Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The walls are going up at yet another new Kent apartment complex.

The 285-unit Alexan Gateway Apartments mark the sixth major project in the last few years that will bring nearly 1,800 units to a 3.5-mile stretch between Military Road South on the West Hill to 623 W. Meeker St., near downtown.

Construction continues this month at Alexan Gateway, 23000 Military Road S., with sweeping views of the Kent Valley and Mount Rainier.

Crews are building three separate four-story, 45-foot-tall buildings with associated parking, amenities, landscaping and utilities on the 6.64-acre site. The development will be accessed via driveways from both Military Road and Veterans Drive. Three single-family homes were demolished to make room for the project.

Alexan Gateway, developed by Dallas-based Trammell Crow Residential, sits just west of the Grandview Apartments, which opened a few years ago on an 11-acre site and feature 261 units along Veterans Drive.

Here are the other major apartment projects along the 3.5-mile stretch between the West Hill and downtown:

Ethos

The developer has started phase II of constructing approximately 492 apartment units and 12,000 square feet of commercial retail and restaurant space in 23 separate buildings with associated parking areas and amenities.

Location: 2200 W. Meeker St.

Midtown 64

Apartments built on the southwest corner of West Meeker Street and 64th Avenue South in Kent that feature 308 units. Seattle-based Goodman Real Estate is the developer, the same company that built The Platform Apartments in downtown Kent across from Kent Station.

Madison Plaza

Madison Plaza is a seven-story, 157-unit urban style apartment building under construction that will include five stories of residential units built atop a two-story parking garage and a ground floor retail space. The project is on a 0.79 acre site located west of the Uplands Playfield Park and the Interurban Trail.

Location: 102 Madison Ave. N.

Ovation at Meeker

A five-story, 218-unit, senior apartment building planned with associated parking and landscaping on a vacant lot behind KeyBank. The project was formerly known as the Reserve at Kent.

Location: 623 W. Meeker St.

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The first walls of the Alexan Gateway Apartments go up Feb. 9 on Kents West Hill along Military Road South near Veterans Drive. STEVE HUNTER, Kent Reporter

A rendering of the Alexan Gateway Apartments under construction on Military Road South on Kents West Hill. COURTESY GRAPHIC, City of Kent

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Apartments rise on Kents West... - Kent Reporter

There are three hurdles that have historically made affordable housing difficult to develop in Chicago: rising costs of construction, the building code and the competing priorities of the parties involved in these types of deals.

Those arent necessarily issues exclusive to affordable housing, but they are issues that challenge the development community in general and their ability to finance a deal because of uncertainty, said Dave Bartolai, vice president, McHugh Construction. As such, each deal seems to need to be evaluated neighborhood by neighborhood, location by location, and requires the entire team to work collaboratively to address these issues from the earliest stages.

One of those three hurdles was recently lowered with the adoption of a new Chicago building code that hews closer to the International Building Code. Basing the code on the IBC has improved the cost metrics for some affordable projects in Chicago as it expanded the spectrum of building products and parameters that can be used.

For example, restrictions have been loosened on the use of wood framing, allowing for stick-built affordable structures higher than what had previously been allowed. Alternative construction methods such as panelized load bearing walls and floor systems also allow these projects to go up faster and cheaper.

The subcontractors have gotten really innovative and figured out ways to panelize these structures, Bartolai said. Theyre bringing out pre-fabricated components that have been coordinated in advance and really theyre just stacking elements into place which allows for construction to advance pretty quickly.

There has been a growing trend to locate affordable housing within transit-oriented parts of the city. Meshing affordable housing with TOD not only puts residents in close proximity to public transportation, but it also allows the developer to forego the expense of putting in surface or structured parking, meaning more development dollars can go toward actual housing.

Another way to underwrite affordable housing is to co-locate it with market rate units. Affordable-only housing projects tend to scale smaller, which inherently makes them more expensive to develop. Sharing those costs within a market rate development can offset the capital outlay.

The quality expectations of affordable housing have been increasing over the last several years, said Steve Wiley, senior vice president preconstruction and estimating at McHugh Construction. Affordable housing, on a quality level, is really now almost indistinguishable from market rate products.

