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Lights and beautiful garland line the entrance to Brad Walker’s Kings Crossing home.
An antique door and frame mixes well with the warm tones and unique feel of the living area.
The formal dining area is divided from the living space by plaster painted columns and archways.
Birds and deer antlers hang on Brad Walker’s Christmas tree in his Kings Crossing home.
The den area features a stone fireplace decked out with garland for the holiday season in front of a plush leather sectional couch.
A lush tree offers warmth and holiday cheer to a corner near windows that overlook the landscaping.
Who wouldn’t love this kitchen with its oversized horseshoe-shaped granite breakfast bar and abundant floor to ceiling cabinet space.
CORPUS CHRISTI —
Have you ever seen a Christmas tree decorated with deer horns? If not, you must experience Brad Walker’s 4,000-square-foot Kings Crossing home. Walker’s home is among the four spots on this year’s 30th annual Carroll Tigerettes Tour of Homes. Designer Cora Waters has lent her talents in creating a cozy, Tuscan-inspired mood to this sprawling abode replete with plaster textured walls, columns and textures in leather and animal fabrics.
The tour, which benefits the Carroll High School’s Tigerettes, will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Dec. 9.
Why did you decide on this home: Because it is perfect for family and friends.
One thing I’d change about my house: The swimming pool is too small. I would like to build a bigger pool.
I get ideas/inspiration for my house by… listening to Cora Waters.
A home item I can’t live without: My media room with surround sound for sports and movies.
Places where I find home furnishings: Buddy Walker Home Furnishings.
My home’s best feature: The great Room/kitchen. Perfect for entertaining.
A current home trend I like: Outdoor living.
Three words that describe my home: Comfortable, inviting and eclectic.
What I like most about my home: My home is comfortable and very livable.
My home’s most complimented feature: The floor plan has a perfect flow for entertaining.
Favorite room:My favorite room is the family room which is open to the kitchen and circular granite countertop; there is plenty of room for family and friends.
My next home project: The master bathroom.
This item would never make it through the front door: A person with a cigarette because I have a beautiful outdoor living area.
Three items homeowners definitely need are… a media room, outdoor living area and an inviting kitchen.
I will always have space in my home for… friends and family.
My home can never have too many… TV’s. Great for Super Bowl parties.
Send home nominations to Eddie Seal at eddieseal@gmail.com or 688-0887.
DANVILLE — While Danville High School draws thousands of visitors for school and community events each year, school district and city officials say its campus doesn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for guests.
Now the city is gearing up for the first phase of a project that will make the area easier to use, improve safety and aesthetics and bring the project site into compliance with the city’s storm-water management and parking lot ordinances and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
School officials are pleased with the design plans and even more pleased that the long-awaited improvements are set to begin next year.
“Danville High School is our flagship school and a focal point in the community,” said Superintendent Mark Denman, who envisions the school grounds looking more like a community college campus and providing “an atmosphere that better reflects our mission of education.”
Denman said the project will expand the area’s use and begin to soften the look around the high school.
“It will provide green spaces, sidewalks, lighting, trees for shade and areas for people to gather before and after events,” he said, adding that football and basketball games, the Viking Invitational marching band competition, the Midwest Classic show choir competition and other events draw thousands.
And each year, officials said, the school’s Dick Van Dyke Auditorium hosts on average 20 community events, including Danville Symphony Orchestra, Danville Light Opera and local dance troupe performances and Lakeview College of Nursing’s graduation ceremonies.
“That will make the area more inviting to students and visitors, and give people a good first impression of the school and the community,” Denman continued.
The work — which includes improving storm-water management, parking, traffic flow for vehicles and pedestrians, safety and aesthetics — will be paid for with a $750,000 federal grant funneled through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and money from the city’s Midtown Tax Increment Financing District fund.
School and city officials hope that the publicly-funded improvements will eventually spark private investment ranging from beautification projects to new business and housing development in the nearby neighborhood, which has become blighted.
“All of the improvements in the TIF district will not only improve the look of the area,” said Christopher Milliken, the city’s planning and zoning manager. “Hopefully they will improve the tax base, which will be a benefit to the city, the school district and all of the other taxing bodies in that area today and in the future.”
The Phase I project area, west of the high school’s field house, is bordered by Clay, Woodbury, Jackson and Hazel streets. The western portion is a grassy field used for overflow parking. The eastern portion is an asphalt parking lot used mostly by students on school days and visitors during school and community events. The marching band also practices on the paved portion.
The area has very poor drainage, said David Schnelle, the city’s urban services director.
When it rains, “Jackson Street floods, and it’s difficult to get across the street to the high school,” he said.
School staff, students, parents, and groups that use the auditorium also suggested other improvements, including designating a specific student drop-off area, adding more lighting, landscaping the area and turning the grassy area into a practice field for the marching band.
