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A scaled-back office building proposed for the rear of Allentown's Butz Corporate Center received narrow approval Tuesday from the Allentown Planning Commission despite objections from several neighbors.

The $15 million proposal, which now calls for a seven-story building with one floor of parking, was originally proposed as the sales headquarters for technology firm United Fiber & Data, a York-based company constructing a $200 million fiber-optics network that would stretch from New York to Virginia.

United Fiber is now considered a "potential" tenant, said Eric Butz, the building's architect and part owner of EPC Allentown, the property's developer.

Developers also have nixed plans to put three floors of upscale condominiums in the structure, which was originally slated to also have three floors of parking. As proposed, the building will now be entirely office space, save the parking on the first floor.

The cuts were made after the Butz Corp. conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the structure, Butz said.

United Fiber, a company backed financially by three members of the York rock band Live, was initially proposed as the building's primary tenant. Members of the band and company CEO Bill Hynes joined members of the Butz family and Mayor Ed Pawlowski in May 2013 to unveil plans for the building, which was to house 100 employees of the company.

United Fiber is currently a tenant of the existing Butz Corporate Center at 840 Hamilton St., Butz said. Whether United Fiber moves to the new building depends on its interest and what kind of space the company needs, Butz said.

"There's a lot of juggling to be done," he said.

Construction, which was originally slated to begin in 2014, could now begin by March 2015, Butz said. It will take about a year to build, officials said.

Neighbors of the Butz property had numerous concerns about the impact of construction in the area and traffic flow if the projects gets built.

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Allentown planners approve scaled-back Butz building plans

BRISTOL A developer wants to buy two shuttered elementary schools and convert them to apartments for senior citizens, but Bristol Hospital is asking for one of the properties as the site for a medical office building.

Residents will get to give their opinions at a hearing Wednesday on what Bristol should do with the O'Connell and Bingham buildings. The city council ultimately will decide whether to go with one of the proposals or look for different alternatives.

Bristol Hospital is asking the city to give it the 98-year-old Bingham School on Route 6. Hospital officials propose razing the three-story building and building up to 60,000 square feet of medical office space in phases. The hospital estimates that the total construction cost would be $21 million to $27 million.

The hospital, which is on the verge of being acquired by the private Tenet Healthcare Corp., is asking the city to provide the property without charge. It has said it would want up to 18 months to determine whether to go ahead with construction of the new complex, which would provide medical office space on the edge of downtown and within a short drive of Plymouth.

Bristol Hospital's proposal doesn't include the O'Connell School in the West End.

The Litchfield-based Park Lane Group is asking to buy both schools for the combined price of $219,000. The company said it would seek state and federal historic register status for them, and plans to renovate both into housing for seniors. Park Lane said that it could create about 70 apartments in total, and that it would be agreeable to providing the gyms in one or both buildings as community facilities.

Park Lane has been campaigning to get supporters of its plan to Wednesday's hearing. Ted Lazarus, head of the company, said in a statement Tuesday that preservation of the historic schools is important.

"Both buildings are very important elements of Bristol's architectural legacy," he said. "Why demolish a building which can be restored and again made useful in a new role as senior housing?"

The city wants to dispose of both properties to reduce maintenance costs and the risk of deterioration. Both were closed as schools within the past three years, along with Memorial Boulevard Middle School and the Jennings School; the city has not decided what to do with either of those other properties.

A study for the city by AMS Consulting concluded that Bingham's value is theoretically more than $900,000, with about $526,000 of that attributed to the land. But the actual market value would be far less, the company reported.

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Bristol To Hear Suggestions For O'Connell, Bingham Buildings

Hammers are flying in the city of Dauphin at a record-breaking pace.

According to that citys economic development office, building permits have reached an all-time high in 2014 after rising steadily for the past four years.

In total so far this year, local building permits with a value of more than $8.2 million have been issued, and more than another $14 million have been issued locally by the Department of Labour for larger buildings.

The $22.3-million total is the highest ever for Dauphin.

City council and our economic development office have been working hard to provide a competitive and supportive environment for our citys growth, said Dauphin Mayor Eric Irwin. A 15 per cent tax decrease over the past three years, infrastructure improvements and housing incentive programs have all helped to boost growth.

Several substantial projects are credited with contributing to the record-breaking number, including major increases in housing development and new commercial construction projects.

Some of the notable commercial construction started recently in Dauphin have been the Consumers Co-op food store, Mr. Mikes restaurant franchise, CKDM radio station and the return of Boston Pizza.

