Three ornamental pillars crafted from Peterhead granite are making their way across the Atlantic for use in the restoration of a historic New York building after some detective work by Scottish stonemasons.

Natural stone specialists Fyfe Glenrock were able to identify the type of granite required for the multi-million-dollar restoration of the Big Apples oldest apartment block from a photograph of the existing columns.

The Oldmeldrum-based firm was contacted by counterparts in the States seeking a perfect match for three polished granite pillars at The Windermere, on the citys upmarket Upper West Side.

Original shipping and building records suggested that the stone for the pillars had been imported from Scotland, prompting Swenson Stone Consultants in New Hampshire to contact a firm with a worldwide reputation for granite quarrying and craftsmanship.

Fyfe Glenrock commercial manager Richard Collinson said: We have worked with this firm in the past so they were aware of our knowledge of Scottish granites and they emailed asking for confirmation of the identity of the granite used on the building which they believed to be from Aberdeenshire.

The photo they sent had sufficient detail for us to know that the pillars had been created from Peterhead granite.

"Its always very interesting when we get an unusual request like this, and were delighted to be able to help restore a building of such significant historical interest.

The Windermere was originally completed in around 1881 as a complex of three seven-storey red brick buildings. With his own daughters in mind, Superintendent Henry Sterling Goodale marketed the apartments as homes for the new woman a growing class of single and financially independent ladies and were among the first in the city to offer amenities such as hydraulic elevators and telephones.

Many decades later they were converted into single-occupancy residences and were marketed to New Yorkers struggling with sky-high rents, particularly the citys growing creative community.

One of The Windermeres most famous past residents is actor Steve McQueen.

The building slowly fell into a state of decline and in 2007 was declared unsafe by the fire department.

Two years later it was bought by a developer and the major refurbishment will see the building reopen its doors as a plush hotel, with retail space and a number of private apartments.

Peterhead granite was used extensively throughout the UK and abroad during the 19th century and comes in red and blue varieties.

The red variety is often used for ornamental construction its found in many buildings in London, Liverpool and Cambridge while the blue variety is used for decorative proposes, including the fountains in Trafalgar Square in London.

It is still quarried at Stirlinghill and Longhaven quarries, but these days it is mostly crushed for aggregate.

The pillars have been produced, polished and finished at Fyfe Glenrocks base and are now being shipped to the USA where, said Mr Collinson, they will not look out of place.

He visited New York three years ago and was struck by the amount of Peterhead granite used in building and memorial bases.

If you look at the history books, a lot of masons from the north east of Scotland migrated to and from America in the late 1800s, he said.

Due to the fact that they had a knowledge of indigenous Scottish granite and its properties, it is understandable that they would seek out Scottish materials to use there.

"So, it wasnt only the men, but the materials, that made the transatlantic journey.

Were talking about 120 years ago when stonemasonry would still have been a relatively young industry in the new world, and there would have been plenty of work opportunities.

There is some evidence to suggest that the parapet bases of the Brooklyn Bridge were made by Aberdeen masons so, given the fact that Peterhead granite was used at The Windermere, its likely that Scottish masons were involved in construction.

Fyfe Glenrock has more than 160 years experience in granite quarrying and craftmanship, and has supplied materials for many high-profile works, both at home and overseas.

It has provided indigenous Scottish granite for projects including The Scottish Parliament, the Millicent Fawcett Suffragist Memorial in Parliament Square, London and more recently The Silver Fin Building, Union Street, Aberdeen.

Go here to see the original:
From the Blue Toon to the Big Apple as north-east granite used in restoration of historic New York building - Grampian Online

EAST WINDSOR The Beautification Committee and town officials have collaborated on a video that was submitted to the HGTV television network in a bid to be part of a series that renovates entire towns.

The show, Home Town Takeover, is a spin off of the original series Home Town, which first aired in January 2016. The series is a home restoration program hosted by Ben and Erin Napier of Laurel, Mississippi.

After 34 episodes of the original series, HGTV green-lighted the spin-off series in which the couple travel around the country and renovate entire towns in need of a fix up, according to HGTV.

Jillian Hubbard, who heads the Beautification Committee, says she found out about opportunity through fellow committee member Fawn Bowidas and resident Beth King.

Applicants had to submit a series of photographs or a video depicting areas of town that needs attention, according to HGTV. Qualifications for a town to be considered for the show include a population of less than 40,000 people, homes with great architecture longing to be revealed, and a main street that needs a facelift.

Residents of the selected town can expect to witness the rehab of multiple individual family homes as well as the revitalization of public spaces parks, local diners or restaurants, and outdoor recreation areas, HGTV says.

