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Tractor Supply Co. has submitted plans to Marine City to remodel a portion of the former Kmart space.(Photo: Brian Wells/Times Herald)

Tractor Supply Co,soon will start remodelingwork ona portion of the former Kmart spacein Marine City andplans to open in the city next year.

The space has been vacant since December, when the Kmart closed and ended its 40-year run.

They have already submitted their plans for buildingpermitsso I expect work to start soon,Elaine Leven, MarineCitys city manager, said in an email.It will be a welcome addition and give people in the area another source for a great mix of products.

Tractor Supply Co. public relations representative Darias Collins said in an email the Marine City Tractor Supply Co. store is slated to open in early spring 2021.

Tractor Supply Co. has submitted plans to Marine City to remodel a portion of the former Kmart space.(Photo: Brian Wells/Times Herald)

The store will provide about15 new jobs to the areawith at least half of themfull-time positions. Anyone interested in applying for a position can visit the company's website.

"Tractor Supply is committed to providing customer service that addresses the needs of the Out Here lifestyle in addition to everyday home and pet care, and the Marine City area reflects that," Collinssaid.

According to the companys submitted plans, the proposed remodel includesabout 28,709 square feet offormer Kmartinterior space, next toMarine City Auto Care.

The plans include a permanent sidewalk display area, permanent trailer and equipment display area, a fenced outdoor display area, a pet wash area and dressing room space.

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The next two closest Tractor Supply Co. locations are in Richmondand New Haven; the company also has locations in Fort Gratiot Township and Marysville.

According to the First Commercial listing for the property, the remaining former Kmart space available is 54,962 square feetwith a rate of$4.50 per square foot per year.

The listing describes Riverside Plaza as supporting the residents of Marine City and the surrounding communities. It is anchored by VG Foods and is located near the St. Clair River, just south of town.

Contact Bryce Airgoodat (810) 989-6202 or bairgood@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.

Tractor Supply Co. has submitted plans to Marine City to remodel a portion of the former Kmart space.(Photo: Brian Wells/Times Herald)

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Tractor Supply Co. plans to remodel part of former Marine City Kmart, open spring 2021 - The Times Herald

By Nicola Caul Shelley, Synergy Design & Construction

At Synergy Design & Construction, were big believers in giving homeowners insights into everything you need to know to make informed decisions about home remodeling.

As the pandemic wears on and were all spending so much more time at home, we know a lot of you are ready to make big changes. From kitchens to basements to bathrooms, interior remodeling services are in high demand especially as temperatures start to plummet and our attention turns to winter and the prospect of spending even more time indoors.

Other than kitchens, one of the most frequent home remodeling requests we get is bathroom remodeling. So, to help you on your remodeling journey, here are three dont tips you should know before you get started!

1. Dont Hire the Wrong Type of Contractor for the Job

Every day you see your powder room, your heart sinks a little and you make a mental note (again) its time to do something about it. If your powder room needs a little pep, its not a big remodeling project. But, just as you dont need a CPA to balance a checkbook, you dont need a full service design and build firm like Synergy if you just want to update a vanity and change a light fixture. Knowing who you need is the starting point. Doing your homework and aligning your needs with the type of service a particular contractor provides is a HUGE time (and money) saver. Read more in Best Remodelers in Reston and Where to Find Them.

2. Dont Assume You Need to Keep the Tub

We get this question a lot, Do I need a bathtub in my Master Bathroom?. The short answer is no. A soaking tub is aesthetically beautiful, but if you dont use it now you wont use it in the future. Weve completed a number of remodels for homeowners who chose to eliminate the tub altogether and create a larger shower that packs a design WOW! punch instead. If youre concerned about resale, most home buyers DO want a tub, but it doesnt necessarily need to be in the Master Bathroom. As long as theres one somewhere in the home for kids (and, yes, sometimes pets!) it isnt a deal breaker. Of course, keeping the tub and making a design feature out of it is always an option if you have plenty of room for one.

