Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

SALISBURY The wait is finally over.

Bell Tower Green Inc. and the city of Salisbury say Bell Tower Green Park will open Friday.

After more than two years of construction and four years of private fundraising and planning, the downtown park will be accessible to all in the community. The construction fence that has surrounded the park for more than a year will begin be dismantled Friday morning, a news release said. The public will have access to the park by midday or later in the afternoon.

Our board of directors and donors have been dreaming about this day for several years and we are just elated that it looks like we are going to have a beautiful weekend to finally allow the community to come explore its new park, said Dyke Messinger, president of Bell Tower Green.

The park is bounded by Innes, South Church, West Fisher and South Jackson streets. Its adjacent to the Salisbury Post, Rowan Public Library, Maxwell Chambers House and St. Johns Lutheran Church. It was previously set to open on Sept. 10, but COVID-19 concerns prompted the cancellation of the grand opening as well as the Pops at the Post event that would have been the following day. The extra time was used to complete a few of the previously unfinished tasks and give the recently planted grass a chance to establish its roots. The park also received necessary permits to keep the water wall running.

We are ready to finally see our citizens able to enjoy the beautiful new green space, interactive water wall, splash pad, and play area that we have been watching come out of the ground the past two years, said Salisbury Parks and Recreation Director Nick Aceves. We have a good team in place to take over management of the park, and we are grateful for the partnership we have had with the Bell Tower Green board to get to this point.

Parks and Recreation and Public Works Department staff will take over maintenance and management of the park immediately. However, work will continue on the park for the foreseeable future.

There are several odds and ends that will continue to be worked on in the coming weeks and months to finish off some of the work that just couldnt get completed before now for various reasons, Aceves said. But we did not want the public to have to wait a day longer than necessary to get the park open. We ask the public to bear with us in the weeks ahead as we continue installation and replacement work in the park while it is open.

The park will open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., beginning this weekend, with bathrooms closing at dusk and hours likely to fluctuate in the future. Rules for use of the park will be posted, and information about reservations and use of elements in the park will be forthcoming, a news release said.

The permitting process and installation of some of our amenities took longer than expected, but our goal has always been to bring down the fence as soon as it was safe to do so, Messinger said. We have been saying that this park is about cultivating community, and that can only happen when people can actually start enjoying it. We are ready to see this new park and our community flourish.

For more information, contact 704-216-PLAY or visitwww.belltowergreen.com.

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Bell Tower Green Park will open Friday after years of fundraising, construction - Salisbury Post - Salisbury Post

It was established in June 2018 after the merging of Emmanuel and St Columbas United Reformed Churches. Downing Place United Reformed Church is located at the former St Columbas building in Downing Place, which was built in 1891 in the Early English style and stands within the Historic Core Conservation Area.

The redeveloped St Columbas site has been extensively renovated as part of a 3.3m project led by Archangel Architects.

The main contractor Coulson Building Group got in touch with Selectaglaze to discuss secondary glazing solutions for the purpose of thermal retention. Becomingthermally efficientand wasting less energy was of great importance to the Church, not only environmentally, but also on an economical level.

In the end, the decision was for side hung casements to be installed in the Chapel where the primary windows were rectangular with a very gentle curve at the top.

Fixed light secondary glazing was specified for the much larger windows in the Nave, together with slim framing sections and interlocks.

There was no requirement for the secondary glazing to open as natural ventilation would be acquired through the opening of newly installed roof lights. Furthermore, the Church would only clean these units seldomly.

56 units were installed; consisting of 52 Series 46 slimline fixed lights installed in the Nave and four Series 45 side hung casements in the Chapel. The slimline Series 45 hinged casement system is suitable for treating many types of window and standard sized doors. Neat flush hinges and slim handles or flush locks provide clean internal lines.

The Series 46 slimline fixed light can be shaped or curved to a full circle ideal for church windows that do not need to be opened regularly. Little maintenance is generally required to well designed and constructed stained glass. Both the Series 45 and 46 secondary glazed units will reduce heat loss by up to 50%. High-performance compression seals will almost eliminate drafts and ensure much greater comfort near the window.

