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.

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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

On tap this week:

In what can only be seen as confirmation that the Scuderia had the wrong people in place during Fernando Alonso's five years in scarlet, Ferrari continues to dump key personnel as it readies itself for a new high-profile driver.

When four-time F1 champ Sebastian Vettel arrives in Maranello next season, the team will have a very different look from the Alonso years.

There's a new team boss in former Marlboro man Maurizio Arrivabene along with a few other new faces in the front office. In the garage, the team shed chief designer Nikolas Tombazis, the aerodynamicist who was responsible for many cars driven by seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, and director of engineering Pat Fry.

The guy tapped to turn things around is James Allison, who moved to Ferrari from Lotus in mid-2013 after designing the surprisingly quick car that took Kimi Rikknen to victory in the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

One of the most significant additions may turn out to be Sauber refugee Esteban Gutirrez who joined the team last week as a test and third driver. His on-track contribution may not be huge, but his deep-pocketed Mexican backers' may be key to helping Ferrari get back on top.

Two-time world champion Alonso, who drove to 11 wins in his five years at Ferrari and used his massive talent to almost steal two titles from Vettel despite an underperforming car, believes that's just what will happen.

"I think what they missed [in my] five years is just some more performance in the car, and technical resources, Alonso said last week.

They have the talented people, they have the resources, they have the motivation from everybody in the team, so in time they will win. With the budget they have, next year they will be favourites.

Random thoughts

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F1 considering 1,000 HP engines as Ferrari cleans house

Andrea Muschinski, a volunteer trainee, prepares centerpieces at the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District's Station No. 2 on Dec. 12, for the mountain fire department's annual Christmas party at the station, which is expected to finally get indoor plumbing sometime in 2015. For more photos, go to http://www.dailycamera.com. (Cliff Grassmick / Daily Camera)

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.

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Mountain fire district's stations may finally get indoor plumbing

I tell customers that square foot pricing is where quality goes to die. I'm teasing partially, but not entirely. Two homes exactly the same size and shape, one well-built with a higher price tag, one with corners cut everywhere and lower price tag... that 2nd home (the poorer quality one) will have a better price per square foot. Where's the hidden cheap in the cheaper price?

Anyways, tough to price your example, as things such as height to eave, roof pitch, number of windows, excavation (etc. etc. etc.) really change the equation significantly. I could easily price 2 car garages of the same size and shape.. one with a price tag of $20,000... and the same footprint for $120,000. Depends on what you want.

Another factor is who you choose to build for you. A small builder may have less overhead. A larger builder may have advantages in other areas.

Sorry, this doesn't answer your question exactly. My feeling is that by the time windows, shingles, brick three sides, slab, excavation, windows, garage door, man entry door, gutters, overhangs, insulation, wiring, sheetrock (finished, painted), base trim/window/door trim... Plus tie in to existing structure seamlessly... The price from my company would be much higher than $16K, likely double (although I only priced it very quickly with a lot of assumptions).

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Garage addition cost per square foot? - Sawmill Creek

Grand Theft Auto Online players hoping to celebrate the holidays in Los Santos can download the "Festive Surprise" update to add snowball fights, Christmas sweaters and more,Rockstar Games announced today.

A new homing missile launcher and proximity mines are available permanently, as are new vehicles Hot Rod Christmas Ratloader, Slam Van, and the Massacro and Jester sports cars. Players can now own a third garage to stash their cars, and weaponscan be found at in-game store Ammu-Nation.

Other additions include seasonal clothing items such as scarves, masks and holiday pajamas for free. These items will be available until Jan. 5. Special holiday crate drops will also begin dropping "frequently" until that end date.

Check out the full update on Rockstar'ssite.For more on Grand Theft Auto 5, read our review. Rockstar recently announced that special multiplayer missions, heists, would finally come to GTA Online early next year.

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GTA Online now features adorable snowball fights and ugly sweater 'parties'

Nicky Hayden may be staying with the Drive M7 Aspar team - but he'll have a new bike, new engineers, new team-mate and, he hopes, a 'new' wrist for 2015.

The American's return to Honda after five years at Ducati was hampered by both the underpowered RCV1000R and then a debilitating wrist injury, which flared up overnight at Jerez (round four) and dogged Hayden for the remainder of the year.

Initial surgery after Mugello failed to resolve the pain and lack of mobility, prompting a second much more major operation that saw Hayden side-lined for four events.

