English

The San Francisco Unified School District says it needs $1.7 billion in the next five years to repair and renovate its buildings.

The estimation comes from an assessment of SFUSD’s 148 sites detailed at a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday. The report from consultants lays the groundwork for a new facilities master plan and, eventually, a bond measure to fund that plan.

To meet that need, the district may ask San Francisco voters to approve a $1 billion bond—roughly the district’s operating budget—in 2023 or 2024.

The last bond for SFUSD facilities in 2016 authorized $744 million.

“We’ve been bond rich and maintenance poor,” Dawn Kamalanathan, SFUSD’s head facilities officer, said. “Without maintenance dollars to keep this up, you will see this deterioration. Underinvestment in capital structure is a statewide, if not national issue.”

Bond funds cannot be used on operating costs, including maintenance. Voters nationwide routinely approve measures allowing governments to sell bonds to raise money over time for a specific purpose, such as a school.

Electrical systems made up nearly $500 million of the estimated cost and HVAC systems made up a little under $400 million, according to the district’s presentation Tuesday. Of the total estimated cost, $340,000 was flagged as needed to address life safety risks.

Consultants, using facility condition index scores, deemed Rooftop Pre-Kindergarten-8 School’s Mayeda campus to have deficient buildings and needing $14 million in upgrades.

Schools considered to have poor facilities include Mission High, needing an estimated $140 million, and Balboa High, are estimated to need $156 million.

Facilities at John McLaren Early Education School, Garfield Elementary School and Dr. Charles Drew College Preparatory Academy were among those deemed in excellent condition.

The district must also consider implications of the switch to universal transitional kindergarten and a new student assignment system for elementary schools.

SFUSD is spending the last of its 2016 bond on a new elementary school in Mission Bay, long-sought renovations to Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School and automated “Columbine” locks for school safety. Projects to upgrade 23 of its schools were deferred from the 2016 bond.

So see

The district’s Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, for which the board approved five members on Tuesday to some objection, has raised questions about transparency over where some funds have gone. This includes the use of bond funds being used to cover legal expenses incurred over a controversial mural at George Washington High School.

The committee’s leader, Rex Ridgeway, recommended allowing the group to report to the Board of Education on a monthly basis.

“Those are real dollars being spent today,” Ridgeway said to the board on Tuesday. “We as a school need to have transparency.”

In the beginning of 2023, school officials expect to have more on the facilities plan and school assignment zones to shape its next bond. If local elections get moved to even-numbered years under Proposition M on November’s ballot, the district would need to wait until March or November of 2024 to place a new bond measure on the ballot.

“This,” Superintendent Matt Wayne said, “is an important conversation to lay the foundation for our facilities master plan that needs to happen next year.”

English

The post $1.7B Wanted to Repair San Francisco’s Public College Buildings appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

English

The San Francisco Unified School District says it needs $1.7 billion in the next five years to repair and renovate its buildings.

The estimation comes from an assessment of SFUSD’s 148 sites detailed at a Board of Education meeting on Tuesday. The report from consultants lays the groundwork for a new facilities master plan and, eventually, a bond measure to fund that plan.

To meet that need, the district may ask San Francisco voters to approve a $1 billion bond—roughly the district’s operating budget—in 2023 or 2024.

The last bond for SFUSD facilities in 2016 authorized $744 million.

“We’ve been bond rich and maintenance poor,” Dawn Kamalanathan, SFUSD’s head facilities officer, said. “Without maintenance dollars to keep this up, you will see this deterioration. Underinvestment in capital structure is a statewide, if not national issue.”

Bond funds cannot be used on operating costs, including maintenance. Voters nationwide routinely approve measures allowing governments to sell bonds to raise money over time for a specific purpose, such as a school.

Electrical systems made up nearly $500 million of the estimated cost and HVAC systems made up a little under $400 million, according to the district’s presentation Tuesday. Of the total estimated cost, $340,000 was flagged as needed to address life safety risks.

Consultants, using facility condition index scores, deemed Rooftop Pre-Kindergarten-8 School’s Mayeda campus to have deficient buildings and needing $14 million in upgrades.

Schools considered to have poor facilities include Mission High, needing an estimated $140 million, and Balboa High, are estimated to need $156 million.

