Although the year ended on a quiet note with just $52,487 in building permits issued during December, it was enough to push local construction for the year to almost $10.6 million vs. $5.6 million for 2013.

According to the citys activity report for December, which was released Friday, 21 building permits were issued during the month.

The only new construction in the report is for a garage/carport at 413 W. 22nd and a storage building at 405 Dallas.

Permits were issued for a residential addition at 1402 Ennis, and a residential repair at 613 W. 10th.

Seven demolition permits were taken out, with six involving residential demolitions handled by the city. Those structures were located at 1917 Walter Griffin, 1801 Walter Jackson, 1208 Calle P. Martinez, 1017 Baltimore, 1508 Nixon and 511 W. 17th.

The lone commercial demolition was the Wood-Dunning Funeral Home building at 2715 Olton Road. It was razed in late December, reportedly to make way for a Stripes convenience store although no formal announcement has been made.

The remaining 10 permits issued during December by the citys Building and Zoning Department were for signs. Those permits went to Rock Tops Granite & Stone, Furniture Decor & More, Field House, Russell Cellular (three signs), World Finance Corp., Santa Fe Place and Cotton Patch (two signs)

During 2014, the city issued 184 permits, compared to 217 during 2013.

Those permits generated $19,053 in city fees, compared to $13,843 for 2013. The disparity indicates more higher-valued new construction as opposed to more numerous repair and remodeling projects .

During the past 12 months the city issued five permits for new residential construction for a combined value of $6.6 million; 24 residential additions, $153,298; 26 residential remodels, $57,330; two residential repairs, $16,400; 10 residential demolitions, $0; two residential accessories, $12,700; 29 garage/carports, $39,855; seven storage buildings, $28,750; one new commercial, $800,000; three commercial additions, $103,900; 18 commercial remodels, $2.6 million; four commercial demolitions; two commercial accessories, $2; one masonry fence, $3,937; and 50 signs, $138,493.

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2014 construction almost double 2013 01-04-15

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) Squint as you walk by a decomposing Douglas fir structure on a residential street in Ashland and you'll see patches of peeling paint, called Southern Pacific yellow, peeking out through glassless windows. Stop. There's more to the story.

Barricaded behind weather-beaten boards and, until recently, shrouded by towering cottonwood trees and 10-foot-tall blackberry bushes is the city's first train depot. This significant piece of the state's past has been missing for a half century.

It was built in 1884. Charles Crocker, one of the Big Four of the Central Pacific Railroad, stood by Ashland's train depot three years later as he drove a symbolic golden spike into the last section of tracks circumnavigating the U.S, finally linking Oregon to California, and transforming Oregon's economy.

Fast forward to the landmark today: Inch by inch, a congregation of volunteers is unearthing the Queen Anne-style building and piecing together the curious story of how the decommissioned train depot was moved stealthily in the 1960s from the rail yard to this nondescript lot about three miles away.

The structure's survival remained a secret until this summer, when the property was sold by representatives of the third generation of the family that lived inside it. As word of the discovery slowly reaches city officials and historians, the reaction is the same: Who knew?

"I rode by this house for years," says Amy Gunter, a city employee who serves on the Ashland Historic Commission, "and never had a clue what was behind the walls."

The long-lost train depot was "hiding in plain sight," says historian Victoria Law, who operated the Ashland Railroad Museum and maintains an archive of railroad memorabilia.

Finding the gabled depot was a surprise, but it's not uncommon for homeowners to stumble upon vintage architectural elements hidden in their houses, especially during renovations.

Just as classic car collectors speak in hushed tones about "garage finds" long-forgotten gems camouflaged by dust or tarps there could be a bonanza of Victorian hardware, Arts & Crafts tile, vintage light fixtures and other valuables holed up in your home.

A number of Pioneer Era houses are "buried" inside later additions, says Peggy Moretti, executive director of the preservation group Restore Oregon.

More here:
Old house surprise: Missing Ashland depot

GLEN ELLYN Before even crossing off a day on the new 2015 calendar, there are already plenty of stories brewing in Glen Ellyn. Heres a look at the headlines to watch for in 2015.

