The remodeling of the 7,423-square-foot main house and accessory structures at 360 Mountain Home Road in Woodside is evolving, though with fewer surprises than was the case 10 months ago.

Planning Director Jackie Young and the Architectural and Site Review Board agreed to a set of revisions to site plans on March 2, Ms. Young said. The town's conversation with the applicant, SV Projects LLC, has been going on since December.

The result is a modified version of what had been "much more formal and intense" proposals that were "inconsistent with several aspects of the Residential Design Guidelines," Ms. Young said. "We found acceptable compromises."

Among the compromises: front gates will have a more rural style, three sets of stairs will be less formal, exterior lighting will be set to a minimum, and a pool patio structure and a garden structure will have bronze siding and roofs, Ms. Young said.

The applicant had proposed using the same stone siding and slate roofs planned for the main house. But that would have complicated an observer's ability to distinguish the main house and accessory structures, creating a perception of a more massive complex, staff said.

All existing upward-pointing exterior lights must go, and lighting in the basement lightwell and garden structure must be kept to a minimum, per the town's codes, Ms. Young said. The pylons at the entrance gates originally had metal caps, but those, too, must go.

The applicant agreed to these changes, but is planning to ask the Planning Commission for "a height exception" to overturn the ASRB's recommendation against a proposal for two more dormers on the roof of the main house, Ms. Young said.

The process is orderly, unlike in May 2014. Town staff visited the site and were surprised to find the top two floors of the main house elevated on steel beams above an empty space where the first floor and basement had been.

Permission had been given to elevate the house, but for the purpose of removing the basement only, not the first floor or its framing. Ms. Young issued a stop-work order on July 3.

After much discussion, the Planning Commission split on the matter on July 31, leaving it unresolved. The applicant appealed to the Town Council, which unanimously granted the appeal Sept. 9. Work resumed.

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Woodside, developer find compromises on mansion

Brooklyn, NY (PRWEB) March 12, 2015

Petri Plumbing and Heating, Inc., a leading plumbing company serving Brooklyn since 1906, recognizes March as Flood Awareness Month by offering useful tips to prepare homeowners for the flood season. According to the New York Daily News, last years torrential downpour not only threatened lives, but it caused structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge. With the memory of last years damages and the realization that flood season is on the horizon, Brooklyn homeowners are encouraged to take proper action in order to protect their homes, belongings, and loved ones.

Brooklyn is definitely not exempt from the risk of flood damage, and we got a taste of that last July, said Petri. Especially with all of the old homes in this city, it is important we prepare for the unthinkable.

In order to take preventative measures for the oncoming flood season, Petri Plumbing offers home plumbing inspections to safeguard each homes sewer lines against the threat of a potential flood. In the event that preventative measures were not taken or were not enough, Petri Plumbing also offers 24 hour emergency plumbing as well.

Sewer lines can be affected by backups throughout flood season, which can lead to seepage and a dangerous living space as a result. In an effort to avoid this condition, backflow prevention systems should be installed, replaced, or inspected in order to ensure all sewer lines stay clear. When sewer lines are clear, a home is free of dangerous gasses and bacteria. For optimal performance, yearly backflow prevention tests are also encouraged.

More often than not, the site of water damage and mildew is located in the basement, said Petri. We can prevent water from coming into your Brooklyn home by installing a sump pump in the basement so that the groundwater can be safely collected and discharged from the property.

Some additional routine precautions residents can take include investing in a flood insurance policy, elevating appliances twelve inches, anchoring appliances that cannot be elevated, and storing high value items in higher places.

To learn more about Petri Plumbing, call 718-748-1254 or visit: http://www.petriplumbing.com/

About the Petri Plumbing and Heating, Inc.

