Energy Security: Is there a problem?
Energy security is fundamental to our way of life. Without energy security and without resilient supply chains, our Defence Forces will not be able to operate. Likewise, our society would also cease to operate if our national energy infrastructure and associated supply chains falter.
The public awareness of these risks is relatively poor; even significant energy infrastructure failures, such as the 2016 South Australian electricity blackouts, seem to have faded from the news cycle around much of the country.
The Australian Senate held an Inquiry in 2015 into Australia's Transport Energy Resilience and Sustainability.
Senators David Fawcett and Jim Molan, along with the House of Representatives member Andrew Hastie, have expressed their concerns repeatedly in the media regarding these issues.
In August 2017, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published its report on The Challenge of Energy Resilience in Australia.
In February 2018, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published their review of Australia's energy policies.
In March 2018, when reviewing a critical infrastructure bill, the Australian Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security made the following recommendation "The Department of Home Affairs in consultation with the Defence and the Department of the Environment and Energy need to review and develop measures to ensure Australia has a continuous supply of fuel to meet these national security priorities."
Each of these reviews and reports have highlighted aspects of energy security that are deficient. However, energy security is about much more than just the Defence force or a more "reliable" electricity supply. It is about our security as a nation, it is about protecting our society and our way of life and, as such, it is a very complex issue.
The first problem we have in addressing energy security is that of language. The terms "national security" and "energy security" do not have common definitions amongst Australians. Nor is there a common view that energy security is a subset of national security. The Macquarie Dictionary defines national security as the protection afforded to a nation against any external threat to its existence.
However, when the Australian Government talks about energy security it defines it as the adequate, reliable and competitive supply of energy across the electricity, gas and liquid fuel sectors, where reliability is the provision of energy with minimal disruptions to supply. The conditions under which this is assessed are not clear. It is therefore not surprising that there are significantly different views regarding energy security when considered from industry, national security or bureaucratic policy perspectives.
In effect, the Government has articulated energy security through a "market lens." This is also evident when the Government states that energy security is a shared responsibility between governments, market institutions and energy businesses. When I was researching my fuel security reports I had the opportunity to interview the CEO of one of the Australian based oil companies.
He made it clear that energy security was not his responsibility; his responsibility was for the reliable supply of fuel to his customers and a return for his shareholders, nothing more. From a business perspective this makes sense. However, with respect to security, someone has to be in charge.
Energy security is a prerequisite for protecting our way of life and therefore I am of the view that markets cannot be held responsible for energy security which is a component of national security; Governments must take that responsibility.
A further problem in the discussion of energy security is that of implicit assumptions. We often assume that if something hasn't failed recently that it will continue to operate. This is a common assumption most of us make, for if we spent all day worrying about what could go wrong our lives would be miserable.
However, we do need to have some people think deeply about these issues and to make whatever preparations are necessary to ensure our ongoing security. I suggest that we need to apply the national security framework and analytical methods that we have applied to our nation's Defence Forces to areas of risk such as energy security, that are critical to our national security.
Defence has often reflected on the expectations of the Government and the Australian population. Australians expect their Defence Force to operate when markets fail; in other words, Defence Forces are not just there for business as usual times. I would suggest that Australians would rightly expect essential services to operate when markets fail and to be secure and resilient; the public (and political) outcry following the 2016 blackout in South Australia was a clear example of this expectation.
How confident are we that such essential services are secure such that they would continue to operate in the event of some form of market disruption? What assumptions do we as Australian's make about issues such as our energy security that are flawed?
The Government does not seem to think we have a problem. Prime Minister Turnbull's statement that the Government's recently announced review into Australia's Liquid Fuel Security "should not be construed as Australia having a fuel security problem" is illustrative. However, the 2018 International Energy Agency (IEA) review of Australia's energy policies concluded that "It is less clear how the country (Australia) would respond in the event of a serious oil supply disruption leading to market failure." That is a problem.
The most recent Australian Government Energy White Paper (EWP) was published in 2015. It noted that Australia is a growing energy superpower, endowed with vast energy resources, which would "give us low-cost energy." That latter claim has not quite worked out as the Government had hoped; the Grattan Institute recently reported that wholesale electricity prices rose across the National Electricity Market by 130 per cent on average between 2015 and 2017.
The EWP stated that the guiding principle should be that the market should be left to operate freely without unnecessary government intervention. It also stated that the Government would monitor energy security through a National Energy Security Assessment (NESA) process.
A NESA was scheduled for completion in 2015, prior to the release of the EWP. That NESA update was not conducted and therefore the 2015 EWP was based on the 2011 NESA, a document that was, in my view, fundamentally flawed for the reasons I outlined in my 2014 NRMA Report, Australia's Liquid Fuel Security Pt 2.
I highlighted the 2011 NESA Report statement '… there could be scenarios that are more severe such as war in the Middle East, war in the Asia-Pacific region, disruption of shipping lanes or disruption to key refining centres in the Asia-Pacific region. In this case the markets may not operate normally and the impact on the supply chains would need to be considered.' Such scenarios were not addressed in the 2011 NESA nor in any subsequent, published, Government assessment.
My concern regarding the lack of adequate risk assessment for the NESA was compounded at the 2015 Senate Transport Energy Inquiry when an oil and fuel industry representative stated that "National security scenarios are not appropriate for fuel supply security assessments." There is clearly a view in some parts of the energy industry that any security assessments of energy supply be limited to "market factors". I can only surmise that the reason is to minimise the risk of new Government regulation of the energy market, should a comprehensive assessment identify significant risks to national security as a result of the free-market approach adopted to date.
As at early 2018, the updated (2015) NESA had still has not been produced. In May this year, the Government announced a new review into Australia's Liquid Fuel Security to "help deliver affordable and reliable energy" to be completed by the end of 2018. The NESA is now scheduled to be delivered by "mid 2019", some four years late.
Whilst key stakeholders and interested parties will reportedly be consulted for the 2019 NESA, I have concerns that the review and analysis will be led by the same Department that produced the last NESA.
My understanding, based on discussions with the then Department of Resources, Industry and Tourism, was that the 2011 NESA was led primarily by economists. There needs to be a much more diverse team conducting the next NESA, and it should include people with a deep understanding of national security and of Defence operations involved in the analysis. Energy security is too important to leave to economists alone.
The Government should consider having the 2019 NESA led by an independent review team such as was done for the 2017 Independent Review into the Future of the National Electricity Market, led by Dr Alan Finkel. Such a review is the only way to get frank and independent advice, free of the pressures on Government officials to not contradict extant Government policies.
The IEA has highlighted some significant problems with our energy security in their review of Australia's energy policies. The IEA concluded that, whilst Australia is endowed with natural resources, there are energy security risks across several sectors that have increased. They noted indicators of stress in the Australian energy system and highlighted that energy policy governance in Australia is very complex and fragmented.
The review also stated that Australia is increasingly exposed to new challenges for maintaining security of supply and, had we had proper monitoring analysis and planning, these issues could have been signalled earlier and remedies could have been applied. That is a significantly less optimistic view than was portrayed in the 2015 EWP and does not reflect well on the management of energy security by recent Governments from both sides of politics.
Australia is the only IEA member country, which is a net oil importer, that fails to meet its IEA member stockholding obligations. Australia currently imports over 90 per cent of its transport fuels and as a nation rely completely industry held commercial stock holdings to meet obligations, which Australia fails to do. The IEA Review noted that Australia's oil stocks are at an all-time low, that the nation has no strategic oil stocks and that Australia does not place any stockholder obligations on industry.
The Australian Government has at last agreed to address this shortfall and has committed to meeting our obligations by 2026, by using the purchase of "tickets" (options to purchase oil for release to the market) with the US and Europe that will, in reality, do little to improve our domestic energy security and resilience as the stocks will not physically be held in Australia.
Australia is unique in this area of stockholding compared to other developed countries and, as a result, is the least prepared for a supply chain interruption. When I have raised this issue with politicians in the past, some have said "if we run into a problem, we'll just go down to the nearest Defence base and we'll access their stocks."
When I informed them that we actually do not have strategic stocks that could be drawn down upon, they looked surprised.
Australia fuel import dependency for transport fuels had grown from 60 per cent in 2000 to more than 90 per cent by 2013.
In excess of 50 per cent of our refined diesel and 75 per cent of our refined jet fuel imports transit the South China Sea, an area of growing security concern that was not considered in the last NESA.
Between 2012 and 2015, three of the seven refineries we had closed down; when asked how many refineries should we have for resilience of supply, the then Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, advised (with little apparent regard for security of supply) that we did not need any refineries … because it was cheaper to import refined fuels.
Unlike electricity or gas where the source energy is produced in Australia, there is little the Government can do in the in event of a major oil supply interruption as less than 10 per cent of our liquid fuels are wholly sourced in Australia; we would be completely dependent on "market forces" to work out a supply solution as we have no clear plan to address a major supply interruption, as highlighted in the 2018 IEA review.
The WA Government recommends that individuals, businesses, government and communities assess their specific vulnerabilities to a supply disruption and make the necessary preparations to ensure the continuity of daily operations.
The lack of an integrated, systems design of Australia's energy system is also a major vulnerability. Australia's energy infrastructure was not designed as an integrated system; it evolved over many decades as it changed from public owned to privately owned infrastructure components, with little Government regulation and little apparent thought about how secure and resilient energy systems can be developed. The evolution of the piece parts has, in effect, been left to the market.
The 2018 IEA review of Australia's energy policies alluded to the lack of a systems view when it recommended that the Government needs to "Design an energy and climate policy framework for 2030" and highlighted that "as the energy system transformation is underway, Government action to ensure an orderly energy transition becomes vital".
