Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Townhome development meets with opposition

NEW HOMESA computer image provides a peek at a proposed townhome development slated for Clay Court near Thousand Oaks Boulevard. The planning commission is expected to vote on the project Monday. Rendering courtesy of City Ventures A developer looking to construct 26 townhomes near Thousand Oaks Boulevard will have its second date with the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission on Monday.

Ventura-based City Ventures first attempt to get its Clay Court project approved was thwarted Oct. 13 after the commission deadlocked 2-2. Commissioner Daryl Reynolds, who was unable to attend the original hearing, is expected back Oct. 27, according to project planner Claudia Pedroso.

If it gets the go-ahead, City Ventures proposal will be the third housing complex approved for construction on or near the boulevard since the Thousand Oaks Boulevard Specific Plan was adopted in 2011. The plan, which allowed residential units to be built on the boulevard for the first time, covers an area between Duesenberg Drive and Moorpark Road.

At the Oct. 13 meeting, commissioners Doug Nickles and David Newman voted no, objecting to certain aspects of the proposal, including the removal of 20 oak trees, eight of which would be relocated on the property at 80 and 90 Clay Court.

Nickles criticized the projects excessive impact on oak trees and the planned exportation of 1,400 cubic yards of dirt during construction.

To say this is environmentally sensitive is a disgrace, he said.

The commissioner said that the developer should build around the trees.

I see (the project) taking advantage of the pockets that are there, Nickles said. You can transplant trees but you cant transplant the habitat. And when you go transplanting trees, youre transplanting them from their native soil into an urban, compacted soil that theyre not used to. Ive seen a lot of transplanted trees die. They survive, they rarely thrive.

Newman also expressed concern about moving trees.

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Oak tree removal called into question

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Bayer Advanced 12 Month Tree & Shrub Insect Control ...

Michael Patrick Higgins of Framingham, Marine Corps veteran, mason and business owner, died Oct. 3 in his home. He was 54.

Born in Chelsea, Mr. Higgins was raised in Natick. He graduated from Natick High School in 1977.

After graduation he joined the Marine Corps, as his father before him had done.

Mr. Higgins found work as a mason, specializing in tile and ceramics. In a brief time, his skill as a ceramic tile mason led to establishing his own successful business, Royal Tile.

He loved people, music, athletics, his work, and his family.

Mr. Higgins is survived by a son, Ethan Michael of Natick and Vermont; his mother, Pauline G. Atencio; two brothers, Scott L. of Hopedale and David S. of Framingham; three sisters, Victoria C. Lane of Oxford, Joanna Beavers of Worcester and Stacie N. Allen of Wayland.

A memorial visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, Natick.

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Michael P. Higgins, at 54, of Framingham, mason

GEORGETOWN Work has begun to install a new storm sewer that will intercept rainwater from 300 acres west of Georgetown along Whittier Street and then allow it to run east past Seminary Street and into the Ellis Branch Creek.

Currently, the rainwater enters commingled stormwater and sanitary sewer lines, which can overload the sewers on the west side of the city and overwhelm the wastewater treatment plant.

Bob Kohlhase, an engineering manager with the Farnsworth Group's Peoria office, said he was "pleased at how things are coming together."

Some residents who live near the new sewer have expressed concern that a portion of the route from Whittier Street on its way east to the creek will be an open drainage ditch.

Kohlhase has said that there is an existing natural drainage way from Church to Main streets, and the contractors are utilizing it by cutting it down so that stormwater will run naturally to the east.

Kohlhase said he met with resident on Oct. 8 and feels that their concerns fall into four categories:

He acknowledged that portions of the regraded ditch are steep and said the city council may consider helping with mowing those areas.

He said the residents granted a permanent easement of 7.5 feet from the center of the ditch, but there is also a temporary easement that was granted for the grading of the ditch, which is wider than 15 feet across at some points.

Kohlhase said he was not able to answer questions about possible devaluation of the properties with the newly graded open sewer running along them, and referred those questions to local property assessors.

He said that safety concerns have been somewhat addressed by replacing damaged fencing along portions of the ditch, which is intended to keep children out of it.

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Storm sewer work underway in Georgetown

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$319,900 3BR 2BA in MONROE 08831. Call Patricia Flaherty: (732) 254-6700x155 - Video

A man in custody at the Indiana County Jail ripped a sprinkler head from the ceiling and tried to use it as a weapon Wednesday, authorities said.

Desmond Michael Johnson, 26, of Pittsburgh, facing drug and firearms charges, became angry and destroyed a fire suppression/sprinkler system, according to a news release from state police at Indiana.

