Longview High School students could be rid of much-worn carpet after district officials discussed replacing much of the campus flooring with VCT tile.

The high school has about 105,000-square-feet of carpet that could be replaced and Assistant Superintendent Lynn Marshall said preliminary estimates based on the standard cost of installing tile could be between $250,000 and $275,000. The project is expected to be paid for with money in the districts fund balance, which the most recent audit of the district showed to stand at $48 million at the end of fiscal year 2011-2012.

We are not ready to do it right now, I just wanted to know if the board still wanted to pursue that, said Marshall, who at the last Longview ISD Board of Trustees meeting, brought the potential work before the school board.

The carpet is more than 20 years old and some school board members speculated that it could be original with the high school, which was built in 1976.

Its nasty and split and taped together in some places and stinky, Marshall said.

Marshall was approved to go out for bids in June, but held off because the work could not be completed by the 2013-14 fiscal year.

I was under the impression that we were in favor of it before and we held off because of time crunch, so I am still in favor of it, trustee Chris Mack said.

The goal would be to go out for bids sometime during the spring and then do the work during the summer.

What we wanted to try to do with that if we could was stay local; get the word out, get some specs get our bids together and be ready to jump on it as quick as we could because it is going to be a massive undertaking, Marshall said.

Marshalls update was made during a report section of the Dec. 9 meeting, and as such did not require a direct vote, but was merely used to gauge trustee interest in the project.

See more here:
Longview school district looks to tile high school

Longview High School students could be rid of much-worn carpet after district officials discussed replacing much of the campus flooring with VCT tile.

The high school has about 105,000-square-feet of carpet that could be replaced and Assistant Superintendent Lynn Marshall said preliminary estimates based on the standard cost of installing tile could be between $250,000 and $275,000. The project is expected to be paid for with money in the districts fund balance, which the most recent audit of the district showed to stand at $48 million at the end of fiscal year 2011-2012.

We are not ready to do it right now, I just wanted to know if the board still wanted to pursue that, said Marshall, who at the last Longview ISD Board of Trustees meeting, brought the potential work before the school board.

The carpet is more than 20 years old and some school board members speculated that it could be original with the high school, which was built in 1976.

Its nasty and split and taped together in some places and stinky, Marshall said.

Marshall was approved to go out for bids in June, but held off because the work could not be completed by the 2013-14 fiscal year.

I was under the impression that we were in favor of it before and we held off because of time crunch, so I am still in favor of it, trustee Chris Mack said.

The goal would be to go out for bids sometime during the spring and then do the work during the summer.

What we wanted to try to do with that if we could was stay local; get the word out, get some specs get our bids together and be ready to jump on it as quick as we could because it is going to be a massive undertaking, Marshall said.

Marshalls update was made during a report section of the Dec. 9 meeting, and as such did not require a direct vote, but was merely used to gauge trustee interest in the project.

Continued here:
Longview ISD looks to tile high school

UNE tile work
This video is about UNE tile work.

By: Tingis Redux

See the original post here:
UNE tile work - Video

The Babe James Center on Washington Street in New Smyrna Beach is due for renovation. The top image is a picture of what it looks like now, at bottom is a rendering of plans to expand and paint the building to blend in with the new streetscape.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH The Alonzo Babe James Community Center, a fixture in the citys Historic Westside neighborhood for a decade, is about to undergo renovations that will include a 1,646-square-foot addition and a new paint scheme.

The new red and grayish design was inspired by the banners that dot Washington Street, Jay Pendergast, architect for the Babe James Center project, told city leaders last week.

Theyve made a huge improvement to the street so it was suggested that we start to bring that theme into the new Babe James Center, Pendergast said. So thats what weve done that with the colors that were using on the front of the new building.

The addition includes a covered building entrance, reception waiting area, separate offices for youth and family services, a conference area and two computer rooms. The remodeling of the existing building includes expanding the multipurpose room to seat more people, new porcelain tile, revamped restrooms and kitchen and a new art room.

Basically for us what the expansion will do will make a bigger center for cultural and art events, said Donna Gray Banks, the citys community resources coordinator, whose office is in the Babe James Center, said Friday. It will fit approximately 250 people comfortably for weddings and pastoral events and community events.

