by KVUE News

kvue.com

Posted on June 8, 2012 at 5:31 PM

AUSTIN -- Friday marks four years since an arsonist heavily damaged the Texas Governor's Mansion.

The blaze in the early morning of June 8, 2008, raised questions about security. Only one trooper was on duty and was not watching any of the security cameras.

An investigation found that seven of the mansion's 20 cameras were broken, and that motion detectors did not work.

In Feb. 2011, surveillance video was released. It shows a lighter flash just before a shadowy figure throws a Molotov cocktail onto the front porch.

Today the mansion remains surrounded by green security fences as restoration work continues. It's expected to cost more than $24 million, and there's no word when it will be completed.

The man believed to have thrown the Molotov cocktail is described as white, 5'10" tall, weighing 175 to 185 pounds, and he has a medium build. His age was not released. KVUE is told he is a Texas resident.

While the mansion is being repaired, Governor Perry's been living in a home in Westlake that costs taxpayers $10,000 a month.

More here:
Restoration continues on Governor's Mansion four years after fire

Thomas and Stacy Carpenter and their three children were prepared to move into their new Habitat for Humanity home on Chester Street just days before last Christmas.

The move was not to be, however, as a fire ripped through the structure, gutting the inside of the building and destroying its roof.

On Friday, after six months of renovations and restoration work, the family finally moved into the home, the Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity's 47th.

During a ceremony dedicating the home, Larry Keisner, chapter construction manager, presented keys to the home to the Carpenters and their children Alyia, 8, Thomas, 6, and Marlin, 4.

"This is a real joyous occasion, especially if you saw this home back in December and (knew) the sadness that went along with it," said Earl Kinter, chapter board president.

The house previously had been occupied by a Habitat family. When that family outgrew the four-bedroom home, it was sold back to the chapter. The chapter had it for only two weeks and was getting ready to hand the keys to it over to the Carpenters just before Christmas when the fire occurred.

Thomas Carpenter said he was picking up a co-worker who lived in the neighborhood the following morning when he saw the burned-out structure.

Carpenter said he could not believe his eyes when he saw the building.

"I said, 'Did I just see what I thought I saw?' Then I said, 'That does not look good,'" Carpenter said. "We were going to move in two weeks."

Instead, they remained at Journey House, a facility designed to allow homeless families to transition into independent living. Journey House was launched about four years ago as an initiative of New Covenant United Church of Christ.

Continue reading here:
Habitat homecoming in city delayed no longer

MEDIA RELEASE 09.06.2012

Restoration of historic art gallery epitomises excellence

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tmaki has cemented its place as the countrys top commercial property development for 2012, receiving highest honours at the annual Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards last night.

The Category One heritage building was judged against seven other finalists, classed as the best of the best, to take home the Rider Levett Bucknall Supreme Award in front of 980 guests at a black tie gala dinner at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland. The award was presented by Hon Steven Joyce. Deemed as a very worthy recipient by the judging panel, this property took out Best in Category in both the Coffey Projects Education and Arts Property Award and the Hawkins Construction Heritage and Adaptive Reuses Property Award.

The judges were impressed with the total scope of the project, the attention to detail, the tireless commitment and cooperation of all stakeholders in the delivery of a unique project incorporating stunning architectural and engineering features and delivering a world class, future proofed facility that will provide tangible benefits to New Zealand for generations.

Constructed by Hawkins Construction for Regional Facilities Auckland, the development includes the restoration of two heritage buildings, a new building extension that doubles the available exhibition and public areas, new basement storage and services areas, and a redesigned interface with Albert Park. In total, the project extends over 14,350m2.

This building was constructed from New Zealand kauri for the ceiling of the gallery, German Jura stone for the exterior, American white oak for the floor and specialised glass from Europe, America and Asia.

Its design was developed from a concept related as much to the organic natural forms of the park as the architectural order and character of the legacy buildings. In particular, the building features a series of fine tree-like canopies that define and cover the entry forecourt and atrium areas. These light, profiled forms are inspired by the adjacent canopy of pohutukawa and hover over the stone walls and terraces that reinterpret the sites topography.

A record 82 properties were evaluated as finalists in this years awards - evidence of confidence returning to the industry in the opinion of Property Councils chief executive Connal Townsend. However, less than half of the finalists managed to secure an award 16 Excellence and 21 Merit awards were presented to developments across the country. This included awards given to developments in Auckland (21), Wellington (5), Christchurch (5), Hamilton (2), Tauranga (1), Mt Maunganui (1), Whakapapa (1), Rotorua (1) and Dunedin (1).

Only properties selected as the best of the Excellence winners in each category were eligible to be considered for the Supreme Award a change in process to provide better acknowledgement for the most outstanding property among those awarded excellence in each category, said Mr Townsend. With a record number of properties to evaluate over the last few years, we decided to add a new bar of recognition to help streamline the administration of the competition, he said. This helped by providing a more succinct finalist list for the pre-eminent supreme award, and more importantly, it has allowed the winners to receive the recognition they deserve.

Read this article:
Restoration of historic art gallery epitomises excellence

TAHLEQUAH Restoring an old home may seem like a dream come true for preservation clubs, but the actual process requires hard work, determination, and an eye for detail.

The process on how the Thompson House became a historical site was Beth Herringtons topic Thursday during Oklahomas 24th annual Statewide Preservation Conference at the Armory Municipal Center.

