Its been over six months since the Electric Umbrella permanently closed at EPCOT, but some elements of the quick-service restaurant were still recognizable in the construction zone behind Spaceship Earth. For a while, we could still see pieces of the iconic awning that used to shade the front of the restaurant, but now it is gone for good.

The umbrella-like awning used to stretch out from the brown portion of the roof.

Inside, a few umbrellas on the ceiling are still visible, but demolition has begun as you can see by the absence of windows and some walls.

The windows have been completely blown out. This segment of the building that juts out is set to be completely demolished.

This area will eventually be home to EPCOTs new Starbucks location and a different quick-service restaurant. This will use the whole building, so the temporary MouseGear location will need to close at some point to facilitate this.

Hey, can I have an umbrella if youre just going to demolish them???

Do you miss the Electric Umbrella? Let us know in the comments.

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BREAKING: Canopy Removed and Demolition Begins On Former Electric Umbrella at EPCOT in Preparation for New Starbucks and Counter Service Restaurant -...

Upstairs, bedrooms radiate under the eaves from a large central hall, each room interconnected with closets. One bedroom was converted to a bathroom.

The house also features a hidden room, just three feet wide and six feet long. Inside the room, the couple found a packet of love letters, tied with a tattered pink ribbon, dating from 1887 to 1891.

The origin of these letters is unknown, the application reads. According to the names on the letters, they do not appear to have been written or received by anyone known to have lived in the house.

The love letters predate the house. Theres no access to the hidden room except for a ceiling panel in a closet.

It was definitely somebody special place, Jo Anne said. It was obviously somebody having an affair.

The farm also has changed in the almost 30 years the Millers have owned it.

When they closed on the farm, Jo Anne and Jay talked about what they wanted to do with the land. Jay suggested raising cattle, but Jo Anne didnt want to raise a cow only to find it on her dinner plate. Before long, they began taking in abused and neglected horses and nursing them back to health.

Jo Anne has an education background and soon began using these horses in a therapeutic riding program to help teenagers deal with their own traumas. The farm has helped 504 horses recover from malnutrition, abuse and neglect, while pairing them with teens that may have similar difficulties in life. All of the students who have gone through Brook Hill Farms programs have graduated high school and many have gone on to receive college degrees.

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Unique Bedford County farm house saved from demolition - Lynchburg News and Advance

ANN ARBOR, MI Demolition work has begun to make way for the next high-rise development in downtown Ann Arbor.

Crews have been busy since last week tearing down a 1980s office building that housed DTE Energy at the southeast corner of Main and William streets.

Rising in its place over the next two years will be a 10-story building with apartments and ground-floor retail.

The Standard, as the development is called, was approved by City Council in early March just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But the novel coronavirus outbreak isnt stopping the project from moving ahead.

Well move forward with foundation work as soon as demolition is complete, and we expect to start going vertical early next year, said Eric Leath, development manager with Georgia-based developer Landmark Properties.

We look forward to welcoming residents to The Standard in fall 2022, he added.

15

10-story development planned for corner of Main and William

The apartments are designed primarily for young professionals, University of Michigan students, faculty and visiting professors, according to plans.

There are no notable changes to the building since it was approved, said architect John Myefski.

Plans call for 218 apartments with 421 bedrooms and over 6,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Amenities include fitness/yoga rooms, study areas, a small outdoor deck/lounge on the east side of the second floor, and a larger outdoor deck with a hot tub/pool on the west side of the second floor overlooking Main Street.

Ann Arbor high-rise proposal features pool deck with hammocks

The unit mix includes 89 studios, 22 one-bedroom units (two dedicated as affordable housing for people earning 80% of the area median income), 60 two-bedroom units, 12 three-bedroom units and 35 four-bedroom units.

The developer agreed to include at least 1,250 square feet of rooftop solar panels, estimated to meet over 1% of the buildings annual energy needs and public art features.

The demolition of a 1980s office building to make way for a new high-rise at Main and William streets in downtown Ann Arbor on Sept. 11, 2020.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

Adhering to the citys height limits for the property, the block-long building will step down from 10 stories to five stories as it approaches Packard Street.

The buildings facade is to include a combination of brick, steel panels and glass.

There are 102 car parking spaces planned, including 90 interior spaces and 12 exterior spaces on the east side.