One project that McHugh is working on is the $200 millionOgden Commons which, upon completion, will deliver 120,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, as well as more than 350 mixed-income housing units to Chicagos North Lawndale neighborhood. McHugh is building the development on behalf of a public-private partnership between The Habitat Company, Sinai Health System, Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, the Chicago Housing Authority and the city of Chicago.

Construction just wrapped on the first phase of the project, a commercial medical office building, and McHugh is working with the development team to plan the first phase of residential construction which will hopefully begin later this year.

The contractor is also working on 43 Green, a $100 million TOD project in the Bronzeville neighborhood. The first phase will add 99 rental units and 6,000 square feet of retail space to formerly vacant land at the corner of 43rd Street and Calumet Avenue. The Habitat Company and P3 Markets are joint venturing this development.

McHugh is partnering with Bowa Construction for the contracting work on both the Ogden Commons and 43 Green developments.

Thats absolutely critical to the success of these projects, Wiley said. All of these projects that were working on are joint venture partnerships, which is so important to addressing the concerns of community inclusion.

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Bridging the affordability gap in Chicago REJournals - REjournals.com

Progress Capital partner Brad Domenico and the development at 136 Summit Avenue (Photos via Progress Capital)

A luxury apartment complex in Jersey City will advance after snagging a $30 million construction loan.

The 99-unit residential building at 136 Summit Avenue, developed by Monticello Equities, has been in the works for several years. Progress Capital arranged the latest round of financing from Bank Leumi, which will be used to help finish construction on the project, which broke ground in 2018.

When its finished, the 159,861-square-foot project will have 2,240 square feet of ground floor retail space and a 75-space parking garage.

The development is located on the site of the former Fairmount Hospital. When it was first proposed in 2016, some area residents pushed back, claiming it would negatively impact the neighborhood, according to Jersey Digs.

Now, its set to become one of the largest residential projects in this particular corner of Jersey City.

Contact Sasha Jones

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Jersey City development advances with $30M construction loan - The Real Deal

Once completed, it will make The Yards the largest waterfront development in the Washington, D.C., region

Rendering courtesy Brookfield Properties

Rendering courtesy Brookfield Properties

Rendering courtesy Brookfield Properties

Developer Brookfield Properties has released more details about its planned Phase II expansion of The Yards, the mixed-use community along the Capitol Riverfront.

Phase II will include a total of 3.4 million square feet of new development in 10 additional buildings with more office, residential, restaurant and retail space as well as more public park space.

Once completed, it will make The Yards the largest waterfront development in the Washington, D.C., region, with a total of 48 acres, including: six waterfront acres; 2 million square feet of office space; 400,000 square feet of retail and restaurants; 3,400 residential units, including apartments and condos; and 7.5 acres of public parks.

The Phase II additions include 1,260 residences and 1.8 million square feet of office space, some of it waterfront. All Phase II buildings will be within a three-minute walk to the river.

One of the key additions to The Yards development will be Yards Place, a cobblestone, curbless, pedestrian-friendly street that will connect the Navy Yard Metro to the Anacostia River, the only direct walkable connection from a Metro stop to a D.C.-area waterfront, according to Brookfield Properties.

It is going to be very unique to D.C. I compare it, in terms of how it will look and feel, to New York Citys High Line in the sense that it will be a very highly landscaped, highly curated, very comfortable-feeling space that people will flock to, said Toby Millman, senior vice president of development for Brookfield Properties.

Not only for the shopping and activities along the street, but also because of the look and feel of the experience as you walk down the street, he said.

Phase II development will be in an area that is currently a large swath of vacant land and parking lots bounded by New Jersey Avenue SE and First Street SE. Phase II, though, will not happen overnight: Depending on market conditions, Brookfield Properties expects to complete the final build out of The Yards in 10 years.

Brookfield Properties has set a goal of all new buildings achieving LEED Gold certification. Architects for the various additions include Selldorf, SHoP, Leong Leong, Concrete, Studios and Scape.