Alarge circular primary windowin the Navewas perhaps the most complex treatmentdue to its shape and elevatedposition.A proven method of fixing wasusedfor this secondary glazing treatment.

Having previously worked on a similarly large circular window, a timber mullioned cartwheel framewas expertly craftedto hold the secondary glazing securely.

The timber subframes were built in segments with each mullion split to be screwed together within the window openingduring installation, forming the cartwheel frame.Sevenbespoke Series 46 fixed light segments were specifiedfor itand glazed with 6mm toughenedglassto giveadditionalrigidity and structural strength.

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Secondary glazing installed at renovated Cambridge Church - Planning, BIM & Construction Today

The new route will ferry 12K passengers daily from downtown to Madison Valley by way of First Hill.

by Ben Adlin

A groundbreaking ceremony in Madison Valley this week marked the official start of construction of a new RapidRide bus route the G Line expected to carry nearly 12,000 people daily along Madison Street between downtown and Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

The 2.3-mile transit expansion, projected to open in 2024, will include major upgrades to roads and sidewalks, including 240 curb cutouts to increase accessibility, new traffic signals, more visible crosswalks, signs that show real-time bus arrivals, and raised-curb stations designed to make it easier to get on and off buses which will come every six minutes at peak times and have doors on both sides.

In the short-term, the $133 million project will likely mean a snarl of construction traffic on Madison, only adding to the regions growing pains. But the investment of time and money will eventually mean a more connected, built-out transit system that links some of the citys densest neighborhoods, speakers at Thursdays, Sept. 30, event said.

In some cities, the best lines of communication are from the city center to the suburbs, said the Rev. Patricia Hunter of Mount Zion Baptist Church, where the groundbreaking ceremony was held. But in Seattle, one of the best lines of transportation will serve those within the city, all along Madison.

City, County, and even Federal Transit Administration (FTA) officials spoke at the event, emphasizing the routes role in connecting the regions growing transit system.

The RapidRide G Line will open up access to a world of opportunities for thousands, without having to set foot in a car, FTA administrator Nuria Fernandez said. The line also reaches into historically underserved neighborhoods with an affordable, reliable transportation option, which creates more equity.

FTA is the top funder of the G Line expansion, contributing a $60 million grant as well offering technical assistance. The project itself is a cooperation between City, County, Sound Transit, and other officials, and is one of the largest projects built under the Move Seattle levy, a nine-year, $930 million funding measure approved by voters in 2015.

Construction of the new route begins as other major transit expansions are already in progress, perhaps most notably Puget Sounds growing Link light rail system the University District, Roosevelt, and Northgate stations are scheduled to open on Saturday, Oct. 2, along with the John Lewis Memorial Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists.

Its all about connectivity for the network that were building out, said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. Well be expanding Tacoma Link the following year well open 10 stations overnight to the Eastside after that in 2023, and then in 2024 well extend all the way up to Lynnwood, all the way to downtown Redmond, and all the way down to Federal Way.

The G Line is part of transit officials effort to expand routes that run east-west. Most of Seattles transit lines run north-south, which makes sense: The city is long and narrow, constrained on two sides by large bodies of water. But traveling across the city can be slow: Bus routes are less common, and they usually arrive less often. The G Line is expected to reduce end-to-end transit time from the Colman ferry dock downtown to Madison Valley by five minutes, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).

Everyone here whos transit-dependent knows that the east-west connections have always been the toughest in Seattle, and so this is a big breakthrough, said King County Executive Dow Constantine, noting that the RapidRide system was created to provide such frequent, consistent service along high-capacity corridors that riders didnt have to plan around the schedule anymore.

The new RapidRide is also designed to connect multiple modes of transportation, allowing passengers to transfer between bus lines, light rail, and the Seattle streetcar, as well as other RapidRide and Transit-Plus lines.

Theres so many different ways this one project will benefit the people of this city and this region, said SDOT Director Sam Zimbabwe, noting that the projects construction will also replace broken sidewalks, add safety signage and more space for pedestrians, and improve stormwater drainage. These types of changes not only make the bus a more viable transportation option for people, they make walking and rolling around our city more comfortable for everybody.

