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In case you haven't heard, the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race is set to take place this Sunday with drivers practicing on the high-altitude fourteener-summiting course throughout the past week. On a track that's resulted in multiple racer deaths, one returning driver had a close call when his Tesla Model 3 hit a dip and went airborne seconds after traveling well over 100 miles per hour.

As described by driver Randy Pobst, the accident occurred when he approached a corner near the infamous "bottomless pit" section of the road. At this point, Pobst dropped his speed from 112 miles per hour to 68 miles per hour. Pobst then "laid into the turn" and hit a bump on the road that raised the vehicle off the ground. In a moment of commotion, the car travels off of the road and into a wall before coming to a stop.

Intense images from the scene show the car hit a retaining wall near a cliff at an estimated 40 miles per hour. It was Pobst's first run on the track of the morning and he walked away without serious injury.

During the previous day, Pobst called the vehicle the "Unplugged Performance Telsa 3" the best car he's driven during his six Pikes Peak Hill Climb races, praising its handling. Pobst finished 1st place in that day's qualifying runs, 26 seconds ahead of the closest competitor.

See the wreck in first-person view and images captured of the incident at around 3:00 in the video embedded below.

The many bumps and waves on the Pikes Peak Highway are notorious for throwing racers off-course as they blast along the track. Two of three Tesla vehicles have wrecked on the course this year, but the Unplugged Performance team is hopeful that Pobst's totaled vehicle won't be a set-back.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is an annual race that travels a 12.42 mile-long track. Drivers face a number of hazards, including steep drop-offs, wild weather conditions, and unpredictable wildlife. Including more than 150 turns and close to 5,000 feet of vertical climbing to an elevation of 14,115-feet, the lap record is 7 minutes and 57 seconds set when an electric car broke the 8-minute barrier for the first time ever in 2018. The race started in 1916.

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[VIDEO] Tesla driver wrecks at high-speed near "Bottomless Pit" of Pikes Peak Highway - OutThere Colorado

Paris Heres a look at work planned in the district during the week of Aug. 31, 2020. These schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure or other unforeseen issues. Motorists are advised to remain alert and pay special attention to all signs, barricades and traffic controls, and reduce their speed as they approach and travel through work zones. They should also avoid distractions such as cell phones, eating, drinking, or car audio or navigation systems.

Sherman Area (Fannin, Grayson Counties)

Contacts: Sherman Area Office (903) 892-6529; Grayson Co. Maintenance (903) 893-8831; Fannin Co. Maintenance (903) 583-7566.

US 75, Grayson County: from FM 1417 to SH 91 (Texoma Parkway). Watch for shoulder closures and lane shifts on northbound and southbound US 75 between Center Street and FM 1417 as crews work on building new main lanes and the new South Travis Street Bridge. Watch for lane closures on the frontage roads between FM 1417 and Washington Street as crews work on building detours and installing drainage structures. The northbound exit ramp for Houston and Lamar is currently closed, and exiting traffic is requested to use the Park Avenue exit ramp. The southbound exit ramp for Park Avenue is currently closed and exiting traffic is requested to use the Houston/Lamar Street exit. The northbound frontage road from South Travis Street to near Park Avenue is scheduled to be closed beginning Sept. 1 for crews to work on building the remaining portion of the retaining wall along US 75. The estimated closure time is two months, and traffic is requested to use the US 75 mainlanes during this closure. A reduced speed limit of 60 mph has been set for this construction project.

The US 75 pedestrian bridge near Pecan Street in Sherman is closed to pedestrian traffic. The east side over the frontage road has been removed. The remaining pedestrian bridge will be removed at a later time. Pedestrians wishing to cross US 75 are advised to cross at the Houston Street signalized intersection.

FM 1417, Grayson County: from US 82 to SH 56. Watch for lane shifts and shoulder closures between US 82 and SH 56 while crews are working to construct a portion of the new Sand Creek bridge. Watch for occasional daytime lane closures as crews perform utility work. A reduced speed limit of 45 mph has been set for this construction project.

SH 289, Grayson County: from FM 120 in Pottsboro north to the end of State Maintenance. Watch for daytime lane closures as crews perform pavement repairs and overlay the roadway.

FM 691, Grayson County: from FM 131/Loy Lake Road to US 75. Watch for occasional lane closures as workers perform final touch ups on the project. The intersection of FM 691 with FM 131/Loy Lake Road has been converted to a signalized intersection.

FM 121, Grayson County: from Jim Jones Road to FM 3356. Watch for daytime lane closures as crews work to widen the roadway to provide a detour section and build portions of the new bridges. Watch for lane shifts and narrow lanes near the FM 3356 intersection as crews have moved traffic to the detour section. The ultimate roadway will be a five-lane section when the project is finished.

US 377, Grayson County: Willis Bridge at the Oklahoma State line. Watch for occasional lane closures on the existing bridge as workers pour concrete for the new bridge structure.

US 75 Ramp Reversal in Denison, Grayson County: on the southbound US 75 main lanes and frontage road between Spur 503 and FM 691. Watch for a lane closure on the southbound US 75 frontage road as well as the westbound Spur 503 ramp while construction crews work on building the new southbound US 75 entrance ramp. A new traffic pattern has been implemented where westbound Spur 503 will be shifted to the southbound US 75 frontage road and will travel through the FM 691 intersection and then enter southbound US 75 using the on-ramp after FM 691. The new FM 691 exit ramp is open to access FM 691.

US 75 debris pickup, Grayson County: from Collin County line to Oklahoma State line. Watch for mobile lane closures as workers pick up debris from the roadway every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the daytime.

US 82 & US 69, Grayson County: from FM 131 to FM 1897 on US 82, and from SH 56 to US 75 on US 69. Watch for temporary daytime lane closures and shoulder closures as workers install safety treatments on fixed objects.

SH 289, Grayson County: between SH 56 and FM 121. Watch for daytime lane closures as maintenance workers perform pavement repairs.

