FOCUSED: Pumice Food Group owner David Kerr says he is determined to rebuild the restaurant.

The extent of the fire damage to the award-winning Pumice Restaurant was almost certainly avoidable, an independent fire safety expert says.

Fire Protection Association of New Zealand president David Nathan backed Hamilton's Senior Station Officer Daryl Trim, who said the outcome of the fire could have been different if the restaurant had a sprinkler system and a brigade-connected alarm.

But the owner of the building, Jeff Downey, said it was built to code and that the rules were set by the fire service.

Fire crews were called to the Church Rd restaurant in Te Rapa last Sunday morning where the blaze was so extensive they said the building would have to be torn down.

Nathan works independently with councils and is qualified to verify fire safety systems. He said a sprinkler system and adequate warning to firefighters would have protected the building and business.

"The provision of such a system in the Pumice example would likely have seen damage repaired and the restaurant operating again within days," Nathan said.

"Sadly Pumice never had such a system and the resultant damage is evident to see."

He said there was "a void" between the level of fire protection required for a building consent "and what building [and] business owners really need to ensure likely business continuity".

Pumice Food Group leased the building for its flagship restaurant from Downey Construction which had developed the Church Rd business park over the past decade.

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Sprinklers, alarm could have saved restaurant - expert

In the span of the last year, Adrian Romero went from construction worker to food truck operator to brick-and-mortar restaurateur, specializing in the Agua Prieta-style Mexican cuisine he grew up on in Douglas.

On Dec. 13, Romero, who has lived in Tucson 13 years, opened Ol Rico Mexican Steakhouse in the old Mr. Ks BBQ space at 1830 S. Park Ave. The restaurant serves a streamlined menu of burritos, Mexican sandwiches and quesadillas, ranging in price from $2.50 to $4.50. The most expensive item on the menu is the $12 grilled-steak plate served with tortillas.

Romero said he has been cooking all his life, but he made his living doing construction with an uncle in Tucson.

Last spring, he rolled out his Ol Rico food truck, which looks like a little cabin on wheels. He cooked steaks and burgers on an outdoor grill fueled by mesquite wood. He parked mostly on Tucsons southwest side near South Valencia Road and South Westover Avenue, and took the truck out on weekends to a few community events including Cyclovia and Second Saturdays Downtown.

Business was good, but the southwest-side neighborhood wasnt the safest.

It was kind of dangerous where I was at, Romero said. Where I was at in Pima County, it was hard to find a spot.

Romero said he decided to make the leap to permanent restaurant after talking to the buildings owner, Charles Kendrick. Kendrick, the namesake for Mr. Ks BBQ, runs his Afro-American Heritage Museum in half of the building and has had a restaurant in the other half since the late 1990s.

I think it was the only possible setup for me to work the menu because he has the outside grills, Romero said.

Romero said he started working on cleaning up and painting the space in November. It had been vacant for months, since a short-lived Caribbean restaurant closed last summer. Mr. Ks, which Kendricks son, Ray, ran for more than a decade, moved farther south to 6302 S. Park Ave. in the summer of 2012.

Ol Rico has an Old West feel to it, with small saddles serving as kids booster seats, a patch of barbed wire from Southern Arizonas ranching history displayed on one wall and mining tools prominently displayed on another. Miniature versions of old movie posters, many of them filmed in the Tucson area, hang in the dining room.

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Mexican restaurant moves into old Mr. K's

Kyiv-based McDonald's Ukraine Ltd. on Dec. 31, 2013, opened a renovated restaurant at 31 Smilianska Street in Cherkasy, the company said in a press release.

Over Hr 15 million was invested in the renovation of the facility, as a result of which its total area was increased by over 100 square meters and its interior and exterior underwent changes, the company quoted Senior Director for Business Development at McDonald's Ukraine Andriy Lukyanenko as saying.

"The area of the renovated restaurants was extended by over 100 square meters. It made it possible to increase the number of seats for visitors, ensure a more comfortable stay for everyone who visits McDonald's in Cherkasy," Lukyanenko said.

The renovated restaurant offers 129 seats in the main hall and 68 seats at the terrace. The restaurant will be able to serve about 4,800 people per day.

