Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

By Joe Southern editor@sealynews.com

From major, high profile projects to minor building renovations, the Sealy Economic Development Corporation currently has 36 done deal projects in the works with more prospects coming in all the time. That list does not include the grocery store H-E-B.

We have been told by H-E-B that theyre coming, said Robert Worley, executive director of the Sealy EDC. There are two things that are really important to H-E-B. The first is new homes and apartments in Sealy.

Worley said there are currently 1,500 housing units under construction in Sealy, most of them single family homes.

The second is the completion of Interstate 10, he said.

Worley said the combined capital investment of the 36 projects in Sealy is $450 million. He said with other pending projects not on the list that could swell to $700 million within a few months.

I think thats just phenomenal, he said.

In a report he issued jointly with Warren Escovy, the assistant city manager and planning director, he said Sealy currently has a total taxable value of $774 million. It took Sealy 141 years to get to $774 million, he said, noting that the $450 million in capital investment will be added to Sealys tax base within five years.

Thats the rock-bottom minimum that will make its way to the tax base, he said.

The biggest of the projects is Hailiang Copper Texas, a copper manufacturing facility currently under construction at the site of the former BAE Systems. That project has a capital investment of $165 million. Hendrix Industries, a quartz countertop manufacturer, is due to break ground soon on a $35 million project. In the planning phase is a strip shopping center that will include a Taco Bell restaurant.

Several of the larger projects are housing developments. The Retreat at Sealy, a 196-unit apartment, is well into construction with a capital investment of $16 million. Harvest Moon Apartments is constructing a 75-unit complex ($8 million), another unnamed 90-unit apartment complex is in the planning phase ($8.1 million), Dove Landing, a 114-lot single family housing development is under construction ($11.5 million), and Hunter Crossing, a 158-unit single family housing development just broke ground next to Sealy Elementary ($20 million).

Not all of the projects will add to the tax base. Among those are the Austin County EMS station near completion and three others are for nonprofit organizations.

Of the 36 projects identified on the list, 20 are existing building and retail projects downtown, including a restaurant, eight are single-family developments, six are multi-family developments, five are manufacturers, four a retail, and the rest include a private emergency medical center, office/warehouse space, an RV park, a Head Start school, a self-defense school, a customer service facility, a physicians office, and improvements to the Sealy Historical Society.

Most of these projects I have on my list, if you drove through town you wont see evidence of them yet, Worley said.

Worley has 44 years of experience in economic development and he said he has never seen a city face such rapid growth. He admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a brief slowdown, but said activity is rapidly ramping back up.

Ive never seen anything like this in 44 years and Ive been in some big markets, he said.

One of those markets was in Bryan/College Station.

This is double, triple, quadruple of what was going on in Bryan/College Station in the 90s, he said.

He said he is seeing a lot of developers buying land now without a plan for it.

Theyre telling me Sealy is the place to be and I want to buy land here, he said.

Worley said he expects development to boom even more once the expansion of Interstate 10 is complete. He said the best part of what he is seeing is the growth isnt dependent on a single economic sector.

This is a much more diversified economy; I love the mix, he said.

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Development booming again in Sealy - Sealy News

From keeping parklets on city streets to reforming permits and simplifying help for job hunters, a San Francisco task force put forward a broad-ranging set of recommendations Thursday to boost the citys economy.

The Economic Recovery Task Force proposed 41 recommendations in its final report on strategies to revive the economy during and after the pandemic. The group called for immediate aid to artists and small businesses and reiterated long-standing goals such as more affordable housing and economic support for minority communities.

But with the city in its worst fiscal crisis in decades, achieving the goals could be tough if they require new funding. The city resolved a $1.5 billion deficit on paper, in the current budget using money expected from Proposition F. Officials need voters to approve the business tax ballot measure next month.

In response to the recommendations, Mayor London Breed said the city will provide $1.6 million to help neighborhood businesses reopen and $200,000 in legal support to help businesses negotiate leases.

The city also will allocate nearly $6 million for artists and cultural workers, including a universal basic income program that pays $1,000 per month to 130 artists for at least six months, starting early next year.

Fees and taxes are waived for businesses that remain closed, such as entertainment and nightlife venues that cant hold large events.