“We took their suggestions and came up with some ideas for them to consider,” said Schnelle, whose department has been working on designs conceptually for about three years and in earnest since getting the grant.
According to the IEPA, when rain hits the ground and flows across streets, parking lots, yards, construction sites, farm fields and golf courses, it picks up pollutants — including oil, grease, metals, rubber, fertilizers, pesticides, animal waste, litter and more — and washes them into lakes, rivers, wetlands and even underground sources of drinking water.
In July 2011, the agency awarded $5 million in grants to 14 communities to reduce erosion and the amount of pollution running into Illinois waterways from storm-water sources. Danville’s award was the second-largest.
Danville engineers designed a drainage and irrigation system, in which storm water that runs onto the practice field will flow through a series of trench drains into an underground storm sewer. The water will be stored there and recycled to irrigate the field, as needed.
“By doing that, we’ll minimize the cost of watering the field as well as conserve resources,” Schnelle said.
Run-off that’s not collected underground will go into landscaped infiltration basins in the parking lot.
“Most of the pollutants appear in the first part of that rain event,” Schnelle said. “We’re trying to get the first flush into the infiltration basin. As the water goes through the soil and the plants, that will help clean the water before it eventually goes into a storm sewer and into Stoney Creek and reduce erosion.”
The practice field, which slopes, will be graded and covered with an engineered field turf, which will have a 6-inch sand-and-fiber base to make it more resistant to rutting and able to withstand a heavier traffic load from school buses and other vehicles, Schnelle said. The field will continue to be used for overflow parking.
The regulation-size field will give the marching band a chance to practice on grass and eliminate disruptions to practice. Currently, after-school practice on the parking lot is delayed until all of the cars are cleared.
Officials said the venue can host other school-related events such as an outdoor concert.
The parking lot will be rebuilt to preserve as much of the existing lot as possible.
“We’re going to use existing curbing and sidewalks where possible,” Schnelle said, adding that will contain costs.
“As for parking reconfiguration, most of it will be a matter of restriping,” he continued, adding the lot will have 184 spaces. Five handicapped spots will be created across Jackson Street directly in front of the field house to meet ADA requirements.
The parking lot will have a combination of physical barriers, landscaping and marked crosswalks to channel pedestrian traffic safely from the lot across busy Jackson Street to the school.
Currently, “people cross wherever they want to,” Schnelle said. Under the new design, “we’ll have two points of crossing rather than a free-for-all across the street.”
Crosswalks on Jackson Street — along with existing pavement markings — will serve as a visual cue to motorists to watch out and slow down for pedestrians.
In addition, a designated student drop-off zone will be on the north side of Woodbury Street.
“Right now, there isn’t one,” Schnelle said. “Parents kind of park along Jackson Street wherever they can fit.”
The landscaping aims to beautify the area, using trees and plants that are both functional and low maintenance, and bring the parking lot into compliance with the city’s parking lot ordinance.
“Now the area is pretty stark and sterile,” said Steve Lane, the city’s special services superintendent. “This really greens it up and adds a lot of color.”
Sweet gum, swamp white oak and state street maple trees will be planted along the perimeter of the project area, while ornamental trees will be planted in the parking lot islands. They will provide shade, beauty and filter particles in the air, Lane said.
“Trees also have a calming effect on traffic,” he added.
Flame grass, an ornamental grass, will be planted along the south side of the practice field. Native grasses and wildflowers will be planted in dry basins, or bioswale areas, along the north and east sides.
“They really do not require much care either, especially once they’re established,” Lane said, adding they will do well in wet and dry conditions and only have to be cut back once a year. “They will help filter run-off. They will also help control foot traffic and force students to use the pathways and ultimately the crosswalks.”
Schnelle said the existing wooden light poles will be replaced with energy-efficient lighting, which will match lighting on Fairchild Street.
City officials hope to bid the project early next year and start the work in the spring. If all goes as planned, the practice field will be ready to use next fall.
Schnelle said city officials are still calculating project costs. While the majority will be covered by the grant, the local match will be paid for with Midtown tax-increment funds.
The city will also provide in-kind services, including engineering work and construction management. “There may be other opportunities as well,” Schnelle said. “Once we bid the project, the city can do the landscaping and even some of the electrical work.”
Before the Midtown TIF district was established, the school district already had taken steps to improve the area by purchasing and demolishing some of the dilapidated homes west of the school and expanding parking, as funds allowed.
The city established the TIF district in 2005, and the school board signed off on it, to spur redevelopment along the high school corridor and throughout a larger area bounded by Jackson, Gilbert, Fairchild, Seminary and Williams streets.
“We want the area to have a new, more vibrant look that will be beneficial to both the city and the school district,” said John Heckler, the city’s public development director. “A lot of people travel through that area to get to work or to go to the high school for school and community events. And the local school system is one of the main things potential businesses and residents look at when they’re considering whether to come into a community.”