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Butting heads

What we know: The College of DuPage was under intense public scrutiny for the latter half of 2014. An email from college President Robert Breuder leaked, suggesting trustees publicly lobby for $20 million in state funds they didn't necessarily need. The Board of Trustees censured a member for providing inaccurate information to the public about the email. The Faculty Association voted no confidence in Breuder. Watchdog groups have pored through financial documents seeking further wrongdoing.

What's next: The college will likely remain in the spotlight at least through April. Three of the board's seven trustee seats are up for election this year, and there's a crowd of candidates vying for a seat. The election could completely change the face of the board.

14: Number of candidates who have filed to seek one of the three board positions.

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Daily grind

What we know: Glen Ellyn School District 41 has been gathering input from the public on whether or not to introduce full-day kindergarten.

Due to space limitations, implementing full-day kindergarten would require additions to existing schools or the construction of a new school. District officials have said a referendum would be needed to fund the project.

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Glen Ellyn: Check out stories to follow in new year

We are looking to add a garage to our home. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Make sure the doors are bigger than your cars (-;

if you are a car guy build it as big as possible!

Most certainly don't forget the workshop aka man cave. Wish mine was bigger. Lights and plugs, enough power and wire gauge for the big tools.

I find the people door useful in power failures when electric doors stop working.....

Men and their garages! LOL

My 2-car garage isn't enough... and I don't even have any cars in there.

So that's where you keep all that ammunition, huh, Mark? (-;

Wire it for a Tesla and a lift! And yes, bigger is always better. My garage seems big because it has 14 ft. ceilings, but the footprint is small. With the lawnmower, generator, snowblower, workbench, storage, shop vac and assorted other crap taking up real estate, it's tight. Have to back in my big boy toy into spot #2 and wife pulls into spot #1 . Can barely get into the passenger side of either car. Next house has a 3 car minimum.

Don't make it too narrow - you want to be able to open the car doors. It has to be deep enough to put in a lawn mower or other tools - unless you want / have a shed for that equipment.

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Garage Addition - Hackettstown NJ - HackettstownLife.com

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) -- Going a small way is a big step for Staff Sgt. Scott Petrie.

The training prepares you for it but unfortunately sometimes you do get hurt," he said of his 19.5 years of military service.

At the end of the Marine's last tour in Afghanistan, Petrie got shot in the arm and the leg and received shrapnel wounds in the other leg. He knows what it means to sacrifice for the country.

I can't feel my foot, he said. I have my 100-percent disability.

After his injury, doctors told Scott and his wife Tiffany that they wouldn't be able to have kids. They used his down time to adopt Lelani and Nino. Two months later, they got pregnant on their own and had now-two-year-old Sawyer.

Now they say his injury was a blessing in disguise.

The father of three moved his growing family from North Carolina to James Island to be closer to the VA Medical Center in Charleston.

But the home wasn't perfect.

Lennar Homes of Charleston teamed with Operation Homefront to give the Petries their dream home.

The construction company put in all new floors and paved the gravel walkway out back, making it more accessible to the growing family and its four dogs.

See original here:
Disabled veteran and family get revamped home for the holidays

Two summer youth camps in the Allegheny Mountains and a coalfields railroad depot are among the 10 new entries to the Virginia Landmarks Registry.

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources added the historic sites to the register this month. The listings were forwarded to the National Park Service for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

Among the other entries: a cemetery for formerly enslaved African Americans, historically significant farms and homesteads and a school for black high school students.

Both summer youth camps are located in Bath County. Established near Bubbling Springs in 1917, Camp Alkulana is the oldest known and still operating summer camp in Virginia. The camp provided underprivileged girls a retreat in the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia.

Camp Mont Shenandoah, founded in 1927, also still operates today, serving young women from across the U.S.

Tazewell Depot, built in 1928, still stands in the town of Tazewell, which now owns it. It is the last remaining depot of the 29 that once lined the 103-mile Clinch Valley Line between Bluefield, W.Va., and Norton, Va.

The other additions to the registry, with descriptions provided by the Department of Historic Resources, are:

The Newtown Cemetery, Harrisonburg. It was significant for its place in the development of the citys historically African-American community of Newtown. It arose soon after the Civil War. The cemetery, founded in 1869, contains the graves of 900, including community founders and veterans of wars including Vietnam.

