When mortgage rates rise, home remodeling typically increases because it’s cheaper to remodel than to purchase.
While today’s 30-year rates are under 6 percent, the unstable economy is forcing people to look at remodeling if they need more space.
Many homeowners are looking underground for that additional space.
“Homeowners are looking at better ways to utilize the space available in their basements than create more space by adding on,” said Bonnie Wolke, who with her husband Denny have owned Wesson Builders, Toledo, since 1986.
Jim Burnor, owner of Burnor Appraisal Service, Toledo, added, “A finished basement enhances a property’s value, overall utility and general appeal. Having a finished basement makes a house worth more.”
How that additional value impacts property taxes depends on what is done. According to the Lucas County Auditor’s Office, if the basement remodel is an extension of and has the same look as the main living area, then it will be included when the property is reassessed.
One of the steps homeowners must take as they begin to consider remodeling or finishing their basement is to make sure it is dry and that there is no water seepage through the floor or foundation walls, said Glenn Banas, who with his wife Ann have owned Banas Construction, Waterville, since 1978.
Banas also said any bowed walls need to be corrected, and homeowners should look into a battery or water-driven back up for the sump pump.
“You do not want to cover up [any problems] and have to spend a lot of money to repair the damage later,” Banas said.
Once you get your basement ready, what’s next?
“The first thing we ask homeowners is what functionality do you want?” said Denny Wolke of Wesson Builders.
Homeowners have a wide range of options for their basements – a recreation area, a play area for the kids, a family room, a wet or dry bar area, a home theater or even a “mancave.”
Banas said, “The sky’s the limit. There is really nothing you can’t do in the basement that you can do in the upstairs.”
No matter the purpose, Wolke said that nearly all remodels include either adding a full or a half bathroom in the basement.
He said a lot of homeowners add amenities and features in their basement that normally would be seen in the main living areas. For example, recent bathrooms Wesson Builders has built in basements include features like ceramic tile floor, furniture-grade vanities and glass shower doors.
“Things that you would see in a master suite are making their way into the second bathroom,” he said.
As you starting thinking of how you want to use your basement, almost no matter what you choose, there are some basics you’ll need – like walls.
With concrete walls, Banas said some homeowners like to give it a faux brick look that can be left as one color or each “brick” painted to give it a particular look. However, with that, there is little insulation.
Wolke said there are generally two main options for walls: pre-finished panels with a fabric surface, or building a stud wall system and using drywall. While the pre-finished panels may be quicker and less messy, they do not provide the insulation and other flexibility a stud wall system offers, he said.
Comparable in price to a fabric wall system, a stud wall system allows contractors to add insulation and vapor barriers, and even the option of moving the HVAC vent from the system down the walls with vents at the floor. There also are drywall products that are resistant to mold and mildew, Wolke said.
The ceiling also is a consideration. If the basement has 9-foot walls, homeowners usually have the option to add a flat, drop ceiling. If you have an 8-foot ceiling, adding a drop ceiling typically doesn’t offer much head room and means the ductwork and joists are exposed. In those projects, Banas said the open ceiling is usually painted a solid color that is neutral like white or one that complements the rest of the basement.
One word of caution both Banas and Wolke offered is for those homeowners who want to add a bedroom in their basement. If you do so, building codes require that an egress window be added as a second means of escaping in case of a fire. Doing so often requires a large window and a well dug outside that window.
While the final price of a basement remodel depends on what homeowners want, the low end will start around $12,000 to $15,000 and can go up to $20,000, $30,000 and more. For the duration of a basement finishing project, homeowners can expect four to six or eight weeks from start to finish.

Gary Milholland missed a call for this interview because he was out smelling the roses.

“I had to get away from the computer,” he said. “I went to this beautiful garden in Columbus [Ohio]. Whenever the wind would blow, it would pick up the fragrance of all the flowers; it was fantastic.”

The 30-year-old is breathing in life’s sweet scents since he quit his Web marketing and maintenance job at a company in Chicago to pursue music full time.

