Published: Tuesday, March 3, 2015 at 10:09 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, March 3, 2015 at 10:09 p.m.

The School District wants to add 348 new employees in 2015-16, a 5.9 percent increase in manpower compared to this year.

Superintendent of Schools George Tomyn and his administrative team unveiled the new staffing plan to the School Board on Tuesday.

The staffing plan is a wish list that will need School Board approval and adequate funding from the state to come to fruition.

The additions will be paid mostly from new 1 mill property tax dollars $15 million annually that will become available for the 2015-16 school year and continue to 2018-19.

The referendum, approved by voters in November, mandates the money be used to restore music and art programs, as well as add back physical education teachers and librarians to all elementary schools. The money also can be used to meet state class size mandates and bolster vocational programs.

In recent years the district has cut hundreds of positions. Tomyn said it's time to start adding some back to meet student needs.

The district wants to add 196 more teachers to meet the mandates set out in the referendum; 135 more non-instructional staffers, mostly paraprofessionals; and 17 administrative staffers.

A work session on Tuesday focused on the administration and district-level support staff. On Thursday, the district will unveil in more detail the school-level staffing plan.

The board was given a choice to continue the work session into Tuesday afternoon in order to get an overview of the school-level plan. All but one board member said they wanted to continue the work session until Thursday.

Continued here:
Superintendent's 2015-16 plan includes 348 new employees

By the grace of God, my family and I are alive today. With the addition of a new entry roof on our house, our chimney was disconnected. Without knowing that the chimney was not vented correctly, we continued using our fireplace.

Three weeks later, we received the following email from the contractor in charge of the project: Using the fireplace without proper termination dumps Carbon Monoxide into the attic adjacent to the kids bedroom and also creates a high risk of fire. DO NOT USE THE FIREPLACE UNTIL IT IS TERMINATED PROPERLY.

For three weeks we had unknowingly put our entire family at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

After the tragic deaths of the Lofgren family in 2008 in Aspen from carbon monoxide poisoning, I am stunned this type of incident could have happened. I spoke with Andy Schwaller at the Garfield County building department, who confirmed that when dealing with utilities, particularly gas and electric, there is a guideline of Lock Out, Tag Out.

In our case, the gas line should have been disconnected from the appliance and capped and a prominent tag should have been attached directly to the appliance with a warning not to use. Further, carbon monoxide detectors should have been installed near the remodel as mandated by law. On the day the appliance was disconnected we should have been informed not to use the appliance. Andy Schwaller confirmed that our contractor should have supervised that these things were done to ensure a safe living environment.

The Lofgren and Johnson Families Carbon Monoxide Safety Act was signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter in February 2009. The act requires that on or after July 1, 2009, all single-family and multi-family dwellings for sale or transfer with a fuel-fired appliance, fireplace or attached garage must have carbon monoxide detectors installed within 15 feet of any room used for sleeping purposes.

In addition, any single-family dwelling, multi-family dwelling, or rental property undergoing alterations, repairs, fuel-fired appliance replacement or additions where a building permit is required must have a carbon monoxide detector installed within 15 feet of any room used for sleeping purposes.

While carbon monoxide detectors are a critical safety measure, increased public awareness on the safe management of carbon monoxide among contractors, building inspectors and homeowners is needed. We urge that the Garfield County building department reinforce existing laws and guidelines and that homeowners understand the continued risk of carbon monoxide despite current law. We do not want a repeat of the tragic deaths of the Lofgren family.

Stephen P. Laird is a doctor from Glenwood Springs who practices in the Vail and Roaring Fork valleys.

See original here:
Guest opinion: Carbon monoxide awareness is essential

Google

THIS SITE REQUIRES JAVASCRIPT TO RUN. YOU HAVE YOUR JAVASCRIPT TURNED OFF.

Remodeling a garage can be a great way to add value to your home in Orange County. A garage addition or garage remodel is something that almost every home can use. Most of the time garages are neglected and a huge waste of space due to it being cluttered. The garage can be an extension of your home, a great place to hang out and work on home projects or your off road toys. Garage storage can be easily achieved by adding some inexpensive garage cabinets and work station. Doing just small things such as painting your garage floor with epoxy garage floor paint can make a huge difference and make it easier to keep clean. If you are considering doing a garage conversion or garage remodeling project in Orange County, give us a call. We also do garage additions.

Garage Remodeling & Garage Cabinets

See the rest here:
Orange County Garage Addition & Garage Remodeling Contractor

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Associated Press) -

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency released the following partial list Monday of 2014 additions to the National Register of Historic Places:

David Hall House, Lake Villa: Designed by Chicago architect Ralph Wesley Varney, the house is an inventive melding of early 20th century revival and Art Deco styles.

Elgin Downtown Historic District: The area served as the community's first major business center, from early shops of the 19th century to department and chain stores of the 20th.

William and Helen Coffeen House, Hinsdale: The house and coach house, designed in 1899, are outstanding works by master architect George W. Maher.