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, the Chair of the Australian Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, has identified the need to think about an integrated systems approach when he suggested that we should look at Australia's National security as an ecosystem. For example, he called for the fuel supply issue to be elevated to a national security issue: "you can have the best military in the world but it's futile if you can't fuel it".
Similarly, Dr Paul Barnes and Colonel Neil Greet (Retd) noted in their ASPI 2017 report on "The Challenge of Energy Resilience in Australia" that Australian energy policy tends to be stove-piped and sector-specific, which doesn't map well to the complexity inherent in energy infrastructure systems.
They noted that the energy sector faces interconnected vulnerabilities and that, in formulating policy, it is critical that the Australian Government consider the complex interdependencies of these vulnerabilities. They concluded that continued planning in isolation will ensure that Australia will face ongoing and increasingly chronic insecurity from failed energy policy.
There is some positive news with respect to system design. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) recently stated that Australia does not have the energy reserves it once had to lean on in times of need and that there is still a need to ensure adequate resources are available to manage the system.
It recently published an Integrated System Plan (ISP) that recognises that the challenges in the system will become even more complex as more of our aging coal units retire and the costs of renewable resources both on and off the grid continue to drop. The plan addresses some of the system design issues related to the electricity supply and is a good start. The plan discusses maintaining "reliability and security" but does not address the wider security dimensions that are raised in this article.
Like the National Energy Guarantee, it appears focused on power reliability and not energy security. The challenge of developing such a plan in the absence of any coherent bi-partisan energy policy cannot be overstated. There is still a pressing need for an overall energy system design that acknowledges the national security dimension of energy. That is a task for the Government to lead as it extends far beyond the AEMO's remit.
Without leadership, well-meaning individuals and groups will take action. In the energy domain, the absence of Federal Government leadership has resulted in State Governments taking the initiative. Whilst this is admirable, it will not produce an integrated national energy system and it will lead to system failures, such as occurred in South Australia. The resultant political blame shifting by the Federal Government was counter-productive. The Federal Government needs to acknowledge the need for leadership in this case, and to take control.
Unfortunately, the energy issue has become so politicised, both between parties and within the Liberal party, that the national interest has been subsumed by party and personal interests. The reality is that energy security, like national security, can only be addressed with consistent bipartisan political support. This is the missing link.
The lack of an integrated systems design approach also results in misinformed debate in the media. Some climate sceptics blame the introduction of renewable energy sources for electric power system failures and rising costs. The problem is not with this class of technologies or the aspiration to reduce emissions; the problem lies with the absence of integrated design, unintelligent policy and a lack of bipartisan political leadership of energy security.
In effect, the Governments of the past few decades have passed the responsibility for energy security to industry. The term "business as usual" is used across industry and in the IEA assessment of Australia's energy policies to justify leaving the management of supply chains to the market. Business as usual also implies "lean management'" which can result in minimal redundancy in order to not waste resources.
However, business as usual today is not what it was a decade ago; currently western nations' critical infrastructure systems are under cyber attack on an ongoing basis; in recent months the US accused Russia of cyber-attacks on the energy sector and imposed new sanctions, whilst in the UK, the finance, power and water sectors were on the highest alert for threats of Russian cyber reprisal.
The idea that we are at peace and business as usual is the appropriate model where the markets can manage all aspects of our critical infrastructure and supply chains is clearly out of date. Some measure of Government control/leadership is vital in this day and age.
Returning to the Government statement that energy security is a "shared responsibility between governments, market institutions and energy businesses" it is worth reflecting on the oil industry's evidence before the 2015 Inquiry into Australia's Transport Energy Resilience and Sustainability. The industry representative stated that it was not the role of fuel distributors to hold buffer stocks … that was the role of the industry fuel users.
The industry representatives went on to say that most users don't hold stocks, because they think they're being held for them by government or industry, or else they think they're going to be preferred users. There is little evidence of a culture of "shared responsibility" in these statements.
An energy security issue for Australia is the increasing level of foreign ownership of Australia's energy infrastructure by foreign companies; for example, the Chinese Government-owned State Grid Corporate and Hong Kong-listed Cheung Kong Infrastructure already own significant shares in the privatised state power distributors. Whilst there is an increasing overview of the issue by the Foreign Investment Review Board, much of the discussion has related to electricity distribution grids and generation.
A clear and consistent Government policy for all energy infrastructure is essential if we are to avoid stumbling into a major energy security crisis in the future.
The US Energy Security Leadership Council has an interesting perspective on the role of industry in the energy domain. Whilst they acknowledge that the market-driven approach is the best way to approach our economic challenges, they note that there are some things you cannot leave to the market alone. The example they discuss is the supply of oil where they conclude that where foreign governments can control or influence your energy supplies, only government action can address those threats to your energy security.
In Australia's case of a 90 per cent+ import oil/fuel dependency, then the potential for foreign government influence on Australia's essential energy supplies is self-evident.
The growing level of foreign ownership of Australia's national energy infrastructure was recently discussed by Peter Jennings, in his article in the Australian newspaper, where he noted that the Hong Kong-based infrastructure firm CKI is developing a $13 billion takeover bid for gas pipeline group APA.
Without adequate and secure energy sources, Defence cannot function. It is essential for Defence leaders to understand Australia's energy systems and supply chains and that we are undergoing a fundamental transformation in our energy systems. It is a critical vulnerability.
Energy security is not just about fuel stocks for Defence. When I have spoken about this issue, a common question I am asked is "how many days of fuel stocks do we have in Defence?" The issue is far more complicated than the question suggests. For example, if you doubled the current level of fuel stocks it would in reality make little difference if an energy supply interruption lasted longer than the number of days of stocks held.
The issue is the assured ongoing flow of adequate energy, where stocks act merely as a buffer for variations in flow rate. The other critical issue to understand is that if our civilian infrastructure and critical supply chains do not have assured energy, then Defence will not be able to operate. Defence is wholly reliant on the non-Defence support infrastructure to operate. I have therefore purposely referred to energy rather than fuel.
Our infrastructure, and in turn, Defence relies on assured flow of multiple energy components including electricity, gas and fuels. Fuel stocks alone do not deliver energy security.
If we examine the 2016 DWP for its analysis of energy security and related Defence vulnerability, there is little to read. The DWP discussed the remediation of problems in fuel infrastructure that would address OH&S and some resiliency issues. There are good energy related developments across the Services, in Defence Estate and in Defence Science, but in piece parts. Compounding the lack of a comprehensive Government integrated energy policy and plan is the apparent lack of a Defence operational energy strategy and a Defence operational energy policy. This should be addressed as a matter of priority.
So, why have these issues not been addressed by Defence; why did I not realise the problem when I was the RAAF Deputy Chief? I think it is an issue of culture and habit. Many in Defence consider fuel to just be a "logistics issue" and that will be managed by the logisticians and that energy is a domestic Defence Estate issue.
In addition, the majority of recent Defence operations have been conducted under the umbrella of the US Forces where access to their logistics supply chains has perhaps made us somewhat complacent. We need to have a Defence Force with resilient and secure supply chains and that can operate, when required, independent of US support. Energy is a key logistics component that needs much more attention.
We are undergoing a major transformation in how our societies work in areas such as the economy, energy and the environment. These areas are closely interlinked, but largely managed as separate competing issues and usually in a fragmented manner as a result of near term political goals.
Australia's energy systems are being shaped by the opportunities afforded by technology changes, by economic pressures and by emissions reductions commitments under the Paris Agreement. The transition in energy systems will not come without a cost and yet our economy already appears to be at risk of stagnating. Our debt levels and economic performance give us little reserve with which to act.
Significant trade-offs will need to be made between these areas as we, and the wider global community, have to deal with. Collectively, these challenges are a major threat to our way of life and are both a human and national security threat.
Technology changes will afford great opportunities for us, if they're applied intelligently. I argue they're not being done that way because of a lack of an integrated systems design approach. As we collectively navigate these challenges over the next decade, a question we must address is whether or not Defence and our nation can get secure and resilient energy supplies.
It will take many years to improve our energy security as the engineering solutions will be complex. We therefore need an honest statement of vulnerability, a risk mitigation/adaption plan and a realistic emergency response plan to deal with supply interruptions as we transition.
Energy issues are so intertwined with other security developments that we cannot afford to ignore them. Solving the energy security issues of today will not be sufficient; we need to anticipate the energy systems of the future.
As we try to address the energy transition challenge, there is an opportunity to learn from others who are making some progress in systems integration. I will suggest that there may be some design thinking that we could adapt from some Defence Forces, that are in the process of transforming to an integrated design force model, and apply it to the challenge of integrated energy system design in Australia.
There has been much publicity in recent years about the transformation of our Defence Force into a 5th Generation Force. The initial discussion centred around the RAAF's Plan Jericho, with subsequent discussion of a 5th Generation Navy and Army. The concept of a 5th Generation force was not just about acquiring 5th Generation platforms. It was about using the opportunity of 5th Generation technologies to integrate the existing 4th Generation platforms, to improve their capability and then, in turn, to amplify the capability of the new 5th Generation platforms. It was a change in the way of thinking about integrated design, it was about a cultural shift away from the platform towards thinking at the program or systems level.
If we apply the construct of generations of capability to the energy sector we could perhaps describe biomass as 1st Generation, coal as 2nd Generation, oil and gas 3rd Generation and nuclear and renewables as 4th Generation.
I have referred to the latest energy technologies as 4th Generation because they are being developed and fielded the same as we fielded 4th Generation platforms, such as the F/A-18. With 4th Generation platforms, we acquired them in component pieces and hoped that other technologies would integrate the platforms once they were fielded. We learnt the real limitations of extant data links through that process.
