Regional News of Friday, 22 August 2014

Source: GNA

A block of six classrooms with an office and store for the Atimatim D/A Primary School in the Afigya-Kwabre District is edging towards completion after being left abandoned for six years.

Funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GET-Fund), it would provide space to enroll more pre-school kids in the community.

The contractors told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Thursday that they would do everything to deliver the project within the specified period of four months.

He said they had fixed the doors and would tackle the improvement of the floors, fixing windows, painting and the washrooms very soon.

The GNA carried a report on the abandoned project in early June after a visit to the school under STAR-Ghanas media auditing and tracking of development projects, an initiative launched to put a spotlight on how governments resources were helping to transform the lives of the people.

The goal is to aid transparency, promote accountability and good governance.

Mr Kwaku Oppong-Kyekyeku Kaakyire, the District Chief Executive (DCE), has already inspected the progress of work, and expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of job done so far.

He urged the contractors to maintain the momentum, saying that, they would not accept excuses for any delay.

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School project edges towards completion after six years

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There were stair railings missing, bare walls where art is supposed to be and contractors still in the building doing painting and other touch-up work.

But Olsson Associates' new corporate headquarters at 601 P St. is "99 percent" complete, President Brad Strittmatter said Thursday, and its 200 local employees will start their days in the new building on Monday.

Olsson partnered with Tetrad Development of Omaha to build the new four-story building on the southwest corner of Canopy and P streets.

When the project was announced last year, cost was estimated at about $17 million. Strittmatter said it may wind up being a bit higher. The building cost $10 million, and Olsson spent just over $4 million to build out and outfit its space. He estimated the costs of finishing remaining space at about $3 million to $5 million.

The engineering and design firm will occupy all of the second floor and most of the third, taking about 46,000 square feet of the 82,000 square feet available.

Olsson and Tetrad, who share ownership of the building, are hoping to attract an office tenant for the fourth floor and retail and office tenants to the first floor. Strittmatter said there has been some interest in the spaces but no signed deals as of yet.

Olsson's space is mostly banks of office cubicles with the occasional office and conference room sprinkled in.

It has a very modern feel, with partially exposed ceilings and large windows that let in a lot of natural light.

"From a design standpoint, that's good for employees," Strittmatter said. "It's very sustainable to have natural light."

The new space also has more employee amenities than the offices Olsson is leaving at 1111 Lincoln Mall, including a rooftop deck off the third floor that will be available not just to Olsson employees but also employees of other tenants in the building.

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Olsson Associates ready to move into Haymarket HQ

As part of its Healthy Homes educational initiative, the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Resource Center will hold a daylong Lead Certified Renovator Training course.

The training will take place at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 16 in Baton Rouge.

Claudette Reichel, AgCenter extension housing specialist said along with the primary goal of preventing lead poisoning, LaHouse seeks to aid contractors in fulfilling EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule requirements.

The RRP Rule requires firms and contractors who disturb paint in pre-1978 homes and child-occupied facilities to be certified by EPA and to follow specific lead-safe work practices. These work practices greatly decrease the risk of lead contamination caused by common home renovation, repair and painting activities.

Even very low levels of lead in children can cause irreversible damage to developing brains and other organs. It can lead to learning and behavior disorders, impaired hearing, and other development health effects without clear symptoms of lead poisoning.

Course registration includes the course book, hands-on activities and certification test. Individuals who complete the course and pass the certification test will receive official EPA certificates from EnviroEd, a national EPA-accredited training provider. The classes, taught by LaHouse instructors, also qualify for eight CEUs for Louisiana Residential Contractors.

For more information or to register, go to http://www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or contact Reichel at (225) 578-7913.

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This Just In

Press Release As part of its Healthy Homes educational initiative, the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Resource Center in Baton Rouge will host a daylong Lead Certified Renovator Training course on Sept. 16 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Along with the primary goal of preventing lead poisoning, LaHouse seeks to aid contractors in fulfilling EPAs Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP) requirements, said Claudette Reichel, AgCenter extension housing specialist.

