DUNCAN Move over McDonalds. Duncan Public Library just got a temporary drive-through window.

Around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, a car came through a window at the library and one person was reported to have been transferred to Duncan Regional Hospital with minor injuries.

Office Wesley Wainscott with the Duncan Police Department was the lead officer on the scene.

Wainscott reported a female driver was pulling into a parking spot on the south side of the library, when the incident occurred.

She thought she hit the brakes, but her foot must have slipped and she hit the accelerator, Wainscott said.

The car traveled through the side of the library and drove into a book shelf in the non-fiction area of the library.

The shelf couldnt withstand the force of the car and collapsed as a result.

Who said non-fiction has to be boring?

Library Director Jan Cole said the library would stay open, despite having a temporary drive-through window on the side.

Cole said the damage was somewhat contained in the non-fiction area, affecting that one shelf.

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Vehicle checks into Duncan library

LOS ALTOS, CA--(Marketwire -06/29/12)- DPR Construction, one of the nation's leading technical builders focused on highly complex and sustainable projects, today celebrates the ribbon-cutting of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation's new Bay Area office building, which joins a growing trend of net-zero energy facilities in the United States. Designed to use less energy as well as generate its own power on-site, the new building, which is also targeting LEED Platinum certification, offers a replicable model for attaining the highest level of sustainable development in a commercial office building setting and is one of the first of its size and type in the nation.

"Today marks the celebration of a traditional milestone for what has been anything but a traditional project," said Mike Humphrey, project executive for DPR Construction. "A lot of people think and act green, but we commend the Packard Foundation for its leadership in taking sustainability to the next level. The project is not only targeting 95 LEED points -- well above the minimum 80 required for Platinum level certification -- but also includes some of the most advanced and efficient systems and materials available today."

The 50,000-square-foot, two-story wood and steel structure, designed by architect EHDD, seamlessly blends into the surrounding natural environment, presenting an understated yet elegant aesthetic that belies the complexity of the design components and construction processes that went into the project. From the diverse array of exterior building materials, including aluminum, glazing, copper panels, stone, stone veneer and wood siding -- all carefully overlaid to form a highly thermal rated exterior skin -- to the highly energy-efficient mechanical and electrical systems, to the rooftop photovoltaic panels that generate on-site energy, every building component contributes to the net-zero energy goal.

DPR began the project in early 2010 with the deconstruction of six existing structures and diverting 98 percent of the waste from landfill. According to DPR Project Manager Mike Messick, the team also worked closely with major trade contractors to correctly sequence the construction of the exterior skin.

"The waterproofing system as well as the thermal insulation of the exterior skin were really crucial and extremely complicated, because there were so many different materials and intersections coming together," he said. To accomplish that, DPR first constructed a full-sized mock-up section. "We were able to ferret out a lot of the sequencing issues of putting together such a complex skin system designed specifically to help achieve the zero-energy goal," Messick noted.

In addition to the Packard Foundation project, DPR has completed construction of two other net-zero energy buildings: DPR's San Diego office and DPR's Phoenix office. "By building and operating our own net-zero buildings, we can better understand what goes into achieving net zero on projects for our clients," said Humphrey.

DPR's 33,600-square-foot San Diego office, completed in 2010, is the first and only commercial office in San Diego to achieve both LEED-NC Platinum certification and net-zero energy status. DPR's 16,000-square-foot Phoenix facility, completed in fall of last year, is targeting Platinum certification and is on track to be the first net-zero energy private office building in Arizona.

About DPR ConstructionDPR Construction, currently ranked No. 13 on FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, is a forward-thinking national general contractor and construction manager specializing in technically complex and sustainable projects for the advanced technology/mission critical, life sciences, healthcare, higher education and corporate office markets. Founded in 1990, DPR is a privately held, employee-owned company that has grown to a multi-billion-dollar organization with 17 offices around the country, making it one of the largest general contractors in the nation and a great story of entrepreneurial success. For more information, visit http://www.dpr.com.

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DPR Construction Completes Ground-Up Net-Zero-Energy-Designed Facility for The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Source: Tanjug, Radio Free Europe

BELGRADE -- Defense Minister Dragan utanovac has submitted documents to the Anti-Corruption Agency regarding his involvement in the construction of a building in Belgrade.

The Agency requested from the minister to submit the necessary documents regarding the construction of a luxurious apartment-office building in the Belgrade municipality of Vraar in order to investigate whether there is a conflict of interest.

One of the apartments in the future building should be utanovacs.

