Frederick, Maryland (PRWEB) April 30, 2014

The birds are chirping, the flowers are budding, and nurseries are buzzing with people looking to spruce up their yards. Its happenedspring is here! And with that brings the annual FCAR annual American Home Month charity. Starting back in 1990, FCAR pulled its resources to help a family in need spruce up the exterior of their property. Not only did it help the aesthetics of the neighborhood, but it gave some much needed pride and confidence back to the homeowner. 24 years later the tradition continues. On May 8th 2014, FCAR will pull its resources once again to help another homeowner in need. This year it will be David Young of 5046 Doubs Road in Adamstown, MD. David is confined to his home and receives (3) dialysis treatments weekly.

FCAR could not conquer such a massive project in one day if not for the charitable hands of local Realtors and contractors. Last year over 70 volunteers showed up to help. Many of the projects are completed by Realtors, but there are many specialized projects that require a little more expertise. For these projects many local contractors volunteer their own time and resources. GutterMaid is a local contractor that has volunteered consistently for the past 6 years. This year will be no exception. Owner Jesse Whitehurst says he looks forward to this event each year and is excited to see the final outcome of this years project.

GutterMaid is a Frederick, Maryland based company that provides gutter cleaning services, and leaf protection installation for the residents of Western Maryland & Northern Virginia. GutterMaid was established as an LLC in 2013. For more information on GutterMaid, please call 301-363-1755, or visit their website at http://www.guttermaid.com.

About the owner Jesse Whitehurst started in the home construction & maintenance industry over 14 years ago in 2000. He has been successful in many areas of the construction industry including field management, estimating/sales, and office/operations management.

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Community Pulls Together for Local Charity

Photos/Bobby Jones

Tech. Sgt. Kwame Opoku, left, 11th Civil Engineer Squadron electrical systems craftsman, shines a flashlight on a ceiling fan for Staff Sgt. Erick Rodriquez, 11 CES electrical systems craftsman, as rewires the lighting.

Joint Base Andrews 11th Civil Engineer Squadron has a long history of supporting humanitarian efforts in the Prince Georges County community.

On April 26, the unit loaned their technical skills to fix up a home as part of the 26th Christmas in April Day Anniversary event.

The recipient was retired Army Col. James Simpson, a veteran with 30 years of service whos home fell into disrepair due to his failing health.

Simpson was elated at the bee hive of activity going on inside and outside of his 40-year-old home.

This was a surprise to me, said Simpson, a Hillcrest Heights resident. I dont know how my daughters got in touch with these people, said Simpson, as he sat in his living room chair listening to music from the radio. But theyre doing a wonderful job. While I was in the service, I travelled so much I wasnt home enough to tend to the house, and my wife wasnt well enough to do it, said Simpson, who wife was bed ridden during the renovation.

The contingent of volunteers could be seen everywhere; atop the roof applying gutter guards, replacing old windows with new ones, scraping paint from the underside of the porch soffit, painting window seals, mulching, digging holes for Azalea bushes, to beautify the backyard, carrying bags of refuge from the house to a 30-yard metal dumpster, sanding cast iron porch rails and building a wheel chair ramp from scratch.

The Simpsons also received a newly retiled basement floor, new electrical outlets, rewired ceiling fan, replacement smoke detector, Asbestos abatement and installation of new pipes and fittings for a water heater.

Simpson would periodically walk around his home, helping the volunteers with trash disposal or anywhere else he could lend a helpful hand. Im glad my daughters found these people to work on our home. While I was serving, I was away more than I was at home, said the 85-year-old veteran.

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Andrews Airmen help out a fellow veteran

The City of Portage la Prairie has given the green light for more than $1 million in road and sidewalk improvements.

Councillors awarded tender to Maple Leaf Construction Ltd. for $1,176,231 to repave eight city streets and two sidewalks over the next two years.

City staff have analyzed all our streets to pick the ones that are most in need of and most cost efficient to overlay at this time, said transportation committee chair Coun. Brent Froese, adding most of the funding is coming from the general reserve fund and provincial grants.

The following streets will be worked on over the next two years: 20th Street S.W. ($57,560 of which half is expected to be paid through provincial grants); 8th Street N.W. ($24,329 with the city paying $5,858 and rest awaiting approval of a 2014 Grant in Aid submission for $12,612); 3rd Street N.E. ($63,300 with the city paying $19,333 and rest awaiting approval of a 2014 Grant in Aid submission for $24,632); 5th Street S.E. ($110,471 of which the city will pay only $33,483 with the balance covered by the province); 7th Street N.E. ($44,428 with the city splitting the costs equally with the province); 1st Street N.W. (parking lanes) ($39,363 split equally between the city and the province); and Fisher Avenue E ($54,275); Saskatchewan Avenue W. sidewalk paving at the railway ($3,825).

