An architect's rendering of what Brancheau PE Complex will look like after a major overhaul of the recreation facilities. Completion date is projected to be spring 2015. (Courtesy art)

SILVER CITY >> WNMU will soon begin a complete overhaul of the recreational facilities around Old James Stadium, including the repair and redesign of the university swimming pool. At the most recent Board of Regents meeting, a resolution was passed to seek $4 million in outside funding, with a student fee being used to pay back the debt.

"It is amazing to know that soon our students will benefit from an extraordinary project with the addition of this new recreation center," student body President Edna Reyes said in a news release. "It is time to offer our students a great quality experience on campus through more choices. I know it will be a great addition to this campus."

A blueprint shows a running track beneath the bleachers and around the border of Old James Stadium, as well as a basketball court and sand volleyball court. Within the Brancheau PE Complex, more than 10,000 square feet of the existing facility will be renovated to include two 25-meter swimming lanes in addition to a large shallow swimming area for programs such as aqua aerobics. The reduction in size of the existing pool will make way for a state-of-the-art fitness and weight room and an improved changing room and locker facility.

"Since I came to Silver City, reviving the swimming pool has been a priority because I believe it will continue to enhance our students and our community's quality of life," WNMU President Joseph Shepard said in the news release. "Further, the recreation complex will allow us to more effectively recruit and retain students, since studies indicate that if students form relationships among their peers they are more likely to persist and earn degrees. Facilities such as the recreation center provide opportunities for developing these relationships," Shepard added.

Shepard met with several university departments to brainstorm the programs that will operate in the new facility. Students, faculty and staff will receive free memberships to the facilities, with a membership fee for community members.

Originally constructed in 1979, the Brancheau PE Complex was named after former Mustang coach Tim Brancheau. After more than 30 years, an imbalance in chemical stability paired with excessive water loss led to the closure of the pool facility about three years ago.

Renovations will begin once cost estimates are finalized and bonds are issued. The facility is projected to open in spring 2015.

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WNMU's former pool and P.E. complex set for modernizing and remodeling

"I dont know anyone

VIOREL FLORESCU/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Vikki and John Ruisch at a fireplace they added when recently renovating their Woodcliff Lake home. Though the couples goal wasnt to increase the houses value, fireplaces are high on the wish lists of many buyers.

who doesnt like

a fireplace."

VIKKI RUISCH OF WOODCLIFF LAKE, WHO HAD TWO FIREPLACES BUILT INTO HER HOME DURING A REMODELING PROJECT

Vikki Ruisch had a fireplace in her house, but it was in a room her family barely used. So during a remodeling project last year, she had a fireplace built in her heavily trafficked living room, where everyone could enjoy it.

Ruisch figured it would add value to her Woodcliff Lake house, but that wasnt really an incentive. She grew up having a fireplace in her home and just wanted one, or two. She also had one put in the master bedroom.

"I dont know anyone who doesnt like a fireplace," she said. "We use ours, especially this winter. My husband puts the one on in the bedroom when he gets up about an hour before me, and then its nice and toasty by the time I get up."

Ruisch is one of many home and business owners installing fireplaces to add ambience, warmth and financial value to where they live and work. A fireplace can increase a homes value by 6 to 12 percent, according to the National Center for Real Estate Research of Littleton, Colo.

Link:
Fireplaces can sell the home

"I dont know anyone

VIOREL FLORESCU/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Vikki and John Ruisch at a fireplace they added when recently renovating their Woodcliff Lake home. Though the couples goal wasnt to increase the houses value, fireplaces are high on the wish lists of many buyers.

who doesnt like

a fireplace."

VIKKI RUISCH OF WOODCLIFF LAKE, WHO HAD TWO FIREPLACES BUILT INTO HER HOME DURING A REMODELING PROJECT

Vikki Ruisch had a fireplace in her house, but it was in a room her family barely used. So during a remodeling project last year, she had a fireplace built in her heavily trafficked living room, where everyone could enjoy it.

