A plan for how to get the ball rolling on a two-year old downtown redevelopment report will soon arrive before city council.
A lengthy discussion at Wednesday's Development and Infrastructure Committee meeting outlined proposals for the physical landscape, as well as changing to an incentive program to make the city's core more attractive to developers.
Plans include electrifying the city's signature natural gas lights, changing planters at mid-block crosswalks, adding public art and a nearly complete refurbishment of street, sewers and utility infrastructure over the next 10 years.
City council has already approved $2.5 million to improve street lights that will likely see the traditional gas lights converted to electric LED lights N a measure the committee hopes will add a sense of security to the core and bring in shoppers and diners after dark.
The committee's chair, Ald. John Hamill, said that he supported the move, but it will be pointless if shops don't extend their hours.
"If you go down after 8 p.m. you can fire multiple cannons and not hit a soul," said Hamill, who felt that the business owners must match the city's enthusiasm for improving business in the area.
"We built a $50 million building (the Esplanade) down on the corner that was supposed to save downtown and nothing's happened."
Mavis Conrad, the executive director of the City Centre Development Agency, said that a pilot project over the winter saw about 70 per cent of businesses extend their hours to 8 p.m. during the winter but other owners didn't feel safe after locking up because of the dim streetlights.
"If the lighting was better, I'm sure a majority of business owners would stay open later," she said.
As for how the lighting switch would work, Dwight Brown, the director of planning for the city, believes that wiring can be pulled through gas lines that currently connect the lamps.
A pilot project this fall on 600 block of Second Street will determine final specifications, then replacement would take place street by street coinciding with other road and utility replacement.
The infrastructure plan was also spelled out at Wednesday's meeting. The city will dedicate $7.1 on storm sewer replacement and upgrades in the core, nearly $18 million on water and sewer upgrades, as well as $750,000 on road overlay. All three will be done at the same time, starting with single blocks of Second Street and South Railway Street this year. The remainder of second Street would be done in 2015, and portions of Third Street in 2017 and 2018.
"You listen to some people and they say we shouldn't spend a dime on downtown," said Ald. Wayne Craven. "But it's our historic district ad it's our responsibility."
As for on street parking, the possibility of angled parking was not recommended as it would mean parking on only one side with the possibility for more accidents.
The problem of visibility at mid-block crosswalks could be mitigated by removing large planters on the one side N which would give oncoming traffic a better view of pedestrians.
The Corning Museum of Glass today unveiled the preliminary design for an expansion that will create a new North Wing, featuring light-filled galleries for its collection of contemporary works in glass, as well as one of the world’s largest facilities for glassblowing demonstrations and live glass design sessions.
Designed by architect Thomas Phifer and Partners, the 100,000-square-foot expansion will dramatically enhance the visitor experience for the Museum’s growing domestic and international audiences. The $64 million project—fully funded before groundbreaking by major benefactor Corning Incorporated—is scheduled for completion in 2014.
“We are the world’s leading art museum dedicated to glass,” said Karol Wight, executive director of The Corning Museum of Glass. “Over the past decade, we’ve experienced tremendous growth: in our collections; in our increasingly diverse audiences; and in the breadth and ambition of our public programs, especially those that allow visitors to experience the energy of artists and designers at work. This is a transformative design that responds to those demands and further enables us to bring glass to life for the 400,000 people who visit our campus each year.”
Phifer’s design creates 26,000 square feet of gallery space specifically engineered to showcase the Museum’s growing collections of large-scale contemporary works of art and design in glass. The new gallery building—which will be the largest space anywhere dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art in glass—will feature filtered natural daylight using a sophisticated light-filtering system. The wing will also accommodate a new temporary exhibition gallery devoted exclusively to contemporary art and design.
“Contemporary glass loves light, especially natural light, and space,” said Tina Oldknow, the Museum’s curator of modern glass. “The new daylighting system represents a dramatic change in how contemporary works in glass are viewed, and the Museum’s monumental sculptures will have an exhibition space appropriate to their size. This is the first large-scale presentation of contemporary glass that takes advantage of natural light.”
The design also includes an innovative renovation of the iconic ventilator building of the former Steuben Glass factory, which is adjacent to the Museum’s current building. The renovation provides a new venue for the Museum’s signature live glassmaking presentations. The new glassmaking space will accommodate 500 people through retractable banked seating, as well as a gallery-level balcony running around the perimeter of the venue and offering 360-degree views of the glassmaking below.
