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As employees and students prepare for their return to offices and classrooms, an NBC Bay Area investigation reveals a surprising lack of oversight regarding indoor air quality, which may have led to more COVID-19 infections and deaths. Experts argue the problem existed well before the pandemic and continues to threaten workplaces and schools across the country.

A lack of education, awareness, and accountability may be leading to hazardous indoor air conditions inside a wide array of buildings throughout the nation. One study found 85% of classrooms had inadequate air ventilation, allowing toxins to accumulate.

People cannot tell that a space is under ventilated.

People cannot tell that a space is under ventilated, said Theresa Pistochini, Co-Director of Engineering at UC Davis and an expert on air ventilation and filtration systems. It's extremely difficult. We can be walking around in these spaces withjust no awareness.

Pistochini, who helps run the Western Cooling Efficiency Center and the Energy Efficiency Institute at UC Davis, says indoor spaces are often loaded with a cocktail of chemicals that either gas off from building materials or are brought in from the outdoors.

We're all breathing these respiratory aerosols, she said. So the purpose of ventilation is to dilute all of that.

Many products used in offices, such as cleansers and pesticides, can emit dangerous pollutants, so its critical the building's heating and cooling system ventilate and filter air effectively, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Mechanical engineer Theresa Pistochini helps run the Western Cooling Efficiency Center at UC Davis and is an expert in air filtration and ventilation systems.

Watch these previous Investigative Unit stories to learn more about how office buildings are utilizing new technology to transform their spaces into safer and innovative work stations for employees

To explain the power of air filtration and ventilation, Pitstochini suggests imagining what it would take to clean a swimming pool after someone tossed mounds of glitter into the water.

You can dump some of that pool water with the glitter and bring in fresh water -- that's what ventilation is, she explained. Or, you can run your water through a filter and pull out the little particles, she said, adding that if that filtering and dilution does not happen, aerosols will just build up and build up and build up and you have no way to get them out.

Pistochini and her colleagues at UC Davis have also posted animated videos to thoughtfully explain the significance of both air filtration and ventilation.

Pistochini said there remains a surprising lack of oversight when it comes to air quality in buildings. For example, she says, offices do not have to prove they regularly inspect their ventilation and filtration systems.

When Pistochini examined 94 school classrooms in California, she found 85% did not have adequate ventilation, even though their heating and cooling systems were recently installed.

"Increased oversight of HVAC replacements, or other ways to address widespread inadequate ventilation in California classrooms, are needed, likely through state intervention," said Pistochini, following the release of her 2019 study.

Other studies have shown increasing ventilation rates can lead to "statistically significant improvements" in both health and student performance, according to research collected by UC Davis.

Pistochini now suggests installing carbon dioxide monitors in all buildings, from schools to offices. They cost about $100 and let you know if there are high levels of carbon dioxide in the air thats usually an indication of poor ventilation, so the monitors could help warn you about potentially dangerous conditions.

If we had dealt with all these ventilation infiltration problems before the pandemic...we might have had less closures, less lock downs - we might have had less people die, said Pistochini. Poorly ventilated buildings increase the infection rate.

Carbon dioxide monitors warn you about high levels of CO2, which is likely a sign the area is suffering from poor ventilation. Experts recommend the monitors as a relatively cheap way to be alerted about poor indoor air quality.

While free food, games, and massages have previously some of the most talked about office extras in Silicon Valley, now cleaner air, flexible workspaces, and the opportunity to work remotely are attracting much of the spotlight as employees begin the migration back into the office.

Improving indoor air quality and embracing a more hybrid work environment are top priorities for GitHub, a San Francisco-based tech company that boasts 2,300 employees across seven different offices, including four abroad.

We've worked with our building management at all of our sites across the world to ensure that we have the highest grade of air filters in place," said Erica Brescia, the companys Chief Operating Officer."We're keeping operable windows open whenever possible.

Erica Brescia, Chief Operating Officer at GitHub, says companies unwilling to accommodate a mixture of remote and in-person workers are likely to fall behind in what has become an increasingly competitive landscape to recruit top talent in the midst of the pandemic.

GitHub underwent a multi-million dollar renovation at its San Francisco headquarters during the pandemic, aiming to create a safer and more innovative environment for a post-pandemic workforce.

You need to be able to support the diverse ways that people want to work and give them flexibility. I really believe that flexibility is the key.

