The Fire Departments EMS station on 23rd Street, proposed additions to the Chelsea Hotel. Permits for local street fairs and national budget issues were among the topics discussed when the full board of Community Board 4 (CB4), including 10 new board members, gathered at Fulton Houses Auditorium on April 4 for their monthly meeting.

Before the meeting began, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer arrived to present outgoing member Ed Kirkland with an official certificate of appreciation for his years of service to CB4.

The Proclamation Im going to give tonight to Ed Kirkland, whos always been someone who pointed the way on so many issues, the mayor cannot give. Andrew Cuomo cannot give this Proclamation, only I can do this, said Stringer. Whereas Ed Kirkland has served on the board of CB4 for 29 years and played a lead role in just about every important matter from the High Line to Hudson Gardens and the Hudson River Parkand whereas we are sad he will step downI hereby proclaim April 4, 2012, as Ed Kirkland Appreciation Day in the borough of Manhattan.

Im just glad it wasnt on April 1st, said Kirkland to laughter. Its time. I know its time. I want to thank all of you with whom I worked andthank you for this Proclamation.

Ed sets the standard for community reform, between his work with Chelsea Market and Waterfront issues, and will continue to help give you all the resources you need to handle these issues, said Stringer.

Kirkland will stay on the board in a consultant capacity, with Board Chair Corey Johnson noting, It is a loss not to have him on the board of CB4, but we will recruit him as a public member.

Ed Kirkland is one of the most prominent, well respected and irreplaceable community activists that CB4 has ever been blessed with, echoed Johnson. He is one of the foremost experts and activists on preservation, not just on the West Side but throughout the entire city, and about four years ago almost single-handedly helped secure the West Chelsea Historic District, which is just one of many accomplishments he has under his belt as board member for 29 years. We are saddened by him leaving the board, but happy he is staying on as a public member and helping us when we need his expertise.

EMS STATION DEBATED

Board member Brett Firfer led the session of the meeting dealing with the site selection and acquisition of property at 512 West 23rd Street for the Midtown West EMS Station. David Harney, chief of staff of the Deputy Fire Commissioner for the Bureau of Technology and Support Services, explained that the NYFD would like CB4 to support their move to obtain a lease at their temporary location. Joining him were Captain James Foley and Police Chief James Murley.

When the [St. Vincents] hospital closed, the five units and 15 tours that served the area disappeared, said Harney. The Fire Department assumed control of those tours. The problem is simple. We do not have the facilities [for this].

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CB4 honors Ed Kirkland, welcomes new additions

Click photo to enlarge

(Park Record file photo) Now that the winter season is overwith, the wishy-washy spring weather has brought the opening of many local golf courses along the Wasatch Back.

After what was considered a disappointing winter season for resort-goers, the local golf courses were beneficiaries of the lack of snow as public courses such as the Park City Golf Course were able to open up for business on Friday, April 13.

"This course came out really well this year," said Craig Sanchez, manager of the only public golf course within the city limits. "We're happy with the conditions and we're happy how it's playing out."

Sanchez said the course, which like most around Summit and Wasatch counties, is at the mercy of Mother Nature for the next few weeks, didn't have any large off-season renovations, however, he did say some new golf carts and new greens lawnmowers will represent the new additions.

"Pretty much business as usual," he said.

He said the early-season men's and ladies' golf league signups have been "robust" with play scheduled to start in late April and early May.

According to Craig MacKay, head professional at Wasatch Mountain State Golf Course, the lackluster winter season allowed the Midway public course to open earlier than usual as the links have been open to golfers for close to two weeks now.

"It's been cold, but the golf course has been in excellent condition," he said. "It's nice to get going early this year. The last couple spring seasons, we've lost an awful lot of money because it rained for two months. It's nice to get revenue.

"Everything is in really good shape right now."

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Wishy-washy spring season brings life to local golf courses

Four new single-family house permits issued by the Ruidoso Building Division in March pumped up the final valuation for construction that month by $678,080 for a total of $1,500,231.