Phase II of The Yards has been in planning for awhile. It officially got its jump-start with the groundbreaking of a 300,000-square-foot office building at 1250 New Jersey Ave. SE a year ago. Chemonics International, a company that manages projects in developing countries, has signed a lease for the building and will move 1,200 employees to its new headquarters when completed later this year.

Chemonics is currently the only signed tenant for Phase II construction.

Phase I of The Yards was completed in 2010. Brookfield Properties acquired The Yards in late-2018.

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Phase II of The Yards will feature a cobblestone street - WTOP

The two-acre property at 450 Colwell Lane (corner of West 5th Avenue and Colwell Lane) in the Borough of Conshohocken was last developed in 1975 into the existing 27,000 square feet warehouse. Most recently, the tenants were American Olean Tile and CSG Global Consulting (a telecom provider). The site previously maintained approximately 25 employees, meaning traffic and parking were minimal. The property is currently vacant, which results in the property generating minimal revenue for the Borough.

The property falls within the Limited Industrial/Research zoning district and is just outside the floodplain that encompasses lower Colwell Lane. You can view the uses allowed within this district here.

A few ideas already explored by the developer and deemed to not be feasible were:

Uses Under Consideration by the Developer

Expanded WarehouseThe existing 27,000 square feet of conditioned warehouse space can be increased to nearly 35,000 square feet. Existing plans include expanded rebuild as a refrigerated warehouse.

PROs: Local and convenient space for grocery or convenience deliveries.Ample space allows for a refrigerated warehouse. Will create more jobs than any other proposed option.Does not require approval from Borough Council as this is a current approved use of the space.

CONs: Refrigerated tractor-trailers would be making frequent trips to and from the warehouse.In addition, these refrigerated vehicles must idle while loading and unloading which creates lots of noise and may disturb neighbors. This option would result in higher peak-time traffic as well as more overall traffic than generated by what is currently there.

Doggie Daycare/Boarding FacilityIncludes 18,000 square feet of conditioned indoor play space and 8,000 square feet of outdoor play space.

PROs: Local and convenient space for doggie daycare.Ample play space allows separation of dogs by size and temperament.Boarding facilities combined with play space would allow for the dogs to only be caged for sleeping. This use would result in lower overall traffic than what is currently there.

CONs: Barking dogs can be noisy and disruptive to immediate neighbors. This use would result in higher peak-time traffic than the current warehouse use. Requires approval from Borough Council.

Gun RangeIncludes 15,000 square feet of gun range space with 200 feet of shooting distance.Includes on-site retail space for ammunition and assorted sporting equipment but not gun sales. Gun sales have grown during the pandemic and there is a demand for practice and training.

PROs: Local and convenient space for all kinds of target practice, gun training, and gun safety with ample parking.This would result in lower-traffic than the current warehouse use.

CONs: Local neighbors may dislike a gun range near their homes.Requires approval from Borough Council.

Condos/TownhousesThe plan includes 48 homes that are two-bedroom, with two bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces per unit. Each home will be 1,500 to 1,800 square feet with balconies. An additional 35 parking spaces are planned on the site for overflow parking.

PROs: New construction attracts affluent homeowners and raises the property value of the housing stock within Conshohocken.Will create local jobs from the construction of units.This use will generate lower peak time traffic than other options.This use will generate a higher net revenue for the Borough than any other option.This will not create parking problems for neighbors.

CONs: Additional housing units in the Borough add to the existing housing stock.Requires approval from Borough Council.

Condos/Townhouses with Commercial SpaceThis plan includes 30 units that are two-bedroom with two bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces per unit. Each home will be 1,100 square feet with balconies. Commercial space could include a small grocer that focuses on prepared foods or another retail use or office.

PROs: New construction attracts affluent homeowners and raises the property value of the housing stock within Conshohocken.Will create local jobs from the construction.Will generate lower peak time traffic than other options.

CONs: Additional housing units in the Borough add to the existing housing stock.Depending on retail uses, parking could result in overflow street parking. Requires approval from Borough Council.

Indoor Sports ComplexThe plan includes suitable spaces for basketball and baseball training, as well as dance floors.