3. Dont Select Form Over Function

Its really easy to select finishes based on your HGTV vision of your space, not the real life version of how youll actually use it. Were all guilty of this one! For example, a pedestal sink can be a piece of artwork in itself, but it becomes a cluttered mess if you dont have a place to put everything. Spend your budget on storage-friendly vanities. Adding one might just reduce the stress you feel every time you walk into your bathroom and see cluttered countertops. Even the most modern floating vanities now come in all sorts of styles that include storage drawers, so if you have more contemporary taste, you dont have to sacrifice modern design.

Our featured remodel this month is a Reston townhome master bathroom remodel. This transitional bathroom is a great example of how removing the bathtub and creating room for a larger walk-in shower completely transforms the space. The result? A beautiful spa-like retreat.

Learn about the steps we take to ensure a safe home remodeling experience here. If youre ready for a design thoughtful home remodel, our consultations are FREE and we even offer virtual meeting options. If youre ready to chat, give us a call!

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Reno of the Month: Three Things Not To Do In Your Bathroom Remodel - Reston Now

Though both have been around for a while, construction professionals in the region said they are seeing them trend upward.

Old buildings for new purposes

Construction Engineers recently finished a project for Essentia Health that involved converting an old retail building into a state-of-the-art ambulatory care clinic.

The 23,000-square-foot building in Park Rapids, Minn., now includes 18 exam rooms, space for physical and occupational therapy, a speech therapy department, and a cutting-edge radiology department, among a number of other features.

Essentia moved into the space when Construction Engineers, headquartered in Grand Forks, N.D., was just finishing some final touches with the building in early September.

Mike Dunn, the construction companys business development manager, said this is not the first time the company has refitted a building for a new occupant. Dunn said vacant retail stores are prime real estate to convert to health clinics, in part because of the open spaces of vacant buildings.

We did a job very similar for Altru in Grand Forks where we repurposed a Scheels store, there on Columbia Road, into its PT and Performance Center, he said. These health care providers want to utilize these locations and save a little bit of money by remodeling into those buildings.

Dunn said there are some varying challenges repurposing old buildings, but the benefits surpass the hiccups. A couple of benefits is that the main structure is already built, and retrofitting an existing building instead of building a new one may save the new owners money.

I think there are definitely challenges with repurposing, but it can also help owners open faster because theyre not undertaking a totally new construction project, he said. I think that's why some of the owners like doing this. As an example, the Park Rapids project was a nice open floor plan to begin with and so it just involved adapting their layout for the flow of patient care and traffic patterns. It was totally transformed.

While businesses other than medical might find their own purpose for repurposing an existing building, it seems to especially be trending with healthcare providers.

They typically are in good locations and so the health care folks are seeing there's opportunity to put some of their specialty needs clinics in more retail locations and repurpose those buildings, Dunn said. We've seen a number of them do that. We see it all around the area, actually.

Dunn said he is unsure if the coronavirus pandemic has quickened the trend, because many remodeling projects started before the pandemic was declared. And from what hes seen, it is a trend not only locally but nationally.

A lot of these jobs have been in the works for three years or so, he said. I think it's more of a trend nationally with available buildings and, again, trying to fill up space instead of always doing new construction on the outskirts of town, that kind of thing.

Prefab and modular manufacturing

Modular construction and prefabricated buildings also are becoming more popular among medical facilities and the hospitality industry.

Something that makes these options appealing, according to Tim Torpey, general manager of B&T Manufacturing in Black Hawk, S.D., is that they are a cost-effective option, especially during economically challenging times.

There's no shortage of us having opportunities for projects, Torpey said. We continue to grow, and that includes our employees over the next couple of years.

The company is growing so remarkably, in fact, that it plans to open a new 60,000-square-foot facility this fall in Rapid City.

The Prefabrication and Modular Construction 2020 SmartMarket Report, published by Dodg Data & Analytics, echoed similar sentiments, explaining that prefabrication and modular construction are experiencing significant growth as the construction industry seeks to improve safety, productivity, project quality and cost-cutting measures.

Clearly the future is bright for continued growth in use of both prefabrication and modular construction for a number of reasons, according to the report. One of those reasons, Torpey said, has to do with the number of diminishing trade professionals.

Construction folks will tell you that with the shortage of qualified personnel when you think about the carpenters and plumbers there are not a lot of folks going into those trades these days, he said. So they're looking for solutions to still get their job done, and this provides possibly more job opportunities in this market where people are not going into those other fields as much. This helps to kind of balance that out.