Facilities at John McLaren Early Education School, Garfield Elementary School and Dr. Charles Drew College Preparatory Academy were among those deemed in excellent condition.

The district must also consider implications of the switch to universal transitional kindergarten and a new student assignment system for elementary schools.

SFUSD is spending the last of its 2016 bond on a new elementary school in Mission Bay, long-sought renovations to Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 School and automated “Columbine” locks for school safety. Projects to upgrade 23 of its schools were deferred from the 2016 bond.

So see

The district’s Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, for which the board approved five members on Tuesday to some objection, has raised questions about transparency over where some funds have gone. This includes the use of bond funds being used to cover legal expenses incurred over a controversial mural at George Washington High School.

The committee’s leader, Rex Ridgeway, recommended allowing the group to report to the Board of Education on a monthly basis.

“Those are real dollars being spent today,” Ridgeway said to the board on Tuesday. “We as a school need to have transparency.”

In the beginning of 2023, school officials expect to have more on the facilities plan and school assignment zones to shape its next bond. If local elections get moved to even-numbered years under Proposition M on November’s ballot, the district would need to wait until March or November of 2024 to place a new bond measure on the ballot.

“This,” Superintendent Matt Wayne said, “is an important conversation to lay the foundation for our facilities master plan that needs to happen next year.”

English

The post $1.7B Wanted to Repair San Francisco’s Public College Buildings appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Get inside Wall Street with StreetInsider Premium. Claim your 1-week free trial here.

Los Angeles, California, August 17, 2022 McapMediaWire

Crown Electrokinetics Corp. (NASDAQ:CRKN) (Crown or the Company), a leading smart glass technology company, has received two purchase orders for its Smart Window Inserts.

The Smart Window Inserts will be delivered after Crown’s first-generation production line comes into operation this fall. The Inserts will be deployed in two buildings located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Doug Croxall, CEO of Crown, “These purchase orders for our Smart Window Inserts are a confirmation of years of hard work by the entire team at Crown. While this represents the first purchase order of our Smart Window Inserts, we know they will not be the last. Crown has the only retrofit insert with dimmable smart glass technology, providing existing building owners with a solution that can affordably, effectively, and rapidly reduce their energy consumption levels.”

As part of Crown’s commitment to its vision, the Company is actively working to become a key ESG (“Environmental, Social and Governance”) supplier to US-based office buildings, by helping them retrofit their legacy infrastructure and assets to be environmentally responsible and energy efficient. Crown’s Smart Window Insert can lower the HVAC energy costs for building owners and help lower the building’s carbon footprint.

The recently announced Inflation Reduction Act will expand the tax incentives for retro-fitted energy improvements and has also now made them available to the Company’s REIT customers further enhancing Crowns already significant value proposition. Other legislation, such as New York City’s Local Law 97 which targets a 40% reduction in building energy use levels by 2030, is compelling REITs to rapidly upgrade their building envelopes.

About Crown Electrokinetics
Crown is a smart glass technology company and the creator of DynamicTint We Make Your Glass Smarter. Originally invented by Hewlett-Packard, our technology allows any glass surface to transition between clear and dark in seconds. At the core of our technology is a thin film that is powered by electrically charged pigment which not only replaces common window tints but is also a more sustainable alternative to traditional window treatments. With its unique ability to be retrofitted to existing glass, DynamicTint offers myriad benefits related to reducing carbon emissions. The company is supported by a robust patent portfolio.

Safe Harbor Statement: Statements in this news release may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that express our intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions, or any other statements relating to our future activities or other future events or conditions. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may, and are likely to, differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and Crown Electrokinetic Corporation undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release.

This press release does not constitute a public offer of any securities for sale. Any securities offered privately will not be or have not been registered under the Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

Crown Electrokinetics

IR Email: [email protected]
Source: Crown Electrokinetics: www.crownek.com

MCAP Media Wire | Home

The post Crown Electrokinetics Publicizes Preliminary Buy Orders for its Sensible Window Inserts™ to be Deployed in Two Buildings within the San Francisco Bay Space appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Los Angeles, California, Aug. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Crown Electrokinetics Corp. (NASDAQ:CRKN) (“Crown” or the “Company”), a leading smart glass technology company, has received two purchase orders for its Smart Window Inserts.

