Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

YORK A few weeks after theyd fixed two rips in a tall, champagne-colored leather armchair, Robert and Chelsey Pegram spotted an event advertisement with Santa Claus sitting in an identical throne.

Apparently, we were working for Santa, Robert said with a laugh. That was a great thing to be able to say at our kids career day. Its always something different in our job.

Robert and Chelsey own a local franchise of Fibrenew, a global company that repairs and restores leather, vinyl and plastic items in homes, businesses, vehicles, boats, planes and medical clinics.

The York County residents travel all over the Peninsula, including to Williamsburg, to rehab damaged furniture, flooring, siding and window casings, as well as the seats, coverings and interiors of boats, cars, RVs, aircraft, restaurant booths and doctors exam tables.

The Pegrams goal is to return objects to their former glory days, whether for practical, sentimental, financial or environmentally-friendly reasons.

One of their favorite assignments, for example, was spiffing up a 20-year-old, greenish-blue sofa for a Williamsburg couple whod bought it as newlyweds. Sometimes we work on pieces that will be handed down generation to generation priceless things, Chelsey said. Were also able to keep so much stuff out of landfills. Its really fun and rewarding.

Robert and Chelsey Pegram own a local franchise of Fibrenew, a global company that repairs and restores leather, vinyl and plastic items in homes, businesses, vehicles, boats, planes and medical clinics. Courtesy of the Pegram family

A job might require re-dyeing faded or worn surfaces, replacing padding inside a sofa or chair, or erasing scratches, cracks, tears and missing chunks of material on anything from an antique car to a piece of storm-dented siding.

Founded in 1985, Fibrenew has 296 locations worldwide: 222 in the United States and the rest in Canada, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia. There are six other franchises in Virginia, including in Norfolk and Richmond.

The Pegrams are high school sweethearts and parents of four children, ages 2 through 8. Robert, 31, is a York County native and Grafton High School graduate; Chelsey, 27, was born in Germany into a military family, moved to Virginia in 2008 and is a Tabb High graduate. Their two older kids go to Roberts former elementary school, Grafton-Bethel.

Roberts father taught him a variety of handyman skills from an early age, while Chelsey is a lifelong art lover and painter who embraces color-matching challenges. Robert also describes himself as a serial entrepreneur.

I was selling glow sticks and Pop Rocks out of my backpack by age 8, he said. I started a lawn care business at 12. I did do some electrical union work for a while, but Im honestly a pretty horrible employee when Im not working for myself.

Robert Pegram, who owns a York County-based Fibrenew franchise with his wife, Chelsey, works on a flooring project. Courtesy of the Pegram family

Chelsey originally planned to be a nurse but was more drawn to business classes in college. She earned a degree in Business Management from Christopher Newport University.

In 2014, Chelsey and Robert, who studied horticulture at Tidewater Community College, started a landscaping business. However, they struggled to find enough employees or family time and decided to consult a franchise broker, who matched them with Fibrenew.

We had two main criteria: bring a service to the community that wasnt already here, and give something of value back to the community, Chelsey explained. We also wanted to build something that we can be proud of, that our kids can be proud of.

After a two-week online training program on maintenance and restoration of specific materials, the Pegrams launched their franchise on Aug. 1, 2021. They receive ongoing support from Fibrenew leaders and fellow owners worldwide, describing them as a family of lifelong learners.

Robert and Chelsey perform most jobs onsite with a mobile model, although they have created a home workshop. Each day is unique, such as when Chelsey tested her color skills by dyeing the center console of a green 1995 Porsche.

An example of one of the restorations done by Robert and Chelsey Pegram of York County. Courtesy of the Pegram family

As for Santas throne, that was an 8-foot-tall chair with elaborate gold detailing owned by event planners in Newport News. Movers had accidentally torn its material while removing plastic covering. We got it looking good as new, Robert said.

But sometimes, the Pegrams job is to advise that a restoration may not be financially wise or even possible, although the customer ultimately makes the final decision. In one case, Chelsey helped an elderly woman with a leather-bound Bible find an expert in book repair.

I didnt want to ruin the pages, Chelsey recalled. Shed had it since she was a child. Were always aware that what were working on could have a lot of meaning.

Robert and Chelseys older children already have pitched in to help on some jobs. And on a daily basis, Robert feels as if he is honoring his father, who passed away in 2020.

Every time I fix something, I think of all he showed me, he said. It brings out a lot of memories for me, too.

