Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

A 106-year-old Swedish Whitebeam tree that stands at Grettisgata 17, downtown Reykjavk, will be spared by zoning officials after the people of Grettisgata and surrounding streets organized demonstrations, including petitions and an outdoor concert, to protest its imminent removal.

Although trees above a certain age or height limit are protected under Icelandic law, that protection no longer applies once a construction permit has been issued for the area they stand on. A hotel is planned at the location.

The Cultural Heritage Agency has also decided to find a new place for two protected buildings that were set to be moved from Laugavegur to Grettisgata to make way for the hotel. That decision was also protested by the inhabitants of Grettisgata, as the houses, if moved to that location, would block light from those buildings already there.

We are satisfied with this arrangement, said Eirkur Kristinn Jnsson, one of the organizers of the demonstrations, to visir.is. Then its another story entirely, how many hotels are meant to be here in the downtown area. There are about eight hotels between Frakkastgur and Klapparstgur. You wonder, what will this area look like in the dead of winter when all these hotels are half-empty.

In addition to the hotel, developers intend to lay a path from Grettisgata to nearby Laugavegur. People in the neighborhood not only protested the removal of the tree, but also the planned developments, as they say the traffic of hotel guests and tour buses will cause an added disturbance to the inhabitants of nearby houses. Popular band Retro Stefson publicly opposed both the removal of the tree and the construction of the hotel, as did musician Egill lafsson.

With all these hotels the inhabitants of the neighborhood are being pushed out to make space for wealthier people. This is extremely political, said Unnsteinn Manel, frontman of Retro Stefson, who lives near the Whitebeam.

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Reykjavk Citizens Save 106-Year-Old Tree

Deara Editor:Some may not be aware that a fire broke out in a two-story, multiple-family structure in Madison July 27, and there is a good reason for that: None was injured and, relatively speaking, there was limited damage. The fire was promptly extinguished thanks to a properly installed and well-maintained fire sprinkler system. When firefighters arrived on the scene, the sprinkler head closest to the flames had been activated and had already doused most of the fire. This recent event is an example of how the risks to brave first responders and firefighters are often mitigated in structures that feature fire sprinkler systems.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, there was a total of $12.4 billion nationally in property loss as a result of structure fires in 2012. Adding to that number this year are the approximately $15 million in damages caused by a fire in the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development building, also in Madison, which did not have a fire sprinkler system installed.

A fire sprinkler system works to control and typically extinguish a fire before firefighters even arrive on the scene, and provides those who are inside the structure the time to get out safely. If more fire sprinklers were installed, perhaps we would hear less of financial catastrophes like the government building fire in May, and more of residents escaping controlled fires safely. I am thankful that no one was injured in either of these Madison fires, and would like to commend both the town of Madison Fire Department as well as the Fitchburg Fire Department for their exceptional work in ensuring the safety of the residents in the apartment building.

I urge you to educate yourself on the current life safety codes and fire sprinkler requirements in your own city, and learn how to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community.

Dan Gengler,Wisconsin regional manager

National Fire Sprinkler Association

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Dan Gengler: Sprinkler systems limit losses, injuries in fires

Ken Klotzbach / kklotzbach@postb

Rochester fire crews responded to a cooking fire in an unoccupied apartment of the Broadway Residence and Suites that was controlled by the apartment sprinkler system. Residents of the building self evacuated following the building alarm. Water could be seen streaming out of the apartment on the East side of the building. Fire will follow with report.

Ken Klotzbach / kklotzbach@postb

Rochester fire crews responded to a cooking fire in an unoccupied apartment of the Broadway Residence and Suites that was controlled by the apartment sprinkler system. Residents of the building self evacuated following the building alarm. Water could be seen streaming out of the apartment on the East side of the building. Fire will follow with report.

Ken Klotzbach / kklotzbach@postb

Rochester fire crews responded to a cooking fire in an unoccupied apartment of the Broadway Residence and Suites that was controlled by the apartment sprinkler system. Residents of the building self evacuated following the building alarm. Water could be seen streaming out of the apartment on the East side of the building. Fire will follow with report.

Posted: Saturday, August 16, 2014 6:37 pm | Updated: 6:38 pm, Sat Aug 16, 2014.

