C M Y K 50 inch www.herald-dispatch.com Sunday, March 24, 2013 1G PROGRESS 2013 ousing analysts from near and far are optimistic about the new year. Various measurements continue to show signs of growth nation- ally as the local market remains relatively steady, according to numbers pro- vided by the Huntington Board of Realtors. Local steadiness hasn’t caused many in the industry to fret. They instead point to how the Tri-State weathered the recession without a tremendous crash, thus eliminating the necessity of a great rebound. Their optimistic minds point to low interest rates and a newfound sense of certainty in Washington, D.C., along with continued growth in areas east and north of Huntington. Patrick Lucas, broker for Century 21 Homes & Land, acknowledged some uncertainty lingers due to the national debt, but he said history shows people INSIDE THIS SECTION Creative design duo If you’ve been in Backyard Pizza and Raw Bar or SIP Wine Bar, you’ve stepped into the world of Ackenpucky Cre- ative / 1H Custom home environment A new townhome development in Barboursville offers buyers the look of an impressive estate instead of condo-style / 1I HOMES CONFIDENCE RETURNING FOR HOME BUYERS STORY BY CURTIS JOHNSON / THE HERALD-DISPATCH F H [email protected]The Herald-Dispatch’s annual Progress Editions take a look at our Tri-State economy and business community. Today’s sections focus on careers and homes. Progress 2013: Signs of improvement in local housing market The difference between Us and Them is that We’re here for You. For over 75 years, Huntington Federal has offered a local alternative to the big banks when it comes to home mortgage, refinance or home improvement loans. So make the right choice – make the local choice. And enjoy the security of knowing that you’re dealing with a bank that has a truly local commitment. vs . Huntington Federal Local Expertise Locally Invested Mortgage Stays Local Big Bank 261198 Patrick Lucas broker for Century 21 Homes & Land Please see HOUSING/4G Construction workers from Scott Wheeler Development LLC lay brick in Ona. Photos by Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS
Transcript
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www.herald-dispatch.com Sunday, March 24, 2013 1GproGress 2013
ousing analysts from near and farare optimistic about the new year.Various measurements continueto show signs of growth nation-ally as the local market remains
relatively steady, according to numbers pro-vided by the Huntington Board of Realtors.Local steadiness hasn’t caused many in theindustry to fret. They instead point to howthe Tri-State weathered the recession without a tremendouscrash, thus eliminating the necessity of a great rebound.
Their optimistic minds point to low interest rates and a newfound senseof certainty inWashington, D.C., alongwith continued growth in areas eastand north of Huntington.
Patrick Lucas, broker for Century 21 Homes& Land, acknowledged someuncertainty lingers due to the national debt, but he said history shows people
INsIde THIs seCTIoNCreativedesign duoIf you’ve been inBackyard Pizzaand Raw Bar orSIP Wine Bar,you’ve steppedinto the world ofAckenpucky Cre-ative / 1H
Custom home environmentA new townhome development inBarboursville offers buyers the look of animpressive estate instead of condo-style / 1I
The Herald-Dispatch’s annual Progress Editions take alook at our Tri-State economy and business community.
Today’s sections focus on careers and homes.
progress 2013:
Signs of improvementin local housing market
The difference between Us and Them is thatWe’re here for You.For over 75 years, Huntington Federal has offered a local alternative to the bigbanks when it comes to homemortgage, refinance or home improvement loans.So make the right choice – make the local choice. And enjoy the security ofknowing that you’re dealing with a bank that has a truly local commitment.
vs.HuntingtonFederal
Local Expertise
Locally Invested
Mortgage Stays Local
Big Bank
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Patrick Lucasbroker for Century 21Homes & LandPlease see HOUSING/4G
Construction workers from Scott WheelerDevelopment LLC lay brick in Ona.Photos by Mark Webb/The Herald-DispatchBluEPRInT
foR SuCCESS
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Progress 2013: Homes2G The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
“It just intrinsically adds val-ue to your home,” he said. “Itmay not be huge, but I think itdoes add value because thenit becomes easily accessible toyou and your family.”
But that valuemay not meaninstant dollar signs, accordingto broker Jim Weiler of RE/MAX Realty and mortgagelender Ginger Sergent of FirstSentry Bank.
That is, in part, becausereal estate agents and mort-gage experts determine valueby the home’s square footageand its actual, on-site ameni-ties, as well as the sell priceof comparable homes in thearea.
Weiler described parks andsuch amenities as catalyststhat can satisfy a prospectivebuyer’s search for opportu-nity. He mentioned homesneighboring Ritter Park as anexample.