Anti-corruption website Pitaljka obtained information that utanovac was building luxurious apartments with his wife and another eight co-investors, including Cyprus-based company that has been doing business with the Defense Ministry.

According to Radio Free Europe, Cyprus-based Vilab Pharm Director was Radomir Bzik who owned a Belgrade-based company called Peyton Medical that sold medicines and medical equipment to the Defense Ministry. The company got the contract five times, without a tender.

One of the five cadastral lots on which the office-apartment building will be built, was a public city land. It has 744 square meters and the City of Belgrade leased it to utanovac and his co-investors for 99 years based on a contract with the Building Directorate and a decision of the Belgrade Urbanism Secretariat.

The defense minister confirmed himself earlier that he was taking part in the construction of the building since he did not own an apartment and added that a friend who is in the construction business suggested him to do so.

The fact that the minister is involved in a construction business with a former owner of a company that did business for the Serbian Army (VS) raises doubt that there is a conflict of interest and the Agency will investigate it, Anti-Corruption Agency Board President Zoran Stojiljkovi said.

I think that the Agency has already contacted Mr. utanovac and if Mr. utanovac has started the construction with his co-investors and if the company he is building with has business ties with the Defense Ministry, then it is reason enough to investigate the situation, he told Radio Free Europe.

Link:
Minister investigated for possible conflict of interest

Green Hills Area Education Agency (AEA) Board of Directors is hoping to have a plan in place on what to do with the AEA regional office in Creston by the end of the year.

However, what that plan is going to be is still up in the air.

We are looking at different options in the community, said David Van Horn, associate administrator of Green Hills AEA, during a phone interview Wednesday morning.

The former AEA building, which was located at 1405 N. Lincoln St. in Creston, was destroyed April 14 during an EF2 tornado.

The meeting for the Green Hills AEA Board of Directors was held Tuesday evening in Red Oak.

Van Horn said, during the meeting, options including leasing or partnering with somebody for construction were discussed.

Were trying to see whats going to fit our needs, he said.

The buildings final demolition took place in early May.

Temporary solution

A temporary Green Hills AEA office was established at 230 N. Pine St. There is a one-year lease for that location, and staff will be there through the 2012-13 school year.

More here:
Leasing, construction options discussed for AEA building

By Alana Melanson

amelanson@sentinelandenterprise.com @alanamelanson on Twitter

FITCHBURG -- City officials are looking to move the single-family home at 242 High St. -- a property the city has had to buy twice in less than 30 years because of an issue with an adjacent retaining wall -- possibly to the location of a blighted triple-decker that will soon be torn down on Johnson Street.

According to Housing Director Ryan McNutt, the city will soon put out a request for proposals for the home, provided the buyer is capable of moving it.

McNutt said he would like to see the house moved to the site of 3-5 Johnson St., which currently holds a triple-decker owned by the Twin Cities Development Corp. -- if the organization casts the winning bid.

In 2010, water runoff had undermined the structural integrity of the retaining wall that holds up Mechanic Street next to 242 High St., he said, and the city paid the owner $165,000 for the house. McNutt said repairing the existing granite retaining wall would have cost nearly $1 million.

According to Department of Public Works Commissioner Lenny Laakso, the city had to buy the property in the 1980s as well, after problems with the retaining wall then caused damage to an existing tenement building. The owner sued the city and won, he said, costing the city about $87,000, in addition to repairs to the wall. The existing structure was torn down and

Simultaneously to the 2010 events of 242 High St., McNutt said, the city decided to take a landlord who owned several blighted properties in the Elm Street area to court. These properties were then put into receivership, he said, and were taken under tax title. Twin Cities CDC bid on 3-5 Johnson St. in an auction and will tear it down possibly as soon as next week, McNutt said.

Marc Dohan, executive director of the Twin Cities CDC, said he wants to get the building down as soon as possible, but a date for the demolition hasn't been set yet.

"We're about to finish three new homes across the street," he said. "We've been really wanting to take down 3-5 Johnson for quite some time."

Link:
Fitchburg eyes relocation of house due to retaining-wall problems

LOS ANGELES Tooling along Pacific Coast Highway in his GMC pickup, Skylar Peak scans the break at Surfrider Beach. Bella, his dog, is leashed in the truck bed, her mohawk shaded by a red, white and blue surfboard bearing the message VOTE PEAK.

As he pulls into the beach parking lot, Peak shouts "Waddup?" and waves at some surfer pals. In a few hours, the Malibu native will paddle out. But at the moment, he has more on his mind than nose-riding.