The Smart Window Inserts will be delivered after Crown’s first-generation production line comes into operation this fall. The Inserts will be deployed in two buildings located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Doug Croxall, CEO of Crown, “These purchase orders for our Smart Window Inserts are a confirmation of years of hard work by the entire team at Crown. While this represents the first purchase order of our Smart Window Inserts, we know they will not be the last. Crown has the only retrofit insert with dimmable smart glass technology, providing existing building owners with a solution that can affordably, effectively, and rapidly reduce their energy consumption levels.”

As part of Crown’s commitment to its vision, the Company is actively working to become a key ESG (“Environmental, Social and Governance”) supplier to US-based office buildings, by helping them retrofit their legacy infrastructure and assets to be environmentally responsible and energy efficient. Crown’s Smart Window Insert can lower the HVAC energy costs for building owners and help lower the building’s carbon footprint.

The recently announced Inflation Reduction Act will expand the tax incentives for retro-fitted energy improvements and has also now made them available to the Company’s REIT customers – further enhancing Crowns already significant value proposition. Other legislation, such as New York City’s Local Law 97 which targets a 40% reduction in building energy use levels by 2030, is compelling REITs to rapidly upgrade their building envelopes.

About Crown Electrokinetics
Crown is a smart glass technology company and the creator of DynamicTint We Make Your Glass Smarter. Originally invented by Hewlett-Packard, our technology allows any glass surface to transition between clear and dark in seconds. At the core of our technology is a thin film that is powered by electrically charged pigment which not only replaces common window tints but is also a more sustainable alternative to traditional window treatments. With its unique ability to be retrofitted to existing glass, DynamicTint offers myriad benefits related to reducing carbon emissions. The company is supported by a robust patent portfolio.

Safe Harbor Statement: Statements in this news release may be “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that express our intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions, or any other statements relating to our future activities or other future events or conditions. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may, and are likely to, differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and Crown Electrokinetic Corporation undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release.

This press release does not constitute a public offer of any securities for sale. Any securities offered privately will not be or have not been registered under the Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

Crown Electrokinetics

IR Email: info@crownek.com
Source: Crown Electrokinetics: www.crownek.com

Source: Crown Electrokinetics Corp.

2022 Globe Newswire, Inc., source Press Releases

The post Crown Electrokinetics Proclaims Preliminary Buy Orders for its Sensible Window Inserts™ to be Deployed in Two Buildings within the San Francisco Bay Space appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Crown Electrokinetics Corp.

Los Angeles, California, Aug. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Crown Electrokinetics Corp. (NASDAQ: CRKN) (“Crown” or the “Company”), a leading smart glass technology company, has received two purchase orders for its Smart Window Inserts.

The Smart Window Inserts will be delivered after Crown’s first-generation production line comes into operation this fall. The Inserts will be deployed in two buildings located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Doug Croxall, CEO of Crown, “These purchase orders for our Smart Window Inserts are a confirmation of years of hard work by the entire team at Crown. While this represents the first purchase order of our Smart Window Inserts, we know they will not be the last. Crown has the only retrofit insert with dimmable smart glass technology, providing existing building owners with a solution that can affordably, effectively, and rapidly reduce their energy consumption levels.”

As part of Crown’s commitment to its vision, the Company is actively working to become a key ESG (“Environmental, Social and Governance”) supplier to US-based office buildings, by helping them retrofit their legacy infrastructure and assets to be environmentally responsible and energy efficient. Crown’s Smart Window Insert can lower the HVAC energy costs for building owners and help lower the building’s carbon footprint.

The recently announced Inflation Reduction Act will expand the tax incentives for retro-fitted energy improvements and has also now made them available to the Company’s REIT customers – further enhancing Crowns already significant value proposition. Other legislation, such as New York City’s Local Law 97 which targets a 40% reduction in building energy use levels by 2030, is compelling REITs to rapidly upgrade their building envelopes.

