Source: Economic Times ()
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Source: Sacramento Bee ()
Developer Paul Petrovich says it may be the “most tortured, belabored and argued-over project” in Sacramento history.
He’s referring to his 11-year-campaign to build a Safeway-anchored retail center at the northeast corner of Hazel and Madison avenues.
He began assembling land for the Promenade center in 1996. Since then, he’s gone through a slew of environmental reviews, participated in more than 30 public meetings and overcome numerous obstacles to secure the final parcel he needed. (It was owned for a time by Raley’s, which anchors a competing center across the street.)
But construction finally has begun, with a retaining wall erected this month and foundation work under way.
The developer expects to get a county building permit in January and complete the center – with a Peet’s Coffee, a Golden 1 credit union, Panda Express and other shops – by October.
* * *
Showing his metal: As we’ve reported before, the Promenade project will be fronted by a 16-foot-tall chrome rooster made by Colorado sculptor Sean Guerrero.
Until Petrovich’s project is completed, the rooster is perched in a friend’s Fair Oaks backyard, sharing space with two other steely sidekicks.
The other members of the metal menagerie? A chrome eagle, with 16-foot wingspan, destined for the Stone Pointe retail center near William Land Park, and a rearing horse for the 55-acre Woodland Gateway project.
How does Petrovich’s pal feel about watching over three enormous chrome creatures? Right at home, says Petrovich, since the chrome caretaker is an auto enthusiast who loves being surrounded by art made from former car bumpers.
“He sends all his friends photos with him posing next to them.”
* * *
Assigned to China: Just three years out of UC Davis, landscape architect Paul Maksy has a cool new He’s staffing the Beijing office just opened by Sacramento’s HLA Group.
“We threw (Maksy) in the deep …
Source: Baltimore Sun ()
Best betTuesday // Take a break from the holiday hubbub and work up an appetite at the Holiday Escape Hike with the Baltimore Sierra Club. Six-mile walk through the Wildlands area of Gunpowder Falls State Park. Stream crossings and a stretch of path along the river. Meet at 10 a.m. at Big Gunpowder Falls Park on Belair Road. Details: 410-254-7240.
Biking
Source: The Ledger ()
TEWKESBURY, England | It was bad enough that thieves had stolen a roof, but outrageous that what they took topped the pride of this town, the soaring 12th-century Tewkesbury Abbey.
“It’s awful. It’s disastrous. It’s incredibly sad,” said Antonia Black, a local artist sitting in a cozy delicatessen on the town’s quiet main street.
In addition to the abbey, she said, two other local churches have experienced their roofs being stripped, including one she had just visited: “On Sunday, we were sitting in service and the vicar said, ‘Look up,’ and we could see the sky.”
The rooftop thefts, which have reached epidemic proportions, with more than 1,000 churches hit this year, are a function of the cost of lead. It has jumped from $450 a ton five years ago to $3,200 this year, according to police and insurance industry officials.
From one end of Britain to the other, there are centuries-old Anglican churches with the lead roofs that were popular in medieval times. Historic preservation laws require these landmarks to be repaired with original building materials, and so sometimes after repairs are finished, burglars strike again.
“Churches have always been a target for thieves, but this is particularly shocking because they are ripping the very fabric off the building,” said Chris Pitt, spokesman for Ecclesiastic Insurance Group, a company that insures 16,500 Anglican churches in the United Kingdom.
More than 2,000 claims have been filed for metal thefts at churches in 2007, compared with 80 claims just two years ago, Pitt said.
‘ICON OF HOPE’
Stone spires have been yanked away to get at the stuff. Holes in roofs have gone unnoticed until downpours inflict further damage, including the destruction of a $40,000 organ in one church.
The Rev. Canon Paul vicar of Tewkesbury Abbey, said parishioners see the centuries-old church as “an icon of hope,” but …
Source: PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung) ()
www.researchandmarkets.com - Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c78065) has announced the addition of Concrete Contractors in the US to their offering.
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the use of concrete and asphalt to produce parking areas, building foundations, structures, and retaining walls, and in the use of all materials to produce patios, private
driveways, and private walks. Activities performed by these establishments include grout and shotcrete work. The concrete work performed includes new work, additions, alterations, and maintenance and repairs. This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry key players and their market shares.