Breed also hopes to promote housing construction through the deferral of some real estate development impact fees, which fund affordable housing and transit improvements. Real estate developers face declining office and apartment rents and weakening demand while construction costs remain high.

The fee deferral requires Board of Supervisors approval and could be controversial. Some supervisors have pushed for higher fees. Based on previous deferral programs, 85% of impact fees would be delayed from the first building permit issued to when a building receives its certificate of occupancy, which allows it to open. The average deferral period has been around two years.

San Francisco is only at the beginning of what we know is going to be a long road to recovery, Breed said in a statement. We need to continue to translate these ideas into action so we can get people back to work and get San Francisco moving forward.

The task forces recommendations include stimulating the local economy; creating jobs; safely reopening businesses; cutting regulations for more business flexibility; instituting economic justice for low-income residents; investing in housing; providing basic needs like food, shelter and mental health; and boosting neighborhoods.

The report detailed widespread economic devastation during the pandemic.

BART ridership plunged 88% as of late September compared to the prior year. The citys office vacancy rate soared to 14.1% in the third quarter, the highest in nine years, according to brokerage Cushman & Wakefield.

The shift to remote work has emptied out downtown, where long-term effects could be devastating. The virtual freeze of leisure and business travel has crippled the citys largest industry, tourism. Hotel occupancy was down 86% in September compared to 2019, according to San Francisco Travel.

The city, which collects a 1% sales tax, saw receipts of $30.8 million from April to June, a drop of 43% from the prior year, a steeper drop than in other major California cities. Restaurant and bar sales were down 65% and even food and drugstore sales were down 8%. Based on the tax decrease, the report said the citys population may be declining. San Franciscos online sales were up only 1% in the second quarter compared to the prior year, while other California cities saw major gains as people ordered more home deliveries.

This pandemic and the economic impact its had is really unlike any weve seen before, said Carmen Chu, co-chair of the task force and the city assessor-recorder. Were still in the middle of an active health challenge.

The report calls for reform of a construction permitting process that is notoriously complex and opaque, with 18 departments involved. It calls for flexibility in retail spaces, which overlaps with Breeds Proposition H on Novembers ballot, a plan to reduce permit review times and allow additional ground-floor neighborhood uses such as nonprofit offices.

Other goals include investing in public infrastructure to support construction jobs, streamlining building permits, improving city contracts with small businesses, more public-private partnerships, supporting child care providers and buying hotels and other buildings to house the homeless.

If demand falls permanently for office, hotel or retail space, the report calls for studying the conversion of buildings into housing or community space or other uses. It acknowledges the uncertainty and said the recommendation could have limited value if a vaccine leads to a return to previous demand. Converting commercial buildings could also hurt the job market, according to the report.

Chu said that its too soon to say whether buildings will be converted. We dont know what the long-term effects of COVID-19 will be, she said. Were going to have to be flexible and adapt as a city.

The task force, formed in April, included over 100 members ranging from business leaders, city officials, labor unions, nonprofits and religious groups.

The city has issued over 1,600 Shared Spaces permits to date, including many for outdoor dining, leading to parklets with seating built over parking spaces and other areas. The program will continue through the local emergency declaration and the city plans to extend elements of the program beyond that, but details havent been finalized.

The task force calls for extending the program through 2023, adding more arts and entertainment uses and expanding it through more street closures and use of parking spaces.

Even with widespread outdoor dining and the return of indoor dining, the outlook for restaurants remains bleak as they grapple with both a health crisis and economic challenges.

Cassava, a restaurant in the Outer Richmond, tried doing outdoor brunch for two weekends but stopped because of health risks with too many customers to manage, said Yuka Ioroi, a co-owner and member of the recovery task force. Some customers still oppose masks, she said.

The restaurant is allowed to do indoor dining but isnt taking the chance because it has a small space with 28 seats. None of our staff feel comfortable, Ioroi said.

Cassava seats customers outdoors in parklets made possible by a local designer who worked for free to support the restaurant industry.

Cassava received a forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loan for $67,000 and a $460,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, which must be paid off over 30 years, the equivalent of a mortgage, she said. The city reimbursed the restaurant $5,000 for sick pay.