When officers tried to subdue him, he was holding on to the sprinkler head, waving it around in an attempt to taunt and injure the correctional officers, police said.

A jail special operations team was called in to subdue the man and remove the sprinkler head.

No injuries occurred during the incident, but damage was estimated at $5,500, including clean-up costs from water damage, repair and testing of the sprinkler system and inspection of the plumbing system, police said.

Johnson was charged Wednesday with assault by a prisoner and institutional vandalism before Homer City District Judge Susanne Steffee, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 3.

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Inmate accused of vandalizing Indiana County Jail plumbing system

ABILENE, Texas -

Are you worried about your lawn now that the City of Abilene is about to impose tougher watering restrictions? There are some things you can do to keep your lawn alive and still conserve water.

One idea to consider is xeriscaping. It is a type of landscaping that uses drought resistant plants that require little water or maintenance.

Another option to think about is expanding your current flower beds. You can add different types of textures and xeriscape plants to minimize yard space.

If you have a water sprinkler system, adjusting sprinkler times can help conserve water. As we enter stage two water restrictions, it is especially important to check your watering times to make sure you adhere to the schedule.

To help from wasting water, be sure to spot check your irrigation system for leaks, broken sprinkler heads, and lines.

According to Brian Holaman, owner of God's Lawn Care, if you want to save water even more, you can create specific timings on your sprinkler system to help get the maximum watering for your lawn and plants without creating wasted runoff to the curb.

Brian suggests timing when you see runoff occur on your lawn then adjust your sprinkler time to cutoff just before that happens, then restart the sprinkler system after about 20 minutes. This ensures adequate soaking time.

If redoing your landscape is not in your budget and you have a water sprinkler system, adjusting those times will help save money and water.

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Tips to keep your lawn beautiful under Stage 2 water restrictions

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FROM the nearby highway, it is impossible to miss the impressive cluster of farm sheds on Andrew and Annette Cass' Paruna property.

The Cass family has invested heavily in farm infrastructure in the past 20 years, a move Mr Cass says has well and truly paid off.

Most sheds, including three bulk grain sheds, a large machinery shed and a chemical storage shed, have been built by Grant Sheds since 1998.

While the sheds are conveniently built near the family's house and close together, Mr Cass planned their location to allow trucks and large machinery plenty of room to manoeuvre.

"The sheds were built close to the homestead, keeping in mind that we didn't want the sheds to clutter close to the homestead," he said.

"It was important that we had a bit of distance between the homestead lifestyle and work.

"The sheds grew with the size of the farm. During the time we built the sheds we were obtaining more land, which meant more machinery, more grain storage and so on. The sheds were all built in response to a need at the time.

"The location of all the sheds in one cluster is good it's much easier than having machinery stored on other parts of the farm. It's also easier for contractors or machinery agents to come and service the machinery if it's all in one spot.

"We've also put rubble all around the sheds, and it's been levelled and rolled so that it's virtually all-weather. It makes it much easier for grain trucks, as they can turn easily and won't get bogged, plus it's good for the airbag scales."

Mr Cass said the grain sheds had revolutionised the way he marketed his grain. The three structures were built progressively, starting with a 12-metre by 36m 1000-tonne shed.

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Impressive 'cluster' at Paruna

A senior CSIRO bureaucrat has explained more details about a power-supply issue that has dogged its new multi-million dollar research ship, the RV Investigator.

Last month the ABC revealed the RV Investigator was unable to access shore power in Hobart and was having to generate power from the ship's engines while in dock.

The ship had to be moved from its home berth at the CSIRO's dock at Princes Wharf because residents in nearby Battery Point and Salamanca had complained about the noise the engines were making.

Dr Andrew Johnson, executive director of environment at the CSIRO, today told the Economics Legislation Committee the power issue stemmed from power source differences between Australia and Singapore, where the ship was built.

"Australia has a particular set of specifications for the way in which it supplies its power to all consumers, not just to those in the maritime industry," Dr Johnson said.

"We made very clear to the contractor about what the onshore power requirements were as part of our statement of functional specifications.

"Whilst the vessel was in the shipyard in Singapore there was a different set of power specifications there and we've been in active discussions with the contractor for some time now about ensuring the power supply that the vessel can use in an ongoing basis is compatible with Australian power conditions."

The contract to build the $120 million vessel was let to joint Australian and Canadian companies TeeKay Australia and RALion who then partnered with Singapore shipyard Sembawang Pte Ltd.

The ship arrived in Hobart 11 months behind schedule

The Investigator replaced the previous research ship, the Southern Surveyor.

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CSIRO sheds light on new Antarctic research ship's power problems