Haddaway Hall, the former Weyerhaeuser mansion, is an artifact from a time when Tacoma had a legitimate claim to being the “Lumber Capital of the World.”

Built by Weyerhaeuser Lumber Co. President John P. Weyerhaeuser in 1923, the mansion occupies a North End Tacoma promontory at the end of North Stevens Street. That promontory commands a panoramic view stretching from the Olympics to the west to Mount Rainier on the east.

• MORE: Historic Tacoma mansion at center of neighborhood showdown

Weyerhaeuser wasn’t the first prominent Tacoman to build a home on that spot. Tacoma pioneer Allen C. Mason had built a large house on the site. Ultimately, that home became part of Whitworth College. But Whitworth didn’t prosper in Tacoma. It moved to Spokane, and Weyerhaeuser bought the site for a new home.

The structure was built in an architectural style that mimicked English manor homes. Its cost: $100,000 in 1923, a princely sum at the time.

The family account of how the house acquired its name was that Anna Weyerhaeuser had strong ideas about the way the home should be built, and in the end she “had her way.”

The home was occupied as a family residence for only two decades of its 90-year history. The Weyerhaeusers lived there until 1936 when John Weyerhaeuser died at 57 of cancer. The home was subsequently sold to a grocery chain owner for $26,000 and back taxes. He lived there until 1942.

Dominican nuns lived in the home for a quarter century using the mansion as a convent and training school for young nuns.

The order sold the home to the Northwest Baptist Seminary in the 1960s for $250,000. The Baptists used the home, an education building and a chapel added to the site as a seminary. Corban University of Salem, Ore., merged with the seminary in recent years.

As enrollment fell, the university put the campus on the market three years ago for $8 million. The most recent listing price was $5.4 million. The Blue Ribbon Cooking School won’t say how much it is paying.

The house itself is replete with features from the Gatsby era. Among those features are a pipe organ, a servants wing, a five-bedroom carriage house, a prep kitchen, a plating kitchen, a flower room, an ice room, a butler’s pantry, a scullery, a VIP suite, a massage room, a silver vault, a conservatory, a large greenhouse, a billiard room, a cinema room, an office, a library, a laundry room and large basement rooms set aside specifically for storage of holiday decorations and for canning and games storage.

Multiple elevators and public and hidden staircases allow passage among the three above-ground floors and the basement. One elevator was designated specifically to move wood from the basement to the main floors to feed the fireplaces.

The landscaping scheme, designed by the Olmstead Brothers of New York, was only partially completed by the time the timber family moved out.

John Gillie: 253-597-8663
john.gillie@thenewstribune.com

Looking to escape the daily rat race and step back into pristine woodlands for a few minutes or hours? Within only a few turns down the road from I-95 traffic, strip malls and suburbia, the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve on the East Lyme bank of the Niantic River beckons the world-weary nature lover.

The preserve, which opened in 2007, was created by the private/public partnership of the Town of East Lyme and the Friends of the Oswegatchie Hills Nature Preserve (FOHNP). The all-volunteer nonprofit group provides stewardship of the existing preserve and seeks to acquire more of the adjoining hills to protect the fragile ecosystem of the forest terrain and Niantic estuary.

One of the largest swaths of open space along Connecticut’s highly developed shoreline, the 470-acre preserve of undeveloped hillside terrain has more than three miles of walking and hiking trails. These pass through an abandoned pink granite quarry, lead to rocky ledges and overlooks of the river, views of Smith Cove and moments of solitude with native plants and wildlife. There’s also Clark Pond, a tree-lined pool at the preserve’s southern end and the main entrance, next to Veterans Memorial Field, off of Route 161.

As with any real estate, curb appeal matters. Two years ago, the preserve’s management council decided the main entrance needed some sprucing up.

“This is our gateway, this is the main entrance to the preserve, so we want this space to be inviting,” said Greg Decker, FOHNP vice president and chair of the stewardship committee. “It should look good and say to the public that this place is well kept and managed properly. It says ‘Welcome.'”

What started out as a “little project” – a few native plants and wildflowers around the entrance kiosk – turned into a much larger undertaking, one designed to solve a pesky soil erosion problem exacerbated by vehicle traffic and parking at the heavily-used town ball field.

“There was nothing there to hold the soil in place, so the runoff was eroding the top of the hillside and running into Clark Pond,” Decker said. “Anywhere you get disturbed soil from construction or usage, that makes it ripe for invasive plants to move in.”

Judy Rondeau, natural resources specialist and Niantic River Watershed coordinator for the Eastern Connecticut Conservation District, recognized the opportunity to create a conservation project, one that would help clean up runoff into the Long Island Sound and make the pond bank more appealing and useful to humans and wildlife.

The pond shoreline technically is a riparian buffer zone; these buffers are the first line of defense against the impact of land usage associated with residential, agricultural and industrial areas. Too often, native vegetation along rivers, streams and bodies of water get torn out or destroyed. Lost with the plants is a natural filtration system to keep pollutants and silt out of the water.

