Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Dear Ken: We set our thermostat to 67 degrees in the day and 60 at night. Are we saving money? Also, it takes about 1 hours to get it back up to 67 in the morning. Is that too long? Sam

Answer: You definitely are saving heating dollars. I like your temperature spread; a 6- or 7-degree setback at night is about right. If you lower the temperature much more than that, it takes too long to reheat everything. Most modern homes lose about that much over a typical winter night so ideally the furnace wont run until the thermostat kicks up in the morning.

Im concerned, though, that it is taking far too long to reheat the house in the morning. At my place, I recover the 7 degrees in about 30 minutes or so, depending on the outside temperature.

There are many other factors that can affect your recovery time: the square footage of the house, new or old furnace, duct sizing, insulation, good windows, insulated drapes, and on and on.

Change your furnace filter monthly. Also, locate your return air grilles and make sure they arent blocked with furniture. If these fixes dont help, contact an HVAC contractor, so they can check air flow through your furnace.

If you have one of those fresh air ducts that runs cold outside air into the system, ask the contractor if it can be blocked off. The rules have changed, so we can now draw combustion air from the inside spaces. But DO NOT block that duct without this consultation, as you risk letting dangerous fumes into the house if you do it wrong.

Finally, many older houses have a heat duct or two run into the garage. That can sap gobs of energy from your heating system. Anyway, they are now a code violation (it was sort of overlooked 50 or 60 years ago) so they should be permanently sealed. Besides the energy waste they, too, can jeopardize your familys well-being as garage fumes can get sucked inside.

Dear Ken: We are adding exhaust fans as part of our remodeling. Should we run them into the crawl space or attic? Brooke

Answer: The attic is the better choice. Thats because the warmish moist air from the fans has a natural tendency to want to rise. And anyway, the last thing your average crawl space needs is more moisture. In the attic space, youre supposed to run the fan duct outside through a new hole cut in the roof. But for many years, we were allowed to simply point the fan duct directly toward an outside gable or roof vent, without having to cut a new hole to the outside. It seemed to work just fine; Ill leave the choice up to you.

And dont forget to create a flat spot in the duct by curving it level for a foot or so. That will create a water trap that will prevent condensed moisture from running back on to the sheetrock around the ceiling fan.

Dear Ken: We had some loose tiles. I removed them and found moldy drywall. There are studs and insulation behind the wall. How far should I invade to fix this? Sheila

Answer: You should keep going. Like a dentist filling a cavity, you need to go deeper and wider until youve seen all the damage and reach pristine drywall. Then, remove the moldy insulation and sheetrock, and seal it in plastic bags for disposal. If the 2-inch-by-4-inch studs are rotting (a pocket knife penetrates them easily), they will have to replaced.

Once youve dried out the wall cavity, wipe it down with some Clorox and water to kill mold spores. After its dry, apply two or three coats of KILZ or Bullseye 1-2-3 primer sealer. You could use waterproof (green) sheetrock as a replacement, but I prefer the cement-based backer sheathing, like Hardie Board.

Your question is a very timely reminder to the rest of us about maintenance in the bathroom. Even tiny pinholes in and around the tile in tub and shower enclosures can, over time, really cause inordinate damage as you are finding out. Thats why its important to regrout ceramic tile whenever you start to see chunks slough off during normal use. Also, renew the edges of the tile itself (corners and at the tub or shower base) with a good tub and tile sealant. I like the DAP siliconized product, but whichever you choose, do it often say two or three times a year.

Dear Ken: My house is over 90 years old. The furnace and water heater vent through the old brick chimney. Recently, Ive noticed paint peeling on the ceiling around the chimney. There is also some black gunk. Whats going on? Caleb

Answer: It may be melting snow leaking around the tarred flashing at the base of the chimney, or it may be combustion products oozing through the old brick and mortar. Rub some of the black stuff on a finger and smell it.

It will either remind you of tar like you smell when they are repaving the street or it will have a burnt scent. Ill bet its the latter, and that means that the chimney is letting condensation products from the furnace and water heater flue gases back inside the attic and then on to your ceiling.

Its been a requirement for some time that these old chimneys be lined with an aluminum duct, so the fumes go directly up and out, without oozing sideways into the house. That can let carbon monoxide build up in the attic a really hazardous situation for you and your family. Bottom line: Call an HVAC contractor right away to check it out. Ill bet they recommend a chimney liner.

Ken Moon is a home inspector in the Pikes Peak region. His radio show airs at 4 p.m. Saturdays on KRDO, FM 105.5 and AM 1240. Visit aroundthehouse.com

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Around the house: Save money by turning down thermostat at night - Colorado Springs Gazette

"THE BROTHER YEARS" by Shannon Burke (Pantheon Books, 288 pages, $26).

Knoxville author Shannon Burke, who beautifully rendered the American West in his 2015 novel "Into the Savage Country," takes readers to the suburbs of Chicago in his newest work of fiction, the moving and deeply personal "The Brother Years."

Set largely in the 1970s, "The Brother Years" is a reflective, episodic coming-of-age story, told from the point of view of Willie Brennan, a self-proclaimed "lover of books and music and poetry." Throughout the book, Willie, with his (mostly) sensitive persona, recalls difficulties from his turbulent upbringing with his parents and three siblings.

Late in the novel, Willie vows, "I was going to be the one in the family who remembered," but his need to hold onto often painful family memories can be felt from the opening pages. Whether he's recounting an argument over a motorcycle, a father-son boxing match or a gun accident, Burke's protagonist makes it clear that the Brennan household wasn't an easy place to grow up.

The source for most of Willie's home struggles can be traced to two people: his boisterous father and his older, "domineering" brother, Coyle. Willie's father rules the Brennan household with a commanding harshness, insisting the family follow his "religion of maximum effort" known as "The Methods." The pressure these demands including early morning paper routes, extended work at home and rigorous academic pursuits place on Willie causes significant stress to the young narrator. To make matters worse, sibling rivalry between Willie and Coyle escalates into repeated occurrences of physical violence. Home throughout much of "The Brother Years" is a place of conflict and anger.