Petri Plumbing and Heating, Inc. is a family owned and operated business serving Brooklyn and the New York City area. Founded in 1906, the company offers a 100 percent guarantee on all services, upfront pricing, and friendly and knowledgeable Service Experts for all kinds of home and business plumbing and heating needs. Services offered include water and gas pipe leak repair and installation, fixture installations, inspections, boiler repair, water heater installation, complete bathroom, kitchen, laundry & utility room remodeling and more. Petri Plumbing is also licensed and certified by Green Plumbers USA - the first in New York City. For more information, please visit: http://www.petriplumbing.com/

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New Yorks Petri Plumbing Acknowledges Flood Awareness Month

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Published: March 9, 2015

By Suzanne Elliott

Almanac Staff Writer

Suzanne Elliott / The Almanac

McMURRAY Peters Township is seeking proposals from design consultants in an effort to make its municipal building more efficient and safer.

The municipal building has been a fixture on East McMurray Road since 1964, but was remodeled in 1983 and 1984, making the structure hard to navigate and inefficient. In addition, the building is constantly in use as a meeting site, making it hard to keep track of who is inside.

The building was not designed for single entry, said Michael Silvestri, the township manager. We also need to be more cautious. There have been incidents in other communities.

Peters wants a consultant to perform an assessment of the building, particularly its condition and how it is used. One of the things the township is considering is the installation of a key card entry access system for the building, Silvestri said.

In addition, the consultant would be tasked with designing physical and operational measures to increase building security and improve its use. For example, the townships planning department is in the basement of the building, Silvestri said. That department needs to be relocated to the buildings first floor and the basement used for storage, he said.

Were looking at relocating the offices for better work flow, he said. Nonpublic uses would be moved to the basement.

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Peters Township looking to renovate municipal building

I figured out the other day I have lived with my husband in our house longer than I lived anywhere else. It was close, with the house I lived in when I graduated being only slightly less, but still, the most consistent chunk of my life was spent on this farm and in this old house.

And weve been working on remodeling it the whole time.

In those first few years, we dumped money hand over fist for results that could be felt but not really seen. We replaced windows, added insulation and replaced or added wiring as was necessary. Several of the old windows were cracked (all were single-paned), there was no insulation in any wall, and the wiring, while safe and functional in most respects, was simply lacking. The number of outlets in each room (one or two) may have met the standards of a wealthy family in the 1950s, but it failed to meet basic standards for millennial electric usage. #firstworldproblems

Once the basics of function were handled, we began replacing and repairing items of more cosmetic value. The kitchen got some laminate hardwood over top the previously visible plywood subfloor. The cast iron tub, which was barely tolerable in the summer and downright freezing in the winter, was replaced. The washer and dryer were moved out of the basement and into the bathroom/laundry room.

In recent years, we began repairing and replacing the plaster in the areas of the house where we live and occasionally entertain. The old plaster, made on site in the 1880s, was mixed with horse hair curried from an animal that probably lived here at the time. (A red horse, it would appear.)

The plaster is incredibly heavy and exceedingly dusty. When chunks of it fall off the wall often our first indication that it needs to be replaced it creates a dust that seeps into all facets of our existence and is extremely difficult to clean up. Like pet hair, you think you have handled it all, then discover there is a little more. And then a little more. Swiffer doesnt even have a product to handle horse-hair plaster.

We have taken to closing off all rooms except the one we are gutting, opening all of that rooms windows, and using a fan to blow the dust out as control measures. It was somewhat successful, especially when my daughter is in charge.

My oldest daughter likes to remove the plaster. She climbs up on a ladder with a putty knife and a five-gallon bucket and scrapes it off as gently as possible. She has been working in the hallway for a few weeks now, an hour or so after school when the weather permits.

Soon, the plaster will be down and it will be ready to rebuild. Then, my husband will begin the process of beautifying the walls, stairs, railing and floor. I will begin trying to clean up all of the dust that still managed to creep under closed doors and through curtains into rooms where it was never supposed to be.

The jury is out as to who will finish first.

