Walkways are a key part of almost any landscape. Check out our walkways and garden paths slideshow for some great ideas and tips and then read our guide to designing your own walkway:

Walkways and paths are a part of almost any landscape, but they dont always get the attention they deserve. The way a walkway is designed can have a major impact on your landscape. If you need to design a walkway or path, take some time to understand your options. Lets start by taking a look at what walkways are all about.

This question seems harmless enough, but the answer is not as straightforward as it may seem. The primary purpose of walkways is to give a sturdy surface to high traffic areas. Without a walkway surface, foot traffic would erode the ground and eventually leave a path of dirt (or mud!). Of course, nobody likes a muddy path, but there are many other reasons to install a walkway. Here are a few:

Sometimes walkways are introduced purely for their aesthetic value. The stone (or other

This walkway acts as a border for a great garden

surface) of a walkway can provide a valuable contrast in the landscape. Garden paths can also be used to introduce curves and draw the eye to parts of a garden that might otherwise go unnoticed.

As always, you need to define a goal for your walkway. Is the purpose of your walkway just to protect the grass from being trampled? Will it add aesthetic value to your yard? Will it have any other purpose? Ask yourself these questions before going forward. Dont underestimate the impact of a well-designed walkway. Most homeowners dont put enough thought into paths and walkways and they miss a great opportunity to enhance their landscape.

Once you understand what you want from your walkway, go ahead and lay it out. You can practice with lengths of garden hose. When youre laying out your design, think about who will use your path and how they will use it. If its a high traffic walkway, you might want it wide enough to accommodate two or more people walking side by side. Garden paths can be narrower. If your walkway is the main entrance to your home, make it generously wide 48 inches ( 1.2 meters) at a minimum. Most pathways look better with curves, but this depends on the design of the surrounding home and landscape. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Try laying out your walkway several different ways and see which way feels best. Once youve got it down, mark both edges with marking paint and live with it for a few days. This will give you a chance to see how it works.

Some paths are made simply for their aesthetic value

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design walkways and garden paths | Garden Design for Living

The University of Connecticut does not have the signature gothic towers or arches of Yale or Michigan, or the brick walkways or gates of Harvard, or the brownstones of Wesleyan.

When you arrive on campus, no gate or arch signals that you are at UConn.

That might change, however, as the university embarks on a $2 million effort to create a new master plan, prompted partly by the taxpayer-financed $1.5 billion Next Generation Connecticut plan that will bring with it extensive development and renovation, including at least one new science building and residence hall.

"We don't want to put a science building down in the wrong location," said Laura Cruickshank, who was hired away from Yale in February as UConn's master planner. "That needs to be supported by transportation. It certainly must be supported by utilities, certainly supported by landscape a landscape that knits the campus together."

The plan will address the location of new buildings, traffic and pedestrian patterns, open spaces, utilities and environmental issues and the finer details that have to do with establishing a sense of place.

"It's definitely something I'm concerned about 'look and feel' and that's in quotes," said Cruickshank. "'Look and feel' is a really important thing for any university campus, and coming here from Yale [There's] a definite 'look and feel' at Yale. You knew where you were. I think that's definitely something we can improve upon here."

About a dozen firms presented proposals to create the plan, and the school has narrowed it to three: NBBJ; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP; and Michael Dennis & Associates.

University officials hope to choose one of the three in January and go forward with the plan expected to cost $1 million to $1.5 million and to be completed by December.

Cruickshank, who earns $225,750 as the university's master planner and chief university architect, said that she envisions an open process, with public meetings at which university professors and staff, students and community members will be able to participate in shaping the plan.

The new plan will come at a time when UConn is embarking on significant development. Next Generation Connecticut is the centerpiece of that effort, which is a decadelong project aimed at transforming the university's science, technology and math programs. The plan includes increasing faculty by 259 and students by 5,000.

Read this article:
UConn Will Create A Master Plan For Storrs Campus

With the winter weather upon us, letter carriers are making their appointed rounds.So I'm asking residents and business owners to help them by clearing snow and ice from the approach to the mailbox.High levels of snow and sheets of ice blocking access to mailboxes can make mail delivery not just difficult, but hazardous. Clearing a path to the mailbox including steps, porches, walkways and street approaches will help us maintain consistent delivery service and prevent injuries.

Customers receiving door delivery should make sure their sidewalks, steps and porches are clear.Customers receiving curbside delivery should remove snow piles left by snowplows.

Unfortunately, delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous conditions for letter carriers, or when snow plowed against mailboxes prevents letter carriers from opening the door to the mailbox while seated inside a delivery vehicle. We will not curtail delivery without careful consideration, and only as a last resort.We will attempt to deliver any curtailed mail the next business day.

I'm also asking that residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property keep them clear of snow and ice. With the public's help, our carriers will deliver your mail promptly and safely throughout the winter season.