The figure represents a significant drop from $2.3 million in March 2011, according to reports compiled by the division. Last year for the corresponding month, nine permits were issued for single-family dwellings, adding up to $1.3 million in construction value.

The staff issued 124 permits last month, while 128 were registered a year ago. The four houses accounted for $4,852.31 of the fees collected, bringing March fees this year to $21,906, a drop from $26,997 in March 2011. Contractors handling the jobs are Ratliff Construction, Ruidoso Mountain Builders and John Cornelius Builders.

Residential additions accounted for $363,278.76 in value and $3,805.73 in fees. Four commercial additions added $82,236.32 in value and $991.13 in fees. Three residential garage/carports matched that at $82,761 in value and $961 in fees. Twelve residential additions contributed $363,278 in value and $3,805 in fees.

Other categories significantly impacting the month's figures included residential garages or carports, residential re-roofing, residential decks and a new commercial building being built by Budaghers Landscape Co. at 109 Pikes Peak Road.

The division issued 40 residential electrical permits and six commercial electrical permits. Thirteen residential plumbing/mechanical permits were

During March, the department also switched to Incode from a previous software program used to report its statistics.

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Village building activities in March down compared to 2011

In the past few years, dozens of property/casualty insurers have announced innovative protections for risks involving new technologies, current economic concerns, personal and family relationships, home-based small businesses, and more.

This is a new era in property/casualty insurance. Innovation is breaking out all over, said Roger Hurtvig, president of the Insurance Innovation Institute (III) in Warwick, Rhode Island.

The P/C industry has a reputation of being slow to embrace new ideas but the IIIs own measure of innovation the P/C New Products Index has been rising steadily for the past year and hit a record high of 75 out of a possible 100 points last month.

It seems that with every day comes a new idea, Hurtvig said. The new products are anchored in traditional insurance principles but they speak to a new generation of risks. Its very exciting.

So what are some of these new ideas that have put the industrys unhip reputation at risk? Insurance Journal searched the database at http://www.MyNewMarkets.com to find the Top 10 Most Innovative P/C Insurance Products:

1. Pay-As-You-Park: Private passenger auto policy from Progresso. Rates are based on how long the vehicle is not driven. Policyholders are sent a small white box that attaches to the front drivers side wheel. The box contains a meter that is loaded with an initial estimated premium. The box calculates premium discounts for every 15 minutes the vehicle is parked but adds surcharges for every 15 minutes the vehicle is in motion. Pay-As-You-Dock boat policy also available.

2. GreenMaker: R.W. Barkley is selling a product liability policy for home or garage-based businesses that manufacture cosmetics, clothing, jewelry, toys, computers or other products using primarily recycled, upcycled, natural or organic materials.

3. Commercial Specific Liability (CSL): A low-cost option to the Commercial General Liability (CGL), the CSL lets business owners specify the exposures they want covered. The final ISO form is not expected until December but some examples of actions expected to be covered include: nailing into a water pipe, electrical wiring or cable; causing a fall due to the failure to warn of water, change in elevation (a step), or intoxication; and releasing a pollutant that the insured did not bring to the job site.

4. Vanishing Coverage: A multi-year package policy from Hubb Insurance available only to owners of high-end coastal properties and antique autos. The premium is lowered by the same amount the deductible is raised each year until the deductible reaches the policy limit or the premium hits zero, whichever happens first.

5. Home Business Interruption Protection (HBIP): Revelers Insurance has a business interruption policy for any service business conducted from the home, from hackers and day traders to massage therapists and insurance agents. Covers loss of Internet connection, telephone service, daycare, HVAC as well as refrigerator breaks.

Link:
Special Report: Top 10 Innovative P/C Insurance Products

Anthony Toth spends $200,000 converting garage into airliner cabin His hoard of memorabilia has taken 20 years to amass

By Chris Parsons

PUBLISHED: 07:51 EST, 29 March 2012 | UPDATED: 08:06 EST, 29 March 2012

While most people who enjoy flying might draw the line at a souvenir jet or mug, Anthony Toth's obsession has really taken off.

