Wednesday, August 9th, 2017

By Nancy Allen

Keith Canary of Rockford speaks during a public meeting Tuesday held by the Ohio. . .

CELINA - Officials of a 4,500-head dairy proposed for northwest of Neptune say they plan to proceed despite a meeting on Tuesday attended by a large crowd composed mainly of opponents.

About 140 people packed the Mercer County Central Services Building conference room for the Ohio Department of Agriculture's open house and public meeting. Prior to the meeting, a few people outside the building carried signs calling for a boycott of Dannon Yogurt, which would buy the dairy's milk to make yogurt at its Minster plant.

The meeting was called to gather comments on draft permits to install and operate for MVP Dairy LLC, a partnership of VanTilburg Farms of Celina and McCarty Dairy LLC of Colby, Kansas. Twenty-five people with concerns about the dairy spoke during the 90-minute public comment period. One person spoke in favor of the dairy.

Most of the concerns focused on odor, manure runoff, groundwater contamination, exhausted wells, road damage from truck traffic and decreased property values. The meeting was punctuated by bursts of applause after several people had spoken. Many expressed concerns with nutrient-management issues that such a large facility might create. Many mentioned the Grand Lake Watershed's distressed status and issues with toxic blue-green algae. Some speakers criticized VanTilburg Farms management practices.

VanTilburg and McCarty family members attended the meeting but did not speak.

Melvin Steinbrunner, 8270 Rice Road, Celina, worries about the odor of the waste generated by 4,500 cows.

"The smell will be horrendous," he said. "I hope the people in Columbus think of the people who have to live here, because we're going to be stuck with this mess."

Charles Wurster, who lives a half mile away from the site, said he and his wife may move if the dairy is built. He noted that numerous other livestock facilities have sprouted up around him in recent years.

"We've all been silent and complacent too long," Wurster said. "We polluted our own lake, and now we look to pollute a Great Lake. We must stop building CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) and get back to our roots."

The proposed dairy is located in the St. Marys River Watershed, which eventually flows to Lake Erie.

Barry Davis, who lives on Davis Road, called the dairy's officials "greedy millionaires" and said he worried about a diminished quality of life if the dairy is built.

Jeremy Leugers, 7320 Bogart Road, who lives less than a mile from the proposed dairy, asked ODA officials to consider how the dairy would affect the community.

"Please think of all the people this will upset," he said. "Not the few who will make money."

At one point Kevin Elder, director of the ODA's Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting, reminded speakers that they had been instructed at the beginning of the meeting to keep their comments to three minutes each.

"This decision affects the rest of our lives, and you're limiting us to three minutes," a man said from the audience.

Neptune-area resident Maria Suhr urged crowd members to elect leaders who protect the environment and water quality.

The Daily Standard publisher Frank Snyder, whose son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren live near the proposed dairy, said 4,500 cows would produce the same amount of waste as 19,000 people, based on information from a Canadian university.

Dennis Piper, Celina, said more and more livestock operations are moving into the northern part of the county, which traditionally has been dominated with row crop agriculture.

"You can see a trend of migrating the livestock from the southern part of the county to the north part," he said. "We have to learn (from) what happened in the Grand Lake Watershed."

Piper's comment was followed by thunderous applause.

Keith Canary lives across from Heartland Dairy Holdings LLC, 3101 Tama Road, a 1,200-head operation southwest of Rockford. He told the crowd that he and many other community members fought against the dairy's application for state permits more than 10 years ago, but it did no good.

Canary said Hopewell Township roads near the dairy have been "destroyed" due to the constant truck traffic to and from the dairy. When manure is irrigated onto farmland, he and his family must stay in their home for days afterward. Canary said he brought a spray bottle with manure in it. Crowd members chuckled when he offered to retrieve it from his car so he could spray it on Kevin Elder, director of the ODA's Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting, who facilitated the meeting.

Canary said he believed Tuesday's meeting would not change MVP's plan to build the dairy.

"What you're saying, doing, posting is not going to do squat," he said. "The only one that can pull the plug on this is VanTilburg."

Theresa Howick, 7531 State Route 197, Celina, spoke in favor of the dairy, saying she believed the ODA and MVP officials would protect the environment.