With the help of First Selectman Jason E. Bowsza; selectmen Sarah Muska, Charlie Nordell and his wife, Kristina; Nancy Masters; and Warehouse Point Fire Department Chief James P. Barton, the Beautification Committee successfully submitted its video application on the deadline of Feb. 7.

The video is just under a minute and a half long and features an array of photographs in an attempt to display the towns small town charm, historic value, and unique location.

Hubbard said the group managed to finish the project in just three days.

We all contributed something, Hubbard said. Me and the other Beautification members went out and took pictures, Chief Barton helped us by using a fire truck to get aerial shots, Selectman Bowsza gave us an on-camera statement, and Kristina Nordell edited the video and made the final product.

Bowidas says the video took teamwork.

The video came out great and it was a community effort from a lot of different people. There is nothing better than when community members come together for something positive. Good things come when people work together, Bowidas said.

If chosen by the network, the town will be part of a six-episode special event slated to air in 2021.

Go here to read the rest:
East Windsor bids for shot on HGTV restoration show - Journal Inquirer

With dueling budgets set for votes in the House and Senate, a host of big-ticket spending issues still need to be resolved.

TALLAHASSEE The Florida House and Senate are set Thursday to approve dueling state budget plans meaning the real work of the session is just about to begin.

Settling scores of differences between spending proposals that span 425 pages will dominate the two-month sessions closing weeks. Here are five key areas that negotiators must decide.

Bottom line

With its budget weighing in at $92.8 billion, the Senate spends $1.4 billion more than the House. The gap will begin shrinking once the two sides start exchanging spending offers on specific programs. But the House has touted its plan as costing taxpayers less per-capita than last years budget, and may be intent on keeping the bottom line below a thrifty $92 billion.

State pay raises

Floridas ruling Republicans rarely hand out pay raises for public workers. But this year, salary hikes for teachers and state workers are central to budget talks. Gov. Ron DeSantis created the buzz with a $900 million pay raise and bonus package for the lowest-paid teachers and principals when he unveiled his budget recommendation last fall.

But the House has countered DeSantis with $650 million for teachers and the Senate $500 million. Neither has a bonus plan yet both sides have thrown a curve at the former college baseball-playing governor.

Along with teacher pay, the Senate is seeking a 3 percent pay raise for all state workers; and the House $1,800 for those earning $50,000 or less.

RELATED: House committee votes to abolish New College as independent entity, merge school with FSU

A big ticket fight over public salaries is unexplored territory for Florida Republicans. But finalizing a pay plan for teachers and state workers will go a long way toward reaching a budget compromise.

Florida Forever

The states environmental land-buying program always turns into a budget piata in Tallahassee, and 2020 looks no different.

While the House and Senate budgets both give DeSantis more than the $625 million he wants for Everglades restoration and water quality projects, his call for $100 million to preserve endangered land is met only by the Senate.

The House comes in with $20 million for Florida Forever while the Senate pours $125 million into the program.

Land-buying has taken a back seat with Republican leaders in recent years. DeSantis had to settle for only one-third of the $100 million he sought last year for Florida Forever, one of the few setbacks dealt by the Legislature to the first-year governor.

If recent history is a guide, its likely the Senates more robust spending figure will shrink when budget wheeling-and-dealing begins.

Affordable Housing

Florida lawmakers have long drained dollars from the states affordable housing trust funds to patch holes in other budget areas. The result: $2.3 billion has been diverted from housing over the past two decades.

The House is at it again this year, siphoning off $240 million for use elsewhere in the budget, while the Senate would spend the full $387 million on housing.

The clash comes at a time when data shows that rising home prices in Florida have driven the demand for affordable housing to levels not seen since before the Great Recession. A report by the Florida Housing Coalition shows more than 1 million Floridians spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing.

The steady diversion of housing dollars has prompted legislation in both the House and Senate that would bar the practice. While the bill has cleared a Senate committee, it has not moved in the House suggesting that chamber may be looking to maintain the lower level of spending on housing as budget talks advance.

Visit Florida

The premier marketing agency for Florida tourism has been kept on a short and tightening leash by state lawmakers the past two years.

The House wants to abolish the agency at the end of the budget year on June 30, saying it is an unnecessary use of state dollars. DeSantis, though, disagrees recommending $50 million to keep Visit Florida alive at its current, shrunken level.

The agency lost a quarter of its budget last year and one-third of its 135 employees. But the governor has an ally in the Senate, which tucked $50 million into its budget for Visit Florida and is considering separate legislation that would delay its expiration until 2028.

