ST. CHARLES When the Kane County Forest Preserve District bought the property which is now the Creek Bend Nature Center within LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, the district spent $2.5 million to remodel and add on to the 1930s house.

Four adults attended a program there Sunday on "The Nature Network: Make a Green Resolution."

Naturalist Ben Katzen said the district put in upgraded energy efficient windows, motion detector lights and room-by-room climate controll. All work together to keep the older building's energy costs down.

Katzen led the group through the older parts of the house that are available for rentals. He also took them on a tour the upstairs where bedrooms were converted to offices, work and conference rooms and in the basement, where nature program supplies are stored.

One of the things done to the older building during the remodeling was to add a supplemental heating system to the existing boiler and radiators, Katzen said.

"People have told me they love the heat from radiators versus forced air heating," Katzen said. "But the problem is there's a lot of hot and cold spots. This side of the house designated for rentals and parties and things. You want to have a lot more control over the climate."

The supplemental climate pads allow for heating and cooling of each individual room, in addition to the radiator heat, he said.

The district rents out various rooms for private parties such as for weddings, showers, graduations and various banquets.

The basement is the nature education headquarters, Katzen said, where a donated insect collection is kept, along with animal and wood artifacts and craft supplies.

Because the district renovated the 80-year-old house, some aspects were more expensive than building new, he said. These include adding an elevator so it would be handicapped accessible, putting in new water heaters, water filtration and sprinkler systems.

See the rest here:
Tour of 'this old house' gives some green remodeling ideas

One thing is clear from a trip down memory lane at Beech High Schools Archive and Museum: school was different back in the day. Girls played sports in pleated skirts and hats and boys drove their younger classmates to school in horse-drawn buggies. Students wrote with pens and ink wells, coal was used for heat, and whoever got to school first was responsible for starting the fire.

For Beech High School alumni, now theres a place where that past meets the present thanks to the preservation efforts of two enterprising students.

Corey White and Paige Likes, both seniors, spent much of their spare time this fall semester after school and on weekends reorganizing, remodeling and archiving documents and memorabilia at the schools in-house museum and archive. Although the archive room was established when the current Beech High School opened in 1980, it had not been maintained for several years, said Coach Darrin Joines, who teaches marketing at the school. White and Likes voluntarily took on the project as part of a DECA Club campaign for Joines class.

Everything was all scattered, White said. There was junk, chairs, some podiums and other furniture just everywhere.

Now open to the public by appointment, the exhibit celebrates the schools storied, more than 100-year history in the Shackle Island community.

Named for the numerous Beech trees nearby, the original Beech School was built in 1910 on land donated by Montgomery Hutchison, according to records on file at the Sumner County Board of Education Archives. Because little county funding was available, Shackle Island community members pooled resources and donated time to build the school, records show.

The school originally served students in grades 1-8, but was expanded in 1914 to include the first Beech High School.

Until White and Likes took on the project, both admit they knew little about their schools history, they said. They enlisted the help of their classmates and received advice from Kay Hurt, archivist for the Sumner County Board of Education.

We didnt know what anything was or what to do with it; we were really overwhelmed at first, Likes said. Both were surprised by how much detail goes into archiving and preserving important records, they said.

We learned so much from (Hurt), White said. She explained the significance of everything in (the archive) and gave us a lot of ideas about how we should organize it.

Follow this link:
Beech High students give new life to archive room of history long forgotten

Locker rooms at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Scott will be closed for renovations in the first three months of the New Year, but the swimming room, gymnasium and all other wellness and fitness facilities will remain open and operating.

The $500,000 project is funded by a county grant and with donations from supporters of the JCC.

A grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County will be administered by Allegheny County Economic Development.

Improvements to the mens and womens locker rooms include replacing the floors with slip-resistant green tile. There will be new walls, ceilings, lighting, lockers and benches as well as plumbing upgrades. Drains will be added to the locker room area. Safety bars and bathing suit spinners will also be added.

The JCC applied for the county grant and qualified "because of the size of the community we serve," said Dan Garfinkel, director of the JCC South Hills branch. "We try to never turn away anyone because of need. Last year we provided over $2 million" in assistance.

Renovations are expected to begin Jan. 6 and continue for 12 weeks through the end of March.

About 1,000 members regularly use the wellness and fitness facilities, plus 2,500 members of the Silver Sneakers senior fitness program for people 65 years old and older.

Because of the locker room renovations, a shower has been installed at the 25-yard, six-lane indoor heated pool, which is used by JCC members as well as 40 members of the Tidal Waves Swim Team, for students in grade school through high school, Mr. Garfinkel said.

Members working out in other facilities can use the regular restroom for changing, or are welcome to use the JCC in Squirrel Hill.