The restaurant hasnt had layoffs but had to slash weekly working hours from around 35 hours to 20. Tips are also down, so the restaurant increased base pay to $20 an hour.

Ioroi supports permanent outdoor dining but said its an inconsistent revenue stream, particularly with ongoing smoke from wildfires. Its better than dying, she said.

Ioroi said that future aid needs to be more widespread. I dont think its just fair to focus on the restaurant industry, she said.

A nearby massage parlor has been closed since March, and its renters face eviction. Homelessness has worsened.

They need to be rescued first, she said.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf

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S.F. is facing its worst fiscal crisis in decades. Heres the citys 41-point plan for recovery - San Francisco Chronicle

See which projects are coming soon to your neighborhood. (Community Impact staff)

Berry Farms Town Center

Work continues at Berry Farms Town Center in Franklin as construction crews aim to complete Two Town Center, a new office building located near Rural Plains Circle and Berry Farms Crossing. Two Town Center will feature 82,000 square feet of Class A office space, and it is slated to open in 2021, according to Boyle, the project developer.

A new retail building is also under construction near the newly opened Residence Inn by Marriott. Tenants for the building have not been announced.

Berry Farms is a master-planned community with three parcels: Town Center, which features retail, restaurants and residential buildings; Reams-Fleming, which is home to the new Ramsey Solutions headquarters; and Chadwell, which has yet to be developed but is slated to include 1,500 residential units as well as office and retail space.

Grace Community Church chapel

The Grace Community Church of Nashville is working to complete Phase 3 of its new campus along Granny White Pike near Old Hickory Boulevard in Brentwood.

The new chapel, which will be able to seat 900, broke ground in July 2019.

Brentwood Police Headquarters

Work is continuing on the new Brentwood Police Headquarters at Heritage Way on the east side of the city. The 56,000-square-foot facility, which will allow the police department to move out of its existing space in City Hall, will feature offices, a community room, a 911 center and an indoor shooting range.

The project is on track for a spring 2021 opening, according to a recent update from the city of Brentwood.

New performing arts center and gym

Franklin Special School District broke ground in September on a new Performing Arts Center on the Poplar Grove School campus near Hwy. 95 West in Franklin.

The center will have a 485-seat capacity and will feature a full auditorium, a lobby, workspaces and dressing rooms. The center will be open for all schools to use. The district is also adding a 22,800-square-foot gymnasium to Poplar Grove Elementary School. Both projects are expected to be completed in early 2022, according to the district.

Continue reading here:
5 development projects to watch this month in Franklin, Brentwood - Community Impact Newspaper

The following are new progress updates regarding ongoing construction projects throughout the City of Williston.

Preparation for road striping of the 16th Ave. W and 26th St. intersection and as well as the fully paved 16th Ave. extension began on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

Road striping starts on Wednesday, Sept. 30 with landscaping operations ongoing. Permanent signage will follow shortly after.

The intersection will transition from a 3-way to a 4-way stop when the 16th Ave. extension opens in mid-October. At that time, a footpath that spans the length of the 16th Ave. extension will also be available for public use.

The 16th Ave. extension will connect with 42nd St.

The necessary infrastructure is in place for lighting which will go up under traffic at a later date.

Sewer is complete and BEK Consulting is installing water line and storm sewer along the length of the 42nd St. extension, heading west toward 32nd Ave. W.

MMI is following behind with subgrade work to prepare the road for paving which is also scheduled for mid-October.

Once complete, 42nd St. will extend beyond 16th Ave. W and connect with 32nd Ave. W.

The water line and storm sewer are installed with curb and gutter complete in all areas minus the block of 4th Ave. W= between 6th and 7th St. W, and 7th St. W from 3rd Ave. W up to the alley between 4th and 5th Ave. W.

Paving is scheduled to begin next week with all roads in the area reopening in mid-October.

Road construction continues with the pouring of curb and gutter, scheduled to finish early next week. Sidewalk work is also scheduled to begin next week.

To view ongoing construction areas throughout the City of Williston, please visit the 2020 Construction Map at: https://bit.ly/Construction2020.

For future updates, please follow the City of Williston on Facebook (@cityofwilliston), Instagram (@cityofwilliston), and LinkedIn.

