REHOBOTH Voters at Mondays town meeting will be asked to approve a $26 million budget for the next fiscal year.

That figure represents a 4.89 percent increase over the current budget of $24.8 million.

The bulk of that amount $16.4 million, is designated for the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School budget. The figure is a 2.1 percent increase over the current fiscal year.

A total of $9 million has been designated for town government expenses a 10.34 percent increase over the current fiscal year.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the high school at 2700 Regional Road, North Dighton.

Voters will also be asked to approve $3.5 million for the costs of paying for window and roof replacement at the Palmer River School and window replacement at the Beckwith School. If the article is approved, there will be a vote on a temporary tax increase to pay for the project at a special town election.

Another article calls for the appropriation of $87,000 for installation of door security systems at Palmer River School, Beckwith Middle School and Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School.

There are also a number of proposed zoning bylaw changes, including a temporary moratorium on the sale and distribution of recreational marijuana.

A copy of the budget and town meeting agenda can be found on the town website at http://www.town.rehoboth.ma.us.

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Rehoboth budget going before town meeting - The Sun Chronicle

Visitors of all ages were fascinated by the sights, sounds and speeds of the trains displayed at the Painesville Railroad Museum on May 6.

Model Train Days is an annual two-day event that features about 10 layouts from various train clubs including Lake Erie N-Scale Society of Lake and Geauga counties and Crooked River N Geneers in Cuyahoga County.

Painesville Railroad Museum Vice-President Tom Pescha also showcased one of his own train layouts.

Pescha said Model Train Days is an opportunity for people to get an idea of how to build train layouts, talk to train experts and learn about the Painesville Railroad Museum.

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The Painesville Railroad Museum building, located at 475 Railroad Street, dates back to the late 1800s; and in 1997 the Western Reserve Railroad Association was formed to help save the historic landmark.

The museum recently underwent numerous renovations. The goal was to restore the building to preserve the past.

The restorations included adding two new ADA restrooms, receiving a new IT Station, drywalling, window replacement and adding new chandlers and ceiling fans in the main lobby.

Pescha said he is pleased with the event turnout and the community response to the recent building repairs.

Painesville resident Steve Brothag brought his 10-year-old grandson Hayden Thompson, who was visiting from Salem, Ohio, to the event.

Hayden said it was fun.

Kay Sheridan of Mentor also brought out-of-town guests to the show.

Sheridan said her grandchildren traveled seven hours from Fairfax, Virginia to visit.

One of her grandsons, 13-year-old Jack Sheridan, said the event reminded him of the train that his family used to put around the tree at Christmas time.

The event will continue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 7.

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Model Train Day brings visitors of all ages to Painesville Railroad Museum - News-Herald.com

A Mississippi-based contractor was arrested Friday after telling a deputy he accepted money from a man in Baton Rouge, but spent it elsewhere without completing the work.

Justin Walter Etheridge, 42 of McComb, Mississippi, was accused of accepting $2,800 for window replacement and kitchen cabinet work at a man's home. The victim said not only had the work not been done, but while attempting to rebuild kitchen cabinets, Etheridge had removed the cabinet doors and never returned them.

The man said when he confronted Etheridge about the incomplete work, the contractor told him he had spent the money on things unrelated to the job. An East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputy questioned Etheridge about the work, and he admitted to spending the money elsewhere, according to a Sheriff's Office report.

Etheridge was scheduled for a meeting April 24at the Sheriff's Office headquarters to go over documentation on where the money was spent, but he did not show up, deputies said.

Etheridge was arrested and booked on counts of misapplication of payments and theft of assets from an aged person. His bail was set at $15,000.