Ruisch figured it would add value to her Woodcliff Lake house, but that wasnt really an incentive. She grew up having a fireplace in her home and just wanted one, or two. She also had one put in the master bedroom.

"I dont know anyone who doesnt like a fireplace," she said. "We use ours, especially this winter. My husband puts the one on in the bedroom when he gets up about an hour before me, and then its nice and toasty by the time I get up."

Ruisch is one of many home and business owners installing fireplaces to add ambience, warmth and financial value to where they live and work. A fireplace can increase a homes value by 6 to 12 percent, according to the National Center for Real Estate Research of Littleton, Colo.

See more here:
Variety of choices available in fireplaces

Chantilly, VA (PRWEB) March 07, 2014

Moss Building and Design and Moss Home Services, a family-owned home remodeling and home services company in Chantilly, VA, is set to attend the Arlington Home Show and Garden Expo at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center in Arlington, VA. The show takes place on Saturday, March 8th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Moss has been a part of the Arlington show for several years and is pleased to once again be a representative of remodeling in northern Virginia. Both divisions of Moss, Moss Building and Design and Moss Home Services, will be in attendance. Moss Building & Design remodels additions, kitchens, bathrooms and basements. Moss Home Services offers superior care in handyman services, plumbing, electrical, roofing and siding and a variety of other home improvement needs.

Moss will also be doing their HandyMOM 101 workshop at the show. The HandyMOM 101 workshops have allowed Moss to empower women to tackle those smaller items on their honey-do lists but also to reach a community that is not often a part of the remodeling and construction business. The workshop is a hands-on approach to teaching women the right DIY skills they need to tackle their home improvements. Attendees are invited to work alongside a Moss professional and test their new skills. This weekend, Moss will be doing one of their most popular workshops, Patch it, at 1 p.m. in the Green Room. They offer a variety of workshop options including "Tile it," "Patch It," and Hang it."

Come visit Moss at the Home Show this weekend with Moss Building and Design at booth #316A and Moss Home Services represented at booth #319. The Arlington Home Show will be located at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center, 3501 South 2nd Street, Arlington, VA 22204 which is off of South Glebe Road and Route 50.

Moss Building and Design continues to meet the remodeling demand in Northern Virginia from additions to kitchen and bathroom remodels and basement remodels, to their Moss Home Services division with handyman services and smaller renovations and repairs. Homeowners are encouraged to contact Moss or visit the website at http://www.mossbuildinganddesign.com to learn more about Moss remodeling services in Northern Virginia, including additions, kitchens, bathrooms, basements and home services, or to request a free consultation.

About Moss Building & Design and Moss Home Services: For home improvement in Northern Virginia, you can count on Moss Building & Design. Moss Building & Design and Moss Home Services are an award-winning, family-owned residential remodeling and home services company located in Chantilly, Virginia.

Since 2001, Moss has established a reputation for excellence in remodeling additions, kitchens, bathrooms and basements and home services throughout Northern Virginia. Their customers see them as a trusted partner, and Moss is very proud of their exceptional 80% repeat customer and referral rates. Moss Building & Design has won consumer awards from Angies List and also has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, as well as many industry building and design awards.

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Northern VA Remodeling and Home Improvement Company, Moss Building and Design and Moss Home Services, Will Attend the ...

Madison's $30 million transformation of its central library has been named a 2014 Project of the Year by the Wisconsin chapter of the American Public Works Association, and also is in the running for a top prize from the national organization.

Tyler Smith, chairman of the Wisconsin chapter's awards committee, on Thursday confirmed the library project's top selection in the contest's structural division, calling it "an awesome project" that stood a good chance of also getting national honors when those are announced likely later this month.

The chapter award recognizes excellence in both the administration of public projects and in the quality of collaboration that took place between a project's managing agency, design team and contractor.

Opened to the public on Sept. 21 after 22 months of work, the redesigned space at 201 W. Mifflin St. is both a renovation and an expansion of the former 1965 central branch of the city's library system.