Also under construction will be a new road on Park Drive ($351,769 with the city paying $208,258 with the difference funded by the province) and a Park Drive walking path ($55,025).

This is being tendered at a two year project rather than a single year project. That is, in part, to do the work more efficiently and in part to take advantage of two years worth of grants, said Froese.

During the first year, $52,000 will be used for the construction of a paved walking path and $20,000 for the rail crossing, new signals and light standard ($24,150), and a salvaged rubber mat installation by CPR (about $5,000). For the road, land drainage, excavation, and base work will be completed.

For 2015, base work, curb and gutter, asphalt pavement, boulevarding/ditching, street lighting, and water and sewer servicing ($42,400), will be completed.

The 2014 capital budget includes $902,000 for the full construction of Park Drive, with $100,000 to be paid as local improvement by property owners.

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Portage to spend $1.1-M in road improvements

From the Regional Transportation Commission:

The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County proudly announces the completion of the West Plumb Lane Neighborhood Enhancement Project. On Tuesday, April 29th, local dignitaries and RTC officials will celebrate the improvements with residents of the Plumb Lane neighborhood. The $6.5 million road investment included reconstruction of Plumb Lane from Ferris Lane to South McCarran Blvd; installation of a new sewer main, storm drain improvements, curb and gutter and a multi-use path. Electronic speed limit monitors and landscape replacement and aesthetic treatments were also part of the improvements.

These neighborhood enhancements provide accessible paths to walk and bicycle and improve safety for everyone, said Lee Gibson, RTC Executive Director. Area residents and commuters gave RTC input for the project design at several community meetings prior to the start of construction in July 2013. The project represents the collaborative spirit between the RTC and the community to improve the road, which is the hallmark for the work we do on behalf of the citizens of Washoe County, Gibson stated. Upgrades to the TMWA infrastructure were also installed prior to and parallel with the road work.

The official celebration for the completion of the project will be held at Rivermount Park located between Benjamin Franklin and Daniel Webster Drives off of Plumb Lane. The community is invited to attend the public event for an old-fashioned neighborhood get-together at 11 am. Funding for the project was made possible using local fuel tax dollars.

For information about RTC projects and programs visit http://www.rtcwashoe.com

From the Regional Transportation Commission

Link:
RTC's West Plumb Lane Enhancement Project Done, Celebration Tuesday

Published: Monday, April 28, 2014 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, April 27, 2014 at 2:04 p.m.

Drivers in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties are advised to use caution in the following areas where the Florida Department of Transportation says road construction or other projects are underway:

Crews are widening Interstate 75 north of Sumter Boulevard to six lanes.

SARASOTA COUNTY

Interstate 75 from Sumter Boulevard in North Port to River Road. Crews widening the highway to six lanes. Watch for signals and barricades. Lane closures from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

I-75 from University Parkway to the Charlotte County line. Expect delays. Crews are installing closed-circuit cameras, roadside sensors and other equipment for an intelligent transportation system.

I-75 at Fruitville Road, Laurel Road, Jacaranda Road and Sumter Boulevard. Crews replacing overhead signs. Lane closures between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m.

I-75 at Jacaranda Boulevard and Laurel Road. Crews installing lights. No lane closures expected.

U.S. 41 from the city of Venice to University Parkway. Various repairs to inlets and curbs. Lane closures from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

U.S. 41 bridge at Hatchett Creek in Venice. Lane closures from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday during maintenance.

The rest is here:
TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Road crews working from Parrish to North Port

CARY In several years, a roundabout might be controlling the flow of traffic where Crystal Lake Road, Silver Lake Road and Silver Lake Trail meet.

According to a pamphlet provided by Algonquin Township, the intersection north of town is a major source of delay for drivers and the township is looking to make improvements.

Currently the intersection is a four-way stop.

A roundabout is one of the proposals because there would be fewer conflict points or places where cars can collide, which should result in fewer severe accidents.

Other options include keeping the current setup, or putting in traffic signals.

Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Robert Miller said a roundabout would be a greener option as it would increase traffic flow efficiency, which leads to fewer delays and less vehicle emissions from idling vehicles.

The design also would not require the installation of traffic signals, which means less electricity and maintenance requirements.

Other planned improvements at the intersection include new storm sewer, curb and gutter, and sidewalks and crosswalks at all four approaches to the intersection.

The township also plans to reconstruct or resurface 300 to 400 feet of road in all directions from the roundabout, according to project documents.

The preliminary estimated price tag for a roundabout project, including design and construction, is less than $2 million.