The Brennans are flawed and sometimes incredibly brutal, but thanks to the meticulous layers Burke gives his characters, they always seem genuine. Stubborn Willie is a captivating voice. Part of his appeal is his honesty about his own flaws. He never fully condemns his family; instead, he often makes himself culpable. The patriarch, who could easily become a villain, transforms slowly into someone much more complex, more fully human. The same can be said for Coyle. He has his moments of cruelty, but thanks to Burke's insistence on treating his characters with respect, he too finds his moments of tender grace.

While "The Brother Years" is very much a rich, character-driven novel, it is also an affecting and consistently challenging study on class dynamics. Willie paints his family's financial status clearly:

"All the houses around us were large and fancy, with red tile roofs and manicured lawns and long curving driveways with multiple expensive cars parked in large garages. Our house didn't fit in at all. It was small, squat and redbrick, with dirt patches in the yard. We had one shower for the six of us. When we got in fights, they spilled out into the yard and all the neighbors peeked out to see what was going on with the weird, poor family in that rich neighborhood."

The Brennans' economic condition clearly marginalizes them and causes Willie and his family to exist in a bubble of otherness. Not only are the Brennans outsiders in their own neighborhood, but they are also viewed as being different at work and at school.

Burke reminds readers that while money undoubtedly grants opportunities, it isn't everything. Hard work and persistence can make dreams possible, too. Through determination, the Brennan kids attend the most prestigious school in the area; Willie gets to prove his athletic talent; and Coyle achieves the seemingly impossible.

The Brennans aren't a perfect family. Their household is chaotic; school is a trial; and work is constant. Yet they never give up. Their story is a stirring testament to the power of resilience.

For more local book coverage, visit Chapter16.org, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee.

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Book review: Knoxville author's 'The Brother Years' is a story of conflict and resilience - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Samsung will host its first Unpacked event of 2021 on Jan. 14.

2021 will bring some earlier-than-normal goodies from Samsung. The South Korean electronics giant sent out invites for its first Unpacked of 2021 to take place at 7 a.m. PT on Jan. 14 -- about a month earlier than last year. It touted "Welcome to the Everyday Epic" as the theme for the event.

"Over the past year, mobile technology has taken center stage in everyday life as people are working remotely and spending more time at home," Samsung said. "The accelerated transition to a mobile-first world brings with it the need for devices that can transform everyday life into an extraordinary experience."

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Samsung is expected to unveil its newest Galaxy S devices at Unpacked, which comes the same week as the all-virtual CES electronics show. This time around, Samsung likely will have three different models of the flagship phone: the 6.2-inch S21, the 6.7-inch S21 Plus and the 6.8-inch S21 Ultra. The devices are expected to look largely the same but have bigger camera modules, boosting their photo and video capabilities.

Samsung may also discontinue its Galaxy Note line this year and replace it with S Pen support on its Galaxy S21 Ultra. Early renders don't show a visible location for a stylus, which may mean it has to be housed separately from the phone when not in use. On Samsung's popular -- but niche -- Note lineup, the stylus slides into the device for storage.

Samsung will also have a press conference at CES on Jan. 11. It's expected to focus on its TV and home appliance businesses for that event, as it has done in past years. Unpacked will be the last day of CES.

A Jan. 14 date for Unpacked comes earlier than normal for Samsung. In the past, the company has typically unveiled its newest flagship phone in February, either slightly before or during theMobile World Congresstrade show and then released the device in March or even April.

Samsung announcedlast year's Galaxy S20 lineupandGalaxy Z Flip foldable on Feb. 11in what wasone of the tech industry's last in-person eventsbefore thenovel coronavirus pandemicforced borders to close and governments to issue stay-at-home orders. TheGalaxy S20 devices, all of which came with5G, began preorders Feb. 21 and hit stores on March 6.

The day after Unpacked,organizers canceled the Mobile World Congress trade showin Barcelona, which was slated for later in February. At the time of that decision, COVID-19 had infected more than 42,000 people and claimed more than 1,000 lives. That number has soared toabout 85 million infections and about 1.8 million deaths, as the world grapples with a crippling new wave of the virus.

Samsung, like most tech companies, has struggled to sell its priceysmartphonesduring the pandemic. While it was one of the first companies to release a phone with 5G,it was surpassed by Huaweias the world's biggest phone maker at a time it normally would have gotten a boost from Galaxy S sales. The Chinese handset maker became the biggest smartphone vendor in the world in the second quarter, the first time in nine years that Samsung orApplehadn't held that title. Analystsexpected Apple to become the world's second-biggest 5G phone vendorin 2020 -- with less than three months of sales. That put Samsung, once the leader with the new connectivity, in third place.

Losing its position at the top of the smartphone market has caused Samsung to make changes, including holding Unpacked about a month earlier than normal. Samsung also hasshifted its plans to deal with changing consumer preferencesduring the pandemic. In September, it introducedintroduced the Galaxy S20 FE, a cheaper model for its flagship smartphone lineup. The phone started at $700 -- or $300 less than the regular S20 costs -- and came as the pandemic prompted demand for less expensive devices.

Samsung overall regained ground in the third quarter toagain become the top smartphone vendorasHuawei struggled to survive amid sanctionsby the US. Samsung in late October reported its highest quarterly revenue ever, thanks to a "significant increase in consumer demand" for itssmartphones, computers and other products.

Tae-moon Roh, Samsung president and head of mobile communications, published a blog post in mid-December with details about the company's plans for 2021. Along with saying the company would share more in January, Roh said Samsung in 2021 would expand its foldable lineup and make the devices "more accessible" -- likely code for lowering prices -- as well as put more emphasis on the camera and video capabilities in its devices. The company will also bring features from its Galaxy Note devices to other phones in its portfolio, which is likely to include S Pen support on its upcoming Galaxy S21 phones.

"We have never believed in a one-size-fits-all mobile experience and we never will," Roh wrote. He added that Samsung is "working on revolutionary advancements in 5G," artificial intelligence and the internet of things "that will redefine the parameters of what mobile can do and give consumers the freedom to tailor their mobile experiences to fit their lives -- not the other way around."

Along with new connectivity capabilities and AI features, Samsung in 2021 plans to make it "easier to quickly locate the things that matter most, from your keys to your wallet -- even your family pet." The company is expected tointroduce physical Tile-style smart trackers, possibly called Galaxy Smart Tags, to help people keep track of their possessions using BlueTooth. Apple has longbeen rumored to be working on its own AirTags, but it hasn't yet unveiled anything in that arena.