US 69, Grayson County: between SH 56 and SH 11. Watch for daytime lane closures as maintenance crews perform base repairs.

FM 121, Grayson County: between US 377 and SH 289. Watch for daytime lane closures as maintenance crews perform edge repairs.

US 69, Grayson County: between FM 697 and SH 11. Watch for daytime lane closures as workers perform erosion repairs at the Bois DArc bridge structure.

FM 1753, Grayson and Fannin County: from FM 1897 to SH 78. Watch for temporary one-lane closures as workers rehab and widen the roadway.

FM 898, Fannin County: from the Grayson County line to SH 121. Watch for temporary one-lane closures as workers rehab and widen the roadway.

FM 2815, Fannin County: from FM 1629 to SH 11. Watch for temporary one-lane closures as workers rehab and widen the roadway.

FM 1743, Fannin County: from SH 56 to FM 1550. Watch for temporary one-lane closures as workers rehab and widen the roadway.

FM 824, Fannin County: from SH 56 in Honey Grove to the Lamar County line. Construction is expected to begin Sept. 10 on a project to rehab and widen the roadway.

US 82, Fannin County: from SH 121 to the Lamar County Line. Watch for slow moving construction equipment as crews work on widening US 82 from a two-lane roadway to a four-lane divided section. Westbound US 82 traffic has been shifted to the new pavement on the eastern end of the project between the Fannin and Lamar County line and County Road 2975. Eastbound traffic will remain in its current lane, while crews begin working on the inside lane to work on completing the crossovers and turn lanes. Drivers who frequent this roadway are advised that all driveways, county roads and farm-to-market roads approaching the new westbound main lanes on US 82 will have a full stop before crossing over to the median. The SH 121 and US 82 frontage road intersections have been converted to signalized intersections. The on-ramp to westbound US 82 from SH 78 has been closed while crews work on building the new westbound main lanes. The westbound exit ramp for SH 121 is closed as crews work on building the new mainlanes in this area. Exiting traffic for SH 121 is asked to use the SH 78 exit and continue along the frontage road to SH 121.

County Road 3530, Fannin County: at Wafer Creek. County Road 3530 is closed for crews to remove the existing bridge and build a new culvert. Traffic on CR 3530 will need to use an alternate route during construction.

County Road 4250, Fannin County: at Freeman Creek. County Road 4250 is closed for crews to remove the existing bridge and build a new bridge. Traffic on CR 4250 will need to use an alternate route during construction.

FM 896, Fannin County: from SH 78 to Business SH 121: Watch for daytime lane closures as crews work to blade level the roadway.

Sulphur Springs Area (Hopkins, Franklin Counties):

Contacts: Sulphur Springs Area Office (903) 885-9514; Franklin Co. Maintenance (903) 537-4976; Hopkins Co. Maintenance (903) 885-4031.

SH 11, Hopkins County: From SH 19 to White Oak Creek. Watch for lane closures and short traffic delays as crews install guard fence and perform striping operations.

SH 19, Hopkins County: From Loop 301 to Delta County Line. Watch for crews installing erosion control devices preparing for safety enhancement work.

I-30, Hopkins & Franklin Counties: From Titus County Line to Hunt County Line. Watch for lane closures and short traffic delays as crews upgrade metal beam guard fence.

I-30, Hopkins County: From Hunt County Line to Loop 301. Watch for lane closures and short traffic delays as crews perform concrete pavement repairs.

Paris Area (Delta, Lamar, Red River Counties)

Contacts: Paris Area Office (903) 784-1357; Delta Co. Maintenance (903) 395-2139; Lamar Co. Maintenance (903) 785-4468; Red River Co. Maintenance (903) 427-3561.

FM 1507, Lamar County: from Church Street to South Collegiate Drive. Watch for temporary lane closures while crews mill existing pavement and place new hot mix.

FM 1507, Lamar County: from South Collegiate Drive to Loop 286. This roadway is closed while crews rehabilitate and resurface the existing roadway.

Loop 286, Lamar County: from US 82 West to Dawn Drive. Watch for lane closures while crews perform concrete pavement repair.

US 82 (Loop 286), Lamar County: Watch for workers as crews perform signal upgrade work. An all-way stop will be in place during various phases of this work.

SH 37, Red River County: from US 271 (Bogata) to Franklin County Line. Watch for daytime lane closures as crews mill existing pavement, upgrade bridge rail, and place new hot mix.

US 82, Red River County: from FM 1159 to Bowie County Line. Traffic is shifted to the south side of the existing roadway between FM 44 and FM 1699 while crews perform pavement widening work on the north side.

SH 37, Red River County: from the Texas-Oklahoma state line south to the Red River-Franklin County line. Watch for temporary traffic signals at bridge locations while crews upgrade bridge rail from Clarksville to Bogata.

FM 911, Red River County: from BU 82K (Avery) to FM 44. Watch for temporary lane closures while crews safety treat drainage structures and rehabilitate the existing pavement.

Greenville Area (Hunt, Rains Counties)

Contacts: Greenville Area Office (903) 455-2363; Hunt Co. Maintenance (903)455-2303; Rains Co. Maintenance (903) 473-2682.

SH 66, Hunt County: from near FM 6 to near FM 2642. A project to widen the pavement, install continuous left-turn lanes, and safety-treat fixed objects is underway. The contractor is finalizing project clean up. Please be aware of lane closures, and watch for work zones and workers in this area.

FM 2194, Hunt County: between Merit and FM 903. This project will widen the shoulders and apply safety treatments to fixed objects. The contractor is currently working on watering, seeding, ditch work and placing signs. Please be careful when traveling in this area.

SPUR 264, Hunt County: in Quinlan. Sidewalk improvement project. The contractor is currently seeding and watering, sidewalk construction is complete. Please be careful when traveling in the area and watch out for workers.

FM 1566, Hunt County: from FM 272 near Celeste to State Highway 34. The contractor is constructing cross culverts on this roadway. Detours have been removed. Please be careful when traveling in this area and watch out for workers.