“Above us is a pristine, 169-acre runoff area that goes into the Niantic River,” Decker said. “It’s unique in this area to have such an undeveloped watershed like this, so it’s important that we protect it.”

It wasn’t only recent human activity that disrupted the western slope of Clark Pond, which was created years ago by the enterprising Clark family who owned the land. They dammed the stream so they could harvest the ice and sell it to ships in the Niantic fishing fleet. Circa-1905 photos from East Lyme Town Historian Liz Kuchta show horse-drawn sleds pulling the ice blocks down to the docks.

Back in the day, the pond also served as a public ice skating rink, Decker said. Early on in the project, volunteers unearthed a couple of old guard rails mired along the shoreline.

Rondeau suggested getting rid of the invasive plants and thorny brambles on the slope and replacing them with native plants that would feed and support terrestrial and aquatic wildlife and plants. The space would be a lot more pleasant for hikers, too. Decker, a CT-DEEP Master Wildlife Conservationist who runs the research boats for the environmental labs at Millstone Power Station, wondered where he’d find a landscaper who would know what to do and what to plant.

“So, I sat down next to some guy at the Save the River-Save the Hills annual pasta and song fundraiser at Flanders Fish Market a couple of years ago, and he turned out to be a landscape architect who specializes in native plants and fixing soil erosion along the shoreline,” Decker said. “Talk about fate.”

Drew Kenny, who lives in East Lyme and earned his degree in landscape architecture at UConn, volunteered his services to create the landscape plan and help with the planting. He designed a meandering path through a wildflower meadow and plantings of bird-friendly native shrubs for the 250-by-100-foot sloping shoreline.

Kenny’s design incorporates almost 300 native shrubs. Some were planted last year. Last Saturday, about 15 volunteers put in the last 87 plants, silky dogwoods and shadblow serviceberry. A landscape plan at the kiosk indicates what has been planted and how the plantings tie in with existing oak and sumac.

“The whole waterside edge is planted with native species. There’s also bayberry, clethera and grey dogwood,” he said. “We used Eastern red cedar as anchor plants to guide people through the area; the bayberry highlight the entrance and access to the bank-side.”

Some 30 pounds of wildflower seeds, sown last spring, have become a wildflower meadow; many of these species develop deep roots that will help secure the soil. Paths will be mowed through the meadow and around the shrubs.

Kenny, who has taught landscape design and architecture classes at UConn, opened his own landscape design and installation firm, Outdoor Lifestyles, in East Lyme earlier this year and has been installing landscapes from New Haven to Stonington. He says he’s been involved in so many erosion control and repair projects along the shoreline over the years that it has turned into a niche.

“This project is my interest in being connected with the community,” said Kenny. “Native plants are the way to go, whether you’d doing it along a wetland or in your back yard. A lot of people are torn between thinking they have to have gardens and perennial beds verses having a nice simple outdoor living space. You’re going to be better off with the native plants for easy maintenance.”

Before any of the new planting could be done, the invasive and thorny plants had to be removed; plants like Asiatic bittersweet, multifora rose, Japanese barberry, poison ivy and catbrier or smilax, also notoriously deep-rooted and thorny. Because of the wetlands and proximity to water, the East Lyme Inland Wetlands Agency required that these be removed mechanically or by hand. No chemical herbicides were allowed. Topsoil had to be replaced or added once the weeds came out. A silt fence held in the soil while grass and wildflowers got established.

Then there was the arduous task of digging and prepping almost 300 holes for the shrubs and trees, no small feat considering the established tree roots and other shoreline vegetation.

The work has been done by volunteers, including FOHNP members, the newly reconstituted East Lyme and Niantic Land Trust and East Lyme Girl Scouts Troop 63800. The Town of East Lyme has organized teams of J.B. Correctional Institution inmates to help, too. The town’s highway and parks and recreation departments have donated time and equipment to remove invasive plants, dig holes for planting the native shrubs and bring in and position 20 boulders to help define the walk path through the wildflowers.

“We couldn’t have planted these without East Lyme’s new post-hole digger,” said Decker, who is also chief waterer of the transplanted shrubs, a critical step for plant survival.

“Greg has been the driving force for this project since day one,” said Richard Gallagher, fellow board member of FOHNP, who helped prep many of the holes for the young plants. “He puts so much time and effort into this preserve.”

Grants and donations funded the plant purchases. FOHNP received a $1,000 grant from the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund, the Town of East Lyme was awarded the Les Mehrhoff plant biodiversity preservation grant from the Connecticut Wetland Scientists, also $1,000, and the Dominion Nuclear Connecticut Foundation donated $2,500.

Although the majority of the heaving lifting, digging and planting is over, Decker says volunteers will be sprucing up the entrance area with a few more plants.

“We also want to put up some educational signs, telling people what was done and why,” said Decker.

The nature preserve is open to the public and welcomes school groups and educational tours. See www.oswhills.org for trail maps and more information. For more landscaping ideas, see Drew Kenny’s Outdoor Lifestyles page on Facebook.