The new energy-smart hotshop will support daily demonstrations, guest artists, and glass design sessions. Phifer’s design exposes the beauty of the historic ventilator structure by stripping the facade down to its lightweight frame and restoring the use of glass on both the north and south walls.
The contemporary gallery facade will be made of white aluminum, with perpendicular blades of ultra-thin specialty glass. Inside, visitors will encounter soaring, light-filled spaces as they move seamlessly from the admissions lobby, through the contemporary galleries, and into the new glassmaking demonstration venue. The new North Wing will juxtapose the clean white aluminum and glass facade of the new contemporary gallery building with the black exterior of the restored ventilator building.
The interior has a pleasing ambiance thanks to muted Sapphire Blue LEDs. In front of the driver there's a new instrument cluster with two large faces. Features are accented with raised Sapphire Blue tick marks and chromed rings complete the contemporary and premium feel.
The driver also has the all-new Electronic Vehicle Information Centre (EVIC). Again in Sapphire Blue, this has been designed to be easy to read and logically displayed to keep the driver as informed as possible.
As with all roomy and refined interiors, the secret of the 300C's success is having plenty of storage. So that the central armrest is suitable for all shapes and sizes of driver, it slides lengthwise. Beneath it is a sliding tray and a compartment that contains the power connectors for USB devices.
All doors feature oversize pockets with bottle supports and there's a flocked rubber storage compartment with lighting ahead of the gear lever. The roomy glove compartment is split with a shelf and features a centrally mounted light for more uniform light distribution. The two front cup holders, cooled and heated as standard, come with LED lighting that intuitively glows blue when they're chilled, red when hot. They also feature locking rings so they can take bottles of various sizes. As an example of the trouble Chrysler has taken to get the detail of the Chrysler 300C exactly right, the roller closing that covers the front cupholders wasn't just optimised for style and functionality. It was also designed to make a high quality sound when opened and closed.
The steering column, which adjusts forwards and backwards as well as up and down, has a memory function to allow more than one driver to get comfortable quickly. The pedals too can be adjusted for maximum comfort.
The automatic headlights 'know' when it's getting dark and turn themselves on without any driver intervention. They also feature Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL) which adjusts the headlight beam up to 15 degrees to the left or right depending on which direction the front wheels are pointing.
To comply with current legislation, Daytime Running Lights (DRL) are standard, using efficient LEDs front and rear and High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights provide lighting that's three times brighter than regular units. The headlights also employ the SmartBeam system that adapts them to the light in the surrounding environment, ensuring the 300C driver benefits from the maximum light possible without blinding oncoming traffic.
When it rains the automatic windscreen wipers detect drops on the windscreen and start working without the driver telling them to. And the Automatic Temperature Control system measures the humidity inside the vehicle and automatically demists the screen without any driver intervention.
The driver's side door mirror darkens automatically to reduce any dazzling created by the headlights of vehicles behind, as does the internal mirror. Both side mirrors lower themselves when reverse gear is engaged to give the driver better visibility of the ground, kerbs or other obstacles.
The full length dual pane panoramic sun roof, standard on the Executive, has an auto reverse function that can prevent the roof closing if it senses any obstruction. There's an automatic sun blind in the rear window that reduces heat inside the passenger compartment and increases privacy. This automatically lowers in reverse for maximum rear visibility.
You might not see that posting on Craigslist, but the Halfway Rock Light Station, off the coast of Harpswell, is up for grabs for the first time since it was built in 1871.
The federally owned lighthouse, on a barren, two-acre ledge in Casco Bay, will only be deeded to an eligible nonprofit group that pledges to maintain the structure, both as a navigation aid and as a resource for the public good.
"They are still very important as aids to navigation," Mike Johnson of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission said.
Under the new owners, the red, blinking light and foghorn embedded in the lighthouse (and owned by the Coast Guard) must continue to warn ships in the area of the hazards of the rocky coastline. In addition, the resource must be put to some educational, cultural, or historic use on behalf of the public.
An entity that has been deeded a lighthouse can then apply for various supporting grants to help develop a program that helps to maintain the unique romantic appeal of America's lighthouses.
"Lighthouses are important as far as the maritime history of the United States," Johnson said. "They're definitely a symbol of that history. They lend a lot of character to many coastal states."