PROs: Convenient location for sports enthusiasts and complementary to the nearby Proving Grounds. This will generate lower peak time traffic than other options.

CONs: Peak time parking may exceed current on-site parking and may result in competition between customers and residents for parking.Requires approval from Borough Council.

Take the Survey

The developer would like your input. Please consider taking the below anonymous survey to voice your opinion.

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Developer seeks public's input on potential redevelopment of property at corner of West 5th Avenue and Colwell Lane in Conshohocken -...

In Star Trek: Lower Decks, Biomler willing to do almost anything to cement his legacy. Sometimes, he goes just a little too far with his actions.

InStar Trek: Lower Decks,the series that looks at a day in the life of the average Starfleet officer, the motley crew of the Cerritoscarry out their tasks without the notoriety of the bridge crew. Maybe that's why eager-to-please Brad Boimler dreams of nothing but proving himself in the eyes of his friends, his captain, and the rest of the fleet.

RELATED:Star Trek: Lower Decks - Ranking Season 1 Episodes From Best To Worst

Boimler may want nothing more than to be an impeccable paragon of what it means to be in Starfleet, but he's willing to do almost anything to cement his legacy. From kissing up to the captain to throwing his friends under the bus, and even almost getting himself and everyone killed, he's done some pretty unscrupulous things to get recognized.

When Boimler's girlfriend visited theCerritoshe couldn't have been happier, buthe soon became insecure about her relationship with other members of the crew. The only person who was convinced she wasn't who she claimed to be was Mariner, who didn't appreciate Boimler dropping his friends as soon as his girlfriend arrived.

RELATED:Star Trek: Lower Decks - The Main Cast Ranked By Likability

He didn't need Mariner's help in making things awkward with Barbara, however - his insecurities surrounding her interactions with old friends like Jet soon drove a wedge between them. Even if hedidn'tend up having a parasite attached to his skull, she'd have broken up with him anyways after he dumped his beer on her in the mess.

When he scored a candidacy for Captain Freeman's Advanced Diplomacy Workshop, Boimlercouldn't decide how much of a suck-up to be, so he did the worst thing possible. He decided to load "Program Boimler 7" into the holodeck to stage fake interviews with the bridge crew and better prepare for his examination.

To accurately portray the crew, he uploaded seven years of entriesfrom theentirecrew's private logs.While it algorithmically recreated a "perfect simulation" of everyone on theCerritos,it crossed several personal boundaries and breached several codes of conduct.

When Boimler got his first secret assignment, to be a spy for Captian Freeman and keep an eye on Ensign Mariner, he reported anything she did outside of Starfleet protocol. Unfortunately, this resulted in him breaking Starfleet codes as well in the process.

He thought Mariner was bartering Starfleet equipment with alien species for contraband and went so far as to draw his phaser and shoot at them when he thought he was witnessing the exchange. It turned out that Mariner was helping them get access to much-needed farm equipment, and the act wasn't breaking any Starfleet regulations.

Because Boimler wanted to go to a party with Mariner, he didn't think too much of it when Fletcher told them to have a good time while he manned their post and was responsible for their duties over the course of their shift. While they were doing the train dance, Fletcher was being overtaken by a mechanical monstrosity with a mind of its own.

RELATED:Star Trek: The 10 Most Dangerous A.I. The Original Enterprise Faced, Ranked

When Fletcher wasn't immediately determined to be the culprit, Boimler went so far as to blame the night crew for the damage caused, even though they had nothing to do with any of the weird occurrences happening around the ship as a result of Boimler's negligence.

Always eager for a reason to show off and potentially get promoted, Boimler decided to over-extend himself by interfering with Rutherford's transporter diagnostics. He volunteered to help him test the transport time because he thought the visiting captain would be impressed that he helped improve efficiency around the ship.

Fortunately, the test was a success, and Rutherford beamed Boimler to another ship and back in less time than normal. Unfortunately, Boimler came back mutated and glowing.He then got sent to a special ship called theOsler,a Division 14 vessel ferrying similar people caught in transporter accidents while waiting for his condition to be fixed.