For more information on this story, please contact Wayne Wiedrich, Operations Engineer, at 701-577-6368 or [emailprotected]

The City of Williston Public Works and Engineering building is located at 1121 5th St. E, Williston, ND.

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City of Williston Construction Updates - The Roundup

Market SummaryFollow

Installed Building Products Inc. is a Installed Building Products Inc is an insulation installer serving the residential new construction market. The company operates primarily in the United States.

IBP - Market Data & News

Shares of Installed Building Products Inc. (IBP) broke into a new 52-week high yesterday, hitting a peak of $112.60. Shares closed at $110.99 after opening at $111.80 for a move of 1.64%. The company now has a market cap of $3.31 billion.

Investors and traders can learn a lot about a stocks momentum when it sets a new 52-week high. As an example, bullish investors view a company hitting its highest price in a year as a sign of momentum and may interpret it as a signal to buy. On the other hand, bearish investors could view a new 52-week high as a signal of the end of a strong run, with the stock possibly peaking out before an impending period of decline.

For Installed Building Products Inc., the new 52-week high came on volume of 251,582. The stock has a float of 29.8 million shares and average daily volume of $n/a. It has a 50-day SMA of $n/a and a 200-day SMA of $n/a.

For a complete fundamental analysis analysis of Installed Building Products Inc., check out Equities.coms Stock Valuation Analysis report for IBP.

Still paying commissions on stock trades? Equities.com now offers $7.99/month unlimited trading and flat-fee options trading for $89.99/month! Get started today by https://www.equities.com/trading-start

Installed Building Products Inc is an insulation installer serving the residential new construction market. The company operates primarily in the United States. The company installs fiberglass, spray foam, cellulose, and radiant barrier. In addition to insulations, Installed Building Products offers installation services for garage doors, rain gutters, closet shelving, shower doors, mirrors, fireplaces, and bath and door hardware.

Installed Building Products Inc. is based out of Columbus, OH and has some 8,500 employees. Its CEO is Jeffrey W. Edwards.

Installed Building Products Inc. is also a component of the Russell 2000 Index, which is an invaluable tool for any small-cap investor. Consisting of the smaller 2,000 publicly traded companies of the 3,000 largest companies in America by market cap (which combine to make the broader Russell 3000 index), the Russell 2000 gives the most comprehensive snapshot of the small-cap market of any index out there.

What's more, the Russell 2000 is maintained by Russell Investments, a company committed to using rules-based methodologies to construct unbiased indices that differ from the committee-selected Dow Jones Industrial Average or S&P 500.

To get more information on Installed Building Products Inc. and to follow the companys latest updates, you can visit the companys profile page here: IBPs Profile. For more news on the financial markets and emerging growth companies, be sure to visit Equities.coms Newsdesk. Also, dont forget to sign-up for our daily email newsletter to ensure you dont miss out on any of our best stories.

All data provided by QuoteMedia and was accurate as of 4:30PM ET.

DISCLOSURE:The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not represent the views of equities.com. Readers should not consider statements made by the author as formal recommendations and should consult their financial advisor before making any investment decisions. To read our full disclosure, please go to: http://www.equities.com/disclaimer

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Installed Building Products Inc. (IBP) Breaks into New 52-Week High on October 07 Session - Equities.com

For the Tribune

Construction to widen and improve the safety of a 1.5-mile stretch of North William Street (U.S. 117) in Goldsboro began Monday with the installation of orange-and-white drums and other barriers.

An N.C. Department of Transportation contractor, JSmith Civil, LLC of Goldsboro, will widen the road to four lanes between the U.S. 70 Bypass and U.S. 70/U.S. 13.

Additionally, a raised median and concrete curbs and gutters will be built.

Most of the route has two lanes.

The contractor will not be allowed to close or narrow lanes during the morning (6-9 a.m.) and afternoon (4-7 p.m.) weekday commute, so drivers should expect lane closures and delays traveling through the area at other times.

Motorists should slow down and be alert for construction crews and equipment.

The median will improve safety by redirecting drivers on some of the side streets into turning right. If they want to go in the opposite direction, drivers will use a dedicated lane a short distance away to safely make a U-turn. This design is known as a reduced-conflict intersection because it reduces the risk of serious collisions.