Plans include one underground parking level and one first-floor parking level in the building with access via the adjacent alley. Four spaces are to be for electric vehicles and two for car sharing, plus 84 bicycle parking spaces.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

5-story hotel proposed on west edge of downtown Ann Arbor

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Timeline: Ann Arbors downtown housing boom and whats to come

Before-and-after views of downtown Ann Arbors dramatic transformation

52-unit Liberty Townhomes development gets unanimous OK in Ann Arbor

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Demolition work making way for another apartment high-rise in downtown Ann Arbor - MLive.com

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.(KRQE) Squalid conditions inside a now vacant, former Albuquerque restaurant are causing problems for a neighboring non-profit. In response, the city is now considering tearing down the problem property along Central Avenue.

Just west of Wyoming Boulevard, the property at 8411 Central Avenue NE has been on the Albuquerque Code Enforcement divisions radar since 2014. While the location remains boarded up, the neighboring non-profit Street Safe New Mexico says it continues to deal with issues coming from the next-door property it shares a wall with.

The non-profits Executive Director, Christine Barber recorded video of a recent indoor tour of the property. Barbers video shows the vacant business has large piles of trash inside. Barber describes the overwhelming smells of feces and rotting trash.

That smell, Barber said. Holy crap, no wonder everyone thinks someones dead in here.

Barbers next-door non-profit has been dealing with the mouse problem since May. The mice were determined to be coming from the vacant building next door. Barber estimates the non-profit has killed around 120 mice in the last four months. She says the rodents are getting into health supplies that the non-profit provides to women living on the street.

We have so much damage thats been done to our building, Barber said. Theres Tom and Jerry mouse holes in all of the walls, they are coming from next door, they have to be coming from the abandoned building next door.

Photos gathered by the city show inspectors recently found piles of trash, bloody needles and signs of homeless camps around the property.

Monday night, city councilors voted to move forward with a demolition of the old restaurant but councilors did not vote to expedite the process so the soonest it could happen in mid-November. Street Safe says thats not soon enough for them to stay in the building safely in the meantime, so for the moment, they will not operate out of that space.

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City eyeing demolition of vacant, mouse-infested Central Ave. business - KRQE News 13

This is a view of Ormond Beach.(Photo: STAR FILE PHOTO)

With new energy contracts secured for Oxnard's Ormond Beach Generating Station, the plan to end the power plant has begun.

Starting next year, GenOn, which owns two coastal power plants in the city, will begin setting aside monthly payments to a trust that will eventually pay for the demolition of the gas-fired plant at Ormond Beach. The trust will be established through theVentura County Community Foundation.

It remains to be seen what will become of the Mandalay Generating Station, which unlike the one at Ormond, is no longer operating and can't generate any revenue. Developing the site could be a possibility to generate money for demolition.

In the meantime, the Ormond facility will continue operations through 2023, years beyond the original decommission date at the end of this year.

The City Council on Tuesday was briefed on the latest developments, which included the State Water Resources ControlBoardvotingunanimously on Sept. 1to extend the life of the power plant.

Depending on future energy contracts and electric grid needs, the Ormond Beach power plant could come down some time between 2025 to 2027.

News: Fisherman's Wharf project derailed with Coastal Commission defeat

"Im really glad that we, unlike other communities, are going to have a fund to take this down," said Councilwoman Carmen Ramirez.

Ramirez has been a staunch advocate of ridding industrial uses along the coast. But she, along with others on the council, spoke on behalf of the city urging the state board to approve the power plant extension.

This December was supposed to be the deadline for the two Oxnard power plants and others in the state that useocean water to cool down heated operations to decommission. But the state agency is extendingthe deadline for Ormond and three others in Southern California to ensure power grid reliability and to give more time for alternative energy sources to get on line.

City Manager Alex Nguyen and City Attorney Stephen Fischer negotiated a deal for GenOn to set aside $25 million for demolition of the power plant and remediation of the soil and groundwater at the site. According to the pact, if the funds set aside are not enough fordemolition, GenOn agrees to pay the difference.

Election 2020: Ventura County candidates gear up for online forums; first set for Monday

"Had we not done this and assumed they were going to close at the end ofthis year, we would have been the biggest losers," Nguyen said.

That's because state leaders might have approved an extension due to grid reliability and there wouldn't have been a payment plan to take the facility down. Other decommissioned power plants in the state, like the one in Morro Bay, have such a fate.