Read more:
Contractor admitted taking money from elderly man for Baton Rouge job, spending it elsewhere, EBRSO says - The Advocate

Window Film Offers Energy Eefficiency for Historic Homes EP Magazine (blog) When it comes to making homes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, there are options available that do not require replacing windows. Updating with professionally installed window film is more cost effective and can attain energy ... and more »

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Window Film Offers Energy Eefficiency for Historic Homes - EP Magazine (blog)

Window World of Central NJ is a local franchise of Window World Inc. renowned as the largest replacement window company in the United States of America. Window World of Central NJ is owned by Rich Blankenship & Phaedra Corcoran and is headquartered in 889B State Hwy 12 Frenchtown, NJ 08825, serving the local customers around Central NJ with high efficiency Replacement windows, Patio doors, Double Hung Windows and more, all with a focus on quality and energy efficiency and at a great affordable price meeting every individuals pocket book.

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Window World replacement windows beautify & modernize homes, while lowering your energy costs through our energy efficiency technology & heat saving design. Economically designed to minimize effective heat loss, Window World Low-E replacement windows are made of the highest quality insulated plastic and vinyl.

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Replacement Windows Frenchtown - Window World Central NJ

In its 2016/2017 U.S. Industry Statistical Review and Forecast, the American Architectural Manufacturers Associationreported total housing starts continued their growth curve in 2016 with strong gains particularly in the single-family segment, up by 10 percent. The report provides information on window, door and skylight market trends and product relationships. Historic data for 2006 through 2014 and forecast data for 2017 through 2019 also are included. Forecasts are based on projections of construction activity as of March 2017.

According to the report, the overall new housing market is expected to continue at a strong level of growth through 2019. Single-family starts are expected to continue to take the lead in 2017 and experience another 10 percent increase. While the West and Midwest regions of the United States have experienced stronger growth in the last year, the South and Northeast are expected to be more dynamic over the next two years.

The demand for prime windows improved by 3.1 percent in 2016, driven by continued strong new housing demand. The demand for windows in new housing increased by just under 5 percent in 2016, with increases of 7 and 8 percent forecasted for the next two years as the housing recovery continues. Meanwhile, remodeling and replacement window demand increased modestly again, by just under 2 percent in 2016, with growth in this segment also likely to be somewhat improved in 2017 against the backdrop of strengthening existing home sales.

Residential skylights closed the year at 960 thousand units, a growth rate of 4 percent over 2015 volume. New construction skylight activity was up 10 percent, while remodeling and replacement skylight activity was up 2 percent versus 2015.

Find more information in theAAMA Publication Store.

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New Housing Market Expected to Grow through 2019 - Window and Door

A Cornish windscreen fitting company has reiterated their generous offer for anyone who finds themselves having to repair a window they smashed to save an animal, following an incident in St Ives last month.

Cornwall Windscreens, a mobile service which operates all across the duchy, is offering cost price replacement glass to anyone in the "unlikely position" of having to pay for window repairs because they rescued an overheating animal from a car.

They also promise to double to price for any owner who has to pay for the damage, with profits going to animal charities.

The company has been offering this service for years and has enjoyed positive feedback, but they got in contact with Cornwall Live after we posted a video of a man smashing the window of a parked car to rescue a dog that he felt was 'dying' in the heat.

Read more: Watch as shark circles boat near busy Cornish town

Clive Oxley, who runs a property maintenance business in St Ives, was buying lunch in the town when a friend said he saw a dog locked in a 4x4 in a nearby car park.

Clive Oxley recorded this footage as he saved the springer spaniel.

Clive rushed to the car park behind the launderette and called police who told him not to do anything unless the dog was distressed. But, seeing the pooch on lying on its back with its legs in the air and its tongue hanging out, Clive felt it was struggling to breathe and he had to do something.

He smashed the car window and rescued the springer spaniel, filming the immediate aftermath on his mobile phone.

Read more: Shocking video shows fox being ripped apart by dogs in Chacewater

He then gave the springer spaniel some water before its owner returned. "You couldn't even touch the roof of the car, it was flipping boiling," he told Cornwall Live.

"The woman came back and started screaming at me. She said she'd just been to Pizza Express. By the time she got there the police were there too.

Cornwall Windscreens hope their offer will urge more people to make efforts to save a life.

Natasha Tozer-Martin, of Cornwall Windscreens, heard about Clive's actions and praised them.

The company, which she runs with her husband, brought in the aforementioned service years ago when they noticed the problem happening more and more.