LAUREEN POINDEXTER

Postmaster, Champaign

Excerpt from:
Make a clear path for the mail carrier

For anyone who has ever wondered what Christmas is like in Bethlehem, the site where Christians believe the first one took place, here it is, 2013 years after the fact.

Snow melts underfoot in Manger Square, the plaza that surrounds the Church of Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born. Businesses bordering the central hub of Bethlehem are unfurling a bit late this year, after the worst winter storm in the region since 1953; for them it is economic crunch time. The meteorological-induced downturn is added to an already-stagnant economy in the West Bank, which the local council is attempting to turn around. An oversized (55 feet tall) artificial Christmas tree that was made in China stands beside the Church of Nativity, covered in shiny red baubles and a large metal star, steps from the Omar Mosque. Shops bordering Manger Square are fully stocked with Christmas wares for the masses of Christian tourists from all over the world who will pack the square on Christmas eve and day. Nabil Giacaman, 30, who is Christian, helps his father Issa in the family shop, Christmas House, which sells holiday-themed ornaments and nativity scenes carved from local olive wood. When a reporter for International Business Times visited the shop just a week before Christmas, it was quiet after the bad weather, but business was slowly picking up. Giacaman said local businesses are doing well, despite the setback posed when the municipality set up an outdoor Christmas market directly outside their shops, taking business away. Most of their stuff is made in China; ours is made locally and supports the locals," Giacaman said. "It is not common sense to set up direct competition for us and take business away from the local economy. Guides are taking tourists to big shops where the commission is 40 percent and no one is preventing them. I am suffering from this. But, Giacaman was happy to report that there are few conflicts between the region's Christians and Muslims, as exemplified by the fact that the Mosque of Omar and two Christian churches easily coexist on Manger Square. Bethlehem merchant Nabil Giacaman talks about the influx of tourist business during the Christmas season. Kate Shuttleworth Giacamans father, Issa Giacaman, recalls when the citys economy fell victim to extreme violence. In March, 2002, the Israeli Defense Force rolled into Bethlehem two days after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 30 Israelis and injured 160 in Netanya.Two hundred gunmen, mostly Fatah and Palestinian Authority policemen, took refuge in the Church of the Nativity, holding 46 clergymen and up to 200 civilians hostage as the IDF closed in on the sacred site. During the 39-day siege, Issa Giacaman's warehouse, where he stored the olive wood he used to carve the ornaments he sold in his shop, was destroyed. This year, said George Hadweh, manager of the Bethlehem peace center restaurant and bar in Manger Square, business was great prior to the rare snowstorm, but for him has been extremely difficult since. We were closed last week because the pilgrims didnt come -- I couldnt even make it to work because the roads from my home in Beit Jala were blocked, Hadweh said.We were supposed to have 80 people for lunch, but it was canceled when the bus couldnt reach us." Because Bethlehem is perched on a 2,500-foot-tall hill, reopening the ancient citys snowy roads was difficult. The area is still covered in snow and the walkways and roads are hazardous with ice. Bethlehem is also still reeling from seven years of international sanctions, the construction of the West Bank security barrier with Israel, and random incidents of violence. Though it is just a few miles from Jerusalem, the city has been cut off since 2003, when Israel quickly erected a security wall during the violence of the second intifada, which lasted four years, saying it was necessary to protect Israeli citizens from Palestinian terror attacks. Bethlehems history and its association with Christianity is what attracts visitors, and Christmas is the obvious season. Beyond that, many wonder about the city's future. Modern Bethlehem struggles under the occupation and what they lament as Israels refusal to provide some sort of financial injection into the Palestinian economy in return for propping up its own tourism industry. Land in the greater Bethlehem region is proving another stranglehold for the area. Only 13 percent of the Governorates 660 square kilometers (260 square miles) is available for Palestinian development. Up to two-thirds of it comes under Area C, which under the Oslo Peace Accords remains under full Israel military control. Palestinians who wish to build anything from a water tank or garden shed to a house have to apply to the Israeli military for a permit, and permits are rarely granted. Bethlehem Mayor Vera Baboun, 49, is the first woman mayor. Shes Christian, a widow and a mother of five who also remembers the 39-day siege well. Bethlehem Christian Vera Baboun is optimistic about the future of her religion in her home city, despite Israeli-Palestinian tensions. Kate Shuttleworth Her husband Jonny, a Fatah member, was imprisoned by Israel for three and a half years during the first intifada, leaving Baboun to raise their young family alone. He died in 2007 and was given a martyrs funeral at the Church of the Nativity, which Baboun can see from her office every day. It was tough -- the 39 days were not only on the nativity, it was on the city as well. The deported are all still away. She agrees there's now little conflict between the citys Muslim and Christian communities. In Bethlehem we talk about Palestinians per se; there is no schism between Muslims and Christians. The only schism is a national one, between Fatah and Hamas. Baboun is working hard to reclaim Bethlehem as a Palestinian tourism site. According to latest Israeli tourism figures, 65 percent of Israels tourism earnings are reliant upon tourists visiting Bethlehem. Yet, that money doesn't always return to the Palestinian city, she says. Between January and June of this year, an estimated 1.7 million tourists visited Israel, and many of them made the short trip to the Palestinian town of Bethlehem. Sixty-five percent of Israeli tourism is because Bethlehem exists, and yet Bethlehem does not really, economically, humanly benefit from tourism, Baboun said. Its not a matter of number only, its a matter of efficient presence in Bethlehem. When I consider the movement of tourists in Bethlehem, I consider Bethlehem as if it is not a touristic city. Baboun said pilgrims typically entered the Church of Nativity and left Bethlehem within three hours. Christmas events in the city began on Dec. 1, and while Bahoun doesnt think the tourist influx is as high as normal, she conceded that all 3,300 hotel rooms in Bethlehem are booked for Christmas. We have another four hotels, including the regions first five-star hotel, being built at the moment that will lift the number of rooms to 5,000, she added. The most-important tourist offering is the Church of the Nativity, which was built at the behest of Queen Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, in 327. It's one of Christianitys most visited and scared sites, standing above the grotto where it's believed Jesus was born. More than two million people visited the church last year. Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity is undergoing a long-awaited restoration. Kate Shuttleworth This year the church is undergoing a $2.75 million renovation. The restoration work began after the State of Palestine was admitted to UNESCO, and the international organization recognized the church as a protected heritage site and joint work on the restoration effort became possible. The Palestinian government contributed $2.6 million toward the project, which the Italian company Piacente Spa is supervising. The basilica located at the Church of the Nativity is wrapped in scaffolding as the roof is repaired to prevent leaks from damaging mosaics and other priceless items. Despite Babouns reassurances, Samir Qumsieh, the founder of the Christian Nativity TV channel and an outspoken Palestinian Christian, said he's not optimistic about the long-term prospects for his people in the birthplace of their religion. The future of Christianity here is gloomy and anyone claiming otherwise is wrong. Extremism is expanding and we, the Christians, are the weakest link in the chain. But for now, Christmas is coming up, which is foremost on the minds of the tourists (in addition to avoiding slipping down on snow and ice), the shopkeepers, the hoteliers, and, in particular, the local Palestinian Christians. The giant Chinese Christmas tree is there in Manger Square, like a beacon, advertising and paying tribute to Jesus' birth, while in the square, a mix of tourists, local Christians and Muslim women hurry past, many of them chattering away on cell phones.