The public can submit written comments on the dairy's draft permits until 5 p.m. Aug. 15 by sending them to lepp@agri.ohio.gov, faxing them to 614-728-6335, or mailing them to the ODA's Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting, A.B. Graham Building, 8995 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. Comments should be typed or handwritten legibly and should include the person's name, complete mailing address and email address.

Elder said a responsiveness summary to comments from Tuesday's meeting and any other written comments received by the Aug. 15 deadline would be mailed in about four weeks to those who commented.

Kyle VanTilburg this morning said the meeting did not change MVP officials' plan to proceed and pledged to run the facility correctly.

"It was hard not to take some of the things said personal, but at the end of the day we know we are doing things right and following regulations," he said.

VanTilburg has said the enclosed barns, the manure-flushing system and a state-of-the-art anaerobic manure-treatment system will control odors.

Every few hours manure will be flushed from the cow barns' aisles to keep water from standing and attracting flies. The anaerobic manure-treatment system should produce little to no odor water, VanTilburg said.

Ken McCarty this morning said he understands community members' concerns expressed during the meeting.

"I think the meeting was a good avenue for people to express their concerns, and there were some valid concerns, but I believe all are addressed in the permit adequately and are going to be monitored and addressed by the ODA," he said this morning. "I believe the best practices we are going to implement between the VanTilburg family and our family I think will quell any and all of those concerns."

The 82-acre site is located adjacent to Hasis Road on the south side of U.S. 33. MVP's owners on March 20 announced plans for the multimillion dollar facility and on April 20 held an informal open house for people to ask questions. A community meeting was held on June 19.

The facility would have six cow barns, two manure-settling basins, each capable of holding about 8 million gallons; a 32 million gallon anaerobic wastewater cell; a 27.5 million gallon irrigation pond; and a 4 million gallon pond for silage runoff. The operational facility would employ about 35 people, MVP officials have said.

The design includes a visitors' center to educate groups about the operation, farm officials have said. A manager from the McCarty family from Kansas will manage the new dairy.

The farm would annually produce about 12 million gallons of liquid manure and 25 million gallons of treated wastewater that would be applied via a center pivot to 800 acres of surrounding farmland owned by the VanTilburgs and others, according to information in the draft permit to install. An architectural drawing includes a site for a "future potential" digester, which would convert methane into energy.

Correction:

A dairy with 4,500 cows would produce the same amount of waste as 198,000 people, based on information from a Canadian university. The error was made in reporting.

Continued here:
The Daily Standard - The Daily Standard

Like every fall, Georgia Southern students are coming back in full force. Friday is the official move in day for the dorms at GSU and classes begin on Monday. For many of the students, this will be their first time living in our community. Driving may be a little more challenging, as will wait times at local restaurants, plus the grocery stores will struggle to keep up for a few weeks. But soon, it will all level out and become normal life in the "prettiest little college town in America." With all the extra challenges for long time residents, please remember to offer a little patience as local businesses adjust. This is like Christmas to many of our retailers. I also like to remind our readers to go out of your way to welcome these new citizens and their parents to our community. Their initial experience in our community over the next few weeks will set the tone for their success here over the next few years. Be patient, kind, appreciative and mindful of the tremendous economic impact they are making on our community thanks to GSU, East Georgia College and Ogeechee Technical College. This is also a great time to take a look at updates and changes that have occurred on the Georgia Southern campus while the students were away:

Food services One of the biggest and most notable changes are the renovations at the Russell Union. They have completed a $1 million-HVAC upgrade and fulfilled an additional $500,000 in contractual obligations to renovate the Chick-fil-A and Starbucks that are located inside the Union. The renovations have dramatically improved and changed both restaurants. These restaurants are unique partnerships between GSU and the chains. They are operated by full-time and part-time GSU employees through licensing agreement. All of the employees are trained to company standards and the business operations are exactly the same as any other Chick-fil-A or Starbucks. The Chick-fil-A was built more than 15 years ago and was only designed to handle around $750,000 in annual revenue. The Union restaurant is now generating well more than $2 million annually. Due to this increase in volume of business, they were having difficulty keeping up with demand. To improve the customer experience, they have made significant improvements in the kitchen. Also, you will see new tile, new countertops, fresh paint and updated branding throughout. More importantly, a faster and better customer experience. Starbucks also was completely renovated and had its capacity expanded from 40 to 85 seats. Starbucks now offers a more open and inviting atmosphere, new countertops, flooring, updated decor, new furniture, more outlets for electronics and more social seating. All of the upgrades and renovations were done by Auxiliary Services employees with the university. Auxiliary Services employees 800 students and 500 of the student employees work in food services on campus. Both Chick-fil-A and Starbucks on campus will reopen on Friday. Also, Auxiliary Services will introduce a food truck mid-fall. A food truck will add a mobile kitchen to their menu of services. The mobility will allow them to prepare food on the go, including Paulson Stadium on game days. During the school week, the food truck will be located close to the bus stop near the stadium to offer a food option there. The food truck will be set up to handle multiple menus. Food services added Sushi in the spring in a partnership with "Sushi with Gusto." They prepare the Sushi fresh on campus and sell it in the three GUS Mart convenience stores on campus. The stores are located in the Nursing Building, Russell Union and Information Technology Building. "We are very proud of the fact that, for the fourth year, the meal plan price has not increased," said Eddie Mills, associate vice president of Auxiliary Services. "This is also the fifth year we have not increased the price for housing, transit, parking and health fees. We are very cognizant of the cost of higher Ed and work every day to try to provide quality services at an affordable price."

Parking and transportation: Reconstruction of the second half of the Russell Union parking lot is now complete, adding 115 more spaces than last year. This brings the total number of parking spaces on campus to more than 13,000, which includes Paulson Stadium. Parking services has moved away from decals this year and streamlined the parking registration process, which is completed online now. Students now register their vehicle using the license plate on the vehicle. GSU will enforce parking more efficiently using tag readers. This will prevent students from having to stand in long lines and having to place a decal on their car. Construction is scheduled to start on the entrance road at South Campus in September and is estimated to take about nine months. When complete it will align Akins Boulevard at the bypass with the entrance to the land across the bypass which was acquired by the university several years ago. South Campus currently contains plant operations. It will provide critical space for any future expansion of the campus.

Facility renovations The University Store received a face lift last year, which included new wooden floors and a more open shopping experience. Also, a new point-of-sale system allows customers to receive receipts via email for easier returns, exchanges and tax record keeping. The store now offers an in-house rental program with more titles, as well as a broader selection of eBooks. Other new features, including a customer loyalty program and online gift registry, are coming soon. Renovations continue at Hanner Fieldhouse, which saw various building systems and infrastructure upgrades over the summer. Mainly consisting of fire protection systems and HVAC, the facelift was completed during the year and includes more inviting signage and a welcoming and more efficient entrance. The track around the soccer field at the Erk Russell Park behind Paulson Stadium was resurfaced. This is where Tormenta FC hosts their games. In addition, renovations of all of the private suites at Paulson is underway and scheduled to be complete by the first home football game on Sept. 9.Delete - Merge Up

New construction Construction on the interdisciplinary academic building (IAB) has begun and is on schedule to be completed by the beginning of fall semester 2018. The building will replace two temporary classroom structures located between the Carroll Building and the IT building. The total project cost may exceed $33 million. The design and pre-construction services were funded by the state of Georgia for the new Center for Engineering and Research building. All services are currently being advertised for the project, with anticipation of design and program services to start this winter for the project.

Housing University Villas: All windows were replaced, vinyl siding installed, all entrance doors, the clubhouse, the bridge and gazebo leading to the pond were painted. More than 130 exterior surveillance cameras were installed. Wireless coverage in all apartments was upgraded, as was the CCTV system. A new fire alarm system and panic alarm system was installed. Freedom's Landing: New roofs were installed, exterior trim was removed and repaired and the wireless system was upgraded. During winter break, they have plans to install 13 new exterior emergency call boxes throughout the complex. Southern Pines: New windows were installed. Watson Commons: During the next four weeks, they will complete a summer project to renovate University Housings reception area. Ten private temporary lodging spaces were renovated to accommodate students who may be temporarily displaced from their permanent assignment. The new spaces look like mini hotel suites. If you head over to Georgia Southern to check out all of the progress, remember that by state law the speed limit on the entire campus is 25 mph whether marked or not. This includes the divided Akins Boulevard connected to the bypass. They police all campus roads with radar and are diligent about making sure everyone drives safe and responsibly on campus.