In addition to an after-school program, the center is home to classes such as Tech Bridge, where people ages 16-21 learn how to make resumes, perform mock job interviews and prepare to take the General Educational Development test. Daytona State College also holds a GED class at the center, Gray Banks said. The New Smyrna Beach Police Athletic League also provides a number of programs for children there.

The new building also has a much larger entrance where people can wait and pick up their kids, Pendergast told commissioners.

City commissioners last year reallocated $450,000 that was originally set aside for a business incubator on Washington Street for the Babe James renovation. An additional $200,000 has also been appropriated for possible additions to the design that could include a new sound system for the multipurpose room and gym, and new air conditioning system for the gym.

The project could be put out to bid next month. When construction begins, city officials say they will look at temporary locations to host the programs normally held at the Babe James Center. Possibilities include the Minerva Civic Center or leasing portables and placing them at Pettis Park.

Link:
NSB James Center work to fit streetscape

241 - K Crestway, Nepean, Ontario - Virtual Tour
View virtual tour at http://www.myvisuallistings.com/ss/505151 Address: 241 - K Crestway, Nepean, Ontario Presented by Grenville Guardian Real Estate Ltd lia...

By: Visual4Sale

The rest is here:
241 - K Crestway, Nepean, Ontario - Virtual Tour - Video

OLEAN After 39 years working at the former Dal-Tile plant on South Clark Street, Kathy Wilcox expected to put in a few more before retiring.

I thought that after I retired, my husband would, too, and we would just enjoy our time off together, Mrs. Wilcox told the Times Herald.

Her dreams were not much different than those held by her 174 former co-workers, many of whom had worked at the facility for decades.

But exactly one year ago, the dream of finishing out her career at the only place she ever worked came to an end.

One year ago today, the tile plant closed for good, marking the end to a century of tile production in Olean.

Its tough. Ill never forget that date 12/12/12, said Mrs. Wilcox, who was president of the plants union. Its still very hard for me to drive past the plant ... I actually drive a different way when Im in that end of town so I dont have to go by it. But if I do drive past it, I just look the other way.

Officials with Mohawk Industries, the parent company of Dal-Tile International, Inc., announced in October 2012 the plant would stop all operations by mid-December of that year. The decision came after corporate officials rejected a proposal by state and local officials that offered tax breaks and access to low-cost power, among other incentives. But even with that economic assistance, corporate officials said it would cost $10 million annually to keep the facility open.

The plants operations were moved to a sister facility in Gettysburg, Pa., which is now the only Dal-Tile facility in the U.S. producing mosaic tile. The Gettysburg operation is not unionized.

When I found out the plant was closing, I thought it was just a dream, said Barbara Carlson, who worked at the plant for nearly four decades. It took your breath away to hear that news ... It seemed like your whole life was crashing down.

But that news wasnt necessarily a surprise, Mrs. Carlson said.

Read more:
Dal-Tile: One year after its closing

MERIDIAN From staff and AP wire reports

CertainTeed Corp. says work is on track for a July reopening of its Meridian ceiling tile plant the company closed in 2009.

And Graham Thayer, vice president and general manager for CertainTeed Ceilings, tells the Mississippi Business Journal that the settlement of a defective products case will not jeopardize plans to reopen the ceiling materials plant in 2014.

The company announced in early November that it would settle a federal class action lawsuit relating to fiber cement siding it manufactured and installed over the last decade. The settlement will cost the company $103 million.

The Valley Forge-Pa. based company says the reopened plant will include $24 million in upgrades and will put more than 100 people to work in the next three years.

"The settlement regarding our fiber cement siding received preliminary approval after our decision was made to reopen the Meridian facility and in no way will impact the progress we are making to reach our targeted July 1, 2014 re-opening date," Thayer said.

The Mississippi Development Authority is putting in $1.1 million for the project. Lauderdale County is borrowing $700,000 for infrastructure and rail improvements, which it will administer through contracts. The county and city of Meridian will each pay back $350,000 of the loan.

CertainTeed, a subsidiary of French building supply conglomerate Saint-Gobain, stopped its Meridian production in 2009 during a market downturn, laying off 120 workers at the time. The company cited sluggish commercial building in choosing to close one of its two ceiling tile plants.

