A safe room able to hold 600 students and faculty will be added to the first new school in the downtown Oklahoma City area in several decades.

Were still working through whether its going to be above ground or below ground, said Kirk Humphreys, board chairman at John W. Rex Charter Elementary School at N Walker and W Sheridan avenues.

The school is scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2014-15 school year, but timing on the safe room is not yet known, Humphreys said.

Construction began before deadly tornadoes hit central Oklahoma in May. After seeing the importance of having shelter during dangerous weather, school leaders made plans for the addition.

Still in the design phase, the safe room will be a separate structure by the playground. If a redesign of the school was possible, they may have included the safe room inside the building, Humphreys said. Given the schools stage of construction, this was the best alternative to insure students safety.

This $12 million, tuition-free, public charter school is being funded with a combination of MAPS for Kids money, other city funds and private donations, he said. The safe room is going to be paid for strictly with private donations and grants. An official cost of the safe room is yet to be determined.

When the school opens in August, it will offer pre-K through second-grade classes. It will have 280 spots available the first year, and it will add a grade level every year up to the sixth-grade. At that time, the school will hold about 500 students.

Boundary and enrollment

The general attendance boundary for JRCES is NW and NE 13th St. to the north, the Oklahoma River to the south, Lottie Ave to the east and N Western Ave to the west. Any child living in this attendance boundary is considered first priority and will be enrolled if they apply, Humphreys said.

Second priority is children living in the Oklahoma City Public Schools district, third is children living outside the OKCPS district with a parent or guardian working in the JRCES attendance boundary and lastly is everyone else, he said.

See more here:
New OKC elementary will add safe room

By J.O. PARKER joparker@dmreg.com

The Montezuma weight room improvement project will soon be completed.

The Montezuma Board of Education approved a total bid of $57,059.81 to complete the project.

The board, which met on Wednesday, March 19, accepted the following bids:

Ogan Enterprises, $46,832.78; A-One Boring, $6,375; and Winegarden Hardware, $3,852.03 for a total of $57,059.81 to finish the work.

The work includes adding footings to the new addition, pouring a sidewalk, installing new windows and doors, framing the restroom, finishing inside of the building and adding siding to the outside of the building.

The State Fire Marshals office halted the project in July 2012, after it was discovered that the proper paperwork had not been filed. It was also discovered that two restrooms were to be included in the new addition.

Since that time, the district has received a waiver and is only required to install one handicap restroom in the new addition.

Staff

In business related to staff, the board: Approved the resignations of secondary science teachers David Brondyke and Carrie Weber.

Go here to see the original:
Monte Board OKs finishing weight room addition

FOR PEOPLE of a certain age who appreciate a certain genre of motion picture, nitroglycerin played a frequent role.

Nitro, stored in glass jars and protected by cotton wadding in a rickety crate in the back of a buckboard, provided a thrill in the stock scene: The wagon goes out of control, putting some precious cargo in terrible danger.

If that nitro got bumped too hard, or if the wagon careened over the cliff . . . BOOM!

Chip Kelly is driving the wagon.

His Eagles have cast DeSean Jackson as an expendable malcontent . . . after he completed his best season, and did so with a minimum of insubordination.

The most stable player on the team, Evan Mathis, a modestly underpaid guard, reportedly asked for, and was denied, a raise . . . even as two linemates had their contracts extended.

And, now, the Eagles have replaced the most controversial quarterback in league history with the second-most controversial quarterback on the East Coast. They agreed to terms with Mark Sanchez in a QB swap with the dysfunctional Jets, who lured Michael Vick with the chance to steal Geno Smith's starting job. Vick was easy to lure.

Sanchez was in town last night so the Eagles could make sure his bad arm wasn't going to fall off when OTAs start next month. Sanchez joins 2013 fourth-round pick Matt Barkley as Nick Foles' backups.

Visit link:
Room on Kelly's wagon?

CLINTON, Tenn. (WVLT) Inside the new addition at the Anderson County Jail, computer systems control almost everything.

Captain Larry Davidson explained "It makes officers safe, it's also safer for the staff here. And for the inmates."

Overcrowding is a major problem at the current detention facility-- and at one point was on the verge of losing state accreditation.

At times, 30 inmates are housed in on area-- violent and non-violent criminals together.

But, the new addition adds 212 room, putting the facility back up to state standards.

"We'll be able to separate inmates according to their classification which will be much safer," said Captain Davidson.

