Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Waldwick A planning consultant for the proposed assisted living facility on Wyckoff Avenue testified Dec. 17 that the facility is "an inherently beneficial use" of the 3.5-acre site and that six of eight conditions that qualify it for approval as a "conditional use" have been met.

Michael Kauker of Wyckoffs Kauker& Kauker said the proposed 85-unit, 100-bed assisted living facility is a permitted conditional use in the R-1 single-family residential zone. He said under the states Municipal Land Use Law , assisted living facilities "are universally considered a value to the community."

Formation-Shelbourne is proposing to build the facility north of Wyckoff Avenue and west of Walgreen's. The facility, to be known as Solana of Waldwick, would require the demolition of houses at 237, 239, 241, and 247 Wyckoff Ave. As proposed in May, the facility would require four variances and a minor subdivision. Approximately 40 residents attended the hearing.

Kauker said the facilitys parking on its east and west sides which require a variance because only rear parking is permitted and its need for an "emergency access" driveway were exceptions to "conditional use" guidelines.

Kauker said the site is "unique" as it provides more than triple the minimum square footage required for such a facility, is designed for easy access and its sloping topography helps the facility blend into the landscape.

"No one should bend over backward to screen this from anyones view," he said.

Kaukers testimony will continue at the next hearing Jan. 28.

Landscaping

Landscape architect James Langenstein returned to answer additional questions about landscaping. He said that Waldwick "has no criteria in its ordinances" to mandate the size and quantity of trees to replace ones cut down. He said of 305 trees on site, 202 would be cut down due to their "questionable" quality, including overly pruned, misshapen and dead branches.

Langenstein said some trees were growing on steep slopes and others were "poor quality and poorly maintained" and required removal. He said that Formation-Shelbourne would replace removed trees on a 1:1 basis. He told zoning board chair Patrick Hunter that the developer "will work with you" on putting in new trees as large as possible given site constraints to help screen adjacent homeowners views of the facility.

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Expert: Assisted living facility inherently beneficial

For now at least, ESA has lost contact with Philae after it bounced, rolled and ended up in a location where its solar panels could not be re-charged by the suns rays.

But the Rosetta is still orbiting Comet 67P from just a few miles away, allowing scientists unprecedented views of the celestial object.

Data already sent back to the ESA mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, indicates that ice in Comet 67P has a significantly different composition to the water in Earth's oceans. This may mean that comets were not, as some have previously thought, the origin of life on this planet.

By February, ESA hopes that the Rosetta will be able to reach just four miles from the surface. The spacecraft is scheduled to continue to accompany the comet as it makes its closest approach to the Sun in 2015 August before the probe burns up.

Scientists hope that the dishwasher-sized Philae may come back to life in when the sunlight intensifies as the comet nears the Sun.

It is now believed that after the Philaes landing equipment did not function as planned on its initial touchdown, the lander may have bounced up hundreds of yard because of the comets low gravitational field. It then came to rest again after two hours back in space.

The Rosetta travelled three billion miles over 10 years to reach the comet, which is moving at 34,000mph.

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Rosetta images show soaring 1km comet cliff

Brevard County, Florida (PRWEB) December 23, 2014

Specializing in saving precious water resources in Florida by finding and repairing water leaks for many years, the Aquaman Leak Detection company serves customers with conservation in mind. An expansion effort across the state of Florida brings the Aquaman leak Detection patented technology into Monroe County as the eighth currently being serviced by the Company.

Owner/operator of Aquaman Leak Detection, Lowell Ball, grew up surfing, fishing, and diving in the waters of Florida. An avid sportsman enjoying Florida's natural resources, his appreciation for the ecosystem and rich resources are a way of life.

Working in the pool retail and service industries in Brevard County for over 15 years, Lowell noticed early on that many pool owners ask questions about changes in their pool water levels and wonder how to tell if they have a leak.

According to the California Urban Water Conservation Council's website and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an average of one in every twenty pools in America has a leak at any given time - and the water loss from each leak is significant.

Personally shocked by the findings, Lowell became more interested in what appeared to be a huge waste of natural resources and an extra cost to pool owners each month.

"Customers were shocked when I told them that an average pool experiencing just one fourth of an inch loss in water a day was wasting 80 to 100 gallons of fresh water each day", states Ball.

Ball began telling his customers about a simple bucket test that could be used to identify the difference between natural evaporation and a swimming pool leak. If a pool or spa leak was present he then referred his customers to a plumber or conventional pool company employee to get their swimming pool leak repair handled.

Many customers reported their pool decks and property being torn up in the process of looking for the leaks. Fear of property damage, excessive costs, stress, and the time involved for pool owners to find and repair a pool leak were being reported as leading reasons pool owners would allow known leaks to continue, wasting valuable resources.