Milholland is Mission Man, a hip-hop, rap artist.

Mission Man

“I quit at the end of March, and I’ve been on tour since then,” he said from Dayton. “At this point, I’m running out of money. I’ll need to get another job in a few weeks, but this is the longest I’ve been able to sustain [my music career]. It’s been a great experience that will lead up to when I tour again next summer.”

The musician is working on new material for his next disc, “31 Hours Til What,” and testing songs on his Do What You Love Tour.

“I basically wrote [‘31 Hours Until What'] knowing I was going to quit my job and go on tour because I knew Chicago just wasn’t working out, so I was figuring out what the next step was going to be,” he said. “It was sort of a self-motivational song as well as a positive, uplifting song to send out to other people.”

Not only is Milholland an optimist, he’s a thrifty man determined to live his dream. On his web site at www.missionman.net, he wrote some days he spends $1 to eat.

“I kind of stumbled across the fact that peanut butter can fill you up, even in small amounts,” he said. “I’d go and buy a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter; it costs $5 and it would last me four days. I’d have maybe two peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, two for dinner, and then do the same thing the next couple days.”

Mission Man has sacrificed a lot to make the music happen.

“I’ve been technically homeless because it’s cheaper; I don’t have to pay rent somewhere,” Milholland said, adding he stays with friends, fans and in his car.

“This has been an absolutely tremendous experience. I’ve laid the foundation, made more connections,” he said. “So I’ll go back, get an apartment, start working at Papa John’s, which I did for a long time, living in Oxford [Ohio] … I’ll be really trying to establish myself in a lot of cities in Ohio … and after I get established in those, save up some money and then go on the ‘31 Hours Til What’ CD release tour next summer. My goal with that one would be to basically tour at least 40 states… I don’t know what will happen after that; it could be my last tour; it could be the tour that would get me to the point where I could make a living off music.”

Mission Man will return to Toledo to play the Jeff-Fest benefit at Mickey Finn’s Pub July 11. He will take the stage at 5 p.m. Other acts scheduled to perform between 2 p.m. and 2 a.m. are The Killer Tomatoes, Intolerance and The Dougouts, among others. Tickets are $10.

Firefighters battled a 2:09 a.m. fire June 25 at First Alliance Church. The blaze seared through part of the roof, causing a collapse of the church’s sanctuary by 8:30 a.m. With a third of the church destroyed, its members are already rebuilding the 2201 Monroe St. building.
“This is the building we gather in to worship and it’s gone,” said Keith Sholl, the senior pastor. “God is giving us a new vision. Out of the ashes will come a glorious new ministry sharing God’s love.”
Sholl said he arrived around 3 a.m. as flames shot out of the church’s attic and roof above the sanctuary. He said it was built in 1922 after First Alliance, a Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination church, moved from what is today the Toledo Repertoire Theater. Between 450 and 500 people attended the church, he said. The senior pastor at First Alliance since 1999, he said he believed the destruction would bring his congregation closer together.

Senior Pastor at First Alliance Church Keith Scholl stands in front of the damaged church.