Kenmore Farm, Amherst County. Established in 1856, the property features a Greek Revival-style main house. After the Civil War, the property included Kenmore University High School, which educated young men destined to attend the University of Virginia.

The site of the Buckingham Training School, near Dillwyn. The school, now demolished, was the only high school for young black boys and girls in Buckingham County from 1924 to 1954.

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Virginia Landmarks Registry grows with addition of 10 sites

CONCORD -- Spectators stand in front of Bruce Mertz's house in collective awe, rapt by the handcrafted, suspended Santa in his reindeer-led sleigh that arches over the entire expanse of a modest home that has been a holiday light show of splendor for families for 36 years. Some are on foot, others are doing the slow drive-by.

Amid the outbursts of amazement at just how one man designed, built and installed all this was a somewhat somber feeling, as adults and children alike knew this is the final year to experience the extravaganza. Back surgery, a heart attack, a pacemaker and an admonishment from his cardiologist to stay off ladders prompted Mertz -- aka "Mr. Christmas" -- to decide this year would be the swan song for now second- and third-generation families to witness his animated handiwork at the Olive Drive house. The last day for the display is Jan. 2.

On Tuesday night,8-month-old Ayden Neyman got his first view of the display featuring a multicolor twinkler overhead, crafted with piano wire, and 70 twinkling holy leaves around the yard's perimeter -- each leaf taking Mertz five days to build.

"It's all about Christmas," says the infant's mom, Paisley Newman, among the legion of Mertz's fans that over the years have come from as far as Germany and Japan. "It's nice to see someone do it consistently ... It's sad to see it go."

The circuitry of star bursts and the laser light show on the garage door, with its animated Santa and messages of good cheer, were among the elements designed by Mertz, a retired electrician and Air Force veteran. As a civilian, he once was charged with coordinating all radio and radar frequencies for the U.S. Navy for Northern California, Nevada and Utah.

"It's mostly the beautifulness of the display. It's all well-placed and symmetrical. It's not tacky," says Mertz, 85, while sitting in front of his closed-circuit TV observing the outside crowd, explaining the show's appeal. He estimates it draws roughly 300 viewers each night.

It is the chance to chat with Mr. Christmas -- typically clad in his festive red illuminated jacket, mingling with those on foot around his house, giving out postcard pictures of his lights and explaining the behind-the-scenes artistry -- that 12-year-old Natalie Payne said she will miss the most.

For her father, Tom Payne, it's been the "fun of finding new additions" to the vast array. "We'll have lots of good memories," he said.

Lifelong Concord resident Chris Sudfin relishes "feeling like a kid again" when standing in front of Mertz' unique take on holiday magic, all run on six timers that turn on at 6 p.m. and off at precisely 10.

"I don't know how he does it," said his daughter Addison, 8. "My favorite part is everything here."

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Concord: A 'Mr. Christmas' finale after 36 years

en and Bonnie Fletcher have once again heralded the holiday season with their fantastic display of lights at 15499 22 Ave.

image credit: Sarah Massah photo

With Christmas just around the corner, a number of residents have given their homes a holiday makeover to make spirits and their streets bright.

This year, there are returning favourites,including a number of homes that are raising funds for charity, and some new addresses that are all worth a visit.

In order to make the Christmas lights tour a bit easier to navigate, Peace Arch News has compiled a sampling of some of the holiday homes in and around the area.

So, grab your GPS, a scarf and some hot cocoa and get illuminated in the days ahead:

2958 147A St.: What began as a single, inflatable snowman in 2006 has turned into a front lawn chock-full of festive decor. Real estate agent Neil Higgins has told Peace Arch News in the past that favourite piece is his Home Depot stock car, modeled after the car NASCAR driver Tony Stewart used to drive.

15499 22 Ave.: Ken and Bonnie Fletcher have once again heralded the holiday season with their fantastic display of lights. In past years, the dizzying display has also included push-button toys in the familys decorated garage. Keeping with their tradition, the family will be collecting donations for Sources White Rock/South Surrey food bank.

16956 60A Ave.: The Kinna family in Cloverdale is back with their holiday display and will be collecting funds for the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation.