The 2006 world champion returned for the final five rounds, made his debut on the new RC213V-RS in the post-season Valencia test, then returned to American to continue his rehabilitation.

I feel better every day. It wasn't easy to get back on the bike after the type of surgery I went through, Hayden said. It was a serious operation, they had to remove three bones from my wrist. I was able to control the pain and ride again, even though I wasn't back to my normal level, but gradually I recovered strength and feeling.

It is good for me that the season is over because it's a chance to continue the recovery. Since the end of the season I have been having injections of platelet-rich plasma. I have let my hand rest but I have also been doing a lot of work with the physio.

Hayden has plenty of motivation to get his wrist back in shape, with the knowledge that next year's Open class Honda will be powered by this year's title winning RC213V (pneumatic-valve) engine.

The bike must still run the standard electronics, and won't have a seamless shift gearbox, but this year's 20km/h top speed deficit should be a thing of the past.

My first impressions were positive, said Hayden, one of only two riders who got to try the bike at the Valencia test. Without doubt the biggest thing I noticed was the extra power, as well as the usual reliability and performance characteristics of a Honda. We were able to confirm the development that has been done with this bike so far and now we have to work on it more ourselves to understand it more and unlock its potential.

I am sure we will be more competitive in 2015 than we were last season. There is still some development to be done with the electronics but I think we are on the right path. We had a great chassis last season but we were down on power.

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Nicky Hayden: Turning the page

Tucson is getting its own Santacon this year. Sort of.

While some of the Santa-centric conferences that have sprouted up around the country have drawn rowdy revelers dressed in white beards and cheery red suits, Santa Crawl, the event that debuts Friday at Main Gate Square is family-friendly, and benefits a good cause.

Its just to have fun, says Jane McCollum, general manager of the Marshall Foundation and Main Gate Square.

Its a way for Tucsonans to enjoy an evening of shopping and dining amid holiday decorations and the relative peace that comes with winter break at the University of Arizona, she said. The event gets underway at 7 p.m.

And while its highly suggested that everyone arrive wearing white beard and red suit, its not mandatory. One incentive $200 cash prize for best holiday-themed costume.

Regardless of ones apparel, everyone is encouraged to ho-ho-ho like Santa and to be kind.

Main Gate Square is selling wristbands for $5 not to show proof of being 21 and over but to get deals at restaurants and shops around the block, McCollum said.

Buy a wristband at Gentle Bens, Auld Dubliner, Pasco Kitchen & Lounge, Fuku Sushi, Posners Art Store, Ooo! Outside of Ordinary and all of the proceeds will go to Bens Bells.

There are a variety of deals. For example, one of the shopping districts newest additions, Bear Track U, is offering complimentary mulled cider and cheesecake bites, along with 20 percent off beer or wine.

The holiday entertainment begins at Geronimo Plaza with a Santa Sing- A-Long led by the George Howard Band, which will perform after the singalong in the courtyard until 10 p.m. Pasco Kitchen is hosting a Santas Hot Toddy Station.

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Santa Crawl is coming to town on Friday

Key players in the renovation of the library prepare for the final walk thru last Thurs. evening. Pictured l to r: Library Board member, Kristine Groh, Librarian, Debbie Sturman, Library Board member, Randi Ross, Architect Kurt Dubbe, Contractor Frankie Spiegelberg, and County Commissioner Greg Stark. Photo/Lacey Brott While driving down the street in Lusk, you may have noticed some extensive work being done at Carnagie Library. Frankie Spiegelberg, and his crew, of Spiegelberg Lumber and Building Co., in Laramie, Wyo., has just wrapped up the restoration of the historic windows at Carnagie Library. Our company has had extensive experience with historical renovations. said Spiegelberg. We renovated the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie and have been all over the state.

County Commissioner Greg Stark said, The library really wanted to keep the original windows, so we started researching. For years, we looked at how to restore the windows without having to replace them completely. We did have to replace the ones downstairs, because they were failing. Originally, Librarian Debbie Sturman and Stark, were working with an architectural company out of Cheyenne, when they were put in touch with architect, Kurt Dubbe, of Dubbe-Moulder Architects from Jackson, Wyo. I thought we had a great opportunity to improve the thermal performance of the building, with the maintaining of the current windows. We did some cost evaluation that proved to us that the restoration of the windows, plus the introduction of new, thermally efficient, removable storm windows would be a very affordable project, at a fraction of the cost of replacing them all together. With Debbies persistence, the historic windows have been saved. Its been a great relationship of the principal players in the project. The county commissioners, the library board, the contractors, and the design team. We are hopeful that that same team can be carried through as we present this evening with the jail project. said Dubbe.