Brandon Sun

Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition December 10, 2014

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Dauphin building permits set record

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) December 09, 2014

GreenPal, described as Uber for Lawn Mowing, is pleased to announce we are giving away an entire years lawn mowing for free to a needy person in the Tampa Bay region this Christmas.

We recently launched in the Tampa Bay market this past fall and we wanted to find a way to give back. The idea for the giveaway was inspired by one our vendor partners offering to mow a customers lawn for free who was over-extended, fined by the city of Tampa for tall grass, and couldnt pay for lawn mowing Bryan Clayton CEO

Individuals can be nominated for consideration by visiting the following URL and submitting their details for them self or behalf on someone else in need.

GreenPal is lawn care in Tampa, FL made easy. Described as Uber for lawn cutting, homeowners can order lawn mowing online, get 5 free bids, and schedule and pay for lawn mowing online form local lawn services in the Tampa Bay area.

No credit card is required to use GreenPal, and signup takes less than 30 seconds.

History:

Established in 2012.

GreenPal was founded in 2012 by landscaping industry veterans wanting to solve the problems in the lawn service industry. Why is it so hard to find a good reliable lawn care service?

GreenPal's website and mobile app solve these problems for the homeowner and really help the lawn service provider.

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GreenPal is Giving the Gift of a Years Lawn Care to a Needy Person in Tampa Bay this Christmas

Local market update

Courtesy photo The Reed Building in downtown Grand Junction was given a complete renovation in 2006 to create several downtown condos, including this one, which has three bedrooms and five bathrooms in more than 4,000 square feet of living space. It also has a one-car garage space and an outside rooftop patio. Harry Hotimsky with 1st Choice Realty is listing the property for $995,000.

Staff

Courtesy photo The Reed Building in downtown Grand Junction was given a complete renovation in 2006 to create several downtown condos, including this one, which has three bedrooms and five bathrooms in more than 4,000 square feet of living space. It also has a one-car garage space and an outside rooftop patio. Harry Hotimsky with 1st Choice Realty is listing the property for $995,000.

photo credit: Melissa Gilmore This townhome is in Treehaven, a townhome development that was built in 2006. It has two bedrooms and two baths in 1,250 square feet, with an oversized one-car garage. Anne Connolly with RE/MAX 4000 is listing the property for $228,000.

Staff

photo credit: Melissa Gilmore This townhome is in Treehaven, a townhome development that was built in 2006. It has two bedrooms and two baths in 1,250 square feet, with an oversized one-car garage. Anne Connolly with RE/MAX 4000 is listing the property for $228,000.

Although sales were a little slower in 2014 at Brookwillow, broker Christi Reece anticipates that these eight units currently under construction will sell well in 2015. The townhomes have about 1,500 square feet, with three bedrooms and two baths and a one-car garage. Theyre also Energy Star-rated, which will help homeowners with utility bills. Prices start at $144,900.

Staff

Although sales were a little slower in 2014 at Brookwillow, broker Christi Reece anticipates that these eight units currently under construction will sell well in 2015. The townhomes have about 1,500 square feet, with three bedrooms and two baths and a one-car garage. Theyre also Energy Star-rated, which will help homeowners with utility bills. Prices start at $144,900.

Originally posted here:
Multiple prices ranges in available townhome and condo developments

Log yard expansion to begin in January

Eastland Group chief executive Matt Todd announced today that construction work to expand Eastland Ports upper log yard by 1.3 hectares will begin in January 2015.

Mr Todd says the $12 million contract has been awarded to Downer and activity is already underway to prepare the port for the expected six months of construction ahead.

The multimillion dollar project will take the upper log yards footprint from 2.2 to 3.5 hectares, improving operations significantly for forestry customers, and taking the total log storage area on port to 12.2 hectares.

The changes will also improve aesthetics for nearby residents, and reduce potential issues such as noise and dust.

A four metre by six metre earth wall will be built around the perimeter of the site and planted with natives. Weve had extensive consultation with landscape architects to ensure anything planted is what Captain James Cook and Joseph Banks would have seen on Titirangi Hill when they sailed into the bay. An internal fence will be entirely screened by the thousands of trees we plant, says Mr Todd.

The upper log yard expansion project is part of Eastland Groups ten-year development plan and is one of the companys biggest investments since it bought the port. Log export volumes have grown from 350,000 tonnes in 2005 to 2.3 million tonnes in 2014.

Log export volumes have been maximised under the ports current footprint and configuration, and forestry is an industry that continues to grow, providing opportunity and employment for our whole region. Right now, we have 95,000 tonne storage capacity on site. The expansion of the upper log yard will allow for an extra 15,000 tonnes.