“It is just a building,” he said. “A church is its people. God will give us a plan for our future to move forward with strong courage and grace doing his work.”
Lin MacDonald, a member since 1969, said the tragedy was “very sad” given the joy there only days before. She said her 24-year old daughter, Jessica, married in the sanctuary June 20. During the ceremony, she said, her 20-year old son Eric played piano and sang for his sister’s matrimony. Between such a wonderful moment and the church’s loss, she said, she sees a war of good and evil.
“The ceremony was so spiritual,” she said. “God was there, he was right there with us. I think Satan was so mad he tried to it from us. That is not going to happen.”
Captain John Vedra of the Toledo Fire Department said the fire was largely under control by the time his morning crew arrived on the scene around 7 a.m. Given the strength of the inferno, he said, it was fortunate the church’s Sunday school and library sections were less harmed.
“The fire was so hot it turned the steel structures into pretzels,” Vedra said. “There is quite a bit of this building saved.”
The crew fighting the conflagration, he said, used multiple hydrants without any water trouble. No injuries were reported, he added.
The firefighters’ fast work, Sholl said, enabled church members to salvage many historical documents and church computers by 5:30 a.m.
“We are very positive about it all,” Sholl said. “If I know our people this will unite us together for God’s purpose in the future.”
Facilitating the rebuilding process is Cousino Harris Disaster Kleenup Inc. of Perrysburg. Hired by the church 7 a.m. June 25, Senior Estimator Tom Peternel said his group plans on removing rubble before cleaning and preserving the remains. Over the next few days, he said, Kleenup would pump out five feet of water from the basement while helping the group set up its interim office down the street.
“Our job is to preserve the building as much as possible,” Peternel said.
Christian and Missionary Alliance District Superintendent Jeff Brown said he was thankful no one was hurt in the fire. The tragedy provides a powerful message, he said.
“It is hard to see,” he said of the devastation. “It shows us the temporary nature of things on Earth. We will continue to allow God to use us to minister to the community.”
Scholl said he would give sermons across the street at the church’s fellowship center for the foreseeable future. A temporary church office was planned for the church’s youth center on the corner of Monroe Street and 22nd Street, he said. The fire’s cause was unknown, he said.
Church trustee Jim Emmenecker said the church would find new strength in the aftermath of the flames. He said no matter what, First Alliance would face the future together.
“What we have here is an act of God whether you want to believe it or not,” Emmenecker said. What happened here is natural. What God is going to do is supernatural. Eventually this will make us stronger.”

Perrysburg Township Fire Department welcomes the community to tour its new fire station at 26609 Lime City Rd. during its open house on June 27 from noon to 4 p.m.

The new fire station will replace the 45-year-old one adjacent to it and will include state-of-the-art equipment, such as hose-drying towers, training facilities and gender-separated showers.

Attendees can see MedEvac helicopters and Haz-Mat trailers and have child seat checks, as well. The fire department will provide refreshments and giveaways.

Toledo and Northwest Ohio’s involvement in solar energy production added another player with the announcement of plans to develop an advanced polycrystalline silicon production facility at UT’s Center for Advanced Renewable Energy.
Officials of Sphere Renewable Energy Corp. based in California announced plans to develop a wholly-owned subsidiary, Buckeye Silicon (BeSi) in Toledo at UT June 23.
The company plans to become operational for mass production by the third or fourth quarter of 2010 if all the pieces fall into place, according to Mark Erickson, COO of Buckeye Silicon and senior vice president of Sphere Renewable Energy.
“The partnership of all the organizations involved in the process, the confluence of transportation modes including the port, rail and highways, and the alternative energy programs at UT all added up to making Toledo a good place to come,” said Erikson before recognizing the area’s other solar energy businesses.
The partnership that signed a Memorandum of Understanding included the City of Toledo, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, and the university. The Regional Growth Partnership and State of Ohio helped the company identify possible financial incentive opportunities.
UT’s alternative energy programs and the Center for Advanced Renewable Energy was another contributing factor in the decision. UT is second only to MIT when it comes to alternative energy research and technology, according to Erickson.
The production facility would require about 100 employees, primarily skilled engineers and machine operators with salaries ranging from $36,000 to $60,000, Erickson said.
“Toledo is an outstanding community with the human resources that readily can be applied to our manufacturing business,” said Harrison Choi, president and CEO of BeSi.
Polycrystalline silicon is a key component and essential raw material used to produce 90 percent of the photovoltaic solar cells currently being manufactured, according to BeSi officials. The product made in Toledo will be sold predominantly to photovoltaic solar cells currently produced in North America and Europe.
With the addition of BeSi’s manufacturing presence, the Toledo area will be capable of boosting its photovoltaic production portfolio. The company’s light industrial modular process requires much less space and energy than a traditional polycrystalline silicon production facility.
“Buckeye Silicon’s presence in Toledo will create new alternative energy jobs and also supply the solar industry with crucial raw materials required for the production of solar panels,” said Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.
UT President Lloyd Jacobs welcomed Buckeye Silicon to the city and university as it “joins a growing number of firms playing an important role in building the critical mass in solar and alternative energy in this region to make our economic development central to this nation’s alternative energy future.”
Vice President Joe Biden visited Willard and Kelsey Solar Group in Perrysburg Tuesday morning to recognize the alternative energy field by offering federal stimulus funds for the firm’s expanding solar production plant.
President Barrack Obama emphasized the importance of developing alternative energy in the U.S. during a televised press conference June 23.