In April, this celluloid ideal of a waterman became the youngest person elected to Malibu's City Council. His supporters are looking to Peak, 28, to help preserve what's left of their community's rural flavor. He freely voices opinions such as: "I'm not that stoked about development."

With the prospect of more than 1 million square feet of construction looming and with the sewer-versus-septic battle continuing to rage, Malibu stands at an environmental and cultural crossroads. Some residents view development as vital to the city's economic health. Others fret that their beach town is turning into Rodeo Drive west, with posh boutiques supplanting local shops that can't afford rising rents.

Big-money projects are popping up all over town. Software mogul Larry Ellison is building two restaurants near the pier. A Whole Foods is coming to the Civic Center. A developer has proposed a 146-room luxury hotel on 28 vacant acres at Malibu Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway.

Although many locals welcome Peak's exuberance, longtime observers say he is up against an entrenched leadership that has long been too cozy with developers. Some wonder whether he's prepared for the rigors of city governance.

"He'll find out very quickly with this group that's in there ... it's join us or go out by yourself," said Jefferson "Zuma Jay" Wagner, another surfer who won a council seat on a similar slow-growth pledge but did not seek re-election.

Peak swaggers into Malibu Kitchen for a late-morning coffee. Emerging in his faded black T-shirt and green sweatpants, he gives a surfer's stink eye to the Lanvin and Missoni boutiques across the Malibu Village shopping center.

"They don't belong here," he says.

Third generation

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Young surfer councilman fights waves of change in Malibu

28-06-2012 13:07 Visit for details. Luxury living in Metro Moncton, with large, finely appointed apartments, 866-3439. What does it take to get a large, roomy luxury apartment in the Metro Moncton area? Just one call to 866-3439. WoodSide Terrace, a brand-new 50-unit luxury complex at 7 Point Park Drive (across from the Petro-Can), is currently pre-leasing finely finished one- and two-bedroom apartments (930 square feet), all with stainless-steel appliances. There's even a fitness center. Move-in date is fall 2012. Construction is under way now, so please check back often as we'll be adding photos of the site and our show suite once it's all put together and lookin' pretty!

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Luxury Apartments Under Construction Right Here In Moncton New Brunswick - Video

LAKE PARK, Fla., June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- EcoSmart Surface Technologies (EST) secured a contract today with VSGI LLC Building Solutions of Oakbrook Terrace, IL. The agreement with EcoSmart Surface Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Renewable Corporation (RNWB) opens the way for installation on VSGI'S existing task order contracts and future contracts with the VA. VSGI is a verified service-disabled Veteran-owned business, which provides sustainable construction and management services to meet Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set-aside requirements within the agencies of the Federal Government.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120628/NY33125LOGO )

Brian Ireland, president of EcoSmart Surface Technologies stated, "We are excited to work with VSGI and the Veteran's Administration, it is rewarding to know that we can assist in making the VA hospitals, specialty medical centers and clinics not only visually pleasing but also safer for our Veterans and their families."

The initial projects are planned to seal and encapsulate hazardous materials such as asbestos haunting older government and private buildings. The process will save substantial construction cost and downtime. The EcoSmart Surface Technologies flooring system will create a permanent monolithic chemical bond with the existing surface. Application also requires less energy consumption, little waste and is safer and less disruptive than conventional processes because the asbestos material does not need to be removed.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Renewable and should add millions in revenues for the Company," states Manpreet Singh, Chief Financial Officer of The Renewable Corporation.

About EcoSmart Surface Technologies

EcoSmart Surface Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Renewable Corporation Inc., has developed an exciting new alternative in decorative floor surface coverings. Innovative and unique process (patents pending) achieve a highly desirable appearance that's extremely durable, also provides superior quality and performance, and offer a more environmentally friendly choice than conventional flooring options. EcoSmart Surface technologies' products and processes can even seal and encapsulate hazardous materials such as asbestos, and place it in a permanent chemical bond. Application also requires less energy consumption and is safer than conventional processes. Interior and exterior flooring, countertops and many other horizontal surfaces can all be enhanced using these new methods.

About The Renewable Corporation

The Renewable Corporation (TRC, trading symbol RNWB) was established in 2004, adopted its present name in 2008, and is based in Lake Park, Florida. It develops and supplies products, services, and technologies that use efficient, renewable resources. TRC knows there is significant interest in clean, green, and lean methods that offer superlative quality at a cost that is a reasonable alternative to traditional choices, and will have a less hazardous impact on the environment and human health.