“Some of them are very lim-ited in the size of their yards,”he said. “I tell my clients orprospects, ‘You’ve got thebiggest yard in Huntington ablock away and you don’t haveto mow it.’”
Like PATH, Weiler saidplans for a park at the site ofthe former Miller ElementarySchool could provide a similaropportunity for those neigh-bors. Sergent listed the city’srecently opened dog park inthe same light.
But it may take years for adollar-sign increase to even-tually follow, Sergent said.She explained any such spikein value is dependent uponindividual buyers choosingto pay more for comparablehomes in the area. Once
enough of those comparablehomes sell for an increasedamount, then the park couldhave an indirect affect.
“You’re not going to get aninstant bang for your buck,” shesaid. “It’s got to build up, andyou’ve got to get a lot of people
to buy the (comparable) housesfor a higher price for it to everbenefit you.”
Follow Curtis Johnson viaTwitter @curtisjohnsonHD andhttp://facebook.com/curtis-johnsonHD.
The Cabell County Asses-sor’s Office works year-roundto track the housing market.This year, Cabell County sawtotal sales of $75,000,000.Every sale within the countypasses through our officewhich allows us to continuallycompare data. One of the larg-est factors of value is location.
The total number of salesfrom 2006-2010 was signifi-cantly higher than that in ourcurrent market. However,sales were declining dur-ing that time. In the last twoyears, our market has stabi-lized.
While it is certainly slowerthan six years ago, CabellCounty has been very fortu-nate not to have experiencedthe crippling downturn felt inmany areas of our nation, asthe average sale price in ourthree cities- Barboursville,Huntington andMilton- actu-ally increased.
Barboursville DistrictBarboursville District con-
sists of numerous subdivisionsincluding Guyan Estates, Indi-an Meadows, Old Farm, Mead-ow Creek and Laurel Crossing.Many apartment complexesare scattered throughout thedistrict.
Cabell County has not beenaffected by the housing crashthat has plagued the rest of thecountry, and that tends to keepour Real Estate Market in goodshape. Properties are now onthe market for less time thanin previous years, and the salesare very close to the askingprices, which are increasing.
Town of BarboursvilleTown of Barboursville Dis-
trict is still experiencing thenew construction of upper endhomes, particularly in KnobCreek and Deer Creek subdivi-sions.
The area has remained avery desirable place in whichto live and current sales reflectthat. Outside of these upperend Subdivisions, the salesin the Town of Barboursvilleremain constant, howeverthey tend to sell somewhatfaster than they did previously.While foreclosures occur,they tend to be at a minimum,despite the conditions outsideWest Virginia.
Huntington DistrictsHuntington is comprised of
three tax districts, which areGideon, Kyle and Huntington-Guyandotte.
Gideon District is comprisedof all properties east of 8thStreet in the Huntington citylimits, excluding the extremesouth side of Huntington. It
includes neighborhoods suchas those bordering RitterPark, Fairfield East andWest,Enslow Park, Walnut Hills,Beverly Hills, Highlawn, Guy-andotte, and others.
Kyle District is west of 8thStreet to theWayne Countyline.
Huntington-Guyandotte isthe extreme south side of Hun-tington, mostly bordering I-64.It also includes Harveytown,Altizer and properties recentlyannexed into the Huntingtoncity limits.
Although, the number ofopen-market sales in this areaof Cabell County is still belowthe level of past years, theaverage sale price for 2012 hasincreased over 2011.
Grant DistrictGrant District comprises the
part of Cabell County outsidethe Town of Milton. It hasthe two unincorporated areasof Ona and Culloden. Salesvolume is holding steady, asour real estate market has notdeclined. Sales are good andindications are that pricesincreased, somewhat, dur-ing 2012 and early 2013. Newconstruction is still under wayin Eastern Cabell County, anddespite the sometimes inclem-ent weather, it has not slowedthe building of new homes.
Bedford Heights subdivi-sion, just off Rock CampRoad, is a prime example,and construction hasremained steady with asales range from $250,000to $350,000 and above.Cherry Brooke, the newsubdivision on Howell’sMill Road, currently underdevelopment, has one newhome sold at approximately$190,000 and there are salespending for other homes.Properties in older areassuch as Summer Acres, Mal-colm Spring Heights andWhispering Pines continueto have excellent sale prices.Some smaller homes andhomes more than 40 years oldin the Culloden area are nowbeginning to sell at approxi-mately $90,000, compared topreviously when they wereselling at a rate considerablyless. Properties outside thesubdivisions are selling wellwith no decline in price.