To learn more about Fibrenew, visit http://www.fibrenew.com/hrp, call (757) 303-3052 or email hrp@fibrenew.com.

Alison Johnson, ajohnsondp@yahoo.com

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York couple hopes their mobile repair and restoration business brings value to the community - Daily Press

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) The storms created havoc for a lot in the area. Many people are dealing with flooded basements and downed trees.

Amanda Reynolds and her family are stuck dealing with flooding in their basement for the second time in months.

Theres the water line right here. Thats how deep it was over here and we already had to tear up our flooring when it flooded in May, Reynolds said as she described the flood damage in her basement.

The sopping wet carpet in their basement was the result of the heavy rains, storms and failed sump pumps.

Our secondary pump was starting to overflow so we were scooping water out and using our Shop-Vac to scoop water out of our of secondary pump, Reynolds said.

Adam Myers of the restoration company Paul Davis says they have been flooded with calls.In the last 24 hours, I think we are over 200 at least, Myers said.

Myers says many people are dealing with the same issues Reynolds is going through.

A lot of sump pump failures or broken glass where you might get water coming in through a window in a basement, but a lot of what we are seeing with the floods and the water that weve had is water in basements, Myers said.

To add insult to injury, a tree in Reynolds backyard fell on her home.

I heard a snap and I saw a branch hit the window, the window that was right in front of me, Reynolds said.

Irl Haswell lives next door to Reynolds and has for 30 years and says drainage issues in the area have caused him problems for years in his backyard.

This particular part of the subdivision has a high concentration of clay in the soil, so the water doesnt sink into the soil. It just runs off the top and the way my house is situated my water has ran into the basements of adjoining houses, Haswell said.

Myers says because of the influx of calls it may take some time to help everyone, but they will get to you. In the meantime, he recommends trying to safely mitigate the situation on your own first.

If you can do anything to help to prevent that timeframe so you wany to try and add airflow so little fans, dehumidifiers, Myers said.

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Restoration crews busy helping people with storm damage - WANE

A French-Lebanese architect and her award-winning studio are behind a new installation the front of a heritage house in Beirut at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

The Lebanese House: saving a home; saving a city exhibit explores the reconstruction of the Mediterranean city since the devastating explosion in the Lebanese capital in 2020.

As the Beirut blasts two-year anniversary draws near, architect Annabel Karim Kassar contemplates the national tragedy with a partial replica of a heritage building she is restoring in the battered city.

Accompanied by short documentary films, the architectural installation invites visitors to look at the destruction inflicted on Beirut after a badly stored cache of ammonium nitrate chemicals exploded at the citys port killing more than 200 people and leaving 7,000 seriously injured.

The devastation left 300,000 homeless and caused immense damage to buildings old and new.

A reinterpretation of the traditional Liwan a small salon in the vast entrance hall of a Lebanese residence forms part of the installation, another part of Kassars attempt to make people aware of the countrys architectural heritage, she tells The National.

French-Lebanese architect Annabel Karim Kassar has lived and worked in Beirut, Dubai and London. Her exhibit at the V&A is a second iteration of an earlier project called 'Handle With Care', which she unveiled at Beirut Design Week 2016. Photo: Mark O'Flaherty

Its also about showing the changes that the Lebanese society is going through, says Kassar, whose exhibit includes three specially commissioned films about the explosions aftermath.

Im not pretending to change what is happening, but just trying to do what I can on my level, as an architect, to show awareness, to have an emotional impact on people. To give talks and inform on heritage. Thats all I can do.

As well as drawing attention to the rich detail and diversity of the countrys architectural past Phoenician, Classical, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Venetian the installation takes a stark look at Lebanons difficult present through video-recorded interviews with people across the city.

A lot of people ask, 'who cares about what you are doing now?' I understand and in a way I think thats true, but at the same time I think this is an important part of society and worth showing that the country is capable of other things.

Kassar had been in the process of restoring Bayt K, a traditional Lebanese home in the historic quarter of Gemmayzeh, when the chemicals ripped through the city and much of the reinforcement work that had already been done.

The house swayed from the force of the blast, the facade was separated from the structure, part of the ceiling flew away, Kassar says.

Bayt K was the fourth heritage house taken on by Kassars practice, AKK Architects, as a restoration project during the two decades the French architect has been in and out of Lebanon.