Fire on 14th floor of Broadway tower put out quickly , Post-Bulletin staff Post-Bulletin Company, LLC

An apparent stovetop cooking fire set off sprinklers and led to an evacuation on Saturday afternoon at Broadway Residence and Suites in downtown Rochester

The fire was in an apartment on the 14th floor of the 29-story apartment building, and the resident wasn't home. Residents of nearby apartments quickly evacuated the building, and the fire was quickly extinguished without injury, fire officials said.

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Fire on 14th floor of Broadway tower put out quickly

The campaign for cleaner and safer rivers in Marikina, Pasig and San Juan in Metro Manila went in full blast as beauty queens joined the campaign to encourage the public to help protect the environment.

At the launch of Manila Waters Toka-Toka advocacy at the Gateway Activity Center, Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City, the 2014 Bb. Pilipinas beauty queens pushed the community-based sanitation and used-water projects in Metro Manila.

Those who graced the event were Bb. Pilipinas Universe Mary Jean Lastimosa, Bb. Pilipinas International Mary Ann Guidotti, Bb. Pilipinas Supranational Yvette Santiago, Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Kris Tiffany Janson;

Bb. Pilipinas Tourism Parul Shah, and Bb. Pilipinas first runner-up Laura Lehman.

Lets do our share in keeping our rivers clean and safe. Lets show Mother Nature how much we love her by protecting our environment, says Lastimosa, who will represent the Philippines in the 2014 Miss Universe beauty pageant later this year.

Manila Water President and CEO Gerardo Ablaza Jr. says shared responsibility in protecting the rivers is the message of Toka Toka (Para sa Malinis Na Ilog) Movement.

Each one of you can contribute in helping revive our rivers and waterways through simple acts or toka, such as desludging your septic tank every five years, segregating your garbage, connecting your home to a sewer line (when applicable), and spreading the word about Toka Toka within your communities, said Ablaza.

Toka Toka stems from the root word Toka which means to share and commit.

Excerpt from:
Help protect environment, public told

More than 14,000 stormwater ponds are estimated to have been dug for development on the coast, and more are coming. Staff Photo

Across a Lowcountry landscape where few natural inland ponds are found, more than 21,000 acres of man-made ponds now collect rainfall that otherwise would filter into the ground or run off.

More are dug every day.

Nobody fully understands yet how development stormwater ponds hurt or help the overall coastal environment, much less how to manage them. But an effort is underway to find out.

Seven research schools and agencies have agreed to work with the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, which is seeking funds to bring a "more bang for the buck" approach to various stormwater projects underway. The idea is to collaborate on the efforts, to find answers for community concerns about the ponds.

The initiative is being launched with $200,000 in combined state and federal grants.

It's long been needed. The ponds have been installed with new buildings for a quarter century. They sequester pollution, such as gasoline, oil, pet waste, fertilizer nutrients, garbage and varnish from lawns and streets, that otherwise would run into the waterways.

But as The Post and Courier reported in July, the build-up of toxic sediment makes the ponds tougher to handle and a high-dollar hazardous substance removal job waiting to happen.

Meanwhile, marine life-killing "algal blooms," a chronic problem in the ponds, have begun to occur in the ocean along the developed Grand Strand beach.

"We don't have a good handle on the characteristics of the ponds and the elements they're bringing in. There's concern out there that people don't know what they have (with the ponds), what the responsibility is and what it means over time," said Rick DeVoe, consortium Grant director

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S.C. universities collaborating with Sea Grant Consortium to study stormwater ponds

Glasgow, Scotland (PRWEB UK) 17 August 2014

Glasgow 2014 was undeniably the biggest Commonwealth games so far, with over 1 million tickets to 250 medal events being sold, and many millions more watching worldwide. And when events that large attract crowds of those numbers, unfortunately, you will usually find pests and birds looking to scavenge on whats left behind.

NBC Bird and Pest Control Solutions Scotland division stepped up to the challenge ahead of them; providing complete pest control services for the entire two week duration of the games. This included servicing fly units in Hampden Park's catering and restaurant areas, as well as ensuring that over 250 pigeons were ethically moved from the stadium ahead of the athletics.