A view of a finished, factory-built bathroom by Black Hawk, S.D.-based B&T Manufacturing. Image: Courtesy of B&T Manufacturing

B&T specializes in prefabricated and modular bathrooms for hospitals, hotels and restaurants, among other industries. The bathrooms are manufactured at B&Ts facility and then delivered to the project site for installation.

They're actually complete turnkey bathrooms with tile, mirrors, shower doors, vanities, Torpey said. They just slide into the envelope of the building. Once on site, we do about two hours worth of connections and you have a fully functioning bathroom.

Of course, thats a simplistic explanation. Torpey said there is a lot of pre-planning, measurements, and coordination that happen along the way and long before the bathroom is installed. It never fails him when the job is complete; he is always excited to see a project come together like a finished puzzle.

B&T also is doing something else with bathrooms, something Torpey said he believes will be a game changer on the job site. Say goodbye to portable potties on the construction scene, he said. Say hello to the wellness hub.

The Wellness Hub for Hygiene & Health fits into a variety of environments to connect to sanitation, fresh water, and electrical utilities. It includes natural lighting and porcelain fixtures. Basically, Torpey said, it is a smart bathroom that scans the faces of users to take their temperature, provides a hand-sanitizing basin, and once the occupant leaves the hub it locks the door and automatically sanitizes the room for the next visitor. The hub is on wheels so it can easily be moved to new locations of a job site.

The hub is just another way that Torpey said B&T is following trends and making new ones. In the larger picture, he said some general contractors still have a tough time with prefabricated and modular projects, but he understands why that may be the case.

The general contractors out here, the hotel builders and such, they've been doing their stuff for years and years, the way they've always done it, he said.

But he believes prefab and modular will continue to take hold and grow, and those who have come on board with it realize the benefits.

They see the potential, but it is still that leap of faith, he said. Basically what were doing, we're just bringing construction into a manufacturing process.

Andrew Weeks may be reached at 701-780-1276 or aweeks@prairiebusinessmagazine.com

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A couple of construction trends to keep an eye on - Grand Forks Herald

Fall calls for more than just a reset on our clocks. We need to prepare for a new season. Here are some ways to do so and save money at the same time.

At the grocery store

Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. Overripe fruits and vegetables go bad faster, so choose the freshest produce available. When it comes to leafy greens, opt for those that are richly colored, with few to no limp or yellow leaves. When youre picking out root vegetables like potatoes and onions, weight is a good indicator of freshness: The heavier they are, the better.

In your clothes closet

The cheapest place to go shopping is right in your home. With cooler months approaching, its time to go through your closet and swap out your favorite shorts for your favorite sweatpants.

Take a day to go through everything you own, and create piles for things you no longer want, things you want to keep, and seasonal items. For clothing you wont need until next summer, properly pack it in airtight containers to avoid issues like moths.

Once your clothing is separated, youll probably have some items that are showing signs of wear. Dont toss them. Its surprisingly easy to re-dye clothing that has started to fade. If you have stained items, try soaking items in OxiClean. If you noticed that your workout gear is not looking as spry as it used to (or that its retaining a funky smell even after washing), bring it back to life with Purex Fels-Naptha.

If the idea of going through your wardrobe doesnt fill you with joy, get some friends together over Zoom for a virtual clothing swap. You might be able to nab a couple of new pieces from pals and rid yourself of stuff you dont love anymore.

Around the house

If youre itching to do some remodeling, try something that doesnt cost anything at all: rearranging your furniture.

First, decide what you want the focal point of the room to be and concentrate on that. If its the bay windows in your living room, figure out how to arrange the furniture so it doesnt impede the view. Position the largest pieces of furniture (such as the bed or sofa) first, and work outward from there. Try different layouts.

Once you have an arrangement you like, step out of the room and walk back in. A vibe check will allow you to see how the room feels.

After rearranging, you may find yourself in need of a new piece of furniture or two. But before you go shopping, take a look around your house to see whether theres anything you can repurpose. Could that old bookshelf be transformed into your new standing desk?

Clean and organize

Now that youve rearranged, why not take the extra step of making the furniture look new? To tackle lighter stains, a little warm water and dish detergent can usually do the trick (depending on the fabric).