As part of the contract, traffic signals will be installed on North William Street at Neil Street, 11th Street, Patetown Road and Industry Court.

The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.

The NCDOT awarded the $15.3 million contract in March. Work could not begin until all of the utility lines had been relocated.

Original post:
Construction begins on William Street - Mount Olive Tribune

Dept. of Public Utilities:

Various locations in White Rock and Los Alamos townsite Asphalt patches

GM Emulsion, under contract with the Department of Public Utilities, will patch asphalt at various locations and times throughout White Rock and the townsite where repairs to water lines occurred earlier in the summer.Work will begin Monday and continue through Friday. Traffic control devices will be set up around the construction zones.

Public Works Dept.:

Barranca Mesa 3 Subdivision Improvements Project

Crews will be paving Camino Encantado this week.

Lane Closure on Sherwood Blvd

Work continues for a water line tie-in; motorists may see a lane closure and flagging operations on Sherwood Blvd because of work on the Pinon Park Splash Pad project.

Pedestrian, Sidewalks and ADA Accessibility Along Trinity Drive from Oppenheimer to 39th Street

GM Emulsion continues construction along Trinity Drive removing curb and gutter and dilapidated asphalt in the buffer zone between curb and sidewalk. Construction crews continue placing new curb and gutter and colored concrete in the buffer space. Work in the area of Trinity 301 Apartments near Oppenheimer includes a partial closure to their driveway entrance as crews replace the valley gutter in sections. Access to the apartment building will be maintained.Crews continue replacing sections of sidewalks on the southside of Trinity; sidewalks will be closed off as they move toward Diamond Drive.

Traffic & Streets Division:

Ski Hill Road (Camp May Rd)

Crews will be doing shoulder, drainage and asphalt patching on the road with flagging operations in place.Work will occur between8:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Other projects:

NM502 Roundabout Construction & Road work (State DOT, Star Paving)

No change to traffic controlfrom last week.There is one lane open in each direction from Tewa Lp to DP Rd. Access to local streets from Tewa Lp to Arroyo Ln will still be provided.

Access to Central Ave and 4thSt from NM 502 remains closed for the next 2 weeksfor construction of the roundabout. Central Ave and 4thSt can still be accessed via Knecht Street.

For updates from the State, visitwww.nmroads.com.

Overhead Line Work: San Ildefonso Rd at Broadview Dr. and North Mesa Park

On Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m., Cablecom, LLC will be closing lanes along San Ildefonso Road near Broadview Drive and near North Mesa Park to work on overhead lines. Through traffic with a flagging operation will be in place in both locations. Sidewalks and shoulders will be closed. For concerns or issues, please contact Cablecom, LLC project manager, Javier Gonzalez at 505-260-5688.

DP Rd (Work related to Canyon Walk Apts and The Bluffs)

Qualcon Builders, LLC 120 DP Road Utility Infrastructure Replacement

Phase 1 of construction began September 14thand will continue for approximately 10 weeks.

This past week, work began on the trenching and installation of a sewer pipe along the north side of DP Rd. During the week of October 5, trenching work and placement of the sewer line will continue along the north side of the section of DP Rd from Canyon Rim Trail to Fire Station #2.During these trenching activities, portions of DP Rd will be restricted to one lane traffic, controlled by a flagged/signaled system. Access to businesses will be maintained.

Vehicles and pedestrian traffic are urged to follow all traffic control devices and maintain a safe distance from the work zones listed above.

Sign up for Cone Zone to be delivered to your e-mail on Fridays link to the Subscribe to Newsletter option at the bottom of the Countys website atwww.losalamosnm.us

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County: The Cone Zone Week Of Oct. 5 - Los Alamos Reporter

Each room in your home represents a different aspect of your life, which means that your happiness is largely dependent on your home decorating skills. Samantha Wong reports

In order to successfully apply feng shui in your home, you need to determine where each room is located on the bagua map. This is simple enough to do but first you need to decide whether you are going to follow the Western (BTB) bagua or the traditional bagua. Both BTB and traditional baguas are divided into nine squares (see the BTB map overleaf), with each square representing a different aspect of your life wealth, fame and reputation, love and marriage etc. Each square also corresponds with one of the five elements and a colour or colours.