Cloverdales Karen Wagner and her family once again have their home decked out for the season and will be collecting donations for the Canadian Cancer Societys Relay For Life.The lights were officially switched on Dec. 1 the day Wagner lost her dad to cancer more than 35 years ago and will stay lit from 6-10 p.m. through Dec. 31 at 19056 63B Ave. Hot chocolate, coffee and candy canes will be available Friday to Sunday.

Originally posted here:
Tis the season of light

The Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District has cleared one set of hurdles in its plans to finally provide indoor plumbing, with running water and flush toilets, at two of its fire stations.

The fire district intends to drill water wells and install septic systems on the 3.56-acre parcel that's home to Sugar Loaf's Station No. 1, at 1677 Lost Angel Road, and the 1.52-acre parcel at 1360 Sugarloaf Road, the site of the district's Station No. 2.

Boulder County commissioners recently awarded official county recognition to both those properties, designating them as Community Facility Lots.

Battalion chief John Winchester, the Sugar Loaf department's former chief who represented the district at the county commissioners' Dec. 9 hearing, said that he and others have been working since 1997 to get to the point they'd have water available inside the stations for drinking, sanitary and gear-washing purposes.

Winchester said that when he and his wife joined the department and saw the stations, she asked: "How come we don't have a bathroom?"

Normally, rural fire districts' properties are exempt from local zoning jurisdiction, but Sugar Loaf discovered that it needed the county recognition of the two properties in order to seek state well permits.

Both stations now have composting toilets but don't have running water or onsite wastewater septic systems.

Sugar Loaf officials have said their mountain fire district covers about 18.5 square miles, following Colo. 119 in Boulder Canyon from the Tunnel to Rogers Park, the eastern nine miles of Sugarloaf Road and the eastern two miles of Magnolia Road. It serves about 500 homes, about 1,500 residents, Boulder's Betasso water treatment plant, open space areas belonging to the city of Boulder and Boulder County and several thousand acres of the Arapahoe-Roosevelt National Forest.

The 40 volunteers on the district's active roster respond to about 110 fire-related and medical calls each year.

The fire district was formed in 1967 and has been using Stations No. 1 and 2 since that time. Both stations are unmanned and primarily are used to house trucks and equipment, although they also serve as facilities for occasional multi-departmental training exercises.

Read more:
Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District's stations may finally get indoor plumbing

Celebrating its 25thanniversary this past summer, Seinfeld remains a force in pop-culture, even though a new episode hasnt aired since 1998. Thanks to it revolutionizing the network sitcom (inspiring countless imitators), and its constant presence on syndication (earning it new generations of fans), the show about nothing is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most popular TV shows ever created. It has a lasting legacy thatll be hard to replicate.

One of Seinfeldsmore enduring additions to the lexicon is that of Festivus, the alternative holiday created by Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller) as a means of protesting the commercial nature of Christmas. A perfect example of the programs unique sense of humor and creativity, Festivus has become a staple of modern society and is celebrated by Seinfeld fans from all over.

With December 23rd marking the occasion (and as a way to honor the shows milestone anniversary), we figured now would be a better time than ever to list some of the best episodes Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, and their team had to offer. If youre a newcomer to their New York, this is a great place to start; longtime followers can alsorelive the moments of these classic memories.

NOTE: As a way of illustrating the strength of Seinfelds entire run on NBC, we are singling out one episode from each of the nine seasons (with an honorable mentions list to follow).

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Its hard to believe now, but when Seinfeld first went on the air, NBC gave it a confidence-boosting order of a four-episode first season (not including the pilot episode). As such, the pickings are rather slim here, but some seeds that would go on to define the series were planted in the third episode, titled The Stake Out.

In it, Jerry attempts to get a date with a woman lawyer he met at a party while out with Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and since Jerry and Elaine recently broke up, the comedian feels uncomfortable asking his friend for the womans number. He decides the best way to get in contact with her is to stake out her place of work with George (Jason Alexander), and make a move from there.

This was the first real meaty Elaine story (following her brief cameo in Male Un-bonding) and provided the first hints of romantic tension between her and Jerry that would be explored in later episodes. Also, many of Seinfelds running gags (Art Vandelay, Georges love of architecture, etc.) were introduced in a sequence where Jerry and George scheme an excuse for the two of them being at the law office, so in essence, The Stakeout acts as an origins tale of whats to come down the line.

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Happy Festivus! 9 Great Seinfeld Episodes to Celebrate With