House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami, is in his final year as speaker. And after forcing the big reduction on Visit Florida last year, he may be eager to erase it completely now.

More here:
Florida House and Senate budgets set for votes, but real work about to begin - The Florida Times-Union

This past winter break, nine students and an adviser packed their bags for a seven-hour flight to Puerto Rico on Jan. 25 and came home Jan. 31.

These students got some free time to enjoy the beautiful beaches and relax; it was a service-based trip as well as an educational one. Nicole BellCorelli, the program adviser and the group adviser for the trip, said that they really tried to focus on service work and opportunities to learn more about Puerto Rico both before and after Hurricane Maria.

Courtesy of UWO Alternative Break BlogspotStudents volunteered during a service-based trip to Puerto Rico over winter break. They left on Jan. 25 and returned Jan. 31.

The students helped to rebuild homes that were destroyed during the hurricane with the St. Bernard Project that helps areas impacted by hurricanes. The group split into two and drove to where the hurricane touched down.

They helped Angel Mora and Martin Velez Rio to restore and rebuild their homes. The group also participated in ecological restoration projects like sea turtle monitoring, sea turtle nesting area restoration and dune restoration.

On Jan. 30, the group traveled to Camuy to move trees, prepare tools and signs, plant and prune plants and finished with a beach clean up. This was all to help restore the natural hurricane and storm barrier to the shoreline.

The coordinator said that the group got more done than a larger group there before who worked double the time they did; they did a weeks worth of work in one day.

On the final day of the trip, students got to help endangered manatees by working in the rehab center, cleaning the pools and cages, preparing the manatees food and filling up the fridge with it. After helping the manatees, the students went to a neighborhood to hear about the efforts to improve residents homes after the hurricane.

Courtesy of UWO Alternative Break Blogspot

A blog posted during the trip said It was good to know that we have not just been exposed to the tourist version of the island.

This was similar to the students thoughts after each activity when they had discussion and reflection. BellCorelli said that during these, the groups look[ed] back at the service work we did that day or what we learned about Puerto Rico.

We talked a lot about how, as a group of 10, we were able to accomplish a lot of work that would have taken longer had we not been there.

This trip to Puerto Rico was only the first of four service trips that Alternative Break has planned. There will be a service and leadership trip to Black Mountain, North Carolina, a diversity and inclusion trip to Atlanta Georgia and an education and privilege trip to Honduras all over spring break.

If Alternative Break interests you, check out https://uwosh.edu/altbreak/ for more information.

Read more from the original source:
Alternative break offers adventure - Advance Titan

CLEAN UP. >> JEREMY FLOYD OF SERVICE MASTER FIRE AND WATER SAYS THURSDAY'S RAIN HAS LEFT HIM AND HIS TEAM WITH A STREAM OF SERVICE CALLS. >> THERE WAS CARPET AND PAD. WE ARE T REMOVE THE MATERIALS AND. >> THIS BASEMENT IS FLOODED AND WATER NEEDED TO BE TAKEN OUT AND SO DID THE CARPET. AND CALL FOR A DIFFERENT RESPONSE. >> WE CAN DRY CARPET AND PADS BUT HAD THIS SITUATION THAT NOT AB OPTION. >> IT CAUSED TREES TO TOPPLE AND OTHER WATER DAMAGE INSIDE HOMES AND BUSINESSES. >> AND WE HIT EVERY AREA THIS THREE DAYS. >> IT'S COMMERCIAL, HE SAYS TO CALL AFTER FLOODING AND HE RECOMMENDS CALLING INSURANCE FIRST SO HE AND OTHERS WHO DO THIS WORK CAN GET IN TO GET THAT WATER OUT. >> YOU'VE GOT SOMEONE INTO THEY'RE POSITION HAD YOU GOT THERE. >> HE SAYS ONE WATER IS OUT OF THE HOME IT MIGHT BE A ABOUT TIME TO TALK ABOUT MEASURES YOU CAN PUT INTO PLACE

Following downpours, restoration expert weighs in on water damage, cleaning up

While severe weather is not expected, more rain forecasted for late week

Updated: 5:41 PM EST Feb 11, 2020

Following last week's flooding, restoration crews have been hard at work helping Triad families remove water from flooded basements, toppled trees from property and with other restoration efforts. Jeremy Floyd, operations manager for ServiceMaster Fire & Water Restoration, said floodwater must be treated differently than water that comes from within the home. "Anything that the (outside) water touches basically has to be removed because it's considered contaminated," he said from a Winston-Salem basement being treated for water damage from Thursday's storm. "A lot of the time, we can dry carpet, pad and drywall, but in a situation like this, that's not an option." Floyd said crews have been working across the region since Thursday's drenching rains, bringing them to Winston-Salem, Greensboro, even as far as Pittsboro and Danville, Virginia. He said when homeowners identify an issue, they should call their insurance immediately. He said it's crucial to get the water out as soon as possible to stop mold from developing. He said it's satisfying to assist families during what can be a stressful ordeal. "Every job is different," he said. "You get a good satisfaction, whether you do the entire rebuild or just this part, getting it good and dry. You've got somebody in a better position than they were when you got there."More rain is expected in the Triad this week.