As the UKs leading bird control specialists, NBCs years of experience in ethical bird control was called upon, and using a combination of their techniques, they kept Glasgows local birds at bay throughout the games, and the spectators safe to watch the spectacular sporting events uninterrupted.

Having worked at Hampden Park for over 6 years, the teams existing knowledge of the stadium came in handy. When the football pitch was replaced with a running track, the disruption caused to the existing deterrents allowed the pigeons a window of opportunity. They quickly re-inhabited the stadium, causing problems for staff and customers, as well as creating a mess on the seating and athletics areas.

Without disturbing the construction project, the team worked quickly and efficiently to ensure that the problem was dealt with; with all eyes on Hampden Park, it was imperative that the stadium was kept clean and bird activity to the bare minimum.

Starting early at 4 a.m. so as not to disturb staff and customers, the expert team would begin. The most effective way to eradicate growing pigeon activity is using falconry, and NBCs expertise in this area paid off; with several hundred pigeons finding somewhere else to go for the duration of the games.

NBCs ethical bird control services are the UKs leading, with years of collective experience making them fully equipped to tackle any bird problem.

Whether a site is industrial, retail or even an airport, NBCs 18 years worth of experience working with birds means there is not a lot that they havent seen or dealt with. With free and comprehensive site surveys and advice on legislation, NBCs bird deterrent services cover from all angles, with a 5-year guarantee on all bird proofing installations, leaving a site with complete peace of mind.

To discuss a site, book a risk assessment or get some free advice, call NBC s local bird control team today on 0800 169 9646.

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NBC gets gold for pest control during Commonwealth Games

The Department of Conservation has launched a war on rats and stoats with a harmless drop of bait aimed at giving the pests a taste for pellets before dropping ones full of 1080.

DOC's pest control programme, Battle for Our Birds, will cover 6000 square kilometres of conservation land and started today at Iris Burn on the Kepler Track in Fiordland National Park.

DOC's first salvo in its battle for our birds is a drop of duds, but that's what's intended. DOC wants to lull rats, stoats and mice into a false sense of security with non-toxic bait pellets.

The idea is they will get used to the taste before DOC slips them real poison in pellets laced with deadly 1080.

DOC says it's a war and makes no apology for its bellicose language because of real fears a bumper beech seed harvest may trigger a plague of pests.

"The beach seeds are going off, rat numbers are rising and unless we keep those rat numbers down we will lose the mohoua from places like this," says DOC's James Reardon.

The mohua is one of many native birds that could disappear along with bats and even snails.

"We've got kea, kaka; we've got parakeets; we've got South Island robin, mouhua; we have the long-tail bats here and they're hanging on by a thread," says Mr Reardon.

The 1080 drops are controversial, but DOC says they are the only option for remote, rugged areas. A lone protester, local hunter Dave Wilson, claims it will have the opposite effect.

"The more 1080 you put on an area the more the rats will come back in greater numbers," he says.

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DOC to lure pests before 1080 drop

Published: Sunday, 8/17/2014 - Updated: 27 seconds ago

BY TOM HENRY BLADE STAFF WRITER

Toledo faces a quandary in the aftermath of its historic water crisis: Does it focus on reducing the threat of toxic microcystis algae, which temporarily made the tap water for 500,000 Metro Toledo residents unsafe to drink?

Or, does it turn up the heat on state and federal lawmakers whom city leaders accuse of taking too much of a business-as-usual approach and delaying overdue improvements to water-treatment plants in Toledo and across the country?

Toledo officials are wrestling with those decisions now, knowing that whatever they decide will likely cost one of Americas most cash-strapped cities one ranked by the U.S. Census Bureau just a few years ago as the nations eighth most impoverished millions of dollars it doesnt have.

Theyre inextricably linked issues, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Craig Butler told The Blade following a news conference at a Perrysburg Township farm on Thursday. They go part-in-parcel, hand in hand.

RELATED: Chemical increased in water after testing came close to dangerous level

RELATED: Read previous stories on the water crisis in Toledo

COMMENTARY:What we need to save Lake Erie is action right now

Throughout the drinking water crisis the first weekend of August, Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins sounded more like an environmentalist than the mayor of a Rust Belt city trying to attract industry.