The flow-on effects are substantial. Forestry companies will require more workers, the port will need to increase its staff, and trucking companies will need more drivers generally speaking, for every new job in the forestry industry three other jobs are created in the local economy.

Eastland Port Manager, Andrew Gaddum, says Downer will start work as soon as possible to make the most of the summer months.

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Log yard expansion to begin in January

Earlier this year, a 10-year-old boy was collecting scrap metal in Bosnia when he stepped on a land mine, which killed him instantly. The mine was planted during a war of which the boy had no memory. Days later, a man met a similar fate only a few miles away. He had left home to gather firewood.

Land mines and other unexploded ordnance continue to endanger civilians in more than 60 countries. Decades after soldiers have laid down their weapons and leaders have made peace, these grim legacies of war kill and maim local populations.

For more than two decades, the United States has been at the forefront of international efforts to remove these deadly devices and to address the humanitarian effects that these weapons can have on civilian populations.

Today, I released the annual To Walk the Earth in Safety Report, which powerfully chronicles the progress we have made in clearing land mines from both battlefields and backyards.

Billions in U.S. Aid

Since 1993, the U.S. has provided more than $2.3 billion in assistance in over 90 countries for conventional weapons destruction programs. Thanks to strong bipartisan support in Congress, these funds provide the expertise and equipment to safely clear land mines and other unexploded ordnance. They also provide medication, rehabilitation and vocational training for those injured by these deadly weapons.

For example, we helped clear former minefields so that preschools might be built in Sri Lanka. In Vietnam, onetime battlegrounds have been transformed into busycommercial sectors. Children were once tethered to trees so they would not wander into killing fields in Angola. Today, large areas of the countryside have been made safe. And when flooding unearthed old mines in Serbia this year, the U.S. Quick Reaction Force deployed to contain the threat.

Our efforts to address the humanitarian impacts of land mines extend to our own weapons stockpiles.

In 1994, President Clinton pledged that we would work toward the eventual eliminationof antipersonnel land mines. President George W. Bush restricted the use of land mines to only those with self-destruct or self-deactivation features. In September, President Obama brought us one step closer to the goal of a world free from anti-personnel land mines when he announced that we will no longer use them outside of the unique circumstances of the Korean Peninsula.

U.S. Plans to end Use

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Press Releases: Clear Land Mines Off the Earth

How to be a Succsessfull Interior Designer
Saya membuat video ini dengan Editor Video YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/editor)

By: In Design

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How to be a Succsessfull Interior Designer - Video

Seattle startup Porch.com keeps hammering away at the home-improvement market. Todayits announcinga new appthat will enable people to order home-improvement services with a few taps ontheir phone.

The app lets people search forhome-improvementservice providers onApple mobile devices, extending the Porch web site. But the apps key feature isaconcierge service that will directly connect homeowners with contractors to arrange projects, with a pledge to geta contractor on the phone in less than 60 seconds.

Porch image of its apps concierge screen.

Matchmaking is coordinated by Porch representatives providing live customer service during each session. The concierge service has been tested in recent months with thecontractor referral service that Porch offersnationally through Lowes stores.

Contractorsget a heads-up about the project request throughCaller ID on their mobile phones, indicating that a Porch referral isavailable, or via text message.

A more advanced version of the Porch app that offers instant contractor booking, all via the app,is also launching in trial mode in the Seattle area.

That is taking the next step to making home improvement easy, really frictionless, for homeowners, said Matt Ehrlichman, Porch chief executive.

Ehrlichman said the general idea is to make Porch like Uber for home.

To enable instant booking, Porch screens a roster of service providers and pre-negotiates prices fora fixed set of smaller home-improvement projects, such as hanging a picture, installing a garbage-disposal or wiring a light fixture. More complicated projects such as building a deck or replacing a roof still require research and an old fashioned conversation.

This aspect is similar to the service provided by cross-town rival Pro.com, a home-improvement venture started by Amazon.com veterans. Pro.coms pitch is that it offers instant estimates tailored for local market conditions, with online scheduling available so far in the Seattle area.

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With new app, Porch.com adds on-demand home improvement | Brier Dudley

BeON Home Launches Kickstarter Campaign to Support Stress-Free Home Security
BeON Home Launches Kickstarter Campaign to Support Stress-Free Home Security Through Proactive Prevention.

By: BusinessWire

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BeON Home Launches Kickstarter Campaign to Support Stress-Free Home Security - Video