Once a TIF district is designated, a base-year tax assessment is made and assessments are frozen at that level for other governments during the life of the district, typically 23 years. As development occurs, property values will increase. As assessments increase, the tax increment — the difference between the base amount and the increased amount — is invested back into the district for redevelopment projects.
TIF money has helped with the conversion of the old Shop Rite grocery store to the Carle Clinic facility, the relocation of T.H Synder Co. and the construction of the Mach 1 gas station, the new Social Security building and the Walgreens at Gilbert and Fairchild streets, as well as smaller projects.
“As a group, they’re doing a lot for the district — not only improving the look, but also improving the tax base,” Milliken said, adding the district’s equalized assessed valuation of property has grown from about $9.7 million to about $13.7 million.
While roughly $900,000 in tax increment has been diverted from the school district in the last few years, city officials estimate, this will be the first time that TIF funds will be used specifically for high school corridor improvements.
“Hopefully, the improvements will snowball and stimulate other revitalization activities in the area,” Heckler said.
Denman said he would like to see some new businesses and homes built on some of the abandoned lots. “It would be a good place for a restaurant,” he added.
While school and city officials hope to make more campus improvements, they said future phases will depend on funding.
“We’ll seek out grant opportunities as they become available,” Schnelle said.
The Phase II project area is a gravel parking lot, used by staff and visitors, just north of the Phase I project area. It’s bordered by Woodbury, Fairchild, Jackson and Hazel streets.
“We have similar goals — provide adequate parking, doing a better job of channeling pedestrian traffic and bringing the site into compliance with storm-water management, landscaping and ADA requirements,” Schnelle said.
Schnelle said the city has applied for state funding to create a shared-use path on Fairchild Street, which would go from the new overpass that’s being built to Jackson Street and then north on Jackson Street to English Street. That would add pedestrian protection along busy Fairchild Street.
“Part of that project would connect to Danville High School,” Schnelle said, adding that would add aesthetic improvements along Fairchild Street that would match what’s being done in the parking lot.
A fourth phase could take place on school grounds north of Fairchild Street. The school has a couple of parking lots there, and the district has been buying up vacant lots in the area to expand parking and make more improvements one day.
“Re-creating those parking lots would be a way to link the high school to the new track-and-field facility,” Schnelle said.
By
Nathan T. Prewett | nprewett@al.com
The Birmingham News
on November 30, 2012 at 1:25 PM, updated November 30, 2012 at 4:21 PM
Brought to you by
BIRMINGHAM,
Alabama – The kids and staff of PreSchool Partners gathered outside
the school Friday afternoon to dedicate the garden that they planted, but this wasn’t just any garden.
This was the Literacy Garden, with 26 different
kinds of plants, each one representing a letter of the alphabet. The goal is to help the kids learn their ABCs.
PreSchool Partners is a program that was started 17 years ago at St. Luke’s Episcopal
Church, said the Rev. Rich Webster, who is the rector at the church.
“The Literacy
Garden is indicative of creativity and of ideas when people from different
communities come together,” Webster said. “It embodies that spirit.”
PreSchool Partners is a non-profit
program that takes “at risk” 3- to 4-year-old children from underserved
neighborhoods. The aim of the program is to get them ready for kindergarten and
onward. There are 70 students and 12 teachers and assistants on the staff.
The plants were azalea, butterfly bush
birdhouse, cabbage cane flower, Dahlia daisy, elephant ear, fern, gardenia
ginger lily, hydrangea, ivy, juniper, kale kiwi vine, laureus, mum marigold,
nandina, oregano, pansy pitcher plant, Queen Ann’s lace, rose, sage sedge
grass, tulip, umbrella plant, violas verbena, wisteria windsock, Mondo grass
(in “X” shape), yarrow and zinnia.
“We’re really excited,” said Lella
Hamiter, “the school’s executive director. “It’s important because these
kids come from unsafe neighborhoods where they aren’t able to play outdoors. The Literacy Garden will allow them to have hands on learning experiences outside while also reinforcing letter recognition and enriching our curriculum.”
Webster spoke to the kids as he
dedicated the garden, encouraging them to continue being creative and
imaginative. Afterwards they sang the “ABC Song” with Webster.
The Literacy Garden was funded by a Tablescapes luncheon held by the Episcopal Church Women of Saint Luke’s. Plants
were donated from Oak Street Garden Shoppe, Portera Landscaping, Sweet Peas
Garden Shop, Hanna’s Garden Shop and Home Depot. The Literacy Council of Central
Alabama donated books to the school’s library.
PreSchool
Partners is located on 4565 Montevallo Road in Birmingham. For more information,
visit www.preschool-partners.org.
This article was edited to correct several mistakes. PreSchool Partners has only one location. The Literacy Garden was started recently and the school itself founded 17 years ago.