McDonald's Ukraine Ltd. on Dec. 28, 2013, opened a restaurant with an area of about 600 square meters in Kherson's Fabrika shopping and entertainment complex at 18 Zalaegerszeg Street, which was the company's first restaurant in that city.

Over UAH 18 million was invested in the construction of the Kherson facility, Senior Director for Production at McDonald's Ukraine Oksana Chopa said.

The McDonald's restaurant in Kherson is designed for 150 seats in the main hall, up to 70 at the terrace and about 10 at McCafe. Two round-the-clock McDrive lines will be open for car drivers. The restaurant will be able to serve about 4,500 people per day.

McDonald's Ukraine Ltd. was founded in 1995. Its first restaurant in Ukraine opened in Kyiv on May 24, 1997.

As of Jan. 2, 2014, McDonald's Ukraine Ltd. operated 79 restaurants in 22 Ukrainian cities. The restaurants service about 400,000 visitors every day.

McDonald's Ukraine Ltd. in 2012 invested about Hr 200 million in the development of business in Ukraine and opened four new McDonald's restaurants in Kyiv, Rivne and Kharkiv.

Link:
McDonald's Ukraine invests over Hr 33 million in regional projects in December

It's become commonplace to see construction on Interstate 35 in Central Texas, but now building projects are popping up along the busy highway as well.

"Construction business comes and goes and right now we're in a boom so it's good for us," construction superintendent Tom Ceravole said.

Ceravole and his crew are building another new restaurant in Temple.

Growing communities all over Central Texas also mean the construction force is growing as well.

For Ceravoles crew to work this time of year is actually a sign of how busy they are.

"Normally it's a slow time of year, he said. Within the last couple years, business has been starting to pick up."

And his company won't have to look for work anytime soon.

"We're booked probably for the next year to two years," he said.

Officials say the construction field in Central Texas will continue to flourish along with the communities.

"We've seen an increase every single year in the construction area, or the construction field," Tom Elmore with the Workforce Solutions of Central Texas, said.

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Growing demand for Central Texas construction workers

MARGARITAVILLE CASINO & RESTAURANT BILOXIMargaritaville Casino & Restaurant in Biloxi announced plans Tuesday for a new hotel resort that includes timeshare properties, a spa, new buffet and 250 deluxe guest rooms.

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Margaritaville offers details on 2014 construction project

BILOXI -- Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant Biloxi announced Tuesday it will break ground on a new hotel in the spring and estimates that construction will be completed in the spring of 2015.

The new hotel will feature 250 rooms -- 170 deluxe rooms and 80 two- and three-bedroom suites. In mid-2013, city officials heard the company expected to spend $50 million to $60 million on the hotel tower, though on Tuesday company officials would not give an estimate of the total investment.

In addition, Margaritaville will become one of the first resort properties to offer timeshare units.

"Margaritaville Biloxi will be making a considerable investment in creating a resort destination the likes of which Biloxi has never seen," said Doug Shipley, president and CEO. "The addition of timeshares to our hotel will attract a whole new type of customer; one that's not currently visiting the Biloxi area. It truly is an exciting opportunity for our city."

The city has plans to extend Back Bay Boulevard to Fifth Street, it announced at a council meeting in August. Officials at the time expressed hope the $5 million from the Mississippi Development Authority to complete Phase I of the road construction would prompt casino development in the area.

In addition to the hotel, Margaritaville Casino Biloxi announced Tuesday it will expand and completely renovate the casino floor, adding meeting space and a resort-style pool and spa. The property will also create a new buffet, and introduce a steakhouse with a view of the Biloxi Bay waterfront.

Along with the renovations and expansions, Margaritaville Biloxi will re-engineer the marina to provide more enhanced and secure overnight docking accommodations, as well as developing a one-of-a-kind bayfront resort pool and pool bar with outdoor gaming.