Beit Kassar, also referred to as Bayt K, is one of several heritage homes that architect Annabel Karim Kassar has spent years restoring in Beirut. Photo: Colombe Clier

Prompted by the challenge of preserving the ancient citys cultural and architectural identity, Kassar says she wanted to use Bayt Ks reconstruction as a catalyst to examine how Beiruts architectural past can inspire the restoration and rebuilding of its latest iteration.

Kassar founded AKK in Beirut in 1994 and was declared joint winner of an international competition to rebuild the souqs, the traditional marketplace at the heart of old Beirut.

In between the modernist works of her practice, which has offices in Beirut, Dubai, and London, Kassar has steadily worked on transforming historical 19th-century Lebanese homes into their liveable former glory.

In 2016, Kassar won the London Design Biennale Medal for the Lebanon pavilion at Somerset House and the following year the French-born architect unveiled Handle With Care, a project focusing on the conservation of Bayt K for Beirut Design Week.

The Lebanese House exhibit is, Kassar says, a new iteration of her first one, and seeks to express important lessons in urban restoration and renovation.

Bayt K's Bagdadi ceiling is an example of the rich architectural heritage of Beirut, which includes Phoenician, Classical, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Venetian influences. Photo: Colombe Clier

The four-metre high installation is a continuation of her personal crusade to restore one of the few remaining classic Ottoman-Venetian houses left in old Beirut.

Local and international communities need to be mobilised and involved directly, to protect their common urban heritage. And that restoration is not about recreating a synthetic history but about finding a new, living purpose for traditional buildings, an approach that lies at the heart of my work.

More than three years of work had already gone in to Bayt K when the explosion almost took Kassars team back to the beginning.

Kassar admits it was difficult to restart the restoration project while the country was in the middle of one of the worst economic crises in the world and still reeling from the aftermath of the explosion.

Sometimes I lost hope because it is such a difficult moment in Lebanon to work, she tells The National.

A lot of people ask, 'who cares about what you are doing now?' I understand and in a way I think thats true, but at the same time I think this is an important part of society and worth showing that the country is capable of other things.

Kassar believes that "by saving a building, you can save a city.

Part of the Lebanese House installation at the V&A by Annabel Karim Kassar. Photo: Ed Reeve

Work continued and after redoing the roof, re-stitching the facade and reinforcing the flooring, Kassar went further and replicated parts of the house for an international audience.

The centrepiece of the installation is the triple arcade, a symbol and trademark of traditional Lebanese architecture of the 19th century.

Some of the materials in the architectural installation, including the tiles and marble, are from Bayt K, and Kassar says traditional masons came from Beirut to build it on site.

Even the wood and stones on display were cut and brought in from Lebanon.

To see it put together at the V&A was a really emotional experience for the team.

We all felt that way while we were doing it. You really feel like youre in front of an old house, not a replica, Kassar says.

With so much destitution and destruction pockmarking Beirut, the survival of one very old building may not be a worthwhile cause for celebration for its residents.

But that a part of Lebanons fragile heritage not only survived so many calamities, but is also being marvelled at abroad is perhaps just the inspiration the beleaguered country needs.

The Lebanese House: saving a home; saving a city, opened in June and will remain on until September.

Updated: July 08, 2022, 11:10 AM

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Beirut house installed in London's V&A museum - The National

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There are chances of showers this afternoon in Northeast Ohio, with highs in the low 80s. Skies will clear for the weekend and highs will be in the upper 70s both Saturday and Sunday. Read more.

Troubled children: The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said Thursday it is deploying a Rapid Response team to Cuyahoga County following recent reports of unsafe conditions for youth and staff at the Jane Edna Hunter Social Services Center. Kaitlin Durbin reports the response comes after two Division of Children and Family Services workers appeared in front of County Council earlier this week to plead for help, alleging years of rampant violence, abuse and sexual assault at the facility.

Loehmann: Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland police officer who shot and killed Tamir Rice, has left the small department in Pennsylvania that hired him this week. Loehmann resigned Thursday morning, hours after media outlets reported that the borough of Tioga had hired him.

A tiny town in Pennsylvania hired Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland police officer who shot and killed Tamir Rice in 2014. Were talking about how he could possibly work as an officer on Today in Ohio.

Insurance subsidies: Healthcare advocates in Ohio want Congress to extend temporary federal health insurance premium subsidies that expire at the end of the current plan year. They warn that failing to extend the subsidies would jeopardize health insurance coverage for thousands of Ohioans who would otherwise have difficulty paying their premiums, reports Sabrina Eaton.