Looking for a better way, Ball began finding and repairing the leaks himself. Driven by a passion for the conservation of the water and the desire to maintain his trusted relationships with customers, after years of hands-on experience servicing pools,detecting leaks, and fine-tuning his trade, he created a technological solution to the problem.

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Swimming Pool Leak Repair Co, Aquaman Leak Detection, Expands Into Eight Florida Counties With Unique Patented ...

By SARAH WEBBSept. 21, 2008, 12:30 p.m.

QUEENSTOWN'S degraded landscape could help it qualify as a rare tourism gem worthy of international status. Italian expat and foreign affairs journalist Mario Rimini believes the region's ...

QUEENSTOWN'S degraded landscape could help it qualify as a rare tourism gem worthy of international status. Italian expat and foreign affairs journalist Mario Rimini believes the region's mining industry would be a major player to help gain Geopark listing - which essentially means a global rank based on cultural assets. While only one other Australian domain has gained the Geopark gong, he felt Queenstown's proximity to West Coast wonders and raw beauty made it worthy. "It's colonised wilderness," he said. "All this area around Queenstown altogether has incredible value." Mr Rimini discovered the area while studying an environmental politics PhD at the University of NSW. He said contrary to popular belief, it was the true gateway to the West and a well-preserved historic town. "Queenstown is really second to none in terms of potential." He felt the region would require a long-term sustainable alternative to mining, which sooner or later would end. Mr Rimini nevertheless assured that if the community and council could pool together to gain the Geopark, the mining industry would not be affected. "It would be actually an integral part of the heritage of the Geopark. "Things like stealing of minerals or removal of geological heritage would not be possible obviously, but a regulated and official mining activity is not incompatible with the Geopark status. "And it would benefit itself in terms of public relations and image from the Geopark, given that a controversial legacy like the moonscape would be transformed from a loathed disaster to a cultural heritage object," he said. Mr Rimini felt the community should expect an active involvement of the mining industry in the project, including, where possible, financially. Among the requirements for a Geopark he said there must be some kind of structure in place when submitting the nomination, a project that would benefit the community and plans for sustainable tourism in it. West Coast Mayor Darryl Gerrity is yet to hear solid plans to push the Geopark but said Queenstown's unique qualities provided great possibilities. "But it's a worthwhile concept," he said. Cr Gerrity said the project would need to discussed in depth, and possibly look at forums to explain the idea and review the pros and cons of Geopark status.

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Raw beauty a drawcard

Joe Chaisson: Savin Hill activist has long history of opposing billboard proliferation along the expressway. Photo by Bill ForryOver the next month, a handful of Dorchesters civic associations will take up the issue of billboards in their neighborhoods. Should they vote to disavow them or should they begin conversations to allow some to be erected?

The city has recently been hit with a flurry of new applications for billboards and last Wednesday night there was a summit meeting at the Savin Hill Apartments of the heads of the Columbia-Savin Hill, Neponset, Clam Point, and Port Norfolk civic associations where they assessed the proposals in an effort to decide whether or not to create a unified front against any new boards.

When we heard about this electronic billboard, it just set off all kinds of alarms, said Jeanne Doherty of the Columbia Savin Hill group, referring to a recent application to install one on the NSTAR land on Dewar Street in Savin Hill, a prime location along the southeast expressway. The proposal comes with stringent zoning restrictions. Columbia-Savin Hill will vote on the application at Januarys meeting.

Another concern is the style of the billboards static or electronic? as companies race to stake claims to erect highly lucrative digital boards along the interstate.

City Councillor Frank Baker indicated he would follow the lead of the civic associations, but added that he had no interest in digital boards: I asked the mayors office to defer any applications until the community gets together, a position endorsed by state Rep. Dan Hunt, who was at the meeting, and by a representative from state Sen. Linda Dorcena Forrys office.

Baker said he was interested in working out an agreement that could potentially bring one new board into a prime location in exchange for 15 or 20 to be taken off main local thoroughfares like Dorchester Avenue or near the Neponset River. With all the development on Dot Ave., this would go a long way to clean it up, he said.

Joe Chiasson of Columbia Savin Hill began the meeting with a history of Dorchesters reluctance to allow the billboards along the Southeast Expressway and the neighborhoods main drags. As a result of his civic work in the 80s, companies looking to put up billboards had to fight to get okays from civic associations before going before the Zoning Board of Appeals. Chiasson told the group that folks in City Hall would call it Joes Law.

He noted that the late Mayor Tom Menino was always anti-billboard. The only new board, Chiasson said, was the one behind the school depository on NSTAR land. But every time that board has come up before Savin Hill civic, the civic groups have come together to vote no. The land just sits there and I hope it stays that way.

In light of the flurry of new applications for billboards under a new administration, Chiasson said, the time was right to bring the civics together just like old times.

