2010 Exterior Color Tips for the Summer Season

Many homeowners don't think about painting their houses until they see their neighbors painting, or worse, find evidence of damage to the siding or stucco. While most homeowners repaint for appearance, it's important to remember that paint's primary value is in its function of waterproofing, protecting and preserving your home.

4) Maintenance minded? Intense colors are more likely to fade. They absorb heat and are more affected by moisture than lighter hues. And when you need to touch it up, it's difficult to match.About CertaPro Painters: CertaPro Painters, the largest North American residential painting company, was founded in 1992. Specializing in servicing both high-end residential and commercial customers, its success is based on exceeding customer expectations by delivering certainty at every juncture of a painting job from start to finish. CertaPro Painters now operates across America and internationally.2) What won't be painted? Consider the colors of things that won't be painted such as roofs, wood, masonry, or stone.For more information and more tips on exterior painting visit certapro.com .CertaPro Painters -- the largest painting company in North America -- offers tips on choosing the right color for painting the exterior of your home this summer.Press Contact: Jason Mitchell Arieff Communications jason@arieff.com (415) 538 93635) Follow the rules. Some communities actually have restrictions on color palettes. Be sure to consult you community or homeowners association to see if such rules apply.3) Get nosey about your neighbors. Examine the color of surrounding homes. How do you want your home to stand out?1) Style is everything. Some styles, like Victorian, lend themselves to elaborate multi-color schemes. Others, like Georgian or Colonial are better suited to two or three colors.

Press Contact: Jason Mitchell Arieff Communications jason@arieff.com (415) 538 9363

Hospital breaks ground on $12M cancer center

Hudson Valley Hospital Center has broken ground in Cortlandt Manor on a $12 million cancer center and medical office building.

The center will offer radiation and infusion therapy and support services. A radiation oncologist will be on site to oversee treatment.The construction project follows the recent opening of a four-story patient tower at Hudson Valley Hospital Center. That $100 million renovation and expansion project added a state-of-the-art surgery center, 84 all-private patient rooms, a new lobby and 450-space parking garage, and doubled the size of the emergency department."People undergoing treatment for cancer should not have to travel long distances to get excellent care," John C. Federspiel, president and CEO of Hudson Valley Hospital Center, said in a prepared statement. "Our new cancer center will not only provide top-notch care close to home, but will also provide doctors with medical offices close to the hospital."

The center will offer radiation and infusion therapy and support services. A radiation oncologist will be on site to oversee treatment.

The Eastern Contra Costa County habitat conservation plan: large-scale approach protects habitats and helps communities

The majestic Mount Diablo serves as a landmark for northern California. From its summit, eastern Contra Costa County extends out to the tidal Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Between the mountain and the delta is a wild region of steep-sided valleys and rumpled hills. Emerald green and flower-crowned in spring, they quickly turn a tawny brown in the arid summers. Dramatic local variations in soil, rainfall, and aspect give rise to striking habitat mosaics of grasslands, dense chaparral, and lush oak woodlands.