The company expects more than 80 percent of its employees to continue working remotely - indefinitely. Brescia says the company began embracing remote work long before the pandemic, allowing about 70 percent of its workforce to log in remotely prior to Covid-19.

"We expect most people who used to come into the office every single day to come in two to three days a week," Brescia said. "You need to be able to support the diverse ways that people want to work and give them flexibility. I really believe that flexibility is the key.

GitHub employees demonstrate the teleconferencing capabilities of one of their new conference rooms, which features larger screens that can broadcast images of workers joining remotely.

As a result, the company has outfitted more meeting rooms to better handle video conferencing. There are bigger screens, so those not in the room appear just as large and represented as those attending in person.

GitHub also constructed a new amphitheater, stage, and control booth that can easily stream company meetings to other employees working remotely.

"The way that people work is changing forever, Brescia said. This is just accelerated a trend that was inevitable and I think companies that don't understand that are really going to fall behind.

Walking through the GitHub offices in San Franciscos SOMA district, its impossible not to notice the extensive network of metal ducts that support the buildings heating and cooling network. At the heart of the buildings HVAC system are newly replaced air filters, which are designed to improve air quality by keeping out dust, bacteria, and other harmful particles.

An architectural rendering shows a new amphitheater and stage inside the GitHub headquarters in San Francisco. The workspace was designed to easily hold in-person meetings that could also be broadcast to employees working remotely.

Air filter quality is measured on a 1 to 16 scale through what's known as a MERV rating Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. Filters with the largest ratings can block the smallest particles. The highest rated filters are generally reserved for hospitals and other medical facilities. Prior to COVID, most office buildings relied on a 6 or 7 MERV rating, but now international guidelines suggest workplaces upgrade to a MERV 13 air filter.

ASHRAE, a global society that advocates for energy efficiency and indoor air quality within the heating and cooling industry, released that air filter recommendation as well as other suggested safety protocols during the height of the pandemic last year. MERV 13 air filters are able to block more than 85 percent of fine particles that measure between 1 to 3 microns -- that's about 30 times smaller than a single strand of hair, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA also has its own list of tips and resources to ensure safe indoor air quality inside office buildings.

As part of its renovation, GitHub installed new MERV 13 air filters at its San Francisco headquarters.

We built these spaces to give employees a place to come together and collaborate, said Brescia. If they don't feel safe, they're not going to do their best work, so what's the point?

Air quality experts recommend office buildings upgrade their air filters, which are ranked from one to 16 on the MERV scale (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values). Prior to the pandemic, work places generally relied on mid-range filters, MERV 6 or 7. However, office buildings are now encouraged to install MERV 13 air filters to block dust, bacteria, and other harmful particles from entering a building's air supply.

Ninety-two percent of building owners expect the demand for healthy offices to continue to grow over the next three years, according to a survey by the Center for Active Design.

"[Customers] want the air to be clean I hear that pretty often," said Pablo Richards, who owns San Francisco Heating and Cooling. "Even with the vaccine, people are still concerned about air quality."

San Francisco Heating and Cooling, which installs and services air conditioning and heating units across the Bay Area, tells the Investigative Unit business is up 50 percent compared to just before the pandemic. Some businesses are even asking for $1,500 ultraviolent lights to be installed in the air ducts to help kill airborne diseases like COVID-19.

San Francisco Heating and Cooling, which installs and services HVAC systems across the Bay Area, says business is up at least 50 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels. Home and business owners are requesting more maintenance inspections of their filtration systems and inquiring about special ultraviolet lights that can be installed in air ducts to kill airborne diseases like COVID-19.

For more than 20 years, the U.S. Green Building Council has offered its LEED certification as a way to recognize environmentally friendly buildings. However, it recently expanded to now include pandemic-inspired recommendations such as new protocols for disinfecting the office and regular maintenance checks of your heating and cooling systems.

We may see some of those practices become part of building code and really drive mandatory practices within buildings, said Melissa Baker, senior vice president with the US Green Building Council.

Since LEED's new Covid-related building recommendations first launched in June 2020, at least 65 construction projects have been certified for following the new guidelines and another 356 are still pending. While those 421 projects only represent about 10 percent of the total amount of projects that sought LEED certification during the pandemic, Baker is optimistic more businesses will eventually opt to adopt the pandemic-inspired guidelines.

I think we all, as individuals, have to care ... so that we can be sure that when the next time comes, or whatever happens next, we are ready and our buildings are ready to support us.