Similar to what was done in Defence, 4th Generation energy systems are being acquired in component pieces, not as a part of an integrated system. This has led, as in the case of the South Australian Electricity blackouts, to systems failures. So, the question is, can we think about a model for a 5th Generation integrated energy system?
The technologies necessary to implement a 5th Generation energy system exist today. We just lack the integrated design approach. An example of such an approach can be shown in combination with solar and wind systems. Despite having the highest deployment of solar on domestic houses in the world, solar and wind systems provide only about one per cent each of Australia's energy supply.
The problem is that together they can at times provide more energy than is required; in some cases, it is the local electricity infrastructure that cannot handle the amount of energy that can be produced. At other times, solar and wind systems cannot meet the energy demand and thus they are blamed for supply failures.
Is there a possibility of utilising the energy produced by solar and wind systems differently? There are a range of excellent academic studies that have highlighted the value of pumped hydro systems to store renewable energy.
At scale, pumped hydro seems to be the only viable solution, but at considerable cost and time for implementation. There are also excellent examples of small scale, regionally-based renewable energy storage systems such utilising hydrogen, which can also be used to produce a range of energy products.
Hydrogen, in this case, is the medium to produce both a time and mode shift of renewable energy. Hydrogen could be used for power generation, for fuel cells in vehicles and trains, to produce ammonia, to supplement gas supplies and to produce gas. It could also provide a significant export resource to countries such as Japan, where hydrogen imports have been identified as a Government energy policy priority.
Whilst not the panacea for Australia's energy needs, hydrogen (just one example), could be an important component of an integrated energy system, particularly as it could employ excess renewable energy capacity. The production and transformation of energy in regional or sub-regional networks using such "energy integrators" could exploit an energy resource that is not utilised to maximum effect today.
It is about integration, resilience, economics, energy security and scalability. It is about integrated design. A more comprehensive discussion of this topic can be viewed in my presentation to the 2018 RAAF Air Power Conference.
The people of Australia expect the Defence Force and the nation's critical infrastructure to operate not just when the markets are functioning normally, but when there is a problem. There are significant issues with our energy systems that should concern us all; unfortunately, the analysis of our energy security and resilience is inadequate and the management of energy security has been outsourced to the market. The idea that we are at peace and business as usual is the appropriate model where the markets can manage all aspects of our critical infrastructure and supply chains is clearly out of date.
Energy security is a vital component of national security and an increased level of Government control/leadership with respect to energy security is warranted.
A 5th Generation Defence Force needs a 5th Generation energy system; so does our nation. The discussion of these issues is not just for our politicians; it is our collective responsibility to discuss these issues and to tell our politicians what we need to have done and not wait to just complain after our energy systems fail.
Note: Air Vice-Marshal John Blackburn AO (Retd) is the Board Chair of the Institute for Integrated Economic Research (IIER) – Australia and a Fellow of both the Institute for Regional Security and the Sir Richard Williams Foundation.
The IIER- Australia is exploring the challenges of linked transformation of economic, environmental and energy systems; details of the issues under consideration can be found at the IIER (Europe) website.


Discover new ways to use every last drop of your favorite essential oils—and then some.
We're sharing a list of tips and tricks for getting the most out of your favorite essential oils. Learn new ways to enjoy every drop of our invaluable YL products—plus tips for empty bottles!


From "Te Arai" Te Uri o Hau and New Zealand Land Trust Joint Venture. Special Zone Consultant Reports, Appendices September 2006, Page 3 of Clough and Associates Ltd.
The numbers shown here presumably relate to NZAA records, the corresponding information is not provided for in Clough and Associates' report and needs to be sought.


In today's high level of competition and tough economic circumstances, a business needs to be performing to its very best ability in order to survive. This means offering customers or clients precisely what they're looking for at any given time, and with this comes the need to adapt. A considerable amount of time, effort and money goes in to any change management project, so why then is it reported that 2 in 3 fail? Even more concerning is that this is across all industries. There are endless reasons why any given project fails, but we've taken a look into just a few key causes.
One basic, but often overlooked reason is that there simply wasn't a need for the change in the first place. An example of a project that has run over schedule and acquired a degree of criticism, is the creation of electronic patient records to allow those who fall ill in another part of the country to speak to a doctor there. Not a bad idea in itself, but when the NHS were asked how many people find themselves in this situation, they didn't know. In other circumstances, it is clear that a change is needed, yet sometimes it is the wrong change that is implemented. Either way it highlights the importance of thorough planning through project management, researching everything from the costs involved to expected timeframes and the impact of the outcome, comparing this with where your business stands currently.
This ties in with another overstated, but under accomplished area: communication. Before you even think about getting any project underway, it is important to reflect on how the changes affect each specific group of people. As well as stakeholders and those most directly involved in the project, your whole staff should be considered in your plans. They may be affected in a number of different ways, including working hours, environment and new opportunities that may arise. By encouraging their input, not only might you discover some brilliant new ideas, but you'll likely boost morale too. Finally of course, there is the impact on your customers, both immediately and in the long term.
If all other areas of your project have been well thought through, organised and researched, it may be your project managers that aren't working. Perhaps you have employed the wrong people for the job, or made a common mistake and transferred someone particularly good at their current role to be in charge of the project. This is all very well but without the correct support and training, you're not only setting yourself up for failure but you risk losing an employee who excelled at their original job. Whilst it makes sense to use the talents of those already familiar with your company and clients, it is important to make sure they are qualified for the position.
PRINCE2 is a globally recognised project management method. Attending an accredited PRINCE2 course provides the individual with the opportunity to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to implement and complete a successful project, and gain a recognised certification. ILX also provide a full range of best practice learning solutions in portfolio, programme, project and IT service management.
It is important not just to invest time, effort and money into a new project, but to do so wisely.


text:
For captains of the universe, one pad just isn't enough
Billionaire buyers combine multiple units at top-end buildings
Dec.December 21, 2015 10:05 AM
For most people — for almost anyone — one Billionaires' Row apartment or one Upper East Side townhouse is plenty. But not for some of the world's richest people.
A handful of the city's highest rollers are combining units at New York's most exclusive addresses, creating sprawling, unprecedented urban mansions.
Recent examples of the trend include hedge funder Kenneth Griffin's $200 million three-floor condo at 220 Central Park South (which hasn't closed) and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich's three-townhouse combination at 11, 13 And 15 East 75th Street on the Upper East Side.
"It's a very specific buyer with a very specific need," Douglas Elliman's Mickey Conlon told the New York Post. "It's a . . . mentality of 'I'm going to be [buying] the biggest house, and everyone will be talking about it and everyone will know about it — I'm the king of the world."
Abramovich filed plans to combine his three units earlier this month. The work, which will cost about $6 million, will produce an 18,000-square-foot space. He also plans to build a 30-foot backyard, along with a pool in the cellar. Abramovich paid $78 million for the three houses, in separate purchases.
Pop icon Madonna pulled off a similar move in 2009, when she bought three townhouses at 152-156 East 81st Street for $32 million in 2009. The singer spent $1.7 million combining the houses. [NYP] – Ariel Stulberg
Celebrity Real EstateRoman Abramovich
Luxury real estate anyone? US Open stars and their palatial pads
Lena Dunham's "massive real estate mistake"
All Falls Down: Kanye West's "Star Wars"-themed affordable housing plan hits snag
Meryl Streep parts with Tribeca PH for $15.8M
Zayn Malik sells Soho penthouse at a loss
Bruce Willis sells Westchester estate for $7.66M
Yes, these North Pole houses really are for sale

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Personal development and business coaching involve assessment, education, goal statements, skills enhancement, motivation and vision.
Personal development coaching encompasses many aspects of self actualization from the initial stage of heightened awareness through the struggles of personal growth toward a level of positive self determination in life, work and relationships. The process of personal development coaching can be quick or slow depending on the stated goals and objectives as well as the internal motivation of the client. The ongoing work of personal growth belongs to the client. The coach/therapist acts as a resource person and mentor.
Business coaching involves individual and agency mission statements, vision statements, business plans, marketing strategies and formative evaluation. The coach acts as the guide and mentor.
Hannah Clinical Social Work Services Inc can assist small business owners to get on their feet. We can take the headache out of getting a business structured for profit through sound organization, job descriptions, policies and procedures and an operations manual.


text:
Thoughts for New Year's Eve
On the last day of 2016, Gossips shares some thoughts expressed by Alex. N. Webb, editor and proprietor of the Hudson Daily Star, one hundred and fifty years ago, on December 31, 1856.
Bearing in mind these admonitions, enjoy your celebration of the end of 2016!
Revisiting the LWRP
Earlier this month, The City of Hudson received a $45,000 grant from the Department of State for this stated purpose: "The City of Hudson will update its draft Local Waterfront Revitalization Program to address climate change and sea level rise, as well as current planning and potential new projects. Components of the City Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance may also be updated to reflect the changing demography and local vision for a equitable and resilient City."
Our "draft" LWRP was actually adopted by the Common Council in 2011, but strangely it was never submitted to the Department of State for approval. Earlier this year, when this oversight was discovered, the Department of State indicated they did not want to review a document that was more than five years old, hence the revision now being undertaken.
The process promises to involve a lot of public input. To prepare for that, readers are encouraged to read not only the LWRP as it was adopted in November 2011 but also the numerous comments about it that were made prior to its adoption by the Common Council. If you need to be inspired to care about the LWRP and the Hudson waterfront, visit the Facebook page recently created by Peter Jung, Our Waterfront. This is the cover photo from that page.
Photo: Peter Jung
Education in Hudson in the Mid-19th Century
Hudson Academy, which stood atop of Academy Hill, was, according to Franklin Ellis, author of History of Columbia County, NY, "one of the oldest institutions of its class in the State, and by reason of its antiquity, its usefulness, and the varying fortunes which it has experienced, it merits a high place in the regards of the people of the county."