See more here:
Inside Bulloch Business with DeWayne Grice - Lots of changes while students were away - Statesboro Herald

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Four Mount Prospect yards are due for work as part of a village program aimed at reducing flooding.

Village trustees July 20 approved spending a maximum of $116,236 for the 2017 Backyard Drainage Program.

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Village Sets Funding For Backyard Drainage Program - Journal & Topics Newspapers Online

EAST ALLEN TWP., Pa. - East Allen Townships first proposed commercial warehouse moved closer to final approval Thursday night, but a list of conditions must be met and a court appeal resolved before the project can advance.

Supervisors unanimously voted to grant preliminary conditional approval for VerTek Construction Management to build a 450,000-square-foot warehouse on 42 acres at Airport Road and Route 329.

VerTek representatives agreed to sign a list of 15 conditions, including paying a fee in lieu of donating land for open space, signing an agreement holding the township harmless against claims of damage from downstream property owners, completing highways improvements as required by the township and the state Department of Transportation and taking responsibility for the storm sewer system.

Before the vote on preliminary conditional approval, the board accepted three waiver requests from the developer, all related to the design of four detention ponds and water discharge. Because the ponds will exceed the townships depth requirements, VerTek, as a safety measure, will install split rail fencing with wire mesh around the four ponds.

While the boards action was for a 35-foot-high warehouse, VerTek wants to extend that to 48 feet. According to solicitor Joseph Piperato III, Vertex is challenging in county court the Zoning Hearing Boards May decision denying a variance to exceed the height requirement.

VerTek plans to build its warehouse on land thats zoned commercial. Warehouses are allowed there as a conditional use, but the townships ordinance limits them to 35 feet in height.

The rest is here:
East Allen Township warehouse receives preliminary approval - WFMZ Allentown

As the first phase of Carson City's waste water treatment plant rehabilitation nears completion, the next portion is well underway.

In June, the Board of Supervisors approved a $1.22 million contract with Keller Associates Inc., to design the $9.72 million second half of the project at the Water Resource Recovery Facility on 5th Street between Butti Way and Fairview Drive.

The next phase of the project will include covering the headworks where waste water enters the plant to reduce odors.

The first progress meeting between designers and the Public Works department staff is scheduled in two weeks, said Jim Morris, project manager for the city.

In September or October, the first phase should reach substantial completion, said Morris, meaning the new construction will be fully operational with just punch list items remaining.

"We'll shut down the old aeration ponds and two old trickling filters," said Morris, and power on the new bioreactors, the construction of which made up the biggest chunk of the $30 million first phase. "It will be a much more stable process."

The initial phase came in a year ahead of schedule and under budget, allowing the city also to add on replacement of the screw pumps at the plant's headworks.

Morris attributes the savings to the city's use of a process called construction manager at risk, or CMAR, in which the project designer and builder are hired at the same time and collaborate before ground is broken.

It's the city's second project using the CMAR process, the first being construction of the Multi-Athletic Center.

The next phase isn't using CMAR, instead going to the lowest responsible bid, but Morris said a lot was already learned from the initial work that can be used during the remainder of the project.

The next phase will take a year to design, which includes approvals from the supervisors at the point when design is 60 percent and 90 percent complete. Construction is scheduled to begin in June.

Construction should take a full 14 months, said Morris, with little room for time savings because the work is done sequentially.

The first stage is the headworks, where a design decision still has to be made between two types of processes to reduce odors.

The headworks will be covered and the odors diverted to one of two filtering methods: an earthen filter or tanks for chemical treatment.

Staff prefers the earthen filter, in which blowers push the odors into a mound of landscaped dirt where bacteria eat away at it, said Randall Gray, wastewater operations manager.

Gray said the process is used successfully at facilities in Dayton, Stead and Truckee, Calif., but may be initially more costly to install.

After that, the facility's two primary clarifiers, in service for more than 40 years, will be drained, cleaned and put back in service, hopefully using the same equipment.