"That's our hope, at least, that it does become common practice," Baker said. "I think we all, as individuals, have to care ... so that we can be sure that when the next time comes, or whatever happens next, we are ready and our buildings are ready to support us."

If enough public demand grows for the recommendations, state and local lawmakers could eventually take notice and ultimately decide to make those voluntary guidelines mandatory by incorporating them into future building codes.

"Hopefully, someday, we'll put ourselves out of business," Baker said. "I don't think we're there yet."

Melissa Baker is senior vice president with the U.S. Green Building Council, which expanded its green-building certification program, known as LEED, to also include pandemic-inspired recommendations in order to make facilities and structures safer in the midst of COVID-19.

While building codes do require businesses to have their air conditioning and heating systems inspected prior to opening, those state and local regulations often don't carry much authority once a facility passes the initial permitting process and is allowed to open its doors. Those codes largely govern new buildings and often don't exercise much authority over existing structures.

"A building is a lot like a car," Baker explained. "If you don't change your filters, if you don't change the oil...you're going to see poor performance.

Each building is expected to perform periodic maintenance on its own, with little or no oversight, according to industry experts. Unlike mandatory fire or elevator inspections, there are no regulations requiring special inspectors to perform routine maintenance assessments of a building's air ventilation or filtration systems.

"We should be asking [building operators] to prove it," said Pistochini. "How do you know that your building is well ventilated and filtered? What evidence can you provide?"

For now, its up to individual businesses to decide what kind of protections they want in place at the office, and how much theyre willing to pay for it.

GitHub, which provides a web-based platform for software designers, employs 2,300 workers in the U.S. and abroad

At GitHub, Erica Brescia says itd be too costly not to buy in to the changes.

Covid isn't the only thing that makes us sick, said Brescia. "I'm very optimistic that with all the additional measures that we've put in place, we'll be able to help keep employees healthier during flu season and other ailments that pass through.

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Worried About Returning to the Office? What to Ask Your Boss to Ensure You're Safe - NBC Bay Area

By Kristen Rogers, CNN

(CNN) -- If you're one of the more than 20 million people experiencing the Northwest heat wave, you might be wondering how to stay cool, particularly if you don't have air conditioning -- or don't want to run it constantly.

US cities and Canada have been reporting their hottest temperatures, some of which are still rising above 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you don't yet feel comfortable going to a pool or air-conditioned public facility at this point of the pandemic, there are ways to feel comfortable without cranking the air conditioning unit or going without. Here are more than 12 methods for cooling your body and buffering your house from the outside heat.

When you're hot and flushed, hydrating yourself is the first and foremost step to cooling down, said Wendell Porter, a senior lecturer in agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Florida.

The temperature of the water doesn't matter since your body will heat it, he added. If your body is suffering from the heat and needs to cool itself, it can't do that without enough moisture, since thebody cools itself by sweating.

Taking a cold shower or bath helps cool your body by lowering your core temperature, Porter said.

For an extra cool blast, try peppermint soap. The menthol in peppermint oil activates brain receptors that tell your bodysomething you're eating or feeling is cold.

Place a cold washrag or ice bags (packs)on your wrists or drape it around your neck to cool your body. These pulse points are areas where blood vessels are close to the skin, so you'll cool down more quickly.

Place box fans facing out of the windows of rooms you're spending time in to blow out hot air and replace it with cold air inside.

If the weather in your area tends to fall between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the mornings and evenings, opening the windows on both sides of the house during those times can facilitate a cross-flow ventilation system. If you do this, you can opt to use or not use the fans, but the fans would help cool the house faster, Porter said.The outdoors can pull the hot air from your home, leaving a cooler temperature or bringing in the breeze. Just be sure to close windowsas the sun comes out, then open them when the weather is cool again.

You might not typically leave windows openfor safety reasons, but if you're at home more anyway due to the pandemic, this method could be feasible, Porter said.

Just resting near a fan would reduce your body temperature as well.

If you have windows that face the sun's direction in the morning through afternoon, close the curtains or blinds over them to "keep the sun from coming directly into the house and heating up (the) inside," Porter said.

You could also install blackout curtains to insulate the room and reduce temperature increases that would happen during the day.

If you do turn the air conditioning on, don't setit below 70 degrees Fahrenheit in an effort to cool the house faster, said Samantha Hall, managing director of Spaces Alive, a design research company helping to create healthy, sustainable buildings.