She said: "There is a distinct increase of dogs being left in cars to suffer. People are becoming more aware that this is not right, but regardless there are still cases of criminal damage - all because people have saved the lives of animals, in most cases.

Read more: Cornwall decides today - but will people bother to turn out and vote?

"Every year we offer this service for anyone who finds themselves in this trouble and people have been very grateful. We're only a husband and wife team, if national companies started doing this it would be great - a lot more lives could be saved."

She added that dog bans and the price of kennels have contributed to this problem, but believes people need to be more educated about how their animal can become dehydrated.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said people have the right to break a car window if they believe a dog is in distress.

A statement read: "With warm weather, we always see a rise in the number of reports of dogs being left in cars. The temperature can rise very quickly inside a car during the summer months, dogs do not have the ability to cool themselves down and therefore can suffer from heatstroke, which can be fatal.

Read more: This is the law around leaving dogs in car and rescuing them

"Police have the right to break the window of a car to free the animal if they believe that a dog is in distress. If a member of public sees a dog in a car in a warm day please call the police immediately and we will advise from there."

It has also been advised that anyone considering breaking in should take a picture of the dog and the car. If someone is with you, get them to bring up the weather for your area on their phone so you can screen shot the temp, then break the car window.

Cornwall Live's poll asking "Should you smash a car window to rescue a dog on a hot day" received 1.4k votes and the following results: Yes (96%), no (3%) and don't know (1%).

Click here to read more news from around Cornwall

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Windscreen fitting company in Cornwall has special offer for anyone who smashes window to save pet - Cornwall Live

One problem for commercial and residential landlords which is encountered time and time again is to do with the repair, maintenance and upkeep of windows; particularly within older buildings which are purpose built either as flats or office blocks. The question which often arises is can windows be replaced or is repair sufficient? If I replace the windows (and where it is the landlords responsibility to do so) can I recover that cost through the service charge mechanisms contained within the tenants lease?

The recent Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) case of Tedworth North Management Limited (and others) v Miller and others was asked to review on appeal, amongst other things:

1. whether the repairing covenant contained within a lease had been engaged so as to allow the landlord to replace all of the windows within a residential block; and,

2. whether the landlord was entitled to recover the cost of such replacement via the service charge mechanisms.

Whilst the case does not establish any new principles, it is a useful reminder of what landlords, and to an extent tenants, should consider when reviewing whether to repair or replace windows.

Background

The appellant landlord is the owner of a purpose built block of 49 flats in Chelsea. The block was built in the 1980s and contained single-glazed Crittall windows set within a wooden sub-frame. There had been discussions over a number of years with the tenants regarding the replacement of the single glazed windows to more efficient double glazed units as well as the general repair to the windows. Some of the tenants, over time, had upgraded their windows themselves with a double glazed version. When it was decided that the block management company would carry out repair works to the windows, such works having been identified as the replacement of the window frames with new powder-coated metal Crittall versions, it was agreed that the landlord would also install double glazed windows to some of tenants flats (at their request). The cost of the replacement of the wooden frames was to be charged to the tenants via the service charge provisions within the lease.

The reason for the replacement of the window frames was that some of the windows had been identified as requiring repair, where rot had been discovered, and all of the wooden window frames required redecoration. Whilst it was accepted that the rot could be repaired using a resin to in-fill, and then re-painted, it was thought by the landlord that the economic benefits of replacing the wooden frames with metal ones would be better and cheaper for the tenants long term. For example, scaffolding for the building, at a cost of 82,000 would only be required this once as opposed to every five years when the redecoration was required. In addition, the metal frames were more energy efficient meaning savings for the tenants.

The landlord proceeded to undertake the works and charged the cost of the replacement of all of the sub-frames through the service charge. However, two of the tenants challenged the ability to do so.

The Law

It is well established that, normally, a landlord can only recover the costs of repairs to a building and not the cost of improving it. Further, for the repair covenant to be engaged, and thus the landlord entitled to re-charge the cost of the repair to the tenants via the service charge, there must firstly be an element of disrepair.