In 2007, when the representatives reached an agreement--with significant compromises by everyone--the Service issued the necessary incidental take permit.What is the landowner's role?"The key to me is to bring and keep everybody at the table," says Jim Gwerder, a real estate broker and consultant at Souza Realty. He serves as a board member of the Citizens Land Alliance, which represents many of the larger landowners.Patience and CompromiseWho can participate?What are the benefits?The HCP did not come easily. The various interests struggled for five years before they reached agreement on an almost 2,000-page comprehensive mitigation plan. Developers and landowners decided on a fee system to fund much of the HCP, and they accepted that certain high-value areas for development and conservation could not be covered under the HCP permits. Environmental groups conceded some lands they had hoped to keep undisturbed.In exchange, the cities and county locked in the right to urbanize 13,000 acres (5,300 ha). They also receive protection under the plan's "incidental take" permit. The permit gives developers assurance that they will not be liable under the Endangered Species Act for the unintentional take of listed species when it is incidental to otherwise lawful activities, assuming they implement the conservation measures defined in the plan and pay the established acquisition and restoration fees.An HCP that individual landowners can join may already exist in a given area. Such plans are known as programmatic HCPs and are often county- or even region-wide. HCPs can include conservation measures for vulnerable plant and animal species that are not listed federally as endangered or threatened.Today, however, eastern Contra Costa County provides an exceptional example of successful collaboration that protects important habitats for native species while enabling the region to meet the growing demands of its communities.Landowners who suspect that a federally listed species occurs on a project site can request information from the state wildlife agency or the nearest Service office. If a listed species is present, the applicant decides whether or not to seek an incidental take permit.John Kopchik, county planner and lead facilitator during negotiations for the HCP now also serves as Executive Director and overseer for implementing the plan. "It is very gratifying to see the community's hard work take root in thousands of acres of new conservation and a new locally-run system for regulating species impacts.""Service biologists respected the community's needs and collaborated with their diverse interests as co-equals," says Susan Moore, Field Supervisor in the Service's Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, which carried out the negotiations. "Our collaborative approach enabled everyone to agree on a plan that provides better protection for rare species and benefits the community."If the Service finds an HCP meets the specified criteria, it issues an incidental take permit. This allows the permit holder to proceed with an activity that could otherwise result in the unlawful take of a listed speciesCompleted in 2007 after five years of work, which followed five earlier years devoted to building trust, the plan encompasses 175,000 acres (more than 70,000 hectares), most of the county east of Mount Diablo. Within this region, the plan will protect about 30,000 acres (more than 12,000 ha) of habitat for 28 species. Ten of these species are protected under federal and state endangered species laws. The other 18, vulnerable species without a protected status, will benefit from habitat protection under the new regional plan.Four projects have already restored wetland habitats that are beginning to be used by species covered in the plan. The Service believes that the plan will be one of the nation's most successful examples of regional habitat protection. It shows how an ecosystem approach can work successfully in real life.Working with the Service, the landowner develops an HCP that assesses the likely impacts on target species from the proposed project, the steps that will be taken to minimize and mitigate those impacts, and how the steps will be funded. The plan also identifies any alternatives that could avoid the incidental take and the reasons why those alternatives are not being chosen. The landowner then applies to the Service for an incidental take permit.The rolling hills still stage spectacular spring wildflower displays. Tiny rare shrimp that come to life for just a few weeks each spring still have ephemeral vernal pools to live in, and the diminutive San Joaquin kit fox still roams the hills and valleys. These and other creatures have a brighter future thanks to a plan that looked at the big picture to save an ecosystem.For the landowner: After receiving an incidental take permit for activities that could result in the unlawful take of listed species, he or she can move forward with the assurance that their such take will not be in violation of the ESA.Any non-federal landowner is eligible to participate in the program.What are HCPs?One of the chief beneficiaries of the habitat conservation plan will be the nation's smallest fox, the endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica). Lands protected by the plan will link to 40,000 acres (more than 16,000 ha) of other protected lands--Mt. Diablo State Park, several regional parks, and a large reservoir watershed--giving the fox and other species the room they need to roam.What is the process for getting an incidental take permit?The habitat conservation plan already has received more than $30 million in competitive grants for implementation. Through a partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District, acreage is being acquired faster than anticipated.This ecological wonderland on the edge of the prosperous San Francisco Bay area has been under tremendous pressure in recent decades. Entire new cities of stucco houses have been spreading rapidly toward the hills.Being realistic about the availability of land and the cost of the plan was another key to success. "Each developer could look to their own costs," recalls Gwerder. "Ultimately, they concluded that this was a cleaner, more efficient way to go."The key is the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservation Plan, an agreement hammered out by a diverse group of interests, including ranchers, developers, environmentalists, cities, the county, and water and park districts. Encouraging the process were state and federal environmental agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.For the species: HCPs provide permanent protection and management of habitat for the species covered by the HCP. Incidental take permits make the elements of the HCP legally binding. While incidental take permits have expiration dates, the identified mitigation measures may extend into perpetuity. Violating the terms of an incidental take permit may constitute unlawful take under the ESA.Habitat Conservation PlansHCPs describe the anticipated effects of the proposed taking, how those impacts will be minimized or mitigated, and how the conservation measures included in the plan will be funded.