If you need something stronger, or you need more than just a spot treatment, it may be worth getting an upholstery cleaner. A good upholstery cleaner may seem expensive, but its cheaper and more convenient than hiring a professional cleaner.

Want to give your bathroom an inexpensive face-lift? Organize anything you have stored in exposed shelving. Tidying up (and hiding things out of sight) is especially rewarding if you have a smaller bathroom. A clean space creates the illusion of a larger space. Or perhaps you can craft a new shower curtain.

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It's fall. Time to refresh, reset and save - Minneapolis Star Tribune

After a 3-year-old named Matthew started having one seizure after another, his worried parents learned he had a chronic brain condition that was causing the convulsions. They faced an impossible decision: allow the damaging seizures to continue indefinitely, or allow surgeons to remove half of their sons brain. They chose the latter.

When Matthew emerged from surgery, he couldnt walk or speak. But bit by bit, he remastered speech and recaptured his lost milestones. The moment one side of his brain was removed, the remainder set itself to the colossal task of re-forging lost neural connections. This gut-level renovation was so successful that no one who meets Matthew today would guess that half his brain is gone.

BOOK REVIEW Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain, by David Eagleman (Pantheon, 320 pages).

Stanford neuroscientist David Eagleman is obsessed with probing the outer limits of this kind of neural transformation and harnessing it to useful ends. Weve all heard that our brains are more plastic than we think, that they can adapt ingeniously to changed conditions, but in Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain, Eagleman tackles this topic with fresh lan and rigor. He shows not just how we can direct our own neural remodeling on a cellular level, but how such remodeling a process he calls livewiring alters the core of who we are.

Our machinery isnt fully preprogrammed, but instead shapes itself by interacting with the world, Eagleman writes. You are a different person than you were at this time last year, because the gargantuan tapestry of your brain has woven itself into something new.

His expertise derives from his place at the center of the livewiring universe. As the CEO of NeoSensory, which makes sensory aids like wristbands that allow deaf people to feel sound, hes been an architect of brain plasticity research for more than a decade.

In a refreshing counterpoint to the biology-is-destiny drumbeat, Eagleman embarks on a lively tour of how we can transform our brains by exercising our own agency. The neurons we exercise thrive and make new connections, he says, while the unused ones wither away. Its essentially Darwins survival of the fittest playing out inside the human skull. Just like neighboring nations, neurons stake out their territories and chronically defend them, Eagleman writes. Each neuron and each connection between neurons fights for resources.

The brains remodeling ability offers us lots of room to compensate for our existing weaknesses. Just as Matthews neurons cross-linked in new ways to make up for the brain tissue he lost, the brains of blind or deaf people adapt by forming more neural connections to process information coming from other senses. Brain regions care about solving certain types of tasks, irrespective of the sensory channel by which information arrives, Eagleman writes. The cartography of the brain constantly shifts to best represent the incoming data.

Still, he stresses that these kinds of dramatic changes may not be lasting unless theyre actively maintained. If youre a football quarterback, the region of your brain devoted to split-second decisions will be a rich thicket of neural connections, exquisitely attuned to the task of speeding the ball to a receiver. But if you retire and retreat into couch potato-hood, these hard-won neural connections will atrophy. Decades down the line, you may have to summon all your concentration just to flip the ball to your grandkids.

Our profound neural adaptability stems in part from the brains bias toward maximizing novel input, a strategy Eagleman calls infotropism. Once the brain hits on a vein of new information, it sucks it up with vigor, valuing it over old or static inputs a bent that explains some of our more memorable neural quirks.

You are a different person than you were at this time last year, because the gargantuan tapestry of your brain has woven itself into something new, Eagleman writes.

Lots of people saw book pages with a faint reddish cast in the mid-1980s because office workers were staring at green-lit computer monitors for hours each day. In response to the new abundance of green, the brain re-calibrated its visual baseline, causing everything else to look just a little redder by comparison. (The effect disappeared once monitors started to display more colors.) In a similar way, your brain adjusts for stable visual stimuli like the fine scrim of blood vessels on your retina, so youre never conscious of seeing these vessels at all.