"It just runs for longer to reach that temp and will keep going until you start to feel a bit chilly and is then hard to balance," she added. Instead, keep the unit temperature as high as possible while still comfortable.

Cotton is one of the most breathable materials, so cotton sheets or blankets could help keep you cool through the night.

The lower the thread count of the cotton, the more breathable it is, Porter said. That's because higher thread counts have more weaving per square inch.

If you can't sleep through the night because you're too hot, try sleeping somewhere besides your bedroom, if that's an option. Heat rises, so if you have a lower or basement level in your home, set up a temporary sleeping area there to experience cooler temperatures at night.

Common advice for staying cool without air conditioning includes refrigerating or freezing wet socks, blankets or clothing then ringing them outto wear while you sleep. But this isn't a good idea, Porter said.

"The amount of energy they can absorb from your body that night, they will be warm in just a matter of minutes," he said. "And then you'd have damp stuff that would mold your mattress. So you definitely don't want to do that."

If no one's using a room that doesn't have vents or registers, close the door to that areato keep the cool air confined to only occupied areas of the house.

Flip the switch for the exhaust fan in your kitchen to pull hot air that rises after you cook or in your bathroom to draw out steam after you shower.

Incandescent light bulbs generate a higher temperature than LED light bulbs do. To make the switch, watch for sales on energy-efficient bulbs, then slowly replace the bulbs in your house, Porter said.

Switching light bulbs can save money but won't reduce a lot of heat in the home, Hall said. However, if you focus on switching the bulbs in areas you're sitting near, that would make a more noticeable difference, Porter said.

Oven heat can spread throughout your house. Keep the heat centralized in one area, such as a slow cooker. Or, cook outdoorson a grill to keep the heat outside.

Eating an ice pop or ice cream to cool down may help for a moment. But don't go overboard on the sugar if you're overheated or at risk of being overheated, Porter said.

"Sugar would run your metabolism up and you'd start feeling internally hot," he said. "So the cool treat might be good, but the extra sugar might not."

If you've tried everything and still can't beat the heat at home, you could look online for any local programs that are offering ductless air conditioners.

Depending on your state, some cooling centers -- air-conditioned public facilities where people might go for relief during extremely hot weather -- may be open and taking precautions to ensure they're as safe as possible. You could start by checking with your local utility offices, as they would know who is offering certain programs, Porter recommended.

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How to stay cool without air conditioning - Milwaukee - WDJT

Syracuse, N.Y. For three straight nights this week, Syracuse set records for the hottest nighttime temperatures.

Its an extension of a long-term trend of increasingly hotter summer nights: Syracuses nighttime lows are about a degree warmer than they were a decade ago. And while high temperatures get headlines, hot temperatures overnight are of equal or greater concern for human health.

High nighttime temperatures are dangerous because if somebodys body temperature is elevated, it doesnt come down as much or as quickly, said Nicholas Rajkovich, an architecture professor at University of Buffalo who researches the effect of climate change on buildings and people. With people who dont have access to air conditioning or other kinds of cooling, over the course of a couple of days it can cause physiological problems like heat stroke or heart attacks.

Excess heat directly kills an average of 700 Americans each year, more than any other weather-related cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The toll is likely greater than that: Studies indicate that hotter nighttime temperatures can increase the chances for stroke and heart attacks, and can cause poor sleep, which can lead to longer-term health problems.

Its getting hotter in the summer in Syracuse, especially at night, according to new normal temperatures calculated this year by the National Weather Service. While Syracuses average high temperature in summer is about a half-degree hotter than it used to be, summertime lows are nearly a full degree higher.

Its not just Syracuse: Unusually hot low temperatures have risen faster across the continental U.S. than high temperatures, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Nighttime heat is especially hard on people who have a hard time regulating their temperature, including the elderly and those with chronic conditions, including diseases of the heart, kidneys and lungs. In addition, the elderly and those with chronic conditions are more likely to take medicines that can cause dehydration or restrict sweating.

People with heart disease can be on medications that try to keep them dry to begin with, so theyre not as able to control their body temperature through sweating, said Dr. Kathryn Watson, an emergency medicine specialist at St. Josephs Health.

On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Syracuse set or tied records for the hottest nighttime temperature recorded on those dates since records began in 1902. Monday nights lowest temperature was a stifling 78 degrees. The temperature Sunday night and Monday morning was worse, never falling below 81.