Photo courtesy Historic Hudson
In 1878, when Ellis was writing his history, Hudson Academy had been in existence for a little more than seventy years. He recounts its beginnings:
On Feb. 27, 1805, there met together in Hudson sixty-four gentlemen who were "impressed with the importance and necessity of diffusing useful knowledge by the establishment of seminaries for the instruction of youth." At this meeting an association was formed and a constitution adopted for the establishment of an institution to be known as "Hudson Academy."
On March 3, 1807, the Academy association was incorporated, and among the corporators are at least two names that will be familiar to Gossips readers: Ezra Sampson, John Swift, Reuben Sears, Peter Van Den Bergh, Harry Croswell, Elisha Williams, William W. Van Ness, Timothy Babcock, William Fraser, Peter Van Rensselaer, William Ashley, Luther Dunning, Joseph Mosely, Benjamin Miller, Ebenezer Rand, John Bennett, Noah Gridley, William Shaw, William Whiting, Cornelius Tobey, Ezra Browne, Samuel J. Ten Broeck, William Noyes, Jr., and Obed W. Folger.
Hudson Academy was, Ellis tells us, "was long in a flourishing condition, and among the list of instructors and graduates are found the names of many who have held prominent positions in various walks of life."
Ellis records that initially "the rates of tuition were fixed at four dollars per quarter for higher English, languages, and mathematics, and two dollars for the lower classes." In 1851, when this advertisement appeared in the Daily Star, quarterly tuition had doubled and an alternative "second class" program seems to have been created. What may be most interesting are the vacations: a summer vacation lasting only a little more than three weeks, and a winter vacation of two weeks.
Hudson Academy closed its doors in 1886. From 1889 to 1894, the building was used by Hudson High School.
On the Sixth Day of Christmas . . .
some people are thinking about getting rid of their Christmas trees. If you are one of them, or if you plan to do it in the next few weeks, here is information received from the Department of Public Works on how to discard your Christmas tree. Place it in the alley or at the curb--wherever you put your trash and your recyclables for pickup. DPW workers will pick up the trees "when they can, as they can." The very last day they will be picking up Christmas trees is Friday, January 27.
New Year, New Faces on the Planning Board
With allegations that changes have been made since 2011 to the causeway through South Bay, the road going east of Route 9G, and the dock, which required conditional use permits that were never sought, and fears that the haul road proposed by Colarusso means increased industrial activity on the waterfront, the pressure is on the Planning Board, whose job it is to review the proposal on behalf of the City of Hudson.
When the Colarusso haul road first came to the Planning Board's attention back in July, a few members of the Planning Board pooh-poohed the idea that it was in any way controversial. In the new year, when the review of the haul road project begins in earnest, some of those folks will no longer be on the Planning Board. The terms of Cleveland Samuels, Glenn Martin, and Gene Shetsky all expire on December 31, 2016. To take their places in the new year, Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton has named the following people to serve on the Planning Board: Ginna Moore, Amy Lavine, and Clark Wieman.
Some Hints About Life in Hudson in the 1850s
Recently, I discovered this item in the Hudson Daily Star for June 12, 1851.
It's not often you can discover with any certainty when a building was constructed, so this bit of news piqued my curiosity. I set out to discover exactly which building this was. It turns out that the building hailed as an icon of Hudson's vitality in 1851 no longer exists. It stood on Seventh Street, between Prison Alley and what was then Diamond Street (now Columbia Street), on the site now occupied by Proprietors Hall. The building--a three-story brick structure--appears in this photograph from the 1930s.
The location of the building was discovered in the city directory for 1862 and a Beers Atlas map, but the search in old newspapers for a clue to its location uncovered some interesting information about its owner, John Stewart Anable, and provides insight into life in Hudson in the 1850s.
Anable was a dealer in leather and wool, but he was also for a time the postmaster of Hudson. He was appointed on May 4, 1853. Although on August 5, 1854, the Troy Daily Times reported that J. S. Analbe had been rejected as postmaster for Hudson, he seems to have continued in that position until he resigned in May 1856.
During his tenure, the post office was located in his Leather Store and Wool Depot, on the Public Square. Also during his tenure as postmaster, long lists of names regularly appeared in the Daily Star. These were the names of recipients of letters waiting to be picked up at the post office. This is such a list, which was published on on February 15, 1856.
Why these letters were not or could not be delivered is not known, but the article in the Daily Star announcing Anable's resignation as postmaster intimates that all was not well in the Hudson post office during his years in that position. After reporting that Henry Miller had been appointed Anable's successor and has "returned from Washington on Saturday with all the necessary papers," the article continues: "We believe this change will be hailed by the public with great satisfaction. . . . There are few post-offices in the country that have given the Department at Washington more trouble than ours, or begotten more strife and censure at home."
In spite of the optimism about a new postmaster, there seems not to have been an orderly transition of power. In June, the Daily Star reported that there would be not only a new postmaster but also a new post office.
The announcement was followed by a bit of editorial comment.
Despite what seems to have been a less than stellar career as postmaster, Anable appears to have been both charitable and civic minded. His name appears among those being acknowledged in the Daily Star on December 5, 1854, for their gifts to the Hudson Orphan Asylum on Thanksgiving. His gift to the orphans was "a fine roasting piece of Beef."
John S. Anable often petitioned the Common Council for various things he felt needed improvement in the City of Hudson. In March 1855, it was street lamps and sufficient gas, no doubt from the gasification works on the waterfront, to keep them burning.
The Lamp Committee reported that there was not sufficient money in the budget to light the streets and "respectfully recommended that the Common Council order an election in accordance with Title VIII, Sec. 88, of the new Charter, submitting to the qualified electors, the question of raising the sum of $1,200 to be exclusively applied to defray the expenses of lighting the streets of the city until the 31st day of December of the present year."
In June 1857, the issue Anable brought before the Council was the state of the railroad tracks through the Public Square.
In April 1864, Anable was one of the signatories on a petition presented to the Common Council complaining about a building, "situated on the easterly corner of Warren street and the Public Square," the walls of which were in "a ruinous and unsafe condition."
This petition raises a couple of questions. What is the "easterly corner of Warren street and the Public Square"? Was the building "rendered safe" and preserved for us today, or was it demolished and replaced by one of the buildings that line the south side of the park today or the building at the corner of Warren and Park Place? Gossips will try to find the answers to these questions in the next few days.
Here's something to look forward to in the new year. On Saturday, January 14, a new photographic exhibition, entitled No Parking: The Alleys and Garages of Hudson, is opening at the Hudson Opera House.
Photo: William Hellermann
No Parking features the work of three local photographers--Lisa Durfee, William Hellermann, and Peter Spear--who "find unconventional beauty beyond Hudson's well-trafficked streets." Quoting from the press release:
Exploring the parallel realities that exist in the city, No Parking features photographs dating back nearly two decades. . . . While major roads such as Warren Street offer a panoply of architectural spectacle to enjoy, No Parking tells the story of those small streets that run parallel to the larger thoroughfares, and the hidden barns, garages, storehouses, and studios nestled along them.
"I happened to notice in the summer of 1998 that gentrification had unmistakably taken off in Hudson," William Hellermann recounted to fellow photographer Valerie Shaff. "However, by contrast, I found that the garages were often more visually interesting than the buildings on the main thoroughfares. They have an accidental beauty."
No Parking offers viewers the rare opportunity to travel back to a time in Hudson's not-so-distant past with work from three of the most talented photographers living in the city today.
The opening reception for No Parking takes place on Saturday, January 14, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Where Does It End?
At the Greenport Planning Board meeting last night, Mitch Khosrova, counsel for the Hudson Planning Board, expressed concern that the two planning boards were not "on the same page" about the haul road proposed by A. Colarusso & Sons. The issue over which there is disagreement has to do with the scope of the proposed haul road and its environmental impact, and it is a significant one for Hudson.
On December 22, Khosrova wrote a letter to the Greenport Planning Board. In it, he outlines the concerns of the Hudson Planning Board about the proposed Colarusso haul road for "your use/consideration during your SEQRA review of this application." The first concern is traffic. On this topic Khosrova writes: "Broad Street is a local City of Hudson roadway that is utilized extensively by the public for vehicular and pedestrian access to the City of Hudson waterfront park. Has the applicant investigated alternatives for the proposed truck route, including but not limited to the installation of a new rail crossing to provide a more direct route from the causeway to the existing dock and eliminating the need to utilize Broad Street? This would result in a completely separate and dedicated travel way for all truck traffic associated with operation and avoid the use of local public roadways (other than state crossings) all together, and thus reduce the potential unsafe environment for pedestrian traffic along Front Street and Broad Street."
Later in the letter, Khosrova explains Hudson zoning in the area of the dock and the haul road:
Pursuant to section 325-17.1 (d) of the City of Hudson zoning code, no improvement shall be constructed, altered, paved, or improved, in whole or in part in the Core Riverfront C-R district without the approval of the City Planning Board. The applicant has recently undertaken improvements to the existing dock without obtaining any approvals from the City of Hudson. Since the existing dock is a vital part of the overall mining/hauling project, and in order to avoid the potential of segmentation issues associated with the SEQRA review, the City of Hudson has previously requested that the applicant submit an application for the dock improvements. The application shall contain all correspondence, documentation, permits and approvals from other involved agencies. These documents should also be entered into record with the Lead Agency so that a complete review of the project as a whole, as well as its smaller segments, can be reviewed in order to determine any cumulative impacts. In order for the City to determine the project's conformance with current City of Hudson Zoning, the applicant shall also provide data, information, and correspondence regarding the scale of the dock operation as of the adoption of the City of Hudson Local Law 5-2011, pertaining to the continued operation of a non-conforming use within the Core Riverfront C-R zone.