King County Metro General Manager Terry White, who rode the bus growing up in Seattle, said Thursday he once sang in the church choir at Mt. Zion, where the groundbreaking was held.

This to me is a historic site that, first of all, is about service to the community, he said. And thats what this is about today: collaboration of all of us here coming together federal, state, regional, municipalities all coming together to create service [thats] faster, more frequent and more reliable. We look forward to whats to come in our region, where mobility is a human right.

Alex Hudson, director of the transit advocacy nonprofit Transportation Choices, said she remembered when she started going to planning meetings for what would eventually become the G Line back in 2014. About a quarter of people in the state dont drive for various reasons, she said. It is our obligation to make sure that they are connected to their futures and to all opportunities through affordable, reliable service.

For students in Seattle, noted Mayor Jenny Durkan, riding the G Line will be free, thanks to a City program that provides no-cost ORCA cards to all high-school and low-income middle-school students.

On the County side, King County Metro briefly suspended collection of fares for all riders early on in the pandemic, but the agency announced an end to the program a year ago. Low-income riders can qualify for reduced-fare ORCA LIFT cards, however, and other discounted options also exist.

Investment in transit is the absolute right thing to do, and we have had unparalleled investments by the people in this region and from the residents and businesses in the City of Seattle, Durkan said. Weve been, for 19 months, in really hard and dark times, but through those hard and dark times weve kept going on really critical infrastructure projects.

The next RapidRide route, the H Line, will run from downtown through West Seattle, White Center, and Burien, replacing Metros Route 120. The agency says the line will come more often and be far more reliable than Route 120 is today. Service is expected to begin next fall.

Featured Image: Local officials hold a banner announcing the RapidRide G Line expansion during a Sept. 30, 2021, press conference. (Photo: Ben Adlin)

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Construction Begins on RapidRide G Line to Open in 2024 - southseattleemerald.com

Father Justin DuVall, OSB, monk, priest, and former archabbot of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, died in the monastery infirmary on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. He was 70.

Fr. Justin was born in Toledo, Ohio, on July 7, 1951.

He enrolled in Saint Meinrad College in 1969, graduating in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French. He professed his simple vows on August 24, 1974, and his solemn vows on August 24, 1977. He received a Master of Divinity from Saint Meinrad School of Theology in 1978, and he was ordained to the priesthood on April 30, 1978.

Following ordination, Fr. Justin earned a Master of Arts degree in library science from the University of Michigan. In 1979 he was appointed assistant librarian in the Saint Meinrad Archabbey Library, a position he held full time for five years, and then part time for the next 11 years.

Other assignments included liturgical master of ceremonies, assistant novice/junior master, and chairman of the monasterys Liturgical Advisory Committee. In 1984 he was appointed prior (second in leadership) by Archabbot Timothy Sweeney and held those responsibilities until Archabbot Timothys resignation in 1995.

During those years, his other responsibilities included serving as a member of the Archabbey Council and the Archabbey Strategic Planning Committee, and as a commuting chaplain for the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand.

In 1995, Fr. Justin was appointed an associate dean of the School of Theology. The following year, he was named the provost and vice rector of the School of Theology, a responsibility he held for the next 8 years until his election as archabbot.

On December 31, 2004, Fr. Justin was elected the ninth abbot and sixth archabbot of Saint Meinrad. During his tenure as abbot, Archabbot Justin oversaw several significant building projects, including the final stage of construction of a new Guest House and Retreat Center and the renovation of St. Gregory Hall, St. Bede Hall, Newman Hall, and the St. Martin Center.

More recently, he oversaw extensive renovations to the infrastructure of the monastery, which included an addition to the infirmary and the installation of a geothermal heating/cooling system. He also led the final 18 months of the Archabbeys largest-ever campaign, which raised nearly $43 million for renovations, endowment, and operating expenses.

Following his resignation as abbot, he undertook a five-year term as vice rector at Simon Brut College Seminary in Indianapolis. He returned to the monastery in May of 2021 to assume the responsibility as the communitys novice/junior master. His new assignment was cut short with the unexpected diagnosis of pancreatic and liver cancer in early August.