"The secondary clarifiers we know are in bad shape. We're going to have to go in and replace the mechanisms," said Morris. "We can't clean them, we need to replace them."

Some pavement will be repaved and the clay-lined emergency overflow pond, which holds up to 3 million gallons of wastewater, will be relined with a rubberized liner per state law.

The motorized controls will be replaced at the north lift pump station, where wastewater from northwest Carson City is pumped to the headworks, and at the effluent pump station, where the treated water is pumped to its golf course and prison farm users in the summer and to Brunswick Canyon Reservoir in the winter.

If any money is left over, it will go to replacing more of the electrical equipment throughout the plant, said Morris, work that needs to be done over the coming years.

All of the construction will be covered by the existing water and sewer rate increases, begun in 2013, which let the city bond for the entire project.

In the end, the goal is to reduce odors, produce higher quality effluent by removing more nutrients and improve plant reliability, all while maintaining or minimizing operational costs, said Gray.

"We're replacing some very old technologies that were wonderful for their time," said Gray. "But in those decades we've learned a lot about how to treat waste water."

Read more here:
Waste water treatment project taking shape in Carson City - Nevada Appeal

The Telegram

St. John's started on anti-flooding measures The Telegram An illustration of a proposed weir at Long Pond, at the Allandale Road overpass. Coun. Danny Breen says the weir will be unlikely to get final approval. This shows what the weir could look like in the case of a heavy rain event. A new plan is in the ...

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St. John's started on anti-flooding measures - The Telegram

Rebecca Molinaro, the village clerk, swore in Arthur Graham to the East Hampton Village Board, on Wednesday. Christopher Walsh

This is a brand new day, with a brand new member of the board of trustees, the rookie, Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said at the East Hampton Village Boards organizational meeting yesterday. The so-called rookie is Arthur Graham, who was elected to the East Hampton Village Board last month and took a seat among his colleagues yesterday.

Mr. Graham, who is known as Tiger, defeated Philip OConnell, who had been appointed to complete the term of Elbert Edwards following his death in October. After being sworn in, Mr. Graham paid tribute to Mr. OConnell, who had previously served as a member and then chairman of the planning board. Mr. OConnell has agreed to continue as the villages representative on the towns community preservation fund advisory board. Were happy that hes willing to consider staying on in that capacity, the mayor said.

Directing his remarks to Kathleen Cunningham, executive director of the Village Preservation Society of East Hampton, the mayor said a questionnaire will be mailed to village residents next week concerning deer. It goes without saying that the over-burgeoning population of deer presents a public health hazard, public nuisance, and quality of life issue. Based on the hoped-for response from residents, the village will decide on what its next effort to control deer should be. We certainly want to work in partnership with the V.P.S., he told Ms. Cunningham.

Also at its brief meeting, the board accepted Mr. Grahams resignation from the planning board, of which he was chairman, but did not announce an appointment to take hisplace. The board also reappointed the members of the design review board, zoning board of appeals, and the planning and ethics boards.

On other matters, the board approved a two-year agreement with the United States Geological Survey for extensive water quality monitoring and testing services at Hook Pond, which will cost $97,650. At a meeting last month, Rebecca Hansen, the village administrator, had described the federal agencys plans to monitor six locations in the pond to help identify needed remediation.

The agency will gather data on chlorophyll, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorous in the locations, which it has identified as hot spots, Ms. Hansen said. Agency representatives will meet with village officials on a quarterly basis to share their findings and will deliver a final report at the contracts expiration. The agency will also install a telemetry device that will sample and record the water level and temperature in the pond every 15 minutes, similar to a buoy in Georgica Pond.

The board set two public hearings for its July 31 meeting. One is on a proposed change in the zoning code that would amend the definition of gross floor area; the other would amend the code to prohibit parking at all times on the east side of North Main Street between the intersection of Main Street and the railroad trestle.

Barbara Borsack, a trustee who also is an emergency medical services volunteer, thanked emergency services and Highway Department personnel for their work over the four-day Independence Day weekend. Everybody does a great job over these busy holiday weekends, she said.