In a comment made on the previous Gossips post, "unheimlich" suggested that the Greenport Planning Board's response to Khosrova's concern indicated that they had not read the letter. But it's possible to see this in a different way. When Ed Stiffler, chair of the Greenport Planning Board, requested confirmation from Pat Prendergast, Colarusso's engineer, about where the project ended, it might be seen as an indication that he had read the letter and was prepared to disregard the concerns that were beyond the actual western terminus of the proposed haul road. If this is the case, the Greenport Planning Board, in its SEQR determination, may not be looking at environmental impacts of the proposed haul road on the southern end of Front Street, at the Broad Street crossing, or at the dock--significant areas of concern for Hudson.
Hudson, Greenport, and the Haul Road
Hudsonians concerned about the impact on our waterfront of the proposed Colarusso haul road showed up in force this evening for the Greenport Planning Board workshop session, which preceded the regular meeting of the Planning Board. Typically, the workshop takes place in a conference room in Greenport Town Hall, but tonight, because of the number of people interested in witnessing the proceedings, the workshop was moved to the courtroom, where the regular meetings of the Planning Board take place. The room has a posted maximum capacity of sixty-six, and that limit was being strictly adhered to. Gossips was only allowed to enter the room after someone else left. Present at the meeting, but not visible in the picture below, were Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton, First Ward alderman Rick Rector, and Mitch Khosrova, counsel to the Hudson Planning Board.
Photo: Julie Metz
In the workshop session, Planning Board member Michael Bucholsky asked about the mining permit already in place. The question prompted Ray Jurkowski, the engineer retained by the Greenport Planning Board and the Hudson Planning Board, to voice what has been feared by many: "They are calling this a haul road, but this is an expansion or an extension of the mining permit."
During the regular meeting of the Planning Board, Pat Prendergast, the engineer for Colarusso, reported that the project was "still in front of DEC for permits to do work on the South Bay causeway." He explained that the DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) cannot issue permits until the SEQR process is completed. He said the Department of Transportation permitting process was "down to the final edits" and noted that no permits were needed from the Army Corps of Engineers or the NYS Department of State.
After Prendergast presented his summary, Jurkowski told him that he wanted to "concentrate on the narrative," the document prepared by Prendergast, on behalf of Colarusso, at Jurkowski's request. Jurkowski asked that the narrative be expanded to include an overview of the project and a timeline. "The narrative doesn't provide as much information as it could," said Jurkowski. Specifically, he wanted more detail on various aspects of the proposed project: hours of operation, number of trips, access to the haul road by the public. He acknowledged that the details were provided "in the appendices" but maintained, "It's not fair to make [the Planning Board and the public] put everything together." It was decided that Prendergast and Jurkowski would meet, with the chair of the Greenport Planning and the board's legal counsel, to discuss the shortcomings of the document, "to make sure all the items are addressed."
Ed Stiffler, chair of the Greenport Planning Board, described, for the benefit of the members of the public present, the process and procedure they would follow in making a SEQR determination. When the Greenport Planning Board has what they consider a complete application for the project from Colarusso, they will schedule a public hearing. The hearing will take place at Columbia-Greene Community College, to ensure that all who are interested can be present and comment. He indicated that each person wanting to comment would be permitted five minutes to speak. Those with more information than can be articulated in five minutes are urged to submit written comments. Stiffler said that written comments would be accepted for seven days after the public hearing and a full transcript of the hearing would be available as soon as possible after the hearing.
When Prendergast had packed up his charts and the Planning Board was ready to move on, Khosrova, legal counsel to the Hudson Planning Board, rose to tell the Greenport Planning Board, "I'm not certain we are on the same page." He was referring to a question Stiffler had addressed earlier to Prendergast about scope of the project. Stiffler asked Prendergast to confirm that the project in Hudson ended "at the beginning of the paved road"--that is, the southernmost end of Front Street. Prendergast confirmed that was the case. Khosrova maintained that the SEQR process "can look at anything that related to the operation," which would include the dock. The definition of the project, according to the Greenport Planning Board, the lead agency in the SEQR process, does not include the dock.
Posted by Carole Osterink at 12:06 AM 15 comments:
The Common Council on the Haul Road
Toward the end of the December 20 meeting of the Common Council, Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward) brought up the issue of the Colarusso haul road, asking his fellow aldermen, "Does anybody care about trucks on the causeway? . . . Will the traffic increase or stay the same?" He noted that he and other aldermen were getting emails from constituents concerned about the proposed haul road and its impact on the waterfront.
Responding to Friedman's questions, city attorney Ken Dow said that the application was before the Planning Board and that body was gathering information. When asked by Alderman Rick Rector (First Ward) about a timetable for the site plan review process, Tom DePietro, chair of the Hudson Planning Board, indicated that the Greenport Planning Board, which has been granted lead agency status in the SEQR (State Envorinmental Quality Review) process, "doesn't plan to get around to SEQR until its February or March meeting."
Friedman went on to ponder relevant statutes of limitation. "It is not clear to me that what has happened [on the causeway] since 2011 is consistent with the city zoning code." He also asked, "Is the City estopped from enforcing its laws?" Speaking of the plans now being proposed Friedman went on, "What is clear is that they are adding a lane of travel that seems to me is prohibited by the zoning. . . . I just want to know what questions are being asked."
Audience member Timothy O'Connor brought up the work done last year on the haul road going east from Route 9G. The first part of the road going east--the first 930 feet--passes through a part of Hudson that is zoned Recreational Conservation. According to the zoning code, this alteration required a conditional use permit, but none was sought. O'Connor asked that the statute of limitations on this action be investigated.
Audience member Steve Dunn said he was very concerned about statute of limitations, citing the changes to the road through South Bay since 2011 and also the recently completed revetment at the dock. "Having read the zoning code as carefully as I can in the last two days," Dunn, who is an attorney, told the Council, "I believe that all those changes to the road--no matter how minor--required a conditional of use permit." Calling this "the most important issue facing the City right now," Dunn told Dow and the Council, "Someone needs to research this issue ASAP and generate an opinion letter we can rely on." Dunn further suggested that the City ask Colarusso to enter into an agreement to toll, or stop the clock on, the statute of limitations. Dunn asserted, "To the extent that the City's rights have been degraded, the City's bargaining position has been eroded."
The Greenport Planning Board is expected to continue its review of the proposed haul road at its meeting tonight, Tuesday, December 27. The regular meeting of the Planning Board begins at 7:30 p.m., but word is spreading that the haul road issue will be taken up during the workshop session, which begins at 6:30 p.m.
Hudson in the New York Times
Many weddings take place at Basilica Hudson, but not all of them are featured in the New York Times. Last week, one of them was: "Instant Chemistry, Caught on Video." Hudson readers may remember this wedding, if only slightly. The wedding's celebratory fireworks inspired a flurry of comments on Facebook wanting to know the source of the exploding sounds on a November night.
Long Ago on Promenade Hill
Today, the City of Hudson is struggling to provide universal access to Promenade Hill. In the mid-19th century, the concerns about this historic public space were a bit different. This item appeared in the Daily Star for June 11, 1851.
Prohibiting boys from playing "upon the productive portion of the Hill" reminds me of 2009, when the Common Council, at the urging of Mayor Rick Scalera, decided to ban pick-up soccer games from Henry Hudson Riverfront Park and relegate them to Charles Williams Park, which Scalera predicted would be, when completed, "the eighth wonder of the world."
Above is Charles Williams Park, soon after it was declared "all built out and complete" in 2015.
Gossips is taking Christmas off and will be back tomorrow.
Posted by Carole Osterink at 6:51 AM 1 comment:
Another Gift on Christmas Eve
Starting tomorrow, Christmas Day, and for the first five days of Christmas, you can get the first installment of Utopia Falls: A Jeremy Hudson Mystery (revised and corrected) FREE on Kindle. (For those who don't own a Kindle or any other kind of e-reader, you can read the Kindle version on your computer.)
In an email about this murder mystery in progress, set in a fictionalized Hudson, Fone told Gossips (and my vanity compels me to share): "The rest of it moves forward, and you or a simulacrum have now appeared. No, you haven't killed anyone yet, but you may be tempted."
A Gift on Christmas Eve
Last night, David Anderson, of Walking the dog Theater, performed Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at Solaris, 360 Warren Street. It marked the eleventh season that Anderson has offered his one-man adaptation of this classic work, and Dan Udell was there to videotape the performance. With Anderson's and Udell's permission, Gossips provides the link to that videotape, which is now on YouTube, so that you may experience Anderson's memorable performance on Christmas Eve.
N. C. Folger: An Afterword
For most of the month of December, Gossips has been reporting information uncovered about Nathan Cyprian Folger, a Hudson native who spent most of his adult life in New Orleans. On December 6, we told about the "new wholesale clothing manufactory" that N. C. Folger established here in Hudson in June 1857, in partnership with James Clark, to supply his retail clothing establishment in New Orleans.
A major line of clothing sold by N. C. Folger's Clothing Store was "plantation goods." One type of "plantation goods" was something described as "Negro Traders' Clothing"--what slaves were dressed in for market day.
An article about Folger and Clark's enterprise in Hudson, which appeared in the Daily Star, reveals that "Negro Traders' Clothing" was exactly what was being manufactured here in 1857, at the corner of Warren and Fourth streets, in the building that is now Face Stockholm: "Among other things we noticed several hundred suits of coarse blue satinett, designed for slaves, as market day attire. The vests are of a uniform style, colored and figured up to the highest standard of negro taste."