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ATLANTA, Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Atlanta Home Improvement magazine, the premier authority in Atlanta on home remodeling, interior design and landscaping, has launched its newly re-designed site, AtlantaHomeImprovment.com, to enhance the user experience for both local businesses and homeowners. With a streamlined design, improved search functionality and rich multi-media content, the new AtlantaHomeImprovement.com makes it easier for consumers to find home remodeling and landscaping ideas, resources and professionals.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131015/NY97252LOGO)

“We are excited to launch the next-generation Atlanta Home Improvement site to connect engaged homeowners and shoppers with our clients, faster and more easily,” said Jennifer Prins, publisher of Atlanta Home Improvement magazine. “More than ever, we’re empowering local home remodeling, design and landscape professionals to strengthen their online brand presence in the marketplace to attract shoppers, drive increased business, and generate more ways to interact with qualified consumers.”

“When a consumer comes to the new AtlantaHomeImprovment.com for home renovation ideas, they will find even more relevant content for inspiration and easy connections to the resources and professionals who can make their dream home happen,” adds Prins. For advertisers, the new site offers a stronger web presence, more lead capture methods, enhanced traffic from organic and referral search, and increased opportunities to reach prospective customers.

Key site features include:

• Premium Partner Listing, a 400-word story highlighting a local business’s work. Limited to 24 total profiles with prime placement on the home page and all subsequent landing pages in rotations of six, each Premium Partner listing features unlimited photos, a company description or story, logo, contact information, website link, “Ask A Question/Get A Quote” functionality, social media connections to Facebook and Twitter accounts, and video upload capability.
• Find A Resource, an online go-to source for visitors searching for products, services and professionals in remodeling, design and landscaping. Featured prominently on the home page and subsequent landing pages, searchable by category or alphabetical listings, each trusted resource features a custom page that includes 20 photos, a 250-word description, logo, contact information, website link, and “Ask A Question/Get A Quote” functionality.
• Run-of-Site Digital Display Ads offering exclusivity as one of only 16 Leaderboard advertisers and 16 Rectangular advertisers rotating through 4 positions on the site, every landing page, every blog page, every day for one year.
• Videos custom-produced by Atlanta Home Improvement that are prominently hosted on the site and YouTube for one year. Also included with this feature are social media announcements, a two-week promotion on the home page, and an archived version of the video at www.AtlantaHomeImprovement.com.   

For 12 years, Atlanta Home Improvement has been the premier source in Atlanta for inspiration and education about remodeling, landscaping, and interior design, as well as the latest home products, events and expert advice from industry professionals. Through its monthly full-color glossy magazine, website, blog and social media channels, Atlanta Home Improvement connects a monthly audience of over 220,000 homeowners who are actively searching for home remodeling and landscaping services to advertisers representing the region’s most respected businesses.

About Atlanta Home Improvement magazine
Atlanta Home Improvement magazine is a part of Network Communications, Inc., a leading local media company providing lead generation, advertising and Internet marketing services to the luxury and multi-family segments of the housing industry. The Company’s leading brands are Apartment Finder, DigitalSherpa, Unique Homes, New England Home and Mountain Living. The Company’s strategy focuses on providing high-quality and measurable marketing solutions to local clients by leveraging its proprietary prospect-focused distribution, social media and online franchises, and content management infrastructure.

SOURCE Network Communications, Inc.

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Bold plan to renew coastal suburbs

LOIS CAIRNS

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VARIETY: Collage showing a lively McCormacks Bay area.

REVAMPED: Spruced up Redcliffs shops proposed.

RENEWAL: Artists impression of Beachville Rd, Redcliffs.

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The reopening of the causeway linking Ferrymead to Sumner this week could be the first step in a multimillion-dollar makeover for the coastal suburbs.

The Christchurch City Council is seeking public feedback on its draft master plan for the area from the Ferrymead Bridge to Marriner St, Sumner under bold plans to rejuvenate Christchurch’s quake-damaged suburban centres.

The bay suburbs were among those hardest hit by the quakes.

Roads and bridges were severely damaged, while rockfalls and landslides destroyed many homes, businesses, and community facilities.

The Main Rd causeway has been closed for repairs since April, but is expected to reopen to traffic on Friday. Since the quakes, the number of people living in the Mt Pleasant, Moncks Bay and Sumner area has fallen by about 15 per cent, and the local workforce has dropped by 20 per cent.

Many local businesses and sports clubs have reported a noticeable decline in patronage as a result of the population decline and concerns remain about the potential economic and community implications should Redcliffs School not reopen.

Separate master plans have already been produced for the Sumner Village and for the Ferry Rd corridor through to Ferrymead bridge.

This draft master plan proposes redesigning Scott Park for windsurfing and watersports, redeveloping the two local shopping areas, building a new community centre, and improving public access to Moa Bone Cave.

It also incorporates the first stage of the Ferrymead to Sumner coastal pathway, for which the council has earmarked $9.9 million in its three-year plan.