CertainTeed selected Meridian for the shutdown because the plant there is older than the sister plant in L'Anse, Mich. The company also operates a ceiling tile plant in Plymouth, Wis.

Thayer said the Meridian structure remained in good condition after its closing.

Continued here:
CertainTeed reopening on track

MERIDIAN, Miss.CertainTeed Corp. says work is on track for a July reopening of its Meridian ceiling tile plant the company closed in 2009.

And Graham Thayer, vice president and general manager for CertainTeed Ceilings, tells the Mississippi Business Journal (http://bit.ly/1bU6Hfd) that the settlement of a defective products case will not jeopardize plans to reopen the ceiling materials plant in 2014.

"The settlement regarding our fiber cement siding received preliminary approval after our decision was made to re-open the Meridian facility and in no way will impact the progress we are making to reach our targeted July 1, 2014 re-opening date," Thayer said.

The Valley Forge-Pa. based company says the reopened plant will include $24 million in upgrades and will put more than 100 people to work in the next three years.

The company announced in early November that it would settle a federal class action lawsuit relating to fiber cement siding it manufactured and installed over the last decade. The settlement will cost the company $103 million.

CertainTeed, a subsidiary of French building supply conglomerate Saint-Gobain, stopped its Meridian production in 2009 during a market downturn, laying off 120 workers at the time. The company cited sluggish commercial building in choosing to close one of its two ceiling tile plants. CertainTeed selected Meridian for the shutdown because the plant there is older than the sister plant in L'Anse, Mich.

Thayer said the Meridian structure remained in good condition after its closing.

"So we are focused on installing new equipment and calibrating the production lines and to be fully operationalmanufacturing and shipping our ceiling panel products to customersby July 1."

Ceiling tiles have been manufactured in the Meridian facility since 1941 throughout various stages of ownership. CertainTeed took over the plant in 2005.

Go here to read the rest:
CertainTeed to reopen Meridian plant in 2014

December 12, 2013 - By Flavia Potenza

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICIA COLVIG

The stove in Patricia Colvigs kitchen stands as testimony to the skill and artistry of Harris and the Malibu Ceramic Works production team.

Nowadays, that is keeping the lost art of handmade California tile of the early 20th century and its cultural richness alive and prospering.

In 1979, Harris worked in the film industry and knew nothing about tile. But when a friend moved out of Topanga, Harris bought his collection of Malibu Tile that was produced by Malibu Potteries from 1926-1932.

I liked them and would give them away as Christmas presents, says Harris.

Little did he know that 30 years later, he would be regarded as the founding father of Malibu Tile and other decorative art tiles of the early 20th century because he was able to recreate the formulas that had been lost to history.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICIA COLVIG

The sink in Patricia Colvig's house shows the same mastery and attention to detail that is the mark of the workmanship of Malibu Tile Works.

Read the rest here:
Bob Harris’ Malibu Ceramic Works

By Laith Agha Marin Independent Journal

You have to paint the glue on.

Pick up a piece of the broken tile, and apply the glue. Then place the tile back exactly in place.

And work in small sections otherwise, it is too difficult to remember which pieces have been glued and which haven't.

This was the first instruction artist Erin Sorensen gave to her audience of 17 Kent Middle School sixth-graders, who on Wednesday had their first chance at getting their hands on the school's yearlong art project.

When it's all done, just about every Kent student, from fifth to eighth grade, will have had some role in creating the 340-square-foot mosaic mural, to be displayed at the front of the school.

An art student assembles broken tile in a mosaic class at Kent Middle School on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013, in Kentfield, Calif. The eighth graders use the pieces to construct what will be a 47-foot- long mosaic mural that will be placed in front of the school next year. (Frankie Frost/Marin Independent Journal) Frankie Frost

"We're celebrating 100 years of Kent Middle School," said eighth-grader Malory Wakida. "And to celebrate, we're creating this mural."

Designed by Sorensen, the mural serves as a timeline, with four scenes of the area and the school. It begins, on the far left, depicting Miwok Indian stick homes and a railroad track. Moving right, each of the next three images represents a phase in the school's history, including its first incarnation as Ross Landing School, in a different location than where the school sits now.

"It's cool to contribute something for the whole school," Malory said.

See original here:
Kent Middle School mural celebrates 'Kentennial'