The new facility is designed with a pod layout, meaning all inmates can be watched 24-7.

Davidson said, "This will be what we call direct indirect. Not only will it be cameras, but the officer will also be present walking in and out of the pods."

All of these renovations come with a price tag of more than 10 million dollars. It is all being paid for by the taxpayers.

Emily Parfitt said, " It will make me feel more safe. You don't have to worry about anyone breaking out of the jail. It's just better for the community. I don't mind paying extra."

View post:
Anderson County Jail addition opening soon

The Shining came back in big way last year, with the theatrical release and subsequent Netflix availability of Room 237, a documentary on some of the fan theories that have gathered around Stanley Kubrick's psychological horror classic since its 1980 release. According to the interviewees, The Shining could be anything from a retelling of the mythological tale of Theseus and the Minotaur to Kubrick's apology for having helped fake the moon landing, but what most of them have in common is an insistence that the decor of the fictional Overlook Hotel has a lot to do with what the director really means. No surprises there, given that the Overlook is iconic enough to inspire architecturally focused tributes.

Though the Overlook presented in The Shining is actually a set built at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England, it was inspired by a number of real-life hotels. Aerial shots of Oregon's Timberlane Lodge were used in the film's opening scene, as well as a few establishing shots that follow, but it was the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park (pictured above) that served as a template for much of the Overlook's interior.

Like any classic Alpine resort in America, the Ahwahnee incorporates plenty of designs inspired by Native American artwork; tapestries, carpets, and the like. When these made their way into the Overlookwith the addition of a large Navajo-style mural that Jack Nicholson's writer's block-tortured Jack Torrance likes to bounce a tennis ball off ofthey helped inspire journalist Bill Blakemore to write a 1987 article for the Washington Post entitled "Kubrick's Shining' Secret: Film's Hidden Horror Is The Murder of the Indian."

Image via IWDRM

How did Blakemorewho elaborates on his theory in Room 237jump to that conclusion, based on a few Mojave saddle blankets? The Shining incorporates a few other pieces of Native American iconography, including cans of Calumet baking powder embossed with the silhouette of a man in a feathered headdress, but it was a few lines of dialogue that got Blakemore connecting the dots. There's Jack's first conversation with Lloyd, his possibly ghostly, possibly nonexistent bartender: "You set 'em up and I'll knock 'em back Lloyd, one b'one. White man's burden, Lloyd my man. White man's burden." There's the horror story trope, inserted into two lines at the beginning of the film, about the Overlook being built on an Indian burial ground. But it's the decor that inspired the associative heavy lifting that turns a story about supernaturally induced cabin fever into one about the genocide of the Native Americans.

The geometric 70s-era carpet pattern in the upstairs hallway is easily the most iconic and theorized-upon decor element in The Shining. In Room 237 alone it's said to stand for a "beehive hexagon, but down the whole corridors of history" representing "the family of man," as well as the overhead shape of Launchpad 39A, the starting point of America's moon landing mission. (This, combined with the fact that Danny is wearing an Apollo 11 sweater in one scene, provides particularly juicy fodder for 237 subject Jay Weidner's moon landing theory.)

This hexagonal pattern is the backdrop for a turning point in the film, right before Danny enters the forbidden room 237, a moment that kicks off the family's downward spiral. Much is made in the documentary about an inconsistency between two shots, where the same tennis ball that Jack plays wall-ball with rolls to Danny, leading him to a room 237 whose door is mysteriously ajar. As laid out by Room 237 interviewee Juli Kearns on her website, a cut between two shots reveals a seeming continuity error, with the carpet flipping its orientation under Danny. If Kubrick threw this inconstancy in on purposewhich a few of Room 237's subjects pretty convincingly arguethe seeming suggestion is that, as Kearns, the proponent of the labyrinth-and-minotaur theory, puts it, now that "the hexagon is closed, it's almost like he's been closed in."

Photo via MoviefoneThe meaning behind the Overlook ballroom's abundance of gold is another point where the superfans diverge. Naturally, the color scheme lends itself nicely to Blakemore's theory, signifying the gold rush that drove the American settlers West. According Rob Ager, a Shining obsessive with a 21-chapter analysis up on his website and a personally produced six-volume DVD set called Kubrick Decoded, the inclusion of this room makes the film a polemic against the U.S. government's de-pegging of the dollar from the gold standard. All of that hinges somewhat precariously on the final shot, which shows Jack in an old picture taken at the hotel in 1921, which Ager asserts that he looks a good deal like Widrow Wilson in. Erm... yeah.