Hunt County mowing contractors are working at various locations in Hunt County.

Hunt County maintenance crews are removing a median/turn-around on State Highway 24, near the Twin Oaks Blueberry Farm in Commerce, Texas. Maintenance crews will be performing ditch work and pothole repairs at various locations as well; watch for lane closures, work zones and workers along these roadways. Please be careful when traveling in these areas, watch out for workers and maintain a safe distance from these work crews.

Rains County maintenance crews will be performing patch work on FM 2795 from SH 69 to SH 19; watch for lane closures, work zones and workers along this portion of the roadway. Please be careful when traveling in these areas, watch out for workers and maintain a safe distance from these work crews.

Debris and litter operations are ongoing throughout multiple parts of the county. Please be careful when traveling, and watch out for workers.

###

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Paris District Road Report for the Week of August 31, 2020 - KSST

Lloyd Boeder, left, owner of Hartmann's and Lloyd's Liquor in Pierz, presented Pat "Patio" Oldakowski with $500 in Pierz Bucks after the lucky resident found the specially-marked Oktoberfest medallion, Saturday morning.

An excited Pat Oldakowski, affectionately known as "Patio" is the winner of $500 in Pierz Bucks after having found the specially-marked Oktoberfest Medallion Saturday, Aug. 29.

Oldakowski said he'd been hunting all week, including several hours in the rain Friday. But Saturday's clue which pointed medallion hunters kiddy-corner to Red's Auto and Bait in Pierz, led him and his friend, Chantelle Naill, to search on the corner of Main Street and First Avenue North. He lives a couple of blocks away and said he found it about 6:02 a.m., just after the clue was released.

It was hidden in the crevice of a retaining wall, in a bag, wrapped in newspaper and painted gray - easily overlooked, he said.

Oldakowski plans to share his newly-won riches with Naill and also plans to buy candy to give out at the Pierz Lions sponsored Oktoberfest parade Sunday, Aug. 30, which starts at noon.

According to Boeder, it's been quite a few years since the hunt has lasted so long, especially until the last of the clues was released.

Pat "Patio" Oldakowski points to the crevice in the retaining wall which held the specially-marked Pierz Oktoberfest button.

Here are the week's clues:

First Clue: Sunday, Aug. 23:

Second Clue: Monday, Aug. 24

Third Clue: Tuesday, Aug. 25

Fourth Clue: Wednesday, Aug. 26

Fifth Clue: Thursday, Aug. 27

Sixth Clue: Friday, Aug. 28

Seventh Clue: Saturday, Aug. 29

See more here:
Hunt is over - Pat Oldakowski finds Pierz Oktoberfest Medallion - wins $500 in Pierz Bucks - ECM Publishers

ExploreMeet the woman who has created 100 murals for Dayton

Members of the firefighters union brainstormed with Clark, who has created more than 100 murals in Dayton, and came up with the novel idea.

Dayton Fire Fighters Local 136 has teamed up with mural artist Tiffany Clark to create a 20-panel mural along Buckeye Street between Main and Warren streets. The mural will tell the history of the Dayton Fire Department in vintage comic book style. LISA POWELL / STAFF

Credit: Lisa Powell

Credit: Lisa Powell

I appreciate the old Marvel, Steve Ditko and Stan Lee era of comics, said Jim Burneka, a Dayton firefighter and paramedic. As many murals as Tiffany has done, she hasnt done anything quite like this. Its unique and a different way of spinning our history.

Clark studied vintage Marvel comic books for months to replicate the artistic style for painting the first responders. Their sole job is to save people, so my mind went to superheroes right away, she said.

One of the panels recreates a 1980 photograph of civilian medics and reimagines them as the Fantastic Four superhero team.

Fire Man, a muscular superhero in training armed with a hose, flies from the cover of his own Dayton-styled comic book. The cover reads And Now It Begins.!

Randolph Jones Tams, the first Black member of the department appointed in 1907, will be immortalized in a recreation of an original Black Panther comic book cover.

Tiffany Clark, a Dayton mural artist, (left) and members of Dayton Fire Fighters Local 136, Dennis Bristow, Marques Kincaid and Jim Burneka at a new mural on Buckeye Street commemorating the history of the Dayton Fire Departments. Dayton Fire Fighters Local 136 has teamed up with mural artist Tiffany Clark to create a 20-panel mural along Buckeye Street between Main and Warren streets. The mural will tell the history of the Dayton Fire Department in vintage comic book style. LISA POWELL / STAFF

Credit: Lisa Powell

Credit: Lisa Powell

The firefighters chose scenes that helped change the city and influenced firefighting techniques across the country.

In vivid colors, Clark has painted a burning warehouse with dark smoke billowing into the sky. Below the scene are three layers labeled ground water, confining layers and aquifer.

In May 1987, a Sherwin-Williams paint warehouse, located at the Concourse 70/75 Industrial Park off Wagner Ford Road, caught fire and threatened the areas drinking water.

Dayton fire officials made the decision to let it burn unchecked for almost a week because they believed pouring millions of gallons of water onto the flames would cause well field contamination, as the water carried chemicals into the aquifer.

Dayton Fire Fighters Local 136 has teamed up with mural artist Tiffany Clark to create a 20-panel mural along Buckeye Street between Main and Warren streets. The mural will tell the history of the Dayton Fire Department in vintage comic book style. LISA POWELL / STAFF

Credit: Lisa Powell

Credit: Lisa Powell

It was quite controversial at the time, Dennis Bristow, Jr., a member of the unions executive board, said. Back in 1987 dealing with hazardous materials was new to fire departments.

It was a groundbreaking decision made that day and one of things we wanted to make sure was depicted.

Near the end of the mural at Warren Street, Clark will paint the Dayton Fire Department Line of Duty Memorial, a monument dedicated to firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The mural, financed by the firefighters union, will be completed in September.

The firefighters intend it to beautify the street and hope it will also be a reminder of their dedication to the community, Bristow said. Were here to serve and proud to serve.