Importantly, Eagleman also addresses the limits of neural remodeling a discussion that lends surprising insight into our polarized political landscape. We experience a pronounced drop in brain plasticity as we age, which is one reason some older people seem mired in world views that may not align with todays global realities. Through years of border disputes, neural maps become increasingly solidified, Eagleman writes, later adding, Someday, your brain will be that time-ossified snapshot that frustrates the next generation.

Despite his acknowledgment of this reality, Eaglemans overall tone is one of heady optimism about livewirings potential. The dogged adaptability of the human brain, he says, suggests a broader guiding principle for designers and inventors: Dont build inflexible hardware; build a system that adapts to the world around it. He floats the prospect of International Space Station components that are initially incompatible, but muddle their way to compatibility by trying different connection strategies just as the brain muddles its way to solutions through repeated trial and error.

No technology yet exists to enable this kind of flexible machine intelligence, which underscores the immensity of the challenge Eagleman is posing. While Livewired is long on enthusiasm (and rightfully so), its a bit short on guidance for emulating or augmenting the adaptable system inside our heads. Its easy for the hype that surrounds brain plasticity to get ahead of reality, as when Elon Musks Neuralink prototype branded as a Fitbit in your skull to enhance neural activity proved to be basically a miniaturized set of electrodes.

Even so, the scientific discoveries that have been made are remarkable enough, and Eaglemans insights on their significance shrewd enough, to make his book a vital addition to the pop-neuroscience canon. Were still a far cry from harnessing our brains chameleon-like properties to the fullest extent. But that doesnt mean its too early to sketch out the possibilities that will open up when we do.

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Book Review: The Remarkable Adaptability of the Human Brain - Undark Magazine

Caribou Coffee will have a counter inside the Festival Foods on Northland Avenue in Appleton.(Photo: Einstein Bros. Bagels)

Five things to know today: Several coming attractions in the Fox Cities updated their opening date plansthis week.

One business will unveilits expansionshortly, and an east-side organization puts on the brakes both because of the pandemic's effects.

Plus, theres a voteright nowthat has nothing to do with politics.

The new food court in the Northland Avenue Festival Foods in Appleton will open Nov. 13. Its currently hiring 20 people to run the area at the front of the store.

The reason why a 2,000-square-foot food court is drawing so much attention is that it will be the home of northeast Wisconsins first Caribou Coffee counter.

It will also have a gourmet popcorn counter, expanded HisshoSushi, Asian stir-fry and pizza by the slice.

Going to Pieces Quilt Co.completes its expansion nextweek at 1017 W. Northland Ave. in Appleton. The new space will house a new specialty fabric room and a nearly 900-square-foot quilting classroom that allows social distancing.

The business has seena surge of interestduring the pandemic as home sewers looked for new projects, said co-owners Mary Klein and Joanne Mjos.

Acocas remodeling/expansion in downtown Appleton should wrap up by the end of the month.

The mousy beige building was painted pimento red, making it stand outacross the street fromthe Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.

When it reopens, co-owner Bill Wetzel said it will havelimited hours to start and curbside pickup anddelivery only for its coffee drinks and breakfast items. As COVID-19 eases, hell add hours and expand the menu.

Thompson Center on Lourdes, a senior center on Appletons east side, will closetemporarily starting Friday becauseof COVID-19'saccelerationin the area. The center will reopen when the curve has flattened, its leaders said in a release.

More: COVID-19 in Appleton, Fox Cities: Thompson Center will close Friday to help slow spread of coronavirus

Kimberly-Clarks Nano diapers, made for preemies up to two pounds, area final four nominee in the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin, contest, an annual Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce promotion. Anyone can vote at madeinwis.com up until the winner is named Wednesday.

Besides K-Cs diapers made in Neenah, Plexus in Neenah and the Boldt Co. in Appleton had also made it into the contests final 16.

Contact reporter Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or mwallenfang@postcrescent.com. Followher on Twitter at@wallenfang.

More: The Buzz: Changes include a grocery store closure in New London

More: Shred Day offered Saturday at Bank First

More: The Buzz: VFW building sold to local investment group

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The Buzz: Updates on coming businesses, plus a few COVID-related changes - Post-Crescent

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The clinic will occupy 4,300 square feet of space that formerly housed Five Guys and Subway.

