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Rich Martin: Over the next few segments of Do It Yourself, we will be examining new trends in the housing industry for 2007. Homebuilder George Amedore joins us today to talk about one of his projects. One of the first things I noticed about walking in your home is the open floor space. George Amedore: Yes, there is a lot of open floor space in this floor plan itself. The home features 4,100 square feet of living space. .
(AXcess News) Washington - An economic slowdown has caused homebuyers to think twice about buying a new home as inflation drove up living costs for most Americans thanks to a spike in energy prices and growing concerns in the workplace. New-home construction in August fell 6 percent, the Commerce Department reported, with new-home construction down nearly 20 percent compared to the same period last year when the boom inhousing was still at its peak. Total housing starts dropped 6.0 percent in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.665 million units, according to figures released by the Commerce Department today. The pace of new-home construction was down 19.8 percent from a year earlier, which was a record-breaking year. Builders slowed the pace of single-family home construction by 5.9 percent for the month to 1.360 million units, a 20.6 percent drop from a year earlier.
Gabriel "Sonny" Emmett Jr., an El Paso real estate developer and home builder who had a hand in developing several West Side subdivisions, including the area around Coronado Country Club, died Monday at age 78. His real estate and home construction companies operated under the name Emmett Inc., and Emmett and Associates. For several years, he also owned Sun Datsun and Rolls Royce, where Casa Nissan is now located in East-Central El Paso. "He was the finest gentleman I ever met," said Guillermo Licon, owner of SLI Engineering Inc., which did engineering and land development for Emmett's company. He also was a friend of Emmett's. "He was a good businessman, fair. He acquired land and had a vision to develop it. He was a good family man." Tom Emmett, one of Emmett's sons who worked with his father at Sun Datsun, recalled how he gave big discounts, and in some cases, gave free cars to people going through bad times.
The Observer recently printed an article and an editorial on the findings of a recent UNC Charlotte Urban Institute poll that asked almost 3,900 residents if they want developers to help cover the costs of expanding services for new subdivisions. It found that 80 percent said yes. When the reporter called me to ask for my reaction, I quickly told him what I expected the response to be: "80 percent." How could I answer for 3,900 residents? Because the question leads the respondent to believe someone else will pay. This is not a simple issue. To oversimplify it with a question that produces a predetermined outcome is an injustice. I know most residents believe the Home Builders Association of Charlotte is a powerful lobbying group for the self interest of builders and developers.
Three workers were injured and one died when a truss collapsed at a construction site in Milford, Monday afternoon. The workers were putting up wooden trusses on an addition being made to the South Hill Church on S. Hill Road. One truss fell creating a domino affect collapsing several trusses. The four men were trapped for about 45 minutes while Milford police and firefighters worked to rescue them. Two workers were in critical condition and two were in serious condition when they were transported to Huron Valley, Beaumont and Providence Hospitals with head, neck and back injuries. .
Construction could start as early as June on the Sunnyside Middle School project if there is no opposition. Superintendent Ed Eiler of the Lafayette School Corp. made that assessment Saturday at the final public workshop on the project. The workshop at Sunnyside reviewed the previous six workshops. He said construction and/or renovation at the 50-year-old school was inevitable. "The challenge here is that you want to do a project the community wants to support," he said. "At some point in time we had to do something. "The thing I like about this project is that it will serve all the children in the community." Eiler urged Lafayette taxpayers to attend the Oct. 23 board meeting. The session will focus on the Sunnyside Middle School project, the Jefferson High School arts center and new security features at all LSC schools.
FROM OLD-TIMERS who have been inducted to young athletes still competing who may be future members, the new Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame is a huge hit. Just opened in its new digs at the Halifax Metro Centre, the Hall of Fame is a glamorous facility, displaying equipment, uniforms, pictures and complete lists of Nova Scotias sport heroes and builders in sparkling showcases and lockers. Visitors can watch film and video highlights in a sport theatre and access detailed information on inductees through a series of computers. While relishing the new location for the first time, current track star, Canadian record holder and national team member Adrienne Power of East Jeddore points out "there are interactive things for kids to do. Theyll love the place when they first see it and want to come back when they are older with a real appreciation for whats here." The interactive area referred to by Adrienne will be a major attraction for the video-game set and for adults, too.
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