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Margaritaville offers details on 2014 construction project, timeshares

Convenience store chain could build $5-million truck stop; plan may include hotel, restaurant Kwik Trip Inc. will likely buy Watts Cookin for an undisclosed price, although the deal isnt finalized Kwik Trip plans to build a $5-million, 6,000- to 7,000-square foot truck stop The two other Austin Kwik Trips will remain open, as will Watts Cookin during construction Kwik Trip could eventually lease space on the additional 5 acres to a sit-down restaurant and a hotel The truck stop will likely sell compressed natural gas, and could be one of only a score of Kwik Trips to sell it

A Kwik Trip official confirmed this week that the company will likely buy Watts Cookin in Austin.

Although the company is still in the early stages of planning, Kwik Trip Inc. would likely build a $5-million, 6,000- to 7,000-square-foot truck stop, and eventually lease space to a restaurant and a hotel, according to Hans Zietlow, director of real estate at Kwik Trip. Zietlow said the company would keep its two other Kwik Trips open in Austin, and Watts Cookin would remain open during construction, as the new truck stop would be in a different location on the property.

While Kwik Trip officials hope they hope they can finalize a deal soon, Zietlow said, it is still in negotiations.

Its not a done deal, but we are trying to buy it, he said.

The Kwik Trip would employ 30 to 40 workers, and sell compressed natural gas, or CNG, which the company sees as the fuel of the future, Zietlow said. While CNG can be used as an alternative to gasoline or diesel, only a small percentage of vehicles on the U.S. market run on CNG. The Austin truck stop would be one of only 19 Kwik Trips that sell CNG, according to its website, although that includes one in Rochester, Owatonna and Mankato, and a new Kwik Trip in Albert Lea will sell it this spring.

We plan to upgrade an old facility into the nicest facility on Interstate 90 going across Minnesota, Zietlow said.

The Watts truck stop and restaurant, which has 45 employees, would stay open during construction under owner Kermit Watts.

No one else could run the restaurant like Kermit, Zietlow said.

Kwik Trip, which would own about 5 additional acres, hopes to lease space to a sit-down restaurant and a hotel. A restaurant could occupy two acres and a hotel could take three acres, but, Its all kind of preliminary, Zietlow said.

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Kwik Trip likely buying Watts Cookin’

SEEKONK, Mass. (WPRI) The Old Grist Mill in Seekonk could soon be back in business, according to the restaurants owner.

According to the Sun Chronicle, the historic restaurant is expected to reopen by the end of February.

In June of 2012, a truck lost control and flipped near the restaurant on Fall River Avenue. The truck knocked down a utility pole and struck the gas meter for the restaurant, which ignited and spread fire into the building.

Fire crews tore the roof off while fighting the flames in order to get to the interior fire. The restaurant, which was built in 1745, was considered a total loss.

The Seekonk Zoning Board of Appeals voted to grant the restaurants owner permits to rebuild in July of 2012.

Construction teams salvaged as much of the building as they could, such as the original Old Grist Mill tavern sign, and a few ducks from the restaurant's distinctive "duck wall."

There is no exact date set for the restaurants reopening.

More here:
Old Grist Mill may soon reopen its doors

The brick facade of the main entrance to the former Mall at Shelter Cove, shown Thursday, is all that is left of the central section of the mall, which is being demolished and converted into an indoor-outdoor shopping area.

JAY KARR Jay Karr Buy Photo

Construction continues on smaller shops flanking either side of the Kroger and Belk stores that anchor the new 42-acre, outdoor Shelter Cove Towne Centre, at the site of the former Mall at Shelter Cove.

A handful of tenants have committed to leasing space at the shopping center. They include Jos. A Bank and GNC, which are already at the mall. A SERG Group restaurant, Heritage Fine Jewelry and Jake's Wayback Burgers also have committed.

Mall manager Roni Allbritton said Friday more tenants will likely be announced in coming months, and construction of the 290,000-square-foot center remains on schedule for completion in late spring or early summer.

The Kroger grocery store opened Dec. 11, a month earlier than expected and has seen heavy traffic, she said. A final phase of the project will add 210 apartments east of the mall with views of Broad Creek, and a relocated 5-acre park will bisect the shopping center.

The Town of Hilton Head Island has agreed to split the park's cost -- expected to be about $4.5 million -- with the developers.