Over-achieving Boimler couldn't seem to fathom why the crew of theCerritosadhered to "buffer time", the practice of overestimating the time it took to do tasks in order to pad out their work schedules and have more leisure time. He blabbed about buffer time to the captain, and suddenly she expected everyone to be as efficient as he was.

Eventually, not even Boimler could keep up with his own efficacy and was running ragged along with the rest of the poor crew. Thankfully the tightened schedules eliminated the ability for the crew to adapt to unstructured problems, and the captain had no choice but to reinstate "buffer time".

Spying on Mariner's activities resulted in the release of a native beast of burden that didn't take too kindly to Boimler's investigations, choosing to make him and Mariner the focus of its rampage after being released from its pen.

RELATED:Star Trek: 10 Fascinating Alien Species Fans Know Nothing About

It wouldn't leave Boimler alone, and instead not only attacked him but chose to see him as some kind of mate. Luckily Mariner extracted him before things got too involved, so he only suffered a few bruises and some damaged pride, when he could have gotten himself and Mariner killed.

While searching foraninfamous Klingon general who disappeared from their protective custody, Boimler almost gets himself and Mariner killed multiple times trying to track him down. Whether he was offending the Klingon merchant at the bazaar, or insulting a Taxor by talking about its fecesin its mangled native tongue, he couldn't seem to do anything right.

No sooner had he narrowly avoided death than he was flirting with a shapeshifting alien with the ability to appear as a beautiful female human, only detectable to Mariner because of certain telltale characteristics. As if that weren't enough, before they could finally find the general, Boimler's had managed to start a barfight with a dozen Andorians.

Even though she served on ships like the Enterprise, Mariner didn't like getting preferential treatment, so she keeps her privileged status as Captain Freeman's daughter to herself. Boimler figured out her secret and inadvertently told her about his revelation - while his communicator badge was picking up their entire conversation.

Not only was Mariner's secret spilled, but Captain Freeman's secret as well, and the entire bridge knew about their connection. After that, the crew tried to suck up to Mariner in any way they could so that her mother would give them special treatment.

Boimler and Mariner had an imperfect relationship, but through their many madcap adventures, they learned to lean on each other and respect each other's strengths and weaknesses. Therefore it was crushing when during the season finale, Boimler accepted a promotion and a position on theTitanwithout even telling his best friend goodbye.

He called Mariner his "mentor" and said he was finally ready to cast rank aside and accept what he had on theCerritos,butthen at the first opportunity, he left it.While Boimler wasn't meant to be the most emotionally intelligent character in the series, he wasn't the most inhumane, making his actions especially heartless and disrespectful.

NEXT:Star Trek: Lower Decks - The 10 Worst Things Mariner Ever Did

Next Friends: 10 Major Flaws Of The Show That Fans Chose To Ignore

Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she's particularly proud of. When she isn't writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she's working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

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Star Trek: Lower Decks - The 10 Worst Things Boimler Did - Screen Rant

Cave of the Winds Winter Experience offers visitors an opportunity to view the splendor of Niagara Falls from its lower decks. It is open from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. daily and will run through March 31. Sheila Guigliano, her son Gary and dog Lucy get their photo taken by her husband, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News)

Cave of the Winds Winter Experience offers visitors an opportunity to view the splendor of Niagara Falls from its lower decks. It is open from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. daily and will run through March 31. Ice formations are formed at the base of Bridal Veil Falls. Photo taken, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News)

Day 44: Feb. 13, 2021 - Snow-covered Chapin Parkway and Gates Circle contrast with the trees and the dark asphalt road surface in this view from above.

Cave of the Winds Winter Experience offers visitors an opportunity to view the splendor of Niagara Falls from its lower decks.

One of my favorite things to do in Western New York is visit Niagara Falls, the Cave of the Winds in particular. Standing near the rushing water on a warm July day is exhilarating. The winter experience is a whole new way to enjoy the falls. Of course you are not as close to the rushing water as in summertime but the experience is still the thrill of a lifetime.

A rainbow falls on the ice formations at the bottom of the American Falls.

Sharon Cantillon visited this week and photographed its winter beauty, from ice formations to families taking selfies in front of one of the two viewing decks.