Sturman said, The library was put into contact with the state energy office where they received money for an energy audit. Some other things were also identified, along with the windows, needing to be replace, was a new boiler, a new door for the south side entrance, and some new lighting. A new lamp will hang over the front door and new LED lighting in the newer portion. The rest of the money to do the project, came from the Wyoming Association of Municipalities and Wyoming County Commissioners Association, or WAM-WCCA. WAM-WCCA is a lease program, or interest free loan they received for ten years. It can only be used for public or municipal buildings. The proof will be in the pudding as we head deeper into the winter months and the library starts receiving our energy bills. said Dubbe.

A hearing was also held last Thurs. evening Dec. 4, at 7, at the Niobrara County Courthouse. The public listened in on a proposed plan to rehabilitate, and build an addition to the current Niobrara County Historic Jail. Stark, Dubbe, and Spiegelberg, presented their ideas and layout plan at the meeting. Dubbe showed a quick power point covering all points of the proposal with the jail.

According to the design plans project narrative, provided by Dubbe-Moulder Architects, the proximity to the Niobrara County Courthouse is undervalued by the current physical disconnection. The architects would like to connect the two buildings with an enclosed vestibule, which will allow access to additional county office space. The jail was built in 1914. With a garage addition built in the 1950s or 1960s. An enclosed porch facing the street, was also added. They propose the garage addition be removed, and a new two story structure be built in its place. The new structure will hold the connecting stairwell and elevator as well as offices, additional storage, and vault space. Where the original jail cells are located on the first floor, the architects want to remain, but convert the space into an exhibit and display space, for the public of which the Carnagie Library would look after. They would like to remove the enclosed porch on the second floor, and build a new one depicting the original.

Dubbe also pointed out the business rehabilitating the jail would bring to Lusk. People love to stop along the road and read historic plaques, as well as stop in all the small communities and find out a little bit more about what makes that community tick. He also talked about the positive effects listing one or all three of the buildings, The Carnagie, jail, and courthouse, on the national historic registry. There are absolutely no restrictions or limitations when placing a property on a historic registry. Its strictly honorary. Its a celebration of our history. The benefits of placing the buildings on the historic registry, can be monetary, such as tax credits, grant opportunities at the state and national level, the Wyoming business council, and the cultural trust fund. [Other benefits] a slight relaxation of certain accessibility codes, as long we do not make an existing condition any less safe than it already is. said Dubbe.

Many questions were asked by the public attending the meeting, and answered by both Dubbe and Stark. So far this is just a proposed plan, and nothing has been set in stone, but with the support of the community they hope to set forth a plan of action soon.

Dubbe-Moulder Architects would also like to stress the importance of, that any new additions or alterations will respect the historic materials and features that define the property and be in compliance without the secretary of interiors standards for the treatment of historic properties.

Lacey Brott

Contributing Writer

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Missions to save historic buildings in community

OXFORD -- Ole Miss took another step Monday in its Forward Together campaign, as it showcased plans for expansion to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Launched in the fall of 2011, the Forward Together Campaign has reached $125 million in total cash and pledges, and between the ongoing construction of The Pavilion at Ole Miss and the parking garage, the front door for Ole Miss is beginning to take shape.

"When the Forward Together Campaign was launched in the fall of 2011, the goals for Vaught-Hemingway Stadium were to expand the overall stadium capacity and fan experience amenities, upgrade exterior elements around the stadium that provide more consistency with university architecture, and to expand premium seating offerings in order to provide necessary funding," Ole Miss Director of Athletics Ross Bjork said. "We are confident and believe this master plan accomplishes those objectives while adding in new elements along the way."

The expansion, which is scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2016 football season, there will be construction of two new entry points. One will be a new plaza between The Pavilion and Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and the other will be a new green space that extends the Walk of Champions through a new north stadium plaza and bell tower. The plans also include the construction of an M-Club letterwinners' wall honoring every letterwinner from every sport at Ole Miss.

"The campus of Ole Miss is incredibly unique," Bjork said. "Everything from the architecture, to the campus layout, to immaculate landscaping, to green spaces like the Grove and the Circle, they are all key factors for why we are voted the most beautiful campus year in and year out.

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Ole Miss' Forward Together campaign unveiled