Concrete Growth
This growing industry has been building on developments in technology, enabling substitution of traditional building materials with concrete. Before setting this ideal into concrete, new entrants may have difficulty competing with existing contractors, in a relatively volatile market, and an established reputation for quality of workmanship, timeliness or financial security, even with light regulation and low concentration within the industry. -0- INDUSTRY DEFINITION Industry Definition Activities (Products and Services) Similar Industries Demand and Supply Industries KEY STATISTICS Current Prices Table Constant Prices Table (applicable deflator applied) Real Growth Table Ratio Table Graphs Statistics Available: Revenue, Industry Gross Product, Enterprises, Establishments, Employment, Imports, Exports, Assets, Total Wages, Domestic Demand SEGMENTATION Products and Service Segmentation Major Segments Industry Concentration Geographic Spread MARKET CHARACTERISTICS Market Size Linkages Downstream Industries Upstream Industries Demand Determinants …
Source: Washington Post ()
Troubled times for Texas hallucinogen harvesters
Source: Washington Post ()
Troubled times for Texas hallucinogen harvesters
Source: Trading Markets (press release) ()
Y–SOURCES SOUGHT MASONARY REPAIR BUILDING 1AT IRON MOUNTAIN VA MEDICAL CENTER
Monday, December 17, 2007; Posted: 02:25 PM
Dec 17, 2007 (FedBizOpps via COMTEX) — IRM | charts | news | PowerRating — NOTICE TYPE: Sources Sought Notice DATE POSTED: 14-DEC-07 AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs OFFICE ADDRESS: Department of Veterans Affairs;GLAC (69D);5000 W. National Ave;Milwaukee WI 53295-0005 SUBJECT: Y–Sources Sought Masonary Repair Building 1at Iron Mountain VA Medical Center CLASSIFICATION CODE: Y - Construction of structures and facilities SOLICITATION NUMBER: VA-69D-08-RI-0152 CONTACT: Thomas Scheuerell Contract Specialist 414-902-5411 SETASIDE: N/A PLACE OF PERFORMANCE ADDRESS: Iron Mountain VA Medical Center;325 H Street;Iron Mountain, Michigan PLACE OF PERFORMANCE ZIPCODE: 49801 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE COUNTRY: USA NOTICE TEXT: Department of Veterans Affairs VA Great Lakes Healthcare System Department of Veterans Affairs Great Lakes Healthcare System The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking for firms that are SDVOSB and VOSB. In addition the VA is looking for firms that are SBA Certified Hubzone firms. The firm must be a construction firm with experience with tuck pointing damaged motor joints, repairing/replacing damaged brick and stone, installing additional drip edging, caulking and sealing surfaces and power washing the exterior for Building 1at VA Medical Center at Iron Mountain, Michigan. The estimated dollar amount of this project is between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 and the firms must have a bonding capacity for this construction project. The NAICS Code 238140 applies If your firm can answer yes to the above, please forward an e-mail to Thomas.scheuerell@va.gov or Mail information to: Great Lakes Acquisition Center, Attn: Thomas Scheuerell, 5000 West National Avenue, Building 5, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53295-0005. Please include the name and address your firm and phone number for a point of contact and your firms DUNS number. Responses …
Source: Albany Times Union ()
Sand Lake Baptist Church is pressing ahead with $200,000 in renovations and repairs to its 201-year-old building, which is the oldest building in Sand Lake and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
“We’re still in the process. We’ve divided the project into management phases,” said the Rev. Mihran Kupeyan.So far, the congregation has removed three tons of debris from the attic; replaced century-old insulation; rebuilt catwalks; repaired the front doors; and completed repairs to the belfry.”Everything that’s done is carefully done to preserve the integrity of the building,” Kupeyan said.The congregation has not yet completed its fundraising. Its goal is to raise $200,000. So far, Kupeyan said, about $25,000 to $30,000 has been donated. That’s one reason the repairs are proceeding phase by phase.Kupeyan said fixing the roof is next on the list, pending a third estimate.Everybody in the congregation is contributing, he said. About 60 people attend services. “My challenge to them is we have to do our part before we do anything,” Kupeyan said.The church is still seeking donations for its restoration fund to help pay for the repairs, Kupeyan said.Donations may be sent to the church restoration fund at Sand Lake Baptist Church, Box 157, Averill Park, NY 12018.For more information about the restoration project call the church at 674-3316.– Kenneth C. Crowe II West Nile infections down Fewer birds tested positive for West Nile virus in Albany County in 2007 than last year.Four birds tested positive this year, county Director of Communications Kerri Battle said. Last year, seven birds — including two crows from Albany and Colonie — tested positive.In 2005, the state Department of Environmental Conservation reported three birds had died of West Nile virus in the winter. At the time, DEC wildlife pathologist Ward Stone West Nile virus is generally thought of as a disease occurring in the warm months.Battle said …
Source: OCRegister ()
When all else fails for gift ideas for the holidays, turn to books. Here, our staff’s favorites, including home and garden books that inform, instruct or simply inspire. All selections are available at book retailers:
By Diane Dorran Saeks (Rizzoli International, $45)
With an eye of a designer, author Diane Dorran Saeks explores 30 private residences and hotels in her newly released book on the famous desert community. Glimpse inside Cary Grant’s restored 1920s hacienda hideaway, interior designer Martin Newman’s Spanish-style hacienda, a dramatic home with a museum-quality contemporary art collection and a classic midcentury modern icon.
By Ina Brosseau Marx and Allen Marx (Watson-Guptill, $50)
If you’re an antiques collector or have a family heirloom in need of repair, the authors will guide you through the process of restoration. Do-it-yourselfers will find detailed descriptions on the repair of wood structures and the restoration of veneers, finishes and gilding. After reading this book, you’ll be able to examine flea-market finds with a more discerning eye.
By Susan Hershman (Gibbs Smith, $34.95)
Anyone aiming for a cohesive look for the outside of their home, or is involved in exterior design, or ju
st loves to look at houses, should take a peek at “House Colors.” The paint palettes are endless, the architectural styles are varied and each house in this heavily photographed book is a gem you’d love to own, that is, if you were collecting homes.
The book is about color, but is arranged by style: colonial, cottage, Mediterranean, modern, and more. Hershman points out why the landscape works with the style of the house and photographs the unexpected details that make this 335-page book eye candy for the home buff.
By Barbara W. Ellis (Storey, $19.95)
If you’ve been wondering just how you were going to replace …