And those were outdoor temperatures; in stuffy houses and apartments that had soaked up the days heat and stored it into the night, it was even hotter.

The heat was bad enough, but on some nights this week humidity soared into the 90% range, making it difficult for sweat to leave the body and take heat with it.

Primarily the way we cool our bodies is through evaporation, and evaporation becomes extra inefficient when the humidity goes over 75%, said Dr. William Paolo, chair of emergency medicine at Upstate Medical University. Now you have extreme heat during the day without cooling down at night, plus humidity that wont allow for cooling. Thats a bad combination when an individual needs a reprieve from the heat.

The problem is worst in apartment buildings in Syracuse, said Sally Ward, director of energy and housing for PEACE, Inc., a local nonprofit.

Heat rises, and you get to the top floors of some of these apartment complexes and its brutally hot, Ward said. We have a concrete jungle effect here.

PEACE is one of 18 local contractors that installs the window air-conditioning units for low-income people who have medical conditions exacerbated by heat. Those include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and autoimmune conditions, Ward said.

In Syracuses third-hottest June on record, its not surprising that more people are applying for the air-conditioning units this year.

Last year, we did a total of 84 from May until September, Ward said. Were already at 60, and we have all of July and August to go.

Other contractors in Onondaga and Oswego counties are likely just as busy, she said. To apply for the air-conditioning program, call 315-435-2700, ext. 1.

Air-conditioning can be a lifesaver, but we need to make other changes to keep people healthy as the climate warms, Rajkovich said. Some people cant afford to buy or run air conditioners, he said, and others are reluctant to install them for fear someone could break in the window.

Rajkovich says we need to look at other ways to keep houses cooler, such as adding insulation, installing energy-efficient windows, using reflective colors on roofing and siding, and improving air flow inside homes. State and local governments offer programs to help people afford those improvements, he said.

Running air-conditioners should be a last resort, he said, because they help burn the very fossil fuels that are heating up the climate in the first place.

Air-conditioning was invented in Syracuse, but Im hoping we can figure out something where we just dont add a lot of greenhouse gases to stay cool, Rajkovich said. Syracuse has always had hot summers, but its going to get even hotter in the future.

READ MORE

CNY has had more 90-degree days so far than any other year -- and July is usually hotter

Mayor threatens to close nursing home, says temps hit 85 due to broken air conditioner

More than 100 deaths may be tied to historic Northwest heat wave

CNY has gotten wetter, whiter and warmer, new weather normals show

Upstate NY cities named among best climate havens as the world grow hotter

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Summer nights in Syracuse are getting hotter, and that could make people sicker - syracuse.com

Its hot almost everywhere in this country right now.

Air conditioners are straining. The words heat dome are in the news. Climate change is being discussed.

Were going to ask you, the B and B, a question that can be answered without relating to cars how do you beat the heat?

Do you crank the A/C in your car, maybe on recirc? Sunroof open but windows up and A/C on? Windows down, even if you have A/C? Or have you bought a convertible?

While wed like to keep this related to cars, feel free to tell us how you keep cool at home, too. Im making my two window units work, and they work reasonably well, but they dont cover the whole place the kitchen and bathroom arent nearly as cool as the living and dining rooms and (thank God) the bedroom.

Still, sometimes I wish I lived in a newer building with central air.

Anyway, tell us how youre staying cool. Hopefully reading TTAC is part of the deal.

[Image: Wild Jack Photography/Shutterstock.com]

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63 Comments on QOTD: Beating the Heat... - TheTruthAboutCars

When construction started on Van Ness Avenue in 2016, the city said the transit improvement project would be completed by 2019. It is now June 2021, and construction is ongoing.

Local business owners say the construction has had an outsize impact on business.

"Oh my god, since we opened two-and-a-half years ago, we are in the middle of the construction," said Wael Naber, whose son Shadi Naber owns Salty's at 748 Van Ness. "It's really, really, very bad for business."

Wael Naber said customers intentionally avoid the restaurant given the construction. Online orders sometimes cancel because delivery drivers don't want to deal with the hassle that is Van Ness.

"What are you going todo?" asked Naber. "We have to be patient."

The Van Ness corridor is a vital connector between neighborhoods. It serves as the main artery between the southern center of the city and Marin, and it's dotted with restaurants, car dealerships and banks, among many other businesses.