The Office of the Dead will be prayed at 7 p.m. Central Time on Friday, October 8, in the Archabbey Church. The funeral liturgy will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Central on Saturday, October 9, in the Archabbey Church. Burial will follow in the Archabbey Cemetery.

The services will be livestreamed at http://www.saintmeinrad.org/live. Space is limited in the Archabbey Church. If you plan to attend in person, please call the switchboard at 812-357-6611. Masks are required in the church.

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Father Justin DuVall, OSB, St. Meinrad Archabbey - The Herald

Vicki Serna| Special to the Plaindealer

A real and visual need arose on March 28, 1998. That was the year that a tornado wreaked havoc in the town of Comfrey. Before that time, some of us had been working with the mission quilting project at the Faith Lutheran Church, and that evening when citizens were routed to the Church basement for shelter and comfort … what should be available to them, but the mission quilts that had been prepared by that Church. It was an eye-opening visual to the comfort that a simple quilt can bring another human being.

Because of the devastation to the town, the Salvation Army came to camp in the basement of the United Church of Christ for a period of nearly two years, passing out needed supplies, utensils, paint, and of course quilts that had come in from elsewhere. Preparations were made with our ladies to begin our own quilting project as a means of giving back for the kindnesses we received.

There were many willing hands in those early days, and we solicited help from the other congregations in town and out. Over the years, people from ten different congregations have joined in to help with quilt construction and distribution. So many gave of their talents as schedules allowed, that it would be amiss to try to mention them all. We averaged 40 quilts annually throughout those early years with a record high of 62 in 2011 and 2012. This year, 2021, marks the construction and distribution of 1000 quilts.

In those early days, we filled the church basement and sometimes had to resort to using the kitchen to accommodate everyone. Members of the congregations were given a quilt to commemorate their high school graduation as well as their weddings. Newborn babies also received a small version and the remaining went to missions. The Womens Fellowship group began purchasing fiber fill at this time, so our quilts were not only attractive but functional during our cold weather winters.

Most of our quilts remain in this country, with some going to disaster areas elsewhere. In 2008 Watonwan County Human Services and St. Peter Treatment Center were new recipients. The next year we had three quilts that were hand-stitched and donated to Ten Thousand Villages in Mt. Lake, they were sold on silent auction and at the MCC sale in Sioux Falls, SD. Proceeds totaling $466 were forwarded to Mennonite Charities.

United Church of Christ ceased having regular services in 2011, but the quilting project continued with the Darfur Senior Citizens, agreeing to help … following their monthly potluck meeting.

2015 was the last year of Church involvement as the account funding project supplies had been depleted. Enter Thrivent Financial Group with their Community Action Program. For the past six years, they have been funding our projects. Without them we would not have been able to continue … this year we reached 1000 in distribution. Thank you Thrivent!

List of recipients …

Black Hill Works

Brickstone Manor

Brown County Human Services

CADA House

Elizabeth House

Fire Victims - Olivia

Haiti hurricane relief

Iraq interpreters

Journey Home

Kedish House

Marie Sandvik

Military Missions to families in our area whose

soldiers tour of duty was extended 125 days

New Orleans Katrina relief

Numas Haus

St. Peter Treatment Center

Salvation Army Mens Mission

Ten Thousand Villages

Union Gospel Missions

Veterans Home - Laverne

Veterans Home St. Cloud

Veterans Home Stillwater

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Light is the task when many share the toil quilting 2021 - St. James Plaindealer

By Martha Jackson

The Town of Falkville welcomes everyone to attendtheFall FestivalOct. 9. The schedule for the festival activities is announced as follows:

7a.m. Pancakebreakfast

7 a.m. 5K registration until 7:45 a.m.