“We have a clear steer from the community that people are keen to see the potential of the estuary and the beach enhanced through accessible, open, well-designed spaces,” said Christchurch City Council urban design and regeneration unit manager Carolyn Ingles.

People have also said they want to see the two local shopping areas developed as safe, welcoming places to visit and shop, with improved parking, transportation networks and streetscapes.

“The draft plan reflects these ideas by proposing streetscape enhancements such as landscaping and integrated seating to unify the Redcliffs village centre,” said Ingles. Through the plan it was also proposed to reinforce the role of Soleares Ave/McCormacks Bay as a community hub for the hill suburbs around Mt Pleasant.

“One of the suggested actions is to rebuild the Mount Pleasant Community Centre and kindergarten on their existing sites, but repositioned to create a centralised, multi-use place for the community to access a range of social and recreational activities.

“This initiative will also promote dual use of the forecourt space for parking and events, such as the farmers’ market,” Ingles said.

Fulton Hogan has already built a separated four metre-wide sealed path for pedestrians and cyclists along the causeway, which will be incorporated into the 6.5-kilometre coastal pathway.

Elements such as lighting, street furniture and more extensive planting will come once the coastal pathway concept designs are finalised and construction begins.

The public will then have until November 22 to lodge submissions on the draft master plan with the council.

INFO SESSIONS

Drop-in sessions where people can find out more about the draft master plan are being held next Monday, November 4, from 3.30 to 6.30pm, at Christchurch Yacht Club in Moncks Bay and next Wednesday, November 6, from 3.30 to 6.30pm, at the Mt Pleasant Yacht Club in Scott Park. 

– © Fairfax NZ News

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by Tesselaar Plants
Posted: Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at 3:33PM EDT

Pooped out on gardening ideas by fall? One of the hottest up and coming trends is fabulous foliage.

“People are spending less on gardening, and the plants they do buy have to offer interest through fall,” said Anthony Tesselaar, cofounder and president of international plant marketer Tesselaar Plants. “With many flowers done by this point, those gardening on a budget are making sure the leaves left are worthy.”

Interest in foliage is clearly there, according to the USDA’s 2012 Floriculture Crops Summary, which showed a 4.6-percent rise in foliage plants bought between 2011 and 2012.  But how do you incorporate foliage into your landscaping and container gardening? Here are four ways from Tesselaar and other experts.

Consider Color

“Color is the best jumping-off point to start your new adventure,” write Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz in their new book Fine Foliage($16.95, St. Lynn’s Press). The book offers 60-plus foliage combos for every location and purpose.
gardening books

Fine Foliage authors Christina Salwitz (left) and Karen Chapman

“Begin by reading the color cues provided by key plants; then use them to establish color echoes with one another,” they write. “Once you have your color link, vary the texture and form of the plants.”

In their plant recipe “Foliage Fiesta,” for instance, the Tropicanna® canna, ‘Finger Paint’ coleus and ‘Golden Ray’ New Zealand flax (phormium) all sport shades of red, orange, green and cream. But the plants all offer different forms and textures, from the ovate leaves of canna to the serrated shields of coleus to the tough, spiky swords of New Zealand flax.

Tropicanna canna foliage

A common color theme unites Tropicanna® canna, ‘Finger Paint’ coleus and ‘Golden Ray’ New Zealand flax.

“Shrubs steal the show in fall,” said About.com Gardening Guide Marie Iannotti: “They’re also the most likely to still be around in nurseries.” For attention-grabbing color, she suggested ‘Henry’s Garnet’ sweetspire, gold-leaved caryopteris and late-season ornamental grasses like prairie dropseed, red switch grass and blue oat grass.

Allen Owings, a professor of horticulture with Louisiana State University’s Ag Center in Hammond, Louisiana, also suggests adding ornamental grasses to your landscape design, as well as coleus, copper leaf plant (acalypha) and tapioca (cassava). For those in colder climates, he admits, some of these choices may need to be overwintered or bought in spring for season-long color.

Go dark

“Dark foliage is great any time of year, but it particularly suits the fall color palette,” said Iannotti. “The clear jewel colors of fall flowers are all the more striking next to the newer, dark sedums like ‘Chocolate Drop’. Near-black colocasias and cannas – like Tropicanna Black – are at their peak now and look amazing with a backdrop of gold or rusty tree leaves.”

Salwitz and Chapman like dark-leaved varieties of euphorbia as well as coral bells like ‘Obsidian’ and ‘Purple Ruffles’. For Halloween, they suggest super-dark plants like black mondo grass and the ‘Black Pearl’ ornamental pepper, which contrast beautifully with orange pumpkins.

Tesselaar recommends using Tropicanna Black cannas: “The rich, broad leaves are one of the darkest colors in the cannas and they really add interest in the garden where planted, or when used as a center piece in a large mixed garden pot.”

Owings loves dark alocasia and purple- and black-leaved ornamental peppers like ‘Purple Flash’ and ‘Black Pearl’. “Dark purple- and black-flowered petunias also go well with Halloween and Thanksgiving-colored landscapes,” he added.