Tune back to CNET for full coverage of Samsung's event on Jan. 14.

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Samsung will show off Galaxy S21 at Jan. 14 Unpacked event - CNET

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We asked our contractors what regular maintenance they recommend for homeowners. Preventative maintenance will go a long way in extending the life of the systems and products you have invested in.

Too often we coast along until something breaks. That can lead to large and unexpected repair and replacement bills. Take care of your home and it will serve you well!

Buyer beware: We always caution homeowners choose reputable companies. It is important to choose honest service providers. It is typically not a good idea to hire a provider based on a promotional add offering deep discounts. These promotions are often considered to be lost leaders that give repairman a foot in the door. Make sure you know whose foot is entering your home!

Lets look at what the pros recommend for regular maintenance.

Air conditioning and heating

Have a once-a-year system check. A thorough inspection includes checking the motor, capacitor, connections, coils, refrigerant levels, thermostat accuracy and settings, amp draws, making sure the drain lines are clear and replacing filters (if they are on site). Cost range is $100- $150 per unit, depending on size.

Water treatment

If you have a reverse osmosis system, a once-a-year service is required for a maintenance check and filter change. Have them check your water for hardness while they are there. Cost range is $100-$150, based on the size of the unit.

*A water softener requires regular salt replacement which can be done by the homeowner. Some water treatment companies will refill salt for the homeowner. The cost of salt averages $50-$60 annually for a family of four.

Appliances

Refrigerator: Cleaning condenser coils on your refrigerator once a year will keep the refrigerator from overheating and increase the efficiency of the appliance. Have your serviceman clean the door seals and check for leaks as well. Approximate cost is $180.

Microwave: An annual check of your microwave in recommended to ensure this appliance is not leaking dangerous microwaves. Dryer: Clean dryer and exhaust vent to the outside of the house every two years to help prevent excessive lint buildup, which causes dryer fires.

Roof

Have your roof checked once a year. Most reputable roofers offer free inspections to homeowners and save them from having to climb around on the roof.

The trained eye of a professional can identify existing and potential problems and offer solutions. Some of the things they will be looking for are broken and missing concrete and asphalt tiles, damage and sunburn of foam roofs, quality of underlayment, areas of transition and penetration connections.

Pool equipment

Take a water sample into your local pool supply before swimming season begins. With this sample they can help determine if your pool water needs to be drained.

When you do drain the pool have a pool company inspect the tile and the plaster for damage.

Pool motor: if you havent upgraded to a variable speed motor consider replacing it this year. They are quieter and cheaper to run as they require less energy and chemicals. The initial investment averages $1600.

Electrical system

Your electrical system works hard and most of us take it for granted! Old and neglected panels often do not trip correctly. A once-a-year inspection will keep it running efficient and safely.

An electrician will inspect the control panel breakers, circuits, wire and bus bar. An inspection will cost in the neighborhood of $220.

Replace any smoke detectors that are 10 years old or older.Have the breakers in your box labeled ($150-$300 for the average home)Add a surge protector at the panel (average cost-$340- $450)

Landscape sprinklers and lighting

Having your timer programmed two to four times a year will go a long way in protecting your plants by making sure they have plenty of water. It will also save on wasting water through overwatering.

Dont forget about the timers on your lights as well.

Lights will need to be adjusted based on sunrise and sunset and it is always good to check that wiring is in good condition.

Paint

Have your painter check the interior and exterior paint condition. An annual inspection can keep paint fresh longer by keeping any damage in check. They can keep an eye on caulk and drywall as well.

A general estimate for a house that is 1,600-2,100 square feet would be up to $500 for exterior maintenance and repairs and $250-$300 for the interior paint.

Expect to repaint the exterior of your wood home every 4-7 years. The exterior of a block home will last 12-15 years.

Security systems

Homeowners should also double check that their systems are connected to reliable technology!

For the most secure system you will want your security system to be on a cellular network of 4g or 5g. Approximately 85% of cellular systems are on 3g, technology that will be abandoned in three years.

Make sure you contact your provider to see what their plan is for upgrading your system.

If your security system states that you are on 2g your system that relies on 2g, be advised that it is no longer working as 2g has been abandoned.

If you cancel your landline and it is connected to your security system, your system will no longer work, of course.

Create a home savings account

To budget for repairs we recommend a savings account rather than a home warranty.

In our opinion home warranties often fall short of covering what is needed in the event of major repairs. And with a home warranty you are not able to choose the contractors who will perform the work.

Check out RosieontheHouse.com for contractors and service providers you can trust.

For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 35 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the Rosie on the House radio program from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturdays on KTAR News 92.3 FM in Phoenix, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on KAFF-AM (930) in Flagstaff, and 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson.

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Budgeting for home maintenance will save you time, trouble in long run - KTAR.com

Multitaskers, this is for you. If you work with multiple apps and windows at once, you might find it frustrating to constantly switch back and forth between those windows. Or maybe, depending on what youre working on, you need to look at two windows at the same time. If youre copying info from one document into a spreadsheet, for instance, it can help to see those two windows side-by-side.

If youre lucky enough to have the space for a dual monitor setup, thats one option. Otherwise, there may be a relatively straightforward way to fix this problem. Apple launched its macOS Catalina operating system with a split screen view function. That means you can fill your screen with two apps without having to resize and drag your windows. If youre using Catalina or a later version, you should be able to access this feature. Heres how.

From the top left of your window, find the red, yellow, and green buttons. Hover over the green button or click and hold it youll see a series of options for viewing your screen.

Image: screenshot: kristin wong

Click on either Tile Window to Left of Screen or Tile Window to Right of Screen and your current window will display on the left or right of your screen, accordingly.

All of the other windows you have open on your Mac will display on the opposite side of your split screen. Click the window you want to display. Now you're in split screen mode.

Image: screenshot: kristin wong

You can now easily toggle between both windows in split screen mode. If you want to open other apps while in split view, open Mission Control using the Mission Control key, F3 on keyboards or the button with the three rectangles on the Touch Bar once the function keys are displayed, or by:

Pressing Control and the up arrow

Swiping up with three or four fingers on your trackpad

Double tap with two fingers on your Magic Mouse

All the other windows you have open will appear. Simply click on them to toggle back and forth between those windows and your split-screen view.

