Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

School curriculum is exciting when it teaches students how to program a computer that will machine high precision parts, instructs students in the fine art of creating a banquet menu for one hundred people, install solar panels or replace the computerized braking system on an automobile. And yet, the value of these learning experiences continues to be questioned as equally rigorous when compared to traditional curriculum. This debate has raged across our nation ever since our federal government began funding Career and Technical Education (CTE) in 1917. However, one thing is changing. The debate is receiving greater attention as our global economy is shifting to require a highly skilled workforce capable of executing technical skills in problem based work settings. This conversation has landed at the doorstep of our leaders in Albany, and Albany is listening.

People generally come down on either side of this debate. Listen to the conversations at family graduation parties or discussions around the office water cooler as parents talk about the high school and post-secondary academic track of their children. Then watch the body language change when one parent proudly describes the technical certificate their daughter just earned in heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Perhaps some simple facts may help get the conversation back on track and make direct eye contact at the water cooler a little easier:

We are a nation that continues to want the shiny and wonderful new things being developed but do not have the people to build them, work on them, and fix them and if we do not find them pretty quick the American economy will be in real trouble. (James Brady, Secretary of Maryland Dept. of Business & Economic Development, View From Government, 2001)

Thinking and problem solving is the work of the future no matter what educational environment you develop these skills in. Applied learning environments do it the best. (NAVE Report, June 2004)

In New York, if current trends continue, the state will have a deficit of 350,000 employees by 2020 for mid-level technical skills jobs, which are considered to be those requiring more than a high school diploma but, less than a four-year college or university degree. (Chmura Economics and Analysis, 2013)

Only 12 percent of New York high school students concentrate in a Career & Technical Education field (OECD 2008, Education at a Glance, 2008), yet more than 50 percent of current high skilled jobs require these skills.

Thirty-seven percent of Americas three million annual high school graduates go directly to work after receiving their diplomas; most are not prepared with any technical skills. (NAVE Report, June 2004)

According to the National Association of Manufacturers, Despite high unemployment, 600,000 jobs in advanced manufacturing remain unfilled because of a lack of skilled talent, (2014)

The USA ranks well behind a majority of European nations in preparing youth for employment after formal education. (OMabony and De Bair, 2002)

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Speck: 'My daughter, the HVAC technician' why the new graduation pathways model is so important

Designed and built in just 21 months, a new building on the campus of the South Beach Psychiatric Center will open in the coming months after it was wiped out in Hurricane Sandy. The new structure is designed to withstand even the most ferocious storm. NY1s Amanda Farinacci filed the following report.

The surveillance video above captured water bursting through the basement of the South Beach Psychiatric Center moments before Hurricane Sandy hit.

The water moved with such force that it broke through two doors held shut with dead-bolt locks. The fast-moving flood rose more than 12 feet before it soaked the camera and ended the recording.

"It was devastating. I didn't think that we were going to recover from it, said Robert Giammarino of the center.

More than 300 clients living at the center were evacuated before the storm hit.

When workers returned to survey the damage the next day, they discovered its electrical, heating and cooling systems were destroyed.

It took three weeks to do enough repairs to make the campus resident-ready again, using makeshift kitchens and backup generators.

But now, two years after the storm, the state office of mental health is showing off a new, stronger, more resilient facilities space, called the central services building, or CSB.

Its first floor is 20 feet above sea level, the second, 35 feet.

"You have the boilers, the chillers, the electrical gear, the generators, all that critical infrastructure that was immobilized by the storm, sitting 35 feet above sea level within the confines of the building here. So it really is what's going to allow us to continue to face these storms, said Ed Killeen of the New York State Office of Mental Health.

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Sandy-Destroyed South Beach Psychiatric Center Close to Opening New, Stronger Facility

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Bathroom Design Ft. Lauderdale, Kitchen Remodeling Ft. Lauderdale, Kitchen Design Ft. Lauderdale - Video

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DIMENSIONS DESIGN CENTER http://dimensionsdesigncenter.com/ http://www.dimensionsdesigncenter.com/ 12330 SW 53rd Street, Cooper City FL 33330 Suite 704 | 954-533-44...