About Crown Electrokinetics
Crown is a smart glass technology company and the creator of DynamicTint We Make Your Glass Smarter. Originally invented by Hewlett-Packard, our technology allows any glass surface to transition between clear and dark in seconds. At the core of our technology is a thin film that is powered by electrically charged pigment which not only replaces common window tints but is also a more sustainable alternative to traditional window treatments. With its unique ability to be retrofitted to existing glass, DynamicTint offers myriad benefits related to reducing carbon emissions. The company is supported by a robust patent portfolio.

Story continues

Safe Harbor Statement: Statements in this news release may be “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that express our intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions, or any other statements relating to our future activities or other future events or conditions. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may, and are likely to, differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and Crown Electrokinetic Corporation undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release.

This press release does not constitute a public offer of any securities for sale. Any securities offered privately will not be or have not been registered under the Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

Crown Electrokinetics

IR Email: info@crownek.com
Source: Crown Electrokinetics: www.crownek.com

The post Crown Electrokinetics Pronounces Preliminary Buy Orders for its Good Window Inserts™ to be Deployed in Two Buildings within the San Francisco Bay Space appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — Excess light cast into the sky is now seen as a form of pollution with real impacts on the environment. The State of California is now considering a bill that would be a first step in bringing darkness back to the night.

When the sun goes down, the lights of San Francisco come on and the city is at its most beautiful. But from the East Bay hills you can see the huge dome of light enveloping the entire area. That’s not a thing of beauty to Ruskin Hartley, Executive Director of the International Dark Sky Association.

READ MORE: UPDATE: FBI Team, San Jose Police Search For Kidnapped Infant Brandon Alexis Cuellar

“We have flooded the night with light and it’s accelerated,” he said. “In the last 25 years, we estimate the light pollution has grown globally, probably around 100 percent.”

All that light, much of it aiming up into the sky, is taking its toll on nature – especially the birds.

“Birds are adapted for flying at night in darkness, not in light,” said Glenn Phillips, Executive Director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. “And their vision at night actually depends on darkness in order to actually sense the magnetic fields of the earth. And when it’s too light, they can’t sense them and they get disoriented.”

So, many end up in places where they face the dangers of an urban environment. The Bay Area is right in the middle of the Pacific Flyway, the main migratory route for millions of birds moving south in the fall and north in the spring. But a satellite map displaying luminance shows the entire Bay is ringed with a solid glow of artificial light.

“And so, all those birds are coming through our area and they can’t avoid the light. They can’t go around it. They have to go through it,” said Phillips.

READ MORE: COVID: Study Finds Vaccine Prevented Tens Of Thousands Of Deaths, Hospitalizations

It’s a problem scientists have only recognized in the last few years, prompting South Bay Assemblyman Alex Lee (D-Milpitas) to introduce AB 2382.

“The bill, simply put, requires that all State buildings have a light shield, so basically, a physical shield, or are motion activated so they’re not constantly on,” said Lee. “And that will reduce our energy consumption and reduce light pollution.

“It’s a small change,” said Lee. “Kind of perceived as a small change, but it actually has immense impact on the natural and built environment, too.”

The bill doesn’t require retrofitting, just a change in future construction or when fixtures are replaced. The bill has already passed one committee and Lee says, so far, he knows of no organized opposition to it.

Hartley said the best thing about the fix – unlike other kinds of pollution – as soon as the light is eliminated, so is the problem.

MORE NEWS: San Jose Police Search for Man Who Kidnapped 3-Month-Old Baby from Home

“We can solve this one,” said Hartley. “We can solve it tomorrow. It saves money, it makes sense, and it’s great to see California’s taking these first steps.”

The post California Meeting Invoice Would Restrict Mild Air pollution From State Buildings – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

By Alexandra Mae Jones

Click here for updates on this story

TORONTO (CTV Network) — A new study suggests that commercial buildings with low-flow water design could have safety issues when it comes to water quality, in part due to water sitting stagnant for longer periods of time.

Researchers studied the water quality in a three-storey commercial building in Indiana over three weekends between January and February 2020.

Their goal was to find out if water quality changed over the weekend when fewer people were in the building, and thus even less water than usual was moving through the pipes.

The answer appears to be yes, according to the findings published Wednesday in the journal PLOS Water.