Photo via Clockwork BrothersJack's second trip to the Gold Room leads him to the most out-of-place interior in the Overlook, a harshly modern bathroom done up in a startling shade of red (which has inspired more than a few tributes over the years). It's where Jack finds Grady, the old caretaker who suggests he "correct" his family. Taken as an instance of Kubrik using color to suggest the inner workings of his characters, this room is generally agreed upon as a kind of "direct projection of Jack's violent mind." That one's simple enough, but then again, it doesn't even touch on the school of thought based primarily on how Kubrick portrays bathrooms.

The Shining could mean a lot of things. One takeaway to add to the list: watch what you do with your interiors, because you can't always control what people read into them.

Visit link:
Hotels Week 2014: Exploring the Fan Theories Inspired by The Shining's Decor

4 bedroom home for sale in Woodridge, IL 60517
Listing presented by Catherine Cahill Real People Realty, Inc. 1 Tower Lane - LWL 14 Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 630-234-5386 Property Website for more inform...

By: Real Estate Marketlady

View post:
4 bedroom home for sale in Woodridge, IL 60517 - Video

Strebig Construction, Fort Wayne, recently completed a three-phase complete interior renovation and addition at Pine Hills Learning Place on Coldwater Road. This project has now allowed Pine Hills Learning Place to use 100 percent of all the room available, including the facility's first infant day care facility. The company also installed a new vertical lift elevator access to the second-floor classrooms. All the classrooms have drinking fountains and hand wash stations, as well as a child-height restroom facility in every room.

Fort Financial Credit Union and ITT Employees' Federal Credit Union, Fort Wayne, are making plans to merge. The two nonprofit financial institutions have entered into an agreement with the merger expected to be completed this summer.

Fort Wayne Metals plans to expand its operations here, creating up to 106 jobs by 2017. The company currently employs more than 650 associates in Indiana and more than 700 around the world.

In addition, the company will begin an expansion of its headquarters facility on Ardmore Avenue just north of Fort Wayne International Airport immediately and projects to be completed in December.

Indiana Grand Casino and Indiana Downs, Shelbyville, will operate as one under the new Indiana Grand Racing & Casino name.

MKM architecture + design, Fort Wayne, has begun construction on the Waterloo-Grant Township Public Library. The library will receive a 3,900-square-foot addition and complete renovation of the existing facility. The expanded space includes a relocated Children's Department, a new public entrance, enlarged teen area and community room.

Felderman Design-Build, Fort Wayne, has been awarded the design build contract by Dupont Corner Investors LLC for a 9,000-square-foot multitenant retail building located at the corner of Dupont and Diebold roads.

The Bill Lewis Center for Children has been awarded reaccredidation by National Children's Alliance following an extensive application and site process.

Oliver Winery, Bloomington, has launched a line of wines produced from fruit grown at premium California vineyards.

Aspire Plastic Surgery and Medical Spa recently reopened a 5,080-square- foot office just east of Lutheran Hospital next to Women's Health Advantage in southwest Fort Wayne. For more information, go to http://www.AspirePlasticSurgery.com.

Original post:
Winners

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) March 23, 2014

The Seattle Hilton hotel has announced the completion of the first phase of upgrades in what is a multi-phase renovation project. The 239 guest room hotel has completed sleeping room and guest room corridor renovations, which include new bedding, furniture, lighting package, carpet, wall covering, window treatments, and dcor upgrades. The property also added two new guest rooms to its inventory and upgraded 10 rooms to include roll-in showers for guests with special mobility needs. In addition, the Downtown Seattle hotel has adapted automated technology in the parking garage.

The remaining property improvements are scheduled to be completed by early summer and include; a new restaurant specializing in contemporary American Cuisine with a Pacific Northwest flair, the addition of a new Executive Lounge on the top floor featuring fantastic Seattle views, upgrades to the street level hotel entrance, and complete renovations to the lobby, front desk, Lobby Lounge, and function space. The most notable renovation will be to the Top of the Hilton, which is being converted into a top floor meeting and banquet space and features breathtaking views of Elliott Bay, Seattle skyline, and the iconic Space Needle.

To schedule a tour of the newly renovated guestrooms or to be one of the first guests holding their special event on Top of the Hilton, please contact the Sales Department at (206) 695-6036.