8 a.m. 5K check-in

8a.m. Vendors open

8 a.m. Tractor show begins

9 a.m. Bingo

9 a.m. 5K begins

10 a.m. to noon Brody Turney, acoustic stage

12:30-1:30 p.m. After Midtown, mainstage

1 p.m. Tractor show awards

2 p.m. Car show awards

2-3:30 Tyler Booth, mainstage

3:30 p.m. Vendors close

The Town of Falkville expressesappreciation to the following sponsors of the 2021 Fall Festivals:Bramlett, Mayfield Trucking, Playtime Playground Equipment, Colors Precision Paint&Body, Eddie Pruitt Ford, Michael Holifield State Farm, Infinity Playground, Victory Fellowship, Falkville Lions Club, Chevron, Sheppard Service, Peck Funeral Home, Lulus Loft&Chill, Falkville VFW Post 10774, Anytime RV Service&Parts, Anders Machine Shop, Morgan County Commission, ADS Rubber&Plastics, Lone Wolf Trailer Co., Dirty South Towing&Recovery, Falkville Wood Treating, Cross Ties Coffee, Peck-Glasgow Agency, Compliance Construction Co., Pilgrims, NAFECO, Ryan Equipment Center, Wheeler Basin Natural Gas Company, Sweet Pea Antiques, Valley Rubber Products, GoodwynMills&Cawood, Just-Rite Machine Inc., Nurcor, River City Towing, Diamond Pro, Cadence Bank and Vulcan.

Everyone come out Oct. 9 for lots of fun, great music and good food!

Falkvilletownclerkattendsconference

Falkvilletownclerk Dawn Estes attended aclerk conference in Orange Beach Wednesday through Saturday, Sept.22-25.

Local Area Church Activities

The members of Corinth West Baptist Church will hold a community-wide stew supperOct.23. Everyone is welcome to attend for fellowship and a good meal.

The members of McKendree United Methodist Church enjoyed a potluck meal and Bible study at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23.

Town of Falkville Activities

Oct. 7 thecommissioners,mayors andclerks met for a dinner and business session at the court conference room.

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Falkville welcomes everyone to fall festival Oct. 9 - The Hartselle Enquirer - Hartselle Enquirer

After the citys oldest theater was recently gutted, the Fresno City Council is looking to amend the Historic Preservation Ordinance to preserve other historic buildings in the future.

Fresno City Councilman Miguel Arias is submitting the amendments for introduction at Thursdays council meeting.

His amendments come in response to the construction at Hardys Theatre in downtown Fresno, which opened in 1917 originally known as the Liberty Theater and was sold earlier this year to a church.

If the council agrees with Arias proposal, the Historic Preservation Commission would see a change to its operations.

The commission, which is part of the Planning and Development Department, is comprised of seven mayoral appointees who are experts in preservation, architecture, engineering and related fields.

The commissioners review nominations to the Local Register of Historic Resources and reviews construction permits for historic properties.

Under the amendments, the commissioners would have to attend at least two informational or educational meetings, seminars, workshops or conferences annually in accordance with the Certified Local Government Program, which involves local governments with the preservation of historic properties. Commissioners currently only have to attend one such meeting every year.

Outside of the commission, the proposal seeks to alter the criteria for designating a property as a Historic Resource.

Currently, all sites over 50 years old must possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.

The proposal would change that requirement for sites to simply possess aspects of those attributes.

Also, all at risk developments in town would be prohibited for Historic Resources moving forward.

If a property owner of a Historic submits an application or proposal to the city for demolition, grading, removing or building permits, all property owners within 2,000 feet of the location would receive written notice from the city 14 days before the scheduled hearing in front of the commission.

That amendment would likely increase the publics involvement with the commission when deciding to approve or deny construction permits to historic buildings.

The proposal would also make it so code violators could face prosecution as a misdemeanor, and the maximum penalty that could be imposed would increase from $10,000 to $100,000.

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Fresno preps tougher rules for construction on historic buildings amid controversy - The San Joaquin Valley Sun

Three projects set for the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment's October meetingcould bring 740 new apartments to Arden, all within a few miles of each other.

While the agenda isn't yet available for the meeting, the county's project portal shows the three proposals, offCrescent Hill Road, Clayton Road and Rockwood Road in Arden, are all set for the Oct. 13 agenda, with 252, 216 and 272 units respectively, and all need special use permits.