Bronislava Evrard takes a selfie with her daughters Mila, 9, left, and Anna, 6, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. The family moved from France to NYC.

In many of her photos the rainbows appear to be at arm's reach. If you would rather not brave the cold you can look through the many photos Cantillon put together in our gallery Cave of the Winds Winter Experience.

A rainbow veils tourists on the observation tower that extends out over Niagara Gorge at Prospect Point. Just one more opportunity to explore our area and enjoy the beauty of winter.

If you have something you think would be an interesting story or photograph, please let me know at ccurtiss@buffnews.com.

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[BN] Photography: On deck at Cave of the Winds - Buffalo News

Shane Coopersmith was fired from Below Deck, but he continues his activism by raising environmental and sustainability awareness. Find out more now.

Bravo'sBelow Deckfollows the interpersonal drama of superyacht crews, and the show has spawned several spin-offs because fans remain interested in the franchise. Below Deck season 8 is rife with drama, thanks to the crew and the impending COVID-19 crisis. The crisis added extra tension when it came to the crew and their relationships on and off the boat, and this wastough for ChefRachel Hargrove and her boyfriend. One of the most well-intentioned crew members was Shane Coopersmith, but he still brought the drama.

When Shane started out, he was the most relaxed member of the deck crew. While Eddie, Izzy, and James worked hard, Shane was often seen relaxing, and even got caught taking naps during his workday. Nonetheless, Shane tried his best and took notes regularly, as he always wanted to do better. Occasionally he would shine, but it was not enough for Eddie and Captain Lee, and the final straw came when Shane slept through an alarm he set for an early shift on the ship.

Related:Below Deck: Caroline Explains Who Pays For The Crew's Food & Drink Tab On Show

If a crew member sleeps through an alarm, they are not just late; they are making it harder for other crew members to rest. This proved to be too much for Captain Lee Rosbach, who ultimately fired Shane. Captain Lee is known forhis tough approach after years at sea, and he doesn't suffer fools gladly. Shocked but not broken, Shane left the ship to meet up with his girlfriend Aubrey Thomas and enjoy some much-needed relaxation. Ever since, Shane has focused on his relationship with his girlfriend and his second love, the earth. Check out the interview below:

Shane is an environmental activist. While working on Below Deck, he would mention the need for paper straws, renewable resources, and respect for nature. He was recently on aS'more Live episode on Instagram. During this interview, he made sure to highlight just what his mission is in life, by saying, For the audition itself, I jumped in front of the camera, talked about sustainability...I really wanted the platform and I wanted to implement some sustainability on the boat, too"

When not napping or messing up his deckhand duties, Shane was busy preaching about turtles. However, he is not particularly happy with the way the show portrayed him, as much of his teachings were left on the cutting room floor: "They made a meme of my environmentalism- pretty foolish on their part. All they showed were my paper straws and they just made it like save the sea turtles.'" Unfortunately, Shane's teachings were overshadowed by his lack of boating skills. Captain Lee could no longer justify keeping Shaneand paying his Below Deck wages,due to hislackadaisical attitude.

Today, Shane is enjoying a happier, healthier, and more natural life. He is still preaching sustainability and using his new platform for good, which was always his goal. Plus, he is still with his girlfriend, and they are closer than ever, so all is well that ends well. Shane may have joined Below Deckin order to get his message out to the world, but he learned quickly that he was far too inexperienced to stay. Even though he left early on in the season, Shane left his imprint on Below Deck.

Next:Below Deck: Elizabeth Posts Kind Message From Charter Guest Post-Firing

Below Deckairs Mondays at 9 pm ET on Bravo.

90 Day Fianc: Why 'Baby Girl' Lisa & Usman's Relationship Was Never Going to Work

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Below Deck: What Happened To Shane Coopersmith After He Was Fired? - Screen Rant

When Ben Baker Jr. arrived in Ramona in mid-January after short stays in Lakeside, La Jolla, Chula Vista and Poway, he discovered a way to combine his church mission with his love of art.