Image: screenshot: kristin wong

Want to switch sides? To move a window from one side to another in split view, drag that window to the other side by clicking anywhere on the gray menu bar of that window. (Keep in mind, in split view mode, the menu bars are hidden by default. But you can move your cursor to the top of the screen and the menu bars will reappear.)

Image: screenshot: kristin wong

Need a little more viewing space on your spreadsheet? To resize the windows, click on the black border between the two screens. Drag your cursor to resize the windows to your liking.

Once youve had your fill of split screen mode, its easy enough to exit. From either window, hover over the top of the screen until the grey menu bar reappears. Click on the green circle button and you will automatically exit split-screen mode. Alternatively, hover and click on Exit Full Screen.

That window will return to its normal view while your second window will remain in full screen mode. Use Mission Control to navigate to that window. Again, hover on the top of the screen to make the gray bar reappear and click on the green button to exit full screen view.

For multitaskers, split screen view is a must-have, but its a useful feature for just about anyone no dual monitor setup necessary.

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How To Split Screen On Mac - Mashable India

Stacee Lynn Bell seems more at home on the side porch than anywhere inside the rural Montgomery County home she shares with her husband and two dogs.

Its their barndominium, the newest alternative housing craze that follows the much-hyped tiny houses, container homes and treehouse rooms that have captured the imagination of Americans looking for something more interesting than four walls and a roof.

At 56, Bell is entering a new and unexpected phase of her life as the barndo lady, who in a matter of months has parlayed a few comments on social media into a business the Barndominium Co. all during the coronavirus pandemic.

Midyear she was asked to design barndo floor plans for others, and by July her business was operational. By the end of 2020, she had 12 employees with plans to add more in February, and in the meantime, she has designed nearly 150 barndominiums for construction all across the country.

My barndos have flair and style. When Im done, youll never look at a metal building the same way again, said Bell, a Louisiana native who has lived in the Houston area for more than two decades. We take a metal building and make it look good.

Bell and her husband, Oliver 60 and a former Army airborne ranger and Army Reserves major who now owns a crisis consulting firm, Oliver Bell Inc. lived in Houstons Westchase area and wanted a cabin in the country. Looking for affordable options for their 14 acres on the edge of the Sam Houston National Forest, she stumbled onto barndominiums.

A military family, Oliver Bell and the couples two grown daughters are all West Point graduates, and their daughters Alexi and Annette and son-in-law are all serving in the Army now. Even their dogs German shepherds named General Scott and General Patton are a nod to their patriotism.

Theyre the natural evolution of what people used to call shouses shops with living space. People have built them to store everything from RVs and tractors to farm animals. They can be workshops, too, and they have the equivalent of a small apartment with a full bathroom, Stacee said.

Though Stacee has no formal design training, she started sketching ideas for how she would want her own metal barndo to look. The Bells started visiting their property on weekends to clear brush and prepare for construction, but the more they visited, the more they wanted to live there full time in a bigger barndo.

With Stacee operating as general contractor, they started with a workshop with a 725-square-foot apartment and lived in it while they planned and built the 5,200-square-foot home they live in now.

Once a foundation is poured, the shell of a barndo can go up in a week or two, and then the electrical, plumbing and interior finishes continue.

You dont find women, let alone Black women, in this industry, Stacee said. Youll find men who have been doing this. I bring a feminine touch to it I make metal buildings look good.

Her plans for barndos such as her shop/apartment combination cost $1,200 and up and $75,000 to $150,000 to finish, depending on size and height.

Plans for a full home in the 3,000-square-foot range cost $3,200 to $3,500.

The advantages are lower construction costs at about $150 per square foot. Theyre energy efficient, and the interior is completely flexible because the load-bearing walls are all exterior in one-story barndos. (Two-story barndos require some internal support walls.) Also, banks are starting to see their value and are willing to finance them, the Bells said.

The Bells home was designed for a casual, outdoorsy lifestyle, including a side porch that has everything you need except a bathroom: a full outdoor kitchen that includes a built-in pizza oven, a 12-foot island clad in Texas limestone, and a fireplace with a living room and dining area.

This is our favorite room in the house, Stacee said of the covered side porch. Sometimes well sit out here and Oliver will be grilling he does 99 percent of the cooking and Ill have music on or well be watching a game or something, and well ask ourselves, Why did we ever build a house?

Their main living area indoors is a cavernous space with 25-foot ceilings, and you get to that side porch through an automated glass garage door that rolls up for the ultimate indoor-outdoor floor plan. Inside, youll find a large living area, dining area and a kitchen with a 20-foot island with a stainless-steel counter.

The kitchen was designed around a massive antique hutch, which replaces cabinets for dishes and serving pieces.

Stacee understands the difference between a splurge and a save, and loves to note every cost-saving measure or resale-store find. For example, a pot rack in the pantry is really an old ladder she found at Round Top. Blinds in the primary bathroom are made from inexpensive stenciled burlap bags she found on Etsy.com, and the kitchen islands cabinet doors were replaced with cafe-length curtains that she changes out with the season.

She used black-and-white print tile from Home Depot in the pantry and two bathrooms and then found peel-and-stick wallpaper in a similar pattern. Rather than spend $2,200 to apply tile to the risers on the stairs to the second floor, she used the wallpaper, which cost just $170.

A first-floor flex room that Stacee was using as her offices has been adapted to a six-person work station for her employees. Upstairs, theres an oversized multipurpose room and a bedroom with a full bath.

The multipurpose room has plenty of seating, a big-screen TV and a fridge so its easily a home theater. But it also has daybeds two fulls and two queens built into the angle of the roof, so it can be a bunkhouse.

The Bells daughters have used it for that, and Stacee had several girlfriends over once and they all stayed up there, too.

We use every room every day. I think thats what people are looking for now how to make the best use of their space, whether its the kitchen, living room or any other room, said Oliver, whos planning to step away from some of his crisis-management business to help Stacee fully launch the Barndominium Co.

Theyre working hard to keep up with the demand for barndo plans, the voracious appetite of social media and the e-commerce site Stacee plans to launch with links to favorite products by vendors she uses.