Landowners who suspect that a federally listed species occurs on a project site can request information from the state wildlife agency or the nearest Service office. If a listed species is present, the applicant decides whether or not to seek an incidental take permit.

There is no escaping the fact crackpot scheduling is a result of

So the Ryder Cup has found its perfect storm. Not in the confluence of Welsh climate and Welsh topography that washed out the opening day's play. Not even in the scheduling of the tournament for the first week of October, its latest start since 1967. But rather, and most critically, in the combination of arrogance and greed that brought all those other factors together.

Money talks - and not just in a Welsh accent either. On the other side of the Atlantic, organisers of the US Tour had long grumbled about the fact their season tended to peter out after the PGA Championship in August, so they instituted the FedEx Cup, an ungainly play-off series whose deficiencies are of no great note to players who tend to concentrate only on the $35 million prize fund. This year's winner was Jim Furyk, who trousered the immodest first prize of $10m only last weekend.Which is where the problem really lies. The Ryder Cup is trumpeted as one of the world's greatest sporting events largely because it pits the finest players of Europe and America against each other for nothing more than honour. Yet its place in the greater scheme of things is really as an afterthought, something to be dealt with after the money has been made. And the more money they want to make, the later and later it goes.Can common sense prevail? The fact of the matter is that organisers of the Ryder Cup cannot credibly carry on parading its merits as the ultimate Corinthian contest while continuing to undermine its integrity with crackpot scheduling. And if all their worthy speeches about the great game of golf and about bringing youngsters into the sport are to be remembered as anything other than empty rhetoric, then they have to give the event the priority it deserves.Their failure to do that has already undermined this year's competition. Yes, some of the golf on display at Celtic Manor has been riveting. And yes, the individual battles have had as much drama as anyone could ask for. But the 2010 tournament has been critically compromised by the need to rip up the original schedule and turn the new format into a desperate race against time and the fading light of shorter autumn days. Frankly, it deserves much better than this.It was the culmination of a contest not just between Scotland and Wales, the only two credible candidates in the bid process at the time, but also between the Professional Golfers' Association, the traditional owners of the Ryder Cup, and the European Tour. The Tour supplied the players for the event, but its officials had long made clear their dissatisfaction with an arrangement that effect-ively gave the PGA the major say in the running of the tournament and the major slice of its proceeds. The choice of Wales, and a course owned by the millionaire host of an existing Tour event, was a clear signal that the power balance had changed for all time.As the weather forecasters trotted out their gloomy - and mostly accurate - predictions last week, the mind wandered back to 2001 and the sequence of events that led to the Ryder Cup coming to Wales. The stuccoed and castellated premises of Wentworth Golf Club provided the suitably overblown setting for the announcement that Sir Terry Matthews, or rather his cheque book, had persuaded the European Tour authorities that Celtic Manor would host this year's event.

Senior sources within the European Tour have suggested that an even later date has been proposed for the Gleneagles Ryder Cup in 2014, but First Minister Alex Salmond indicated yesterday that a slot in September is the preferred option as far as he is concerned. "But it's for the tours to decide," Salmond added. We have to hope that they actually learn their lesson from this year's washout in Wales.

City halts apartment developer

Neighbors wondered for months whether the Di Rimini apartment project at the southeast corner of Capitol Avenue and St. Clair Street eventually would resemble the renderings they had seen.

