power bill.

Angie Hicks, Angies List founder, says Installing high-efficiency windows can be a great investment but its also expensive and costs thousands of dollars. If youre looking for a more affordable option, window film is a great alternative.

Solar window film is a thin material applied to window glass. Without it, most of the solar energy that hits the glass comes right on through into your home. With the film, most of that energy stays out. How much depends on the type of film you use.

Kevin Koval, owner of SOLARIS window film company, says Window film will be a much better option in terms of improving the performance and matching the performance of a new replacement window, typically a fifth the cost of going through the replacement of those windows.

Jay Dunbar said he earned his investment in window film back in energy savings within three years and resolved an issue of uneven temperature in his house right away.

Jay Dunbar, homeowner, says First thing that we noticed, because we had it applied I think it was in late fall, we noticed that when it got cold, all of a sudden our bedroom wasnt 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house, which was very nice.

You can install window film yourself, but doing that could void your window warranty. Reputable pros will replace your warranty with their own. Theyll also install the film without bubbles, which will prevent cracks or peeling later on. Some will even let you transfer the warranty if you sell your house.

Angie Hicks says, Only a few states actually require trade licenses for window film installers, so you want to do some additional homework to see their affiliations with different trade associations and also what kind of guarantee they have behind their work.

Window film offers more than energy efficiency. It shields you from the glare of sunlight, filters out potentially dangerous ultra violet light and even helps protect your furniture from fading from prolonged exposure to the sun.

Installing film on a typical sliding glass door will cost between $300 to $500. An average double-pane window costs between $100-$150. Window experts say you can expect energy savings of five to 10 percent.

More Information:

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Using Window Film to Lower Energy Bills - IllinoisHomePage.net

QUINCY, FL (WTXL) --The community is helping a Gadsden County senior citizen live on her own by raising money to buy her a heating and cooling unit.

An online effort has been underway for about a month now to help Willie Cobbs, a 91-year-old woman from Quincy.

"She still cooks for herself, she still can drive," said Skye Christian. "She's just a very compassionate person."

Christian met Cobb last month at her home in Quincy.

"She's been blessed to live to be 91 years young, and she's outlived everybody," she said. "I just felt compelled to help her, because she doesn't have anybody else."

Christian started to raise money online. The goal is to raise $3,500 to buy and install a heating and cooling unit. She and others pitched in to get Cobb space heaters during the winter months.

"Right now, it's cold, but we had to do something that would help her long-term, where she won't be sitting in any type of extreme weather."

In Gadsden County, about 200 people take advantage of Gadsden Senior Services, but the organization admits it can't meet every need because of funding.

"There's always money needed for a match, because we're going to only receive so much through the federally funded programs," said Berta Kemp, board chair for Gadsden Senior Services.

The organization is part of a 14-county agency that is dependent on federal and community money.

"Our seniors here in Gadsden County are very important to us, and we want to make sure when it's cold, that they are kept warm -- and when it's hot, that they are cool," Kemp said.

"We don't want to have anybody left behind," Christian said, "and we want everybody to feel like we love them."

Gadsden Senior Services does offer home energy assistance for low-income senior, but they must meet certain criteria.

The Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly Program (EHEAP) is federally funded. Eligible households can get up to $600 per season. To be eligible for assistance, households must have:

- a documented healing or cooling emergency

- at least one individual age 60 or older in the home, and

- a gross household annual income equal to or less than 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines

To contribute to Christian's fundraiser for Cobb, click HERE.

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Gadsden County Senior Gets Help from Community - WTXL ABC 27

KINGSTON >> Renovations at the Andy J. Murphy III Midtown Neighborhood Center are largely completed, with final costs expected at over $1 million, city officials said.

Megan Weiss-Rowe, director of city communications and community engagement, said the city has made great progress on the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center so far ...

Weiss-Rowe said that the city is currently seeking bids to upgrade the heating and cooling system at the Broadway facility. The project cost is expected to be about $35,000, she said.

In all, including that upgrade, the cost of renovations is expected to total $1,037,450.50, Weiss-Rowe said. The Common Council has authorized spending up to $1,286,000, she said.

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The work for the cooling and heating system is expected to include a new steam valve, two temperature sensors, boiler controls, outside air temperature sensor, incorporation of controls into the existing boiler control, and new electrical wiring.

This work will provide for better control of office temperatures in the upstairs Recreation Office space, Weiss-Rowe said. Our previous work that provided for large ceiling fans in the gymnasium has helped to reduce air stratification and created a more comfortable recreational space.

In June, the Common Council and Mayor Steve Noble agreed to borrow an additional $550,000 for repairs and rehabilitation work at the center at 467 Broadway after City Engineer Ralph Swenson told them structural damage found in the 19th century building was worse than expected.

With the new funding, the city paid Ganem Contracting Corp. $646,246 to install exterior gutters on the building and fix structural damage. Ganem, based in Saratoga County, was the sole bidder for the job.

The city also paid J&J Sass Electric of Kingston $34,639 for work at the center, including the installation of new large ceiling fans. The general contractor, PCC Contracting, was paid $262,312.

Swenson has said the structural damage was discovered after repair work already had started. He has said the original plan was to repair the existing built-in gutters on the building, but that plan had to be changed.

The renovation project at the Murphy center, named for the late former city parks and recreation superintendent, began in September 2015. PCC Contracting was awarded a $508,875 contract to address exterior masonry deterioration at the building, as well as inadequate roof drainage and structural framing deterioration in the balcony end supports in the gymnasium area.

The building, which dates to 1873, initially served as an armory.

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Kingston's Midtown center rehab project cost likely to top $1 million - The Daily Freeman

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Providing quality service is their priority. With their service costing 20 to 30 percent less than that of their competitors making, they are the most sought after AC installer in Houston, TX. They have trained technicians who are certified to operate in residential and commercial areas and guarantee that the tasks they perform are beyond comparison. All their Air conditioning needs ranging from assisting their clients in buying the most appropriate product to installing it in their residential or commercial building; they exist to make their clients life easier and comfortable. They are a family business and to maintain their reputation, they hire the best and never outsource.

The Chief Executive Officer added, We are an award-winning provider of AC and heating services in Houston Heights. In the event that your residential air conditioner fails to function properly, you only need to call our professionals. They will troubleshoot the problem and fix your unit in no time. When your HVAC system in Houston, TX requires service, you can still call our experts. Our technicians will resolve all the issues and fix your residential and light commercial system within no time. We have no business subcontracting our job out to other companies. All our technicians are adequately experienced, and industry trained, and are hired after conducting a thorough background check.

Asap Air Air Conditioning and Heating delivers expert, reliable and economical AC and heating maintenance services. They are an award-winning service provider offering unmatched customer services at attractive rates in the greater Houston area. They have skilled and experienced technicians to meet all their clients needs. They will diagnose and perform the necessary repairs or replacement on their clients residential or light commercial system. The offer the best air conditioning repair services in Houston.

About Asap Air Air Conditioning and Heating

Asap Air Air Conditioning and Heating are often a call away to address issues pertaining air conditioning or heating systems installation, repair, and maintenance. Their technicians will make the necessary adjustments, replacement or repairs. They provide services for both residential and light commercial systems. They deliver the best air conditioning services in Houston.

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Asap Air A/C and Heating Providing Best AC Installation, Repair and Maintenance in Houston - Satellite PR News (press release)