Enlightening experience: The third annual Tech the Halls begins its holiday display of lights, music and student know-how at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
Students at Central Career and Technical School, 3325 Cherry St., use the yearly display as a “real world, hands-on” lesson in applying what they’ve learned in their carpentry, computer programming, landscaping and electrical courses, according to Mike Beiter, Central’s science, technology, engineering and math coordinator.
To boost the prospects of bright Central Tech students, consider helping the school to win up to $50,000 from Clorox’s Power a Bright Future program. Central would use the money to buy components for a programmable gas sensor. Students studying electronics, physics, chemistry and information technology would then build the sensor, used to detect harmful gases. You can vote on Facebook or by texting, but you must register first. For more information, visit https://powerabrightfuture.clorox.com. Voting ends on Dec. 19.
Float some ideas: One of the big events to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie will be a patriotic parade on May 25, on Memorial Day weekend. Organizers hope to duplicate the scope of the 1995 parade for the city of Erie’s bicentennial. The 1995 parade dazzled adults and delighted children because of the large number of bands and floats and because it featured giant balloons like those on display at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
An informational dinner meeting for groups interested in participating in the parade will be held Dec. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jefferson Educational Society, 3207 State St. Call 459-8000 for reservations, which are required.
The parade route will run from West 12th and Cherry streets to Third and State streets. If your route to the Jefferson Society takes you past Central Tech, be sure to notice that the school’s Tech the Halls holiday light show includes two ships — one representing the U.S. Brig Niagara and the other a British tall ship — in honor of the Battle of Lake Erie bicentennial.
Take heart: Kudos to the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association for launching a new public service campaign, “Commit to Call: When Hearts Attack,” to educate Erie people on the benefits of calling 911 at the first sign of a heart attack.
In Erie County, more than 900 people are treated every year for heart attacks, the associations said in a news release. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ST-Elevated Myocardial Infarctions (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attacks, were responsible for 141 deaths in Erie County in 2009.
The public service campaign includes ads in print, online and on TV. To learn about the warning signs of a heart attack, text “Call” to 23819 or visit www.heart.org/call.
Shed some light: Work continues on the third phase of the restoration of Perry Square. The end results will be worthwhile when new brick pillars are finished and lanterns are installed at the park’s entrances.
Volunteers from the Perry Square Alliance also deserve a big round of applause for their ongoing beautification efforts of the grounds on both sides of the park.
Unfortunately, while the construction was going on to make the park more inviting, the park was left in the dark while electrical work was taking place. Regular park users are looking forward to the Downtown d’Lights tree-lighting ceremony on Friday at 6 p.m., when this dark corner of downtown Erie will be brightened.
Tree-mendous news: Keep your eyes peeled on Tuesday for the 36-foot Christmas tree that will be installed on top of the Boston Store Place marquee, courtesy of UPMC Health Plan.
The tree will be lit on Friday during Downtown d’Lights and the display will become an annual tradition, according to Lee Martell, UPMC Health Plan community relations coordinator.
The company ruffled some feathers when it first moved into Boston Store Place by covering the Boston Store name with the UPMC logo, but the business quickly retreated in the face of complaints from Erie residents who don’t want to forget the Boston Store.
Looking across the Washington-Lee High School cafeteria, Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan said jokingly that maybe it could be rented out for a wedding.
“Look at the view,” she said to a few chuckles.
Renting out public facility space was just one of many ideas that residents offered to help the county — and, by extension, Arlington Public Schools — make ends meet in next year’s budget.
“We’re better off than most,” Donnellan said. “We’re not Detroit. We have people who are still investing … We’re growing, but that’s a good thing.”
Other ideas to come forward? Cutting the police department’s budget, eliminating Cherrydale Branch Library, putting the Columbia Pike streetcar on hold and busing Arlington children to vacant schools in Washington — all of which are unlikely.
But the night yielded plenty of practical ideas, too.
About 75 people — a third of them staff for the county or school system — spent a solid hour Thursday night in break-out groups brainstorming priorities and potential cuts.
Earlier this month, the Arlington County Board authorized Donnellan and her team to use a mix of tax increases and spending cuts to close a budget gap that could be as high as $50 million.
The county is projecting as little as a 1 percent increase in real estate assessments. Residential assessments could increase as much as 2 percent, though commercial real estate is forecast to stay virtually flat.
The county is also expected to face increasing costs for employee compensation and healthcare, along with funding commitments to Metro and debt service.
Arlington County funds more than 80 percent of the school system’s budget. Much of the rest comes from state and federal dollars, which also could be cut.
The school system is struggling with constant escalation in its student population, leading to crowded schools. Superintendent Pat Murphy said at least $10 million will be needed next year to cover the growth, in terms of teacher salaries, staff, textbooks and supplies — plus another $2.9 million for portable classrooms.
The school system is considering replacing step increases for its employees with one-time payments and eliminating or outsourcing employee benefits. Other options include reducing maintenance and construction (which only defers costs), increasing class size and laying off custodians.