Following last week's flooding, restoration crews have been hard at work helping Triad families remove water from flooded basements, toppled trees from property and with other restoration efforts.

Jeremy Floyd, operations manager for ServiceMaster Fire & Water Restoration, said floodwater must be treated differently than water that comes from within the home.

"Anything that the (outside) water touches basically has to be removed because it's considered contaminated," he said from a Winston-Salem basement being treated for water damage from Thursday's storm. "A lot of the time, we can dry carpet, pad and drywall, but in a situation like this, that's not an option."

Floyd said crews have been working across the region since Thursday's drenching rains, bringing them to Winston-Salem, Greensboro, even as far as Pittsboro and Danville, Virginia. He said when homeowners identify an issue, they should call their insurance immediately.

He said it's crucial to get the water out as soon as possible to stop mold from developing. He said it's satisfying to assist families during what can be a stressful ordeal.

"Every job is different," he said. "You get a good satisfaction, whether you do the entire rebuild or just this part, getting it good and dry. You've got somebody in a better position than they were when you got there."

More rain is expected in the Triad this week.

Original post:
Following downpours, restoration expert weighs in on water damage, cleaning up - WXII12 Winston-Salem

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that will extend the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for another five years and increase its funding.

The program gives federal funds to the eight-state Great Lakes region for projects that have removed toxic wastes from industrial harbors, fought invasive species such as Asian carp, restored wildlife habitat and supported efforts to prevent harmful algal blooms.

The current program is set to expire in 2021. The bill that passed the House extends the life of the program until 2026. The bill also increases the current funding level from $300 million to $375 million in 2022 and increases funding by $25 million per year until it reaches $475 million in 2026.

The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.

The bill's passage was applauded by members of the House Great Lakes Task Force, whose co-chairs include Reps. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, and Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative meets an enormous unmet need for our region and the millions of people who depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, work and leisure, Kaptur said in a statement. The Great Lakes are among our planets greatest gifts. They provide our nation with 90% of our fresh surface water, are home to thousands of plants and animals, and generate over $60 billion in wages every year. Put simply, our Great Lakes cannot be replaced they must be protected and deserve robust federal investment. The GLRI has brought to bear resources, expertise, and stakeholders from across the local, state, and federal governments to advance restoration activities.

Joyce thanked those who worked across party lines to ensure its passage this evening so that we can protect the invaluable natural resource and economic powerhouse that is the Great Lakes system.

This legislation is a great example of the progress we can make when we work together to address the issues facing our communities, he said in a statement.

Kaptur added that the increased investment provided in the bills passage offers an opportunity to get the GLRI back to the funding levels originally envisioned when the program was funded in (2010).

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who serves on the Senate Great Lakes Taskforce, said the GLRI has been a successful public-private partnership thats helping to address the greatest threats to the lakes.

Despite the programs success, there is more work to be done, Portman said in a statement. Lake Erie supports fishing and tourism industries totaling over $10 billion and is a top tourist destination in Ohio. With more than 10 million people depending on Lake Erie for their drinking water and hundreds of thousands of Ohioans depending upon the lake for jobs, we must continue to protect our Great Lakes for the economic and environmental well-being of our region.

View original post here:
U.S. House bill extends, increases funding for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - News-Herald.com

*This post is brought to you by Cynch, the new propane home delivery service. They deliver your grill tank right to your doorstep and take away your old tank for just $10 with the Crossing Broad promo code ItsLit5. Just enter your address, leave the tank on your porch/driveway, and Cynch will do the rest.*

Great basketball game.

High-level plays, high-level players, good effort from both sides, and a much-needed, morale-boosting win heading into the All-Star break. The Sixers really needed that one to preserve the sanity of the fans, team, coaching staff, media, and anybody who has anything to do with a franchise thats hit some ridiculously high highs and low lows this season.