The rest is here:
Graham Takes a Seat at the East Hampton Village Board Table ... - East Hampton Star

PAUL MITCHELL

Last updated07:32, July 5 2017

MURRAY WILSON/FAIRFAX NZ

Jillian Sinclair is looking for a new home after a pool of water was discovered under her rental property. From left, Kaleb Beaven, 10, Jillian Sinclair, holding Hayden McKinley, 1, and Ethan Beaven, 9.

The rapid growth of mould so prolific thattwo dehumidifiers couldn't keep it at bay tipped off a Palmerston North woman something was wrong with her home.

It would take anotherfew weeks, when contractors came to installunderfloor insulation, to find out what the problem was a 10-centimetre deep pondof stagnant water, pooledunder the house.

Jillian Sinclair, a single mother of three special needs children, said she had been having issues with cold and damp in the rental house, on Russell St, since she moved in a few years ago.

SUPPLIED

The backyard of the property after heavy rain in 2015.

A pair of dehumidifiers had kept anymould issues at bay, until May, when not even they could keep up with it.

READ MORE: *The cause of the billion dollar price tag for NZ's next big health epidemic: Leaky buildings and hidden mould *Students make great tenants, property insiders say *Manawatu Tenants Union demands more state housing and affordable rents *Tenancy Truths: Dampness, cockroaches and rats drive family from uninhabitable HNZ property *[VID] Tenant abandoned property leaving huge piles of rubbish

When the contractors arrived, "they couldn't even start the installation because there was a lake under there", she said.

SUPPLIED

Mould growing on the walls of the house.

Professionals, which manages the property, wasn'taware of the issue until contractors found the pool,property manager Bev Fletcher said.

It hadmoved quickly to deal with the problem, clearing the house of mould, pumping out the pond and improving drainage.

By the end of June,a sump and pump system had been installed to stop any future poolingand the situation would be monitored during the next heavy rain. Once it was dry enough, the underfloor insulation would go in, she said.

Palmerston North City Council eco-design adviser NelsonLebo, who inspected the house, said it satbelow street leveland on a slight slope.

He believed the pool, which he thought to be about 10cm deep, formed during a heavy bout of rain in April.

"Standing water under a house is a red flag.

"It contributes to a large level of moisture inside the houseand makes it much more likely to have mould, which leads to bad health effects on the tenants."

Despite the efforts to fix the problem, Sinclair was concerned about the health of her children andfuture damp and mould problems, and is looking for a new home.

Professionals hasagreed to waive her notice period, so she can move as soon as she findsa new home.

Sinclair has also taken her concerns about the home's dampness problems to the Tenancy Tribunal.

Lebo said rising damp and mould was a big problem in Palmerston North.

The city was wet, flat and many neighbourhoods, like the area around Russell St where Sinclair lived, had poor drainage.

Even under normal conditions, when the soil felt dry, 40 litres of moisture a day could get into an unprotected home, causing issues with mould and rotting.

Lebosaid landlords could reduce the risk with a"ground moisture barrier" alayer of polyurethane down over the soil under their houses.

"In the short term, it's good for thetenants' health, and in the long term, it's good forthe landlords and reduces theirmaintenancecosts."

-Stuff

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Pool of water found under house forcing tenants to flee - Stuff.co.nz

Details 03 Jul 2017 by Keti Sidamonidze and Ludovig Girod, EXPERTO CONSULTING in OP-ED

The FINANCIAL -- Stereotypes are lazy thoughts: we do not need to listen or observe as we feel we know all about that topic already; except we do not we just have a head full of prejudices.

And yet, there are some notions that are never disputed. For instance, the fact that swimming is a life skill that opens the doors to not only a healthy lifestyle but to a lot of fun stuff as well! Now that we have established that, we can dive into the swimming pools topic and unveil the players on the Georgian market and beyond. After all, the long-awaited summer heat wave has finally hit Tbilisi and we do need to cool our thoughts down somehow.

But before we do start presenting the players, let us state that prior to splashing out money on a private backyard or indoor swimming pool, you need to be reminded that just like anything else, swimming pools come in all diverse types, designs, sizes, shapes and are used for various purposes. Budget, available space size, local rules and availability of materials will all factor in to what type of pool you will eventually decide to install on your property.