Built in 1999, the Jewish Community Center "houses comprehensive fitness and wellness facilities," the news release says. In addition to the swimming pool, there is a double-court gym and an accessible outdoor playground.

Read the original post:
Locker rooms at JCC South Hills closed for remodeling

bathroom remodeling contractors nashville I Miracle Method Refinishing
http://www.miraclemethod.com/bathtub-refinishing-nashville.php Phone: 615-223-1768 Toll-Free: 888-271-7690 Advantages of Miracle Method Tub Refinishing : White Miracle Method Refinishing Reviews...

By: Miracle Method Nashville

See the rest here:
bathroom remodeling contractors nashville I Miracle Method Refinishing - Video

Archie, who owner Nancy Metz describes as a rescue dog of uncertain heritage, was recently the center of attention by the Groom Room staff. From left, Kaylin Barnwell, Meri Bustamante and shop owner Bridget Miller. Macklin Reid photo

Dogs get treated like gold, said Bridget Miller.

Maybe thats why The Groom Room, which she has owned and operated in Ridgefield since 1983, is building on 30 years of success.

Her approach to customer service probably helps as well.

I try to accommodate people. Easy, easy, easy, thats my thing, Ms. Miller said. If they want to bring a dog in early, or change times youve got to accommodate the customer.

For business longevity, its important to have good customers. To Ms. Miller, that means customers who are good pet owners.

Ridgefield is a fabulous town to work in, she said. It makes my job easy because people take such good care of their dogs. I dont see anything bad.

You get to know people. You get to know their dogs. Ridgefields been good to me.

A former New Yorker who now lives in Danbury, Ms. Miller grew up in Brooklyn and went to the New York School of Dog Grooming in Manhattan.

I started in Ridgefield May 1982, she said. I was at The Animal House, in Copps Hill Plaza.

Original post:
Groom Room has 30 years helping pets put on the dog

Dec. 19, 2013 A team of researchers from Gregorio Maran Hospital, the company GMV and the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have started the first cancer operation room with a navigator. This image-guided system will allow for increased intraoperative radiotherapy safety.

The system, presented at Gregorio Maran Hospital, permits real-time interaction with the body of the patient (with its different tissues and cancer) as well as the radiotherapy applicator used to radiate the area affected by the tumor. This innovation will be used in the surgery of cancers treated with intraoperative radiotherapy in the hope of achieving greater precision in the radiation of potentially cancerous tissues after the removal of the tumor.

The installation of this new equipment has entailed a complete remodeling of the operating room. The new room, reinforced for this type of procedure, incorporates high-definition screens of high diagnostic quality to visualize the image of the patient in 3-D, three video monitoring cameras and a group of eight infrared cameras for real-time navigation placed in the area of the surgery that enables the surgeon to capture the movement of objects throughout the entire procedure. This technology shares the same principles of movement capture that are used in cinema and in video games to transfer the movement of actors to animated characters.

Medical personnel will have a 3-D representation of the patient and the applicator that conducts the radiation so that it can be guided into the patient via the high-definition screens of the operating room. On this representation, reconstructed from a previous scan, the placement of the applicator over the tumor bed is observed so that only tissues with cancerous residue or risk predetermined in each patient are radiated. Moreover, the area, the depth and the dose that any tissue (like skin, bone, muscle, intestines or bladder) will receive can be predetermined and adjusted on-site and healthy tissues can be checked for any additional risk.

This device, developed by scientists within the framework of research projects financed by the Autonomous Region of Madrid, the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and FEDER funds, makes the Madrid hospital an international point of reference in technological innovation and the application of research results to daily clinical practice. Dr. Javier Pascau, professor in the Bioengineering and Aerospace Engineering Department at the UC3M and part of the BIIG research group led by Dr. Manuel Desco, is the head researcher of several research projects that include this development. As he explains, the system employs multiple cameras to locate objects in three-dimensional scenarios like the intraoperative radiotherapy applicator. This information is sent to the planning system, which updates the real position of the applicator over the CAT (Computed Axial Tomography) of the patient and shows it on the screen. Thanks to this navigation system, the oncologist will be able to compare the current position and orientation of the applicator to the one previously planned and, if necessary, repeat the estimation of the distribution of the dose to adjust the treatment to the actual surgical scenario. The precision of the system, the first stereotactic navigator available in the field of intraoperative radiotherapy, has been evaluated by university researchers and was recently published in Physics in Medicine and Biology.