Theyll enter the break at 34-21, which isnt super ideal, but they were able to win three in a row after losing four in a row, a streak that had fans ready to trade away the entire team and burn their shirseys in a fire pit. It was pretty rough, the past two weeks, but here the Sixers are, sitting in 5th place, two games back from Miami and four back from Boston, whom they hold a tiebreaker over. After eight days off, theyll reconvene to play a schedule that looks like this:

Theyll be favored in four of those games and have a reasonable chance to get to 38-22 as we head into the west coast road trip that includes the Clippers and Lakers. If they can manage 16-11 over the remainder of the season, theyll hit the 50-win mark for the third straight year. That seems doable, but might not be enough for the three-seed this time around unless the Celtics and Heat both fall out.

Well see. Either way, the Sixers really needed this one, and they got it.

I thought last night was a good Brett Brown game.

Bolstered by the additions of Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III, he decided to bench Al Horford, start Furkan Korkmaz, and adjust his rotations to play to the strengths of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

You saw how much of a difference it made by replacing Horford with another shooter in the starting lineup, which opened up the floor offensively. You do sacrifice a bit of defense by forcing Tobias Harris down to power forward, where he guarded Marcus Morris for most of the night. Some nights hell have tough matchups against bigger fours, while last night he did fine against a team that typically plays a little smaller.

But the spacing was evident on plays like this one, a little spread pick and roll with Embiid and Josh Richardson, where youve got a 39% three point shooter in Korkmaz in the near side corner and a 36% three point shooter in Harris playing above the break on the other side:

Simmons will just skirt the baseline there and float towards the dunker spot, ready to get the dish off from Richardson if necessary or grab an offensive rebound. This isnt dissimilar from how they played with JJ Redick, Robert Covington, and Dario Saric, but youd basically just swap out the pick and roll for a little two-man DHO action instead and Ben would sit on the weak side near the basket as a way to give everybody else room to operate.

It looked like this:

And the nice thing about all of this was that it worked well for Al Horford too, who came out on his first possession playing center and hit a pick and pop three pointer that looked like the Horford we saw with the Celtics. He scored nine points on 3-4 shooting and still played 28 minutes, even coming off the bench. There really wasnt much drop off from the 31 minutes he was playing as a starter, and he got some run with the starting group in the fourth quarter when the Sixers were trying to close the game, before Doc Rivers went small and Brett Brown decided to match.

Heres Brown on that:

It was originated out of the fact that I thought that they were going to go small. I think that, in general, not to use that as the reason, I spoke to Al Horford about it and we are trying to find ways to help him and help the team. I felt, disregarding the lineup defensive adjustment, that the time was appropriate to do it and see if we could get that second unit going with Al. We did it with (Manu) Ginobili a long time ago and Al is obviously a quality player. How I end games, to me, will be the judgement. Tonight, we rode out those big guys for a while. They went small, so did I and the decision to rotate him was driven because of that.

You see the flexibility that comes with having a more robust roster. Embiid only had to play 28 minutes last night. They were able to stagger minutes to match Simmons and Horford and surround those two with shooters. And when it came down to it, they didnt lose a ton defensively, even against a Clippers team that has elite twos and threes. They can score the ball well but lack a bit on the interior, which is why I think the Sixers are a good matchup for them (and for the Lakers, too).

He called the players-only meeting last week, before he had even recovered from his hamstring issue.

Then he goes out last night and scores 17 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Its an underrated storyline, the maturity weve seen some Richardson this season. Its hard to come into a new team as a third or fourth wheel and assert yourself, and while his per-36 numbers are down just slightly from a year ago, his two-way play really fits very nicely on this team.

Look at some of the clutch shots he was hitting last night:

In the fourth quarter, I kind of started attacking a little bit more, Richardson said. I was kind of just reading the defense. Coach put the ball in my hands and gave me the freedom to read it and attack and take what I saw.

Big threes, smart off-ball cuts, and strong drives to the rack. Hes just a very steady player and the Sixers are better when hes on the floor.

26 points and nine rebounds, 13 trips to the foul line.

I laughed after his very first bucket, the tough offensive rebound and putback, because he immediately went to the crowd and threw his hands in the air as if to say, I hear you, look at me in the paint, playing bully ball.

After the game, he confirmed what we already knew, that he was just clapping back and doing a bit of trolling, playing to the crowd and getting back to being the good asshole of years past.

Said Embiid:

Its all love. I understand where theyre coming from, but I do know that they got my back. Through the injuries and what weve been through, Im still here. This is still my city, this is still our city, so were just going to keep pushing and try to win that championship.

Its all good. Were just riding the emotional rollercoaster that is Joel Embiid.