Experto has approached practically all swimming pool providers in Georgia but we will only focus on three main players on the local market. Our first respondent, Mr. Vakhtang Meskhi is the Director of AQUALINE, established back in 2006. Our main activities are the design and construction of swimming pools, saunas and SPA zones, as well as the installation of water treatment technologies stated Mr. Meskhi. Since the establishment, they have implemented many projects in both private and public sectors: Gained experience, our professional staff and the utilization of high quality products of leading swimming pool producers worldwide are the determinant factors of elevated level of trust our customers reward us with.

AQUALINE closely observes the latest global trends in the construction of basins and water treatment technologies. We try to make those innovative technologies available to the Georgian consumers in the shortest possible time. 97% of the products we offer to our customers is imported about 72% from the European countries and 28% from Turkey., revealed Vakhtang to Experto. AQUALINE represents many world leading brands in Georgia; besides, they have exclusive representation rights for: PROCOPI (France), PAHLEN (Sweden), MAYTRONICS (Israel), EMEC (Italy), CDECK (Portugal), DINOTEC (Germany), DAB (Italy), HASERV (Estonia), GEMAS (Turkey), SENTIOTEC (Austria), ECOSOFT (Germany/Ukraine). AQUALINE also offers the aftercare service to their consumers.

When asked about the size of the swimming pools market in Georgia, Mr. Meskhi told Experto that unfortunately, we do not have any overall market stats, but if we look at our own numbers, there is a notable growth trend for sure. What concerns us the most is the shortage of qualified staff for the post-sale market. Taking care of a swimming pool requires very specific knowledge. That is one of the reasons why AQUALINE decided to actively cooperate with professional technical institutions and training centers: besides this, we also regularly train and retrain our staff and take care of their professional development. He further elaborated that we constantly work with our consumers as well and explain to them the benefits of innovative technologies. For instance, if previously all our customers used service personnel for disinfection of their swimming pools, now over 37% of them use the automatic dosing system that controls water quality, dosage of chemicals and ensures water disinfection.

According to Mr. Meskhis assumptions, it will soon be trendy in Georgia as well to install pools that more and more resemble natural reservoirs and/or ponds: we already have some customers that refuse to use standard blue colored coverings and select white, sand, gray and/or green coverings. It is not only the case of colors. The director has noticed that while previously the price was the only determinant factor, now consumers are more conscious and self-aware of health-related aspects as well and care increasingly about getting the pools that comply with international safety standards: of course, the standard requirements of our business customers (hotels, spa centers, commercial pools, etc.) are higher compared to those of individuals. We find it much easier to convince our business customers to implement novel technologies as their safety requirements are stricter and they have a higher footfall, thus higher responsibility towards their respective end-users concluded Mr. Meskhi.

Our next respondent CMG Group has been operating on the Georgian market for the past five years. They offer a wide range of fiber glass products as well as a variety of composite materials needed for fiber glass production to Georgian consumers. CMG Group also produces boats, water bicycles, pools, manufacturing units and other products using fiber glass, which is an unprecedented case on the Georgian market.

Since 2015, they have been offering the Georgian brands of polyether CMG and FIBER PRO 1, produced by CMGs own formula in one of the European factories in Germany. Mr. Gela Gelashvili, Director of CMG Group revealed to Experto that we hope our products will end up being exported to Azerbaijan and Armenia in the nearest future. We have just started considering the matter. He further elaborated that this year we plan to manufacture fiberglass profiles, floors and fiber prefabricated bridges. The lack of needed investments is holding us back, even though we have the capabilities to upscale the production. CMG imports products/materials mainly from Germany, China, Turkey, and USA. At this point, their export activities are in the exploratory phase only. The Director of CMG Group also had trouble assessing the size of the swimming pool market in Georgia: besides, fiberglass pools are a novelty for Georgia. We launched the product this year only. So, it is hard for me to assess the precise demand levels for this type of pool. But the interest is definitely there. Before fiberglass swimming pools, CMG was producing tanks for fish farms, but because of lack of demand they switched to swimming pools. We are confident in the quality of our goods and stress that products made in Georgia can be good and competitive compared to the European products, with price being even more appealing concluded the CMG representative.