A project proposing more than 250 new residential units in 10 buildings on just under 25 acres between Lower Laurel Drive and Watson Road, first went before the board on July 15and has already met opposition with 11 applications for standing on file with the county.

Dubbed Crescent Hill Apartments, the project is an effort by Southwood Realty, seeking a conditional use permit to allow the development, a clubhouse, pool and playground.

Plans show a proposed 10.2 units per acre wouldbe allowed under the current zoning, which allows up to 12 units per acre, but the developer is seeking permission to exceed the normal 35-foot height limit for its three-story buildings that top out at almost 47 feet.

The mostly vacant site is home to several single-family homes, and neighbors voiced a number of concerns about the development, topped by the new traffic load on Watson Road, which they say is already crowded with cut-through traffic between Hendersonville and Airport roads.

More: New Arden apartments: 252 units in 10 buildings set for Crescent Hill Road

A traffic study included in the special use permit application recommends separate right and left turn lines at the intersection of Crescent Hill Road and Hendersonville Road for an expected 1,372 new daily trips once the project is completed.

Jon Fillman, a neighbor representing more than 40 others, said July 15 the project was out of character with the single-family residential neighborhood, and asked the board to allow more time for neighbors to organize.

James Randolph, with Sterling Asheville Apartments, LLC of Mishawaka, Indiana, is looking to build 216 new residential units in three four-story buildings on 18.5 acres on Clayton Road, between Sunshine Chevrolet and the entrance to Biltmore Church, near Long Shoals Road.

It's the company's first foray into Asheville, though they have properties across the Southeast, including in Charlotte, Raleigh/Cary and Wilmington, Randolph said.

"We identified Asheville as being a market we want to be in, because ofthe amazing growth metrics that we're seeing," he said. "We've been hunting a site in Asheville for a while, and the site out there off Long Shoals Road and Clayton Road where we wound up, we thought was a good location as far as proximity to economic drivers."

Randolph mentioned the recently announced Pratt & Whitney plant, locating about 2 miles away.

The applicationon file with the county saysthe site would allow 222 units total based on the 12-unit-per-acre limit for the current Employment District and Public Service Districtzoning. As proposed, thedevelopment would constitute 11.67 units per acre.

Plans show three buildings and associated parking lots in the triangle of land between Thunderland Circle, the entrance to Biltmore Church, and a powerline cut adjacent to The Aventine Asheville apartment complex.

An included traffic study estimates 1,175 new trips per day, including 73 trips in the a.m. peak hour and 93 trips in the p.m. peak hour.

Randolph said while plans are for the rents to be competitive in the market, including even with or below the complex right next to the property, "This is a100% market-rate deal for us," and developers don't have an affordable component programmed as part of the project.

"We're going to be positioned competitively with the concept that's out there, so they will be market-rate," he said.

If all goes well with the Board of Adjustment, Randolph said developers hope to move into further due diligence and design and close on the land, currently owned by Biltmore Baptist Church, early in 2022, with construction starting in the third quarter of 2022.

More: Woodfin Board of Adjustment unanimously approves comprehensive plan

The third phase of Audubon Place Apartments is proposing 272 units on just more than 24 currently woodedacres between Interstate 26 and Rockwood Road, across the street from the first two phases of the apartment complex.

In a total of 14 buildings, plans showfive, 68-foot tall, four-story apartment buildings, eight garages, one 28,000-square-foot clubhouse and associated parking lots along Rockwood Road.

According to the staff report on the application, the property is split between R-3 Residential and Employment zoning districts. Each has different maximum building heights, 35 feet and 90feet respectively.

Along with the height variation, applicant Payne Kassinger with Rockwood Road Land LLC and Flycatcher LLC are seeking to decrease the amount of required parking from 1.75 spaces per unit, or 476 total, to 1.5 spaces per unit, or 408 total.

At 11.29 units per acre, the project density is within the 12-per-acre density allowed in both the R-3 and EMP zoning districts, the application says.

"The majority of the perimeter of the site will not be affected by the proposed development," the application says. "These areas are currently vegetated and will remain in its vegetated state."