Community members can share their feedback or ask questions about the Cuyahoga Valley National Parks draft Community Access Plan from July 18-Sept. 16. The draft plan identifies strategies and actions to improve visitor opportunities and address current issues pertaining to visiting the park. (John Pana, cleveland.com file photo)

National park: The National Park Service wants to improve visitors park experiences at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and is asking for input. Megan Becka reports community members can attend a meeting this month and share their thoughts on the parks draft Community Access Plan.

Mormon house restoration: When Joseph Smith arrived in Kirtland with a group of followers in 1831, they built a community to serve as headquarters of the fledgling religion that would become the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now, Robert Higgs reports, the church is restoring Smiths home -- a site in suburban Kirtland considered sacred by the churchs congregates.

Arts relief: Cuyahoga County is investing $3.3 million in money for the arts from ARPA. Steven Litt reports that County Council voted Tuesday to authorize awarding up to $1.65 million in ARPA funds to Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the agency that supports the arts by distributing proceeds from the countys cigarette tax to cultural organizations, and the same amount to the nonprofit Assembly for the Arts, an umbrella group for Clevelands nonprofit and for-profit cultural industries, to support artists and creative businesses.

Sea lampreys: This years Tall Ships Festival in Cleveland will include some of the more disgusting denizens of the Great Lakes sea lampreys. Peter Krouse reports the Great Lakes Fishery Commission will be on hand with a half-dozen sea lampreys in a tank to publicize the destructive nature of the invasive species and why its important to continue controlling its population.

Weekly cases: The state of Ohio on Thursday reported 18,838 new cases of COVID-19 in its weekly dashboard update. Julie Washington reports this weeks case total averages to about 2,691 new cases per day over seven days, higher than last weeks total of 17,225, or 2,461 a day.

Mortgage rates: The national average for a 30-year mortgage rate dropped by almost half a percentage point amid fears of an economic slowdown, after rising more than two percentage points since Jan. 1. Sean McDonnell reports the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.3% Thursday, down from 5.7% a week ago.

Gambling: Gambling revenue in Ohio is down for the third month in a row, signaling that the record pace for casinos and racinos could be over. Ohios casinos and racinos brought in $196.8 million in gambling revenue in June, $7.6 million shy of the revenue brought in during June 2021, Sean McDonnell reports.

Jayland Walker: Akron Mayor Dan Corrigan has put another curfew in place for the citys downtown, which prevents residents from being out between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. The restored curfew comes after seven people, including the father of Jacob Blake Jr. and the aunt of Breonna Taylor, were charged Wednesday during a protest over the police shooting death of Jayland Walker, Olivia Mitchell reports.

Jail discipline: The warden of the Cuyahoga County Jail has been reprimanded for verbally sparring with an inmate. Olivia Mitchell reports county officials admonished Michelle Henry for an incident involving an inmate who was being escorted from the showers when he blew a kiss to Henry.

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Tall Ships Festival returns to Cleveland

Tall ships: A fleet of seven tall ships made their majestic return to Cleveland on Thursday evening for the start of the Cleveland Tall Ships Festival that runs through Sunday. Marc Bona reports the grand fleet seven replica and restored ships from three countries will be docked at North Coast Harbor near FirstEnergy Stadium. David Petkiewicz has photos of the ships.

The Ozarks: Like many others whove watched Netflixs Ozark, Susan Glaser was intrigued by the prospect of visiting this hearty slice of the American Midwest. She set out on a family vacation to explore the Lake of the Ozarks many water activities, natural wonders and tourist attractions.

Backstreet Boys: The Backstreet Boys finally made it to the sold-out event at Blossom Music Center on Wednesday, following two years of delays due to the pandemic. And the boy band had plenty of flair to spare, reports Annie Nickoloff.

Things to do: A big summer weekend is ahead in the CLE, with festivals, art shows, a beer bonanza, WonderStruck mustic festival, Tall Ships Festival and Cain Park Arts Festival. Annie Nickoloff has 20 ways to spend the next few days in Northeast Ohio.

Car racing on Cleveland street hits motorcycle head-on, killing man, woman Read more

Man found shot to death in Akron driveway Read more

Fairview Park police arrest suspect in racist vandalism cases Read more

House fire in Elyria claims lives of 5 pets Read more

Orange council paves way for RH gallery to move forward Read more

Medina County ranks 77th nationally for health Read more

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Ohio childrens services workers respond to crisis of Cuyahoga kids living in county office building: The Wak - cleveland.com

Legacy Rockport thanks the community for its heartfelt support in working together to restore the Vulcan Locomotive, which is back in its home spot at Marine Park in Rockport looking handsome once again.