The school system will hold its own budget forum from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Education Center, 1426 N. Quincy St.
Peter Rousselot, who spoke for his break-out group Thursday night, said the county “should take a step back and rethink” the Columbia Pike streetcar, particularly given the substantial school enrollment increases expected once the transit system goes online.
Many of the suggestions Thursday night leaned toward priorities for the school system — the recent decision to reduce the number of students eligible to ride buses came up several times.
“If we cannot get all of our kids to school safely … That’s a pretty basic service,” said Elizabeth Wirick, who is part of a parents’ group that opposes the changes to busing.
“My school is awash in iPads,” she said. “I’d much rather my kid be on the bus.”
People listed affordable housing, sidewalks and social safety net programs as priorities. Rousselot suggested the county conduct a well-drafted online community survey that explained the cost of cutting different things as a way to gather more input. That folded into a larger discussion of whether the county and schools should look at cutting in large swaths or making lots of small cuts.
Putting county employees on bikes came up, as did cutting back on things like beautification and landscaping. At least one woman asked if the Artisphere should be on the chopping block. Several people said the county and school system should work together more — and more often — particularly when it comes to transportation planning and facility management. Should high school students take ART?
One person suggested converting community centers that used to be schools back into schools, rather than paying to build new ones. An eighth-grader suggested expanding the schools’ language programs, perhaps by diverting some money from sports.
And several people were concerned that a large number of students in Arlington schools don’t actually live in Arlington.
In the end, county and schools staff said they struggled with many of the same issues those in the break-out groups did.
No weddings are planned for the Washington-Lee cafeteria. Yet.
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Business does not end for Nikos Phelps and Judy Brillhart on the 12th day of Christmas.
Utopian Landscapes is a landscape contracting company specializing in landscape management, design and building. Phelps began landscape work part time during high school and college. After graduating from Penn State in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in landscape contracting and entrepreneurship, he turned the business into a full-time venture.
In 2008, Utopian Landscapes became a Christmas Decor franchise. Based in Lubbock, Texas, the company has approximately 400 franchises nationwide. According to its website, the startup cost for a franchise is $5,000-$7,900, and the company provides training, software, product and sales and marketing assistance.
Brillhart founded The Strawberry Shop, a floral and gift shop, in 1983. The business does fresh and silk floral arrangements for events as well as interior design. The store also carries wall décor and handmade jewelry. Customers can browse in-store or employees will decorate on location.
But Brillhart’s favorite is the holiday business.
“I love it. If I had room in my shop, I’d have an area to do Christmas year-round,” she said. “There’s nothing compared to it.”
During the Wednesday evening brainstorm session at city hall, about 30-or-so community members and stakeholders chimed in with ideas on how the City of Woodland can help improve its downtown as a destination spot. But this was not the first time the city sponsored a community brainstorm. City planners also conducted a well-attended brainstorm session in preparation of the original 1993 Downtown Specific Plan. And in 2008 the Woodland Journal/Woodland Record folks distributed 500 surveys to downtown stakeholders and collected ideas for historic district. (Click here and here for more information.)
This 2012 idea-gathering was led by councilmen Sean Denny and Jim Hilliard who set the ground rules for the “jam” described by Denny as a process used by marketing agencies to conjure conceptual solutions without being bogged with details. Only positive ideas would make their list of possibilities. Negative comments, such as “we’ve already tried that it won’t work,” were not entertained.
Also off-the-table were ideas related to traffic and circulation… although later in the evening one participant was able to offer the idea that Main Street traffic needs to be slowed down. An example not given during the brainstorm is the bustling, historic downtown of Pacific Grove. Its main street has a speed limit of 15 mph, has diagonal parking and has stop signs instead of stop lights. Of course, Pacific Grove has the ocean going for it.
According to the councilmen, traffic and circulation will be addressed during the Downtown Specific Plan revisions, but the idea of putting a median with landscaping down Main Street also slipped in during the jam.
To get the ball of ideas rolling, Denny proposed that downtown Woodland could be the home of a London-style Ferris Wheel. That idea was parlayed into two Ferris Wheels serving as book ends for the historic downtown. It was meant as a humorous example of unbridled conceptualizing… however… by the end of the evening the concept of such a similar attraction was not too far-fetched.
The ideas quickly flowed as it was obvious participants came equipped with their own brainchild. Adorning Main Street with an arch, banners and better lighting (LED and neon) set the stage for ideas about festivals of various kinds, some already in existence (like the Tomato Festival). Some participants feel like downtown Woodland would benefit from expanding the Stroll Through History and the First Friday Art Walk, or creating a harvest festival, a music festival, a cruise/car show and a “seed-central” celebration in honor of all the seed companies in the area.