There is likely to be a home-goods collection, too, with home accessories designed by Stacee for people who love the rustic barndo lifestyle.

diane.cowen@chron.com

See the article here:
Move over, tiny homes. 'Barndominiums' have arrived to the Houston area. - Houston Chronicle

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Finance and Administration Cabinet have launched an initiative to replace thousands of roadway lighting fixtures across the state with energy saving LED lights. The upgrades will reduce energy consumption of roadway lighting systems by more than fifty percent and save more than $2.8 million a year in reduced utility and maintenance costs.

Modernizing our roadway lights with more efficient and longer lasting LEDs is a win-win strategy to stretch taxpayer dollars, improve roadway visibility and reduce the number of maintenance-related lane closures, said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray.

This joint project further supports the Finance Cabinets ongoing efforts to capture energy efficiencies in state-owned and operated facilities and equipment, while also reducing the frequency of ongoing upkeep and replacement of highway lighting, said Finance Cabinet Secretary Holly M. Johnson.

More than 18,000 high-mast and cobra head lighting fixtures will be replaced with energy efficient LED lights on select state-maintained roads across Kentucky. The improvements include underground lighting replacements in the Cochrane Tunnel in Jefferson County and the Cumberland Gap Tunnel in Bell County.

Approximately 1,500 lighting fixtures at state-owned maintenance garages and parking lots will also be replaced as part of the project. More than 1,000 fixtures have been installed statewide to date.

The project will also include the replacement of roadside controller boxes and cabinets and the relocation of crash-prone poles.

KYTC and the Finance and Administration Cabinet have contracted with CMTA Energy Solutions to complete the project. Work began in November and is expected to be complete by early 2022.

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Transportation, Finance cabinets to replace roadway lighting fixtures with energy saving LED bulbs - User-generated content

Their removal has been advised by the Environment Agency (EA) to protect existing flood barriers and prevent future damage to those set to be installed as part of a 49m project which is currently in the final stages of development.

A report presented to a recent meeting of Preston City Councils cabinet described almost all of the trees to be felled mostly along Broadgate, with a small number on Riverside as low value and poor quality. Many of the individual specimens are also known to be suffering from the fungal disease ash dieback.

However, ten of the affected trees are mature sycamores, standing in the Broadgate Gardens area, close to the junction with Fishergate Hill and Liverpool Road. Members were told that these were of higher quality and on the landward side of the current defences, but still required removal.

The EA has committed to planting five new trees for each one taken down as a result of work on its Preston and South Ribble Flood Risk Management Scheme, which is designed to better protect 4,800 homes and 350 businesses. The replacements will be a mixture of saplings and more mature examples.

Preston City Council owns the land where the soon-to-be-felled trees are located, meaning it is responsible for the maintenance of vegetation on the river bank. It is believed that much of it sprang up as a result of self-seeding, rather than planned planting but it has grown significantly in recent years.

The authoritys cabinet agreed to contribute 20,000 towards the estimated 100,000 cost of the removals, the rest of which will be funded by the EA. The agency will also oversee the specialist work, much of which will have to be carried out from the river itself, using specialist equipment and contractors.

The process will have to be completed before 1st March to ensure that it does not coincide with the bird nesting season and also to fit in with the timeframe for development of the wider flood defence scheme.

Deputy city council leader Peter Moss whose City Centre ward encompasses much of the Broadgate area said the project was vitally important.

Flooding can cause devastation for both households and businesses andthat area is now quite vulnerable, because of climate change and rising water levels.

The loss of trees is sad, but the increase in the number of trees [overall] which will be able to be planned for will hopefully, in the longer term, provide a lot of benefits for residents in the area, Cllr Moss said.

As part of its tree replacement pledge, the EA is seeking areas of land close to the Ribble where planting can take place. The organisation has also proposed to re-landscape Broadgate Gardens, which is likely to incorporate new trees as part of any redesign.

The EA also intends to work with South Ribble Borough Council, which has made its own commitment to plant 110,000 trees in the coming years, on the creation of a wetland habitat in the Ribble Sidings area.

Ground investigation work for the flood defence scheme took place earlier this year and planning permission for the final design will now be required before work can begin in 2021.

The latest stages of more than three years of public consultation which has included the issue of tree removal have been driven online by the pandemic.

A newsletter issued by the EA in October addresses the problems posed by the self-seeding trees on the river bank.

Removal of these will allow access for construction and ensure new defences are not damaged by tree root growth.

Self-seeded trees are trees that havent been planted or planned, these trees can be as a result of seeds arriving by birds, the river and the wind. They can cause damage to flood barriers, footpaths and walls due to lack of maintenance, the document notes.

More than 6.5m of funding for the overall scheme is coming from the European Regional Development Fund.

Pam Wilson lives directly opposite the Ribble on Broadgate and says she was expecting that the trees on the river side of the wall would probably be lost.

Its a real shame, but Im glad they are doing the defences - and you cant make an omelette without breaking eggs, as they say.

But 10 mature trees is a lot [to lose]. The irony is that trees take up water and hold the bank together, but not enough, I guess, Pam added.

Greg Smith, a resident of South End - a road just off Broadgate - says locals appear content with the replacement planting plans.

"From the people I have spoken to, I haven't picked up on any great issue with the trees. Some residents recall flooding in this area back in the 1970s and so they are glad of the extra protection.

"It will be sad to lose the more mature trees on this side of the wall, but as long as there are more planted than removed, I don't think it's a major concern."

The Preston and South Ribble Flood Risk Management Scheme will replace or add more than five miles of defences over a three-year period. Some of the new barriers will contain glass panels to maintain views across the Ribble.

The planned defences will be higher than the existing protective measures in the area some of which date as far back as the 1920s, others to the 1980s which are deemed to have come to the end of their useful life.

This is what the EA is proposing:

Broadgate replacement of existing concrete wall between Liverpool Road bridge and Penwortham Old Bridge, with a new one whose maximum height will be 1.6m compared to the current 1.23m.

Riverside a new concrete wall along the boundary of the BAC/EE Preston Social and Sports Association cricket pitch between Miller Gardens apartments and the two flood gates at Ribble Cottage.

- replacement of existing concrete wall between Penwortham Old Bridge and Miller Gardens apartments with a new one whose maximum height will be 2.24m compared to the current 1.08m. Includes glass panels on top.

- replacement of existing concrete wall running on the riverside of the road in front of The Continental restaurant with a new one whose maximum height will be 2.53m compared to the current 1.09m. Includes glass panels on top.