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Getting plastered

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March 7th, 2015 7:00 pm by Matthew Lane

KINGSPORT Change has come to city hall.

Well, at least in the form of new paint, carpet, and furniture for the 60-year-old building, along with some reshuffling of the space in the city managers office.

The renovation is the first phase of a two-phase overhaul and relocation project taking place at city hall. City Manager Jeff Fleming said the work took about five days and wrapped up last week.

Its a great way to make use of the facilities we have available to us and also modernize them to where they are more user friendly for our citizens, Fleming said.

Kingsport allocated $150,000 in last falls bond issuance for the two-phase project. The work recently completed included a fresh coat of paint in the second-floor hallway and new paint, chairs and two 80-inch televisions in the second-floor conference room.

The council room is L-shaped and the place where the public sits ... they could not see the screen, so we replaced it with modern TVs viewable from the gallery as well as for board members, Fleming said. We upgraded all the technology so as were presenting were able to take turns presenting around the table. Its a wireless device that connects to a laptop and can project on both screens at the same time.

The conference room chairs were re-purposed to other departments throughout the city while the public gallery chairs are planned to be surplused out, Fleming said.

They were original to the building in 1962, Fleming said. They were very narrow and werent very comfortable for guests. The new chairs are wider with spacers and more comfortable without being too close to the person beside you.

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Offices and meeting rooms at Kingsport City Hall have received a needed makeover

Submitted by Howard B. Owens on February 13, 2015 - 2:27pm

The third of five meetings for the Police Facilities Task Force had members looking at drawings and maps and thinking about traffic patterns, parking and floodplains.

The committee reviewed the proposed sites for a new police station, looked at the options for remodeling the current location -- the old Brisbane Mansion -- and asked why a variety other locations in the city weren't considered.

The task of the task force is to come up with a recommendation for the City Council by July 1.

They meet next on March 10 to look at financing options.

Their virtual tour of potential locations started at 56 Ellicott St., the former Santy Tires location.

Advantages include access to Ellicott Street and Evans Street (a driveway would extend along the north side of the Salvation Army building), high visibility Downtown and the opportunity for all new construction.

The downsides include being in the floodplain (though, by a slight margin, the highest of the sites in floodplains), some level of environmental remediation because of the former auto repair shop and gas stations, and proximity to the Della Penna property.

The Della Penna property itself has been taken off the list because the lot size is slightly too small and it will require significant environmental remediation.

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Task force learns there are no ideal locations for new Batavia PD headquarters

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DECATUR White walls, empty space and plans of greatness beckon the future.

Yet, there isn't much to see right now as work continues in the basement of the African-American Cultural & Genealogical Society Museum, with the museum still more than three months away from its planned grand opening the week of the Juneteenth Celebration.

The plan for the basement, an exhibit to explore the Underground Railroad and its history in Central Illinois, is still not much more than a concept in the mind of Evelyn Hood and other museum officials.

But compared to where they were at this time last year, the founder and CEO of the society said it's the best possible outcome.

From where we were last year in a storage unit, to today... it's just tough to put into words how it's come together, Hood said.

After 20 years in downtown Decatur, the society received a notice in the fall of 2013 that the museum needed to vacate its original location at 314 N. Main St. by the end of the year. The society spent the next several months holding official meetings in restaurants that could accommodate them and were forced to put its more than 500 exhibit items in a small self-storage unit in Mount Zion.

It was stressful, it was a dire situation, society board member Ada Owens said. We had this place for decades, then one day we were homeless.

After the Rev. Sally Hamon of the Central United Methodist Church read about the society's struggles, she offered Hood and the society the more than 4,000-square-foot building at 235 W. Eldorado St. near the corner of Church and Eldorado streets to use as the new home for the museum.

The church retains ownership of the building but does not charge rent to the society. The organization is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the facility.

Support from the church, as well as those who have donated time and money to the museum, have Hood feeling blessed.

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African-American society sprucing up its new home, exhibits