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Christmas In Bethlehem: A Rare Snowstorm, A Struggling Economy And A Chinese Christmas Tree Beside The Mosque

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) offers these tips to minimize the risk of over-stressing a building roof due to accumulated or drifting snow:

Be on the alert for large accumulating snow build-up or snowdrifts on your roofs.

If roof snow can be removed, from the ground, with the use of a snow rake (available at most hardware stores), do so. Use caution, as metal snow rakes conduct electricity if they come into contact with a power line.

Try to avoid working from ladders, as ladder rungs tend to ice up. Snow and ice collect on boot soles, and metal ladders.

Flat roofs can be shoveled clear, but only if it is determined that the roof is safe to stand upon. Exercise care when on the roof to avoid potentially dangerous falls.

Flat roof drainage systems should be kept clear to minimize the risk of excess roof ponding in the event of subsequent heavy rainfall or melting.

Large icicles can form on roof overhangs, but do not necessarily mean ice damming is occurring. Icicles overhanging doorways and walkways can be dangerous and should be carefully removed.

All of the mentioned actions should only be performed by able-bodied adults, as the snow is heavy, and roofs and other surfaces may be slippery. Protective headgear and eye protection is recommended.

For additional information about MEMA and Winter Preparedness, go to http://www.mass.gov/mema.

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Take steps to avoid roof hazards

ACC Minister Judith Collins is encouraging all New Zealanders to take extra care during the holiday season, at home and on the water.

Between December 25 and January 2, ACC received around 36,500 Christmas-related injury claims, costing levy payers around $24 million to date.

"Seemingly harmless activities such as setting up and taking down Christmas trees and lights can prove risky. Small things such as following the three-points-of-contact rule when using a ladder can help reduce the risk," Ms Collins says.

Last year, ACC received 154 Christmas tree related claims, 39 Christmas light related claims and 29 Christmas present related claims.

"We should think about the small things we can do to reduce the risk of injury - such as wiping up spills and cleaning up toys and clutter from walkways. Prevention is better than a cure and it is important we keep that in mind this festive season," Ms Collins says.

Ms Collins is also encouraging Kiwis to be safe in and around the water this summer.