The airline sales director has spent two decades amassing an unmatched collection of memorabilia from Pan Am, which he has converted into a replica cabin at his home in Redondo Beach, California.

Mr Toth has spent $200,000 salvaging Pan Am airliner first class cabin parts for his airline tribute, including working seatbelt signs, oxygen masks and even 18 matching cabin seats.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Head in the clouds: Mr Toth, 44, has spent $200,000 over 20 years converting his garage into a replica Pan Am first class cabin

Cabin fever: Mr Toth says his favourite part of his replica Pan Am cabin is a staircase from an original airliner

Commitment: Mr Toth has traveled as far as Bangkok in search of the exact parts for his well-researched Pan Am cabin

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Anthony Toth converts California garage into Pan Am airliner cabin

DESTIN The two towers of the Emerald Grande have become a landmark, easily recognizable from as far away as Okaloosa Island and even Shalimar.

Destins skyline could be changing again as Legendary Inc., the developer of Emerald Grande, is working on plans for the next phase of HarborWalk Village.

Legendary CEO Peter Bos said the company is looking to build a new 100- to 150-room hotel and a second parking garage just east of the towers.

See a view of the Destin Harbor

Rumors have been swirling that new construction at HarborWalk Village was months or even weeks away from starting. While work on some smaller additions is under way now, Bos still is finalizing his timeline for the hotel and parking garage.

A lot of people just build single projects where they build a building and thats all they put on the land, and thats all there is, Bos said. For me, I spend a lot of time, and Ill spend an extra year just working on details of planning, trying to figure out where everything goes. When its all done, it all needs to fit together and not just look like a bunch of buildings jammed on one site.

We think the timing is about right, Bos said. The rumor is a little ahead of reality, but not much.

The primary construction at HarborWalk Village which includes the Emerald Grande, a parking garage, shops and restaurants began in February 2005 and continued through June 2007. The initial master plan included a second set of towers that were nearly identical to Emerald Grande.

While the proposed hotel will not be identical, Bos said it will be architecturally compatible. The next construction phase also will include several buildings, he said.

The hotel and other buildings will be constructed on what is now a parking lot and The Shed Barbeque and Blues Joint. Bos said The Shed likely will move closer to Destin Harbor.

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Major expansion eyed for HarborWalk Village (SLIDESHOW)

A white 40s-style rectangular cottage sits on the edge of the water at the northern tip of Longboat Key, just where the land ends. The dolphin-filled blue-green Gulf of Mexico water laps peacefully under the water-facing porch of the house, and it has been this way since the Mayers family bought the property in 1936. Today, they remain one of the oldest families on Longboat Key.

Its not uncommon to see Tom Mayers throwing a cast net from the large pelican-perched dock, which has been rebuilt three times over the years there is even an award-winning photo of his father, Frank, casting a net on the same dock.

According to a 1913 map of New Pass, Lands End has, arguably, the best fishing on the west coast of Florida. Its fitting, then, that the original settler of Lands End and relative of the Mayers family, Italian-born John Saverese, was in the fishing business.

The early yearsThe year 1885 was an ideal time to begin a fishing company in Tampa because the construction of the Plant Railroad in 1884 connecting Tampa to the northern region of the U.S. allowed for a more massive fish transportation operation. Within 10 years, Saverese had employed 550 men, 15 sailing vessels, 150 small boats and a large steamer, The Mistletoe.

It was the biggest fish house in the United States, says Tom Mayers, former Longboat Key Historical Society president. Theres nothing like that today.

The 75-foot-long Mistletoe was used to bring vacationers from Tampa to Longboat Key two times per week. Due to the success of Savereses business, he acquired extensive building and real-estate holdings including what would eventually become Lands End. About 1914, Saverese built a vacation home on the edge of the water.

