Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

(Illustration by Tim Robinson)

This article was reported with support from the National Health Journalism Fellowship, a program of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Hidden amid the pleasure boats and cargo ships that roar through the canal in northwest Seattle is one of the oldest fishing economies in North America. From midsummer to October, from early morning until after dusk, fishermen from the Suquamish Tribe zoom up and down the canal in orange waterproof overalls, tending to salmon nets that dangle across the water like strings of pearls. The tribe holds reservation land about ten miles west of the city, on the far side of Puget Sound, the 100-mile-long estuary that extends from Olympia, Washington, north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Suquamish are one of more than a dozen tribes that have fishing and shellfish-harvesting rights all across this region, and their fishing traditions, which are thousands of years old, predate all of the oldest shipyard industries here.

The men unload salmon at A Dock, a section of a boatyard reserved for tribal fishing boats. This is where I find longtime fisherman Willy Pratt on a late September morning, at the back of a parking lot on a wooden platform that overlooks the gleaming luxury yachts of the adjacent marina. Pratt has fished in Puget Sound his whole life, and he is here for the peak of coho salmon migration, which pulses through the inner part of the estuary this month. Pratt has marked the nickname Coho Willy in hot pink tape on the side of the giant blue cooler he plans to fill with the fish that his nephews net that day. He holds up a photo of himself as a 6-year-old boy leaning against a boat on the beach. This is me in 1949, he says. This is my grandfathers skiff.

The sale of fish caught here contributes to basic living expenses for the fishermenand some of their catch becomes food for their extended families and circles of friends. According to one survey, the average Suquamish tribal member eats fourteen pounds of fish and shellfish every month (about as much as the average American consumes over a whole year). But this way of life is fragile next to a city like Seattle. The sounds slate blue waters hold one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America; even in the heart of the city there are multitudes of fish and shellfish, which feed resident populations of orcas, seals and sea lions and support a multimillion-dollar commercial fishing industry. But Puget Sound is in critical condition, according to a state agency that monitors ecosystem health. When I ask Pratt how water quality affects people like him, whose lives depend on fish, he narrows his eyes. What water quality? he asks, his face wizened and skeptical. Put your net in, and it comes back covered in sludge, he says. Its like cobwebs, except its brown. Its progressively been getting worse all the timelast thirty, forty years. The fishermen carry tennis rackets with them in the boats; they slap them against the nets to knock the muck offotherwise the salmon will steer clear of the grimy mesh.

* * *

Ringed by the white-capped Cascade and Olympic Mountains, Puget Sound looks pristine. But four decades after the Clean Water Act passed in 1972, regulators havent kept up with the pressures of growing populations near Americas shorelines, here or elsewhere in the country. The sound is choking with the waterborne residue of the urban existence of 4 million peopleengine oil, traces of gasoline and paint, lawn fertilizer, chemical flame retardants from furniture, lead and copper from old roofs, and other kinds of grime wash into the water every time it rainsa problem collectively known as storm-water pollution. Near the canal, the city has been scrambling to reduce spills from a century-old sewer and storm-water system that frequently overruns during stormsfifty-eight spills in 2013 and cumulatively almost 15 million gallons of raw sewage.

All of this contamination becomes part of the stew that fills Puget Sound, the water in which fish swim and shellfish grow. And the people who rely on fish are among the first to feel the impacts. Sometimes the pollution is enough to kill salmon before they can spawn and make shellfish harvests either inedible or unmarketable, putting the fishing economy at risk. Tribal commercial fishing brings tens of millions of dollars of revenue into this state, but more than one fisherman told me its becoming increasingly difficult to make a living from the declining stocks of salmon in Puget Sound. Pollution is one of the many likely reasons that some fish have low survival rates in the sound, along with the destruction of important habitats, such as wetlands. Salmon recovery is failing because habitat is being damaged and destroyed faster than it can be restored and protected, says Tony Meyer, a manager for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, a tribal natural resources agency that works on fish conservation.