"Kiwis love being around water during summer but its important to know your limits, swim between the flags and look out for one another in the water."

Last year 98 people drowned in New Zealand pools, beaches and waterways.

"This summer we want people to enjoy the water and take simple steps to keep themselves and their families safe."

Continue reading here:
Take care this Christmas - Collins

Take care this Christmas

ACC Minister Judith Collins is encouraging all New Zealanders to take extra care during the holiday season, at home and on the water.

Between December 25 and January 2, ACC received around 36,500 Christmas-related injury claims, costing levy payers around $24 million to date.

Seemingly harmless activities such as setting up and taking down Christmas trees and lights can prove risky. Small things such as following the three-points-of-contact rule when using a ladder can help reduce the risk, Ms Collins says.

Last year, ACC received 154 Christmas tree related claims, 39 Christmas light related claims and 29 Christmas present related claims.

We should think about the small things we can do to reduce the risk of injury such as wiping up spills and cleaning up toys and clutter from walkways. Prevention is better than a cure and it is important we keep that in mind this festive season, Ms Collins says.

Ms Collins is also encouraging Kiwis to be safe in and around the water this summer.

Kiwis love being around water during summer but its important to know your limits, swim between the flags and look out for one another in the water.

Last year 98 people drowned in New Zealand pools, beaches and waterways.

This summer we want people to enjoy the water and take simple steps to keep themselves and their families safe.

See the article here:
Take care this Christmas

Everyone likes to get mail.

Some people may complain about getting too many bills, but in truth, checking the mail is as American as apple pie.

It is part of our daily routine.

To ensure that this service continues, area residents need to keep mailbox and walkways clear of snow and ice so that the letter carrier or other delivery person can safely approach the mailbox or door inserts.

The winter weather has arrived early in the Upper Peninsula and northeastern Wisconsin and the Postal Service asks customers to clear snow and ice from sidewalks, stairs and mailboxes to help letter carriers deliver mail during inclement weather.

"Snow and ice make delivery dangerous," local officials said. "Maintaining a clear path to the mail box - including steps, porches, walkways and street approach - will help letter carriers maintain consistent delivery service."

Customers receiving door delivery should make sure their sidewalks, steps and porches are clear. Customers receiving curbside delivery should remove snow piles left by snow plows to keep access to their mailboxes clear for letter carriers.

Delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous conditions for letter carriers or when snow is plowed against mailboxes.

The Postal Service curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort. Any curtailed mail is attempted the next delivery day.

Blue collection boxes also need to be kept clear for our customers to deposit their mail and for the Postal Service to collect the mail for delivery.

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Make a path for the mail carrier

Cooke County By GREG RUSSELL

grussell@ntin.net

Register Staff Writer

North Central Texas College officials dealt with the countys recent winter weather by rescheduling semester finals and managing campus walkways, but an expected freeze during this coming week should pose fewer problems.

NCTC President Dr. Eddie Hadlock said the Gainesville campus will close Wednesday for a holiday break and stay closed through Jan. 2.

And today marks the end of finals following some shuffling of classes. Hadlock said the week of ice affected testing that had been scheduled for Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, but all exams were administered later and through today.

Some had online finals, so students could take their finals whenever they wanted during the week, he said. We had to be shut down for a couple days but were then able to be open by Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Hadlock said the NCTC maintenance crew worked during the campus shutdowns of Saturday and Monday by clearing parking lots, sidewalks and entries.

The staff was pretty understanding and cooperative and we were able to get through it, he said. But it never had happened during finals before, so that kind of complicated things.

The internet presence at NCTC, active since the mid-1990s, has steadily broadened its effect on how a campus operates at any time. It began with computer labs in select areas of the Gainesville facility in an era when students were more likely to make a call or check television from home to see how weather had affected a day of class.

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Icy weather forces changes during NCTC finals week

Preventing accidents

To the Editor:

Winter is back in full swing with significant snow and ice for all of us to battle.

That means slippery surfaces, which can be dangerous and costly for homeowners, as well as for their visitors including their letter carrier. By clearing a path when the snow arrives, accidents can be prevented.

We need our customers help. Letter carriers have hurt their knees or backs, or even suffered broken bones from falls on slippery surfaces.

Letter carriers are instructed to use good judgment when attempting to deliver to addresses where ice and snow are not cleared. They are not allowed to dismount to make curb deliveries when the approach to the mailbox is hazardous because of snow or ice.

No one wants to inconvenience a customer. But we have to take every possible step to ensure the safety of our employees.

Some tips:

Customers are asked to clear enough snow from curbside boxes at least six feet on both sides of the mailbox so the carrier may approach and leave without backing up his or her vehicle.

Walkways need to be cleared so as to allow enough traction to avoid slips, trips and falls.

Read more from the original source:
Letters to the Editor for Dec. 13, 2013