By: FRANK CORREL

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Kitchen Renovation Weston, Custom Kitchens Weston, Kitchen Remodeling Weston - Video

By Wendy A. Jordan October 30 at 10:14 AM

Jennifer Villani and her husband, Nick, searched extensively before finding the 1941 Bethesda house that fit their budget and had the potential to meet their remodeling vision. Once they bought the house, Jennifer Villani took the lead on finding the right company to make that vision a reality.

The project they proposed in 2013 was far from simple: They wanted a new kitchen and bathroom on the first floor; renovated bedrooms and bathrooms on the second floor; and a two-story addition with a family room below and a bedroom above.

Nationally, renovations are on the upswing. The National Association of Home Builders Remodeling Market Index based on a survey of remodelers has risen steadily over the past six quarters to an all-time high of 57 this quarter. Anything over 50 shows that remodelers are reporting activity including requests for bids, work assignments for the next three months and backlogs that is higher than in the previous quarter.

But watch any home renovation show and you will quickly see all that can go wrong with a remodeling job: conflicts with contractors, disagreements between spouses on preferences, and termites, mold, faulty wiring or other hidden problems that can send costs spiraling well beyond the budget.

After choosing a contractor and enduring several months of living in a construction zone, Villani and her family settled into their remodeled home in February. She says she has no regrets about either the renovations or the remodeler. The company did a good job, she says, and it stuck to the budget and stayed on schedule except for changes resulting from new decisions that Villani made along the way.

Renovations can be daunting, traumatic and heartbreaking. But like Villani, homeowners can have a relatively drama-free experience and a happy ending.

The right research, planning and preparation on the front end are essential. Heres how she did it:

Design-build or construction firm?

The first step in Villanis decision-making process: researching the types of companies that remodel homes. They are almost as varied as the projects themselves and the homeowners who want work done. Variations are based on project size and scope, the complexity of design and construction, the homeowners budget, the price range of the products that homeowners have in mind, the services the homeowners want and when the project needs to be completed.

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What to look for when picking a home renovation company

For years during and after the recession, nobody wanted to talk about building another office tower in uptown Charlotte.

Too risky, the developers said. Recession-scarred banks were barely lending money to build houses, much less to construct multi-million dollar skyscrapers.

But today, multiple tower projects are battling for tenants. Spectrum Properties and Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers are perhaps the furthest along in the development pipeline. Theyre slated to break ground in January for their 25-story office tower at 300 S. Tryon St., beside Latta Arcade.

Real estate insiders took particular note of the project because it already has an anchor tenant, Babson Capital Management, to occupy the biggest chunk of the building.

Now, developers of two other uptown office tower projects say theyre going to break ground next year too even though neither project has the financial security of having an anchor tenant in hand.

Crescent Communities says its 27-story Tryon Place mixed-use project will go forward at South Tryon and Stonewall streets next summer. And Portman Holdings, which owns the Westin Hotel at College and Stonewall streets, says ground will be broken in June for its 19-story office tower atop the Westins parking deck.

(Trinity Capital Advisors, developers of 1000 S. Tryon, a 14-story office tower planned just outside of the Interstate 277 loop at Morehead and Tryon streets, have said they will wait for an anchor tenant before starting construction).

I got a chance to sit down recently with Atlanta-based Portmans CEO, Ambrish Baisiwala. He said his firm is absolutely going forward in June, with or without an anchor. He chuckled in acknowledging that, at the moment, theres lots of aggressive marketing percolating as the rival projects compete for corporate tenants.

Im quite comfortable with it, said Baisiwala, whose two decades in real estate includes work in the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Talking to him and to Portmans leasing director, Travis Garland, I got a sense of what the sales pitch sounds like. They touted their buildings two-story outdoor balconies, direct access to the Lynx light rail trains and proximity to the meeting spaces and restaurants of the Westin. They noted the high visibility their tower can have from I-277, and said the building could be finished in the fourth quarter of 2016 faster than the other two proposed towers within the 277 loop.

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After years of no new towers, uptown has dueling skyscraper projects

Tim Fehr, mechanical engineer for Shive Hattery, and Doug Ziegler, project manager for Carl A. Nelson & Co., gave the Mid-Prairie Community School Board a challenging message Monday current construction costs are pushing the estimated price for the Middle School expansion and renovation past the original estimate of $4.4 million. With a 10 percent contingency addition to handle any design changes and a possible costlier bidding environment, the figure increases to between $4.6 and $4.7 million. Board members expressed apprehension that this might be a forewarning that the other building projects included in the $10.6 million bond issue could come in over budget.