Chemicals from the water also linger in the tissues of some fish, and the people who eat fish most often face risks from toxic pollution. Most species of salmon that live part time in the open ocean are considered safe for heavy consumption. But eat a local chinook salmon, which can spend most of its life cycle in the sound, or a crab, mussel, clam or any creature that spends enough of its days in Puget Sound, and you may be ingesting a bit of that toxic stew, a trace amount of contaminants. Feast on a lot of these fish and you could get a regular dose of chemicals that are tied to liver disease, cancer and neurological disorders. Tribal people may be especially at risk. So are the Latin American and Asian immigrants who frequently cast their lines into city waters and trap crabs in parts of Seattle where there are health advisories against eating shellfish. According to the Washington State Department of Health, American Indians and Alaska natives have higher rates of diseases like colorectal cancerwhich is often linked to exposure to pollutionthan the states white population. Tribal people are put at an unreasonable risk by their consumption [of fish], says Larry Dunn, an expert on tribal health who works as an environmental manager for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, on the Olympic Peninsula. People are ingesting these chemicals.

But giving up local fish is not a viable choice for any of the people who cast nets and lines, crab pots and clam-digging forks into Puget Sound. American Indians are more likely to live in poverty than most other ethnic groups. To tell them not to eat locally caught fishyoure just basically telling them not to eat protein, Dunn says. The traditional native diet in this region has always been loaded with crabs, clams, oysters and salmon. High in omega-3 fatty acids, fish is an antidote to many of the epidemic health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease, that afflict reservation communities. Tribes would eat even more fish and shellfish if they could, says Meyer.

For communities like this, fish is the most affordable, healthiest thing for dinner.

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Loving the Puget Sound to Death

Address: 340 S.W. Second St., Suite 2, Corvallis

Phone: 541-753-5660

Website:www.hendererdesignbuild.com/

Key leaders: Dave and Chuck Henderer, son and father co-owners

Number of employees: 12

What it does: Home renovation, remodeling and custom new homes building.

Why it's worth watching in 2015: Henderer Design + Build is expanding outside Corvallis.

Henderer Design + Build is adding an addition. This year, said owner Dave Henderer, the company will open Re-Bath, a national bathroom remodel store, in Eugene.

We are growing down into that market, Henderer said. Were excited about that.

Located at 315 Coburg Road, the bathroom store will make Henderer a franchisee, nor a franchiser within the bathroom remodeling company, which has more than 200 locally owned franchises worldwide.

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InBusiness: Business to watch - Henderer Design + Build

St Mary's Church, Tarrrant Hinton, receives 7,000 from Dorset Historic Churches Trust towards conservation work (L-R): Barry de Morgan, Hilary Fildes, Bishop Graham Kings, Rev. Michael Foster, Tim Smith

EXTENSIVE conservation work on a North Dorset church has been completed in time for this years Easter celebrations.

A grant awarded by Dorset Historic Churches Trust (DHCT) has helped stabilise the Eastern Sepulchre monument at St Marys church in Tarrant Hinton.

The Easter Sepulchre is located in the north wall of the Chancel and is considered unique for its carved Caen stone, architectural style and lateness of its construction.

The DHCT contributed a grant worth 7,000 to help fund the project. Similar sized grants were also given by the Erskine Muton Trust, the Churches Building Council and St Andrews Conservation Trust.

Work was carried out by Sally Strachey Historic Conservation and J.A. Coombes Ltd, including internal cleaning, stabilising and recording of the Easter Sepulchre.

The Easter Sepulchre is thought to date back to 1520 since the style of its carving is influenced by the early Renaissance.

To celebrate the completion of the project, the parish held a well-attended blessing and service of dedication.

Reverend Dr. Michael Foster of St. Marys Church, added: It was a pleasure to welcome so many visitors to the churchs dedication service. Wed like to say a big thank you to DHCT, the Erskine Muton Trust and the Churches Building Council for their generous grants and to all others who have contributed towards this project.