We also reported that in September 1861, five months after the Civil War began, a federal marshal shut down the operation here in Hudson and seized "merchandise, money, and other property." According to the item that appeared in the New-York Daily Tribune, there was evidence that the manufactory had been "for some time furnishing clothing, hardware and other contraband articles to the rebels."
In reporting the incident a week or so later, the Red Hook Weekly Journal speculated that the manufactory would soon be reopened because "we hear it asserted that Mr. Folger has no interest whatever in the establishment." On January 1, 1962, James Clark issued this notice, which appeared for several consecutive days in the Daily Star.
All of this has been shared before, but it is repeated now to provide background for the latest discovery. On the suggestion of a Gossips reader, I contacted Joseph Gatti, historian for the Town of Livingston, who told me an amazing story and gave me permission to share it.
Once upon a time, there was a building at the corner of Warren and Fifth streets, where the vacant lot is now. The building, remembered as Charlie's Corner, was destroyed by fire. When the ruins of this building were being taken down and the lot cleared, which Gatti remembers as happening in 1977, he was part of the crew doing the cleanup. When they were working in the cellar, they discovered a door that opened into a room under street. In that room was a chair, and on the chair were gray uniforms--Confederate Army uniforms.
Gatti has no idea what happened to the uniforms after he and his coworkers came upon them. Another mystery is why, if they were made in Clark and Folger's manufactory at Warren and Fourth street, they ended up being stashed in an underground hidey-hole a block away at Warren and Fifth.
Here's news for all you fans of Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!: The NPR News Quiz. The story of Hudson police officers breaking a car window on a frigid morning to rescue what they thought was an old woman made it on the show. It was the last question in the penultimate segment of the show, "Lightning Fill in the Blank," and it was asked of Amy Dickinson, who didn't give exactly the right answer. For better or for worse, the place where this happened is initially identified only as "New York," but the fact that it was Hudson is mentioned later. If you missed the show, which aired today from 11 to noon, you can listen on demand by clicking here.
How to Spend Christmas Eve
This evening at 5:30 p.m., the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church, temporarily displaced from their historic building by structural issues with the roof, will be holding a candlelight Christmas Eve service in Seventh Street Park. Weather.com is predicting temperatures in the high 30s and only a slight chance of rain, so it seems a perfect night to gather under the stars, as the shepherds did, to begin the celebration of Christmas.
Gerard David|Metropolitan Museum of Art
If you prefer a roof over your head on Christmas Eve, you can go to Christ Church Episcopal at 4 p.m. for a family Christmand Eve service or at 10:30 p.m. for carols followed by a Festal Eucharist at 11 p.m.
On Friday morning, after the Historic Preservation Commission took its official vote to deny a certificate of appropriateness for the demolition of 718-720 Union Street, HPC chair Rick Rector announced that the building would be demolished anyway. He explained that Ray Jurkowski, the engineer retained by the City of Hudson, and Craig Haigh, code enforcement officer, had determined that, in the interest of public safety, the building should be demolished.
After a public hearing, at which there was only one member of the public present to make a comment, the HPC considered the application to "renovate and restore" 21 Rossman Avenue.
After considerable deliberation, the HPC agreed to grant a certificate of appropriateness only to the proposed additions to the house: a new entrance and courtyard at the left of the building and two "glass boxes" at the back of the house. The original design of the house will remain intact except that the porch at the right will be enlarged and a vent at the attic level on one side of the house will be replaced by a window to match the window in the same position on the other side of the house.
Last Week at 401 State Street
Gossips regularly publishes the links to Dan Udell's videos of Common Council meetings. Udell also videotapes the meetings of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors--meetings that are far less entertaining but just as instructive. Click here to view the video of the December 14 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, during which Fifth Ward supervisor Rick Scalera presented a certificate of recognition to Arthur Koweek for fifty years of service on the county Planning Board.
Koweek was first appointed to the Columbia County Planning Board in 1967 and has been consistently reappointed to the board by a succession of Hudson mayors. In 1991, he was elected vice chair of the county Planning Board and has held that position continuously since. In the 1960s and 1970s, Koweek chaired the Hudson Planning Commission and later the Hudson Urban Renewal Agency, during the era that saw the demolition and reconstruction much of the Second Ward and the west side of Front Street. In 1984, as chair of the Hudson Community Development office, he spearheaded the unsuccessful effort to site an oil refinery on the Hudson waterfront.
Dan Udell's videotape of last night's Common Council meeting is now available on YouTube. Click here to watch.
Senator Schumer in Hudson
Columbia County was the last stop on Senator Charles Schumer's annual tour of all sixty-two counties in New York State. He appeared this morning in Hudson, at the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, 1 North Front Street.
In his remarks before a gathering of elected officials and the media, Schumer began by mentioning previous visits to Hudson, recalling that from time to time he had come for the Flag Day parade. He spoke in particular about one visit made to Hudson, in the early 2000s, during the cement plant battle. He remembered that the mayor at the time, whose name he admitted he could not recall but described as "a heavyset fellow," supported the cement plant and that he, Schumer, was somewhat sympathetic because he was told the cement plant meant jobs. "The people who wanted a livable, clean environment won that battle," Schumer recalled, "and the number of jobs that have come to this area to support the creative economy is far greater" than the industrial jobs promised by the proposed cement plant. "The economy in Hudson is growing," Schumer declared, "because the beautiful assets have been preserved." He spoke of a painting by Frederic Church, on loan to him from Olana, which hangs in his office and reminds him of the beauty of our part of the Hudson River.
Schumer's particular reason for visiting Hudson was to announce his support and assistance for the $25 million redevelopment project proposed by Sustainable Community Associates (SCA) for the abandoned Kaz warehouse site. The opportunities for developing the Kaz site and creating "the foundation of a new downtown" are constrained by the presence of CSX, which owns a 7-acre parcel on Front Street, adjacent to the Kaz warehouses and to 41 Cross Street, being transformed into a hotel called The Wick.
Schumer told the audience this morning, "This parcel houses a small building that functions as a resting spot and staging area for CSX crews. The 'crew shack' is utilized infrequently during train switching operations on the sidings of the railroad and is located about half a block away from the tracks." Schumer concluded, "This parcel is not vital to CSX, but it is vital to the SCA project. . . . CSX is being selfish, because they don't need the parcel, but SCA does."
The following letter, from Senator Schumer to the CEO of CSX, Michael Jon Ward, was distributed to the media this morning.
Dear Mr. Ward:
I am writing to request your assistance in addressing a piece of CSX owned property in the City of Hudson, NY. Though small in size and importance to the railroad, the parcel is key to a major development project that could transform Hudson's waterfront area.
The Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) is the local development corporation whose mission is to sustain, promote and attract projects that improve economic opportunities for businesses and residents, create jobs and enhance the quality of life in the City of Hudson.
The HDC, and the City of Hudson, is partnering with Sustainable Community Associates to bring a $25 million dollar mixed-used project to the former KAZ warehouse site on Front Street in Hudson, just southeast of Amtrak's Hudson Station. The proposed development calls for:
• Residential Space: A mix of 67 one- and two-bedroom units with varied layouts
• Modern Co-working Facility: Offered for independent contractors, startups, and self-employed people to have a flexible work environment, conference rooms, services and printing, without the cost of a full office
• Commercial Space: 24,600 square feet of space (including co-working) centered on retail designed to serve the local community, as well as office space with a focus on job creation
• Live/Work: The proposal includes 10 live/work spaces suitable for businesses smaller than a storefront on Warren Street, but requiring first-floor frontage
An important component of this project is the acquisition of a small CSX owned parcel. Obtaining ownership of this parcel allows for the critical Front street frontage for businesses and access points for public infrastructure, including roads and sidewalks.
Beginning in February 2015, HDC has made consistent efforts to communicate with CSX's Real Estate Office in Jacksonville, Florida. With almost two years of outreach resultin in dead-end communication, little constructive feedback, and no formal response from CSX, the City's largest redevelopment project since the 1980s has effectively come to a halt.
The CSX parcel, located immediately south of 60 Front Street, contains one small building that is used infrequently as a "crew shack" when doing switching operations on the sidings a half a block away. The developer, Sustainable Community Associates, has proposed a one-acre land swap, which would replace the current CSX parcel with a one acre parcel directly on the CSX rail siding.
This parcel is of little significance to your great railroad, but it is of tremendous consequence to the people of the City of Hudson and the ambitious plans to redevelop this historic Hudson River city. I ask that you please give your attention to the matter and instruct your Real Estate Office to engage HDC in discussions to try and make this property available for this worthy project.
Charles E. Schumer
During a site visit this morning, NYS Assemblymember Didi Barrett points out to Senator Schumer the location of Basilica Hudson. Included in the picture, from left to right: Ben Ezinga, Sustainable Community Associates; Schumer; Barrett; Sheena Salvino, HDC executive director; Jeffrey Hunt, Columbia County Chamber of Commerce president & CEO; Tiffany Garriga, Common Council majority leader; Tiffany Martin Hamilton, mayor of Hudson
In a press release, Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton spoke of the project and expressed her gratitude to Senator Schumer for his support:
It is unquestionable that thoughtful, careful development of our waterfront is critical to Hudson's economic development and sustainability. The proposal by Sustainable Community Associates to redevelop the area in and around the former Kaz warehouse is truly transformative, and very consistent with the vision of expanding beyond a traditional main street model and embracing Hudson's river town roots. In Hudson's densely developed two square miles, we are faced with the need for more residential and commercial space to support growth. SCA's plan addresses those needs, while contributing to the steady evolution of our waterfront area from its historical industrial use. To maximize curb appeal and provide natural, unbroken connection between Warren Street and the south end of town along Front Street, SCA hopes to acquire property form CSX. On behalf of Hudson, I am incredibly grateful to Senator Schumer for his interest in our city, and for any assistance he is able to offer to facilitate discussions between SCA and CSX to help ensure this project's success.