The original cost estimates for the Middle School were HVAC (heating, ventilation and air condition) geothermal system and window replacement $2.9 million; new computer/technology room and remodel current room for special education $400,000; and space equal to four classrooms for Home School Assistance Program $1.1 million.

Ziegler said they had been meeting with the school-created teams of local stakeholders in the facilities and had so far found ways to trim costs from $4.29 million to $4.24 million (not including contingency figure) . He noted that cuts were being chosen to not impair the educational utilization of the facility. He said that the major construction in Iowa City estimated at $2 billion is affecting the market.

Construction at the Middle School involves installing a geothermal heating and cooling system and replacing all the windows, constructing classrooms, a Parent Resource Center and offices for the Home School Assistance Program, and constructing a new computer lab and renovating the existing computer lab for a Special Education classroom.

The current drawings for the Middle School addition on the north side included an irregular roofline to match the current building. The board agreed to do away with the stepping, which will save an estimated $20,000.

Board member Jeremy Statler suggested not using brick siding for the new Middle School addition, but a brick wainscot with steel siding as a cost saving measure. Board President Jim Hussey said it might be a hard sale to the community and it was late in the day to make such a major design change. Ziegler added that masonry, with regular maintenance, had an average life of 80 to 90 years, compared with steel that began losing its finish in 20 years and structural integrity in 30 years. The board did not approve the change.

Jeremy Pickard observed that the $140,000 cut they approved still left a $483,000 overrun. Ziegler said that that amount had already been reduced and they would continue to pursue other reductions. By bidding the $10.6 million project in smaller packages, Ziegler said, smaller contractors would be able to bid, which means more competitive bidding. He also noted that when Fairfield rebidded its building project because of too high of bids, they came in $1 million lower the second time.

The other projects and their estimated cost for the bond issue include installing air conditioning for the entire Washington Township Elementary building $200,000; construction an additional preschool classroom and renovating the existing preschool classroom at the Kalona Elementary School $1.1 million; constructing two additional kindergarten classrooms and renovating existing kindergarten classrooms for special education classroom at the Wellman Elementary School $900,000; relocating the main office to existing art classroom, constructing an addition for the new art classroom and Family Consumer Science lab; renovating the existing Family and Consumer Science lab for the special education classroom at the High School $1.7 million; an alternative learning center and central administration offices as new construction $2.1 million; and bonding costs and attorney fees $240,000.

Fehr and Ziegler observed that the overrun at the Middle School was mainly attributed to the major HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), which would not be as major a factor at the other school buildings.

Board Vice President George Schaefer took over the meeting after Hussey had to leave, where he had a mildly contentious discussion with parents of Wellman elementary students. It dealt with bus pickup spots around the town.

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School construction estimates higher

OTTAWA The federal government is tightening safety measures for railways operating in Canada in the aftermath of last years deadly derailment in Lac-Megantic, Que., in which rules simply were not followed.

We will always remember what happened in Lac-Megantic, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said Wednesday.

This past year has been difficult for all those involved with respect to this tragedy, she said. This tragedy is a case where rules simply were not followed.

Ms. Raitt, speaking to reporters in Ottawa, said the new measures will improve railway safety and make the transportation industry more accountable.

The derailment in July 2013 caused an explosion that killed 47 people and destroyed part of the southern Quebec town. The train, which was carrying volatile crude oil, broke loose after stopping for the night and slammed into the community.

It has been described as Canadas worst train disaster. Ottawa has accepted the recommendations by the Transportation Safety Board, issued in July, that will give the federal government greater powers to enforce and respond quickly to safety issues and they will help protect Canadian communities and strengthen our transportation network because that is a vital element of our economy and our country, Ms. Raitt said.

We want to better protect Canadians in their communities. But we have to maintain that transportation network that we actually need in order to move goods around our country and support our economy.

The new measures cover four areas, beginning with ensuring that unattended trains are properly secured.

All rail operators will need to meet minimum requirements for hand-break application and to test hand-break effectiveness. The new measure will require additional defences on all siding and other appropriate locations to physically prevent unattended trains from rolling away.