A similar deal wasn't reached before the closure of Mandalay power plant, which is just north of Ormond Beach near Fifth Street. In an interview on Thursday, Nguyen said that site requires development in order to generaterevenue for demolition.

"I was working on a deal there most of last year. The recession put a massive halt on it," Nguyen said. "Theres still a deal to be made there, and I intend to pick it up as soon as feasible."

Previous: Ormond Beach approved for continued operations; plan for demolition in the works

Wendy Leung is a staff writer for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at wendy.leung@vcstar.com or 805-437-0339. You can also find her on Twitter @Leung__Wendy.

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Ormond Beach power plant in Oxnard to come down in five to seven years; Mandalay uncertain - VC Star

Start with a $500 car. Cheaper is fine, but no higher. Then decorate it outrageously. Maybe with a giant rubber ducky, or a flying pig. Now put it on a racetrack with scores of other half-broken art-cars and drive it fast as hell for 14 and a half hours.

Thats the formula for 24 Hours of Lemons, a grass-roots race-carnival held since 2006. Whats the grand prize for completing the most laps? A rusted trophy. Sometimes, you get a big bag of nickels.

Jay Lamm, the ringleader of this circus, hatched the idea during a weekly lunch with car buddies at a Chinese restaurant in Berkeley, Calif. Nearly 15 years later, Lemons is a multimillion-dollar franchise held in dozens of cities across the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Its a real race, but winning is mostly irrelevant. What is actually tested (and celebrated) is the ability of resourceful hobbyists armed with only basic tools and their wits to revive a worn-out vehicle for a weekend of low-rent, high-speed high jinks.

In arguably his most masterful act of provocation so far, a year ago Mr. Lamm changed the sacrosanct laws of Lemons. He put up $50,000 to create a prize for the first pure electric car to win any 24 Hours of Lemons race. To up the ante, electric cars are exempt from the $500 limit. (For all cars, that $500 mark does not include safety gear.)

Mr. Lamm said the electric vehicle prize would be paid exclusively in nickels, delivered to the winners driveway by a dump trunk.

Of the approximately 15,000 cars in Lemons races since 2006, only two have been electric. A converted half-century-old Datsun 1600, equipped with a 23-horsepower forklift powertrain, was quickly pulled from the race. It was too slow and a hazard for the rest of the field, which averages 55 to 60 miles an hour during a race.

A second team fielded a 1981 Plymouth Horizon TC3 wired to golf-cart batteries. Battery chargers previously used for Chinese crop-dusting drones were stationed in the teams pit area. Errant electrical fields attracted an army of fire ants, which swarmed the lining of the drivers race suit right before he put it on.

Ants are biting the drivers gonads, and he stays on the track anyway, Mr. Lamm said. Thats what I call dedication. Or a personality disorder. Or maybe both.

What led Mr. Lamm to stage a battle between E.V.s and gas cars in the worlds least prestigious racing series? Nothing other than the very survival of his tribe of wrench-turning weekend racers.

Mr. Lamm sees the writing on the wall for internal combustion and believes that hands-on enthusiasts need to embrace the potential of motors, batteries and inverters as a new form of automotive self-reliance. Were currently on the path to being marginalized wackos with a crazy hobby, he said.

Endurance car races are won not on pure speed but on stamina. You cant be off the track for more than 60 to 120 seconds, refueling or recharging as the case may be, Mr. Lamm said. You mathematically arent going to win.

Todays E.V. batteries go for 200 miles or more, about five times the distance needed for a typical American commute. But when accelerated to racing speeds followed by hard braking, again and again, those battery packs last perhaps a single hour. Gas cars can tank up in seconds and return to the track for another couple of hours. But recharging an E.V. commonly takes minutes or hours.

The only solution to winning Lemons in an E.V. is to engineer a battery-swapping apparatus and show up to race with a truckload of spare batteries. The approximate cost for the required set of five or so battery packs could easily exceed $100,000, twice the purse.

Besides, battery-swapping for electric cars is an unproven technology. Nio, a Chinese car company, is trying to build a battery-swap network in China. Its doing so with a $1.4 billion investment from the municipal government of Hefei, the largest city in Anhui Province. Better Place, an Israeli start-up, raised roughly $800 million for battery-swapping infrastructure before going bankrupt in 2013. Tesla tried battery swaps but gave up. Could the low-budget Lemon racers succeed where giant companies failed?

Its doubtful. Mr. Lamm announced the $50,000 Lemons E.V. prize a year ago. Since then, no one has tried to win in a pure electric vehicle. Maybe his mountain of nickels is safe.