The 22-year-old, an elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on his mission in the San Diego region, revived skills he had developed before the mission. They involve an X-Acto knife, a deck of cards and video editing on YouTube.

With the coronavirus putting the usual door-to-door visits on hold, Baker decided to reach out to Ramona residents virtually. He made a card sculpture of the Welcome to Ramona sign, posted a video of him making it on Facebook and announced a raffle for his artwork.

Ben Baker Jr., an elder doing a two-year mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, created a card sculpture of the Welcome to Ramona sign and held a raffle on Facebook to give it away.

(Photo courtesy Ben Baker Jr. )

For his sculptures, Baker slices through all 52 cards in the deck to create a colorful, three-dimensional image.

The cool thing about this is that everyone has their own perspective, things that click with them, said Baker. Me, I love movies and art. I knew that if I start doing this form of art and try to share it out, everyone who loves art would appreciate that and possibly reach out to see how I do things.

Ben Baker Jr., 22, with partner Slade Sevy, 19, who came up with the idea for the Welcome to Ramona card sculpture.

(Photo by Susan Gill Vardon )

Replicating the Ramona sign wasnt his idea. That suggestion came from his partner, elder Slade Sevy, 19, who had noticed in his several months living in Ramona that residents often expressed pride in their community.

I said, You can make that and post it, said Sevy, who enjoys helping people with genealogical research. With COVID we have to find other ways to connect with people and invite them to learn more about what we teach.

The frequent moves Baker is making during his two-year mission are nothing new. His family bounced around quite a bit living in Colorado twice, Germany twice and North Carolina twice because his dad was a munitions specialist in the Army. He considers Copperas Cove, Texas home.

When he was 13 or 14 his parents asked him if he wanted to go the route of the church and eventually embark on a mission. They told him they would support whatever decision he made, he said.

After reading The Book of Mormon and praying about his future, Baker said he decided a mission was in his future to help people come to Christ. His mission started July 3, 2019.

As for his art, Baker has always appreciated three-dimensional works.

I love looking at videos of sketchings but Im not good at sketching, he said. What I love is picking up an X-Acto knife and doing little details on a piece of paper. Or building things.

Ben Baker Jr. uses all 52 cards in a deck when he creates his card sculptures using an X-Acto knife.

(Photo courtesy Ben Baker Jr. )

Baker thought about using cards for his art, but wanted to work with them in a way they could be layered with the X-Acto knife to provide depth. How to do that? Use all 52 cards in the deck, he decided.

He had another inspiration for using all the cards in the deck. God doesnt consider anyone on Earth to be an extra, he said.

It takes a full deck to create the masterpieces, he said.

Bakers research on the internet showed that no one was creating the type of card sculptures he had in mind, so he started from scratch.

Ben Baker Jr.'s first card sculpture was a silhouette of James Bond and gun in Casino Royale.

(Photo courtesy Ben Baker Jr. )

His first card was, of all things, a silhouette of James Bond in Casino Royale, with the gun barrel pointing up. It took him four hours to complete.

That was the first thing that popped into my mind, Baker said. I have never seen Casino Royale but I know that silhouette. Im jumping on the Bond wagon when I get home.

He also has created card sculptures with his favorite Marvel movie character, Captain America, as well as several religious works.

One of Ben Baker Jr.'s religious card sculptures.

(Courtesy Ben Baker Jr. )

Bakers card sculptures and social media outreach have not gone unnoticed by church officials.

Card sculpture... what is that? I had to study it, said Rebecca Davies, communications director for the San Diego region of the Latter-Day Saints church. Thats pretty amazing. How in the world did he learn to do that? And to have that skill grow into a raffle, that was pretty clever.

Social media has been a godsend during the pandemic, Davies said. Other missionaries have told stories virtually with Legos or have done musical performances where each part is videotaped separately and combined into a whole.

Whos really good at social media? The kids, she said. They were already doing this and fine-tuning their skills before they came out as missionaries. No one has to teach them. They run with it.

Baker considered his card sculpture video and raffle a way to let Ramona residents know Im here and super-excited.