"We as a staff are trying to work out a solution with the developer," Peoni said. "If we can't get this worked out administratively, they're going to have to go back to another public hearing. The burden is on them."Total violations: 35What: 31-unit apartment buildingA week later, the Department of Code Enforcement issued a stop-work order for the project at 733 N. Capitol Ave. Senior planner Jeff York gave developer Di Rimini LLC a list of 35 points where the project built differs from the one approved.Sparks has the 34,000-square-foot building listed for sale on LoopNet with an asking price of $6.7 million - about $216,000 per unit. The listing says the "upscale multifamily housing development" geared toward students is scheduled for completion by Oct. 1, and that about half the units have been leased by a for-profit college.The violations pose the biggest test yet for the city's 2-year-old urban design guidelines, which developers and planners created to provide a basic framework for massing and scale of projects in the central business district. Neighbors and other developers are watching closely to see whether the city enforces the new rules.The changes from the agreed-upon building design have angered neighbors, particularly those who have followed the rules while investing in their own properties."The renderings and what's built don't match up - it's disappointing," said Andrews, also a board member of the Near North Development Corp., which supported the original plan. "Everybody will watch intently as this unfolds to see what happens. Clearly, we all see what's taken place here and we'll see what the repercussions are for breaking the rules."Stop-work order: September 2010"How did this happen? How could a plan that started as a promising project get turned into something that is a ghost of what was planned?" Urban Indy blog author Curt Ailes wrote in a post Sept. 28. One reader said the building looks like a Motel 6.Several directors for the not-for-profit Near North Development Corp. expressed concerns at a board meeting, leading the group to ask in an e-mail on Sept. 2 for the city planning department to take a look.A sampling: window openings, placement and style are wrong; windows and doors missing required trim; missing railings; promised outdoor plaza space missing; stone placement is wrong; planter boxes missing; massing and scale "designed totally different from approved plans."Source: IBJ researchThe building is a much more serious challenge to the urban design guidelines than the most prominent previous violation - a bright-yellow facade on a downtown Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant that the developer agreed to tone down in 2008.Sparks, reached on his cell phone, said he had no comment, then hung up. He and his attorney, Jeff Bellamy of the local firm Thrasher Buschmann and Voelkel, did not return repeated phone messages.Shiel Sexton, a general contractor, has its headquarters a few blocks to the north, and Andrews had been watching with dismay as the building took shape in recent months.Peoni said the developer thought "they were getting the project approved conceptually" and not each specific detail. He said Sparks was apologetic and humble in a recent meeting and has promised to produce new renderings showing planned fixes for the building, which replaced a vacant lot.Project in limboDeveloper: Di Rimini LLCSize: 34,000 square feetPlan approved: October 2009The city's planning staff met five separate times with Di Rimini principal Jeff Sparks and his attorney to ensure the project would meet the guidelines, said Mike Peoni, administrator for the city's department of planning. After the developer agreed to a long list of changes, a hearing examiner approved the proposal in October 2009, and the Metropolitan Development Commission gave its blessing in November. Construction began early this year.The city has issued a stop-work order for the Di Rimini development project after the developer failed to follow design features agreed upon before the plan's approval."There are a lot of times people don't follow what they're supposed to be doing, but it's usually not this major," acknowledged York, the senior city planner. "Before, we had minor issues that could be worked out with minor changes. I think this is a test."It's the first time John Andrews, director of business development for locally based Shiel Sexton, can remember a developer securing approval for one set of plans and building another.Where: 733 N. Capitol Ave.Signs outside the building promote open houses every weekend and by appointment for the apartment units, which are being offered, for $1,590 per month (includes one-car garage, stainless appliances and all utilities, including Internet and cable).The 31-unit building taking shape had fewer and different windows, less limestone and more synthetic stucco than promised. Two-story aluminum and glass storefronts were missing. The portion along St. Clair had three stories instead of four and was missing vertical columns.Principal: Jeff SparksAndrews said there are often good reasons for zoning variances, but such a blatant disregard of the rules should not be tolerated.Estimated cost: more than $5 millionBut no one will be moving in until the developer can reach terms with city planners. If they can't agree, the current approval could be voided and ultimately the fate of the project could wind up in court.