Then again, theres Michael Bream, a two-time Lemons winner with gas cars. In his first victory, in 2010, Mr. Breams 1989 BMW 3-Series beat 100 other cars at Buttonwillow Raceway in Bakersfield, where Southern Californias gutsiest speed-shop mechanics compete.

After a second Lemons victory, this time at Sonoma Raceway in 2011, he was ready for a higher challenge. I dont know where my brain got the idea, but it hit me, he said. Lets try to do an electric Pikes Peak car.

The annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, held since 1916, follows a steep, tortuous route with 156 turns often through blinding weather to a 14,115-foot summit. In 2012, Mr. Bream entered his 1995 BMW M5, with the original straight-six engine replaced by an electric motor granting 900 pound-feet of torque.

On his inaugural run, the electrified Bimmer stunned the high-octane Pikes Peak crowd when it completed the 12.4-mile ascent in less than 12 minutes. On that day, Mr. Bream beat Nobuhiro Tajima, the hill climb racer known as Monster.

As soon as we crossed the line, it was confirmed, Mr. Bream said. We tapped into the great equalizer with this electric stuff. All of a sudden, it was Lemons on a world platform.

Four years later, he gave up his day job, selling Gravity Skateboards, the company he founded and ran for 23 years. I needed all my attention on the E.V. business, he said.

That business, EV West, is a hideaway Wonka-like workshop on the edge of a nondescript industrial park in San Marcos, Calif., 35 miles up the coast from San Diego. Its where iconic muscle cars and European classics go to become all-electric beasts. On any given day, the companys sunbaked parking lot might hold a converted 1954 Volkswagen Beetle waiting for Ewan McGregor, Tony Hawks electrified 1964 Corvette, or a classic VW bus prepped for Zach Galifianakis.

When I spoke with Mr. Bream in July, his team was frantically moving between celebrity conversions, selling D.I.Y. electric components and building a ground-up, all-electric salt-flat racecar in the vintage 1940s belly-tank style. A month later, Mr. Bream took that vehicle, the Electraliner, to the Bonneville Speed Week 2020 and its famed salt-caked racing bed. It took eight runs, but his team left a grueling week in Utah with a land speed record of 229.363 m.p.h. for the class of electric vehicles weighing about 2,000 pounds.

Winning Lemons with an E.V. will be more difficult. It will require an ultra-durable endurance car and an apparatus capable of speedy battery swaps. Blueprints dont exist.

There are other potential electric Lemons contenders. Jason Appelbaum is the founder and chief executive of EverCharge, a Bay Area company that installs E.V. charging equipment for multifamily dwellings and fleets.

A pack swap is not easy. Its a very serious engineering problem, he said. His team is working on it. Were not close, he acknowledged. Mr. Appelbaum is also a Lemons laureate, taking honors in 2018 with his gas-powered 1987 BMW 325 with Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy livery. (The answer painted on the cars hood: 42, of course.)

And theres Richard Hilleman, who ran the megahit John Madden Football franchise for four years starting in 1991. He worked on more than 100 video games, including racing titles, for almost 35 years at Electronic Arts before joining Amazon Game Studio in 2016. He also leads the seven-time champion Rattlesnake Electric Sports team, which has spent 20 years racing F.I.A. Category V electric karts that can hit speeds of 135 miles an hour.

Mr. Hilleman won a Lemons event in 2017 in a 10-year-old Prius hybrid. There is no enjoyment in life greater than passing a Mustang on the outside of the carousel at Sears Point in a Prius, he said.

Mr. Hilleman, who converted a Porsche 550 Spyder in the mid-1990s, warns teams against building homegrown, high-voltage battery packs. Rules for the Lemons E.V. prize, which he helped set, are safety measures that can be quickly understood and reliably implemented when lives are literally at stake. To repeat: A mishandled Lemons electric challenger could kill somebody.

Mr. Bream, the front-runner, hints at a run in fall 2021. We are on a mission, he said, launching into a passionate monologue about zero-emission motor sports.

But first hell have to go up against a field of fiercely competitive and highly skilled amateur racers. Their $500 cars might look ready for the junkyard, but that belies the meaning their mechanic drivers place in those vehicles and in internal combustion as a way of life.

I think its underestimated how gnarly that Lemons scene is, Mr. Bream said. If somebody wins that race in an electric car, it will change a lot of people.