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Lonnie Wong FOX40 News

6:17 p.m. PDT, March 26, 2012

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Sacramento County Water Officials are preparing residents in the county's delta area for a building ban brought on by the decertification of levees by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

That's because there are so many variables that assessing the safety of the levees surrounding Hood, Courtland and Walnut Grove would be a guessing game. Construction permits will be hard to come by.

"There will be no permits issued for room additions, new homes, new commercial or industrial properties, even a grain storage bin," said George Booth, a civil engineer for Sacramento Counties Water Resources Agency.

While a garage or a barn might be possible, a warehouse or a shop is likely to be built. It's similar to the building ban in Sacramento's Natomas neighborhood where any federally backed loan will not be approved.

The exception is if you build at flood level anywhere from 10 to 20 feet above the ground. In Natomas that's proved so expensive and so impractical that no one has done it.

And while the Natomas ban will be lifted once levee repairs are complete, Sacramento County's delta area won't be getting such relief. Rural reclamation districts can't afford to make major levee repairs and can't afford the detailed engineering analysis that can prove existing levees are safe.

Other variables like levee vegetation and global warming are impossible to quantify, making FEMA unable to assess the chances of flooding.

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Building Ban Result of FEMA's Levee Decertification

REGINA Prepare to be amazed. And support a good cause, while youre at it.

Think of it as a twofer. In other words, a single event with double benefits.

The Amazing Spaces Home Renovation Tour offers an opportunity to check out a variety of transformed local living spaces. And at the same time, ticket buyers are supporting Hopes Home respite care program, which relies on community donations to operate. Hopes Home provides much-needed evening and overnight care for medically fragile children, so their caregivers can go out occasionally, de-stress, and relax.

Were hoping to raise $40,000 for Hopes Home, said event organizer Holli Appelquist, owner of Holliberries Interiors, who started the annual event in 2010.

The previous two Amazing Spaces events raised $62,000 for the SCEP Centre (Socialization Communication and Education Program), which is an intensive early intervention preschool program supporting the development of children with complex needs.

Every two years, the event will select a different childrens charity to support, Appelquist said.

We want to spread the money a little further for other children in need.

Tickets for this years self-guided home tour which is slated for Sat., May 12 go on sale this weekend at the Regina Spring Home Show, which is produced by the Regina and Region Home Builders Association, and runs from March 29 to April 1 in the Canada Centre Building at Evraz Place. Tickets will also be available at Fries Tallman Lumber, 1737 Dewdney Ave. A total of 600 tickets will be available, at $25 each.

This years tour features 11 homes, including exterior renovations, complete interior guts, additions, and reconfiguration of interior space.

If youre looking for new ideas, youll be greeted with an avalanche of inspiration on the tour! Appelquist said. Theres a real array of different styles and sizes.

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Home reno tour raises funds for Regina children’s charity

LOWELL -- The City Council has spent the past several months debating how to tweak Lowell's ordinance regulating the ubiquitous reserved-dwelling parking placards, if at all, but councilors still have not agreed on a clear path forward.

In the latest development, the council's transportation subcommittee voted last Tuesday to again direct the city's Department of Planning and Development to do more research about the reserved-dwelling signs and how to revise the ordinance regulating them.

The subcommittee's three members want city officials to make a recommendation about whether a system requiring an annual renewal of the parking placards, which dot many of the city's neighborhoods, would be useful.

Currently, residents of the city can pay $10 for a placard and never have to renew ownership of the sign.

As part of an annual renewal system, councilors also asked planning officials to come back with a potential fee for the renewal.

Councilor Joseph Mendonca said an annual renewal program could help the city figure out how many placards there are in the city and could lead to a reduction in the number of placards.

"I'm hoping by having an annual renewal with a fee, people in areas who don't need them won't spend money for something they don't need," Mendonca said.

Councilor Marty Lorrey, chairman of the subcommittee, expressed some reluctance about the proposal.

"I don't want to see another fee on people in the city," Lorrey

Lorrey has also expressed reluctance about doing too much tweaking of the parking-placard ordinance, saying, "if it isn't broke, don't fix it."

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City seeks to tweak parking-placard policy