Intraoperative radiotherapy is an anti-tumor treatment which, after the removal of the cancer, allows doctors to radiate the areas affected by the tumor or parts that could not be eliminated with a high degree of precision. Through this procedure, it is hoped that the cancer then does not reproduce. In addition, "another advantage of this procedure is that all tumors can receive this treatment, although most of the ones that have been treated--and with very convincing results--were cancers of the digestive system and sarcomas," asserts Felipe Calvo, head of the Oncology Department at Gregorio Maran Hospital. Furthermore, Dr. Calvo adds that intelligent systems, like the intraoperative radiotherapy radiance simulator (developed and patented by Maran Hospital researchers and practitioners and the company GMV) and this new navigator "will make it possible to cut treatment time thanks to the use of large single doses on a very well-defined tumor, protecting healthy tissue at the same time. Intraoperative radiotherapy does not compete with but instead complements chemotherapy and the administration of biological medicines."

Intraoperative radiotherapy has been incorporated into advances in laparoscopic oncological surgery with obvious benefits for the patient, like the reduction of the biological impact of the postoperative period from between 4 and 7 days to 48 hours, and a procedure which requires less invasive surgery. In premature breast cancer, instead of lasting six to eight weeks in the case of conventional treatment, radiation therapy treatment and surgery can be done in only 24 hours.

The rest is here:
First cancer operation room with navigator is created

VILLA PARK Proudly surveying her new living room Monday evening, Beth Jarosy tried to put into context the vast changes that had recently occurred in the common space of her Villa Park residence.

Everything in here is better than I ever would have dreamed, she said with an excited smile.

Jarosy, a U.S. Navy veteran, was the recent recipient of a living room makeover courtesy of a partnership between Fox Valley ReStore and DuPage Habitat for Humanity, as well as designer Kevin Grace and the team at ABC 7s Windy City LIVE.

ReStore, a nonprofit organization that raises funding and collects donated housing materials to support Habitat for Humanity, initiated the makeover idea with the goal of giving back to a local veteran, said Randy Hamann, general manager of ReStore.

Working in conjunction with the DuPage chapter of Habitat, the organizations eventually chose Jarosy, who served as an information systems technician from 1996 to 2004.

Unbeknownst to her, Jarosy was surprised with the makeover news on a Veterans Day episode of Windy City LIVE, a daytime talk show featuring hosts Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini. Grace, whose segment, Kevin Grace, Save My Space, has been a feature on the show for the past year, said Jarosy was the perfect person to honor.

She is a veteran, but she is also a female veteran, said Grace, a former contestant on HGTVs Design Star. We always think of the men, but there are so many women involved in our military that it just made sense.

Jarosy, a mother of three who grew up in Lombard, initially struggled to find a permanent home for her family after being discharged from the Navy Reserve in 2004. After moving more than half a dozen times, the Glenbard East High School graduate became a homeowner in 2009 through DuPage Habitat.

Habitats Veterans initiative helps alleviate the shortage of quality housing that often directly affects veterans.

The house on Ridge Road was one that Jarosy had previously driven by, and despite damage to the roof, she remembers telling herself, that is going to be my home. To her benefit, the house was one Habitat also had an eye on remodeling, and shortly after, Jarosy and her children moved in.

More here:
'I was just speechless': Local veteran receives holiday home makeover

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

19-Dec-2013

Contact: Ana Herrera oic@uc3m.es Carlos III University of Madrid

This news release is available in Spanish.

The system, presented at Gregorio Maran Hospital, permits real-time interaction with the body of the patient (with its different tissues and cancer) as well as the radiotherapy applicator used to radiate the area affected by the tumor. This innovation will be used in the surgery of cancers treated with intraoperative radiotherapy in the hope of achieving greater precision in the radiation of potentially cancerous tissues after the removal of the tumor.

The installation of this new equipment has entailed a complete remodeling of the operating room. The new room, reinforced for this type of procedure, incorporates high-definition screens of high diagnostic quality to visualize the image of the patient in 3-D, three video monitoring cameras and a group of eight infrared cameras for real-time navigation placed in the area of the surgery that enables the surgeon to capture the movement of objects throughout the entire procedure. This technology shares the same principles of movement capture that are used in cinema and in video games to transfer the movement of actors to animated characters.

Medical personnel will have a 3-D representation of the patient and the applicator that conducts the radiation so that it can be guided into the patient via the high-definition screens of the operating room. On this representation, reconstructed from a previous scan, the placement of the applicator over the tumor bed is observed so that only tissues with cancerous residue or risk predetermined in each patient are radiated. Moreover, the area, the depth and the dose that any tissue (like skin, bone, muscle, intestines or bladder) will receive can be predetermined and adjusted on-site and healthy tissues can be checked for any additional risk.