The steam engine has been stationed at Rockport Harbor for decades, an icon of a once heavily industrial town that bustled with ships and fiery hot lime kilns, a hub of the thriving lime industry.

Last winter, Legacy Rockport, the nonprofit that works to enhance the community of Rockport, initiated a restoration effort of the aging engine in collaboration with the Town of Rockport, Rockport Steel, Rockport Marine, Camden Glass, Hammer Down Construction, the Masonic Lodge, and the Camden-Rockport third graders.

Now, with new parts and a fresh coat of paint, we are happy to report that the Vulcan is back on duty.

We are tremendously grateful to those who have donated to the restoration effort, and who continue to do so.

Thanks also to the many folks who turned out for the fundraising dinner at the Masonic Center in Rockport, made especially delightful by the Chefs in the kitchen, the salads grown and created by Annis Farm, and those who donated desserts: Samoset Resort, Ports of Italy, Nina June, Sweet Sensations, Offshore Restaurant, Graffam Brothers Seafood Market and Hannaford.

Sadly, Legacy Rockport - and the entire local community - lost a true friend just before our fundraising dinner. Bill Chapman, a dedicated member of the Legacy Rockport Board of Directors, and a Rockport Mason died unexpectedly. We miss Bill, his positive, can-do spirit, and his love and appreciation for the town. He left a legacy himself that we cherish in memory.

It takes a caring community to provide stewardship over its history, and we are grateful to say, the people of Rockport care.

Charlton Ames, President, Legacy Rockport

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Camden Herald letter: Thanks for supporting the Vulcan Locomotive restoration - Courier-Gazette & Camden Herald

Gov. Tony Evers has announced over $1.4 million in grants for Wisconsins coastal communities. The grants, funded through the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, will support efforts to build sustainable, climate-resilient coastal communities. The grants will be used by local, state and tribal governments as well as planning commissions, universities and nonprofit organizations.

All in all, the grants will help support 41 projects which total over $3.4 million. The Great Lakes are critical gateways to our state and provide fresh water, jobs, recreation, and an improved quality of life for folks across our state, especially those who call our coastal communities home, said Evers. From the Apostle Islands to Zoo Beach in Racine, these investments will help ensure we protect our vast and valuable freshwater resources by enhancing sustainability and resilience, and supporting local economies, jobs, and recreational and educational opportunities on our freshwater coasts.

Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Secretary-designee Kathy Blumenfeld praised the grants. The grants announced today will make a difference across the 800 miles of Wisconsin coastal communities through enhancing public access, sustainable use practices, education, development, and habit restoration, while addressing pollution and other concerns.

Recipients for the 2022-23 grants were recommended by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Council. Among the 41 projects will be efforts in habitat restoration at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Manitowoc, flood exposure vulnerability mapping for northern Ashland, public access in Hika Bay, and preservation for the Port Washington historic lighthouse. The next round of request proposals will be available in August, with an application deadline of early November 2022.

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Over $1.4 million in grants announced for coastal communities - Wisconsin Examiner

In early July, a group of about 20 first and second graders from Milwaukee's Atonement Lutheran School took a walk through a forest.

"Today, since we're talking about animals, we'll be looking at animal homes, animal tracks," their guide, Alex Olson told them. "Youll probably see some squirrels and birds out there."

The students got most excited when they spotted a big spider, squealing and commenting on how it's camouflaged to its surroundings.

The school group was hiking in a 237-acre nature preserve, and they only had to travel a couple miles to find it.

Havenwoods State Forest, at Silver Spring Drive and Sherman Boulevard in Milwaukee, is the only urban state forest in Wisconsin. Its an oasis of trees, prairie and wetland that is home to deer, turkeys, hawks, coyotes, snakes, turtles and frogs.

A Bubbler Talk listener sent us a question asking why Havenwoods was created.

Bubbler Talk: What have you always wanted to know about the Milwaukee area that you'd like WUWM to explore?

With the help of the Milwaukee Public Library's Daniel Lee, we dug into the archives to look at Havenwoods' past. The history of the forest is one of punishment and war.

In the 1800s, much of what is now Havenwoods was farmland owned by the Zautcke family, who were German immigrants. Milwaukee County bought the Zautcke land and some other parcels in the early 1900s, and built a House of Correction there.