A link has been sent to your friend's email address.

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

ProHealth Care is adding a second urgent care clinic in Pewaukee.(Photo: Evan Frank / Now News Group)

ProHealth Care will add a second Pewaukee urgent care clinic soon.

The new clinic will be at 1279 W. Capitol Drive in the village of Pewaukee, said Ann Dee Allen, a media relations and content strategist for ProHealth Care.

"The clinic will occupy 4,300 square feet of space that formerly housed Five Guys and Subway restaurants," Allen said.

The space is leasedand remodeling is underway. Allen said the urgent care clinic is scheduled to open in November.

"The clinic will have six examination rooms and one imaging room," Allen said. "Physicians, advanced practice providers and support staff will be located there."

The urgent care will be open seven days week and offer evening hours. Online reservations will be available atProHealthCare.org/UrgentCare;walk-in visits also will be welcomed.

ProHealth Care also has an urgent care clinic atN16 W24131 Riverwood Drivein the city of Pewaukee. Other urgent care centers are within ProHealth Medical Group clinics in Brookfield, Mukwonago, New Berlin, Oconomowoc, Waukesha and Watertown.

ContactEvan Frank at (262) 361-9138or evan.frank@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Evanfrank_LCP.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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Pewaukee will soon have a second ProHealth Care urgent care clinic - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A. Kevin Corvo|ThisWeek group

Parishioners at St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church are closer than before, both physically and spiritually, thanks to a $7.3 million, 22,975-square-foot addition that connects the campus church and school buildings.

The parish has been a fixture of the community since 1956, and the current church building has been a landmark at the southwest corner of Davidson and Dublin roads in Hilliard since it was dedicated about 40 years ago, according to stbrendans.net.

Our ONE campaign has met its goal of creating an addition that provides the convenience of joining us under one roof and providing the additional space for our ministries, said Colleen Speer, director of development for St. Brendan.

Construction for the Our Navigator Expansion campaign began in August 2019, and finishing touches continued during the final days of September, including the installation of a 1,200-pound marble altar in the churchs new adoration chapel.

It will be used for parishioners who prefer a small, quaint chapel for weddings or funerals but also as a place for personal prayer and reflection, Speer said.

The altar at the adoration chapel and other sacred pieces eventually will be consecrated, but owing to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the large and formal dedication that the St. Brendan staff members and parishioners would have celebrated must wait until later, she said.

Instead, members were permitted to take self-guided tours of the new addition Sept. 27.

The addition represents the first albeit the largest of four phases derived from the desire of parishioners, Speer said.

We didnt dream them up, she said. We asked for their input and what they wanted.

After completing the design for an addition and other improvements, St. Brendan leaders in early 2019 began a campaign to collect pledges to complete the first phase of the expansion, Speer said. To date, the church has pledges of $6.3 million, she said.

Construction began last year with a loan from the Catholic Diocese of Columbus that will be reimbursed with parishioners pledges, Speer said.

The first phase included connecting the church to the school, which is attended by 450 students in kindergarten through the eighth grade.

Previous story: Parishioners pledge to bring St. Brendan under one roof

A new 8-foot statute of St. Brendan the Navigator, made in Italy, now greets those approaching the churchs main entrance.

A new child-care center also was built adjacent to the sanctuary; the former child-care center was in a different building from the sanctuary, Speer said.

The first phase also includes new parish and school offices and a multipurpose meeting room.

The new additions allow for the growth of the churchs programs and its school, said Rev. Bob Penhallurick, pastor of St. Brendans Church.

Penhallurick said 3,016 families are members of St. Brendan, and 2,800 people on average attend multiple services every Sunday.

The sanctuary, which seats nearly 1,000 people, did not change.

Only one first-phase plan did not come to fruition: an expanded cafeteria because it was instead used as additional classroom space to allow for social distancing of children attending the school during the pandemic, Speer said.

Future phases include additional construction and renovations that would total 25,100 square feet of new construction and 8,525 square feet of renovated space on the 74,205-square-foot campus.

The second phase, estimated at less than $200,000, would consist of renovating the unattached parish offices into small meeting rooms.

The third phase, estimated at $150,000, would include remodeling and expanding the schools kitchen and building new restrooms.