In order to be considered, parties must submit a letter of interest to the General Services Administration of the U.S. government by July 16, which will mark the close of a 60-day window.
Then, representatives from all qualifying entities will be allowed to inspect the property, which today includes a 76-foot, white granite tower with living quarters, an iron dome-shaped top, and an attached boathouse.
Terri-Lynn Sawyer, deputy administrator for the town of Harpswell, said the town has been notified of the lighthouse's availability, and that the Board of Selectmen would make a determination about whether to try to acquire it.
"We intend to announce that at the May 31 meeting and look for direction, if there was any interest from the board, to pursue that on behalf of the town of Harpswell," Sawyer said.
According to Meta Cushing of the GSA, a successful transfer of the property would be the ninth in Maine since the government began actively conveying lighthouses to responsible stewards under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.
Nationwide, 85 lighthouses have been deeded from the U.S. Coast Guard to other entities through the program.
Of the eight that have been transferred in Maine, five have been granted to qualifying stewards, while three have been sold.
The numbers mark progress in an effort to see more of Maine's 67 lighthouses transfer from the Coast Guard into the hands of groups that are willing and able to support them with the funds and care needed to preserve their character.
Most recently, in 2011, the Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse off the coast of Cape Elizabeth was sold for $190,000 after a bidding war drove the price up from the qualifying bid of $10,000.
GSA officials said that they anticipated that at least one or two qualified nonprofit agencies would emerge; the property will only go to bid if no qualifying nonprofit is approved.
Moose Peak Light Station, a lighthouse on Mistake Island in Washington County, failed to attract qualified nonprofits last year; on June 4, minimum bids of $10,000 will be accepted by the GSA.
Guam - The Guam Power Authority announces that they have successfully installed 850 Light Emitting Diode (LED) Street Lights on three of Guam’s major highways.
The LED lights, funded through a $2.5 million U.S. Department of Energy Grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) are part of program that has already successfully installed 520 Induction lights in the Tumon Business District and a 33 light pilot street lighting project in various areas on island. Both LED and Induction technologies are estimated to save the Government of Guam approximately 54 percent of the total energy costs in comparison to the current high-pressure sodium lights (HPS) currently being used by GPA and the Guam Department of Public Works for the street light program.
“This project is having a positive effect on our motoring public as well as those visitors to our island in the Tumon area,” said John M. Benavente, P.E. General Manager, Consolidated Utility Services. “The modern lights will do much to ensure the safety of those on our major roadways and improve the safety and security of the tens of thousands of tourists who are here to get a taste of paradise.”
In cooperation with the Guam Department of Public Works, Guam Energy Office, Guam Visitor’s Bureau and the Governor’s Office, Routes 1, 8 and 10 have been prioritized for the street light upgrades. An additional 189 lights will be installed on Route 16 and other numbered routes to complete the project. Smaller wattage street lighting is also expected to be installed on the island’s roads next week.
“While HPS systems provide a very low first cost solution to an infrastructure that can be considered one of the most far reaching and quite literally visible, aspects of a municipality,” said Benavente, “The emergence of low wattage alternatives have presented a opportunity to provide significant reductions in energy consumption while providing better lighting to drivers and pedestrians.”
Implementing a modern day, energy efficient streetlight conversion, while reducing GPA operations costs, and maintaining annual streetlight appropriations is key to this successful process.
About 33,000 clip-on desk lamps with LED light bulbs, imported from China and sold exclusively at Lowe's home improvement centers nationwide, are being recalled. The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that the power cords can detach from the lamps' clamp, exposing the wires and pose dangers of electrocution to
He Shan Lide, the company that manufactures the LED lamps, has received five reports of cords detaching from its lamps--including an incident where a child received burns from the exposed wires.
The recall involves two models of He Shan Lide LED clip-on lights: a pink-colored lamp (model number F3044-AC-01) and a blue-colored lamp. Both were sold at Lowe's stores nationwide from May 2011 to December 2011 for about $20.
Consumers are urged to immediately unplug the recalled clip-on lamp from the wall outlets and cut off about two to three inches of the power cord from the power plug. The cut power plug and consumer's name, address and return shipping costs must be mailed to He Shan Lide (4570 Eucalyptus Ave, Suite C, Chino, CA 91710) in order to obtain a full refund.