In 2003, voters approved a proposition allocating tax dollars to provide rapid transit service on Van Ness. Supervisors approved the estimated $346 million project 10 years later. Construction broke ground in 2016, with the goal of being finished three years later. New projections say the project will be completed six years after its start date, in 2022.

A new report from the San Francisco grand jury attempts to make sense of the Van Ness mess. Therein, it describes how the estimated total cost of the project increased from $309 million to $346 million a 12% increase and attempts to make sense of the long delays.

The report traces the problem to three issues: It says that planning and design processes "failed to capture the scope of the project adequately;" contracting processes did not instill accountability; and ongoing project management "failed to remediate problems efficiently and effectively."

San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency has pushed back against the report's findings. The agency told the San Francisco Examiner that "the report tells a one-sided story with little emphasis on the contractor's roles and responsibilities."

Multiple key issues in the report have all been the subject of contractor claims which were resolved in a way that acknowledged shared responsibility between the SFMTA and the contractor," SFMTA spokesperson Erica Kato told the Examiner.

In the meantime, businesses on Van Ness are making do, and some say the impact of construction has leveled off.

"When it first started, there was a great, great impact financially," said Blanca Ramos, the manager at Peet's Coffee on Van Ness. "Right now, it's pretty neutral."

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Van Ness is a mess and it's hurting businesses - Beaumont Enterprise

Fort Collins news: Air quality and wildfires; I-25 roadwork halfway done

This week in Fort Collins, air quality was affected by wildfires; I-25 roadwork reached halfway point; track, baseball athletes aimed for state titles

Rebecca Powell, Wochit

A pair of Fort Collins restaurants opened in June along Harmony Road, ticking off the list of long-awaited eateries set to open their doors this summer.

No restaurants closed in Fort Collins this month.

Several announced new plans for Northern Colorado, including an Old Town doughnut shop move, construction of a new drive-thru coffee stop and the possible addition of two chain restaurants.

Here's the latest from the Fort Collins food scene.

Cheba Hut,2550 E. Harmony Road, is officially toasting up subs in south Fort Collins. The sandwich chain opened its third Choice City location June 21, joining its existing spots on Taft Hill Road and Laurel Street.

The new location once home to McAllister's Deli features an indoor/outdoor bar and pickup window for to-go orders.

Cheba Hut's Harmony Road spot is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.

Los Chingones,3541 E. Harmony Road, opened in Fort Collins' Harmony Commons on June 25, cementing its expansion into Northern Colorado.

The Denver-born Mexican restaurant boasts signature dishes like its Birria Tacos and Baja Fish Tacos, as well as new menu items special to Fort Collins, like aMexican Cotija Taco, Bang Bang Crispy Shrimp Taco andPork Carnitas Taco.

Los Chingones is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Restaurant inspections: 6 establishments require reinspection

Fort Collins Donut Company or Foco Doco is moving out of its tiny shipping container space in Old Town's The Exchange.

The shop will go from a 160-square-foot space to a larger northern portion of Scrumpy's Hard Cider Bar, which is located across the street at215 N. College Ave.

Fort Collins Donut Company will operate as a coffee bar while producing doughnuts in a back kitchen, according to the company's owner Megan Barghols.

The doughnut shop's last day in The Exchange will be July 18. It is set to reopen in Scrumpy's by the last weekend in July.

The Human Bean is working on its first permanent Wellington location, which will beits 11th drive-thru coffee shop in Northern Colorado. Construction on the drive-thru located at 8121 SixthAve. is set to start this year.

After years of parking its Human Bean mobile coffee truck at Wellington's Ridley's Family Market, the Northern Colorado coffee chain is putting down brick-and-mortar roots in the town.

"The residents here have always supported our coffee truck, and it is the type of close-knit community we enjoy being a part of," Human Bean owner Frank Sherman said in a news release about the new location.

Marco's Pizza is in expansion mode in Colorado, possibly bringing locations of the pizza chain to Fort Collins in the coming years.

The Ohio-based pizza chainrecently announced a duo of development agreements that will bring 20 new Marco's Pizza locations to Denver, Fort Collins and communities in betweenby 2024, according to a news release.

The chain has roughly 16 current Colorado locations stretching from Greeley to Colorado Springs.

Taco John's is planning to buildfive new locations andremodel all of its existing spots in Northern Colorado as part of a new franchise agreement.

The fast-food Mexican chain currently has two locations in Fort Collins and one in Windsor.

Details on where exactly the new locations will be built in Northern Colorado were not available Wednesday.