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Endurance Racing With Cars That Belong in a Demolition Derby - The New York Times

JUNEAU A group that wants to save a neglected site where the Alaska territorial flag was designed, sewn and first flown sued Wednesday, seeking to block the city of Seward from demolishing the Jesse Lee Home.

The group, Friends of Jesse Lee Home, contends the property is theirs and say the city has misrepresented the homes condition and estimated renovation costs and interfered with work efforts.

Will Earnhart, an attorney in private practice who previously represented the city, by email said that to his knowledge, ownership had reverted to the city because conditions in the deed were not met. City manager Scott Meszaros declined comment Wednesday.

The Seward City Council in July voted to raze remaining buildings at the property, a one-time Methodist-run facility where orphans and other displaced children from Alaska Native villages were sent, many after the flu epidemic of a century ago.

Benny Benson, the homes most famous resident, is believed to be the only Indigenous person to design a state flag. He won a territory-wide contest in 1927 with his flag design. The design became the Alaska state flag after statehood in 1959.

Originally posted here:
Group seeks to stop demolition of Seward's Jesse Lee Home, where the first Alaska flag flew - Anchorage Daily News

Allu Finland-based attachments manufacturer Allu premiered its new range of crusher buckets for the demolition and recycling and industries.

The Allu Crusher line comprises three models for 10 to 33 t excavators, one of which was on display at ConExpo in Las Vegas, USA.

The heavy duty attachment opens like a clam for easy maintenance and features reversible crushing to reduce jamming and blockages and a pin adjustment that allows operators to change the size of the output material.

The company, which also produces the Transformer line of screener crushers and the Processor range of mixers said the range was designed or hard rock and troublesome demolition materials.

Aquajet The Sweden-based hydrodemolition machine manufacturer introduced the Ecosilence 3.0 (pictured below) to reduce noise and allow for a more compact job site, while enhancing environmental stewardship and lowering overall operating costs.

The product features integrated auto start/stop technology that improves fuel consumption, which saves as much as 25 litres of fuel a day for a smaller carbon footprint. According to Aquajet, the re-engineered Ecosilence is more compact, as well, with the entire self-contained system now fitting in a standard, 6.1 m (20 ft) shipping container.

It also produces less noise while in operation, making it suitable for use in urban areas with limited space and strict noise restrictions.

Avant (UK) Avant (UK), the English subsidiary of Finnish compact loader manufacturer Avant Tecno, added the most powerful machine to its 8 series range the Avant 860i Stage V (above). The largest of the Avant loaders, although still compact, it benefits from a greater lifting capacity of 1,900 kg (4,188 lb), a greater reach of 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in), and a turbocharged Kohler KDI 1903 TCR 42 kW (57 hp) diesel engine.

The machine also complies with the latest emissions regulations and boasts many additional features to previous models, including an improved GT cabin with better visibility and usability.

Bobcat Compact equipment specialist Bobcat showed its E10e mini excavator for the first time at this years Executive Hire Show in the United Kingdom. The machine (pictured above) is suitable for indoor demolition and basement projects as well as other low noise sites such as city centres.

Developed at the Bobcat EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Innovation Centre in the Czech Republic, the E10e is based on the diesel powered E10, which has sold more than 10,000 in the past 10 years.

Brokk The Sweden-based leading remote-controlled demolition robot manufacturer Brokk unveiled its new Atomised Water Mist for dust suppression applications.

The company says the new system produces atomised fog that effectively binds airborne dust particles while providing suppression at ground level.

In addition, the mist dissipates, rather than forming puddles, which Brokk said makes for a safer, cleaner job site.

Available for all Brokk remote-controlled demolition robots, the dust suppression offers a solution for combatting harmful silica dust in demolition applications.

EpirocGermany-based attachment specialist Epiroc added the CB 4500 to its popular CB Concrete Buster range.

The new model is designed for carriers in the 40 to 55 t weight class.

Epiroc says that due to their comparatively light weight CB Concrete Busters are effective choices for use with high reach or long front carriers for applications with highly abrasive material and low level of visibility of the product in operation. They are also suitable where noise is an issue and they can be used in residential areas where hydraulic breakers are not permitted.

EvoQuip Leading compact crushing and screening equipment manufacturer EvoQuip introduced the Bison 160 hybrid hook-lift jaw crusher.