Simply put, the bagua connects aspects of your life with areas in your home. This allows you to work on specific areas in your life by improving the energy in the corresponding area of your home.

You can do a BTB bagua reading in three easy steps. Step 1: Draw the BTB bagua map on tracing paper. Step 2: Superimpose your map over your floor plan, aligning the bottom row of your map with the wall of your front door. Step 3: Note down which parts of your home fall under and are therefore governed by which sections of the bagua map.

A traditional bagua reading works in much the same way, except it takes the points of the compass into account. You need to take the compass reading of your front door in order to line up a traditional bagua map with your floor plan.

If your floor plan is not a perfect square or rectangle, sections of the bagua will be foreshortened or missed out altogether, and youll have to work at filling in the space (and therefore the energy) that is lacking. Remedies include introducing potted plants to activate the area or hanging crystals, especially when there is a window. If a whole section is missing, place mirrors on both walls of the interior corner to expand the area.

Extensions, like a bay window or balcony, are a positive in feng shui even if they fall outside the bagua map. This is because they extend the good energy that you are creating within your home.

Plotting your courseIn many ways a bagua reading is so literal, you can work out how to boost the energy in a room intuitively. Worried about your health? Revamp the decor in the centre of your home (which falls under the health section of the bagua map). Hoping to travel again soon? Decorate the travel corner of your home (bottom right on the map) with photos of the countries you want to visit. Sex life in need of a boost? Place candles and flowers in the love and marriage section of your home (top right).

But theres more to the bagua than that. Youll see from the map below that each bagua square corresponds not only with an aspect of your life but also with one of the five elements. So, once you know where a room fits in the bagua map, youll know which element needs to be supported in it. Lets say your living room falls under the creativity section of the bagua map, which is supported by metal if you feel you are lacking in creativity, youll benefit from introducing more metal into your living room.

An easy way to boost the presence of a particular element in a space is through colour use for instance, metal is commonly represented by the colour white, so you can invite more metal energy into a space by introducing some white-coloured furnishings. But take another look at the map below, youll see that colour-use in the bagua is more complex, since colours in each square correspond with both the element and aspect of life represented. For instance, you can up the metal energy in the creativity section of your home by adding white-coloured accents, but to boost the travel section of your home, also associated with metal, you need to decorate with grey and black, as well as white.

By learning about the bagua, you can improve your quality of life. So think about which aspect of your life needs work. Lets say its your relationship with money. Work out which room in your home falls under the wealth section of the bagua (top left on the map). Which element do you need to boost in that room to bring more money in? Wood. How do you do that? By incorporating plenty of blue, purple, red and green accents into your decor. Throw in a piece of real wood furniture and youll soon be as rich as Jack Ma.

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Feng Shui: The Bagua Map - Around DB and Life on Lantau

In June 2018, we brought you news that Parks and Recreation actor Rob Lowe and his wife Sheryl, a jewelry designer, had listed their Montecito home for a whopping $47 million. While the exorbitant price tag raised some questions about how much Rob Lowe is actually worth, the home's price made more sense after we saw just how grandiose the estate truly is.

Fast forward over two years later to current day, and the 20-room home, known as Oakview, has finally been sold! According to Variety, the estate recently sold in an off-market sale for $45.5 million.

Initially listed with Sothebys International Realty, the home was re-listed with Eric Haskell of The Agency and Luke Ebbin of Compass in August, 2019 for $42.5 million these agents handled the final sale. Now, the Lowes can officially say their goodbyes, raking in a generous profit that sits in the middle of their first and second asking prices.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

The home features six bedrooms, eleven bathrooms and nine interior and two exterior fireplaces. It elegantly blends West Coast living with the tranquility of the Virginia countryside, where Lowe grew up. "Ive always been drawn to a historic, east coast American aesthetic," he told Architectural Digest in its November 2010 cover story on the home.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

Over the years, the couple had tapped architect Don Nulty, interior designer Kyle Irwin, landscape architect Mark Rios, and feng shui expert David Cho to incorporate their personal style throughout the 10,000 square-foot home.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

In addition to the spacious backyard, the grounds boasts a gorgeous resort-style pool and hot tub, as well as a two bedroom guest house. There's also a championship-sized tennis court with two observation areas.