The downtown Seattle Hilton hotel is the perfect destination for leisure and business travelers alike. Guests enjoy a central location with close proximity to Pike Place Market, the Washington State Convention Center, 5th Avenue Theatre, and many great Downtown Seattle dining and shopping options. The guest rooms provide incredible views of the citys skyline, Olympic Mountains and partial views of Elliot Bay. Amenities include a fitness center, room service, business center, concierge services, on-site parking, over 6,000 sq. ft. of versatile meeting space, multi-lingual staff, in-room mini-refrigerators, flat-screen LCD televisions and much more. Guests can dine on-site at the hotels scenic Top of the Hilton Restaurant & Bar for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Downtown Seattle Hilton hotel is proudly managed by Stonebridge Companies in Denver, CO.

Founded in 1991 by Navin C. Dimond, Stonebridge Companies is a privately owned, innovative hotel owner, operator and developer headquartered near Denver, Colorado. The companys current portfolio entails 45 hotels with over 7,000 rooms nationwide. This diverse listing of properties includes select-service, extended-stay, mid-scale and full-service hotels in markets throughout the U.S. For detailed information, visit our website at http://www.SBCOS.com.

Follow this link:
Stonebridge Companies Hilton Seattle Hotel Completes First Stage of Renovations

Thursday, March 20, 2014, 6:11 pm

By Dan Verel, Business Journal Staff Reporter

NAPA The Meritage Resort & Spa on Thursday said it just completed about $8 million in renovations to the 157 original rooms in the hotel.

Combined with a $40 million expansion that was completed in May 2012, the resort now has 322 up-to-date rooms, in addition to the two largest ballrooms in Napa County.

First built in 2007, the 157 rooms in its main building were updated with new, modern design, including new carpeting, bedding, desks, chairs and tables at a cost of nearly $51,000 a room. In addition to revitalizing the rooms and suites, three were converted into Bella Suites with a studio setup designed for brides and bridal parties.

The recent renovations and upgrades were completed in early March. The hotel now has dining options, including Siena Restaurant, The Commons: A Wine Bar plus an adults-only pool with private cabanas, hillside vineyards and Estate Cave with a spa, tasting room and event space.

The upgrades come just 18 months after the resort opened the expansion, which included 165 new rooms, Crush Ultra Lounge, Blend Caf and additional meeting and event space. All told, an additional 131,300 square feet was added. Meeting space was increased by 12,500 square feet, totaling about 22,000 square feet indoors and another 28,000 square feet outdoors.

The Meritage teamed with two local charities to donate items from its hotel rooms that would otherwise end up in landfills and recycling facilities.

We were looking for ways to help the community and reduce the amount of building supplies going to local landfills, said Michael Palmer, general manager of The Meritage, which his owned by Irvine-based Pacific Hospitality Group. Working with the Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity chapter and St. Johns to donate items from the 157 rooms we are renovating was a perfect solution for us, the community and the environment.

Read the original:
Meritage Resort spends $8M on room upgrades

LIMESTONE COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -

For years, Limestone County Sheriff's officials said they need more room to isolate inmates who could pose a danger to others. It looks like that extra jail space will come soon.

According to the jail administrator, they knew when they first moved into the jail in 2005 that they would need more maximum security, single-bed cells.

The Limestone County Commission awarded the project bid on Monday. There is no set date to start construction yet, but once the bid is accepted it usually takes about three or four weeks to get through the contact process and get started.

The jail currently has twelve single-bed cells in the jail right now. Single-bed cells are for inmates who need to be separated from the general population that could have a violent history. Some may need protection from other inmates. Some are put in punitive isolation cells for inmates who have broken the rules. Other single-person cells are also used for inmates who have medical issues.

The administrator says there may be violent offenders in general population who would be in one if there was room. The pods will also be useful for inmates who need medical care.

"I may never go to jail, but someone I love may. And I would expect them to be protected from violent inmates. If I have a family member with medical problems that they would be in a situation where they would be safe," said Limestone County Jail Administrator Captain Vanessa Rich.

Rich said inmates with more violent tendencies tend to get in more fights, so the single-bed cells would make the environment safer for deputies.

Premier Structures Incorporated won the bid to build the 24-single bed jail pod. The estimated cost is $3.2 million. The plans allow for a future expansion for another 24 pods.

The Athens City Planning Board will vote Tuesday night on whether to approve the architect's plans.

Original post:
New addition planned for Limestone Co. Jail