To keep your garden from feeling like a black hole, however, Salwitz and Chapman suggest pairing dark beauties with brighter leaves, which act as an uplight or high contrast.

Vary plant forms

“Form refers to the overall size and shape of a plant, using terms such as mounding, columnar, vase-shaped or prostrate,” write Chapman and Salwitz in Fine Foliage. “A garden that has ‘flat lines’ can be dull and uninteresting, whereas adding contrast in form can be used to move the eye through a space, make a visual statement and break up an otherwise predictable composition …”

foliage book

Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz’s new book, “Fine Foliage,” offers foliage combinations for every garden.

This is where tall or architecturally striking plants come in, said Tesselaar. He’s especially fond of the mounding, strappy leaves and long, sturdy flower stalks of  Storm™ agapanthus (lily of the Nile). In Fine Foliage’s recipe “A Change of Pace,” agapanthus foliage serves as an ideal contrast to golden bamboo’s tall, willowy feathers and aeonium’s thick, fleshy carpet.

For strong forms, Tesselaar also turns to cordylines. For a graceful, rounded, fountain effect, he recommends the basal-branching Festival™ Burgundy. For a more upright, spiky, narrow structure, there’s the 8- to 9-foot-high Burgundy Spire™.

And don’t forget the trees and shrubs, added Iannotti, noting their availability in fall: “Shopping in fall lets you see exactly how they will fill out, whether they will elegantly weep or droop like a ninebark or beautybush or billow like a dappled willow.”

On the other hand, cautioned Owings, a plant that gets too tall or wide can whack out of proportion with its supporting players in landscape design. “Know the mature size, including height and spread.”

Contrast textures

“In garden terms, we use the word ‘texture’ to describe a surface, both visual and how it feels to the touch,” Chapman and Salwitz write in their book. “Without the contrast of different textures, the composition will look unexceptional.”

Book on using foliage in garden

Festival Burgundy cordyline cuts across ‘Gay’s Delight’ and ‘Freckles’ coleus, Persian shield and golden Hinoki cypress.

In the recipe “Jewel Box,”  Festival Burgundy cordyline’s long, narrow, strip-like leaf inks a bold, dark line across a mound of ‘Gay’s Delight’ and ‘Freckles’ coleus, Persian shield and golden Hinoki cypress. In “Brushstrokes,” feathery ferns serve as the perfect foil to bolder coral bells. And in “Warm and Fuzzy,” velvety Rhododendron pachysanthum pairs brilliantly with glossy orange hair sedge (Carex testacea).

“Probably the biggest mistake home gardeners make is falling in love with plants that have soft, fluttering leaves or frilly foliage,” said Iannotti. “Borders need spiky phormiums and big-leaved ligularia and bananas.” Many of the bolder, spikier plants aren’t hardy in cold climates, she noted, but they can be brought indoors, either as houseplants or stored dormant.

“The texture of plant materials depends on the size and disposition of the foliage,” explained Owings. “Plants with large leaves that are widely spaced have coarse texture; those with small, closely spaced leaves have fine texture. Extremes in texture that prevent harmony in the composition should be avoided. On the other hand, some variation is needed for variety.”

About Tesselaar

Tesselaar Plants searches the world and introduces new plants for the home garden, landscape, home décor and gift markets. Tesselaar undertakes extensive research and development of its varieties and, once they’re selected for introduction, provides marketing and promotional support through its grower and retail network. The Tesselaar philosophy is to introduce exceptional plants while “making gardening easy” for everyone, so it makes its products as widely available as possible. Tesselaar believes the more gardeners there are, the better it is for everyone.

Source: Tesselaar Plants

SPRINGFIELD — The city may ask residents to pay more in fees or taxes down the road, as leaders have resumed their discussion on how to pay to maintain and repair aging municipal streets.

The City Council on Monday night asked its staff to bring back funding options early next year to examine before elected officials commit to a poll of residents’ opinions.

Those options may include bonds with or without voter approval, an increase in the city gas tax or a new street utility fee, although the city has faced roadblocks when floating such proposals previously.

Councilors aren’t slamming on the accelerator with a fee or tax proposal because they recognize that it could be unpopular in light of the soft economy and voter fatigue with taxes.

Voters approved tax measures for public safety and parks last year and will decide on a Springfield School District $62.5 million bond measure next month.

“The voters are feeling the pinch, and so we’re going to have to be very thoughtful about how we do this,” Councilor Hilary Wylie said.

City officials now estimate that an additional $3.5 million to $4.5 million a year is required to properly maintain Springfield’s streets. Backlogged maintenance and repairs total $22 million, the city said.

A 2010 survey found that 39 percent of local streets were in fair or good condition compared with 77 percent four years earlier. City employees are working on newer statistics.

City officials stress that it will cost more to repair streets the longer the work is delayed. Cracks allow moisture to seep in and erode the roadbed. They multiply and become more severe if left untreated, leading to potholes and signaling that a costly reconstruction project is needed, often involving excavation to a depth of a foot or two.