The Tribunals Decision

Whilst there was agreement that the condition of some of the window frames was poor, it was agreed that the windows could be repaired using the resin in-fill. The landlord argued that as some repair was required, this triggered its ability to be able to repair all of the frames with the new metal ones rather than patch repairing as and when required to do so, over a period of time, which would prove more costly in the long run.

The tenants disagreed and stated that the level of repair required (which amounted to approximately 1,266 for the resin repairs alone) did not justify the replacement of all of the sub-frames with metal ones at a substantial cost.

Whilst it was agreed that there was, no doubt, an economic benefit to the replacement of the wooden sub-frames with the metal ones, the Tribunal found in favour of the tenant. The requirement to repair the windows on the facts of this case did not mean that it was reasonable for the wooden sub-frames to be replaced; therefore, the requirement to repair all of the sub-frames had not been met and the landlord was not entitled to re-charge the full costs of doing so to the tenants.

The Tribunal was quick to point out that the approach taken in this case should not cast doubt on the approach taken by the courts in other cases involving windows and that such cases are fact sensitive.

Practice points

1. As ever, and as required by legislation with residential tenants on a long lease, always consult your tenants with regards any proposed works to avoid any issues at a later date.

2. Ensure that suitably qualified professionals provide detailed reports into the condition of any part of a building if replacement, as opposed to repair, is being considered so that: a) a fully informed and reasoned decision as to the best course of action can be made; and b) if that decision is challenged at a later date, there is suitable evidence justifying how and why the decision was made.

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When repair is better than to replace - Lexology (registration)

A 10-year, $10 million bond would pay for repairing issues like cracked and uneven floors in the Polk County Fairground main building. Photo by Jolene Guzman.

DALLAS While the building repairs in Polk Countys proposed 10-year, $10 million bond wont be as visible as, say, road maintenance, county official say they are no less critical.

How much: $10 million.

How long: 10 years.

How much will it cost? About 22 cents per $1,000 of assessed value on properties in the first year. Over the life of the bond, less than 20 cents per $1,000.

What it would it fix:

Historic courthouse exterior repair; window replacement; ADA-compliant restrooms; roof repair; carpet replacement, wood replacement or repair; other ADA repairs; and HVAC upgrades.

Cost: $2.8 million.

Courthouse annex exterior repair; window replacement; ADA upgrades; elevator replacement; new roof; carpet replacement; HVAC upgrades; and repairs to sidewalks, parking lot, courthouse lawn.

Cost: $3.7 million.

Courthouse complex (security/safety) security camera upgrades; emergency generator relocation; entry door replacement; and minor seismic upgrades.

Cost: $500,000.

Polk County Jail roof replacement and minor repairs.

Cost: $450,000.

Academy Building parking lot repair, sidewalks and landscaping.

Cost: $150,000.

Public Works Interior remodel; fire/life/safety upgrades; exterior repairs; and HVAC replacement.

Cost: $500,000.

Fairgrounds & Event Center (Main building) roof replacement; floor replacement; exterior repair; ADA-compliant restrooms; kitchen upgrades; concrete repairs; and concession area repairs.

Cost: $1.1 million.

Fairgrounds & Event Center (parking/walk paths) pathway replacement; asphalt overlays; drainage upgrades; and expansion of asphalt.

Cost: $400,000.

Contingency: $400,000.

Eventually, the problems arent going to fix themselves, said Polk County Administrator Greg Hansen.

The bond on the May 16 ballot, Measure 27-124, would fix roofs, repair exterior damage and upgrade parking lots and walkways for safety, among other renovations at the buildings and facilities in Dallas and at the fairgrounds in Rickreall.

That will cost taxpayers about 22 cents per $1,000 of assessed value on properties, down from about 52 cents per $1,000 from the road bond it would replace.

If the bond doesnt pass, Hansen said those needs would be pitted against operational costs.

It would be maintenance needs versus operations, and we have to try to address the maintenance needs with the least impact to operations, but they will have to be addressed, Hansen said.