A traffic study included with the application shows planned access points from Rockwood Road, and says the project is expected to generate 2,287 daily trips, including 140 a.m. peak-hour and 176 p.m. peak-hour trips.

It recommends lengthening the traffic signal cycle at the intersection of Airport Road and Rockwood Road from 120 seconds to 130 seconds during the p.m. peak-hour timeframe.

The Board of Adjustment will take up all three at itsOct. 13 virtual meeting, starting at noon.

Derek Lacey covers health care, growth and development for the Asheville Citizen Times. Reach him at DLacey@gannett.com or 828-417-4842 and find him on Twitter @DerekAVL.

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740 apartments in 3 projects, all in Arden, on board's Oct. 13 agenda - Citizen Times

A pattern of taking the temples to the people is continuing for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

President Russell M. Nelson announced 13 new temples and the renovation of the Provo Utah Temple at the conclusion of general conference Sunday.

We thank all who are working on our new temples, he said. They are being built all over the world.

Four of the 13 will be built in the western region of the United States, adding to nine new temples announced last April, several of which are already under or close to construction.

Heres a look at how some are reacting to plans for new temples in Heber Valley, Utah; a second temple in Rexburg, Idaho; and in Cody, Wyoming.

News of a temple in Heber Valley was surprising and not surprising for Kelsey Berg, a seventh generation Latter-day Saint in the area.

Bergs thoughts turned to her family heritage while discussing the temple, and she paused to look in the Family Tree App for some of the names of her own Swiss and German ancestors who settled in the Heber Valley. Some are buried in the Midway cemetery.

We think our valley is pretty special, said Berg, who graduated from Wasatch High School in 2007. To see our special valley get a temple is pretty cool. Its something our ancestors sacrificed for, and to be able to perform those ordinances in the valley will be pretty cool.

Steve Carliles pioneer ancestors also settled in Heber Valley, and much of his extended family still lives in there today. He said his phone vibrated with messages following the announcement and there were expressions of joy.

Everybody is really excited ... ecstatic, he said. For me, its really exciting to think about all of our family celebrating on the other side of the veil, and what it means for them. Its a cool thing.

Carlile believes the new temple will be a huge blessing for both those who reside in the valley and those who visit or vacation there.

I feel strongly that the temple is going to add significantly to the reason that people will be drawn to the valley, said Carlile, who graduated from Wasatch High in 1999. The blessings of having a temple there will be shared with those who are of our faith and those who might not be that are drawn in, to really enjoy Heavenly Fathers creations. Having a temple there will bless all who enjoy the valley.

Rexburg Mayor Jerry Merrill said church officials called him earlier this year to ask about the possibility of a second temple. He kept this information private and said he was delighted to hear about Sundays announcement about the Rexburg North Temple, Merrill told the Idaho State Journal.

I knew they were considering it, but I didnt know for sure. You never know for sure until they make the announcement, Merrill told the Idaho State Journal. (When) I had a conversation with people from the church, they were asking about what the citys attitude would be toward a second temple.

The new temple is expected to serve Latter-day Saints living in Sugar City, St. Anthony, Ashton, and parts of Montana. Sugar City Second Ward Bishop Glade Pennock echoed the mayor with joyful feelings at the news.

Its a great thing. There was a need for a second one, Pennock told the Idaho State Journal. I was really hoping for a Sugar City Temple. I thought that would be the sweetest temple on earth.

Another Sugar City resident, D.J. Teichert, was thrilled with the news. The current temple stays rather busy with just Brigham Young University-Idaho students, he said.

Its going to be great to have two temples in Rexburg, said Teichert, who was recently released as a young single adult bishop on BYU-Idahos campus. It will be a great blessing to our community and I think give more people an opportunity to go regularly. ... You can see the hand of the Lord in this area. Madison County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. The prophet is aware of what is going on here and sees the demand in the future for more people to be in the temple. So we are just thrilled.

The announcement of a second temple in Rexburg comes two weeks after the beginning of the open house for the Pocatello Idaho Temple. A rendering and the location of the Burley Idaho Temple has also been selected, although a groundbreaking date has not been scheduled.