Designed by architects Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle of Minneapolis and Potter Lawson, Inc., of Madison, with Madison-based J.H. Findorff & Son as general contractor, the library was rebuilt to offer much more than just a renewed space to house books.

Noteworthy features include 20 new conference rooms, specially designed space for children and teens, a new art gallery and a community room with built-in audio and visual equipment for workshops, meetings and hands-on classes. The building also has a media lab where library patrons can receive training on software and other technology tools.

"The multiple amenities and 21st century appeal of the renovated library make it more than a place to check out books and study," Findorff's Amanda Byrd said in a statement announcing the award. "It has transformed into an accessible community treasure for generations to come."

Sustainability also was designed into the project's deconstruction and construction phases, with LEED Gold certification long identified as a goal. Elements aimed at reducing waste and saving energy included the building's 10,000-square-foot sedum-covered roof -- sedum is a flowering plant -- with solar panels.

In addition, all the wood products in the building came from forests certified as sustainably managed, Findorff said, with flooring made mostly with recycled tires installed throughout the building. Indoor air quality was protected by paints, sealants and adhesives containing limited volatile organic compounds.

With offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Findorff employs on average 500 construction workers and tradepeople to complete about $300 million in construction annually, Byrd said.

View original post here:
Madison Central Library remodeling named top public works project in Wisconsin

FRANKSTOWN, Pa.Mike Woodling of Williamsburg is willing to put his artistic touch on almost anything from a painted wheelbarrow to a motorcycle.

But Woodling's legacy will likely remain on the walls of local structures, like the Frankstown Municipal Building.

"He did a wonderful job," Frankstown Township Secretary Beverly Henderson said about the mural Woodling painted at the front of the building's meeting room. The artwork was part of a remodeling project the township completed last year that updated the former school, which also serves as a voting precinct.

The focus of the mural is a rendering of the red-brick building, as it might have looked in the 1930s and 1940s when the structure was the community's two-room school. The mural also includes renderings of the veterans memorial that stands at the corner of Frankstown Road and Route 22 and the Korean War memorial that is part of the township's park in Geeseytown.

"I think that entire mural is absolutely beautiful," said Ronald McCleary, a Korean War veteran who spearheaded the effort to build the Korean War Memorial in 2011. Seeing that memorial included in the mural, he said, was amazing.

"I never even dreamed of something like that," McCleary said.

Woodling said he is proud of how the mural turned out and the reaction.

"I started with about three or four old photos of the grade school, then someone loaned me a photo album," Woodling said.

"Then, some people who remembered the old school came in and told me about a fence in front of it so I put that in. They couldn't remember if the had two or three rails, but they did remember how they had to go around the fence to get into the school."

Blanche Weyant of Scotch Valley Road was one of the people who provided photos and looked for photos to help Woodling. Weyant, 81, was a student at that school in the mid-1940s, along with her siblings.

See the original post:
A touch of artistry in Frankstown chambers

By Kay Stephens

kstephens@altoonamirror.com

FRANKSTOWN - Mike Woodling of Williamsburg is willing to put his artistic touch on almost anything from a painted wheelbarrow to a motorcycle.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Williamsburg artist Mike Woodling stands with the murals he painted in the Frankstown Township council chambers.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski This mural of the war memorial was painted in the Frankstown Township council chambers was also painted by Mike Woodling.

But Woodling's legacy will likely remain on the walls of local structures, like the Frankstown Municipal Building.

"He did a wonderful job," Frankstown Township Secretary Beverly Henderson said about the mural Woodling painted at the front of the building's meeting room. The artwork was part of a remodeling project the township completed last year that updated the former school, which also serves as a

voting precinct.

The Woodling file

Name: Mike Woodling

Continued here:
Paintings leave touch of artistry in Frankstown chambers

Troy Hokanson used to drive 11 miles to check on his aging mother.

Now he goes into his hallway -- and knocks on a door.

"It's really convenient," said Hokanson, who recently moved into a new Lakeville home that has a separate apartment for his mother.