Plans for the park are still being completed, and construction is expected sometime next year, Allbritton said. No timeline has been finalized for the apartments, but work is likely to begin sometime near the end of 2014, with completion in 2015, Allbritton said.

The $76 million project is expected to generate 450 jobs and $5.1 million in annual sales-tax revenue, according to developer Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial.

"We've gotten phenomenal response from the community and have been very pleased with the feedback," Allbritton said. "This is a project that has been sorely needed on the island, and it's been exciting to see the progress that has been made."

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Shelter Cove shopping center continues to take shape

In what was once a scraggly paved lot next to Dodge City, you'll now find a glass storefront flanked by a trio of brightly painted industrial shipping containers. El Rey, the long-awaited taqueria and beer garden set to open early next month on U Street, was created almost entirely from the giant steel boxes, a resource that's finding favor around the world as an inexpensive, upcycled way to build both restaurants and living quarters.

"Anything that's under cover is containers," says Ian Hilton, who with his brother, Eric, is one of the primary proprietors of the 3,100-square-foot El Rey.

The idea itself isn't new; Southeast Washington entertainment venue Fairgrounds uses the containers, too, though mostly as eye-candy. El Rey, which means "the king" in Spanish, is the first construction in Washington to employ them in substantive ways, to build out kitchens, bathrooms, dining space and design flourishes. In back, a large patio sits under a retractable roof, which can slowly roll back on nice days to shed sunlight on diners, or keep everyone under cover when the prospect of being outdoors is less appealing.

El Rey's menu will focus on tacos and tequila. It will keep a handful of beers on tap, most hailing from Mexican brewers, with a few lesser-known South American brews as well. At a street-facing window, U Street partiers will be able to score tacos without walking inside. But getting to this point was a three-year process, one that included rethinking the whole model for the business.

How El Rey was built:

July 2010: Co-owner Eric Hilton broaches the idea for a temporary summer beer garden and taco shop built out of industrial steel shipping containers. "I had seen, in different places in the Caribbean, houses built out of containers. It's a cool, recycled building material," says Hilton, whose other restaurant/bars include

The first proposed design submitted for El Rey, at 919 U St. NW. (Edit Lab @ Streetsense)

Brixton, Marvin and American Ice Company. "One of our partner-investors owns a shipping company [the Washington-based Paxton Van Lines], so that made it pretty easy to get them." The original plan? "We thought we were just going to throw some containers down and build some bathrooms and call it a day," Hilton says. "The project just sort of mushroomed."

Early 2011: Change of plans. Goodbye, "temporary." The District requires El Rey to undergo the same review process as a permanent structure, and rent on the property is due year-round, regardless of whether the restaurant would be open, co-owner Ian Hilton says. The team decides to rethink El Rey, adding the infrastructure of a year-round business, including a roof.

The architects' second go at El Rey adds a fixed roof over part of the restaurant, and a retractable roof over the beer garden. (Edit Lab @ Streetsense)

The rest is here:
How El Rey, D.C.’s first shipping-container restaurant, was built on U Street

Study: Teens ditching Facebook for other social media sites Study: Teens ditching Facebook for other social media sites

Updated: Friday, December 27 2013 10:25 PM EST2013-12-28 03:25:10 GMT

What does 2014 have in store for your life online? If you're young, it may not involve Facebook as much as an older brother, sister, mom, or dad.

What does 2014 have in store for your life online? If you're young, it may not involve Facebook as much as an older brother, sister, mom, or dad.

Updated: Friday, December 27 2013 10:23 PM EST2013-12-28 03:23:10 GMT

People are lining up to buy the original Air Jordan which Nike is re-releasing on Saturday.

People are lining up to buy the original Air Jordan which Nike is re-releasing on Saturday.

Updated: Friday, December 27 2013 9:30 PM EST2013-12-28 02:30:42 GMT

Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit Friday asking a judge to order a review of what caused an explosion earlier this month at a South Suburban chemical factory that left two workers hurt.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit Friday asking a judge to order a review of what caused an explosion earlier this month at a South Suburban chemical factory that left two workers hurt.

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Construction worker dies after mall construction collapse