Transport Canada will fund research and the development of improved braking systems.

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Ottawa tightens railway safety measures in wake of Lac-Megantic train disaster

Last November, voters in the Breckenridge Public School District passed a referendum to renew the existing levy and additionally to fund technology improvements and enhancements, as well as security and maintenance upgrades.

District officials held a referendum update for the public Monday evening to showcase new technology enhancements, introduce the new technology integrationist, show architectural drawings and safety improvements planned for both school buildings and discuss mechanical and electrical improvements.

School Board Vice Chair Steve Arnhalt explained the boards vision and objectives.

We want students to achieve and that comes in different ways academic, extracurricular and socially. We have many things to focus on and every decision we make as a board, we ask ourselves, how do we add value?

He explained the facilities assessment that was done by In Gensa, which showed needed improvements for maintenance and infrastructure updates. The elementary-middle school was built in 1934 and the high school was built in 1969.

For budgeting purposes, the district was asked to estimate the useful life of each building. The board determined 15 years for the elementary school, as its 80 years old.

We began to prioritize what we need to do to keep that facility and infrastructure there to be a viable facility to educate our kids for 15 years, Arnhalt explained.

Security improvements and upgrades at the elementary school will include using the left front entrance doors as the schools main entrance.

This is to force anyone coming to the school during school hours to have to go through the office so you know who is in your building, explained Luke Pfotenhauer, In Gensa.

The office area will be redesigned and include a nurses station, conference room and work stations for office staff.

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School referendum dollars put to use

Belleville, New Jersey (PRWEB) October 30, 2014

The Capital Region Restaurant Operators Cooperative (ROC) has selected GREENCROWN Energy a leading full-service energy advisory firm specializing in energy supply cost reduction and energy conservation measures, including turnkey cogeneration systems development as its preferred vendor for all energy advisory-related services.

Headquartered in Albany, New York, ROC provides independent restaurant operators with competitive supply prices to help level the playing field with large chain operators. The restaurant industry has always been extremely competitive, said Nick Papamichael, chief procurement officer at Green Crown Energy. Thats why an organization like ROC, with its 176 members and $15 million in buying power, is so vital for independent operators competing with large restaurant chains.

In addition to historically large cost categories food, beverages, labor other expenses, including energy, take on heightened importance in the face of growing competition and highly unpredictable gas and electric prices, he continued. Thats why were proud to have been chosen as a preferred energy vendor for ROC. This is a first class organization thats totally dedicated to helping its members flourish in the marketplace. Were going to be doing everything we can to assist them in those efforts in the area of electricity and gas prices.

One of the best allies for independent restaurant operators interested in holding down energy costs are electricity and gas procurement contracts, according to Papamichael. When properly negotiated by Green Crown Energy experts, they can provide long-term stability amid rising energy prices, he said.

Long-term electric and gas procurement contracts enable independent restaurant operators to more accurately budget and plan for the future without having the prospect of energy spikes or horrible winters hanging over their head, Papamichael added.

As ROC continues to grow and evolve, we are always seeking to align ourselves with companies that can help us grow and provide our members with great value, said Evan Christou, president of ROC. Green Crown Energy is certainly one of those companies, and the timing couldnt be better given the impact of energy prices these days.

The key to negotiating a great electricity and gas procurement contract, Papamichael says, is taking the time to fully understand the unique energy needs of each restaurant. Some folks believe they can strike an energy agreement on their own. However, if just one detail is missed or one important question isn't asked, a seemingly fantastic electricity and gas contract can become a disaster before the ink has dried," he warned. "You need professionals, such as those at Green Crown Energy who have years of experience, impeccable contacts and expertise.

GreenCrown Energy is available to help any business sort out its long-term energy needs, Papamichael offered. Some businesses call us because they want a second opinion before signing a new energy contract. Or perhaps businesses have an expiring energy contract and want to be confident they received competitive pricing with excellent contract terms next time around," he said. All any business has to do is give us a call and were happy to assist.

For a free consultation on how to cut your companys energy bills today, including multiple forms of gas and electric procurement programs, contact an energy adviser at http://www.GreenCrownEnergy.com or call 877-308-2727.

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Lower Electricity and Gas Costs on Menu for Capital Region Restaurant Operators Cooperative (ROC) with Selection of ...