“Weekend stagnation influenced chemical and biological water quality, with clear differences in several parameters on Friday, after a week of use, and Monday, after a weekend with relatively little use,” the study stated.

Although the study was conducted prior to the pandemic, the findings bring up concerns that commercial buildings which sat nearly empty for months during lockdowns could still have lingering water quality issues stemming from that time.

The building that researchers looked at was one of the more than 100,000 buildings in the US that has a green certification with the United States Green Building Council. These are buildings that were designed, among other things, to reduce the amount of water being used for tasks compared to regular buildings, all in the name of making the building more eco-conscious.

This means less water flows through the plumbing. But while this can have benefits of conserving water, there are questions that remain about what affect this could have on the quality of the water.

Researchers took samples from 12 locations within the building, including areas such as bathroom sinks or kitchen taps. Sampling was done on Friday evenings and Monday mornings for three weeks in order to measure the water quality before and after each weekend.

They then tested the samples for pH, metals, ions, and Legionella bacteria, a strain of bacteria that can grow and spread in water system and potentially cause a severe form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires’ disease.

Inside the building, water traveled through soldered copper piping. Water from the city’s public water system was “used for drinking, appliances and cleaning, while rainwater was collected and piped separately for toilet flushing and irrigation,” the study said.

When comparing the different sampling locations, researchers found that water quality differed depending on the faucet, possible due to the frequency with which certain fixtures were used, researchers stated.

Levels of Legionella were found at their highest in a specific bathroom sink and shower in the same bathroom on the first floor. The shower was not used by anyone during the entire study, and the sample was taken from the plastic shower hose.

“Shower hoses have been implicated as a unique biofilm growth niche that can support pathogens,” the study noted, adding that water could’ve sat stagnant in the shower tube for weeks or even months prior to sampling.

In terms of how the water changed over the weekend when there was less use, researchers found a clear increase in copper and lead levels in the water over the weekend.

In sampling locations fed by one specific pipe, there were higher levels of copper in the water than what is considered a level healthy enough for drinking water.

They also found chlorine levels fluctuating, with Monday levels consistently lower than Friday’s — something that is concerning because of chlorine’s role in keeping microbial growth like Legionella from occurring inside plumbing.

Researchers did not find a significant change in Legionella bacteria numbers between Friday and Monday, and noted that no Legionella pneumophila, the more dangerous type of the bacteria, was found in the building.

And while the water quality clearly changed over the weekend when there was less use, researchers did not fully untangle the mechanisms between stagnation and water quality.

While heavy metals are known to leach from pipes more when water is sitting stagnant, researchers didn’t find consistent trends when comparing the levels of chemicals to the hours of stagnation believed to have occurred in each setting before sampling. More comprehensive recording of water usage is needed in further research to draw more complete conclusions, researchers said.

But they say it’s clear more investigation needs to be done.

“The water use patterns in office buildings, with consistently low to no use on weekends, raise additional water quality concerns for the first users on Monday mornings,” researchers stated.

This study doesn’t mean we should abandon water-saving practices or write off green initiatives — but more research may help create parameters that make sure safety keeps pace with eco-friendly advancements, the study suggests.

“The first people in the office on a Monday morning May, in fact, be using contaminated drinking water,” authors added in a press release. “To better understand if the water we are using is safe, much more water testing at the faucet must be conducted. Plumbing design standards and codes must also be revised.”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Sonja Puzicsonja.puzic@bellmedia.ca

The post Low-flow plumbing for inexperienced buildings might have water high quality points: examine – KION546 appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

When a building’s HVAC system fails, timing is everything.

The sooner a system is up and running again, the better, and every minute with a system down is a minute where a building’s occupants are uncomfortable, office appointments may need to be canceled, and, in some cases, landlords may have to offer rent Abatements to make up for the inconvenience.

One way building owners can ensure they don’t experience the long-term ramifications of an HVAC outage is to partner with the right HVAC team that can not only quickly diagnose and fix the problem, but can implement solutions to keep it from happening again.

“When you’re facing an HVAC outage, every second counts,” said Brendan Dowd, service team leader at Boland, a Washington, DC-based provider of commercial HVAC systems, services and building energy solutions. “It’s important to work with a knowledgeable team that knows how to work fast.”