At the time, the area around Havenwoods was rural Granville township it hadn't yet been annexed by Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Public Library

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The Army seized the House of Correction property in 1945 to use as disciplinary barracks. It held military prisoners, and briefly prisoners of war. The last prisoners left the barracks in 1950.

Between 1956-63, during the Cold War, it was one of eight Nike anti-aircraft missile sites in the Milwaukee area.

Milwaukee County Historical Society

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By the time Gaylord Yost moved to the Havenwoods neighborhood in 1975, the disciplinary barracks were empty and the property had fallen into disrepair.

"It was really a sort of a lost part of the city is what it was," says Yost, now an 89-year-old retired forester. "It was just a roughly abandoned property. There was an old farm building down on the southeast corner of it. Mostly it was grassed over, trees, brush."

As the city tried to figure out what to do with the old disciplinary barracks site, Milwaukee Alderman Ted Stude held a renaming contest in 1974. Custer High School student Lisbeth Sealy's entry of "Havenwoods" won.

In the 1970s, a group of residents calling themselves "Friends of Havenwoods" rallied to turn the blighted city property into a nature preserve. Yost joined the group, which was led by environmentalist Cari Backes.

"Cari Backes wanted it as a gem in the northwest corner an environmental inspiration to the area of what can happen to a well-used abandoned property," Yost says.

There were others who wanted housing or factories on the site. The Milwaukee Tenants Union occupied the vacant barracks between 1969-71 to house evicted families.

Milwaukee Public Library Historic Photo Collection

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But the environmentalists got the attention of politicians, including Wisconsin Gov. Martin Schreiber. He offered for the Department of Natural Resources to take over the property from the city.

The transfer happened in 1978, and since then, DNR has been working to restore the forest.

"Its a healing process," says Milwaukee State Parks Superintendent Angela Vickio. "This is now decades worth of restoration, revegetation projects."

Vickio says people use the six miles of trails here for hiking, dog walking and birdwatching. Last year, it had over 100,000 visitors.

Havenwoods has an education mission. Families are invited to animal feedings at its nature center, which houses turtles and snakes. School groups frequently visit for field trips.

"We are doing something positive where this didnt necessarily have a highly positive past," Vickio says. "There were a lot of things that were controversial in it. And you know, I think its to our benefit to ensure this continues to be a positive place for people to come."

The forest sits in a predominately Black community, and Vickio says there is work to be done to better engage those neighbors.

One group already doing that work is Nearby Nature, led by Steven Hunter. He brings schoolchildren to Havenwoods as part of a nature education class.

"Bringing kids out here its a perfect place," Hunter says. "Were Nearby Nature. We hear from our white counterparts, 'Oh we went to Door County, we went to these places.' And Im like, OK, those are access conversations. But Havenwoods provides that same level of access right here in the city."

DNR Secretary Preston Cole is putting more emphasis on green spaces located in diverse areas. For the first time in years, Havenwoods is getting a full-time educator to expand outreach.

Vickio hopes more people get to experience the mental health benefits of being in nature.

"One of the things that I like to do with groups when were outside is to take some time and purposely be quiet," says Vickio. "You hear birds chirping, you hear crickets, you hear animals moving around, you hear the wind moving between the leaves on the trees. And just to spend time to quiet your mind can really be useful in urban areas."

After decades serving military and punitive purposes, Havenwoods is now a quiet sanctuary a haven.

Have a question you'd like WUWM to answer? Submit your query below.

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Havenwoods State Forest in Milwaukee is the result of 'healing' after a military past - WUWM

POWELL, Tenn. (WATE) Whole trees, limbs and leaves covered dozens of yards in Broad Acres after thunderstorms Tuesday and Wednesday. For many, its been a waiting game for the power to be restored.

Powerful winds snapped a tree in half in Sam Pairs backyard.

Weve got two big pine trees and now were down to one. It was kind of scary when it came down, he said.

The tree narrowly missed Pairs home but destroyed his fence when it fell. He and his wife were watching the storm inside.

I grew up along the Gulf coast and been through some hurricanes, Pair said. And it was up there with some of the hurricane-force winds Ive seen in my life.

Pair stayed in a hotel with his family Tuesday night due to the lack of power but electricity at his house was on and off Wednesday.

Next string of storms came through, it got knocked out again so were waiting on it to come back on, Pair said.

His neighbors across the street are also dealing with their fair share of storm damage and they havent had power for about a day.