Others got into the nitty-gritty of infrastructure ideas, like improving Dead Cat and Dog Gone Alleys with pedestrian-friendly walkways and better lighting. Paul Ludovina, owner of Ludy’s Main Street BBQ and its “Outback” patio located on Dead Cat Alley, gave testimony that the alley sides of downtown buildings (the back doors) should be used as business assets. Planning commissioner Chris Holt praised property owners Tom and Meg Stallard for connecting Dog Gone Alley to Main Street with paseos corridors between their business spaces.
Generally, these concepts revealed that downtown improvements should grow northward (to include Dead Cat Alley) and southward (to include Dog Gone Alley). The brainstormers did not mention improvements above or below street level as in making better uses of basements, second and third floors or even roof tops. Brainstormers did mention that the Intermission Garden or Heritage Plaza both next to the Woodland Opera House would be a good places for a children’s play area.
Of course, any discussion about improving Main Street wouldn’t be complete without the notion of turning the benches around. The city has been ignoring that idea since they installed the sidewalk benches “backwards” to face the buildings.
Although there has been little evidence of it, the city has long-professed that one goal for the downtown is to make it “pedestrian-friendly.” The beauty of a brainstorm “jam” is that participants can reinforce an reoccurring idea… and even improve upon it… like making the downtown “bicycle-friendly.” Maria Contreras Tebbutt (Woodland Bike Campaign, Yolo Family Resource Center) explained both the economic and health benefits of making the downtown more like Winters… for example, installing back racks and designating a bike loop.
Other discussions focused on communication: 1) To get visitors to downtown Woodland, and 2) To help visitors find their way once they arrive. Ideas included I-5 billboards (old-fashioned and/or high-tech), better publicity, directional signs, informational kiosks, trolleys, partnerships with hotels and branding strategies. But who will be responsible for doing all this? In most cities, the chamber of commerce usually takes this on. But this is Woodland. Participants seemed open to the idea of the city hiring a downtown coordinator. The position could be funded by the increased sales tax generated. A coordinator could even be a liaison for developers and entrepreneurs who can streamline the city’s obfuscated permit process and arbitrary fee system. A coordinator can also manage an Art in Public Places program.
During the brainstorm session Dani Thomas, Executive Director of Yolo Arts, once again enlightened Woodlanders about the virtues of art installations and art shows. You see, in the summer of 2011 Thomas proposed an Art in Public Places (APP) pilot program for Woodland that fell on deaf ears (Woodland’s city council and redevelopment agency).
A decade ago (December, 2002) the Woodland Art Center also proposed an APP program. It was similar to the Yolo Arts proposal… and it, too, was ignored. A modified Art Center proposal was presented again in 2008, and again the council ignored it. The city council has been involved in discussions about art in public places since the late 1980s, but for some reason town leaders just cannot step into the 21st century.
It is such an irony, because some of the same council members have seemingly embraced the art and mission of the Art Center’s Dead Cat Alley Nine Lives Project. On November 27, 2007, the Woodland City Council approved the Dead Cat Alley Proclamation, the intent of which was to recognize the passage as a city asset and as a community point of interest. By approving it, council also recognized that there will be continuing public and private efforts to improve the alley and it should remain accessible as a continuous passage from Cleveland Street to Freeman Park, for future citizens, merchants, and tourists.
Nancy Edwards, owner of the Fat Cafe Cafe, mentioned to brainstormers that many of her customers ask about Gary Dinnen’s cat sculptures that hide in Dead Cat Alley. She suggested that tours and art installations in the alley be expanded. Ludovina concurred. His patio customers at 666 Dead Cat Alley often ask about the Devil Cat sculpture and his Dead Cat Alley Tee Shirts. Solano Magazine selected Dead Cat Alley as the Best of 2007 Public Art Installation for the region of Solano, Napa, Yolo and surrounding areas. Aside from Dinnen, artists who’ve contributed to the Dead Cat Alley project are George Streng (past president of Woodland Art Center), Victoria Lambert, Lucy Ruth Wright Rivers and Joe Scarpa.
Thomas was adamant about the economic benefits of public art and creative activities… and she suggested this was not just a downtown issue, that it was a City of Woodland economic development issue. The importance of attracting creative activities and creative people to the downtown cannot be understated. Economist Richard Florida (“The Rise of the Creative Class”) has done extensive research across the United States on this very subject. Locally, Dead Cat Alley is a good example that public art WILL attract tourists.
So let’s go full circle here. Let’s take Denny’s idea of a magnificent, revolving ride. Add the established attractions of the Woodland Opera House and Dead Cat Alley. Add the idea of a play structure in, or near, Heritage Plaza/Intermission Garden. And maybe borrow a combined idea from Central Park in Davis (think pedal-power) and Comerica Park in Detroit (home of the Tigers)… and we can have a cat-themed carousel, a meowy-go-round, to spark this renaissance of the downtown. Now, this idea might not make it to the top of anyone’s list, but it does show how Denny’s Ferris Wheel concept was not so far-fetched after all.