Dowd shared a story about a medical office building in Chevy Chase, Maryland, that experienced an outage to both of its chillers — shutting down cooling to the entire facility. The building had gone through a repositioning a few years earlier, and while some of the air handling systems had been replaced, the old chillers had remained untouched. At this point, he said, these chillers had reached the end of their life expectancy and as a result, when one failed, they both shut down, creating a serious issue for the facility.

Boland was able to install a rental chiller within hours to resume medical services and keep the building’s occupants comfortable. Later on, the team replaced the failed chillers with high-efficiency water-cooled Trane chillers.

“Luckily, we had two brand-new machines, which were in stock in our factory,” Dowd said. “So the owner executed a contract and 30 days later, the old machines were out of the building, the new machines were operating and the temporary rental chiller was removed.”

The Boland team went even further than just replacing the failed chillers; it also upgraded the facility’s building automation system, implementing new controls and technology that allow for optimized heating, cooling, lighting schedules and sequencing. It also upgraded the lighting system by replacing 660 T8 fixtures with LED fixtures throughout the building and the garage.

“Now we have a connected building, where we’re monitoring the energy usage and utility usage in real time, with 24/7/365 monitoring,” said Mechelle Munn, an energy performance engineer at Boland. “We’re watching that building every minute of every day to ensure it is operating optimally.”

Munn and her colleagues on Boland’s Applied Building Insights team work to provide clients with data-backed insights for continuous building energy and sustainability improvements.

As a result of these upgrades, the client not only has a reliable HVAC system that fosters a safe, comfortable and healthy indoor environment, it saw a 34% reduction in electric consumption, which led to $168K in electricity bill savings. As for the cost to the client, Dowd said the lighting system paid for itself within 10 months, while the building automation system paid for itself in just six months.

To ensure that things continue to run smoothly, Dowd said, the Boland team is not content with simply monitoring the building automation system and waiting for a problem to present itself. Instead, it meets with the client on an annual basis to discuss the client’s long-term plans for the asset and develop strategies to keep the building and its equipment operational and efficient for years to come.

“It’s all about having an experienced team by your side who can work fast,” Dowd said. “When a catastrophic failure occurs, you don’t want to waste time searching for the right people. You need a reliable team you can count on who can provide an immediate solution, and then work with you on a long-term basis to ensure this never happens again.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Studio B and Boland. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house branded content studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.

The post When An HVAC System Fails, Buildings Want A Companion Who Can Ship An Rapid Answer And A Lengthy-Time period Repair appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The last time I descended into the depths of San Francisco’s Old Mint building at the 5th and Mission, I was chased by a person in a terrible clown costume as I tried to find one of several rubber rats that were in the 19th century Bank vaults disguised as prison cells were hidden.

I failed the challenge that served as the 2019 finale of Terror Vault, an immersive theater experience and an eerie maze from the minds of Joshua Grannell, aka drag icon Peaches Christ, as well as creative director David Flower, who is instrumental in the To transform the winding corridors of the historic building while preserving much of the aging architecture, which gives you the feeling of being trapped in time – and that there is no way out but through.

When strobe lights flashed overhead, my friends and I screamed for the exit, half screaming and half laughing, so hard that we couldn’t breathe. When I tell Grannell this, he laughs himself.

“Just wait until you see it this time,” he says. “It’s kind of a ‘make it or break it’ year. Last but not least, we delivered the best show we have ever done. ”

Joshua Grannell, also known as drag icon Peaches Christ, poses at the Mint in San Francisco in his haunted immersive attraction “The Immortal Reckoning” on September 13, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE

On a Wednesday evening, I dared to brave the attraction again for her return in 2021 as “The Immortal Reckoning” and found that the environment had completely changed. Instead of creepy clowns and barred hallways, there are crystal chandeliers and soft vintage couches that I learned were from the Edwardian Ball. Red, blue and green disco lights twinkle to the rhythm of “Dominion” by the 1980s Gothic band The Sisters of Mercy, while scantily clad vampires sneak through the brick corridors. The atmosphere is rounded off by a stylish cocktail lounge called “Fang Bang”, where guests can enjoy Unholy Water or perhaps an O-Negative Margarita.