It was also a way to conduct what he and Sevy call a social/religious experiment. To enter the raffle, participants had to choose a number from 1 to 531, which corresponds with the number of pages in The Book of Mormon. Baker would send participants the page from the book and ask them to mark up any references regarding a deity.

The point of the experiment is to see if the book testifies to any supreme being, Jesus or God if every page has something to do with that, Baker said. That is the purpose of the book, to teach people about Jesus Christ.

On Feb. 5, the winner of the Ramona welcome sign card sculpture was revealed: Ramona resident Karen Rawls.

Rawls said she saw Bakers video on Facebook and was amazed.

Ive never seen anything like it before, she said. I dont know how he came up with that idea. And his video was really well put together.

Rawls has the card sculpture on her piano.

I just love it. Im the only person who has one, she said.

Baker, who has about five more months on his mission, is already looking ahead. Joining the Air Force is one goal. The next is going to school to train as an architect.

He said he enjoyed getting to know Ramona residents on Facebook during his experiment. And he continues to do his card sculptures and share them.

Even if they didnt win the raffle, hopefully we can help them see the blessings that come from the page they got, Baker said.

Read this article:
Missionary answers religious and artistic callings by carving decks of cards - Ramona Sentinel

Hello and welcome to On Deck Circle for today, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. And if youre into numbers, you should notice that today is a numerical sequence youll see repeated 10 more times this year whenever you write the date with the full year in Arabic numbers: 19/2021.

Your need to read time today is 90-seconds.

Had he lived, Justin Fashanu would be celebrating his 60th birthday today. Last year at this time, Britains first out male gay soccer player was posthumously inducted into the National Football Museums Hall of Fame. Hes also todays LGBTQ sports Black History Month hero. Read the story here.

Utahs Gov. Spencer Cox says he wont sign transgender sports bill as now written

State anti-transgender bills represent coordinated attack, advocates say

Co-president of the Gay Games: Whoever you want to be in sports, there is a place for you

Figure skating is on thin ice. Heres how to fix it

DeepMind researchers say AI poses a threat to people who identify as queer

Lesbian Roxane Gay Partners With MasterClass for Social Change-Themed Course

The San Diego Loyals Collin Martin will be on TikTok tonight talking with out gay college soccer captain Couper Gunn of the Sports Equality Foundation, LIVE at 7 p.m. EST.

If youre an LGBTQ person in sports looking to connect with others in the community, head over to GO! SPACE to meet and interact with other LGBTQ athletes, or to Equality Coaching Alliance to find other coaches, administrators and other non-athletes in sports.

Ashlyn Harris and Ali Kriegers newborn baby daughter Sloane wins the internet! #SheBelieves

Good call by Business Insider sports reporter Meredith Cash noting FS1s glaring error in deadnaming non-binary athlete of 2020, Quinn:

And ICYMI: Hello, Dolly! Such an icon.

If you want your social media post to be included here, or to share one showcasing LGBTQ sports, email us the link at outsports@gmail.com or tag @Outsports on Instagram or Twitter!

Nearly every day of the week, Outsports has a new podcast for your enjoyment. Today, Ken Schultz who helped in the naming of this new feature, On Deck Circle is back with 3 Strikes Youre Out. This week, his special guest is out former MLB umpire Dale Scott. Listen to part one by clicking here:

This and all Outsports podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and on every platform where you find Outsports!

MLB Spring Training:

Pitchers and catchers workouts are underway! Full-squad workouts start next week beginning Mon., Feb. 22. Click here for MLBs guide to your favorite teams schedules.

NHL:

Click here for ESPNs schedule of mens pro hockey action today.

NBA:

Click here for ESPNs schedule of mens pro basketball action today.

NCAAM:

Click here for ESPNs schedule of mens college basketball action today.

NCAAW:

Click here for ESPNs schedule of womens college basketball action today.

SOCCER:

Click here for ESPNs schedule of soccer action today.

Share your thoughts in the comments below or email us at outsport@gmail.com

Well be back Monday! A new On Deck Circle posts every weekday morning on Outsports.com

Go here to see the original:
On Deck: Justin Fashanu, Carson Wentz, Utahs governor and Dolly Parton - Outsports