Homes like his are creeping into the Twin Cities area, with new ones being built in Woodbury, Stillwater and Maple Grove.

The homes aren't considered duplexes, because the apartments aren't designed for renters. They share common utilities including water, cable TV and electricity.

But they are popular with those who want to live near a loved one -- without living with them.

The units were designed by national builder Lennar Homes, under the brand name "NextGen" homes. The company has sold about 600 nationwide, according to Lennar's Minnesota marketing manager Tim Fohr.

He said the NextGen homes are taking advantage of demographic trends, including that "people are bunking up."

The U.S. Census reports that 25 percent of Americans lived in multi-generational households in 1940, a percentage that fell steadily until it hit 14 percent in 1990.

It has since bounced back, reaching 17 percent in 2009 -- meaning that about 51 million Americans were living in a multi-generational home.

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There's room -- and doors -- for everyone in a "granny flat"

[All photos by BUILD LLC]

The mud & laundry room is becoming more important to the overall function of modern homes, and the design of this space is no longer just an afterthought. Weve been seeing a trend for several years now, as the mud & laundry room ups its status and the trajectory has become so prominent that it makes a useful topic for todays post. No doubt, its on the duller side of design coverage, but when youve got to put pencil to paper (or mouse click to screen) its helpful to have guidelines, drawings, specs, and photos of the real deal even if its just the laundry room. While often dismissed as mere service space, wed like to point out that these rooms are only ugly when architects dont design them thoughtfully.

The primary design factor of most mud & laundry rooms is children. If the homeowners dont have kids (or if the kiddos have grown up and moved out) the space can be streamlined and minimal. However, if children are in the picture, the space takes the full range of tasks such as drop sort, locker room (for losing the dirty sports gear before entering the house), gear storage, sorting, washing, and keeping the dirt confined. For a young family, the mud & laundry room might just be the hardest working room in the house. And for all that, it gets very little credit (until now).

Todays post reviews three different scenarios and spells out all the details about the design and construction of mud & laundry rooms. Enjoy and, you know, dont track any dirt in the house.

The Innis Arden Remodel offers a great example of the mud & laundry room that does it all. A simple 9 x 11 room that includes a wall to wall bank of open cubby-style cabinets to tackle the sports gear needs of two boys as well as coats, shoes, and the household cleaning equipment (vacuum, brooms, etc.).

On the opposite side of the room are wall to wall cabinets with door and drawer faces that house the washer, dryer, sink, and household storage in addition to providing plenty of countertop space.

See original here:
Mud & Laundry Room Design | Build Blog

Santa Ana police 'soft room' aims to comfort victims

Zonta Club of Newport Harbor volunteers Cris Peterson, from left, Susan Mounier, and Angela Whiteside help direct Bonny Schumaucher and Scott Walker, Santa Ana Police Foundation board member, level a picture. The woman's group refurnish one of the Santa Ana Police Dept.'s interrogation rooms and make it more welcoming to victims of domestic abuse at Santa Ana Police Department. Typically those victims are interrogated in the same room as the criminals.

CINDY YAMANAKA, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

SANTA ANA What used to be a room equipped with only three chairs and a table the basics for a police interview room is now a comfortable space decorated with flower vases, brightly colored children's furniture, a coffee table and soft-toned couches.

Officials hope that the newly refurnished Santa Ana Police Department interview room will put victims of domestic abuse or human trafficking at ease while they are questioned about their cases.

The remodeling session took place Wednesday and was spearheaded by the Zonta Club of Newport Harbor, a chapter of Zonta International, which raises funds for projects aiming to advance the status of women.

Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said the room will offer a safe environment for victims.

Obviously, these are traumatic crimes, especially with victims of domestic violence or abuse. It makes it much easier for the detectives because they're (victims) far more relaxed, Bertagna said.

The Zonta Club focuses on human trafficking, and this project is the second of its kind. Last year, the club refurnished an interview room at the Westminster Police Department.

Club members are looking into remodeling other police department interview rooms.

Continued here:
Santa Ana police 'soft room' aims to comfort victims