The respective civic associations will decide at their January meetings if they want to reject all billboard applications, or take things on a case-by-case basis.

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Civic leaders look to renew coalition on billboard issues

By Katie Lazor

Boulder County Farmers' Markets

BookCliff wines are made from 100 percent Colorado grapes, grown sustainably near Palisade. (Katie Lazor / Courtesy photo)

Barrels in BookCliff Winery in Boulder. (Katie Lazor / Courtesy photo)

On my list this week: Colorado wine. Here's a little-known fact about Colorado: More than 50 vineyards can be found across its landscape, with two-thirds of the acreage concentrated in Palisade alone.

Where to find it: Head to North Boulder Thursday through Sunday for a wine tasting at the charming BookCliff Vineyards Winery or Settembre Cellars, conveniently located a grape's throw away, with Augustina's Winery just down Broadway. If you can't make it directly to the source or you'd like to taste a different local flavor, ask just about any wine or liquor store to see their Colorado selection. You'll find other local producers such as Jack Rabbit Hill (made with organic Colorado grapes), Blue Mountain Vineyards, St. Vrain Vineyards, White Water Hill Vineyards and many others. Also check out Modena a new wine caf in downtown Longmont with 12 Colorado wines on its list.

A grape-growing story: Two engineers, Ulla Merz and John Garlich, bought 10 acres of peach orchard in Palisade Colorado's fruit-growing capital in 1995, and BookCliff Vineyards was born. BookCliff is one of Boulder Farmers' Markets' longtime vendors, just finishing its 14th year.

Over the years, the vineyards have expanded to 37 acres on four separate properties. Merz and Garlich are not just passionate about grape-growing and winemaking; they also are good stewards of their land.

They practice sustainable operations by using compost instead of chemical fertilizer, refraining from pesticides and herbicides, and growing grass between rows to keep a natural habitat for insects. The season starts for the BookCliff team in February with the pre-pruning of plants. Fine pruning continues into April, as well. Buds push out in early May, and after flowering, the clusters are counted for a crop estimation. Months are spent watering, repositioning shoots for optimal sunlight, thinning the fruit as needed, netting for bird protection and caring for the plants. Grape harvest starts in September and typically finishes in late October.

The winemaker says: "From the start, it was important to us to be in control of the source of the grapes, as the quality of the grapes determines the quality of the wine," Merz says. 'We proudly produce wine from 100 percent Colorado-grown grapes. In a regular year, we sell 40 to 50 percent of our grape harvest to other Colorado wineries."

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Winter Locavore in Boulder

If you hear the tinkling of chimes and see a shimmer on boughs of green near the top of Waterworks Hill, walk a little closer.

Go ahead. George Ybarra, a metal sculptor who does much outdoor installation work, wants you to share in the festivities, the joy of the mountain.

"For this particular Christmas tree, I just again wanted to share in the season of the holidays and be able to give something back to the hikers and people who frequent the North Hills because the trail systems up there are so amazing," Ybarra said.

On Tuesday, he and his little girl, Zora, 10, added some more ornaments to the tree, one Ybarra had selected for the occasion. The small, round pine is a little ways off the trail, but it's not so far away it melts into the landscape.

It's the second year Ybarra has decorated a tree, but the Northside resident and artist has been walking up Waterworks ever since the peace sign was painted on a telephone relay tower on the hill. In 2001, the sign came down, but its footings are still in place on the way to the summit, and Ybarra saw an opportunity in the gap.

"After they took down the peace sign, I was kind of inspired about having these kind of art objects up in the North Hills," he said.

At first, he bolted art to fence posts, and then last year he decided to decorate a Christmas tree. He selected the one at the top of the Orange Street switchbacks, and he and Zora twisted aluminum into metal spirals for ornaments.

"It was real fun for her to work with me on that project 'cause I always like to do a craft project over the holidays," Ybarra said.

A group of ladies who walk Waterworks liked the tree, and they brought up ornaments and added to the display, too. Soon after Jan. 1, Ybarra cleared out the ornaments, and the Christmas tree returned to its simple, unadulterated glory.

A few months later, Ybarra began planning for this year's tree. For at least six months, he and Zora collected the lids from olive cans to use as decorations.

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Metal sculptor decorates North Hills tree for Christmas

Red Leaf Mulching Land Clearing: Saw
Cutting limbs that scratch equipment. Gain more usable acres with this 3 blade saw.

By: Shawn R

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Red Leaf Mulching & Land Clearing: Saw - Video

This tool can be really intimidating
One of the many Bulldozers in the Dean land Clearing, Logging Dirt Work, Earth Moving and Demolition arsenal... The rumors are true, we #39;re really good at what we do, but it #39;s not something...

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This tool can be really intimidating - Video

Land clearing 1
Land clearing.

By: cearl1975

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Land clearing 1 - Video