City threatens to fine victims if debris not cleared

Though Barbie and Herman Harrison’s house has lain in ruins for two weeks, the controversy surrounding its demise is just heating up.
As first reported in Toledo Free Press, a June 9 fire engulfed their 1945 Mt. Vernon Ave. residence, razing it to the ground. In three and a half hours, 29 years of memories were reduced to ash.
The couple is now living in a rented room at Maumee’s Residence Inn.
“This is a safety issue and people’s lives and homes are at stake,” said Barbie, the president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio. “It is not about Herman and me anymore. Everyone deserves to be safe in their homes.”
Her voice is catching ears. Lucas County Commissioner and Democratic mayoral candidate Ben Konop gave a press conference about the incident 10 a.m. June 19 at Toledo’s One Government Center, criticizing the City of Toledo’s firefighting procedures. Citing 4-inch water mains of “inadequate” size, he called for better city management of piping and fire hydrants in the future.
“The Harrisons are outstanding citizens and are the kind of people a community should be built around,” Konop said after the conference. “This tragedy could have been averted. I think if they had the proper water supply they could have put this fire out regardless of the cause.”
Toledo Fire Department Fire Chief Michael Wolever said fire investigators had not yet determined the inferno’s cause. In the case of the Mt. Vernon fire, he said, the 4-inch water mains onsite could do little to halt an already advanced conflagration. He said he worried political rumblings over the fire would add additional harm to the situation.