Councilor Bob Brew said he favors a funding package that would repair and maintain streets for a longer period of time.

“Let’s make sure that we take a big enough bite of the apple so we’re not back in four years saying, ‘We guessed wrong,’” he said.

The City Council approved a 3 cent city gas tax in 2003 that would generate enough money to care for local streets for four years. In 2008, an appointed panel recommended a $1.75 monthly fee per household for street upkeep, but that met a wall of opposition from the Springfield Utility Board, which would have collected the fee.

The council discussed unilaterally enacting a 4 cent increase in the city gas tax the following year, but it instead referred to the ballot a 2 cent gas-tax raise after the Oregon Petroleum Association said it would gather signatures to bring the tax to a vote. Voters resoundingly defeated that measure.

Last year, city officials decided against asking voters to approve a property tax levy for street repairs and instead continued a public education campaign.

Surveys had found that residents failed to understand why officials should spend money on streets that appeared to be in good shape, the city said. Officials made presentations and attended community events to drive home two points: that the look of a stretch of a street is an unreliable indication of its condition, and that the costs to maintain and repair streets are exceeding the available money. They also worked with a videographer to produce a video played on the local public access channel and the kiosk at the Gateway Mall.

Employees said the residents’ response to this outreach was favorable and they offered ideas and suggestions to raise money for local streets.

The city has done only minor street maintenance for the past several years. The city is budgeted to spend $5.4 million on street operations during the current fiscal year, but officials say there’s little money left over for street work after paying for staffing to do street sweeping, landscaping and engineering, and paying for electricity for traffic signals and street lights. The city does repair work if a street poses a hazard.

Most of the street operations funding comes from state and city fuel taxes.

deteriorating roadways

Springfield streets in the most need of an overlay:

Lindale Drive, Laura Street to Pheasant Boulevard

Second Street, T Street to U Street

North Cloverleaf Loop, 952 N. Cloverleaf to Oakdale Avenue

Dornoch Street, Dornoch to Lochaven Avenue

Shady Lane Drive, T to U

Shady Lane, U Street to V Street

Postal Way, Gateway Street to Gateway Loop

Gateway Loop, Postal Way to Gateway Street

Shelley Street, Laura Street to Don Street

Pheasant, Lindale Drive to Harlow Road

F Street, First Street to Pioneer Parkway West

F, Pioneer Parkway to Pioneer Parkway East

G Street, Mill Street to First Street

First, First to F

First, F to G

South 14th Street, South A Street to South B Street

23rd Street, G to Duben Lane

A, 21st Street to 22nd Street

A, 22nd to 23rd

I Street, Mohawk Boulevard to 16th Street

South 44th Street, T to Main Street

South 44th, Aster Street to South 43rd Place

South 44th, South 43rd Place to Camellia Street

South 47th Street, Main to Aster

South 49th Place, 241 Aster to 247 S. 49th Place

S. 49th, 289 S. 49th Place to Bluebelle Way

62nd Place, from Main Street to A Street

Source: City of Springfield

Downtown development, Ralston Avenue traffic and safety, and the city’s regulatory powers are some of the top concerns of those seeking the seats for a four-year term on the Belmont City Council on Nov. 5.

There are six candidates seeking three open seats. Incumbent Warren Lieberman is running for re-election. Other candidates are Gladwyn d’Souza, Charles Stone, Kristin Mercer, Mike Verdone, and Eric Reed. 

In this six-part series, Patch asks each candidate the same two questions to help voters gain better insight into some of these issues. 

Each candidate’s answers are arranged individually, in reverse alphabetical order by the candidate’s last name. Today’s candidate is Eric Reed.

Eric L Reed 
Occupation: Father / Biotechnology Director
Former Planning Commissioner, City of Belmont, 2008-2013
AYSO Coach
Belmont 4-H Project Leader
MBA, Santa Clara University
Associate Director, Genentech, Inc.
Supervisorial District Lines Advisory Committee, Alternate.

1. What differentiates you from the other candidates?

Each candidate in this race brings with him/her a unique perspective on issues and a desire to improve Belmont.  My perspective has been shaped by my experiences. I’ve lived my whole life in San Mateo County and I’ve seen how proactive economic development strategies can rejuvenate a city and I know we can do that in Belmont.  

Working for a global biotech company for 23 years (Genentech) has helped me understand how innovation drives success and the positive impact that can have on a community.  I have also learned that effective collaboration is the way to solve problems.  

As a Belmont Planning Commissioner (for 5 years), I was able to see the impact that our planning processes and regulations have on homeowners and businesses and I understand that those impacts are not always positive.  Lastly, being a father and a homeowner has helped me understand how critical it is that we continue to support our schools and how important the City-School Board relationship is.

2. How would you improve the downtown area that we already have? Given a limited budget, what ideas do you have to perk things up and make some immediate improvements?

