Latest news with #BuildingFund
Scoop
4 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Historic Inglewood Standing Proud With Help From NPDC Heritage Fund
The makeover of Inglewood's historic commercial heart for the town's 150th anniversary is continuing with help from NPDC's Heritage Building Fund. Originally built on the corner of Matai and Kelly streets in 1875, Fern Lodge is a two-storey building burned down and was rebuilt in 1905. The $30,000 grant from NPDC's Heritage Building Fund contributed to much needed repairs to the aging weatherboards, window frames and other fixtures as well as repainting the entire outside of the building, said owner Mike Smart. 'Inglewood is the hub of Taranaki with a lot of people coming in from all directions. The town's heritage buildings make it a place where people want to stop and visit, and they make it a great place to live. We're proud of Inglewood's historic character, so the funding is important to our economy and community identity,' said Mr Smart. NPDC District Planning Supervisor Lauren O'Byrne said it was important to protect and celebrate the district's heritage, especially in a town with as many historic buildings as Inglewood. 'Our history is essential to sustaining our district's prosperity. Looking after our heritage buildings ensures it remains a place where people want to live, work and invest and whānau want to raise their tamariki. The heritage building grants also help local jobs and businesses who do the work,' said Ms O'Byrne. The fund also contributed to sprucing up the Railway Hotel, built in 1876 on the corner of Rata and Moa streets, and the Deem and Shearer building, better known now as Caffe Windsor on the corner of Matai and Kelly streets, which dates from 1875. Applications to the fund are open until 4 July and building and business owners can apply through the NPDC website: Built, Cultural and Natural Heritage Protection Funds FAST FACTS Inglewood/Kōhanga Moa was established in 1875 with many of the first European inhabitants coming from Britain, East Prussia (now in Poland), Denmark and Switzerland. The railway from New Plymouth reached the town in 1876 and its railway station is the oldest in Aotearoa still in its original location. Sacred Heart Catholic Church, built by Polish immigrants on Standish Street in 1899, received $25,000 towards the cost of repainting the Category A protected building in 2023. Inglewood Library, one of five NPDC community libraries, celebrated its centenary in 2024. Inglewood's historic town hall was built in 1913 and can still be booked for events. Inglewood has 12 protected heritage structures in the 143 protected structures across New Plymouth District.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Career Impact Academy on track for May 1 completion date
Mar. 31—GRAND FORKS — The Career Impact Academy is on track for a substantial completion date of May 1. The Grand Forks Public Schools Facilities Committee heard the construction update following the regular School Board meeting Monday evening. In the report, district officials noted that the project progressed much more quickly than expected and no delays are anticipated. "We have a plan to absolutely get this building completed on time and ready for students for the fall," district business manager Brandon Baumbach told the committee. Furniture for the academy is expected to arrive in July, and a ribbon-cutting and open house is tentatively scheduled for August. The project is expected to come in at just under $31 million and was funded primarily through the district's building fund. The building fund is being used now to drive forward an air handling unit project at Kelly Elementary School ($88,135) and the Central High School pool recommissioning project ($181,075), but after the completion of those projects and the academy, the fund will be given a bit of a breather, Baumbach said. The Facilities Committee will discuss long-term projects and other priorities at its upcoming meeting on April 16. The committee also received an update on the new Valley Middle School, which is now roughly halfway through construction and has a projected substantial completion date of December 2025. The $55 million project is now 8.72% under budget, although the numbers aren't yet final. The project is making good time, district Building and Grounds Director Jonathan Ellwein reported, but a bathroom bill currently being considered by the Legislature could set the project back significantly if passed. As the proposed policy is written now, Valley's bathroom designs — separated by gender but with a common hand-washing area — would likely be deemed noncompliant. The district is seeking clarification on whether the in-construction bathrooms would qualify as existing facilities under the proposal. "That is the one thing that could derail the finances on this project, but I think even getting some clarity on some of the language in the bill would help," Ellwein said Monday. Other updates heard by the committee Monday include the new Central High School kitchen, which achieved substantial completion last month and cost $5.136 million, coming in nearly 15% under budget, and a number of safety and security upgrades districtwide, which are now 2.25% over budget and with few exceptions are expected to be completed by the beginning of next school year. In other news, * School Board members approved a guaranteed maximum price for safety and security enhancements at Kelly Elementary School. The board approved a GMP of of $727,905 with a total project cost of $862,567. * The board's finance committee also recommended the board sign off on allocating Building Fund dollars to replace Lewis and Clark Elementary's broken intercom system, which is obsolete. The project is expected to cost $36,994, including a 10% contingency. Board members approved the funds. * Board members heard a financial update from Baumbach. Between July 1, 2024, and Feb. 28, the district's revenues are $84.5 million and expenditures are $72 million, "right where we'd expect us to be in the year," Baumbach said. Other expenses are also down 52%. The board voted to accept the general financial report. * The board voted to adopt a slate of policies without changes since the last reading. Among the amended policies is new guidance that School Board members do not have authority to resolve complaints about unlawful harassment or discrimination, and guidance that the board "will not hear, consider, or act upon personnel complaints and must remain neutral and uninvolved in the investigation process."