The RRP Rule requires firms and contractors who disturb paint in pre-1978 homes and child-occupied facilities to be certified by EPA and to follow specific lead-safe work practices. These work practices greatly decrease the risk of lead contamination caused by common home renovation, repair and painting activities.

Even very low levels of lead in children can cause irreversible damage to developing brains and other organs. It can lead to learning and behavior disorders, impaired hearing, and other development health effects without clear symptoms of lead poisoning.

Course registration includes the course book, hands-on activities and certification test. Individuals who complete the course and pass the certification test will receive official EPA certificates from EnviroEd, a national EPA-accredited training provider. The classes, taught by LaHouse instructors, also qualify for eight CEUs for Louisiana Residential Contractors.

For more information or to register, go to http://www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or contact Reichel at 225-578-7913.

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AgCenter Offers Lead Certified Renovator Training Sept. 16 in Baton Rouge

PITTSBURG -- It took a mad dash to the finish line by both contractors and teachers, but a new-look Heights Elementary School is ready to make its much-anticipated debut.

Contractors were busy painting doorways, adding wiring and computers and getting two-story school up and running in time for school to start Wednesday. Meanwhile, teachers were feverishly unpacking boxes and preparing inside their new classrooms.

"Everybody's trying to get the basics all ready. Nobody moves everything in all at once; it takes some time to settle in. But, overall everybody is really excited," Principal Laura Francis said.

"As a teacher you have to be flexible and be able to roll with the punches," added fourth-grade teacher Linda Sturgis, a 20-year teacher at the school. Sturgis was busy sorting through stacks of books stacked on the students desks.

"To be able to move out of portables and back into an actual big classroom, I know I'm excited about it. I'm sure the kids will be too," she said.

It was a year ago that F&H Construction started work on the $28.4 million project to replace one of Pittsburg's oldest schools. The face-lift couldn't have come at a better time, Francis said, noting how the 60-year-old site had a pipe leak at the end of the past school year that left a third of the campus flooded.

Also, each classroom had a separate heating and air conditioning system, which worked erratically.

"These kids deserve this," said Yolanda Orozco, entering her fifth year as the school's kitchen manager.

Some of the features in the new school include a twice-as-large multipurpose room, lots for space for storage, new computer labs and audio and video equipment, and safer pickup and drop-off for parents.

"Parents will be a whole lot happier," Francis said.

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Pittsburg: New Heights Elementary readies for debut

A feisty 82-year-old Uptown woman was hauled to court for spray-painting a fence built by her next-door neighbor a high-ranking federal prosecutor as part of a raging dispute over the property line between their brownstones.

Great-granny Sylvia Kordower-Zetlin has been warring with Arlo Devlin-Brown, the newly appointed chief of the Public Corruption Unit in the Manhattan U.S. attorneys office but prosecutors say she crossed the line when she tagged the backyard fence that separates the properties on W. 113th St.

The octogenarian was arrested June 22 and charged with making graffiti.

Its an ongoing dispute, Assistant District Attorney Justin Chung said at the criminal court arraignment Wednesday. The defendant was going onto what the complainant believes to be his property and refuses to stop coming over.

Thats why the fence was put up in the first place, Chung added.

Devlin-Browns wife, Daniela Kempf, says the senior citizen has been harassing her family incessantly, turning their idyllic Morningside Heights yard into a minefield.

We have a beautiful home and we would enjoy it a lot more if she werent making our lives hell, said Kempf, a professor at Barnard College.

She takes pictures of us whenever we come outside, added Kempf, who lives with Devlin-Brown and their children, ages 7 and 5. She gets on a ladder (and) yells, Bastards! Bastards!

Kempf said the fence was erected entirely on her familys lot but Kordower-Zetlins lawyer told the criminal court judge she was simply preserving the boundary lines.