Read more:
New mural paints the history of the Dayton Fire Department in comic book style - dayton.com

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

Alex Bowman and Kurt Busch are among the drivers who will drop to the rear of the field for Sundays NASCAR Cup Series race after their teams deployed backup cars at Dover International Speedway.

The teams opted to use their reserve cars after their primary entries were damaged in an early crash in Saturdays 311-miler. Both drivers will have to gain ground from the back of the 40-car field in Sundays Drydene 311 (4 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the second Cup Series race in as many days on the 1-mile Delaware oval.

RELATED: Sundays Cup Series starting lineup | Weekend schedule

Buschs No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was severely crumpled after heavy contact with the inside retaining wall. He was the races only crash-related retiree, exiting after completing just six of the 311 laps.

Buschs misfortune came after contact with the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Erik Jones, who collected Bowmans No. 88 Chevrolet in the stack-up at the exit of Turn 2. Bowman continued with significant right-front damage to a 21st-place result, two laps off the pace.

Jones trudged on to a 12th-place effort with damage to the rear of his No. 20 entry. The 24-year-old driver indicated on social media his JGR crew was going to attempt to repair the car, which would keep Jones in the ninth starting spot. Sundays starting lineup was determined by an inversion of the top 20 finishers, then performance metrics to establish positions 21-40.

The No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet of Garrett Smithley will also drop to the rear because of an engine change.

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Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch to drop to the rear Sunday at Dover - NASCAR

Four children and two women playing in the rain were killed when a retaining wall collapsed in Saima Square One in Gulistan-e-Jauhar near Millennium Mall in Karachis second incident being described as land sliding.The 20 to 25 feet long wall ran along the back of Saima Square One flats next to Shan-e-Mughlia restaurant. There is a hilly area between Saima Square One and the restaurant from which the land sliding took place, said resident Javed Akhtar. Thats where the children were playing. Residents retrieved three bodies themselves. Karachi has seen approximately 19 inches of rain in the span of a few days, wreaking devastation across its neighbourhoods. The rain broke a 90-year record. A Pakistan Rangers spokesperson confirmed the six deaths, adding that the bodies were sent to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center. Rescue teams from Chhipa and Edhi began removing the debris.This is the second land sliding incident. On Tuesday in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 3 another retaining wall collapsed, buying around 35 cars and 50 motorcycles behind Javed Hill View Apartment.

Read more:
Children and women killed as wall collapses in Karachis Jauhar - SAMAA

The harsh realities of drug addiction and overdose struck a deep chord with Nydia Hill in her early days working with recovering addicts.

Her first client as a peer advocate with the New Choices Recovery Centers COTI (Centers of Treatment Innovation) Project died of an overdose in April 2018, galvanizing Hills choice in her line of work.

It impacted my life on a few levels, Hill said, on what were not doing for individuals [to remove the] stigma [around addiction] ... Theyre not bad people, theyre sick people.

Hill went on to become a founding member of Friends of Recovery - Montgomery County, which Monday night at Veterans Park will hold its second annual Overdose Awareness Vigil as part of International Overdose Awareness Day.

The event, Hill said, is an opportunity to educate the public on the stark realities of the nations opioid crisis.

Every day we lose lives around us, and [lives are] being changed due to overdose, she said. Overdose does not discriminate. You can be from the richest part of town, or you can be from the poorest part of town or in between. If your individual gets caught up with opioids, theres a close chance that theyll be gone.

Mondays vigil at Veterans Park will run from 7 to 7:30 p.m., with both mask-wearing and social distancing mandated.

As he did at last years inaugural event, Father Neal Longe of St. Anns Episcopal Church will lead the crowd in prayer, while candles will be provided by Betz, Rossi & Bellinger Funeral Home and both signs and stickers will be provided by Sticker Mule.

Were looking forward to educating individuals about the stigma [of addiction], Hill said. It could be my family, it could be yours. It could be a neighbor, it could be a parents neighbor. It could be anyone, at any time, anywhere.

Its great that we do this every year, she added, but this something that we should be doing daily.

According to the state Department of Healths most recent County Opioid Quarterly Report issued in January, there were nine opioid overdose deaths in Montgomery County in 2018, and two from January through June 2019.

Montgomery County launched a task force last year to combat the opioid epidemic, as between 2015 to 2017 the county had the highest opioid prescription rate in the state, according to the Department of Health.

Combating the negative stigma of addiction is one key step to addressing the problem, Hill said, as is increasing the availability of and training for the use of Narcan (naxolone), the nasal spray that can be used to treat decreased breathing during an opioid overdose.

We should be teaching more of our community members about Narcan, Hill said. We should be dispensing Narcan at Stewarts, Walmart, all the places that individuals go into bathrooms and inject heroin, fentanyl or both.

Weve got to wrap our heads around prevention, weve got to wrap our heads around Narcan training. Weve got to wrap our heads around that it [an overdose] can happen. Its that simple. Theres no real big speech that can happen. Until it happens to someone you love, you wont know the feeling.

Its a feeling that struck Hill when she saw her first client's mother following his death, and one that has motivated her ever since.

Weve got to keep at it, Hill said. We cant stop.

We cant stop.

Reach Adam Shinder at [emailprotected] or @Adam_Shinder on Twitter.

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Overdose Awareness Vigil to be held Aug. 31 in Amsterdam - The Daily Gazette

GLOVERSVILLE -- While Ambrose Anderson is one of the men who made the 'Greatest Generation' just that, for the longest time, he received hardly any recognition for his deeds.

"All I did was what they told me to do," Anderson said.

Years ago, on a blood-soaked beach, the Gloversville native dodged bullets while delivering ammunition to frontline troops. Some of the guys around him weren't so fortunate.

He saw many things he wishes he hadn't, and the World War II veteran still has vivid memories of the time he spent both in and out of battle as a member of the all-Black 8th Marine Ammunition Company.

Very few of those memories are the good kind.

"I could tell you stuff you don't want to know," Anderson said. "I remember getting on the train when I went into the service and going to the back. From that day on ..."