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Intersection improvements proposed north of Cary

By C.W. WILKINSON / cww@laramieboomerang.com Friday, April 25, 2014

Construction of a new drainage system for the Indian Hills area is slated to begin as soon as the construction materials arrive on site, a city of Laramie engineer said.

The new drainage system is expected to help drain storm water from existing streets, as well as help prepare the way for planned subdivision in the area.

Indian Hills is on the northeast side of the city.

The project is slated to install a new storm sewer system beneath Indian Hills Drive and Grays Gable Road, which is expected to catch storm water from the scheduled development and existing homes, City Engineer Larry Ketcham said.

The drainage pipe will collect water from the neighborhood and move it to the detention pond on the Jacoby Golf Course, he said.

A detention pond is also scheduled for just north of the current end of Indian Hills Drive, and several storm drains are slated for installation at intersections along the street, Ketcham said.

Funding for the nearly $1 million project came from a financial contribution from the developer and the city, Ketcham said.

They (the developer) needed to pipe out, the city needed bigger pipe, Ketcham said. And so they met their needs, and thats what their financial contribution did. The city enlarged the pipe and we put inlets in so we can catch everything from the existing subdivisions. So it is a city project, it is not a developer project.

During construction, Indian Hills Drive and Grays Gable Road are expected to close temporarily.

Read more:
Indian Hills drainage construction set to begin

Mobridge Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Haden Merkel told the Mobridge City Council Monday, April 21, that the time is now to restore the murals at Scherr-Howe Event Center.

Merkel said because some of the timelines for grants secured by former North Central South Dakota Economic Development Director Christine Goldsmith will be expiring in June, the work needs to be done this summer.

We think we are ready to do the restoration, Merkel told the council.

The south wall (with the murals depicting Ceremonies of the Sioux) will be restored and the north wall (depicting History Along the Missouri) will be cleaned and an artist, Nickolas Ward, will refresh the paintings.

In the Chicago Conservatory report on the condition of the murals, concern is expressed for the murals on the north wall. These murals have suffered from water damage from condensation and leaking from the roof, heat, damage from basketballs, and have been extensively repainted. The repainting is heavier and darker than the original and is cut in around the original shapes on the murals.

Structurally, (the murals are painted on a rough cement surface) there are numerous cracks and areas where the walls are deformed. There are also spots where the concrete is crumbling. The far-east mural, Retreat is most severely damaged. This is also the panel that holds Howes signature and the year of the project.

The south walls are in better shape and there will be less repair needed to the structure of the murals, with the exception of where the basketball hoop brackets were anchored. There is also more damage on the western most panel, Social Dance will need the most work because it is within reach of the bleacher crowds. Large cracks near the railing have been repaired, but no restoration work was done on that concrete repair.

She told the council the decision should be made soon in order for Ward, to be secured for the summer. Merkel said she needs to find Ward a place to stay while he is working on the murals, in order to keep the cost of the project down. Having a home to stay in rather than lodging in a hotel would cut back on the cost for his portion of the restoration project.

Mayor Jamie Dietterle asked that Mobridge Chief Finance Officer Heather Beck and City Administrator Steve Gasser review the contracts in order to ensure the grant funding and pledges are available even though the installation of the bathrooms has been put on back burner.

Merkel assured the council Friends of Scherr-Howe (FOSH), the group formed to raise funding for the restoration of the historical building and the murals and to create the community center there, will continue to raise funds to install bathrooms on the main floor of the building.

Originally posted here:
Merkel: Time is now for mural restoration

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Roofing Contractor Indianapolis - Roof Replacement - Gutter Installation - Video

Road crews are working this week from Parrish to Charlotte County. Watch for closed lanes.

Drivers in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties are advised to use caution in the following areas where the Florida Department of Transportation says road construction or other projects are underway:

SARASOTA COUNTY

Interstate 75 from Sumter Boulevard in North Port to River Road. Crews widening the highway to six lanes. Watch for signals and barricades. Lane closures from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

I-75 from University Parkway to the Charlotte County line. Expect delays. Crews are installing closed-circuit cameras, roadside sensors and other equipment for an intelligent transportation system.

I-75 at Fruitville Road, Laurel Road, Jacaranda Road and Sumter Boulevard. Crews replacing overhead signs. Lane closures between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m.

I-75 at Jacaranda Boulevard and Laurel Road. Crews installing lights. No lane closures expected.

U.S. 301 at Fruitville Road. Lane closures this morning until 5:30 a.m. while crews work on building near road.

U.S. 41 from the city of Venice to University Parkway. Various repairs to inlets and curbs. Lane closures from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Fruitville Road from McIntosh Road to Honore Avenue. Intermittent outside lane closures from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. while crews inspect and repair drainage.

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TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Road crews working from Parrish to Charlotte