Described by the Terex brand as ideal for construction and demolition recycling applications and urban areas, this is the fourth model in the Bison series and the first to use hybrid diesel-electric drive technology to reduce running costs in addition to cutting noise and fuel emissions.

The dual-powered Bison 160 is equipped with a proven 700 x 500 mm (28 x 20 in) single toggle hydraulically adjustable jaw crusher.

Hitachi Hitachi introduced a range of new high-performance hydraulic breakers that match its range of excavators in the range from ZX10 up to ZX890.

The company describes the breakers as ensuring maximum productivity, high performance and low total cost of ownership while the slim design of the breaker is said to ensure easy accessibility in demolition applications.

The mono-block cylinder with a replaceable cylinder liner has been developed to reduce the number of parts in the attachment.

LaBounty USA-based industrial tools and attachment business Stanley Infrastructures LaBounty brand has added a new attachment to its demolition portfolio.

The Multi-Jaw Demolition Tool (MRX) is suited to both primary and secondary demolition applications as well as off site concrete processing.

Designed for efficient downsizing and equipped with 360 rotation, the MRX is described as having a short centre of gravity for optimal control and manoeuvrability.

It features an interchangeable jaw with options for a concrete pulveriser, concrete cracker or shear.

LaBounty has also introduced the Mobile Rotation Pulveriser (MRP) to its line up. Similar in design to the the MRX, it has a dedicated concrete pulveriser jaw.

McCloskey International Crushing and screening specialist McCloskey International has expanded its mobile solutions with a new product range shredders. The VTS95 is the first product to makes its debut for the companys new Recycling Division.

Designed for maximum performance and high productivity, McCloskey says the VTS95 tracked primary shredder is capable of effectively shredding virtually any type of material including solid, industrial, commercial waste and bulk waste.

It is designed to meet the requirements for plants in which the incoming materials vary greatly in terms of size, composition, and difficulty to shred.

Sandvik Sandvik launched Peak Screening, a solution to help ensure every square metre of a customers screening to be as productive as possible.

The company said its screening equipment, media and services are designed to work optimally with each other.

It added that customers will also benefit from having ongoing access to experienced specialists in configuration, optimisation and troubleshooting.

As a result, it has now introduced three ranges of screens, with solutions including the WX6500 tensioned rubber screening media with up to 15 times longer wear life than standard wire mesh, but with the same screening accuracy for superior productivity and uptime.

Trevi Benne Italian company Trevi Benne has launched the FR 120 rotating pulveriser.

The new product has an opening of 1,655 mm (65 in), a weight of 13 t and a force on blades of 820 t.

It is part of the FR Series which the company says has higher performance and resistance to stress, stronger rotation, superior breakage efficiency and a longer lifetime.

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Demolition and recycling equipment | Article | KHL - KHL Group

By Travis Vassallo

Dear Santa Barbara,

I have spent most of this weekend attempting to convey the entirety of my thoughts and feelings regarding the proposed development that is threatening to destroy a beloved local mainstay, The Press Room; a place that I and countless community members hold close to our hearts. Ive read through dozens of emails and letters from other concerned residents about this development expressing anger, sadness, disillusionment, and frustration; it has been difficult to distill all of this down into a few short paragraphs, so Ive chosen to speak from the heart and out of love. Love for the city I was born in, for the community I grew up with, and for the people and businesses that make Santa Barbara the incredibly special place that we all call home.

Communities are more than simply spaces humans reside in.Theyre not the roads, the views, the weather; they are at the very core comprised of the people and businesses that make up the community and our home. The Press Room is the very essence of this ethos. Anchored by its love of the worlds game, soccer, The Press Room is an institution, far beyond the humble roots of a British inspired cocktail pub; a behemoth in a small package, much like Santa Barbara itself.

Owners James and Carol Rafferty opened their doors to the hearts (and bellies) of Santa Barbara over 25 years ago. From day one, The Press Room has been a diverse and vibrant safe space for people of all walks of life, of all races and persuasions, to congregate and enjoy not only each others company but the company of the entire Rafferty family and its staff. The Raffertys and their patrons have helped to contribute thousands of dollars every year to local charities and non-profits. They provide a space for local artists to display work. They and the Press Room are Santa Barbara in microcosm. And much like the city it calls home, The Press Room faces economic forces and outside business interests that threaten to upend our peaceful coastal home. Santa Barbara has long distinguished itself from other communities by strategically and deliberately moderating its growth and protecting the character of The American Riviera.