Anderson was talking about the racism he endured during his military stint that began at the segregated Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, N.C., and continued after his departure when finding a job and making ends meet was difficult, and recognition of his gallantry under fire was next to none.

"He went right back to being a second class citizen," said Clifton Park resident Mark Yingling, who advocates for World War II veterans.

"The way they treated us [in the service], I came back bitter," said Anderson, who began his two-year military hitch in 1943 after he was drafted at the age of 18. "Things got better, but we are still not there. The United States is not there yet."

But change is coming, and it can be seen in events like Friday's where the man known to his friends as "Cowboy" had a very special and significant 95th birthday. Following a parade of vehicles filled with waving well-wishers that traversed up and down Forest Street, state Senator Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, presented Anderson with the New York State Liberty Medal, the Senate's highest honor for service and valor. .

"As we commemorate your birthday, we do more than that. We salute your service," Tedisco said to Anderson, adding later on. "Because of you, we get to love so many freedoms."

"It's overdue," Yingling said. "He won't say it, but I will. It's overdue."

Anderson enjoyed another noteworthy day in 2012 when he and the other surviving members of the Montford Point Marines were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

"I didn't know if I'd ever come home," Anderson said of his military service, before continuing "I would do it again."

Anderson was part of the allied invasion force's second-day wave at Iwo Jima in mid-January of 1945.

"I knew I was in a war when I saw Marines floating in the ocean, and when I hit the beach and saw a Marine get his leg blown off," Anderson said. "A corpsman was working on him, and I remember him yelling, 'I'll never play football again."

Anderson remained on Iwo Jima until the island was secured.

"I didn't see the flag," Anderson said in reference to the famous photo of the flag raising ceremony. "But I was there."

While on a battleship sailing to Iwo Jima, Andersons ship was attacked by Japanese kamikaze pilots. The corporal crawled into a hole and started feeding a gunner machine gun ammunition.

"We were all scared," said Anderson, who was a football and basketball standout at Gloversville High School before his military career "It was bad. We just did what we had to do."

After Iwo Jima, Anderson served in the occupation of Japan at Sasebo.

"Any time we hear of an Iwo guy or any World War II veteran having a birthday, we try to do something," said Yingling, who orchestrated Friday's festivities.

Anderson has six children, including four with his second wife, Betty, whom he was with for 47 years until her passing in 2004. The Forest Hill Towers resident worked as a mechanic for Ryder and retired in 1986.

Reach Jim Schiltz at[emailprotected]or @jim_schiltz on Twitter.

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Gloversville resident receives a special salute - The Daily Gazette

ITHACA, N.Y. Going into these meetings, one can often tell which site plan reviews will be thornier than others - usually the bigger and higher-profile, the more debate they generate. However, that's not always true. Sometimes, a poorly-sited restaurant generates more debate than a multi-story building downtown. It depends on how controversial it is, or what kind of curveballs they and the other stakeholders are throwing.

Thanks to the DOT, the seemingly routine procedure of a final site plan approval turned into one of those quagmires this month, though eventually, the project in question did get the permissions needed to move forward. Several other projects were also discussed, including one other final site plan approval, for the new Byrne Dairy on the South Meadow Street Corridor. Grab your coffee or tea, because this month is one of those lengthy write-ups.

As is customary for these recaps, for those who like to read along, the 254-page Planning Board agenda is here.

First up were the lot subdivision reviews - these are when property lots in the city, technically known as parcels, seek legal reconfiguration, either to be split up, reshaped or consolidated. This month, there was only one on the agenda, which is a subdivision of the Chain Works District property (formerly Morse Chain/Emerson Power Transmission) at 620 South Aurora Street.

About 0.9 acres of the 96-acre parcel will be subdivided and held by Emerson Power, in an area off of South Cayuga Street with underground storage tanks and for which there are no redevelopment plans. Emerson is legally required to remediate all the land to pre-established standards, which in this case, is the more stringent 24-hour exposure standard since the Chain Works District will have residential uses. The remaining 95 or so acres would then be sold to the development group led by Dave Lubin, so that they could begin work on the Chain Works District itself - the first phase involves remedial work and conversion of four uncontaminated buildings into a mix of industrial uses, commercial uses, and 60 apartments.

Board member C.J. Randall excused herself from the review due to her company having previously done work for the project. Sarah Snyder of law firm Harris Beach PLLC walked the board through review. There was one comment from a South Hill resident in opposition to work on the site citing topography, which the board flatly disagreed with because the remediation needs to be done, and the steeper portions of the site aren't being developed. Apart from a brief legal tweak to add clarity for the trail easements, the board had no further comment and voted unanimously in favor.

For the uninitiated, Site Plan Review (SPR) is where the review of new building proposals happens. In the interest of not pushing ten pages of material, if you want a description of the steps in the project approval process, the "Site Plan Review Primer" is here.

During SPR, the Planning Board looks at sketch plans, declares itself lead agency for state environmental quality review (SEQR), conducts a review and declares negative (adverse effects mitigated) or positive (potential harmful impacts, needs an Environmental Impact Statement), while concurrently performing design review for projects in certain neighborhoods for aesthetic impacts. Once those are all good and finished, they vote on preliminary site plan approval and, after reviewing a few final details and remaining paperwork, final site plan approval.

At the top of the SPR agenda this month was the City Harbor project, proposed by Lambrou Real Estate, Edger Enterprises and businesswoman Elizabeth Classen on the site of the former Johnson's Boatyard at 101 Pier Road.

As previously detailed, the two-phase project consists of a restaurant, waterfront promenade and marina, and 156 market-rate apartments. A 60,000 square-foot medical office building for Guthrie Clinic is part of the project. Phase one would also rebuild Pier Road to include sidewalks, street trees, a fire engine turnaround, and new and improving parking areas. While the project team plans to partner with the city to rebuild the golf course clubhouse in phase two, almost all improvements in phase one are on private property, with the exception of some of the greenspace and reconfigured parking areas.