Source: IBJ research

Historic Brown mansion in Oklahoma City to be auctioned at sheriff's

A historic mansion that pioneer Oklahoma businessman John A. Brown built in 1930 is slated to be auctioned at a sheriff sale in December after falling into foreclosure.

The mansion was featured as a Symphony Designers Show House in 2003 as part of a charity event sponsored by the Oklahoma City Orchestra League. Each year, the Orchestra League picks one local mansion to elaborately redecorate as part of the Symphony Designers fundraiser.Brown, founder of the John A. Brown's Department Stores brand, built the mansion with his wife Della Dunkin Brown just one year after Nichols Hills founder G.A. Nichols purchased 2,700 acres of farm land north of Oklahoma City in 1929 with dreams of developing the area into an upscale residential area, according to the city's official history.The mansion is scheduled to be auctioned off at the Oklahoma County Courthouse on Dec. 2.The Meyers purchased the house in 2002 for $1.4 million, according to property records.Appraised at $2 million, the 12,743-square-foot, 2.5-story Spanish gothic-style mansion was one of the first homes built in Nichols Hills. The white stucco mansion at 1601 Guilford Ln. is set on 2.45 acres and features vaulted ceilings and numerous chandeliers, as well as an enclosed courtyard with a pool.The mansion on Guilford Lane was recently listed with Nichols Hills Realtor Marilyn Torbett for $2.65 million, but she released the property a few weeks ago, staff at Torbett's office said on Wednesday. Torbett could not immediately be reached for comment.Bridgeport Holdings once had an extensive and diverse portfolio that included businesses ranging from homebuilders to a private foster care agency, according to a 2002 profile of the company in The Journal Record. Now a listed phone number for the Bridgeport is disconnected and the company's website is no longer operational.Wells Fargo Bank began foreclosure proceedings on the property in June 2009 after a $1.5 million mortgage on the property went into default, according to court documents. Attorney Sally Garrison, who represented Wells Fargo in the foreclosure, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.Attempts to reach James or Robin Meyer also were unsuccessful. A call to Robin Meyer's attorney Christine Fritze was not immediately returned on Wednesday.Three homebuilding companies that Bridgeport controlled, Brookside Homes, Livingston Meyer Homes and Newhaven Homes, went out of business in 2008 after the credit markets dried up, according to news accounts.

The mansion is scheduled to be auctioned off at the Oklahoma County Courthouse on Dec. 2.

BETWEEN THE SHEETS

THE De Vere Grand, Brighton

Where and why:On the menu: Afternoon tea in the lobby is a Brighton institution at pounds 19.95. The Grand may look, well, exceedingly grand, but it's not pretentious. Heading up the menu is a sturdy main course of local fish and chips with mushy peas (pounds 13.45) served in the Kings Restaurant - head to the seafront conservatory. Breakfast is an all-youcan-eat affair, with waffles and pancakes - making a bracing walk along the prom something of a necessity. While you're there: In summer the hotel has a catamaran to take guests sailing around the Sussex coast. Take a Brighton Rock walking tour (www.brightoncitywalks.com, pounds 6pp), shop in the Lanes or indulge in some old-fashioned fun on the pier.Commemorated as the Cosmopolitan in Graham Greene's novel Brighton Rock, the hotel was bombed by the IRA during the Conservative party conference in 1984. It was rebuilt and re-opened two years later. The best rooms have sea views and balconies. You can see both the Brighton Pier and the derelict West Pier while inhaling a lung-full of fresh air.SARAH TURNERWake up call: Rooms in February start from pounds 99 for B&B. Go to www.devere.co.uk or call 0844 980 9950.

SARAH TURNER