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Church conservation work completed in time for Easter

The Wayside Chapel on Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015, in Winger, Minn. The chapel in Melland Park was dedicated to the town in 1975. (Grand Forks Herald: Logan Werlinger)

FOSSTON, Minn. -- Members of Fosston's Athenian Club have heard a lot of comments about the Wayside Chapel since they built it 40 years ago.

"One of the ladies that got married there said, 'My tree stand is bigger than this chapel,' " club member Clara Manecke said.

Each of the chapel's four pews seat two people. Its shallow altar allows only a few people to kneel, but the limited space hasn't stopped the tiny white church from being the site of numerous services and community gatherings.

Built in the mid-1970s, the little chapel is due for some big repairs, including replacing wood rot around its windows and installing new siding. The Athenian Club, a women's service club, is raising funds to complete the work.

"It's just starting to show it's age," said Vicki Olson, the club's historian.

The group has about $3,000 in grants and donations raised, though they said they're looking for more to fund other projects, such as buying new windows for the church.

"And we're not afraid to ask," Olson said laughing.

Repairs are expected to start this spring with help from local high school students enrolled in building and trades courses at Fosston Public School. Manecke and Olson said they hope to see construction finish up before school ends.

The chapel has been an integral part of the Athenian Group's 90-year presence in the Fosston community.

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Tiny Minnesota church undergoing repair work

Kansas City, Mo.

An empty school building in midtown Kansas City, Mo., has become the subject of a heated debate between its next-door parish and the local bishop.

The building once housed St. Francis Xavier Parish's school, and parishioners had hoped to renovate it for community-enhancing programs. But Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop Robert Finn has begun working with developers to create a faith-based apartment complex targeting university students.

The developers and community members met Jan. 28 to discuss the final design, which the local City Plan Commission will vote on March 17.

The site could be a prime location for either vision. Located just west of Jesuit-run Rockhurst University and east of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the building could be demolished and replaced with an apartment building used by college students seeking a Catholic atmosphere. Providing evangelical Catholic missionaries to UMKC students was one of Finn's first initiatives since becoming bishop of the diocese in 2005.

The neighborhood and parish, however, hoped to take advantage of its location, seeing it as an opportunity to unite the east and west sides of Troost Avenue, a street considered a racial and economic dividing line in Kansas City's urban core.

In 2012, Finn and the parish agreed upon four criteria for whichever project is pursued: It must be self-sustaining, provide a parish hall for St. Francis Xavier, include a space for missionaries of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), and receive final approval from Finn.

The last condition makes many of the parishioners think their ideas don't have a chance.

"We met several times [to discuss proposals], and the bishop clearly said he was only interested in the Catholic student housing project," said parishioner Ken Spare.

Nearly two years ago, parishioners and a neighborhood group, the 49/63 Neighborhood Coalition, worked with an architectural firm, BNIM, to carry out a needs assessment of the area. The result was a 19-page plan that made several suggestions for the existing building, such as a parochial or charter school, space for adult education, a child development center, community gardens, assisted living housing, an event space, and more.

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Parishioners, bishop split on future of shuttered school building

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Associated Press) -

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency released the following partial list Monday of 2014 additions to the National Register of Historic Places:

David Hall House, Lake Villa: Designed by Chicago architect Ralph Wesley Varney, the house is an inventive melding of early 20th century revival and Art Deco styles.

Elgin Downtown Historic District: The area served as the community's first major business center, from early shops of the 19th century to department and chain stores of the 20th.

William and Helen Coffeen House, Hinsdale: The house and coach house, designed in 1899, are outstanding works by master architect George W. Maher.

Oak Park Village Hall: The hall played a key role in the village's progress toward racial integration.

Portage Park Bungalow Historic District: The area is particularly notable for its high percentage of intact brick bungalows and beautifully cohesive streetscapes.