This device, developed by scientists within the framework of research projects financed by the Autonomous Region of Madrid, the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and FEDER funds, makes the Madrid hospital an international point of reference in technological innovation and the application of research results to daily clinical practice. Dr. Javier Pascau, professor in the Bioengineering and Aerospace Engineering Department at the UC3M and part of the BIIG research group led by Dr. Manuel Desco, is the head researcher of several research projects that include this development. As he explains, the system employs multiple cameras to locate objects in three-dimensional scenarios like the intraoperative radiotherapy applicator. This information is sent to the planning system, which updates the real position of the applicator over the CAT (Computed Axial Tomography) of the patient and shows it on the screen. Thanks to this navigation system, the oncologist will be able to compare the current position and orientation of the applicator to the one previously planned and, if necessary, repeat the estimation of the distribution of the dose to adjust the treatment to the actual surgical scenario. The precision of the system, the first stereotactic navigator available in the field of intraoperative radiotherapy, has been evaluated by university researchers and was recently published in Physics in Medicine and Biology.

Intraoperative radiotherapy is an anti-tumor treatment which, after the removal of the cancer, allows doctors to radiate the areas affected by the tumor or parts that could not be eliminated with a high degree of precision. Through this procedure, it is hoped that the cancer then does not reproduce. In addition, "another advantage of this procedure is that all tumors can receive this treatment, although most of the ones that have been treated--and with very convincing results--were cancers of the digestive system and sarcomas," asserts Felipe Calvo, head of the Oncology Department at Gregorio Maran Hospital.

Furthermore, Dr. Calvo adds that intelligent systems, like the intraoperative radiotherapy radiance simulator (developed and patented by Maran Hospital researchers and practitioners and the company GMV) and this new navigator "will make it possible to cut treatment time thanks to the use of large single doses on a very well-defined tumor, protecting healthy tissue at the same time. Intraoperative radiotherapy does not compete with but instead complements chemotherapy and the administration of biological medicines."

Visit link:
The first cancer operation room with a navigator is created

Published: 12/17/2013 - Updated: 1 minute ago

BY RYAN AUTULLO BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The University of Toledo opened a beautiful state of the art football complex in 1990, a structure with cool trappings making the Rockets the envy of less fortunate teams.

The facility is no longer beautiful or state of the art. No one envies it.

But wait until July when the university finishes pouring $5 million and about 10,000 square feet into the 23-year-old Larimer Athletic Complex. University officials on Tuesday released their renovation plans, which in one word can be described as bigger. There will be more space for meetings, studying, recruiting, weight training, hanging equipment, and decorations.

Weve outgrown the building, athletic director Mike OBrien told a room of alumni and friends of the university.

Construction will begin about Feb. 1, starting with inside remodeling. Modifications to the buildings exterior could begin in April weather permitting and should be completed by mid-July in time for fall camp. In the mean time, coaches will work from the Glass Bowl press tower. Weight room equipment will move across the street to the Health Education Center. Functions of the academic center will shift to the library.

About $2 million for the project still must be raised, but OBrien is confident.

We have a lot of asks out there that people are talking about within their own families and will get back to us, he said.

The Sullivans, Chuck and Jackie, pledged $1.5 million, earmarking half for the renovation and the other half to be used for coaching bonuses across all sports at the university. Among others who gave a major gift were Roy and Marcia Armes.

Link:
UT athletic complex refitting

CARY Inside Cary Fire Protection Districts Station 1 is a larger training room so the district could comfortably seat all of its members. Previously, if there were more than 50 people, they would stand along the back wall during a general meeting.

The expanded training room was part of a $1 million expansion and renovation that started in June at the fire station that was originally built in 1985. A substantial amount of the work was finished last month, but there are a handful of touch-ups that need to be completed.

The previous capacity of the training room was 50 people. The district has 72 members, so from time to time there would be people standing in the back of the room during general meetings, said Fire Chief Jeffrey Macko said.

We could scrunch everybody in, Macko said.

Now the capacity is about 100 to 125 people depending on whether people are seated at tables.

The training facility was the biggest thing we wanted to get done, Macko said. It makes it a lot easier. We do a lot of training.

As part of the renovation, firefighters now have individual bunk rooms when they sleep overnight at the station. Previously, firefighters had to share a 24-foot-by-12-foot bunk room. Beds were separated by 6-foot tall partitions. There are five women in the department, Macko said.

In the one room, theres not too much privacy, Macko said. Some people snore.

The six 8-foot by 8-foot bunk rooms are now sound proof, and each has a bed and small closet.

Special lights also were added to the rooms. Instead of lights going to the brightest levels right away when there is an alarm, lights gradually become brighter to allow for firefighters to adjust in the middle of the night when theyre woken up.

Original post:
Cary Fire District completes station renovation, expansion