Herrington said anyone considering a restoration project should have her eyes open, and before she begins, understand the hard facts of what that restoration will entail.

Among the steps are considering whether the site has a family or architecturally historical significance to the community; researching the physical properties of the building to see if can be restored; conducting an analysis of community support for the restoration project; and determining where will the monetary support will come from for maintenance and care of the site.

Herrington also said anyone working on this type of project should keep notes and records on the entire process.

The Thompson House was the home of Dr. Joseph M. Thompson and his family, who lived in it from 1889 to 1935. Thompsons father came to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears.

According to Herrington, the catalyst for the research process for the Thompson House restoration began when a newspaper article reported the Cherokee County commissioners were asking for bids for the buildings demolition.

This was in the 1980s, she said.

Several community women thought the destruction of the home was a bad idea.

Our first step was to pass a petition around to see if saving the Thompson House had community support behind it, said Herrington.

See original here:
Restoration basics

STEUBENVILLE - Scott Dressel has crawled through ceilings, hauled trash, painted walls and pleaded for financial donations and volunteers.

But on Thursday, the president of the Grand Theater Restoration Project sat down for a board of directors meeting in the refurbished lobby of the 87-year-old building on Fourth Street that was once home to live stage shows and countless hours of movies.

It was the first official event in the building since Dressel and the volunteers he enlisted began their efforts to save the former theater and restore it to its past glory.

"We are starting our third year of restoration, and at this point I am looking at another nine years before the entire project is completed. But I am satisfied. We have come a long way in two years," Dressel said.

"I don't get discouraged from all of the work. Yes, there are days when I am tired. But we have accomplished a lot in the past two years and look forward to the restoration work ahead of us," Dressel added.

The completed work list includes a new roof that stopped the rain from leaking into the theater section of the building, the donation of an adjacent building that will be used for a museum and mini-theater and the removal of all of the first floor seats.

"The smell in here left after the building was sealed and the seats were taken out. That was a big thing. We have had probably 200 volunteers at different times working to clean out the loose plaster and debris left in here. Now the theater is wide open and ready for the restoration work," explained Dressel.

"And another big step for us will be significant fundraisng. We did obtain a $96,000 Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund grant to be used for the removal of the small amount of asbestos in the building. And we continue to seek grants and funds from different organizations," Dressel said.

"We will also be completing the architectural drawings, and we continue to conduct engineering reviews of the building to make sure it will be ready for what we want to do in here," noted Dressel.

Dressel said he is planning to gain input from the Franciscan University of Steubenville drama department.

Go here to read the rest:
Two years on theater restoration continues

04-06-2012 17:24 (702) 706-1506 -- call for more info and 24/7 emergency service. When disaster strikes your home, your whole life and that of your family is disrupted. You need everything back to normal, and fast. Our staff is fully equipped, trained and ready to come to the rescue. Whether you have damage...

Here is the original post:
Damage Restoration Water Experts - Call Us 24/7|702-706-1506|Las Vegas|89144|89134|89145|NV - Video

04-06-2012 10:09 Pastor Benny Hinn - Reconciliation and Restoration Continues It all began at Christmas when we were together at Suzanne's house in Orlando, Florida. Suzanne and I and all of our children and grandchildren were there. It was a beautiful day I will never forget, and that is when the Lord began to do His mighty work. Suzanne and I want to thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for praying for us and our family. The Lord has surely answered your prayers! Suzanne and I are more in love with each other than ever before. The covenant we made with God more than 30 years ago was never broken in His sight. Both of us believe our greatest days are ahead and the best is yet to come. The last three years have been very painful for Suzanne and me and for the children—more painful than we can ever explain or describe. Suzanne and I will share much more with you in a future letter and soon on This Is Your Day. Please be watching next Thursday and Friday, June 7--8. Our marriage died for two reasons. One, I, Benny Hinn, was married to the ministry, not realizing it was killing my marriage. And two, Suzanne started taking certain prescription medications to help her cope with some of her personal struggles. She became dependant on those for nearly 15 years, and those medications made her behave erratically at times. As her husband, I did not know what kinds of medicine she was taking or realize what they were doing to her. What I want you to know is that she was totally set free from ...

Read more from the original source:
Benny Hinn

04-06-2012 17:24 (702) 706-1506 -- call for more info and 24/7 emergency service. When disaster strikes your home, your whole life and that of your family is disrupted. You need everything back to normal, and fast. Our staff is fully equipped, trained and ready to come to the rescue. Whether you have damage...

See the article here:
Home Water Damage? Local Experts - 24/7 Service|702-706-1506|Las Vegas|89144|89134|89145|NV - Video

04-06-2012 17:24 (702) 706-1506 -- call for more info and 24/7 emergency service. When disaster strikes your home, your whole life and that of your family is disrupted. You need everything back to normal, and fast. Our staff is fully equipped, trained and ready to come to the rescue. Whether you have damage...

Read the original:
Las Vegas Restoration Services Experts - Call Us 24-7|702-706-1506|Las Vegas|89144|89134|89145|NV - Video

04-06-2012 17:24 (702) 706-1506 -- call for more info and 24/7 emergency service. When disaster strikes your home, your whole life and that of your family is disrupted. You need everything back to normal, and fast. Our staff is fully equipped, trained and ready to come to the rescue. Whether you have damage...

Read more here:
Expert Water Restoration Companies - 24/7 Service|702-706-1506|Las Vegas|89144|89134|89145|NV - Video