Miller Park a new concrete retaining wall along a ramped section of the main cycleway and earth embankment in Miller Park, with a maximum height of 2m compared to the 1.09m of the existing wall.

Penwortham Methodist Church a new concrete wall with a maximum height of 2.2m. Includes road ramp to raise existing road levels at the entrance to the church by 1m.

Golden Way Footpath a new concrete wall with a maximum height of 2.2m.

Riverside Road replacement of existing concrete wall running along Riverside Road from the Cadent Gas Pipe Bridge to Stanley Avenue (upstream end of Riverside Road) with a new one whose maximum height will be 2.2m compared to the current 1.3m. Includes glass panels on top.

Ribble Sidings replacement of existing 1.7m flood defence embankment with a 3.5m-high embankment with a 3m crest width. The existing riverside footpath route will be maintained with an access ramp over the proposed flood defences and a new habitat area created on the dry side of the new embankment.

Source: Environment Agency (wall and embankment heights subject to change)

For more details visit: thefloodhub.co.uk/psr

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Hundreds of trees to be cut down in Preston as part of flood defence plans - Lancashire Post

Whats quietly taken place with Judge William Martin steadily at the helm in the Indiana County Common Pleas Court for month after month and year after year is something done by only one other man in county history.

If you knew that Judge John Young, the first appointed when Indiana County was created more than 200 years ago, is the only man to serve 30 years on the bench, you just might be a trivia nut.

But if you knew that Martin will soon be the second to reach that milestone, you have serious command of local history.

A page of history turns Monday as Martins retirement after 29 years on the bench takes effect. Judge Thomas Bianco will assume the title president judge, which Martin held for 22 years, and move down the hall to preside in Courtroom No. 1. Judge Michael Clark will hear cases in Courtroom No. 2 and bring along his staff and personal law library to the freshly painted and recarpeted chambers overlooking North Eighth Street. (Martins old office also has been spruced up for Bianco.)

What also happens Monday will be the uninterrupted flow of justice that Martin has administered lo all these years, but without the need for an out-of-county backup judge and the traveling that would entail. Martin already has been approved by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to assume senior judge status, so he would be called back to the fourth floor on an as-needed basis.

Ill be out, but I wont be all the way out, Martin said. Ive told them Ill do whatever they want me to do. Theyre already scheduling me for some things here.

That would put Martin on track to reach 30 years as a judge in June, and finish one year from now when his elected successor takes office just three months shy of being the countys longest-serving jurist.

Martin himself is the last judge to be appointed by the governor to fill a retirement vacancy, when Judge Robert Earley left the bench in 1991. Then the district attorney, Martin won both the Democrat and Republican primaries and was named by Gov. Robert Casey Sr. as the interim judge, in view of his likely election to a 10-year term that November.

Since then, county voters have been divided on their choices for replacements when Judges Parker Ruddock, Gregory Olson and Carol Hanna retired. Democrats and Republicans chose different nominees for general election contests, and no governor opted to make an interim appointment, leaving the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts to choose from a pool of retired-but-willing judges to help handle the caseload.

Although an asterisk would come into play for observing Martins 30 years as a judge, another passed in October when Martin gained credit for the days in the 1980s when he taught in the paralegal program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. That allowed him to accumulate 30 years of service as a state employee (judges are not paid from the county budget).

October was Martins original target when he pondered retirement at the start of 2020, he said, but the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for avoiding upheaval wherever possible led him to hold off until the turn of the year.

Martin talked about three decades of changes in the courts, how technology has been a double-edged sword for justice, heightened security for court systems and his plans for when his judging days are through, in his first news interview in almost 30 years granted this week in the courthouse.

The courtroom was packed in 1989 when Martin, as the DA, won the conviction of Walter Beatty on two murder charges stemming from a January 1987 fire in a downtown Indiana college bar, the worst of the scores of arson fires that investigators suspected Beatty had started in a three-year spree. Putting away the Indiana arsonist, and winning convictions in nearly every high-profile case he took before a jury, was regarded as what catapulted Martin to the bench.

Sensational trials still drew full galleries for years after Martin became judge, but public attention to dramatic cases has markedly fallen in recent years, and that has disappointed Martin.

I noticed over the years that people feel they cant come. Ive always encouraged people to come to court, Martin said. You can walk in and listen to any case. But people think theres a shroud of secrecy about what were doing and there isnt, its wide open and transparent.

The pandemic the past year has hurt that cause, Martin said. Announcements and signs on the doors saying Courthouse Closed have belied the work actually being done in the courts. A brief respite from rising COVID-19 infection rates in late summer and early fall enabled Martin, Bianco and Clark to continue to dispense justice. Renting the Toretti Auditorium in the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex in White Township enabled the courts to summon scores of citizens for selection to juries, and the courts completed a good run there in August, September and October, Martin said. Judge Bianco tried the first civil jury trial in the state since March. We had three homicide cases and the attempted murder of the two troopers. But then the (virus) numbers went back up.

Over 30 years, caseloads have spiraled. Increasing numbers of criminal, civil and family cases led the state to create a third seat for a judge for Indiana County Common Pleas Court. High numbers of cases led all in the local judicial system to streamline the calendars and to reach more out-of-court resolutions to cases.

More people willing to go to court as litigants to have their troubles aired has increased.What made the job more difficult was the number of pro se litigants (people without lawyers), particularly in family law. We get emergency custody, contempts filed daily. Im usually on the phone to Children & Youth to see if theyre involved, he said. When I first started most people had a lawyer.

While not calling them frivolous, the number of complaints filed by jail inmates especially since the addition of State Correctional Institution Pine Grove to the Indiana landscape 20 years ago has created a glut on the court calendar and resources. Its the No. 1 change Martin said he would make in the legal system.

They have an absolute right to present their case. Being in prison doesnt mean they cant make a claim, he said. But there are so many of them. There ought to be a different tribunal to take care of them on a statewide basis, part of Commonwealth Court or a regional court.

There was no internet when Martin became judge. Windows was a splashy replacement for DOS. He pored over volumes and volumes of law books and relied on judicial publications to stay abreast of precedent cases. Lawyers typed their complaints, rebuttals, briefs and proposed orders and drove them to the courthouse from Altoona, Greensburg or Pittsburgh. Court workers may never have been healthier, from their exercise in hauling armloads of blue jackets between the courts, the reporters and the clerks offices.