While Schumer was addressing those gathered in the Chamber of Commerce conference room this morning, Timothy O'Connor, tireless advocate for South Bay and the natural environment, stood just outside the window holding picket signs, one of which, written on the back of a Tiffany Martin Hamilton campaign sign, read: "Enviro-justice NOT gravel expansion."
$100,000 Here, $100,000 There . . .
and pretty soon you're talking about real money.
Tonight, at its regular meeting for December, the Common Council passed the resolution, initiated by Alderman Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward), to increase the funding for the ramp at Promenade Hill by $100,000, but not before aldermen John Friedman (Third Ward) and Garriga and to a lesser extent Abdus Miah (Second Ward) had a heated discussion about the wisdom of redirecting $100,000, which had been written into the 2017 budget against the possibility of a lawsuit over the City's weighted voting system should the Fair & Equal referendum fail, toward the proposed ramp at Promenade Hill.
Most of what was said has been said before. Friedman told Garriga and Miah, "You spend money like water." Garriga repeatedly invoked people with disabilities, as well as mothers with strollers, who were denied access to Hudson's most historic park. Miah complained that $20,000 had been appropriated for a ramp and asserted that those members of the Common Council who were unhappy with the ramp that $20,000 would buy were now obligated to support the resolution that would appropriate $100,000 to the ramp. Friedman had a different solution: "Do it right, and fund it slowly." To this Garriga countered, "Tell the disabled that we don't need a ramp."
Audience member Steve Dunn called for the vote on the resolution to be deferred and added a new wrinkle to the argument. He suggested that the $100,000, originally appropriated for legal fees, was needed for legal fees of a different nature: "to hire separate counsel to deal with Colarusso" and its proposal, now before the Planning Board, for a haul road from the quarry to the dock.
When a vote was finally called, the resolution passed--but barely. The resolution required a simple majority, which is 1,015 affirmative votes; it got 1,019 affirmative votes. Those supporting the resolution were Council president Claudia DeStefano (190) and aldermen Robert Donahue (Fifth Ward, 364), Garriga (185), Miah (185), and Lauren Scalera (Fourth Ward, 95). Those opposing the resolution were alderman Friedman (180), Henry Haddad (Third Ward, 180), Priscilla Moore (Fifth Ward, 364), Michael O'Hara (First Ward, 95), and Rick Rector (First Ward, 95). Alderman Alexis Keith (Fourth Ward) was absent from the meeting.
A Clue About What Came Before
Our train station is definitely historic. Constructed in 1874, it has the distinction of being the oldest surviving station between New York City and Albany.
The train station we have now, however, is not the original Hudson train station. We know that the original Hudson depot on the Hudson River Railroad was located in approximately the same spot as the current station. We also know that it was a wooden structure, and it burned to the ground in November 1873. What we don't know is what it looked like. There is, to my knowledge, no pictorial documentation of the original train station. But this item, from the Hudson Daily Star for June 10, 1851, gives a clue about its design.
The News When It Happened
We all know that South Bay was rendered inaccessible to sailing ships when the Hudson River Railroad was built. Earlier today, I discovered this news item, which appeared in the Hudson Daily Star on June 7, 1851, about the construction of the embankment that carried the railroad across the mouth of the bay.
Painting of South Bay and Mt. Merino by Henry Ary
Promenade Hill in 1851
Preserving Community Character
A Reason to Go to the Bronx
How Many Trucks?
Cold Now, Snow Tomorrow
What Would You Have Done?
News from County Government
Sanford Gifford's Patron N. C. Folger: Part 4
A Sure Way to Get in the Christmas Spirit
Water, Hudson, and Colarruso: Some History
See It for Yourself
New Management for Bliss Towers
News from Friday's HPC Meeting
Support the Eleanor . . .
Three Hearings and No Quorum
What's Happening at 400 State Street?
Grant Money Coming to Hudson
A Recommended Holiday Day Trip
Another N. C. Folger Discovery
"For Better or Worse"
Public Hearings Happening This Week
A Footnote to the Folger Story
The History of Hudson Before It Was Hudson
Winter Walk Awards
A Sanford R. Gifford Discovery
Indoor Market Starts Tomorrow
Much Ado About House Numbers
A Gossips Book List
A Holiday Performance Not to Be Missed


text:
Notes: UW benefits from Jason Erdmann's versatility on offensive line
Jeff Potrykus
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Jason Erdmann felt as if he was cramming for a final exam.
Knowing tight end Zander Neuville might not be available to play against Iowa because of an ankle injury suffered the previous week, the Wisconsin coaches designed a jumbo package featuring two extra offensive linemen.
Erdmann, a redshirt junior who can play guard or center, and reserve tackle Logan Bruss, a redshirt freshman, were on call.
Erdmann also had to prepare to fill in at left guard if Michael Deiter went down and at center if Tyler Biadasz went own.
"It was a struggle," Erdmann said after UW's 28-17 victory over the Hawkeyes. "At the beginning of the week, I was juggling tight end stuff, center and guard.
GAME STORY: Badgers score twice late to beat Iowa
AWARDS: Game balls, inside the huddle, by the numbers
BOX SCORE:UW 28, Iowa 17
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Scoreboard, box scores, standings
"At the beginning of the week, I had to think to myself: 'What position am I at? What's the play?'
"It wasn't right away but I got there."
Erdmann and Bruss were used separately and in tandem to help UW run the ball at Iowa's stout front.
Then after Biadasz was injured on UW's first offensive series of the third quarter, Erdmann took over at center. He was at center for UW's final five series, three of which ended in touchdowns.
"Going into the game I knew if Tyler went down or Deiter I would have to switch," Erdmann said. "I just never knew when.
"When I was at (center) I didn't have to worry."
Deiter, who has started games at center, left guard and left tackle, raved about Erdmann's performance.
"He was awesome," Deiter said. "To go from … I mean, it's hard enough to be prepared to play center, let alone prepared to play tight end, center and left guard. He has been unreal for us and he played unreal tonight. He is reliable."
Van Ginkel, Neuville inspire
Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and tight end Zander Neuville, essential pieces to UW's success, spent most of the week leading to the Iowa game in the training room trying to overcome leg/ankle injuries.
"I was in the training room all week just to get ready to play this game," Van Ginkel said. "I was limited. I could do certain stuff. But certain movements it hurt. Coach didn't want to just throw me in and injure it worse.
"I'm just doing what I can to help this team win."
Van Ginkel and Neuville, UW's best blocking tight end, played sparingly in the victory over Iowa.
Yet their determination left an impression with their teammates.
"Everyone on this field today really proved that we are gritty and we want to write our story," fullback Alec Ingold said. "It is a game of resilience and those guys set the tone."
What type of story do the players hope to pen?
"Resilient," Ingold said. "Smart, tough, dependable. Keep the mindset of what the seniors have laid before us but also put our own little notes on it."
Tailback by committee
Although Jonathan Taylor got 25 of the 41 carries by UW running backs, he had plenty of help against the Hawkeyes.
Taylor finished with 113 yards, the 14th time in 18 college games he has broken the 100-yard mark.
But tailback Taiwan Deal ran over and through tacklers and added 42 yards on seven carries. Garrett Groshek added 33 yards on eight carries and Ingold ripped off a 33-yard touchdown run at the end of the game and finished with 37 yards on two carries.
The quartet combined for 225 yards on 41 carries, an average of 5.5 yards per carry.
Deal's power running style helps wear defenses down and Groshek's versatility, particularly on third downs, is critical.
Look for the staff to continue to use Deal and Groshek in certain roles to help the offense and ease Taylor's workload.
Ferguson bounces back
With UW trailing, 17-14, and facing third and 3 from the Iowa 44 in the fourth quarter, tight end Jake Ferguson dropped what should have been an easy conversion.
UW punted.
Ferguson, a redshirt freshman, regrouped and had a 12-yard catch to the Iowa 17 on UW's 88-yard touchdown drive. He finished with 58 yards on four catches.
"It is really tough," he said of the drop. "Coming into spring ball, at practice every day, my big thing is: 'Don't drop any balls. Don't drop any balls. No matter what, do not drop a ball.'
"That one was rough for me but I had a lot of support from the guys. All the coaches were there.
"I really appreciate them being there."
Badgers join the 700 club
UW improved its program record to 700-491-53 with the victory and became the fifth current member of the Big Ten and 26th program overall to reach that milestone.
UW joined Big Ten members Michigan (946), Ohio State (902), Nebraska (893) and Penn State (881).
Extra points
» UW won its 16th consecutive Big Ten regular-season game, the longest active conference streak in the nation…
» The victory extended UW's Big Ten road-winning streak to eight games, the longest mark in program history…
» Iowa finished 5 for 11 on third-down conversions, a dramatic improvement over the Hawkeyes' 0-for-13 performance in a 38-14 loss last season. Yet the Hawkeyes lost in part because they converted just once on their final four chances.


qr code generator using vb.net: FIGURE 9-3 Using alternating row colors. in .NET framework Creator Code 39 in .NET framework FIGURE 9-3 Using alternating row colors.
Creator Code 39 in .NET framework FIGURE 9-3 Using alternating row colors.
FIGURE 9-3 Using alternating row colors.
Using Barcode maker for Visual Studio .NET Control to generate, create Code 39 Full ASCII image in VS .NET applications.
Using Barcode generation for VS .NET Control to generate, create USS Code 39 image in .NET framework applications.
You can further manipulate how the grid renders your data by using a data template. This is XAML that defines how you want the data to be laid out, including binding to specific fields.
Using Barcode generation for .NET Control to generate, create ANSI/AIM Code 39 image in Visual Studio .NET applications.