Looking toward Linden's future: Restaurants, bars on Linden Street want Fort Collins outdoor dining in renovation plan

Erin Udell reports on news, culture, history and more for the Coloradoan. Contact her at ErinUdell@coloradoan.com. The only way she can keep doing what she does is with your support. If you subscribe, thank you. If not, sign up for a digital subscription to the Coloradoan today.

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2 restaurants opened in June in Fort Collins; more in the works - Coloradoan

The future of the street is finally coming into view. And that view is brighter than ever.

CLEVELAND This is the kind of place that Ive always wanted. I love our other spaces, of course, I do, I do, but Im really excited about this.

That's the sentiment of Julie Mesenburg, co-owner of the current Avo Modern Mexican in Ohio City, and Char Whiskey Bar in Rocky River. She and her husband Gabe Zeller are behind just one of the new signs of life coming to East Fourth Street- Indie.

It's not set to open until the fall, but out ahead of it- another new eatery. Goma by Dante opened its doors today, and Michael Symon's former Lola Bistro now has a new lease, though information on that is still under wraps for now.

Dante, you opened Dante 10 years agoyeah 10 going on 11," Chef Dante Boccuzi laughs as we sit in his new restaurant. "Someone tell me to stop!

But he is nowhere close to stopping, In fact, he's a large part of something new.

Its surreal that were apart of it, I still pinch myself," says Mesenburg, as we sit on the rooftop that was once apart of Greenhouse Tavern, and will one day be filled with plush couches, margarita slushies, and tons of Clevelanders.

So, its [the name Indie] is a nod to indie music, youll see a lot of our posters in here, about 170,," Mesenburg explains when asked about the restaurant's name.

"Yeah 170, a lot of them are from shows we actually attended," Zeller says.

On the food side, Indie is all about southern comfort foods- think fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, and pecan pie.

Goma brings to 4th street, the chef's take on Japanese fusion, with plenty of sushi and interactive dinners like shabu shabu, dishes Dante has learned from cooking around the globe, including his time at the famed Nobu.

"As soon as you walk in, theyre yelling at you, welcoming you in Japanese," he says about the Nobu experience he hopes to bring to E. 4th. "Everyone yells it, and you're looking around like what's going on here, and the show begins.

Dante says when the prime spot on Fouth and Prospect opened up, it was a no brainer- made even better by a wrap around porch and glass garage doors.

As for Indie, just know that that great rooftop bar, is coming back.

So were redoing the bar top, redoing the back bar, were going to have a couple large TVs. Some lounge area seating back here, redoing the bathroom, repainting everything, making it fresh," Zeller explains as he takes us through the space, stepping around current construction.

No doubt the past year and a half has felt like a waiting game. Waiting to see family, to travel, and to return to our favorite restaurants.

I would say yeah, this has probably been the biggest challenge, because of the pandemic, and this is the first restaurant Ive actually invested my own income in, as well," Dante says.

But for East 4th street, that future is finally coming into view. And that view is brighter than ever.

I think were gonna see a whole new revival, new stuff coming, new ideas, a lot of great spots," Dante says.

I think the outlook is great, I come down here pretty much every day to check on construction and stuff, and the street is back alive," Zeller agrees.

If you'd like to support businesses like the ones on 4th, you can donate to the Ohio Restaurant Relief Fund, or find a job at one of the restaurants there, by clicking here.

You can follow updates on Indie, set to open in fall, on their Facebook page.

You can view the Goma menu, here.

More Save Our Sauce Coverage:

Read the rest here:
The Future of East 4th Street | Save our Sauce: Doug Trattner reports - WKYC.com

In response to an inquiry from Community Impact Newspaper, Mike Abbate, assistant vice president for real estate and development with In-N-Out Burger, said the company hopes to open a restaurant in The Woodlands in the future, but no further details were available.

"At this stage, we are in the development application process, so its still too early to say when, or even if, we will be able to open a restaurant there," Abbate said in the July 1 email. "Once we do begin construction on a new location, it usually takes us 5 to 6 months to build the restaurant and open for business. We do know that The Woodlands is a wonderful community, and we are excited about the prospect of opening a location there."

The company did not respond to a question from Community Impact Newspaper regarding whether the location would be near The Woodlands Mall.

The company also responded to a Facebook Messenger request for comment by stating it could not confirm any site as a future location until it is under construction. Plans for new locations are always subject to change, according to the message.