Nothing, Martin said, has changed the justice system as much as the digital revolution. A document scanning project has relieved the prothonotary and clerk of courts of file cabinet after cabinet of hard copy. Judges, secretaries, clerks and lawyers exchange documents in an instant by email instead of days by postal delivery.

Its going to change the way people practice law. When you have a pretrial conference in a civil case, a lawyer wont have to drive from Pittsburgh to Indiana, sit down with a judge for 15 or 20 minutes, and drive the whole way back. Martin said. Now lawyers in Pittsburgh who would normally not take a case in Indiana County because they dont want to travel back and forth may now take the case because they know they can appear remotely.

Likewise, lawyers in Indiana County who like to leave the county might take cases in neighboring counties knowing the same thing. So I think this is going to change the way people practice law.

The court system had a lot of practice before the pandemic and Zoom.

Skype and Facetime first changed the way suspects were charged after hours. No longer did district judges have to leave home at all hours for preliminary arraignment in their offices. Video connections between judges in their homes and police officers in the stations replaced that.

When pandemic-related limits on gathering took effect, Martin said, Zoom brought defendants, litigants, lawyers and judges together for procedural matters to move their cases.

If theres any positive coming from the pandemic, its the use of technology, he said.

While trials have not been held online, Martin has allowed lawyers to bring laptop computers and video projectors in the courtrooms. That lets attorneys quickly and easily display photographs or documents to the entire jury, saving the time once lost with jurors individually inspecting exhibits.

It really speeds things along, and I think thats one of the positives. The pandemic has forced us to use it, he said.

But technology presents a compromise that doesnt sit well with Martin because it takes away a human element.

Part of our job is to judge peoples credibility, and its nice to have them in the room with you so you can really observe, Martin said. A lot of that is lost when youre doing Zoom. You can see them but its not the same thing. Thats one of the drawbacks.

Martin estimated he has tried almost 300 cases with juries over his career, as a judge and as an attorney. There, hes in his element.

County judges traditionally have been anxious about choosing juries. They worry most about having to disqualify too many people. Historically, their fears havent been realized, Martin said

If we summon 75 people, 72 people show up, and they dont just answer the questions wrong to get out of jury duty, he said. The people of Indiana County really take it seriously and they appear.

Youre always afraid that youre not going to get a jury, and from that standpoint it is stressful, Martin said. I love trying cases, thats the best part of my job, but jury selection always stresses me out. But we always made it through.

Reaching verdicts in courtrooms is a part of life that most would hope to be perfect. Nothing is absolute, but Martin said he hasnt seen a jury decide a case against overwhelming evidence and testimony presented.

Where thin lines separate acquittal from conviction or findings for plaintiff or defendant, Martin said no decision is wrong.

When I talk to jurors, theyll sometimes say, do you agree with us? Martin said. And I always tell them, Im the last guy to answer that question. I have been in this business so long and I have seen so much, and its not fair for me to second-guess what you do.

The reason we have a jury is to get 12 people from all different areas of the county, different occupations, different walks of life. Its that dichotomy between those people and them looking at the facts that they arrive at their verdict. Have I been surprised? Yeah, I have. But I tell jurors that they get an appreciation for being on a jury and how it works. Thats the huge thing. So you get a new appreciation for the people who serve on juries.

Martin carried a reputation for a calm demeanor and firm control of his courtroom, a trait he said was instilled in him by his father. He said he would urge his successor to abide by the same.

Never make a decision when you are upset. And regardless of who is in front of you, they deserve respect, he said. If you respect the people in front of you in court, you will get it back. And I have tried to do those two things in my career. My father always told me the best compliment a man could get would be to be considered a gentleman. And Ive tried to live up to that.

Lawyers may remember how Martin ran his courtroom but his greatest influence on Indiana Countys court system may be the Drug Treatment Court program inaugurated under his watch in 2007. The program counsels addicted defendants to make dramatic lifestyle changes chief among them, sobriety and become productive citizens, rather than imprisons them and releases them back to a cycle of drug dependency and crime. Noting the team of attorneys, the DA and public defender, the probation officers and treatment specialists who join him in gauging the defendants recovery, Martin downplayed the suggestion that Drug Treatment Court would be his legacy.

There was a lot of reluctance by a lot of people whether this would work, Martin said, noting that he had to remove himself from his traditional role. You become kind of a cheerleader for this person and you do get to know them very well. So from a judges view, its something judges dont normally do in criminal court.

It took a while for me to get used to it, but I think its a tremendous program. We have had some great successes and we have had failures.

The people we look at have been through the system and its kind of a last chance to turn your life around and get yourself straightened out. he said. The warehousing of people with addiction I dont believe is the right thing to do. You get to a point with some people who have to be excluded from society because they wont help themselves and are making victims out there. But those who are truly addicted and have a sincere desire to get their life back, thats what treatment court is for.

Martin said he tells defendants to realize from the start that addiction controls their lives. What we want to do is give you the tools so that when you graduate from this program, and you walk out that courtroom door, you are in charge of your life and addiction isnt driving you anymore.

A proverb holds that its lonely at the top.

For lawyers who rise to the level of judge in their communities, Martin said, changes to their lives may be more than they expected.

It starts as soon as judges are elected. The strong political support and the personal connections made in the campaign for votes disappear.

Your relationship with friends changes, Martin said. It can isolate you. And thats not good.

Gone is being one of the gang in the local legal circles. Up goes an unseen shield against friendship and influence anything that would cloud the view of a judges rulings and opinions being based on anything more than impartial and objective application of law.

Thats the reason why the other judges are so important to you, because they now become your sounding boards and the people you talk with more often than not, Martin said. Socially, you know that wherever you go, if you go out to dinner, somebody is going to know who you are. So it does curtail what you do. And you have to be careful.

The resulting isolation, Martin said, is not good. You have to know how normal people are thinking and acting so you can do your job.

Martins support for community causes is quiet. He has been on the board at The Salvation Army since the 1980s, but the agency never associates his name with their efforts. And he has a hands-off role on any legal matter involving the organization.

His service as a volunteer coach of the Indiana Area Senior High School football team for 25 years was Martins greatest public exposure when not wearing robes in the courtroom.