Time will tell if our city council will adopt some of the old and new ideas presented during the brainstorm, or if they will continue a policy of evading ideas that don’t suit their personal agendas.
# # #
In a Washington Monthly feature economist Richard Florida (“The Rise of the Creative Class”) stated, “More and more businesses understand that ethos and are making the adaptations necessary to attract and retain creative class employees everything from relaxed dress codes, flexible schedules, and new work rules in the office to hiring recruiters who throw Frisbees. Most civic leaders, however, have failed to understand that what is true for corporations is also true for cities and regions: Places that succeed in attracting and retaining creative class people prosper; those that fail don’t.”
Florida continued, “Creative class people value active outdoor recreation very highly. They are drawn to places and communities where many outdoor activities are prevalent—both because they enjoy these activities and because their presence is seen as a signal that the place is amenable to the broader creative lifestyle. The creative-class people in my studies are into a variety of active sports, from traditional ones like bicycling, jogging, and kayaking to newer, more extreme ones, like trail running and snowboarding.”
“Places are also valued for authenticity and uniqueness. Authenticity comes from several aspects of a community—historic buildings, established neighborhoods, a unique music scene, or specific cultural attributes. It comes from the mix—from urban grit alongside renovated buildings, from the commingling of young and old, long-time neighborhood characters and yuppies, fashion models and “bag ladies.” An authentic place also offers unique and original experiences. Thus a place full of chain stores, chain restaurants, and nightclubs is not authentic. You could have the same experience anywhere.”
*********
At Thanksgiving, I got to see an uncle with whom my family had a schism years ago and whom I don’t know so well. He’s the youngest of my dad’s brothers, the father of five children, and owns his own landscaping business. Recently, he and his wife filed for divorce, and the proceedings are in a holding pattern as far as I can tell. From my early memories of he and his wife, I can make out more animosity towards her from my parents than him, and I am subconsciously aligned with him without really knowing why.
After a few games of ping pong as a digestive stratagem, I rode back with him to the house where we were both staying. This was the first time I could remember ever being alone with him, I noted as I stepped up into his giant SUV. He’s got a funny kind of wit, one that works best playing off somebody else, and therefore I started the talking. I asked him about his two eldest daughters, the two of his children I’m closest to, and he told me about one’s first semester of college and the other’s semester abroad in Italy. That out of the way, I asked him about his college experience, about which I knew next to nothing.
He told me that he studied finance and got his master’s degree in tax. He could have been an accountant, really wanted to be one, in fact, but had two kids by the time he finished school, and they needed to be fed. So he went into landscaping, and made a nice life out of it. He told me he makes more money through that business than he would have being a CPA, but he still has the desire to make use of his education.
Here I chimed in, putting two and two together, and pointed out the possibility that now might be a perfect time to make a life change, what with the divorce and two kids already in college. I didn’t mean to ignore the risks and moxie necessary for that kind of change, but it seemed like his life had reached as neat a turning point as lives do. I said as much, and he agreed without the slightest hesitation or quaver, with the resolve of a man with decades of hard years behind him and vibrant, novel ones ahead. He did not look like a man decelerating through his fifties in that moment, but rather like a man reborn, his eyes wet again with purpose and drive.
Though I’m still thirty years behind him in life like everybody else around me, I saw something of myself in him. Think of graduation like a divorce, full of financial difficulty, life choices that will determine our course for the next batch of years, and general sadness with the world and its cruel ways. Come May, I will be tapping my reserves of fortitude to find my way in the world, just as my uncle does ahead of me.
This could easily be my excuse for not writing last time, namely that I was anguishing under the building weight of my impending graduation and release into the real world and thus had little time to think of, let alone write about, the beauty of daily life at Swarthmore.
There you have it. Blame it on a faltering in the face of the blank page, on the increasing pressure of Swarthmore’s difficulty, or the looming guillotine that will cut off my time here at the neck. I did not write last week, and do not write most days, but now I feel much better and give thanks for the opportunity to write.
By
Damien Gayle
08:18 EST, 29 November 2012
|
08:34 EST, 29 November 2012
Houses that rise and fall with the level of groundwater have been touted as the latest solution to the now seemingly annual floods inundating portions of the UK every autumn.
Over the past week, days of torrential rain have flooded roads and more than 900 homes across the UK, leaving hundreds unable to return to their homes.
The Environment Agency has warned that the flood risk remains high across the country, with 277 alerts and 204 warnings in place in England and Wales.
Amphibious living: This floating home, currently under construction on the banks of the Thames in Buckinghamshire, raises to safety when the river bursts its banks
Now authorities are looking at a range of solutions for dealing with ever more frequent floods, including homes which float as waters rise.
Baca Architects were earlier this year granted permission to build Britain’s first amphibious house along the banks of the Thames in Buckinghamshire.