Santa Barbara stands at a precipice, looking forward from a ledge to what our city, our community, will become. Weve seen countless local businesses fail due to high rents, families forced to relocate because they simply could not afford their mortgage, and the very soul of what Santa Barbara is slowly disintegrate into something that is looking to be nothing more than an extension of greater Los Angeles.

To be clear, I recognize a property owners rights to be able to develop their land as they see fit, but it is beholden to city council to protect any and all important cultural, economic, and societal buildings or businesses that may not fit in ones desire for profit. I realize the need for more housing in Santa Barbara, but affordable housing. This project appears to be nothing more than a land grab intended to displace local businesses to make way for exorbitantly high rent housing and in return, high profits for its owners. SIMA Corp, and by default its principal, Jim Knell, said he, controls 500,000 square feet of retail and office space downtown from which no fewer than 300 merchants and business professionals rent. I would like to ask the community of Santa Barbara how they think downtown looks these days. How many vacant businesses do you see on a day to day basis? Do we want to tear down and destroy the essence of what makes Santa Barbara to simply to erect high cost housing?

The Santa Barbara City Planning Commission is now presented with a real opportunity. An opportunity to potentially afford both the owners right to develop, the need for additional housing, and to protect a local and international landmark.

By insisting any development take into consideration the existing Press Room and business and insisting its survival in either the new development or by paid relocation included in any permitted development, city council will help not just one local family continue their American dream but rather ensure an entire community continue to be the vibrant and diverse ecosystem we all hope it to be.As responsible stewards of our community, The Santa Barbara City Planning Commission must do what is right for our community by protecting our iconic businesses, especially now.

With everything that is happening and wrong in the world, The Press Room remains as a small beacon of light and losing it will leave a dark hole in our hearts during a time when many of us hardly have any heart left to lose.

I encourage everyone to participate in the Planning Commissions virtual meeting regarding this projecton Thursday, September 3rd at 1:00pm. Details can be found on the City of Santa Barbaras website or herehttps://www.santabarbaraca.gov/SBdocuments/Advisory_Groups/Planning_Commission/Current/00_Public_Notices/2020-09-03_September_3_2020_710_State_Street_Notice.pdf

If you are unable to attend, you may write an email to[emailprotected]to have your comments entered into the public record. Please also consider adding your name to the list of more than 13,000 other signatorieson a petition to save The Press Room here:https://www.change.org/p/support-saving-the-press-room-from-being-demolished-by-developers-santa-barbara

Lastly, Id like to say that not all of these words are my own. I have included the thoughts and sediments of many others to whom I, the Rafferty family, and The Press Room are forever grateful.

Do you have an opinion on something local? Share it with us at[emailprotected]The views and opinions expressed in Op-Ed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of edhat.

Excerpt from:
Save the Press Room from Demolition - Santa Barbara Edhat

WARE Town Meeting on Monday will decide whether to appropriate $418,500 to demolish a privately owned building downtown at 112-114 Main St.

The Board of Selectmen last month ordered the owner to tear it down by Oct. 1, and also scheduled a special Town Meeting for Aug. 17 to appropriate funds should the owner refuse to do so.

Town officials say the building has become a public safety hazard and it could collapse onto the roadway, potentially causing injury or death. Built in 1890, it was condemned nine years ago when a section of roof collapsed.

Town Manager Stuart Beckley on Friday said the engineering firm Tighe & Bond was paid $1,700 to estimate the cost to demolish the three-story brick building.

The Town Meeting packet published Friday includes a letter, addressed to the buildings co-owner, Daniel Barenboym, from a different engineering firm, Consulting Structural Engineer Inc., that says the cost to rehabilitate the building would far exceed the cost to demolish.

Barenboym has objected to the demolition order. He told the Selectboard last month he plans to fix the building and could take legal action against the town to prevent its demolition.

Included in the $418,500 demolition cost is $150,000 for removal of hazardous materials possibly including but not limited to asbestos. Preparation prior to demolition will cost $12,000, the Tighe & Bond estimate says.

The Ware Finance Committee was scheduled to meet earlier this week to possibly make a recommendation on the funding request, but lack of a quorum caused their meetings cancellation.

Mondays special Town Meeting will convene outside at the high school football field, 237 West St., starting at 6:30 p.m.

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Estimate is $418.5K to demolish condemned Ware building; Town Meeting will debate expense Monday - masslive.com