This was to be City Harbor's final meeting. Preliminary approval was granted in May, but final approval, on the agenda for this month, is contingent on relatively minor things like proof of legal easements, material samples, and the submission of additional drawings for the sake of complete documentation.

Given the talk about the DOT's recent proposal to ease traffic congestion on the West End as a stipulation before signing off on City Harbor and Carpenter Park, the project does come back with a contingency that says they have to prove they have financing available to take other means to ease congestion if the DOT plan doesn't happen, and that this "Plan B" option is doable and will be before the board for discussion. This isn't as big of a concern for City Harbor because it's not as impacted as it's neighbors on Carpenter Park, whose plan actually puts a new access break into Route 13 from the northwest side. But the bigger issue is that parts of the plan, namely $500,000 in pedestrian travel and sidewalk improvements on Route 13, would not happen if DOT doesn't sign off because they don't get their couplet.

That proved to be a major concern during the hour-long discussion. According to David Herrick of the engineering firm T.G. Miller, while the DOT is asking to do the couplet further down 13, they're out of the developer's control, and the project team is concerned about what happens if the DOT's couplet is rejected, putting their plans into jeopardy, and holding up their project and other nearby proposals for what could be years. The DOT couplet was proposed at the figurative "eleventh hour", and while City Harbor is happy to fund the approved work at Willow and Dey Streets, they were clearly anxious about being subject to the whims of the state. Board Chair Robert Lewis was sympathetic, calling the whole DOT regulatory and review process "byzantine".

"It's a pretty big hammer, what DOT issued. They're not going to permit the improvements to Route 13 proposed by this project, which are mitigations committed in Part 3 (of environmental review). It's very difficult for the developer because they can't build those improvements until the DOT is satisfied the city will look at (these couplets)," said city Senior Planner Lisa Nicholas.

Other board members also expressed consternation with the DOT, though they wanted City Harbor's Route 13 improvements addressed one way or another. It's just rather unfortunate that, even if approved, those can't happen until 2023 due to the DOT's schedule of work. "I think it's unfortunate they're holding these projects hostage. I feel uncomfortable removing conditions from Part 3 (of the environmental review), and I want them to start building as soon as possible...can we put the condition in as something needed for a certificate of occupancy?" Asked board member Emily Petrina.

"Tell us what would make you feel comfortable, put our feet to the fire...help us figure out how to move these things along and how to do this. I'm pleading," said developer Costa Lambrou.

"I don't think we can put the toothpaste back into the tube, but every development will face this situation and we have to get a handle on it. The Planning Board can be a force in recommendations to the Common Council, whether a waterfront transportation study or the couplet," said Nicholas.

"Nobody's saying leave the condition in as written. A few are saying strike it, a few are saying to move to a condition to a certificate of occupancy to move it down the road and give time, I'm hearing one person say to blow it up into a bigger transportation study, and I'm hearing a request for reassurance on the bond. I'm not sure what will work and what won't," said Chair Lewis.

Planner Nicholas was convinced a waterfront district transportation study would have to be done, but there's no formal proposal or money for that at the present time. Plus, since DOT has wanted this for a while and it has these projects before them, they can do what they want and twist some arms (though member Garrick Blalock expressed significant annoyance that a project in Lansing would not be subject to this, but send its commuters down 13). Nicholas recommended that the board state something to Common Council to commit to some kind of transportation study as part of the couplet review.

The consensus with the rather scattershot viewpoints is that the board didn't want to hold this project up because all this is happening so late in review, but it does want the transportation study to be done. The issues with the conditions agreed to in the preliminary approvals stem from an unpleasant juxtaposition of timing, state meddling, and concerns from the board and developer. The board wants those Route 13 pedestrian improvements, but didn't want the developer hanging on DOT's plans, which DOT may not approve even if the city wants it and the developer is willing and financially capable. The city and the Syracuse office of the NYS DOT have different ideas on the traffic situation in the city's West End neighborhood.

Going around, Blalock voted to strike the Route 13 improvements condition as phrased, citing the willingness of the developer and the plan to back it up with a bond if developer were somehow unable to do it. "I rigorously reject to holding any permit hostage to Common Council or DOT," he added. Randall voted to strike it, Petrina agreed, Vice-Chair McKenzie Rounds agreed, board member Mitch Glass voted to strike, though with reservation, and board member Elisabete Godden wanted a rewording but liked the $500,000 commitment if they couldn't build due to DOT (the board acknowledged the developers may have to pay more if costs go up in the future). A majority were for removing the condition, with support for a bond in that amount to finance the work if/when it's approved by DOT.

"Okay, I feel like we put one condition to bed, but there's a lot left to this resolution here," said Lewis. At the suggestion of Herrick and Nicholas, the board also struck a condition about emergency access, because city fire chief Tom Parsons said that if Willow Street were blocked due to a train, in that very rare case they could use the existing waterfront trail for temporary access.

In the end, the board struck the two conditions and granted unanimous final approval, removing some of the tethers that DOT has on the project, but acknowledging that much more would need to be done regarding the traffic in the city's West End. The board decided after further discussion at the end of the meeting to encourage a "holistic" push for a thorough waterfront traffic study, but decouple it from individual projects, since it was a much broader look at both the waterfront, and to some extent impacts from the rest of the city and surrounding commuter towns.

If this all sounds confusing to you folks, don't worry - it sounded confusing to the board too. "Sh*t was complicated today," Lewis quipped at the end of the meeting.

Next up on the list for this month's site plan reviews was the 12-story Asteri Ithaca Green Street Garage redevelopment at 120 East Green Street. The Asteri proposal by The Vecino Group includes a 217-unit low-moderate income apartment building with commercial space on the lower levels, and an expanded publicly-accessible garage next door, which will grow to seven floors with an additional 241 parking spaces (350 total).