The house, which is a replacement for another property, rests on land, but in the event of the river bursting its banks, it is able to rise with the water to keep its inhabitants dry.
The floating house is just one idea being looked at by the Environment Agency as it investigates new technologies for dealing with floods, the BBC reported.
Flood risk engineer Tony Andryszewski said the agency is keen to look at how other countries deal with repeat flooding, particularly the Netherlands which is seen as a world leader in flood management technologies.
Homes are frequently built on stilts in countries like Thailand, Burma, India and Bangladesh, which all have regions notoriously susceptible to catastrophic flooding.
But the more elegant solution of homes that float is more rare, although examples of different designs exist in Germany, Canada, the U.S. and even Taggs Island in the UK.
Rustic look: How the finished house will look in the leafy environs of Buckinghamshire. Amphibious houses are just one of a range of solutions being looked at by the Environment Agency
All mod cons: How the house will look inside, with its panoramic views across the Thames
The Baca project currently under construction in Bucks will however be the UK’s first fully amphibious house.
Part of the award-winning LifE (Long-term Initiatives for Flood-risk Environments) project, of which Baca is a partner, the house is designed as a free-floating pontoon resting in fixed foundations.
‘The floating house is secured by four dolphins (permanent vertical posts) arranged close up to the sidewalls,’ Baca explains.
‘The assembly is sited within a wet dock comprising retaining walls and base slab. When flooding occurs the dock fills with water and the house rises accordingly.’
Every aspect is designed to stop any water penetrating inside so if a flood strikes the owners can stay put.
A carefully laid out garden will act as a natural early warning flood system, with terraces set at different levels designed to flood incrementally and alert the occupants well before the water reaches a threatening level.
The lowest terrace will be planted with reeds, another with shrubs and plants, another will be lawn and the highest step will be a patio with access into the dining room.
Floating mechanism: The house is sited within a wet dock comprising retaining walls and base slab. When flooding occurs the dock fills with water and the house rises accordingly
All the pipes, ducts and wires for water, gas, electricity and sewage disposal in such amphibious homes are flexible, designed to remain functional even when the house rises several metres from its usual position.
With most of the land mass of the Netherlands lying below sea level, it is perhaps no surprise that the Dutch have developed the world’s best flood management technologies.
The inhabitants of the region of since the 12th century been draining delta swamps to create artificial dry land – areas known as polders – at first using pumps powered by their famous windmills, like those pictured below.
There are now about 3,500 low-lying polders in the Netherlands. Although enclosed by dykes, they easily collect water from rain, rivers and the sea so must be constantly pumped to keep waters at bay.
Dutch flood agency spokesman Jos Maccabiani told the BBC: ‘Since the last major flood in 1953, in which more than 1,800 people died, this system has been upgraded to very high standards.’
Computer simulations have been used to demonstrate that the Netherlands’ modern flood defences should be able to withstand an inundation so severe it would be expected only once every 10,000 years, he added.
‘Nevertheless, with the ever-increasing urbanisation of our polders and flood plains, spatial planning is increasingly combined with flood resilience,’ Mr Maccabiani said.
‘There are projects under way where urban revitalisation of a city is combined with the widening of the river bed, lowering the peak water levels, and others that look into flood-proofing the country’s highway infrastructure.’
With an estimated value of
£1.5million, it will cost around 20 per cent more than building a
conventional similar-sized home – but there should be major savings on
insurance costs.
There will be no communities built
using Baca’s floating homes, since regulations restrict new homes being
built so close to the river (the Bucks house is a replacement for
another which will be torn down), however the Environment agency and its
partners are also looking at other solutions to rising water levels.
The LifE Project envisages a new approach to development that embraces water and allows for the increased risks posed by flooding as climate change raises water levels across the world.
With the UK currently in the grip of a housing crisis, it is hoped the project will unlock sites that are currently not considered suitable for development by managing and reducing flood risk overall.
By building in features to developments that can both help prevent flooding, and lessen its impact when it is unavoidable, the project focuses on managing risk that can help homeowners, and insurers, plan for the future.
A spokesman for Baca said: ‘Amphibious houses or sometimes known as ‘can-float’ homes are a new phenomenon in the UK.
‘As the cost of flood events start to have a more significant bearing on the public purse and the insurance secure demand higher levels of protection from the individual, flood resilient homes will become more common place.
‘In the future communities that are holistically planned – that is to consider landscaping, urban design, energy and architecture simultaneously will be better prepared for flood events and climate change.
‘Dwellings will be low carbon, and organized around multifunctional landscapes that will help control surface water flooding or act a large flood storage areas.
‘New communities will be made up of streets of flood resilient dwellings located on the highest ground with amphibious homes located in the transitional zones between development and the natural environment.
‘The long-term goal is to design communities that function as normal, preserving continuity of daily life during droughts and floods. Our intention, through our research and built work is that we can demonstrate that the future is not far away.’
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