Our third respondent is NOKI, the winner of Golden Brand 2016. Georgias leading swimming pool designer and constructor is actively involved in establishing standards on the market, offering the highest quality services to about 1000 customers already. According to Mr. Zurab Glonti, Director of NOKI, for the past several years, they have successfully built dozens of swimming pools and managed to nurture strong customer trust thanks to their well-mannered, professional, experienced and responsible staff that deliver projects on time and within the pre-agreed budget using quality materials.

NOKI has been operating on the Georgian market for about 15 years already: we serve anyone that is interested in modern swimming pools, European standard materials and qualified service. Everything related to swimming pools falls within our competence, told the director to Experto. NOKI is the official representative of the renowned Czech Vagner Pool in Georgia. Besides this, the company cooperates closely with Berndorf Baderbau, Europes premier stainless-steel pool manufacturer; BWT, Europes leading water technology company; IPC Group, offering pool and veranda roofing systems; Maper Glas, engineering a large pool of overhead roofing systems and facades; and Speck, specialized in swimming pool pump products. Our suppliers are such famous brands as Kripsol; FIP; Saci Pumps; Pentair; Chemoform Group; Zodiac and many others, further elaborated Mr. Glonti.

NOKI takes pride in helping customers select the design of a swimming pool that is best tailored to the personal needs of each customer; They get involved in all aspects related to swimming pools: design and construction, as well as carrying out hydro-isolation and pavement activities; installation of water filtering and heating systems; installation of water attractions, supplying of all possible accessories; selection and installation of pool roofing or cover construction; supplying of chemicals that control water quality; They are one of the few players on the market that provide warranty service as well.

The second week of July Experto will be hosting the representative of a prominent and well-established French producer of swimming pools with a trusted reference brand for more than 50 years. The Export Director of Desjoyaux, Mr. Alexandre Muela will be visiting Tbilisi for the first time to explore the opportunities Georgia has to offer. Desjoyaux is a pioneer and inventor of a unique concept: the in-ground pool within everyones reach: In 1994, Desjoyaux pioneered the principle of swimming pools for all by marketing a standard model, suitable for water fun for the whole family. The private family pool has become the brands core activity, ranging basic kits ready to install to a fully equipped luxury pool, explained the Export Director. Apparently, the concept is inspired by outboard engines and the exclusive Desjoyaux system has a completely pipe-less design. This eliminates the need for long and costly buried pipe-laying work and reduces the risk of leaks: innovation makes life of our customers simpler. Our pipe-less filtration, a patented structure with no technical compartment, shoulders less risk of leaks. We offer a structure designed to be simple and safe to assemble a unique concept that leaves room for pleasure, and nothing but pleasure, elaborated enthusiastically the representative of the French company.

According to Mr. Muela, the Desjoyaux swimming pool had become popular very quickly. It continues to be successful today, thanks to its simplicity, craftsman's production values applied on an industrial scale, and the endless possibilities that it offers in terms of shapes, options, equipment, etc. Today Desjoyaux is the world's leading manufacturer of concrete in-ground swimming pools, supplying pools on all 5 continents. Over 210,000 families have already chosen Desjoyaux to design their space for holidays at home with the help of over 450 dealers in 80 countries.

Already being present in the region for 20 years in countries such as Azerbaijan and Russia, it has become relevant for us to already zoom in on Georgia just as we focused in Kosovo, Moldova, and Iraq years ago. Considering the developments in the Horeca sector and the planned/ongoing projects in Georgia, we would want seize the opportunity to find a local partner and develop our network in order to cater to the future demand on swimming pools in the country, explained candidly Mr. Alexandre Muela. He further revealed that we are currently building the first Aquapark in West Bank, working on a project of 100 pools in Bagdad Iraq.

It seems, the private swimming pools market is booming as more and more people want to be able to enjoy their holiday at home. As I am finishing the final lines of the article and before I do get a swimming pool in my backyard, I will head to the nearest outdoor swimming pool right away. Do join me but only under one very stringent condition do not forget to put on plenty of sunscreen to protect your exposed skin!

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Experto Splashes Through The Swimming Pool Industry - The FINANCIAL