The fourth phase, estimated at $750,000, would involve a building addition to serve as a preschool and early education center, according to Speer.

St. Brendan last was renovated in 1998, when a rectory was added to the campus. It also was expanded in 1992 when school classrooms were added.

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Changes afoot on St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church campus - ThisWeek Community News

Photo courtesy of Mid-Cape Home Centers

Installing a kitchen island is a great remodeling project to improve the functionality of your kitchen and add unique design elements (as well as value) to your home. The island can be as simple or elaborate as you desire. Larger kitchens can have room for multiple islands, serving a number of purposes. Smaller kitchens can fit islands that are big enough for entertainment as well as casual dining.

A kitchen island is a freestanding, multipurpose unit that often serves as complimentary counter space and storage. There are endless design options for an island, and it really does come down to what you want or need it to be.

Islands are a great way to provide additional storage in the kitchen. They can serve as a buffet for large meals or entertaining, create much-needed food prep space, or be utilized for such tasks as baking. In certain instances, the island incorporates additional appliances, including cooktops, under-counter microwaves, or wine storage. Some even have sinks installed.

Islands come in all sizes and materials. You dont need to have an expansive kitchen to have an island, yet an island adds value and instills a sense of luxury in a home. Many islands have an informal eating area with stools or chairs where you can enjoy snacks, breakfast, coffee or quick meals. Some have wheels so you can easily move them to where theyre needed at any given time.

The cost of a kitchen island varies as widely as the styles available. You could pay $100 for something simple and functional, or up to $10,000 for a custom piece of furniture as your kitchen centerpiece. The cost varies greatly due to several factors including its size, counter and cabinet material, and features, like a bar, a sink/drain and built-in appliances. The price to include an oven, range hood or other appliance for cooking in your island depends on whether or not you have a built-in island or are having something custom made. The average cost of a kitchen island ranges from $3,000 to $5,000.

Understanding your needs (as well as your space and budget) will help you plan on the right island for your home. If youre looking for an island that does more than provide extra counter space or storage, consider hiring a carpenter or kitchen remodeling professional. You might also need a licensed electrician and/or a licensed plumber if you want your island to have electricity and/or plumbing for appliances.

The benefits of installing a kitchen island are definitely something to consider. If you use your kitchen a lot, the benefit of having the extra counter space, storage space and even seating space can be a huge boon, especially if you entertain often. Again, do some research and think about what functionality you need or want from an island. Also, consider consulting a professional kitchen designer, particularly if what you want will be a custom piece.

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Should You Add a Kitchen Island? Here are Some Things to Consider - CapeCod.com News

For Sale/Rent

The single-family features four stories, multiple offices, and a solarium that looks out into a lush backyard.

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

27 Devon Road, BrooklinePrice: $4,500,000Size: 6,078 square feetBedrooms: 5Baths: 4.5

Everyones looking for their own slice of paradise in the cityand the new owners of this Chestnut Hill manse will have found theirs. Hedged by boxwoods and towering Alberta spruces, the home is barely visible from the sidewalk. Through a gateway and up the brick walkway, the front door opens into the foyer, which is a mood board for the entirety of the home: Original leaded windows, coffered ceilings, and a stately staircase all work together to create a habitat thats as grand as it is cozy.

Travel up those steps to see the two stories of fireplaced bedrooms, sizable bathrooms, and elegant offices above the main level. Or, stay on the ground floor to tap out a tune in the piano room, set a place in the paneled dining room, or start on dinner in the well-equipped kitchen. There, a double oven, farmhouse sink, and full wall of custom cabinetry center around a circular island outfitted with cookbook storage and barstool seating.

One step down from the kitchen, a tiled floor spreads out underneath a less formal dining and living room. A glass-and-wood solarium (which was completely rebuilt following the 2015 snowpocalypse) surrounds the sitting area, engulfing the room in sunlight and doubling as a massive window into the backyard: A private oasis filled with Japanese maples, perennial beds, and a decorative brick patio.

For information, contact Kyle Kaagan Team, Gibson Sothebys International Realty, kylekaaganhomes.com.

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

Photo via Gibson Sothebys International Realty

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On the Market: A Secluded Tudor in Chestnut Hill - Boston magazine