Oak Park Village Hall: The hall played a key role in the village's progress toward racial integration.

Portage Park Bungalow Historic District: The area is particularly notable for its high percentage of intact brick bungalows and beautifully cohesive streetscapes.

Jesse L. Strauss Estate, Glencoe: The house and historic garage/apartment were designed in 1921 and 1924 by David Adler, a country-house architect of that period.

Polish National Alliance Headquarters, Chicago: The PNA Headquarters is a well-preserved example of an ethnic fraternal building and is important for the role it played in the social, cultural and political development of Chicago's Polish community.

Heimberger House, Springfield: Built in 1915, the Heimberger House is a good example of an Arts and Crafts double-house.

See more here:
Illinois sites joining National Register of Historic Places

We Are Open, reads the sign in front of The Back Porch Seafood and Oyster Bar on Scenic Hwy. in Destin. Resembling an active construction zone, the sign is a welcome sight for those wanting to dine at the famous eatery. The iconic 40-year-old restaurant is currently undergoing a series of renovations with hopes on finishing the improvements before the busy spring break season.

What we are doing basically is, we have expanded the gift shop and added all new bathrooms and we are opening up the front and expanding the main bar area, said General Manager Trey Horton.

Horton explained that some of the most exciting features of the renovations will be the front deck for customers waiting to be seated and a new open-air feature on the front side of the restaurant.

We have put in three garage doors that open to the front so that if you are driving by you can look through the restaurant and see all the way to the Gulf, he said. One of the largest problems about the way the building was built originally was that we only got the breeze from the back, but nothing anywhere in the dining room to let the breeze go through.

With the new design, three glass garage doors will be rolled open in fair weather to allow for ample natural lighting and pleasant breezes to diners.

In addition to the front of the restaurant, the main bar will also see construction with an elongated bar top to add 12 to 16 seats.

The bar area was way too small and the way the restaurant was built, it got really congested at the point near the bar, said Horton. It just wasnt working with the volume of people we have coming in.

As for the restrooms and gift shop located on the east side of the building, both are being completely remodeled.

Well have much bigger, nicer bathrooms and a much larger and expanded gift shop, said Horton.

When asked why the renovations were taking place now, Horton simply replied, It was time.

View post:
A Front Porch for The Back Porch: Local Seafood Restaurant sees improvements

Bored with your stagnant stock lock? If youre not satisfied with customizing only your Android home screen, maybe its time to take it a notch higher and customize your lock screen with these five apps.

The stock lock screens on Android have become very interactive as of late thanks to the additions extra features such as media controls, widgets, and notifications.

If you are, however, still looking for something better, these five apps on our list should be decent alternatives to the one already present in your current mobile device. Most of them are really good and intuitively designs that itll make you not unlock your phone less often.

Next Lock Screen

From Microsofts Garage Project, heres Next, a lock screen that looks a lot like the default one save for the categorized apps at the bottom. These apps can be segregated into categories based on your location For Home, For Work and each has their own settings and set of apps to show. Perfect for separating work-related notifications with personal ones.

Picturesque Lock Screen

If you hate Google, or rather forced to use one, why not install something that would make you Bing? Another pet project off Microsoft Garage, Picturesque grabs daily images from Bings homepage and automatically splash it onto your screen. Theres also an option to googleBing something without having to unlock your device.

Read more here:
Five Android Lock Screen Replacements You Must Try

CBS pilot Taxi-22hasrounded out its cast. Joining star John Leguizamo as regulars in the single-camera comedy project that had been shepherded by the late James Gandolfini are Lenny Venito (The Neighbors) and Sahr Ngaujah (Last Resort). Venito will play Dean, Bobbys (Leguizamo) boss at the Yellow Cab Garage and Ngaujah is Valentine, a Nigerian cab driver who shares a taxi as well as a love hate relationship with Bobby (Leguizamo) at Yellow Cab.

Alsoset for the CBS TV Studios-produced pilot in guest starring/recurringrolesare Jennifer Esposito (Blue Bloods), Rebecca Creskoff (Hung), F. Murray Abraham (Homeland), Christopher Nicholas Smith (Paranormal Activity 3). This marks a return to CBS and CBS TV Studios for Esposito two years after her headline-grabbingexit from their drama series Blue Bloods. She just signed on as a new lead on the ABC summer series Mistresses.

Shooting on the pilot, based on a Canadian format, begins shortly. Dennis Erdman and Clark Petersonexecutive produce along withthe original series creator/star, Patrick Huard, Franois Flamand, Nancy Sanders and Mark Armstrong. Gandolfiniis getting a posthumousexec producer crediton the pilot and potential first season of the series. Leguizamoco-executive produces alongside Jeff GolenbergandSam Maydew.

Continued here:
Lenny Venito & Sahr Ngaujah Among Additions To Taxi-22 Pilot Cast

SOUTH GLENS FALLS -- Getting approval for a plan to upgrade the school districts facilities and closing the budget gap for 2015-2016 are among Superintendent Michael Pattons short- and long-term priorities.

