The cost to renovate the former Verizon building into a police station and Conshohocken Borough offices has risen by $1,520,329 from the original construction proposal to $13,145,000 a 13 percent increase.

Borough council members met with officials from Keystone Property Group of Lower Merion Feb. 6 to discuss project financing while the borough and KPG waits for a $4.31 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant to subsidize part of the project, said Borough Manager Francis Marabella.

A requirement that workers on the public construction project must be paid prevailing wage rates and additional costs to get state accreditation for the police station boosted the project costs, Marabella said. The area for secured, police vehicle parking and the sally port for transferring police suspects from the vehicles was enlarged to meet accreditation requirements.

Borough officials planned to submit the business plan for the RCAP grant Feb. 10 to the state Office of the Budget.

It is uncertain when the RCAP money will be released by the state, Marabella said.

Council members discussed whether to borrow $10 million to finance the early renovation costs with a bank loan or a 30-year bond issue. A financial adviser, Concord Public Finance of Lancaster, Lancaster County, was hired Feb. 6 for a $22,500 fee to prepare financial information for the loan and negotiate with bank institutions.

Council also hired the law firm Fox Rothschild to determine whether the proposed $10 million loan will be tax exempt for IRS purposes. The Whitpain firm will charge $350 per hour.

The expenses for both advisers will be paid out of the financing package, Marabella said.

Decisions on the faade of the building and the total space requirements for the police station and the borough offices have to be firmed up before site plans are submitted to the planning commission, Marabella said.

Council will hold another special meeting, open to the public, at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17 to continue working on the Verizon building renovation project. Continued...

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Cost estimates rise for Conshohocken Verizon building renovation

WASHINGTON (AP) Michelle Obama says a construction industry pledge to hire 100,000 veterans by 2019 isn't only the right and patriotic thing to do, but also a smart thing for business.

The commitments by 100 companies and associations in construction were being announced Monday at a conference sponsored by the Labor Department and the initiative Joining Forces, a nationwide effort launched by Mrs. Obama and Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, to rally the U.S. around military veterans, active duty service members and their families.

Nearly 400,000 veterans and their spouses have been hired under the initiative since it began in 2011, said Mrs. Obama, who was joining Labor Secretary Thomas Perez for the announcement.

"By hiring veterans, businesses won't just be giving American heroes the chances they deserve to keep serving our country," the first lady wrote in an opinion piece appearing in Monday editions of The Wall Street Journal. "And the companies won't just be giving veterans' families the security that comes with a steady paycheck."

"These businesses will also be ensuring that they have the qualified employees they need to keep growing and creating new jobs and strengthening the economy for decades to come," she said. "They will be sending a clear message that we honor those who've sacrificed for us, and are determined to serve them as well as they have served our country."

Since Joining Forces began, companies with household names from Disney and Starbucks to UPS and Walmart have pledged to hire thousands of veterans.

But Monday's announcement is significant because it is the first time an entire industry has pledged to make sure that giving jobs to veterans "is always part of the mix and is really ingrained in the DNA of the business model," Perez said in an interview.

Unemployment among the 9/11 generation of veterans, those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, has been steadily declining during the past two years and stood at 7.9 percent in January, versus an overall unemployment rate of 6.6 percent. President Barack Obama often says these veterans shouldn't have to fight for a job when they come home after fighting for their country on the battlefield.

The construction industry is growing and is a place where veterans can use their military skills.

Last month, the construction industry had its strongest single month of job growth in the past four years, adding 48,000 jobs.

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First lady praises construction industry hiring

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Over the past handful of years I've been happy to drive a plethora of vehicles.

There's been one theme I've noticed though: I really tend to adore simple cars.

Give me manual cloth seats, a stripped out interior and switches and knobs to adjust the HVAC controls. The less fancy, the better. Bonus points if you can find a modern vehicle with "wind me down" windows.

I don't appear to be alone, either. A recent episode of Petrolicious followed Christopher Hoffman and his tale of his 1987 Honda Civic CRX Si, which is a highly desirable ride these days. And, for good reason.

Though it only produced 91 horsepower out of the box, it only weighs 1,900 pounds. And according to Hoffman he can count on one hand how many repairs he's had to have made.

That's because it's so damn simple not to mention this was when Honda was in its prime.

Take a look at Chris' story below and weigh in below are SIMPLE cars simply better?

At the young age of fourteen, Christopher Hoffman helped convince his mother to buy a '77 Honda Civic wagon. That was just a small, first step in what would become a life-long infatuation with Hondas.

They went on to take over their local Honda club (they wanted the club to include more driving events) and ten years later, Christopher bought his first new car ever, this 1987 Honda Civic CRX Si. He fell in love with the car on the drive home and vowed to keep it forever. And although he's owned the car for 27 years now, it's never broken down and Christopher can count on one hand how many repairs he's had to make (two of them are bulb replacements, it is a Honda after all).

Being a Honda, the CRX is also blessed with a very light, short shift that Christopher loves in addition to its sound and how freely the 1.5L four-cylinder revs. It may only have 91hp but in car that weighs about 1900 pounds, it's enough to leave Christopher smiling through the twisties.

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VIDEO: Are SIMPLE Cars Better?

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By BEN LANGFORDFeb. 9, 2014, 8:30 p.m.

POLL: Gerroa's ''Bum Tree'' will be chopped down in a move the council says will make the Gerroa Road corner safer.

Gerroa residents are incensed by Shoalhaven City Council's decision - in a confidential meeting - to chop down the iconic "Bum Tree" along with many other large gums on Gerroa Road near Berry.

The move was proposed to make the corner safer - it has been the scene of several accidents - and involves clearing six metres of all trees at the site.

This would mean the end of the well-known Bum Tree, which has growths protruding from its trunk in the shape of two buttocks, and on which some local wit has for many years painted the word "BUM" and an arrow.

Gerroa Environmental Protection Society president Warren Holder said the Bum Tree, a type of eucalypt called a blackbutt, is one of many that are important habitat for local wildlife, including sugar gliders.

They have now been invited by the council for a consultation meeting this afternoon to find out more about the decision, and to discuss options for using "part of the tree in an alternative form".

But today residents will hold a protest at the site.

The thought of a "bumectomy" has some locals horrified.

Mr Holder said it was "ridiculous" to invite residents for consultation on what to do with pieces of the tree once felled.

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Cheek of it: Gerroa's Bum Tree to get chop