26 points + 12 rebounds + 10 assists = a $48 free bet if you took the Ben Simmons Draftkings Scoring Special promo last night.

He was stellar. Absolutely fantastic, driving to the rack, playing ferocious defense on Kawhi Leonard, and just finding that locked in mentality that hes spoken about so many times this season.

One thing I noticed was that he didnt get jack shit in the way of calls last night. There were at least 3-4 sequences where I was sitting there and thinking, surely thats a whistle.

Nah. No call from the refs.

I also noticed they used a couple of those interior pick and rolls with Embiid, the plays that look a bit like a short brush cut closer to the rim. Ben got that ridiculous turnaround no-look shot to go on that kind of sequence, and there was one earlier in the game where the floor spacing looked like this:

These actions are interesting, because Embiid is big enough to basically seal guys off entirely, so Simmons gets a run at a guy like Zubac instead. Hes oftentimes quick enough to just turn that corner and attack, or try the floater, but with three shooters fanned out on the weak side, he also has multiple drive and kick options if those defenders try to collapse on him.

Enjoy the All Star break everybody. We all need it.

Originally posted here:
A Restoration of Sanity Observations from Sixers 110, Clippers 103 - Crossing Broad

WASHINGTON President Trump released his proposed fiscal 2021 budget earlier this week, and it offered what his earlier budgets suggested, only more so.

It proposes slashing or ending programs that are hugely important to Western New York from Medicare and Medicaid to home heating assistance and urban development programs.

And while Trump has reversed course and vowed to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, plenty of other environmental programs would suffer deep cuts.

Trump's $4.8 trillion spending plan is just that: a plan. Again and again, Congress has rejected Trump's spending proposals out of hand.

"My hope is that this will occur again this year," said Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat who serves on the House Budget Committee. Dismissing the Trump spending plan as "a wish list," Higgins added: "This is a budget that lacks the big ideas critical to advancing the economy for everyone while increasing the debt."

But Rep. Tom Reed, a Corning Republican, indicated the budget, while flawed, is a useful document.

"I think the president has demonstrated that he'll put a marker down, and he forces us as legislators to defend what we believe are appropriate investments of the taxpayer dollars and the prioritization of those dollars," Reed said. "To me, that's not a bad outcome of this type of approach because we now have to go and defend these programs and services."

Here's an item-by-item look at what Trump proposes for programs that are important to Western New Yorkers:

One of the few new items in Trump's proposed 2021 budget is the first round of cuts in Medicare's expected growth that would total $756 billion. Most of that money would come out of the reimbursements that the government pays to doctors and other Medicare providers.

Over time, the federal government wants to pay less money to the doctors and hospitals who serve the nearly 200,000 Medicare recipients in Erie County and millions more nationwide.

Would that force doctors to stop taking Medicare patients or force hospitals to make changes that affect patients? Advocates of the Medicare program fear that it would.

One would hope that in an election year when politicians like to put forward their most popular ideas, the president would understand the benefits of protecting our most cherished income and health security programs," said Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

The president appears to think he's doing just that. Two days before releasing his budget, Trump tweeted: We will not be touching your Social Security and Medicare in Fiscal 2021 Budget.

Trump is also looking for big cuts in Medicaid, the federal/state health plan for lower-income Americans. His spending plan calls for $920 billion less in federal Medicaid spending over the next 10 years.

The proposal revives a block-grant proposal that would shift more of Medicaid's cost to the states. In addition, the spending plan ends federal funding for the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and forces those enrolled in the program to requalify more often.

Advocates for low-income Americans worry that the cuts would have a dramatic impact on people enrolled in Medicaid, which total about 280,000 people in Erie County.

Nationwide, "the proposed cuts would cause millions of people to lose coverage," Aviva Aron-Dine, vice president for health policy at the left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said in a blog post.

But Trump administration officials contend the cuts in future Medicaid spending merely aim to cut waste rather than patient services.

"Reducing the cost of health care is not a cut," said Russ Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget. "Medicaid will grow more than 3% on average, which is much higher than the rate of inflation."

The Trump budget once again proposes eliminating the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which serves about 70,000 Erie County families.

In addition, his spending plan would cut funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program Child Health Plus in New York by about 10%, while reducing the cost of the Social Security disability program by tightening eligibility and work requirements. Trump also recycles his proposal to tighten food stamp eligibility requirements, a move that could trim 700,000 people from the rolls nationwide.

Those items are likely non-starters in the Democratic House, and the Democratic minority in the Senate will be sure to fight them, too.

"'Theyre poor, take it away.' Is that what this country stands for?" Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, a New York Democrat, said earlier this week. "Is that what our Judeo-Christian tradition stands for? Absolutely not."