Barbie Harrison

“Quite frankly, knowing what kind of main is there does not tell me everything about the fire,” he said. “The size of a water main should not frighten people. Anybody who tries to instill fear into the public is irresponsible.”
Konop said June 21 water mains and their hydrants were a legitimate concern. He said at an earlier time Toledo had color-coded fire hydrants which warned firefighters what size main they were tapping into. Following a beautification project during current Mayor Carty Finkbeiner’s first term, he said, nothing distinguishes one hydrant’s main from another.
“National firefighting standards recommend color-coding of fire hydrants,” Konop said. “We are going to try notifying people so they are equipped to find a six or eight-inch main.”
Canvassing neighborhoods
As of June 22, the Konop campaign has canvassed neighborhoods over 4-inch mains, notifying residents about the fire safety services they receive from the city.
Konop said Toledo’s failure in fighting the Harrisons’ fire stems from choices made under Finkbeiner and former Fire Chief Mike Bell. As he sees it, policies implemented under each hurt Toledo firefighting.
“The city under Mayor Finkbeiner and Mike Bell made the job more difficult for firefighters,” he said.
Bell, who served as Ohio’s state fire marshal and who is also running for mayor, said June 23 during his time as fire chief, rescuers’ chief priority was getting water regardless of the size of water main. He said hydrant painting and main size fell under the jurisdiction of Toledo’s water department rather than its fire department.
“I would say it is a far stretch to accuse a person who has not been fire chief for two years of something happening currently in the city,” Bell said June 23. “We didn’t have these issues bouncing around in the press when I was chief, so why would I be responsible for something happening now?”
Hot issue
The issue has filtered down from the mayoral race to the Toledo City Council race. Council candidates Stephen Ward and Terry Biel each released news releases calling for fire safety protocol changes. The two candidates expressed sympathy for the Harrisons’ loss.
“I don’t think it is time for either mayoral or city council candidates to point fingers at each other,” Ward said June 23. “I just think everyone needs to work together to rectify the situation.”
“This house is never coming back,” Biel said June 23. “It is important to be sensitive toward that and compassionate towards that.”
Ward said he advocates checking fire hydrants yearly as well as a return to a color-coding system. He also said all hydrants should possess 3 feet of obstruction clearance for ease of use by firefighters.
Biel said he intends on mapping Toledo’s entire hydrant and piping infrastructure in a Google map.
Other woes
The Harrisons, meanwhile, have other woes. Barbie said June 19 Toledo’s Department of Neighborhoods sent them a letter June 12. In it, she said, the Department offered the Harrisons a 72-hour grace period. After this expired, she said, the rubble of their house would receive a $300 fine each day thereafter as a public nuisance. Calling the notice “sad,” she said it offended her given her current situation.
“At a time like this I will not tolerate this,” Barbie said. “I think people are so worried about their jobs they are just following the letter. The human element is not there.”
Toledo Manager of Code Enforcement Bob Mossing called the notice “routine” city practice after any fire. As of June 23, he said, the Harrisons had incurred no fines despite the house’s rubble remaining after the leniency period.
“We want the debris cleared as quickly as possible in a timely fashion,” Mossing said. “It is a risk to other people in the neighborhood. In this particular circumstance, there are extenuating circumstances.”
Mossing said although property owners were responsible for debris on their property after a fire, most insurance companies typically paid for a cleanup. He said the owners in question can pay the city for removal.
Mayoral panel
Finkbeiner announced in a June 22 news release the formation of a three-person panel created for investigating the blaze. Former Indianapolis (Indiana) International Airport Fire Chief William Kramer, University of Toledo College of Engineering associate civil engineering professor Doug Nims and Principle Developer for Health Services Design Group Doni Miller make up the panel, it said. The release said the group was expected to file an independent review of the fire in 14 days.
“This is a chance to serve the city,” said Nims June 23. “Hopefully I can make some useful recommendations that are applicable for the future.”
Regardless of the outcome, the Harrisons contend the fire has tempered their resolve. The pair agrees their plight can help improve safety all over the city of Toledo.
“We’re not politicians, we’re concerned citizens,” Barbie said June 19. “We are homeless because of someone’s negligence. Something has to be done. I think the city does not have a choice.”
“This is not just important for us,” Herman agreed. “Fire does not discriminate. We would like to see the City and its Fire Department become proactive to solve this.”

About one percent of the national population ages 65 and over cannot use their televisions after the national shift from analog to digital on June 12, but the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio Inc. is trying to shrink that statistic.

The Area Office on Aging supplied 350 free converter boxes to seniors on June 12 and now offer applications for $40-off coupons to purchase the boxes, said Justin Moor, vice president of communications and operations.

“The Office’s efforts over the last 6 months have really helped to make sure that the majority of elderly were prepared for the switch,” he said.

Volunteers educated people 60 and over on the transition deadline and are now helping them apply for coupons and installing converter boxes in people’s homes, Moor said.

Though the Area Office on Aging doesn’t have any converter boxes left, seniors can go to the office at 2155 Arlington Ave. or call (419) 382-0624 to apply for coupons.

Community activist Robert Brundage, known for fighting for equality, education and community empowerment, is fighting for his life after a 15-year-old allegedly attacked him last night.

Brundage, 66, had just left a Jobs with Justice meeting on his “cheap” bicycle June 22 when the boy reportedly attacked him to take his bike. He is in critical condition at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center and is still in a coma, said Jeff Nelson, who worked with Brundage to preserve Scott High School last year.

“If he dies, it’s going to be a real blow to this community and I think the world will have lost a very nice gentle productive citizen,” Nelson said.

Described as a “font of knowledge,” Brundage “tirelessly fought” to get voters’ support to renovate Scott High School rather than to tear it down, worked on the Urban Coalition of Toledo, participated in Jobs with Justice to advocate for workers’ rights and had influence in many other neighborhood oriented, equal rights groups, he said.

Brundage rode his bike everywhere he went so that he could live a green lifestyle, Nelson said. After having his previous bike stolen from him, Brundage rode a “junker” with a milk crate strapped to the back of it so that no one would want to steal it.