Using Barcode creator for .NET Control to generate, create GS1-128 image in VS .NET applications.
Using Barcode printer for VS .NET Control to generate, create Code 128B image in Visual Studio .NET applications.
Using Barcode generation for .NET framework Control to generate, create European Article Number 13 image in .NET framework applications.
Using Barcode creator for .NET Control to generate, create GTIN - 12 image in .NET applications.
Using Barcode printer for Office Excel Control to generate, create PDF-417 2d barcode image in Office Excel applications.
In this XAML, the DataGrid has its columns predefined using <my:DataGrid.Columns>. Within this, you can override the default columns template of one field per cell by defining a new <my:DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate> for each cell, which will contain the code to define how you want the cell to be rendered. As you can see, you have defined only two cells, so this grid, regardless of the number of data fields, will have only two columns. The first column, defined by the first cell template, will be a StackPanel containing three text fields a hard-coded 123, the data-bound strHead property of the NewsHeadline class, and the data-bound strPubDate of the NewsHeadline class. The StackPanel stacks these fields vertically.
Using Barcode creator for BIRT reports Control to generate, create EAN13 image in Eclipse BIRT applications.
Using Barcode printer for BIRT Control to generate, create bar code image in Eclipse BIRT applications.
Using Barcode generator for Reporting Service Control to generate, create Code 128C image in Reporting Service applications.
Using Barcode creator for Java Control to generate, create Data Matrix 2d barcode image in Java applications.
Now when you execute this code, you see the DataGrid containing the defined column templates shown in Figure 9-4. It s not very pretty, but it does illustrate how you can control the appearance of your output from the DataGrid control.
FIGURE 9-4 Using a data template to define how the data is rendered.
The DataGrid control has a huge API that deserves a book to describe it in its own right. However, what you ve learned about it over the last few pages should give you an appreciation for the flexibility that it provides, and you can use this basic information to take it to the next level as you build your Silverlight applications.
qr code generator using vb.net: Silverlight renders the text using a VideoBrush, and Figure 10-13 shows how this is displayed. in VS .NET Drawer Code 39 Full ASCII in VS .NET Silverlight renders the text using a VideoBrush, and Figure 10-13 shows how this is displayed.
qr code generator using vb.net: Don t forget that Visual Studio really helps you to type this; press the Tab key when prompted. in .NET framework Generator Code39 in .NET framework Don t forget that Visual Studio really helps you to type this; press the Tab key when prompted.
c# print barcode zebra: FIGURE 13-4 Templated buttons. in .NET framework Create Code 3/9 in .NET framework FIGURE 13-4 Templated buttons.
qr code generator vb.net free: FIGURE 2-26 Your application flow. in .NET framework Printer Code 39 Full ASCII in .NET framework FIGURE 2-26 Your application flow.
create a qr code using c# and asp.net: FIGURE 15-7 MVP is used under the hood, but you can t see it from the UI. in Visual C# Maker QR-Code in Visual C# FIGURE 15-7 MVP is used under the hood, but you can t see it from the UI.


Get an exclusive cocktail shaker set free with any purchase of Festival Village or 50 mins with 50 Best passes.
Singapore Cocktail Festival (SGCF) is a social and experiential gathering of drink makers and lovers from around the world.
Expect imaginative spirit experiences, award-winning bars and bartenders over 3 nights at the Festival Village @ Empress Lawn.
50 mins with 50 Best is an exclusive series of masterclasses happening inside the Singapore Cocktail Festival Village.
Each session features a bartender from Asia's 50 Best Bars and The World's 50 Best Bars list, sharing their innovative techniques and insider tricks.


Well I don't think anyone can be unhappy with that result can they? Going into the final ten minutes I was happy we would probably take a point from the game if we continued to fight the way we were. However I did feel on the basis of out performance we probably deserved to take home all three points. Then Aaron Ramsey turns up at the back post and the rest is history.
Arsenal really turned up as a team for the game. I thought we all worked hard for one another and our defending, whilst at times was last gasp, was good and it's looking like the work at the training ground is paying off.
Arsene Wenger went into this match by making two changes to the side which won at Sunderland. The injured Kieran Gibbs was replaced by Andre Santos and Andrey Arshavin coming in for a rare start in place of Gervinho who dropped to the bench.
The team did seem to have the right balance. However it appeared our game plan was to push our full backs on to make sure the home side couldn't get at us down the wings because their attackers would have to be defending inside their own half. And it worked. Carl Jenkinson and Andre Santos with good contributions going forward.
Our dogged midfield three of Rosicky, Arteta and Song made sure they broke up play well and that we turned defence to attack as quickly as we could. There wasn't much creative about the way these three played during the majority of the game but they got stuck in doing the dirty work to ensure our defence wasn't left exposed.
At the back I thought the Mertesacker/Koscielny partnership was superb. Whilst the German has earned praise for his measured performances, I think in European football is where we've seen the best of the Frenchman. We all know how he marshaled Messi when we played Barcelona. But I think last night we again witnessed another shift were he didn't put a foot wrong.
He was quick to clear danger. Read the game well and anticipated attacking threat and then tried his best to score at set pieces in front of the Marseille goal.
Personally he was my man of the match.
A quick mention of Theo Walcott's performance. How can Theo believe he's good enough to play as a central striker when he can't score a good opportunity like the one which presented itself to him last night? If Walcott wants to play down the middle he's got to be scoring those. That's not the first time he's mucked up when it's seemed harder for him to miss than to put the ball in the back of the net. He shot straight at the keeper when we played Bolton last month when through on goal.
Walcott has seen Arsene Wenger bring in three players who can play on the wings in the summer in Gervinho, Miyaichi and Oxlade Chamberlain. Now he keeps banging on about playing down the middle because he knows it won't be long before he's not first choice in his current position. But he's failed to realise he's not good enough in front of goal and that's why the manager won't play him there.
In my opinion Theo's not as good as he thinks he is. He's got no tricks and the only way he can get passed a player is with his pace. It's lucky for him Wenger has had other areas of the team to worry about more because he could have been axed a lot sooner.
Whilst he's good at what he does and is still young, I really want to see him leap forward and become a stand out player for us. At the moment I still feel he's got a lot to prove. We need him as a player who starts virtually every game to win us some matches. Wenger might claim Walcott is efficient, but he's hiding the fact that the player is yet to step up.
One player who certainly has stepped up and not hidden away is Aaron Ramsey and I was delighted it was him who scored the winning goal. Whilst his confidence might not be sky high, he's not hidden away and let games passed him by.
I thought Wenger was right to give him a breather. He's given everything in all the games he's played in this season and things haven't always come off. But seeing him at the back post last night coming onto that ball I thought he would only score. There would be no way he'd mess up this chance and he banged it into the back of the net.
There has been a lot of creative responsibility put on the Welshman's shoulders this season, especially without Fabregas, Nasri and the injured Wilshere. He might not be ready for that pressure but he's never hidden and even when things aren't going right for him worked hard for the team, always making himself available to receive the ball.
So I was really pleased to see him score and hopefully that will make him feel more confident.
We're now top of the group. The manager had said the target was four points from the two Marseille games. So we're probably ahead of his schedule. Now we've got to look forward to playing Stoke on Sunday and I'm sure there will be a lot of practicing of defending of set pieces before then.


Setting on custom boat trailer with current registration & permanent plates (needs 4 new tires: P215 / 75 R15) Located West Palm Springs, California. "restoration project" . Electrical & plumbing need much attention. Front skylight needs replacement. No refrigerator & stove is missing burner grills. Shower & toilet stall is solid, however, the original gray water tank may have been a problem ~ floor beneath shower stall needs repair.
16' vintage trailer, Gilroy CA. This restoration was performed by Mintage Trailers of Missoula, Montana in 2012.


text:
Friday, April 10, 2020 Staff
Survey: Real Estate Agents Hopeful for Rebound after Virus
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With an expected slowdown in real estate activity, members of the National Association of Realtors are hopeful for a market rebound after the coronavirus pandemic ends.
In a survey of members, 90% of members said they saw buyer interest decline due to the COVID-19 outbreak and 80% said the number of homes on the market had declined.
Meanwhile, 59% said buyers are delaying purchases for a couple months and 57% said sellers are putting off listing their home.
"Home sales will decline this spring season because of unique economic and social consequences resulting from the coronavirus outbreak, but much of the activity looks to reappear later in the year," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, in a statement. "Home prices will remain stable because of a pandemic-induced reduction in inventory coupled with less immediate concerns over foreclosures."
Once the routines return to normal, respondents to the Economic Pulse Flash Survey said, 63% said buyers are expecting a decline in home prices as buyers "sense less competition in the current environment." Conversely, 72% of real estate agents surveyed said sellers have not lowered prices.
Nearly half of property managers, 46%, and 27% of landlords said they are able to accommodate tenants that can not pay rent.
The full report on the Economic Pulse Flash Survey, conducted April 5 and 6, can be read here.
Source: National Association of Realtors
Appalachian Hub Project Gets OK to Apply for Funding
CHARLESTON, W. Va.—The U.S. Department of Energy has encouraged the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, or ARCH2, to submit a full application for the regional clean hydrogen hub Funding Opportunity Announcement, the organization reports. The funding opportunity program is a…
Ford F-150 Lightning Wins North American Truck of the Year
PONTIAC, Mich. – The Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup has been named the 2023 North American Truck of the Year, beating out finalists Lordstown Motors Corp.'s Endurance pickup EV and the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 for the top prize. The North…
New Vehicle Sales in Mahoning Valley Took Hit in 2022
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Sales of new vehicles to residents of Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties were substantially lower in 2022 compared with the previous year, according to a dealer's association report. Data provided by the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association…