This is an absurd allegation, said the lawyer, who is also her son-in-law, Jonathan Reiter. My client was completely in the right. The fence is actually partially on the defendants property and she marked that fence . . . to prevent the complainant from acquiring prescriptive rights by adverse possession of her property.

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EXCLUSIVE: Woman, 82, arrested for spray-painting fence

I must admit I was slow to consider Drywall as a viable alternative to internal brick walls, and by general discussion I realized I am not alone; so allow me to share what I have learned so far to possibly help you change your mind.

We in Trinidad and Tobago have in many ways been conditioned into believing that building with bricks and mortar is the only way to build if you want quality and that alternative building methods give a lesser product and are to be frowned upon.

Well folks, this is definitely no longer the case and one of the alternative construction methods that have been perfected to give a classy finish is in fact dry walling.

In Trinidad and Tobago, are a number of companies that supply materials that can be used and choosing the correct materials for your application is all important. It is however very important to get this process done well because some homeowners have had disappointing results with dry walling because the wrong materials and specification have been used in construction or because incorrect construction methods have been used. I think however that so much information is now available, and the skill sets developed enough to mitigate against recurrences of these negative results.

The big advantage that dry walls have over brick walls is that they are lightweight and thus do not need any foundations or strong support structures when building on a suspended slab or floor structure and there is no mess. Construction is quick and drywalls can be easily erected by a professional contractor or a Do It Yourself enthusiast.

Drywalls are also easy and quick to remove without mess or dust as is the case with brick walls.

You can choose straight or curved walls, add character with arches or recesses. There is no problem with fixing items like pictures or mirrors as there are suitable fasteners readily available from various suppliers. The finish is smooth and apart from having to fill in the joints with fiber tape and mud (or a similar product), it is ready for painting.

Dry walls can be just as soundproof as brick walls, are an effective fire barrier, and have good insulation qualities. Framing can be either in timber or using lightweight metal studs. Dry walls are thinner than brick walls and thus have an advantage where space is a problem. The speed and ease of construction coupled with the cost of materials and labour make dry walling a good financial option when compared to conventional brickwork.

There are, however, a definite number of dos and donts when it comes to drywall construction and it is most certainly not just a case of buying a pile of materials and knocking up a wall. But as I said before, this information is available from a number of suppliers. Dry walling is a viable alternative to brick walls and its versatility makes it a good option to consider. Thanks for Connecting

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Contractors Corner Drywall vs. Brick wall: Weighing in

JENNY DeHUFF, Daily News Staff Writer dehuffj@phillynews.com, 215-854-5218 Posted: Monday, August 18, 2014, 3:01 AM

STRAWBERRY Mansion residents will be the benefactors of three Philadelphia Housing Authority projects within 24 months.

The neighbors say they want and need the housing but they want to make sure they have a say in how it's done.

City officials broke ground on the first development Tuesday: the Oakdale Street Apartments, on a longtime vacant lot in the north end of Strawberry Mansion. Twelve units will be built on Oakdale Street near 28th, across from the Widener Library. The three developments will result in a total investment of about $30 million.

City Council President Darrell Clarke, PHA president Kelvin Jeremiah and nearly a dozen others pitched their shovels in the dirt and gave it a toss Tuesday, ceremonially ringing in the start of the undertaking.

Early on, a 12-member task force was assembled with the intent of having full community involvement and participation in the awarding of contracts for the job, from initial construction to plumbing to painting and all the way down.

Dale Corp., a construction-management firm based in Glenside, Montgomery County, was the lowest and most qualified bidder, Jeremiah said. Dale will oversee the project's development, but some members of the task force - half PHA and City Council staff and half neighborhood residents - are skeptical about whether their voices are being heard.

"The approach on this one could have been better," said Tonnetta Graham, of the Strawberry Mansion Community Development Corp.

"You have to remember that this is a very old community and a lot of our residents have something to say about what happens."

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Strawberry Mansion on deck for new affordable housing