Housing marketremains steady
IrvJOHNSON
Tri-State housing marketResidential open-market transactions from
2006-20012 in Cabell County that did not involvethe following: additional parcels; a change aftersale; related individuals or corporations; liquida-tion or forced sale; special financing/ land con-tract; and excessive personal property
Dates used are not calendar year, but “tax year” beginning onJuly 1st thru June 30th.
Please see JOHNSON/3G
Cabell County has wideaccess to such amenities,notably Ritter Park, above,in Huntington, BarboursvillePark and April Dawn Parkin Milton. Soon those spotswill be joined by the PaulAmbrose Trail for Health(PATH), left, a 26-mile, city-wide trail system in Hunting-ton. Construction workersfrom Bush and Burchett Inccontinue with the PATH proj-ect in Guyandotte.
Photos by Mark Webb andLori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch
Providing a home
Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch
Jim Weiler of RE/MAX Realty described parks and such amenities as catalysts that can satisfya prospective buyer’s search for opportunity. He mentioned homes neighboring Ritter Park asan example.
& a lifestyle
Huntington area amenities boostattractiveness of a potential home
Tyson Comptonpresident of the Cabell-Huntington Convention & Visitors Bureau
The presence of parks, walk-ing trails and other formsof recreation can boost the
attractiveness of a house, but ana-lysts are unsure as to how it canimpact the home’s value.
Cabell County has wide access tosuch amenities, notably Ritter Parkin Huntington, Barboursville Parkand April Dawn Park in Milton.Soon those spots will be joined by
the Paul Ambrose Trail for Health(PATH), a 26-mile, citywide trailsystem in Huntington.
Tyson Compton, president of theCabell-Huntington Convention &Visitors Bureau, said those itemstogether with the Huntington Mall,Marshall Artists Series and theHuntington Symphony Orchestrahave proved good selling points inattracting new residents to the area.
STORY BY
CURTISJOHNSONTHe HeRald-
dISpaTCH
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Courtesy of the U.S. Departmentof Housing and Urban Development
Are you having trouble keep-ing upwith your mortgage pay-ments? Have you received anotice from your lender askingyou to contact them?
n Don’t ignore the lettersfrom your lender
n Contact your lender imme-diately
n Contact a HUD-approvedhousing counseling agency
n Toll FREE (800) 569-4287n TTY (800) 877-8339If you are unable tomake your
mortgage payment:1. Don’t ignore the problem.The further behind you
become, the harder it will beto reinstate your loan and themore likely that you will loseyour house.
2. Contact your lender as soonas you realize that you have aproblem.
Lenders do not want yourhouse. They have options tohelp borrowers through diffi-cult financial times.
3. Open and respond to allmail from your lender.
The first notices you receivewill offer good informationabout foreclosure preventionoptions that can help youweath-er financial problems. Latermailmay include important notices ofpending legal action.Your failureto open the mail will not be an
excuse in foreclosure court.4. Know your mortgage
rights.Findyour loandocuments and
read them so you know whatyour lender may do if you can’tmake your payments. Learnabout the foreclosure laws andtimeframes in your state (asevery state is different) by con-tacting the State GovernmentHousing Office.
5. Understand foreclosure pre-vention options.
Valuable information aboutforeclosure prevention (alsocalled loss mitigation) optionscan be found online.
6. Contact a HUD-approvedhousing counselor.
The U.S. Department ofHousing and Urban Develop-ment (HUD) funds free or verylow-cost housing counselingnationwide.Housing counselorscan help you understand the lawand your options, organize yourfinances and represent you innegotiations with your lender,if you need this assistance. FindaHUD-approved housing coun-selor near you or call 800-569-4287 or TTY 800-877-8339.
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Progress 2013: Homes The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 3GQuestions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
Town of Milton DistrictTown of Milton District is
located just off Interstate 64in eastern Cabell County. Itis bordered on the west andsouth by the Mud River andon the north by I-64. Conve-niently located, it is a desir-able community in which tolive and consists of new sub-divisions, a new commercialneighborhood, and numerousnew townhouses and apart-ment buildings under con-struction.
Town of Milton Districthas seen a small decrease inthe number of sales, but theaverage sale price shows anincrease of approximately 20percent.
Union DistrictUnion District comprises
Ohio River Road, WV 2— from 9 Mile Creek tothe Mason County line -Union Ridge, Barker Ridge,Howell’s Mill, Big 7 MileRoad, Lower Creek Road,Prichard Road and others.Sales are good in this mar-ket area, especially largeacreage farm land from 60acre tracts upwards to 200acres, with sales $300,000to $400,000. Land is whatbuyers seem to want most,and this seems to be thelatest selling/buying trend.Lots for adding improve-ments such as manufactured
or stick built homes rangefrom one quarter acre toaround three acres, and atypical sale price is approxi-mately $26,000 per acre. It ispredictable to see this trendcontinue, unless the avail-ability of properties woulddiminish.