[KUB] came earlier, and they made around, Joey Stottler said. They told us we had a live wire down in our backyard and not to go back there which we didnt last night. Wed already been out there so we luckily didnt get injured or anything.

According to Stottler, his three kids are taking it in stride while his familys power is out and hell be working on getting things cleaned up.

Its a huge neighborhood. The power lines run in everybodys back yard so I know its hard for them to get some of this stuff, so well just be at their mercy, he said.

Marcos Pizza was out delivering dinner in Broad Acres for free to families who still didnt have power Wednesday. Stottler called that a blessing.

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It was up there with some of the hurricane-force winds Powell residents wait for power restoration after storms - WATE 6 On Your Side

Manufacturing the turbodiesel badge affixed to the back of this 1984 Peugeot 604 took Harjeet S. Kalsi two full weeks. With painstaking precision, he recreated the original font, milling a single thin piece of aluminum, micron by micron. Prototypes were made and discarded. He then mixed two batches of resin, getting the tint just right before pouring them into the millimeters-deep cavity. The excess was carefully hand-sanded away, and the piece then buffed to a spotless sheen. That's how much effort went into just the badge.

John Brendan McAleerCar and Driver

Witness what is likely the most perfect Peugeot 604 on the planet. An uncommon car when new, the 604 is now basically extinct. Inquiries about parts availability are usually met with a Gallic shrug, and to be blunt, few people still care about this car. But Kalsi does. To him, restoring this car is about setting the world back in balance.

We've met Kalsi before when Car and Driver featured a look at his unusually reliable 1982 Aston-Martin Lagonda. Yes, you've just read the words reliable and Lagonda in the same sentence. I don't think there's really any car I'm afraid of working on, Kalsi says. It's not bragging, just quiet confidence.

John Brendan McAleerCar and Driver

His Lagonda is completely bananas. Painted a bright teal, it looks like the kind of thing Lando Calrissian would win in an illegal Cloud City poker game. Low, long, and with a jaw-dropping interior, it is at once a car and also a rift in the space-time continuum.

Next to that alligator-hide jumpsuit, the 604 appears as reserved as a scowling French banker. Look closer and the perfection of this car is just as shocking as the garish Aston. The shut lines are all even and identical. The Marchal lights are polished as bright as a young cat's gaze. The lower valence looks brand new. Further, no other 604 has mirror-straight flanks like this onethe factory manufacturing process always warped the rear doors into a slight concave. Kalsi smoothed them into perfection with the patience of one of the takumi who hand-chamfer the flanks of the Toyota Century.

It's the work of a clearly very patient mechanic. But then, what else might you expect from someone who learned car restoration techniques by creating an essentially-immortal Aston Martin? The point bears underlining: Every technique used to bring this 604 up to such a high standard is something that Kalsi learned by doing on his Lagonda. Fiberglass repair, bodywork, welding, interior leather- and woodwork, and of course engine repair.

John Brendan McAleerCar and Driver

And it is also the work of someone who was realizing a childhood dream. Years ago, Kalsi's father assigned his car-crazed teenage son the task of picking out a new family car. The young man pored over his magazine collection and settled on a Peugeot 604. It was an unusual choice but not wildly so.

In the 1980s, buying a Peugeot was not much different than choosing a Mercedes or a Volvo. European marques represented distinct personalities: a BMW for the leather-driving-gloves crowd, a Saab for the black turtleneck-wearing architects, a Citren for Grace Jones. Peugeots offered French motoring qualities in a relatively conventional package, and U.S. sales peaked in 1984 at 20,000.

The 604 executive-class sedan boasted most of the ethereal comfort of a Citren, without the quirkiness. While not a commercial success, it was a convincing effort, receiving particular critical praise for elegant styling and pliable ride quality.

Kalsi Sr. seems to have kept an open mind, and the family did go and look at a 604. However, there were concerns about the expense and effort of trying to keep a French car going on this side of the Atlantic. Visiting a local Peugeot dealership, an employee offered some brutal honesty. A 604 was perhaps too much work if you were not a true Euro enthusiast.

Kalsi describes leaving short essays on the back door for his dad to read upon coming home from workhere are all the superiorities of a 604, it'll be the poshest car in the neighborhood, I'll always keep it washed and waxed. The entreaties were considered, but practicality prevailed. The Kalsi family bought a sensible 1982 Ford Escort GLX.

Harjeet was bereft, but also unswayed.

I knew at some point I would get one, he says, I was sure of it.