The list of needed repairs came from an architect assessment the countys facilities. Hansen said while the county has the resources for basic maintenance, it doesnt have money to pay for major improvements that the study deemed necessary.

Theres just too much to address all at once without a bond, Hansen said. We would have to prioritize.

Commissioner Craig Pope said Measure 27-124 is not the same as the road bond, where people could drive on the work they paid for.

When you put a new paint job on a building, new windows and a roof, its of less significance to day-to-day users, so its harder to see, he said. Its not very sexy, but its an essential job of county government to make sure facilities are maintained just the same way we would roads and bridges.

He said perhaps the most significant work though it only accounts for $2.8 million is the repairs proposed on the historic courthouse building.

That is all of our jobs to maintain the integrity of a building whose cornerstone was laid in 1898, and we are still working in it, Pope said.

For more information: http://www.co.polk.or.us.

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County Official Says Bond Would Pay For Critical Repairs - Polkio.com

Craig S. Semon Telegram & Gazette Staff @CraigSemon

PAXTON - Town meeting voters rejected a Proposition 2 override of $190,092 to fund Paxtons $6,065,107 fiscal 2018 assessment for the Wachusett Regional School District.

The override failed in a 79-60 vote.

Paxton is the first of the five district towns to reject its share of the districts budget. Voters in Sterling, the only other town to act on Wachusett spending, approved the town's share of the budget Monday night.The other towns in the district are Holden, Princeton and Rutland. Four of the five district towns must approve assessments for the school budget to go forward.

The override for the school budget would have meant an additional 39 cents per $1,000 of assessed value onproperty taxes. Additional tax would be $111.58 for a house with an assessed value of $286,114, the average assessment in Paxton.

Voters did approve the town 2018 budget of $6,662,477, which does not include the regional school district budget.

The municipal budget is: $1,849,395 for general government; $2,065,037 for public safety; $796,876 for public services; $274,617 for sanitation and environment; $67,845 for human services; $204,903 for culture and recreation; $194,480 for central purchasing; and $1,169,324 for debt service.

In addition, voters approved a Proposition 2 debt exclusion (for five years), and a Proposition 2 capital expenditure exclusion (for one year), as well as a temporary marijuana moratorium and a bylaw allowing drive-thru service at fast-food restaurants.

The debt exclusion is for $150,000 to conduct site planning and initial design for a new Department of Public Works facility to replace the 62-year-old facility now being used. The estimated cost of the proposed 24,433-square-foot facility is $8.9 million, according to Weston and Sampson Engineers.

The five-year debt exclusion for the DPW translates to an additional 7 cents tax per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The capital expenditure exclusion is for $70,000 for exterior repairs to Town Hall.The one-year exclusion will mean an additional 14 cents tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value.

Voters also approved a Proposition 2 capital expenditure exclusion referendum for $120,000 toward window replacement and minor repairs for the John Bauer Senior Center.The one-year exclusion will mean an additional 25 cents tax for each $1,000 of assessed property value.

Voters also approved a Proposition 2 capital expenditure exclusion referendum for $41,910 for a new Ford Police Interceptor utility vehicle adding another9 cents on tax bills for each $1,000 of assessed property value.

The annual town election is Monday. Several ballot questions will determine whether the town can go ahead with the Proposition 2 exclusions for the DPW facility, the police vehicle, the Town Hall repairs and the Senior Center window replacement.

And even though it failed at town meeting, the Proposition 2 override for the school budget is on the ballot.

Although there are no contests on the ballot, Town Clerk Susan Stone reminds voters that there are two vacancies with no candidates: a three-year Wachusett Regional School District Committee seat and a three-year Recreation Commission seat. Absentee ballots are available until noon Friday at Town Hall.

Themoratorium on marijuana establishments, marijuana retailers, marijuana cultivators, marijuana testing facilities and marijuana product manufacturers will be in effect through Dec. 1, 2018. The drive-thru measure allows drive-thru window service at fast-food restaurants no larger than 2,000 square feet.

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Paxton voters defeat override for Wachusett school budget - Worcester Telegram