Major improvements to Belmont’s downtown will only come with robust development, but we can improve downtown with a modest investment.  
City-owned properties (e.g. the auto shop on Hill and ECR) could be screened with trees and landscaping.  An underused patch of ground on Ralston across from Flasner Lane could be turned into a pocket park- trees, grass, benches and bike parking would make it an inviting spot to have coffee or eat lunch. The City could increase the incentive for facade improvements.  

We could study the impact of the closure of Emmett to car traffic and make downtown “walkable.”  Beautifying downtown is important, but it should occur alongside efforts to create solid tactics to spur economic development.  I would start by reforming the Economic Development Committee so City and business leaders alongside residents like you can determine the best path forward for Belmont’s downtown.

Next up…Kristin Mercer (Tues. Oct. 29)

[Editor’s note: Biographical information on each candidate, including a list of endorsements can be found at www.smartvoter.org.]

PORT HOPE – 

When a venerable old house must come down, it’s upsetting to see it just crushed and carted away in bits and pieces.

Rob Green of Green Bros. Construction much prefers the approach of dismantling it with care and reusing the materials. And he learned on a recent Port Hope job that he is not alone.

When the owners of a 148-year-old two-storey brick house at 106 Bruton St. made the difficult decision that it must come down, in order to rebuilt a new home and studio on the site, the neighbours were vocal in their displeasure. Once Green prepared a flyer explaining his approach, he encountered a 180-degree shift in attitude. People even came to the work site to show their support and say thank-you.

Green made the winning bid for the demolition job, but found the owners (and their architect Reno Picini) very receptive to his ideas — the job would still be within budget, but would require a couple of weeks instead of the single day it would typically take to raze a building flat.

“I had my guys take it down board by board, brick by brick,” he said.

When visited last week, the site contained any number of piles where recovered materials had been sorted and set aside for specific purposes. The aluminum waste, for example, will go to Wakely Disposals for scrap metal.

The paving stones from the patio will be used at an appropriate future landscaping job. The stone that made up the foundation is set aside for foundation repairs on other jobs, and perhaps future landscaping.

The roof rafters and roof boards will be reused in another building they are working on, as will the decorative Victorian front door. The pine floorboards were salvaged, cleaned and de-nailed on site, and will go into another heritage project of theirs.

“The floor joists will be remilled in our window-and-sash shop, to be remanufactured into window frames for historic windows,” Green added.

As he explained in a recent Northumberland Today story about a schoolhouse he was renovating west of Centreton, his company treats these old windows to make them more up-to-date. The old paint and stain are completely stripped, the single-pane glass and old weather-stripping are replaced with thermal windows. The old rope-and-pulley mechanism is replaced with a modern spring balance.

In the end, the old window looks the same, but opens and closes as smoothly as one could wish and more effectively keeps the elements at bay.

Some of the old wood, which he refers to as scrap wood or garbage wood, is not of sufficient quality to reuse.

“We are cutting it up for firewood, and grinding it up into wood chips to be used to heat our shop in the wood-chip boiler,” he said.

One thing that especially pleased Green was when he saw that the brick on the home was the rare Port Hope brick that was popular in the 19th century but is no longer manufactured in North America.

As he explained when interviewed about the Centreton job, this material was probably made in a Port Hope-area brick yard. It would have been good quality, though not the best, and it was used in a number of heritage buildings that still stand.

Having a new supply of Port Hope brick is a bonus, augmenting the Port Hope brick he managed to find earlier this year from a derelict drive shed west of Welcome. The owner had wanted it dismantled, and Green did the job free in exchange for the brick.

With his men carefully dismantling and cleaning each brick, the Bruton Street job has added 100,000 lb. of Port Hope brick to his inventory. About 60% of it is headed for a Toronto company called Historic Restorations to go into finishing up the one of the buildings in the historic Distillery District.

The other 40% will stay in Green’s inventory. About 1,500 of the bricks are bound for a project his company has been awarded, rebuilding the front of an historic Walton Street building, which won the approval of the municipality’s Architectural Conservancy of Ontario president Phil Carter

Even the brick and concrete rubble salvaged will go into another project as the base for a driveway — a good solid base to put gravel on top, he said.

The owners insisted on keeping a magnificent spreading 100-year-old chestnut tree. And though another tree was found to be dying and was taken down, the chestnut tree remains in place. And a number of cedar trees, which would typically be dug up and thrown out, have been replanted to fill in gaps in the hedgerow.

“The only thing we couldn’t salvage was the shingles. They went to the dump,” Green said.

But then, that one ton of shingles in the landfill is far preferable to the materials from an entire demolition project.

In the end, it was a three-week job. And thanks to the good work of site supervisor Russ Wright and his thorough safety training, Green is proud to say that his workers sustained not so much as a cut finger despite the hands-on nature of the work.

Green’s biggest hope is that his work will signal to others that this is a sound approach.

“It’s been a really pleasant experience from start to finish,” he said.

“What we are doing, I believe, pays a level of respect to the craftsmen who originally built the house. They put a lot of love and energy into building it. To come and crush it would be like crushing up a valuable painting.”