Jesse L. Strauss Estate, Glencoe: The house and historic garage/apartment were designed in 1921 and 1924 by David Adler, a country-house architect of that period.

Polish National Alliance Headquarters, Chicago: The PNA Headquarters is a well-preserved example of an ethnic fraternal building and is important for the role it played in the social, cultural and political development of Chicago's Polish community.

Heimberger House, Springfield: Built in 1915, the Heimberger House is a good example of an Arts and Crafts double-house.

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Illinois sites joining National Register of Historic Places

Food Processing Flooring | Food Packaging Facility in Union, NJ
This project was the renovation of an old abandoned building in Union, NJ with the goal of turning it into a food packaging facility. We began by sounding out the substrate and removing any...

By: High Performance Systems Corp.

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Food Processing Flooring | Food Packaging Facility in Union, NJ - Video

This is only a guideline for reference when installing products under the brand of FERMA FLOORING. A. General Information: FERMA Luxury vinyl flooring is designed to be floated for its installation. Floating means that it should never be nailed or glued to the sub-floor. Glue-less luxury vinyl flooring is joined together by a specially designed mechanical locking system with no adhesive being required to join the planks. This installation instruction is specified for click luxury vinyl flooring by locking system (glue-less luxury vinyl flooring). Although click luxury vinyl flooring is glue-less, it is better to store the unopened cartons for approximately 48 hours in the area where the tile will be installed. The flooring should be installed in climate-controlled, indoor locations between 68F-72F and relative humidity of 35% -55% year round. The jobsite should be cleaned and cleared of other trade apparatus that may damage an installation. All sub-floor or underlayment patching must be done before installation. Even though it is installed as a floating floor, correct preparation of the sub-floor is still a major part of a successful installation. It is required that sub-floor system is free of deflection. Sub-floor variations should not exceed 1/8" in 6' (3.18 mm in 1.8 m). All high spots must be sanded or ground smooth. Fill in low spots, cracks, and depressions. Roughness or unevenness of the sub-floor may telegraph through the new flooring, resulting in an unsightly surface and excessive wear on high spots. The installation of click luxury vinyl flooring must be conducted after kitchen cabinet or counter is installed. No flooring should be installed underneath any kitchen cabinet or counter. Otherwise, it will be treated as improper installation. Click luxury vinyl flooring could be installed over existing resilient floor coverings, wood flooring, and ceramic tile (grout joints must be leveled). Do not install the flooring over carpet. Remove all carpet before proceeding with installation and examine the sub-floor underneath. Make any repairs to the sub-floor if necessary prior to installation. Some types of nails, such as common steel nails, cement coated or some resin-or rosin-coated nails, may cause a discoloration of the flooring Use only non-staining fasteners with underlayment panels. The procedure of gluing and screwing underlayment panels is not recommended. Solvent-based construction adhesives are known to stain the flooring. All responsibility for discoloration problems caused by fastener staining or the use of construction adhesive rests with the underlayment installer. All sub-floors should be checked for excessive moisture, as to not promote mold or mildew conditions under installed product. Warranty does not include coverage for damage from mold, mildew, discoloring of product from excessive alkaline, flooding, and, or otherexcessive water issues. Moisture content of wood subfloor must be less than 14%. If the flooring is installed over concrete sub-floors directly, a calcium chloride test is needed. The maximum acceptable reading is 3.0 lbs/24 hours/1000 sq. ft. The flooring use is for indoor enclosed installations only, and it is not recommended, and has no warranty for outdoor use. If a single room is large and has a length of 45 feet and a width greater than 25 feet, an addition of a tee molding expansion joints will be required. Extra caution must be exercised when transitioning from a larger area to a smaller area. Be certain to maintain adequate expansion in the doorways by using T-moldings and/or undercutting the door frames. Never install click luxury vinyl flooring in high humidity areas where the floor is usually wet (steam rooms, bathrooms, saunas). B. Wood Sub-floor Preparation: All wood floor must be suspended at least 18"above the ground. Adequate cross-ventilation must be provided, and the ground surface of a crawl space must be covered with a suitable vapor barrier. Wood sub-floor directly on concrete or installed over sleeper construction are not satisfactory for the installation. All wood and wood composition panels are suitable for use under the flooring providing that they are smooth, flat, structurally sound and free of defection, which include plywood, particleboard, oriented strand board (OSB), flake board, and wafer board. If the surface of the wood sub-floor is not smooth, a 1/4"underlayment panel should be installed over the sub-floor. C. Concrete Sub-floor Preparation: Concrete sub-floor must be dry, smooth and free from dust, solvent, paint, wax, grease, oil, asphalt sealing compounds and other extraneous materials. The surface must be hard and dense, and free from powder or flaking. New concrete slabs must be thoroughly dry (at least six weeks) and completely cured. It is an installers responsibility to determining whether the concrete is dry enough for installation. Holes, grooves, expansion joints and other depressions must be filed, and toweled smooth and feathered even with the surrounding surface. Concrete sub-floor with a radiant heating system is not satisfactory for installation. D. Installation over Existing Floor Coverings:

The flooring could also be installed over most glued down or nailed down existing hardsurface floors, provided that the existing floors surface can be made smooth and solid. The flooring cannot be installed over any existing type floating floors.

The luxury vinyl flooring is designed to be installed as a floating floor. Do not secure to the planks to the sub-floor. Always undercut all doorjambs. Use care when installing wall moldings and transition strips to not fasten through the flooring.

If a plank becomes damaged, it could be replaced.

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Installation - Luxury Vinyl Flooring (by Locking System ...

It was a bitter blow for drinkers when a Tyneside riverside real ale pub closed its doors for the last time.

But now the listed Victorian building is to be given a new life after being bought by an expanding architectural practice.

Blake Hopkinson Architects are to turn the Porthole pub on New Quay at North Shields into their own headquarters.

The architects have been based at the nearby Fish Quay since the practice was set up eight years ago, but a surge in business has seen the 12-strong team outgrow its current office.

The pub, dating from 1897, was the work of Sunderland architects W&TR Milburn, who specialised in theatre design.

The Portholes balcony reflects that influence by resembling a theatre box.

Architect Darren Blake said: The Porthole building was owned by one of our clients and after the pub closed he was looking at other uses.

We were looking for offices and it suited both purposes.

We have expanded quite rapidly with seven major schemes this year but wanted to stay on the river.

The Porthole appealed because of its character and we have stripped away modern additions to get it back to its original features, said Darren, who was project architect for the Sage headquarters building on Newcastle Great Park.

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Closed landmark North Shields pub gets new lease of life

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appoints former farm minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to the post as Nishikawa's replacement

KOYA NISHIKAWA. Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA

TOKYO, Japan Japan's farm minister resigned on Monday after being accused of accepting illegal political funds, in a first blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new cabinet.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Koya Nishikawa submitted a letter of resignation to Abe, which was accepted.

"Minister Nishikawa's intention is firm. As he said, parliamentary time, which should be used for policy deliberation, should not be wasted on his particular problems," Abe told reporters.

Abe added he had appointed former farm minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to the post as Nishikawa's replacement.

Nishikawa has admitted receiving a one million yen ($8,400) donation from a company run by a sugar manufacturers' group months after the farm ministry decided to grant a 1.3 billion yen subsidy to the group.

The donation has been seen as particularly controversial as sugar is one of the items being hardest fought over in negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal that includes the United States and Japan.

Nishikawa is also accused of taking a similar donation from a timber processing firm after it received a government subsidy.

It is the first resignation of a minister from Abe's newly-appointed cabinet, which took office in December.

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Japan farm minister resigns over money scandal