The California-based restaurant chain has three locations in the Greater Houston area.

http://www.in-n-out.com

The rest is here:
In-N-Out eyeing The Woodlands for new location - Community Impact Newspaper

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Instruction

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Neighbors worry about changes as construction starts for The Grove Phoenix - AZFamily

Spero Conits is a soft-spoken man. His wife often tells him he mumbles too much. In a crowded restaurant with loud music playing, it's hard to hear him.

But when Conits is fighting for something he believes in, he's anything but quiet.

After a storm in 2014 destroyed hisrestaurant,Spero's Pete's Original Too, Conits vowed he would rebuild. That proved more difficult than he anticipated.

So difficult, in fact, that he took the city of Greenville to court in 2018.

"If there's something you believe in, you've got to protect it, you've got to fight for it," Conits said. "Can't let any roadblocks stop you."

Conits and the city were locked in a legal battle for yearsuntil this month, when they settled for a total of $1 million. Conits has yielded part of his property to the city, which will be turned into a passive park honoring his Greek immigrant parents, John andAthena.

And now, with thesettlement reached, Conits is turning over a new leaf.

Conits has several simplegoals now, like staying active and healthy andfocusing on his family.

He also wants to give back.

"I had a good run. I've still got stuff now volunteer for some stuff I've been putting off getting into, dosome work for the churches.Cook for them, delivery for them," he said.

Now "semi-retired," Conits manages his real estate portfolio, plays golf and is busy planning a trip back to Greece, he said.

His kidney transplant, which he underwent in 2019, made him push pause on many of his plans. It was a grueling process.

But, the new kidney was "the ultimate gift," he said.

Conits is also turning attention to the park heenvisions at the spot of his old restaurant, at the corner of East Stone Avenue and East North Street. He wants to install a plaque in honor of his parents, who immigrated to Greenville during World War II and became successful restaurant owners.

While the lawsuit over the land was "frustrating,"hedoesn't hold a grudge against the city.

"It's some kind of closure, but it's kind of bittersweet," he said.

It took three years to reach that "bittersweet" closure in Conits' case.

The issue stemmed from acity law that prohibited new construction in areas federally designated as a floodway. That included Conits' propertyat the corner of East Stone and East North.

When Conits remodeled the building to open his restaurant in 2008, his property wasn't within a floodway designation. TheFederal Emergency Management Agency didn't revise its insurance map until after the storm that claimed his restaurant in 2014.

Conits filed a lawsuit in 2018, claiming that the city used the property to turnit into a public floodway. The city, he argued, violated theConstitution by not allowing him full use of his privately owned property withoutcompensation.

The city disputed the claim.

The city's building code division also denied Conits' second building permit application twice.In 2017, Conits appealed the city's decision to a state circuit judge. It was ultimately ruled that the denial was in keeping with the city's law.

While the judge denied Conits' appeal, the city was busy changingits stormwater regulations, offering an opportunity forConits to rebuild. But the changesmeant Conits could only build a replacement building and that he could only rebuild one more time if it was destroyed again.

It was too expensive, Conitssaid.

"My insurance guy said, 'It would be like five, six times what you're paying now to insure,'" he said.

Finally, in June 2021, Conits and the city reached an agreement. The land was divided between Conits and the city.Conits keeps part of the property and the barber shop housed there, and the city will turn its portion of the landinto a park.

"Following amicable discussions, the city and Mr. Conits were able to find a solution that made sense for both parties," city spokesperson Beth Brotherton said in an email. "The settlement allows the city to obtain additional green space and permits Mr. Conits to use the remainder of his property in the future. The city has the utmost respect for Mr. Conits, we simply disagreed about the impact of the citys stormwater regulations on his Stone Avenue property."

Conits loves the restaurant business for the people.

"You get to know the customers on a personal level," he said.

He bringsthat same people-focused approach to his next venture, whether he will spendtime with his friends and family, visit his restaurant tenants or volunteer.

He's moving faster now despite his semi-retirement, he said.

"I have a punch list every day," he said.

Near the top of his punch list is planning a dedication ceremony for the new park. He hopes to hold it in the next few months.

Macon Atkinson is the city watchdog reporterfor The Greenville News. She's powered by long runs and strong coffee. Follow her onTwitter @maconatkinson.

Continued here:
Greenville restaurant owner vowed to rebuild, but instead he'll honor his Greek parents - Greenville News