It played a big part of my life and it was a great thing for me therapy for me, Martin said. He waved his hand through the air. When I walked on the football field, all this went away. It was a good escape.

One of the best things that happens to me is, if I go into Sheetz and see one of my former players, its not Hey Judge, its Hey Coach. That makes my day when I hear that.

As he hands over the mantel of leadership on Monday, Martin does so with full confidence and some words of advice for President Judge Bianco and the days hell burn midnight oil in the office overlooking Philadelphia Street.

What that entails, and what I will not miss, is the administration of the court. That involves not just the cases that come before the judges, Martin said. Youre involved with domestic relations, Children & Youth, probation, clerk of courts, the prothonotarys office, the magistrates offices, all of that. The personnel issues that come up, changes in the law. Hell have to deal with the pandemic and the advantage he will have is that our administrator of the courts, Christy Donofrio, is excellent.

His most difficult decisions may now be made in his office rather than in his courtroom because of the administrative part of this. All the pleas come through him, whatever the lawyers file that require a court order or scheduling will go through him for review, hell be the guy calling Children & Youth every day on custody cases.

But wait, theres more. Bianco enters the 10th year of his first elected term. He must decide on one of the least stressful aspects of politics: whether to run without opposition, asking voters to say yes or no to 10 more years.

But hes going to do a tremendous job. Given where the courts are going, hes the right guy to be leading us. He is tech savvy, Martin said. As we go forward, technology is going to play a bigger and bigger role and Judge Bianco is going to be right there to lead the county and the court.

Until Martin decides to hang up the robes for good and retire from senior judge status, hes under the same judicial code and constraints that have guided him since 1991. So theres no dishing today on the law community, courtroom incidents or his judicial colleagues.

He will be asked to decide at the end of 2021. At whatever point, full retirement will be a true change.

I could do whatever I want to do at that point. I cant use the title judge anymore. Then I could be just Bill, he said. It reminds me, when Judge Olson retired, he said he was looking forward to getting his name back. Being Greg, not Judge.

So what does Bill want to do when the time allows? Travel with his wife, Janet, is on the list. But theres more.

Ive thought about training dogs to be therapy dogs, Martin allowed. He was inspired when he learned about small rural courthouses that have a dog on duty.

They have a dog in the courthouse, a therapy dog, and I could do something like that, where the dog comes in when children are here for Children & Youth cases and things like that, to kind of help them with the stress they would be facing.

Martins agenda beginning Monday, however, differs only in the change of title and easing of the assignments on his plate. A check of the court calendar shows Martin the administrators office has gone light on him so far. Courtroom No. 3 looks to be idle at least through Jan. 15.

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Martin reflects on three decades presiding from the bench - Indiana Gazette

ANN ARBOR, MI South University Avenue in Ann Arbor is looking a lot different these days as preparations are being made for the next student apartment high-rise.

A row of one- and two-story buildings that for many years contributed to South Us funky and eclectic vibe home to businesses such as South U Pizza, Oasis Grill, Rendezvous Hookah Lounge, The Village Apothecary, PNC Bank and Underground Printing was demolished recently.

All that remains standing on the south side of South U on the block between Church Street and East University Avenue now is Good Time Charleys and Catina, and theyre staying.

Rising in the big, empty space next to them will be a 13-story apartment building called Vic Village South, complementing the Vic Village North high-rise across the street.

It will join several other high-rises built in the South U area in recent years, all catering to University of Michigan students.

Vic Village South will add nearly 130 more apartments with 300-plus beds, including 14 affordable housing units, said Sean Havera of Hughes Properties, the developer, which is working with general contractor The Christman Co.

There will be four ground-floor commercial spaces in the new high-rise, some of which could be combined for a bigger business, Havera said.

Tenants have not been identified yet.

Underground Printing and PNC Bank moved into new ground-floor spaces created in the Vic Village North high-rise, which opened last year, and Oasis Grill moved down the street into a space previously occupied by China Gate.

The high life: Inside Ann Arbors newest luxury apartment high-rise

The family that owned Oasis Grill also owned South U Pizza and the Rendezvous Hookah Lounge, which closed about a year ago. The Village Apothecary closed five years ago.

Work on an earth-retention system for Vic Village South is expected to begin in February and that will allow crews to finish excavating building foundations and start construction, which will last into summer 2023, Havera said.

It wont be too difficult to start construction amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Havera said.

Where were at with all of the work being outside, that helps, he said, indicating vertical construction is not expected until around next October and there will be an extensive amount of exterior work before interior work begins.

The block of South U in front of the development has been reduced to a single traffic lane during construction.

The new building will include two levels of below-grade parking and the developer has an agreement to lease about another 40 overnight parking spaces in a nearby public parking deck.

Vic Village South will offer a different mix of floor plans and amenities than Vic Village North, Havera said, noting there will be some studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, in addition to higher-bed-count units that are attractive to larger groups of students wanting to live together.

And while Vic Village North offers more of a standard fitness center, Vic Village South will have a CrossFit gym, Havera said, adding tenants of both buildings will have shared access to the amenities in both buildings, including tech lab spaces, study areas and rooftop lounges.

Ann Arbors small-town look fading as downtown reaches toward sky

Vic Village South will have a 13th-floor lounge and game room with an outdoor TV, grill and fireplace, similar to one of the upstairs lounge spaces at Vic Village North, Havera said.

It will be the sixth student-focused apartment high-rise built in the South U area since 2009, following Zaragon Place, Landmark, ArborBLU, Six11 and Vic Village North.

After Vic Village South, Hughes Properties plans to shift focus to its next planned high-rise development, Vic Village East, where the Middle Earth shop and Safe Sex Store on South U were demolished in recent years.

Beyond the South U district, more apartment high-rises are planned downtown, including one underway at Main and William called The Standard, which is expected to open in fall 2022.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Before-and-after views of downtown Ann Arbors dramatic transformation

Timeline: Ann Arbors downtown housing boom and whats to come

1960s building boom introduced Ann Arbor to high-rise controversy

Vintage photos showcase downtown Ann Arbors historical charm

See plans for 3-story, mixed-use development proposed in Ann Arbor

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Another South U block demolished to make way for next Ann Arbor high-rise - MLive.com