“We decided that we wouldn’t have the bar up in the ballroom like we had in the past few years, but in the vaults because selfishly I really wanted to do an 80s new wave goth vampire moment, and the vaults are so “much better for that because they’re like the catacombs of the building,” said Grannell.

While the lounge plays an important role in the plot of “The Immortal Reckoning,” unlike previous shows, it will also be open to the public for the entire length of the show until Halloween weekend, whether or not you have a ticket or not .

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the actors aren’t going to try and have some fun with you. While I’m sipping a sweet and tart but strong corpse reviver, one of the vampires strolls up to me and smells my hair. “You don’t seem to be from here,” she purrs. “Are you a mortal?”

Unholy Water is one of the cocktails at “The Immortal Reckoning”.

Courtesy Kevin Kopjak / The Immortal Reckoning

The pop-up bar is largely inspired by the former San Francisco club Roderick’s Chamber, which was popular in the 90s. It’s also influenced by an event called Jesus in the recently closed Stud bar on 9th and Harrison, as well as Death Guild, the country’s oldest non-stop gothic and industrial dance night (but which has been held at Trocadero Transfer for years, where Today the grand stands the event is now hosted by the DNA Lounge). Grannell said many of these clubs shaped his early San Francisco nightlife experience when he moved here in the ’90s, and he wanted to find a way to bring them back to the very different neighborhood where they once thrived.

“In many ways, I think this whole show is inspired by San Francisco,” he said. “My experiences in the city and my longing for the old SoMa.”

A look behind the scenes of “Fang Bang” in the haunted immersive attraction “The Immortal Reckoning” at the Mint in San Francisco on September 13, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE

Two years in the making – much of the elaborate set was built during the pandemic – “The Immortal Reckoning” begins as a tour of a new exhibit at the Mint that shows rare artifacts pertaining to the occult and the supernatural. A museum guide invites visitors in groups of eight to view some of its most prized acquisitions, the Hecate Tablet and the Book of Shadows.

I’m not going to give too much away, but something goes wrong, and the powers of these ancient artifacts transport guests through a portal into another dimension with a circle of rabbit-worshiping nun witches (loosely inspired by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Easter). the park event), a sinister orphanage, and more vampires populating another version of the nightclub “Fang Bang” (which has a touch of Folsom Street Fair). There’s also an underground peep show, inspired by the Lusty Lady, a North Beach club that unionized and became a workers’ cooperative before it closed in 2013.

One of the walls in an enchanted orphanage in “The Immortal Reckoning” on the Mint in San Francisco on September 13, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE

“The Lusty Lady was one of those places in San Francisco, like many others that I thought would be there forever,” said Grannell, calling the scene his favorite scene at the attraction. “Like Stud or Finocchio’s or the Lexington Club. When they are gone, you will notice how much you took them for granted. “

Former Lusty Lady dancer Roxanne Redmeat stars on the show as Joan Blackwell, one of the heirs to the iconic collection of artifacts. When she joined the cast of “The Immortal Reckoning,” she suggested replicating the now defunct venue.

“[Joshua] asked us which places in San Francisco we thought were haunted and for me it was definitely the Lusty Lady, “she said, noting that some nights the dancers slept on the couch in the club’s dressing room, because her last shift was 3 a.m. and BART wasn’t on at that time. “There were all kinds of strange noises, vibrations and shadows.”

Former Lusty Lady dancer Roxanne Redmeat dances at the “Fang Bang” nightclub in “The Immortal Reckoning” on the San Francisco Mint.

Jose A. Guzman

“The Immortal Reckoning” takes about an hour from start to finish, and guests can opt for a more interactive experience by wearing a glowing red necklace to let the actors know they can be touched and fed (think a fruit by the foot disguised as something disgusting) or even isolated for a one-on-one scene. A number of William Castle-inspired gimmicks are also used throughout the show. The filmmaker behind B-horror classics like “13 Ghosts” and “House on Haunted Hill” was famous for marketing tricks like taping buzzers under the cinema seats that go off at exactly the right moment and scare the cinema goers during a climax scene.