But in the budget proposal, the Trump administration said there was a good reason for all of those cuts.

"The president has laid out a vision to drive down deficits and debt through spending restraint in every budget he has submitted to the Congress," said Trump's spending plan, which nonetheless includes a deficit of nearly $1 trillion.

Once again, the president suggested eliminating the Community Development Block Grant program, Buffalo's single largest source of direct federal aid, bringing about $14 million to the city annually.

The HOME Investment Partnerships program, which brought more than $5 million to the Buffalo area last year for housing development, would be eliminated, too. So would the Heritage Partnership Program, which funds the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area.

Meantime, agencies important to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute would suffer budget cuts of 7% and 9%, respectively.

For the first time in the Trump era, his annual budget proposes no cut in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the program responsible for the cleanup of the Buffalo River and other onetime environmental wastelands. What's more, the budget increases funding for the West Valley Demonstration Project, the Cattaraugus County nuclear waste site, to $88 million a 17% increase.

But the spending plan cuts funding for the Army Corps of Engineers which maintains Buffalo's waterways by nearly half. The Trump budget also cuts federal funding for improvements to local sewage and drinking water systems, and trims back environmental enforcement through a 27% budget cut at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Adding it all up, Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said: This budget is one step forward and three steps backward.

Unveiling the cuts, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler took a much different view.

Under President Trumps leadership, I am certain that we will inspire the next generation of environmental leaders to continue building on our progress for the next 50 years," he said.

Read the original:
Trump budget recycles suggested cuts that failed before - Buffalo News

The Anderson Arts Center, one of the hubs for art in southeastern Wisconsin, will begin a new chapter on Sunday, February 23, when it re-opens to the public after a $4.3 million preservation and modernization project.

The revamped arts center will offer a new geothermal heating and cooling system, new ADA compliant bathrooms, repaired roof and exterior walls, new landscaping, and updated gallery spaces and hanging systems.

"We are very excited to be able to reopen the new and improved Anderson Arts Center. You can feel how special the building is as soon as you enter," said Edward Kubicki, Executive Director of the Kemper Center. "The updates will allow us to show even more artwork from more diverse artists from all over the region."

The year-long renovation, funded jointly by the city and county of Kenosha, began in January 2019 because of external repairs needed on the 90-year old building. Madison-based InSite Consulting Architects and Kenosha-based Camosy Construction handled the project.

"This project really shows how the city and county can work together for the good of the community," said Kubicki.

Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser said he was pleased to partner with the city and the nonprofit Kemper Center Inc. to help preserve a community jewel.

"This work ensures that the Anderson Arts Center will grace our lakefront for generations to come," Kreuser said. "I thank the mayor for his support, and the great project team that orchestrated a first-class restoration of this historic building."

Kenosha County Public Works Director Ray Arbet said the project team did an excellent job of designing and managing the project. The team was led by the county's engineering project manager, Frank Martinelli, and included staff from InSite Architects and Camosy Construction.

"This was a complex project requiring a balance between the restoration of the building's historical integrity while simultaneously installing a high-tech, energy-efficient building environment control system," Arbet said. "All of this was accomplished under the project's budget."

The 9,000 square foot 30-room Anderson Arts Center was built between 1929 and 1931 as a home for the Anderson family. In 1977, Janet Lance Anderson deeded her house to Kenosha County to be part of the Kemper Center park grounds. She continued to live in the house until her death in 1989, at the age of 96, and the home officially became a part of the Kemper Center in 1990.

The Anderson Arts Center opened in April 1992. Since that date, the Arts Center has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to view more than 25 art exhibitions each year, participate in art and music programs, and attend events.

"The Anderson Arts Center has been a gem in the community for many years," said Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian. "The City is pleased to support the efforts to update the building and ensure it remains a showcase for art in Kenosha."

OPENING EXHIBITIONS

MAIN, EAST, AND UPPER GALLERIES: JURIED SHOW

"Artistic Expression from a Diverse Collection"

By the League of Milwaukee Artists (LMA)

AREA ARTISTS GROUP GALLERIES

"Renewal"

By members of the Area Artists Group

The public is invited to attend opening day at the Anderson Arts Center, 6603 Third Avenue, on Sunday, February 23 from 1:00-4:00pm. Refreshments will be served. Following opening day, the Arts Center will be open Tuesdays-Sundays from 1:00-4:00pm. The current exhibitions will be open through Saturday, May 2, 2020.

The Center is funded through the generosity of donors and sponsors, grants, and artwork and gift shop sales. No tax dollars are used to fund the Center.