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

Jim Bartsch for Sotheby's International Realty

As Lowe said back in 2018, "with our boys now out of the house, were looking forward to our next real estate adventure." We're excited to see where the couple ends up next!

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Rob and Sheryl Lowe Just Sold Their Montecito Mansion for $45.5 Million See Inside - HouseBeautiful.com

Joe TaschlerMilwaukee Journal Sentinel

Members of the board that oversees Miller Park approved a plan Tuesday to spend $1.8 million to upgrade the system that controls the ballparks retractable roof.

The Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District boards finance and operations committees voted unanimously to spend the money to improve the system as part of the 2021 maintenance and improvement plan for the ballpark.

The roof panels are moved by a complex system of motors and drives that haul it along a track.

Much of the controls for the system as well as various parts of the drive system have become obsolete and have reached their usable life after 20 years, said Kristi Kreklow, associate director of the district.

In 2018, workers removed and inspected one of the 10 bogies that haul the roof panels into place. The bogie was making unusual noises but was deemed not to be faulty in the $900,000 project.

The spending for the latest project is coming from whats known as the districts segregated reserve fund to which the district and the Milwaukee Brewers each make contributions.

Improving the roofs drive and control system has been planned and is not a surprise. Original plans for the stadium called for the systems to be replaced once they turned 20 years old.

The expectation is that the upgrade, once complete, will last another 20 years, said Mike Duckett, executive director of the district.

Board members also voted Tuesday to spend $1.3 million to replace the ballparks fire detection system.

The roof-control system and the fire-detection system are the most expensive that the board members considered on Tuesday.

The fire-detection system also is 20 years old, Duckett said, and replacing it was also part of the long-term plan for the upkeep of the ballpark.

The ballpark has about 1.2 million square feet of finished space that the fire detection system covers, Kreklow said.

The fire detection system was put to use in July 2014 after a middle-of-the-night fire broke out in a restaurant area in the left field area of the ballpark. The system triggered the ballparks sprinkler system and alerted Milwaukee firefighters, who responded and extinguished the blaze.

The funds for the upgrades will come, in part, from proceeds of a 0.1% sales tax levied in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee and Racine counties. That sales tax, collected since 1996, was stopped in March. The funds were placed into an escrow account and are being used to maintain the stadium.

The state law that created the tax allows the proceeds to be used only for costs related to the ballpark.

Among other spending items, members of the board also voted to spend $130,000 on a female locker room after the first female coach in Major League Baseball, Alyssa Nakken, began coaching this year for the San Francisco Giants.

The San Francisco Giants first base coach Alyssa Nakken jogs to first base during the second inning of an exhibition baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in San Francisco, Tuesday, July 21, 2020.

LEDs will light field

Meanwhile, the process of converting the lights that illuminate the playing field to LEDs has begun. The new LED lighting system has been delivered to the ballpark and installation will take place this off-season.

The new lights are expected to be ready for Opening Day 2021. The project has qualified for a $90,000 Focus on Energy rebate due to the energy savings that the new LEDs will provide, according to the stadium district. That money will be used to help offset the project cost.

Name change in full swing

The Milwaukee Brewers ballpark will be renamed American Family Field, beginning on Jan. 1, 2021, when American Family Insurance takes over the naming rights.

Thousands of signs must be changed at the ballpark, which has been known as Miller Park since it opened.

State law prevents the stadium district from incurring any expenses related to the name change, Kreklow said.

Rent deferral?

The Brewers pay a $1.2 million annual rental fee to the stadium district, and board members are expecting the ball club to ask for some form of rent forgiveness as a result of the pandemic-shortened MLB season in which fans were not allowed to attend games.

During the teleconference meeting on Tuesday, board members asked whether rent forgiveness or deferral was allowed under the lease agreement with the team.

While there is no specific clause in the lease that mentions a pandemic, there are other portions of the lease that likely address such a situation and would allow some sort of rent forgiveness or deferral, Duckett said.

Board members said they would take up the issue when and if the Brewers formally request it.

Call Joe Taschler at (414) 224-2554 or jtaschler@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeTaschler or Facebook at facebook.com/joe.taschler.1.

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Drive system on Miller Park roof to be replaced as part of planned ballpark maintenance, board members decide - Daily Reporter