“This year we’re electrocuting people. We lock them up in coffins. Is there more of William Castle? ”Grannell recently said on an episode of his Midnight Mass podcast, which offers more insight into how the director has influenced the attraction.

One of the rooms of a haunted immersive attraction, “The Immortal Reckoning,” in the Mint in San Francisco on September 13, 2021. (This is one of Peaches Christ’s old wigs.)

Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE

That said, there are a number of security measures. Following the example of the San Francisco theater community, Grannell said, guests must wear masks and show proof of vaccination at all times – negative COVID-19 tests will not be accepted. Other functions are implemented such as “Scream Boxes”, a gadget that emits a loud screeching sound effect when an actor presses a button to prevent the spread of airborne particles.

But is the show really that scary? Even as a devoted horror fan, I’d say yes, but there are still plenty of combative and comedic moments that keep the vibe relaxed – and that’s the point, Grannell said.

“I want you to scream, of course, but I want to take it a step further and make you scream and then laugh,” Grannell said. “I think in these scary times we find ourselves in, horror, especially fun horror, is a relief. You know? It enables people to, to a certain extent, drive out the fear we have from everyday life. ”

Some of the mask performers will wear “The Immortal Reckoning” on September 13, 2021 at the San Francisco Mint.

Douglas Zimmerman / SFGATE

And in a way, The Immortal Reckoning puts a mirror next to past nightspots in San Francisco to prove a point beyond Grannell’s feelings of nostalgia.

“What I really want to say to people this year is, ‘These unique places we love are going away if you don’t support them,'” Grannell said.

The show itself won’t last forever in its current form. While events firm Non Plus Ultra is currently renting the Old Mint building, the California Historical Society plans to eventually convert the space into a museum.

“I have a feeling there is a Y on the street [as nightlife slowly begins to reopen]”Said Grannell. “And I think right now we can actually say, ‘Let’s fight for this renaissance. Let’s fight to bring back the weirdness and protect those things that make the city so special. ‘”

“The Immortal Reckoning” will open to the public on Friday, September 24th at the San Francisco Mint. Tickets $ 50 to $ 70.

The post You possibly can go inside ‘the catacombs’ of certainly one of San Francisco’s most historic buildings appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Two buildings on Florida Street in Mission and Dore Street in the South of Market neighborhood have been acquired to house people with mental illness and substance use disorders, the San Francisco Department of Public Health said Friday.

The buildings will be converted into cooperative housing for 26 adults as part of the city’s Cooperative Living for Mental Health (CLMH) program.

The mission building, located at 1140-1142 Florida Street, will accommodate 8 adults in separate bedrooms, with access to communal kitchens, bathrooms and a large garden.

The SOMA facility, located at 139-145 Dore Street, will consist of six three bedroom apartments that can accommodate 18 adults, with communal areas.

Conard House, a non-profit provider of residential and behavioral medicine, will own and operate the two properties in partnership with the Department of Health.

Police: Suspect runs over employees after duty in Palo Alto

The city says cooperative living enables people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders to live in community with access to care, services and treatment in spaces run by local behavioral medicine providers. The model can also help on the way to an independent life.

“These buildings are part of our long-term strategy to transform the way we support people with mental health problems and addiction problems,” said Mayor of London Breed. “We’re focused on a whole range of solutions that cover everything from improving roadwork to providing safe, supportive housing for our most vulnerable residents. All of this is part of our commitment to making San Francisco a safer, healthier place for everyone. “

The new buildings represent a 20 percent increase in the city’s residential supply capacity. 140 new beds will open in San Francisco in 2021, including the following:

• The 20-bed SOMA RISE Center, which opens this winter as part of the city’s response to the drug overdose crisis. It will provide a safe indoor space for people who have used methamphetamine or other substances, monitor their health while drunk, and connect them to other health and social services.
• An inpatient treatment facility with 10 beds, specially designed for the treatment of young adults with severe mental illnesses and / or substance use disorders, is being planned.
• Neighborhood-based psychiatric recreation facilities for people affected by homelessness to find shelter in a safe, supportive environment with access to ongoing care.

The post San Francisco acquires two buildings for psychological well being and substance use therapy appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.