Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

FITCHBURG Area carpenters say they are outraged that a large corporation like Great Wolf Lodge is being rewarded with a $17 million tax break when some contractors hired by the water park conglomerate to work on its newest resort in New England were allegedly paid in cash and did not carry workers' compensation insurance.

The New England Regional Council of Carpenters is asking Greg Bialecki, secretary of the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, to rescind approval of the 20-year tax increment financing deal that was awarded to the company after the violations were discovered.

The new resort in Fitchburg is slated to open June 5.

The company, which owns and operates a dozen family resorts in the U.S. and Canada under the Great Wolf Lodge brand, features specialty restaurants, arcades, spas, fitness rooms and children's activity areas, in addition to water parks, at each resort.

Hundreds of people attended a Great Wolf jobs fair in March. The company was looking to fill 500 positions; roughly half are full-time openings.

In an April 16 letter to Mr. Bialecki, New England Regional Council of Carpenters secretary-treasurer Mark Erlich implored him to look into the matter.

On March 26, Great Wolf Lodge of New England was approved for $16.4 million in local tax relief and $680,000 in investment tax credits. Three months earlier, the Department of Industrial Accidents issued eight stop-work orders to eight contractors working on the project for not having Massachusetts workers' compensation insurance, according to DIA documents.

The stop-work orders automatically place the contractors on the DIA's debarment list, Mr. Erlich said, and allegedly make the company ineligible for TIF approval.

In Great Wolf's application for the TIF, the company agreed it would not knowingly hire subcontractors or other third parties that did not have workers' compensation insurance, and the company affirmed it had not hired subcontractors within the past five years that had been debarred by a government agency.

Great Wolf did not inform the state Economic Assistance Coordinating Council of the stop-work orders before the council's meeting to approve the TIF, Mr. Erlich said.

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Carpenters' union fumes over Great Wolf

How to Replace a Broken Lawn Sprinkler - SRT Instructional video with Jeremy
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How to Replace a Broken Lawn Sprinkler - SRT Instructional video with Jeremy - Video

Jack takes on the underground sprinkler system.
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Southwest Florida is heading into the wet season with a May dry spell that has sprinkler repair and irrigation professionals flooded with business.

The lack of rain in the past several weeks is leading to dry spots in lawns, keeping sprinkler companies busy helping property owners use every drop of water wisely.

Were slammed. People usually have green lawns all year long and not until the dry season comes do they notice there are issues, said Patrick Clinton, owner of Naples-based Executive Irrigation.

This dry season is lasting longer than it did in 2013, lawn, irrigation and water professionals said.

Throughout the last few years, we dont start getting rain every day until about June 15. Last year, the rain came a lot earlier, Clinton said.

Water restrictions in effect year-round in Collier and Lee counties are keeping water supplies safe but leading to some dry lawns when not well-irrigated.

Sprinkler, irrigation and lawn care professionals said the key to making every drop count is to make sure the sprinkler system fully covers the lawn and not anywhere else, such as the street or driveway.

Ten months out of the year you can get away with not having very good coverage. Any spot with an issue you will see in two to three days of no rain, Clinton said.

With the dry weather, professionals in lawn care and sprinkler repair companies, including Executive Irrigation, are getting numerous calls with broken sprinkler heads, timers off schedule, bad valves and faulty nozzles.

Many professionals cannot get out to customers to make these repairs for as long as one to two weeks, due to the current high demand.

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Sprinkler repair companies busy as dry weather leaves lawns parched

One of the corridors of Glasgow School of Art, after the blaze [PA]

Bosses at the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building were revealed to be finalising a new fire suppression system, with work due to begin next month.

The system was not installed earlier because the institution had struggled to attract the finances to complete the project.

The cost of Fridays blaze is estimated at around 50million.

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There has never been a sprinkler system in the building. We were in the process of installing a fire suppression system

Lesley Booth, spokeswoman

The library, which contained hundreds of rare periodicals and collections, was destroyed along with countless works of art and the roof of the west wing.

In their planning application for the sprinkler system, officials said that the building had been subjected to more than 100 years use of paint, chemicals etc, soaking into the fabric which undoubtedly has increased flammability.

Art school spokeswoman Lesley Booth said: There has never been a sprinkler system in the building. We were in the process of installing a fire suppression system. It was a bespoke one especially for that building.

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Blaze-ravaged Glasgow Art School was due to get new sprinklers

New Sheds link road work 22/05/2014,
The link road continues, this road will add as a service road for the sheds and the new planned housing being built at the rear of the sheds.

By: trevor monk

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New Sheds link road work 22/05/2014, - Video

Dumpty Jr sheds the weight

By: Katherine Wolf

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Dumpty Jr sheds the weight - Video

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