For more information, visit http://www.andersonartscenter.com or call (262) 653-0481.

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Anderson Arts Center will re-open following a $4.3 million renovation - Chicago Daily Herald

Benjamin + Beauchamp Architects has renovated CFA Voysey's Winsford Cottage Hospital in Devon, England, and turned it into a holiday home for the Landmark Trust charity.

The cottage hospital, which was designed by prominent British Arts and Crafts architect and designer Voysey, has been converted into self-catering accommodation for six peopleand a space for community use.

Opened in 1900, the heritage-listed hospital was created by philanthropistMaria Medley to offer affordable health care for the local community before the existence of the National Health Service (NHS). It was taken over and run by the NHS from 1948 until its closure in 1998.

Somerset-based Benjamin + Beauchamp Architects aimed to restore the property, retaining as many original elements as possible, while turning it into a comfortable rental property for theLandmark Trust charity.

The architecture studio removed two extensions from the building to return it to its original form, with two ward wings connected by a corridor and sun veranda.

"Removing the sun room added by the NHS in the 1960s, allowing the reinstatement of Voysey's south veranda, this also reinstated the purpose of Voysey's long corridor window," explained Sophie Ledgard, conservation surveyor at Benjamin + Beauchamp Architects.

"We also removed an external corridor at the east end which had been added in the 1930s. These two interventions allowed us to return the building to Voysey's form, and really lifted the building," she told Dezeen.

The hospital is now divided in two with the accommodation in the east wing and corridor, and a community space containing rooms for freelance health and wellbeing practitioners in the west wing.

Throughout the renovation Benjamin + Beauchamp Architects aimed to emphasise the original character while adding modern amenities.

"Retaining the character was relatively easy with Voysey's strong clean lines, and his trademark detailing such as the ironmongery, bird vents and 'heart' fireplaces," said Ledgard.

"It was important to retain and enhance these, and that these principles were used to inform any interventions made.

"Comfort was added to make it into holiday accommodation in the form of heating, additional bathrooms and a kitchen, but also and very importantly in the form of the Landmark Trust's very beautiful Arts and Crafts fittings and furnishings," she continued.

Although the building was used as a hospital for almost 100 years, much of the original details designed by Voysey remained intact. Fixtures including the fireplaces and mosaic floors were revealed and restored.

"Most of the original fabric was retained although much was hidden under years and layers of NHS alterations and decorations," Ledgard explained.

"Restoring Voysey's mosaic floor has transformed the building. Carpets on a self-leveling screed had been laid over the mosaic floor. The carpets were lifted and the screed was removed by volunteers over many 'working weekends' organised by the Landmark Trust," she continued.

"The mosaic was then finally cleaned and consolidated by conservators, who laid some small new areas where the original was missing."

Several fireplaces in the entrance hall and wards that had been lost were remade based on Voysey's design for the fireplaces at a house he designed called the Orchards. Other fixtures including the windows were stripped back and repainted.

"Lost fixtures and fittings were reinstated and expert paint analysis informed an exact redecoration scheme of a striking white and dark green," saidLedgard.

"The window masonry was covered by layers of paint internally, and this was removed to re-expose the original tooled masonry, a real transformation."

The holiday home has been furnished with wooden furniture from the early 20th century that matches Voysey's aesthetic as well as additional pieces hand made by the Landmark Trust.

Three fabric patterns found in the original pattern book, which Voysey created specifically for Winsford Cottage Hospital, have been reproduced for the holiday home's curtains.

The other major restoration element was the hospital's roof, which was completely removed and rebuilt using the original slate.

"The roof is very special, it is Delabole slate laid to random width and diminishing courses, with some exceptionally long slates," saidLedgard.

"It was stripped as the nails were failing, but all the slates were reused, and put back in the same place as they had come from, and great care was taken with the lead work to follow Voysey's detailing.

Winsford Cottage Hospital is the 202nd building that theLandmark Trust charity has restored and turned into a self catering holiday home since it was established in 1965.

The charity previously commissioned Witherford Watson Mann to create acontemporary house within the walls of a ruined twelfth-century castle in Warwickshire, which won the Stirling Prize in 2013.

Photography is byJohn Miller.

Project credits:

Restoration architect: Benjamin & BeauchampQuantity surveyor & project manager: Adrian StenningRestoration contractors: JE Stacey & CoConservation consultant (floor): Humphries & JonesPaint analysis: Lisa Oestreicher Architectural Paint Research

Read more from the original source:
Arts and Crafts hospital converted into holiday home by Benjamin + Beauchamp Architects - Dezeen