Community members can attend a vigil at 6 p.m. today at the Collingwood Arts Center to share stories and wish him recovery.

“This is a tragedy. Especially when you realize that this guy would not hurt a fly,” said Steven Flagg, communications chair for the Urban Coalition. ” He would do practically anything for you. He was extremely dedicated to the community.”

More on this story as it develops.

Golfers can tee-off to help finance students’ educations at Central Catholic High School through its 31st annual Central Catholic Irish open on July 27 at Stone Oak Country Club.

Tee times are at 7:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. The golf outing has collected around $500,000 in the past to fund the Central Catholic High School tuition assistance fund.

Participants can play 18 holes of golf, eat three full meals and take advantage of complimentary beverages and snacks on the course. There will also be prizes and a golf auction. Various sponsorship packages range from $125 to $2,500.

To find out more, visit www.centralcatholic.org and look under “Alumni-events” or call Tracy Koralewski at (419) 255-2306 extension 1076.

Tough times in two Rust Belt towns are spurring movements to oust the longtime mayors in Akron and Toledo, once proud industrial cities with neighborhoods scarred by foreclosures and high unemployment.

Just a few years ago, the idea of a recall would’ve been a tough sell.

Now both cities are struggling like most in the Midwest, making their bombastic mayors a convenient target for residents frustrated with everything from police layoffs to knee-high grass in city parks.

“You see boarded up houses. You see lawns that are unkempt. All of that has definitely been a part of the issue,” said Warner Mendenhall, a lawyer who is leading the recall campaign in Akron.

Voters in Akron will decide Tuesday whether to toss out Don Plusquellic, who is in his 23rd year as mayor. Toledo’s vote is scheduled for November.

Attempts at voting politicians out of office before they’ve finished their terms usually are reserved for officials in trouble with the law or caught up in corruption.

California voters recalled Gov. Gray Davis in 2003 during a time that the state was plagued by financial woes. Last year, there were threats of a recall campaign against California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger by a union that represents state prison guards.

In Ohio, the most notable recall attempt came in 1978 when Cleveland’s Dennis Kucinich avoided being thrown out of the mayor’s office by just 236 votes amid financial troubles, death threats and a police strike.

Neither mayor in Akron or Toledo is in any type of legal trouble.

Leaders of the separate recall efforts in both cities accuse the two mayors of wasteful spending and alienating business and community leaders. The two politicians admittedly are not shy from speaking their minds.

Just last week, an online video showed Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner breaking up a fight at a city park and calling one of the teens involved a “fatso.” In Akron, Plusquellic has compared the leader of the recall effort to Hitler.

Making unpopular decisions and controversial comments over a lengthy political career can add up to create problems for mayors, said Raphael Sonenshein, a professor at California State University in Fullerton, who studies recall elections.

He doubts that frustrations with the economy is enough to motivate voters for support a recall.

“This is typical of cities all over the country,” Sonenshein said. “People are unhappy about cuts in Los Angeles, but they’re not talking about recalling the mayor.”

A mounting deficit in Toledo has forced the mayor to lay off 75 police officers and propose an income tax credit cut for some residents, which only helps fuel the recall movement, Finkbeiner said.

“There are some that will sign on because of those day-in, day-out decisions that are sometimes economically driven,” he said.

Recall organizer Tom Schlachter said Toledo’s 12.7 percent unemployment rate may have helped with the group’s petition drive, but it’s not why they want a new mayor. “I don’t at all blame him for the $27 million deficit we have,” Schlachter said.

Akron’s economic outlook isn’t as poor as Toledo’s situation. There haven’t been any police or fire layoffs, but it’s unemployment rate is 10.5 percent.

“Challenging economies are always difficult politically, but that’s not the genesis of this recall,” said former Akron mayor Tom Sawyer, who later served in Congress and is now a spokesman for an anti-recall group.

Still, it may influence who turns out to vote Tuesday because it’s the only issue on the ballot, Sawyer said. “The great fear is that people who are dissatisfied will vote,” he said.