Andrew Jacobsen, who serves as stake president in Cody, Wyoming, told the local newspaper the temple announcement surprised local leadership but will save hours of travel in the future, according to the Cody Enterprise.

Right now the closest temple for Latter-day Saints in Cody is in Billings, Montana, about 100 miles to the north.

Its very exciting, Jacobsen told the Cody Enterprise. Its a big deal for us. It gives us a lot closer access to a temple. ... Having it this close will make it easier.

It will mean a lot to those good people, said Darwin Thompson, whose mission boundaries included Cody when he served as a missionary to Montana in the late 1970s.

For some Latter-day Saints, the mention of Cody, Wyoming, brought to mind Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites, a popular fiction series by author Chris Heimerdinger in which a family uses a cave near Cody to be magically transported back to Book of Mormon times. Cody is Heimerdingers hometown.

All of the people I was sitting in the room with looked at me when it was announced, Heimerdinger said. I thought the news of Madagascar getting a temple was pretty exciting, too.

A short time later when he looked on Facebook, a friend had already posted the message, Did you hear that Cody, Wyoming, is getting a temple? The first thing I thought of was the Tennis Shoes series, Heimerdinger said.

Somebody beat me to it, he said. My Facebook page went nuts yesterday. In fact, I got more attention for a post that I made there about the announcement than anything that I have posted in a long time.

While his book series may have brought some added attention to Cody over the years, nothing should overshadow the faith and sacrifice of many extraordinary Latter-day Saints living in the Bighorn Basin, the author said.

I think they deserve a lot more credit than I do, Heimerdinger said. The idea that Cody is receiving a temple is an extraordinary thing. I never imagined that.

Temples always had the reputation of being really big and massive, and they had to be in a major metropolitan area. So the whole idea of smaller temples, more accessible to people in smaller communities, thats been an extraordinary transition over the last 20 years. So its exciting news.

The Cody temple news comes one week before the groundbreaking of the Casper Wyoming Temple on Oct. 9.

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Latter-day Saints react to new temples in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming - Deseret News

From cat Scooter's apartment, he not only has amazing views of the Toronto skyline, but he's now found a new friend in the building's window cleaner.

Washing the windows of giant buildings would be a scary and difficult task for most people, but the prospect of meeting this feline must make the job a lot more appealing.

Scooter's racked up over a million views on TikTok in just one day after his owner shared the heartwarming moment he met the window cleaner, albeit through a thick sheet of glass.

"The most wholesome thing happened today," they wrote, showing Scooter walking around the apartment to the sound of "Yellow" by Coldplay.

The cat approached the large window, appearing fascinated by the window cleaner working outside. He timidly approached, climbing onto the windowsill and following the tools with his head.

It wasn't long before he began pawing at the window, trying to join in on the job. Adorably, the window cleaner slowed down in moments, waiting for Scooter to paw at the tool each time and interacting with him.

The video can also be seen in full here.

Scooter already has a large following online, with 300,000 followers on the account that shows videos of him in all his cute glory. Videos on the account often reel off "reasons he wouldn't survive in the wild," including enjoying regular Starbucks, having his own seat at the table for Sunday brunch and being tucked in nightlythe definition of a pampered pet.

One-year-old Scooter also likes to be carried around the city in his own backpack with a space-age style bubble window, much to the amusement of TikTok viewers.

It is, however, his new friendship with the window cleaner that has truly captured the hearts of most.

"I'd be fired on the first day, because I'd sit there all day," commented a viewer.

"I'm a window cleaner just like this guy and honestly, seeing cats in the window trying to chase the tools makes my day," wrote one TikTok user.

"All I need is a compilation of window cleaners and cats and I'll die happy," wrote another.

As shown by TikTok's reaction, cats and window cleaners are often two peas in a pod, and Scooter isn't the first to go viral for this kind of thing.

Since 2015, Rina Takei and her cat, Guinness, have regularly racked up views in the millions on their YouTube videos, showing a feline and window cleaner friendship.

Just like Scooter, Guinness enjoys following around the cleaning tools with its paws and even runs along the window in time.

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Cat's Adorable Interaction With Window Cleaner Melts Hearts Online - Newsweek