Donations Collected for Train of Hope, A Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort
Having experienced our own recovery after Hurricane Katrina, we know all too well how those in the Northeast are feeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In an effort to help with the disaster relief, we found a local organization, Train of Hope, that StirlingProperties is supporting. In addition to donating badly needed supplies like cleaning supplies, diapers and other baby items, toiletries, and blankets, we also donated Christmas toys to the Train of Hope collection effort. With the help of Amtrak, many generous individuals and volunteers, the train left on Friday, December 14th to deliver these critical supplies and toys to areas of New York and New Jersey devastated by Hurricane Sandy. TWO baggage cars were filled with donations from all 50 states.
Stirling Properties Adopts Christmas Angels
Pictured (L-R): Dick Cyr, Nancy Stallings, Marcia McGarrity, Karen Bachemin, Ellen McCain, Krystal Jones, Jessica Zeringue, Lindsey Palmer, Tracy Gandy, Gena Randall, Laura Wallace, Amanda Zell, Rhonda Creel, Kristy Beach, Carri Creel, Judy McKee, Tara Slater, Angelique Bates, Grady Brame, Ashlee White and Joseph Koon
Stirling Properties has teamed up with Volunteers of America this holiday season to adopt 4 Northshore families. Agents and employees of Stirling Properties have donated food baskets and gifts for these families that are in need this Christmas season, with items being delivered over the next few days. We were able to provide gifts and food for a total of 13 family members, parents and children, whose ages range from 18 months to 40 years old.
Mid-City Market – December Update
Foundation, Standing Columns, and Joist Girders at Winn-Dixie – 12/5/12
Steel Tower Elements at Building Under Renovation – 12/5/12
We have moved forward rapidly in the site and building construction at Mid-City Market in New Orleans. At Winn-Dixie, structural steel arrived on site and we have erected the standing up columns and joist girders within the interior footprint of the 53,000 square-foot building. We have completed underground plumbing and electrical work in all the areas with the steel overhead. In the next two weeks, we will be constructing the exterior load bearing metal stud framing walls and following immediately thereafter will be structural steel at the exterior. We will be completing underground plumbing and electrical work in exterior areas within two weeks, and beginning concrete pours of the slab at Winn-Dixie on December 21st.
At the existing building under renovation, we have erected the steel tower elements for the entrances of the stores which will include Office Depot, Jefferson Feed, Panera, and Pizza Hut. The changes to the rear wall and repairs for the masonry are approximately 90% completed, and within the next two weeks the front curbs for the storefronts will be poured. We have begun the prep work and plan for the repairs for the roofing and decking to be replaced as well. The two small-shop buildings fronting Carrollton are progressing quickly as well – we are progressing with the underground work, expecting structural steel on site within the next two weeks, and aim to complete the slab pours by the end of the year.
Walgreens on Magazine – Update 12/6/12
Both interior and exterior work are progressing at a good pace this month. As the photo indicates the address precast stone was placed at the roofline just this week and the brick veneer on Magazine Street is nearly complete. This will be striking when the scaffolding is removed and when all the fine stucco detail work is complete in the next few weeks. Interior work is a combination of drywall installation, initial floor prep, electrical rough-in and final HVAC ductwork connections. The rear wall facing the parking lot is now covered with stucco and will have the finish coat in place this coming week. Things are coming together, stay tuned.
East Coast, West Coast…Emergence of the Third Coast
I wanted to share this recently published article, “The Rise of the Third Coast,” by Joel Kotkin, an internationally-recognized researcher and author on global, economic, political and social trends. In the piece, Kotkin describes the “Third Coast,” in large part driven by a “resurgent New Orleans” region, as “one of the major forces in twenty-first-century America.”
One quote in this article that is particularly striking to me is regarding the education system:
In a new report, government efficiency expert David Osborne describes New Orleans’s reforms as a “breakthrough.” The results, he says, are “spectacular: test scores, graduation rates, college-going rates, and public approval have more than doubled in five years.” He adds, “I believe this is the single most important experiment in American education today.”
Walgreens on Magazine – Update 11/2/12
The project is still moving along at a fast pace. Following the setting of the base cast stone, you can now see that the front façade brick veneer is going up quickly. The large windows facing Magazine street are taking shape and it will not be long before this phase is complete. The interior work is progressing with the installation of drywall, completion of framing, HVAC Ductwork, Electrical Rough-In and the concrete decking work at the second floor.