As noted by city planners, the lower three floors of the U-shaped building will house amenities, a 49,000 square-foot conference center and a small amount of retail space. The Cinemapolis Plaza will keep its current public pedestrian passage between the Commons and Green Street, with lighting, signage, art, and landscaping improvements. Initial plans called for Cinemapolis to relocate for part of the construction period, but the latest construction plan lets them stay in their theater with only a few short offline periods. The Vecino Group and their partners are also requesting consideration of a City Hall Plaza next door on the small parking lot between the project site and City Hall. That plaza would feature a large outdoor gathering spot with paving, lighting, landscaping, and furnishings while retaining a few off-street parking spaces.

No votes on Asteri were scheduled for last night's meeting, just an update on the latest revisions. Landscape architect Kate Chesebrough of Whitham Planning and Design led the presentation. Among the changes were a change at the board's suggestion from fiber cement panels to metal on the lower floors, shorter mechanical screenings on the roof to make the building look a little shorter, and new drawings for lighting and proposed areas for art murals. The project is planning a trip to the Board of Zoning Appeals in October.

Several members expressed concern with First Ward councilor Cynthia Brock's letter, who stressed that the city made its decision in favor of the Conference Center portion just as the COVID situation was getting out of hand in March. Members weren't sure what could be done with the space if the conference center, intended for a 2023 opening, couldn't be used as intended for some time. On the aesthetic side, Mitch Glass hoped to make the facades a little less bland, to which Blalock agreed.

"The conference center decision isn't ours. I've never been a conference center booster. But it's not our decision to make, it's council's," said Lewis. "The thing they passed has a conference center. That's where we are...I'm excited to get into the design changes and materials, there's more to dig into."

The board liked the changes so far and looked forward to further discussion of the project next month. The board may host a special second meeting at the end of September to discuss the project once environmental review is complete.

Developer Jeff Rimland's 13-story proposal on the eastern end of the garage came back to the board to continue its public hearing and go through Design Review on the architecture and aesthetics. Unlike earlier incarnations, the latest design for the mixed-use building proposed for 215 East State Street no longer builds into the Rothschild Building and displaces the shops and shop-owners along the Commons, but went back to the initial proposal which builds atop a rebuilt eastern third of the garage.

Rimland's proposal rebuilds the eastern third of the garage with two levels of public parking (about 130 spaces), one ground-level private parking area for the building's occupants (34 spaces) and 10 floors of residential with approximately 200 apartments. A residential lobby would front Green Street, as well as an access hallway between the shops lining the Commons. As with Asteri, the board was going into this meeting with a continuation of Part 3 of the Full Environmental Assessment Forms (FEAF) on the agenda. For this, Chair Lewis excused himself due to potential conflicts of interest, letting Jones take the reins as Planning Board Vice-Chair.

On the agenda last night was the potential completion of environmental review, with the Planning Board potentially issuing its Declaration of Environmental Significance, and writing up its recommendation to the separate Board of Zoning Appeals to allow for rear yard and floor count variances. This was also the only Board of Zoning Appeals Recommendation scheduled to be discussed this month, so there won't be a separate section for BZA recs in this month's roundup.

Project engineer James Trasher of CHA Inc. and architect John Abisch of BSB Design walked the board through the latest updates. Some of the street trees were removed due to underground utilities, and replaced with shallower bushes and flowering plants. The project will also follow the Ithaca Green Building Policy guidelines, including air-source heat pumps, LED lighting, low-water fixtures, and photovoltaic capacity, though it won't be built with arrays. Board member Randall noted the plants around the transformer would likely get crushed (snow banks), though she appreciated the effort. All in all, the discussion was focused on details, and fairly uneventful.

By unanimous vote, the board closed the environmental review and passed a unanimous negative declaration, meaning all impacts are effectively mitigated. Some minor design changes are still in the works before September, but with SEQR complete, the project appears to be on the easy path to approval, pending BZA.

That could be a bit tricky. The rear yard setback is to maintain the continuous building wall on Green Street and that will be accepted easily enough, but the building is 14 floors and 156 feet, taller than the 12 floors/140 feet allowed on the site, and the BZA is typically averse to height variances. But the Planning Board sought to emphasize in their recommendation in favor the housing in a location the city wants housing, the connectivity to the Commons, and that a lot of the height variance comes from the existing garage and from the "top floor" roof terrace, which isn't a fully built-out floor. With a hopefully favorable result from the BZA, the project will be back before the Planning Board next month.

Next up on the agenda, Byrne Dairy's proposed renovation of the former Denny's restaurant at 323-25 Elmira Road into their new large-format convenience store and gas station. Byrne Dairy would replace the existing flat roof with a peaked roof, and install new exterior finishes on all sides of the building. The new fuel canopy would be built on part of the existing parking lot, and fitted out with six gas pumps. Byrne Dairy would reuse the existing curb cuts, but because of the new gas station, the parking area would be reduced from about 60 spaces to 30, Along with the structural improvements are the usual complement of landscaping, lighting, signage, bike racks and a new sidewalk connecting the front of the building to the existing sidewalk along Elmira Road. You can read more about the plans for the article earlier this month here.

As a renovation of an existing structure, the review process has so far been smooth; in fact, after only a couple of months, the project was already up for Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval, which would be perfect for its fall 2020 construction timeline. Coming into the meeting, Byrne Dairy added a six-foot cedar privacy fence at the rear, and submitted a signage package to meet city regulations. City forester Jeanne Grace asked to remove the plan for pear trees, which will be replaced with hawthorns, and some red maples were moved.

"This is a great reuse of an existing space. I wonder if, given the city's emphasis on reducing vehicular use, we want to address the use of fuel pumps. I don't know if we just want to like, say that somewhere," said board member Rounds. Chair Lewis suggested it be added as a "whereas" in the resolution, acknowledging that the city wasn't interested in promoting gas pumps but would accept it in a high traffic area by a local business for a structure being reused.

The board agreed to the additional wording with unanimous consent. The negative declaration on the environmental review passed unanimously, and since the project seemed "pretty well baked" per Lewis, the board decided to vote on preliminary and final site plan approval. After planner Nicholas asked to add a condition for a legal easement for city maintenance, the project received its unanimous approval.