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Leaders see big water battles

White River Junction Considering the cost of water, fertilizer and his own labor, it would probably be cheaper to buy vegetables than grow them himself, but to Nalin Patel, the garden on the grounds of the Pine Crest Motel is a worthwhile investment.

Thats our hobby, said Patel, who with his family owns the 20-unit business on Route 5.

As vegetarians, Patel and his wife, Raksha, share food duties. Nalin, 76, takes care of the gardens, which include grapes, apples, and an array of vegetables, among them varieties of hot peppers, beans, cucumber and eggplant commonly grown in the Patels native India. Two bathtubs alongside the single-story motel overflow with cilantro, dill, garlic and chives . Raksha, 72, uses the produce to make meals and various chutneys.

The vegetables are very good, she said, grinning. Hes a very good farmer.

In addition to providing the couple with fresh food and a healthy pastime, the garden is a source of gifts for people who are important to them. Raksha recently put up several jars of pickled green grapes to bring to Maine, where the couple gathered with her family for Raksha Bandhan, a Hindu festival that celebrates the bond between a brother and sister. They donate produce to a local food shelf and are generous with their neighbors and motel guests, some of whom stay for extended periods of time. Its their garden, too, Nalin said.

Ray Charpiot, a Pine Crest resident for more than three years, said its not unusual to find a bag of fresh fruit on his doorstep. They are old-school, good neighbor-type people, he said.

Charpiot, 73, retired a few years ago after working for local auto parts stores. He has faced a series of health problems and last year had open heart surgery. The Patels visited him in the hospital before and after the operation, said Charpiot, who has no relatives locally. Their relationship is more like family than landlord and tenant.

Charpiot manages the motel when the Patels are away on short trips and during their annual months-long visit to India, when they stay on their 32-acre farm, which produces sugarcane, rice, mango and banana.

The motel tenants generally know each other and get along, Charpiot said. Most of the people who live here are pretty good.

Preparing dinner, Raksha makes extra to share with Randy Osmer, who enjoys her spicy cooking. The generosity is catching Osmer recently made beef stew to share with his fellow motel guests. A White River Junction native, he likes the motels vibe. Its peaceful out here, not dealing with the rat race in town, said Osmer, who works reconditioning cars and helps maintain the motel property.

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So Much More Than a Garden

Additional funding needed to proceed on schedule

By Ashley Mackin As construction resumes on the Childrens Pool lifeguard tower after a minor delay due to a seagull chick that was nesting there so does fundraising for the Childrens Pool Walk beautification project.

Spearheaded by La Jollan Phyllis Minick and designed by landscape architect Jim Neri, the project would widen the sidewalk overlooking Childrens Pool, add a new gazebo and seating, and replace old planters to cover the crumbling walls. Having raised the original estimate of $250,000, higher than expected assessment costs and review fees have upped the price tag by an additional $80,000.

To save costs on the privately funded project, work would need to be done concurrent to lifeguard tower construction, so crews can take advantage of street closures and work permits already in place.

Although assessments and reviews by the city took longer than planned pushing back any possible start date for the beautification project the seagull chick nesting at the tower site also delayed construction, June 2 to Aug. 4.

Monica Muoz, senior public information officer for San Diego Public Works Department explained that including the demolition, construction is expected to take eight months, with only light interior work occurring during this years harbor seal pupping season (Dec. 15, 2014 to May 15, 2015). The date of completion is being negotiated with the contractor hired by the city.

However, the city expects the tower to be operational by summer 2015. Muoz said it is possible the city incurred additional costs with the delay and wont be able to determine how much until the project is complete. The towers pricetag is estimated at $3.25 million.

With that schedule in mind, Neri said the Childrens Pool Walk project would need to be ready for construction by March 1. That would mean having permits secured and construction drawings approved by the city, a contractor signed up and ready to begin work, and all the necessary funding in hand.

He said any work that does not involve physical labor at the site such as city paperwork or the search for a contractor could occur during the pupping season.

However, with the total amount being higher than expected, Neri said extra funding will be needed, and his team is hoping to only use private dollars.

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La Jollas Childrens Pool Walk project short $80,000