Patton outlined the districts financial affairs and capital needs at a recent community budget workshop.

South Glens Falls schools have not undertaken a capital project since 2001.

The district would like to build an addition to the high school to house new science laboratories. Patton said the science classrooms are now located in the oldest part of the building. He would like to relocate the district offices to where those science rooms are.

Right now, the high school is at 100 percent capacity. There isnt too much free space in the building, he said.

Also being explored is the construction of additions onto Ballard and Tanglewood elementary schools. Both buildings need more room for larger media centers and space for support services such as reading intervention, according to Patton.

Theyre working in very tight quarters, he said. Often times, they could be in offices the size of a closet.

Patton said district officials also want to improve the traffic pattern at the high school by separating the bus traffic from the car traffic of parents dropping off children and students driving themselves to school.

The project would also include construction of a new bus garage. The present garage, located behind Harrison Elementary School, has served well beyond its useful life, according to Patton.

School officials want to build a new garage on a site elsewhere in town, for which they need 14 acres.

Go here to read the rest:
Schools leader wants capital project in South Glens Falls

Have a roll of duct tape sitting around? How about that old chair in the back of the garage? Santa Barbara County Fair coordinators have plans that may help spruce up your storage space while getting your creative juices flowing.

Fair coordinators, volunteers and Santa Maria Fairpark staff have been busy at work this winter preparing for the 128th Santa Barbara County Fair slated for July 15 to 19. The exhibitor handbook is now available, complete with deadlines and details about the annual event.

Each year, the exhibits staff tries to add new categories and make contests that appeal to the community, said Joe Brengle, deputy manager of Santa Maria Fairpark.

The 2015 fair theme Homespun Fun will be highlighted by new contests focused entirely on local creations. Paper art, duct tape art and painted chairs top the list of new contest divisions, while gardeners are invited to demonstrate their prowess with the new largest-tomato contest.

Duct tape has been around for ever, but the thought of creating things with it has blown up, Brengle said.

Duct tape art similar to the calla lilies shown will be one of the new contests offered. The 2015 fair theme "Homespun Fun" will focus entirely on local creations including paper art and painted chairs.

Competitors in the duct tape art division may enter clothing, flowers, wall hangings or any other item made of the sticky, colorful sealing tape.

The painted chair division is perhaps the simplest of all contests in this years fair: take any chair, paint it in any fashion, and enter in the fair.

Itll make a great display, and its the kind of fun project anyone can do, Brengle said.

Farm Supplys Quiz Jam kicks off the week of fairpark fun when it returns to Minetti Arena on July 13. Beginning at 5 p.m., four-member teams of area youth representing their 4-H and Future Farmers of America clubs will test their chops at farm skills which may include putting a tire on a tractor, demonstrations of roping skills, vaccination and ear-notching skills. Entries available at Farm Supply beginning June 15.

View original post here:
Get ready for 'Homespun Fun' at county fair

DEAR TIM: What type of stone would be best for filling a cavity under a planned two-car garage addition? It is approximately 7 feet deep. The local concrete supplier sells recycled concrete for a really good price. Due to the design, compacting will be next to impossible. Whatever is used needs to be self-compacting. Do I have options? What else would you do to ensure the concrete slab that will be poured on top of the fill will not crack or settle? Dave L., Knoxville,Tennessee

DEAR DAVE: I know what youre thinking. That low price on the recycled

You have viewed 20 free articles or blogs allowed within a 30-day period. FREE registration is now required for uninterrupted access.

S-R Media, The Spokesman-Review and Spokesman.com are happy to assist you. Contact Customer Service by email or call 800-338-8801

DEAR TIM: What type of stone would be best for filling a cavity under a planned two-car garage addition? It is approximately 7 feet deep. The local concrete supplier sells recycled concrete for a really good price. Due to the design, compacting will be next to impossible. Whatever is used needs to be self-compacting. Do I have options? What else would you do to ensure the concrete slab that will be poured on top of the fill will not crack or settle? Dave L., Knoxville,Tennessee

DEAR DAVE: I know what youre thinking. That low price on the recycled concrete is whispering in your ear. Its a great product for many things, but based on your description, Id not useit.

I have built custom homes that had attached garages that needed fill around the foundations and under the slabs. I also built garage additions very similar to yours. Because Id had to go in and repair many a sunken garage slab put in by some builder or remodeler cutting corners, I quickly realized that garage slabs can and will fail horribly if you dont put in solid, compacted fill underthem.

I always use washed peagravel.

The recycled concrete does compact well using rollers or plate compactors, but as you said, thats very tough to do in your case. To get full compaction, you need to do it in lifts where the material being compacted is not much more than 4 inchesthick.

Some gravel companies have special dump trucks outfitted with conveyor belt delivery systems. This tool swings side to side and up and down much like the digging arm of a backhoe. The driver can shoot tons of pea gravel into your foundation in minutes, saving you hours of back-breaking labor shoveling andhauling.

Read more:
Concrete slab needs proper base material - Sun, 15 Feb 2015 PST