Last but not least for site plan reviews, Arnot Realty's mixed-use plan for the 400 Block of West State/MLK Jr. Street. Plans submitted by Arnot call for a mixed-use five-story building. The new 114,000 square-foot structure would house 129 apartments and 5,500 square feet of ground-level retail, to be split for up to three tenants. The ground level would host about 50 covered parking spaces to be accessed from Seneca Street, as well as a landscaped plaza, bike parking, new and wider sidewalks, and other site improvements. Existing shade trees along Corn Street would remain, and a pedestrian sidewalk bump-out is being considered for the corner of North Corn and West State, to slow traffic and improve pedestrian visibility. The corner building that houses Mama Goose would have its facade saved and incorporated into the new building, but otherwise, all existing structures would be replaced by the new development. You can read more about the project here, or visit the developer's brand new project website here.

The track for this project will be a little lengthier, as it has to take a trip to the Board of Zoning Appeals before final site plan approval can be granted. The project site is in both the CBD-52 and the B-2d Zoning Districts and will require a 2-foot variance for height in the B-2d zone. The variance will allow for the floor heights to align across the two zones given the 12-foot ground floor height requirement in the CBD-52 district - otherwise, the floor plate would have a two-foot jump in the middle of the building.

Last night was a chance for Arnot's team to give an update on the project, listen in on the Public Hearing for the proposal, and respond to the board as they continued with Part 2 of the Full Environmental Assessment Form, one of the earlier steps within the SEQR environmental review process.

Architect Eric Colbert walked the board through the latest designs, and had some bad news. While they hope to save the facade of the existing corner building, the facade is in very poor shape, and may be beyond stabilization in the event of major construction work. In that case, they would build new brick walls matching the original design. Horizontal canopies would also be added to the original building, per the board's suggestion from the last meeting, added interest to the West Seneca Street facade, and safety bollards were added to the access driveway off North Corn Street. The Public Hearing was opened and closed shortly thereafter, since there were no public comments given for discussion.

Generally, board members were positive about the proposal, though they were not without some reservations. Board member Jones suggested striping or raised sidewalk for pedestrian safety along West Seneca Street, and asked whether there would be affordable units, and her colleague Glass made it clear that some inclusion of affordable units would play into his vote, and he also questioned why the developers would talk about the Mama Goose Building's facade issues. Glass stated concerns that Arnot's team was potentially trying to lead the board on since the design in the renders didn't match the existing historic building on the corner (the facade was much more minimal), and that it seemed like the destruction of the facade was already baked in. Lewis expressed concerns that the project emphasized studios and "junior one-bedrooms" over larger, more family-friendly units.

"It is our 100% goal to reuse the brick facade structure," said Arnot Realty's Peter Dugo. "The purpose of showing those photos is to show that, despite our best efforts, it may be unsalvageable. Those renderings don't show (the facade) off as much as real-life does, but it is planned to maintain the intricate details that currently exist." The project team also seemed reluctant to commit to firm numbers of affordable units for their project.

As planned, Design Review and SEQR part 3 is planned for next month, and likely more debate about affordability and the historic portions of the structure will be coming.

Last on the SPR agenda and the new project before the board this month is Cornell's plan to replace the existing two-lane bridge structure over Hoy Road, reconstruct and repair the bridge abutments, install means restriction and associated surveillance equipment, reconstruct and improve the approach roads, sidewalks and pedestrian crossing, install new lighting, and replace the stairs, railing and retaining walls that ascend from Hoy Road at the bridge to the Crescent Parking Lot. The university is planning for a temporary pedestrian bridge to be installed during construction, and a 1.1-mile vehicular detour will be established. If you want to read more about the proposal itself, the Voice has you covered here.

Given that this is replacement rather than a totally new build, and that it's an infrastructure project on Cornell's campus, the review process for the reconstructed bridge and adjacent spaces will likely be smooth and uneventful. At last night's meeting alone, the board was expecting a project presentation, Declaration of itself as Lead Agency to conduct the SEQR, and host a Public Hearing about the project.

Being a project manager for Cornell and stating that her co-workers presenting the project, board member Goddard recused herself from the review. Cornell's Tammi Aiken walked the board through the plans. The bridge last had major renovation work in 1977, and DOT has flagged the bridge twice for long-term (non-emergency) structural issues in the past couple of years, necessitating the need for rehabilitation before the situation gets worse. Aiken stated that 2022 remains the target date, though depending on the university's financial situation in this COVID-era, it may be pushed back to 2023.

The Declaration of Lead Agency was passed unanimously, the public hearing opened and closed with no public comments written or spoken, and the project continuing to cruise forward. Most of the board had little additional comment, except Blalock, who seemed to show a strong familiarity with the bridge and stairway, with recommendations for railings, building materials, and asking if there was something the could do about the traffic confusion at Hoy Road and Route 366. The board finished their discussions for the night and the project will be back before the members next month.

As the meeting wrapped up, and as touched on earlier, the board discussed adding a second September meeting for the 29th, after their usual meeting planned for the 22nd. Board members were actually somewhat excited, which would be used for non-Site Plan Review matters, as is the tradition for months where there's a free Tuesday after the regular meeting on the fourth Tuesday of the month. The board agreed to have the meeting, but wouldn't focus on project review material, entertaining the idea that Asteri may continue review at that meeting since it's behind schedule, but otherwise not keen on further SPR additions. Topics may include fleshing out a funding application for a waterfront traffic study, and asking the city's Economic Development Director, Tom Knipe, to come in and talk more about the conference center situation.

To end things on a positive note, here's the bright spot to close out this piece. Planner Nicholas noted that all Planning Department staff that had been furloughed due to the COVID crisis have returned to work.

Now that they're back to work, it seems likely they'll be kept busy into the fall.

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Planning Board Recap: August 2020 - The Ithaca Voice

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Hampton Journal real estate transactions for the week of Aug. 30 - TribLIVE