The Renewable Corporation family of companies integrates sustainable manufacturing and distribution with cutting edge research and proprietary technology to provide the most advanced line of products and services available. TRC actively seeks out partner companies and individuals that are engaged in similar, forward leaning efforts. The company encourages creative synthesis and the inspired application of ideas in unexpected places. Discovering new solutions to existing and anticipated problems is the corporation's primary goal. The Renewable Corporation portfolio already contains multiple patents and patented products.

Original post:
The EcoSmart Surface Technologies to Provide Flooring for VA Medical Centers and Military Facilities

VANCOUVER -- Local architects known for their modern towers, malls, hospitals, plazas and libraries, are scaling down their designs to raise money for families in need.

Their whimsical drawings will be built into futuristic playhouses and put on display at the Pacific National Exhibition this August, and sold off to corporate buyers who will donate them to community groups across the province. The proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity, a charity that helps low-income families build and buy their own homes. The designs and materials are all donated, and the finished playhouses will ultimately be made accessible to the public.

The idea came from Canfor, a forest product company, which is celebrating its 75th year in business next year. Its first wood products were used to build the famous Mosquito bomber planes during the Second World War, and the playhouse design theyre sponsoring takes the shape of that propeller plane.

The company wants to send a positive message about building with wood while benefiting Habitat for Humanity, said Canfor president Don Kayne.

Were trying to raise our profile as the industry rebounds from a pretty tough recession over the years, Kayne said. Its important to connect more with the community and connect more with the younger generation.

Other forestry firms have signed on as well, including West Fraser, Interfor, Western Forest and Conifex, Kayne said. Each will work with an architect and a local builder to turn the drawings into wooden playhouses. Kids can play in them at the PNE and then wherever theyre placed in public after the 17-day fair is over. Michael Green Architecture, DGBK Architects, Dialog Design, and Hughes Condon Marler Architects are among some of the local creative teams that have signed up to participate. There will be eight playhouses in all.

Besides the propeller plane, which was designed by architecture students at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, other playhouses take on cubist or geometric designs. Theres even a teepee, designed by Michael Green and his 11-year-old son, who told him kids love teepees.

Its not that he meant literally build teepees, but that we should capture the spirit of what a teepee feels like to a kid, and why being in a teepee invokes our imagination, said Green, who is also designing the Ronald McDonald House for BC Childrens Hospital. He hopes his playhouse, made of stacked Douglas fir and chalkboard paint with a ball room inside, will end up there eventually. Green estimated the cost of his playhouse at $35,000 for materials, design and construction.

Canfor spokeswoman Christine Kennedy said the fundraising process at the PNE will determine how much money is raised for Habitat for Humanity.

zmcknight@vancouversun.com

Original post:
Builders, architects to create playhouses for housing charity

A onetime Hayes Valley freeway off-ramp turned parking lot/community garden can get yet another life as a new development with retail space and 182 rental units.

The Planning Commission gave its unanimous approval to the project's conditional use permit Thursday, clearing the way for the development. While the city still owns the property, a sales agreement has been reached with the developer.

The project is bounded by Oak Street, Laguna Street, Octavia Boulevard and Hickory Street, an unimproved right-of-way. Since the Central Freeway off-ramps were removed in 2003, plans have been in the works for adding housing on the property.

"This is an incredibly wonderful example of how to creatively reuse the freeway space," said Commissioner Kathrin Moore.

Plans call for 29 percent studios, 31 percent one-bedrooms and 40 percent two-bedroom units. Sixteen of the largest apartments will be two-story family-friendly town homes.

While community groups like the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association have endorsed the plan, some neighbors complained Thursday that the 91 parking spaces planned for the development weren't enough and would cause parking problems in the neighborhood. Others complained that the development was too dense for the neighborhood and didn't provide affordable housing.

But the city has been tightening parking requirements, especially in transit-rich spots like the Octavia-Hayes Valley area, and the project also includes parking spaces for 85 bicycles. The developer also agreed to pay $9.6 million to the city's affordable housing fund.

- John Wildermuth

Show us the money: The 49ers are going to court to collect some $30 million in redevelopment money the city of Santa Clara promised them for their new stadium.

Problem is, the city doesn't have that money after the state dissolved all local redevelopment agencies earlier this year. And the Santa Clara County agency now responsible for doling out any leftover redevelopment funds decided the community had more important uses for the cash than the planned $1.2 billion stadium.

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S.F. Hayes Valley off-ramp site set for housing