The neighbours obviously agreed, and showed their approval by helping in various ways like lending a hose to water the tree and allowing them to tap into their hydro supply.

“The whole neighbourhood was extremely co-operative, extremely helpful. In their eyes, we are doing the right thing,” he stated.

cecilia.nasmith@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/NT_cnasmith

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) –

People who walk, bike and live on Campbell Avenue between Fort Lowell Road and Grant Road had the chance to see the latest Campbell Avenue Enhancement Project plans at a meeting Monday night.

The construction project will repair sidewalks to make it safer for people to stroll through the area. However, the biggest concern from people at the meeting is that there is not a whole lot of enhancement in the plans to attract people to businesses in the area; that some argue was the original plan.

Residents thought there would be more trees and landscaping because of ideas discussed in the past several years. Project planners say constraints have forced them to do away with much of the landscaping plans.

The nearly one million dollar project is expected to start by mid 2014. The project is being funded by federal dollars and the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Copyright 2013 Tucson News Now. All rights reserved.

PHILADELPHIA In the early days of Philadelphia, the riverfront near Penn Treaty Park was known for its sandy white beaches.

In the early 18th century, it became a hub for shipbuilding. Much later, in 1920, the Philadelphia Electric Co. built a coal-fired power station on that stretch of the Delaware River.

Today, Beach Street in Fishtown looks like a sad monument to the city’s lost industrial past.

The old power station is gutted and defaced with graffiti, surrounded by acres of empty land used for storing construction equipment.

After years of wrestling over ways to revitalize the area, city planners are hearing fresh suggestions – from Wynn Resorts.

The Las Vegas casino operator’s group is one of six vying for the city’s second casino license. A decision on the license is still many months away and rests with state gaming commissioners, not city officials.

But Wynn Resorts is talking informally to city planners and neighbors about what the company would do to spur additional development if it emerged the winner.

Wynn Philadelphia has a vested interest in the future of the neighborhood: Beach Street would be at its front door.

Alan Greenberger, the city’s deputy mayor of economic development, said it would be “odd” to have Wynn’s $925 million investment surrounded by urban wasteland.

“It makes us wonder what’s the attraction of being in this place, if you’re surrounded by highways and undeveloped waterfront,” he said in an interview.

Wynn Resorts has an option to buy 60 waterfront acres where North Beach Street bends into Richmond Street. The site is also next to the new I-95 interchange for Girard Avenue.

To improve Beach Street, the company would invest in the streetscape, including lights, road improvements, landscaping, and sidewalks, said Terry McKenna, a principal of Keating Consulting, developer of the Wynn project.

“We recognize the street is a mess,” McKenna said. The investment would be “north of $5 million, inching closer to $10 million,” he said.

In addition, Wynn Resorts has decided to change the orientation of 18 acres of open space from the northern to the southern side of its site, McKenna said.

“That will spur further development on Beach Street,” he said.

The city’s current master plan for the central Delaware River waterfront calls for light industry on this stretch of Beach Street.

McKenna said that if the Wynn project were awarded a license, the area would be better suited for a mix of residential, retail, and office space.

But he said the company was not interested in acquiring additional land or spearheading ancillary development.

“It’s not our focus,” McKenna said.

He added that the Wynn project and PennDot’s improvements to the Girard Avenue interchange would amount to almost $2 billion in new investment for the area.

“That’s unheard of,” he said.

At a September hearing before the state’s Gaming Control Board, Greenberger raised concerns about having a second casino just a mile from the SugarHouse Casino in Fishtown and Northern Liberties.

But he testified that if the Wynn proposal were “augmented” with ideas for improving the area in between, “a powerful transformation could take place on our waterfront.”

Otherwise, Beach Street would have two significant developments “without anything in between,” he said.

The biggest hurdle in the way of development on Beach Street is the hulking former Peco power station, now owned by Exelon Corp.

Exelon still operates four combustion turbines on Beach Street, but the old, five-story Delaware Station is empty. Designed by John T. Windrim, the noted commercial architect whose firm also designed the Franklin Institute, it was built during an era when even utilitarian structures conveyed the same civic pride as museums.

Robert Judge Sr., a spokesman for Exelon, said the company had no plans to redevelop the station. But he added that Exelon “periodically evaluates alternatives to redevelopment or reuse of all its sites.”

There is precedent for finding new uses for power stations. In 2003, Preferred Real Estate Inc. finished a $65 million conversion into office space of the Chester station of the Delaware County Electric Company.

McKenna toured Exelon’s Delaware Station several weeks ago. All the giant turbines have been removed. “It’s massive inside,” he said.

He said Keating Consulting had contacted “a handful of major developers” in the United States and abroad to test the waters of potential interest in the area.

“People are coming back and saying, yes, it has all the makings of significant development,” McKenna said. But without the Wynn project, he added, “I don’t see anything happening on Beach Street anytime soon.”

 

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jlin@phillynews.com

215-854-5659 @j_linq

www.inquirer.com/

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