A Majorette model of a 604 was a constant childhood companion. He customized it to have a detailed turbodiesel engine and working suspension. It sat on his desk through school and university. He still has it.

John Brendan McAleerCar and Driver

However, attrition was coming for the 604. By around 2010, Harjeet started noticing that fewer were around whenever he was idly searching, and the examples that cropped up were usually afflicted with rust. The search became more serious. He found this U.S.-spec version in Washington state in January 2017. It was in original condition but had not run in decades.

Getting the engine turning again was the first priority, but not an easy task. Some internet sleuthing and a cold call turned up a cache of Peugeots in a field in nearby Langley, BC. Kalsi waded through blackberry thorns to get at a 604 with what turned out to be a surprisingly well-preserved turbodiesel four-cylinder engine. He pulled the engine himself with hand tools and the help of the farmer's tractor and hauled it back to his home in Surrey.

It should be noted here that Kalsi is not running a restoration shop. This was work done on his own, an all-consuming side project performed at the same time as he was also doing an extensive property renovation. It was exhausting.

I did come pretty near to my limit toward the end, Kalsi says. It was pretty frustrating to be 99.9% there but not yet done. I would love to have just woken up and not had anything to do.

Parts availability was tricky. When pieces could be tracked down, the pandemic slowed shipping to a crawl. Yet Kalsi persevered. The project felt like a Zeno's paradox, inching tantalizingly closer, yet never quite complete.

John Brendan McAleerCar and Driver

But the day came, and it was worth it. While what you can see is impressive enough, it's the hidden qualities that make it so special. For instance, 604 dashboards all crack and warp, so Kalsi built a metal frame to hold it in place, hidden beneath the carefully re-wrapped vinyl. Original labeling was recreated for the underhood area and behind the fuel door. The driver's seat is formed from the foam of three seats sectioned into one.

Sinking in, it's as comfortable as when the car was new. In fact, the whole car feels new. The steering is excellent, more responsive than you'd expect from a car first launched in the 1970s. The suspension is sufficiently soft that a driver can just ignore speedbumps, but the 604 doesn't wallow in the corners. In its day, keeping the turbodiesel torque on the boil, this would have been a decently quick cross-continental European tourer.

To Kalsi, it is also righting a wrong. His father's pragmatism was probably correct at the time, but this 604 is capturing the car that once got away. Today, he parks it in his garage next to his Lagonda. They represent two very different dreams, both willed into reality by a man who can make even a badge into a work of art.

John Brendan McAleerCar and Driver

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This Peugeot 604 Is One Man's Obsessive Restoration - Car and Driver

OLEAN Local Legionnaires had two reasons to celebrate the holiday Monday the nations birthday and a finally-completed fresh look for the Legion hall.

The American Legion Post 530 hall, at 307 E. State St., recently saw completion of a $20,500 exterior restoration thanks to work by PaintMedics and the citys Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding from 2018.

Jim Tambash, first vice commander of the post, led the effort to secure the funds for the Legion, which were part of a $600,000 allocation of the citys $10 million award for the creation of the Downtown Revitalization and Rehabilitation Fund. The Olean Business Development Corp. was responsible for administering the fund on behalf of New York States Homes and Community Renewal project.

OBDC reported earlier this year that 26 businesses applied for up to $40,000 in grant money per storefront, with property owners fronting the entire cost of construction to be reimbursed 80% after completion. Funds were made available to businesses and nonprofit organizations inside the geographical DRI zone stretching from Olean General Hospital to the South Union Street bridge.

As of January, work had been completed at Southern Tier Health Care System, Jamestown Community College and Green Acres Cafe on North Union Street, as well as Jims Park and Shop on Front Street.

It was a long road, Tambash noted.

It was over three and a half years, he said, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related delays which dragged the project out far longer than anyone anticipated.

The local Legion post was founded by veterans recently returned from World War I. The Victorian-style structure that later became the groups current home was built in 1880, with the brick addition for events constructed after World War II.

We kept it the same as it was, the woodwork, Tambash said, keeping with the requirements of the funding and preserving the historical look of the 140-year-old building.

Work included repairing the wood trim of the building, as well as some masonry work. Fresh paint rounded out the work.

For Jim Veno of PaintMedics, the job was also a way to support area veterans.

Im proud to do this job its one of my proudest jobs, he said.

Tambash was pleased to have PaintMedics help restore the structure.

Its beautiful he did a great job, he added.

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Restoration work at Olean Legion thanks to DRI fund - Olean Times Herald