Guyandotte DistrictGuyandotte has seen an
increase in sales withmany new and updatedhomes on West Pea RidgeRoad and surroundingareas. Also, the vicinitynear the new HuntingtonEast Middle School hasseen an increase in newconstruction on U.S. 60.
McComas DistrictMcComas District has expe-
rienced recent sales in theWilliamsburg Colony area.New construction continuesthroughout the district with anumber of new homes built intheWV 10 area.
Irv Johnson is the CabellCounty Assessor.
Johnsonn Continued from 2G
ABOVE: Jon Wheeler, Asses-sor Irv Johnson, J.D. Adkins,front left to right, join col-leagues John Perry, Brent Wil-liams, Brian Daniels and JerryVinyard, back left to right,in representing the CabellCounty Assessorís Officeoutside of the Cabell CountyCourthouse.Curtis Johnson/The Herald-Dispatch
Spring offers the prospectof new beginnings for manypeople. In recent days thereseems to be a more optimis-tic view of the economy, theweather and of life in general.For residents of Huntingtonand Charleston, this is morethan just a good feeling orwishful thinking. Both citiesnow appear on the NationalAssociation of Home Build-ers (NAHB)/First AmericanImproving Markets Index(IMI).
What does that mean? Tobe on that list, a housingmarket has to show improve-ment for at least six con-secutive months following itslowest point. The three keymeasurements used to gaugethis index include homeprice appreciation, single-family permits and employ-ment.
With these positive indica-tors, now is a good time toconsider building that newhome of your dreams. Own-ing your own home providesa place for your family togrow and thrive, and con-tributes to building stron-ger communities. With thebreak in the weather, springprovides the optimal time tobegin construction withoutinterruptions.
There are still challengesthat face the construction ofa new home, but they are notimpossible challenges.
n Given the new bankingregulations, financing a newhome may take some creativeeffort.
n Location is importantand the area surroundingHuntington is blessed with anumber of new subdivisionswith lots available.
n There are still excellentlocal licensed contractorswho have survived the GreatRecession. They may havesmaller crews due to down-sizing, and you may have to
get on a waiting list, but it isworth the wait to get a qual-ity builder.*
n Appraisals have offeredanother challenge. NAHBhas offered a white paperto address appraisal reformtitled “A ComprehensiveBlueprint For ResidentialAppraisal Reform.” Whilereforms are being consid-ered, be sure your builder isallowed to submit informa-tion to the appraiser chosenfor your project.
n The cost of materialhas risen over the past fewyears. Be sure to factor thisinto your new constructionproject.
n New EPA regulations,energy considerations andcode requirements havechanged the way housesare to be built. Be sure yourcontractor is up to date onthese new techniques andtalk about what level of effi-ciency you want in your newhome.
There is no satisfactionequal to that of owning yourown home, and in particu-lar, to building your dreamhome. If you are able to doit, don’t wait for better eco-nomic times. There is no bet-ter time than the present.
*For the names of localHome Builder members whoare builders and remodelers,go to www.tristatehba.com orfor a wider area go to www.hbawv.org. For informationabout building and housingtopics such as mortgage inter-est deductions, weatheriza-tion, green building, buyinga home, lead paint and manyothers, go to www.nahb.org.
John Brumley is the Presi-dent of Tri-State Home Build-ers Association.
To be on The National Association of Home Builders FirstAmerican Improving Markets Index list, a housing markethas to show improvement for at least six consecutive monthsfollowing its lowest point. The three key measurements usedto gauge this index include home price appreciation, single-family permits and employment.
Homeowner tips to avoidpossibility of foreclosure
Metro Creative Graphics
Don’t ignore the problem. The further behind you become, theharder it will be to reinstate your loan and the more likely thatyou will lose your house.
ON 6G:More foreclosure tips
C M Y K 50 inch
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Progress 2013: Homes4G The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
people feel more confident inbuying a home after a presiden-tial election.
“People are still living theirlives,” he said. “People arestill getting married, gettingdivorced, having kids, retiring,moving elsewhere, getting jobtransfers ... So life goes on, andwith life changes usually come achange in where people live.”
National signs of improve-ment include a March reportindicating home prices rose 9.7percent in January from a yearago, according to theAssociatedPress.
It also reported numbersfrom the National Associationof Realtors showing inventoriesfalling to a 13-year low as thesale of existing homes tickedup in January after rising totheir highest level in five yearsin 2012.
The U.S. Commerce Depart-ment reported in late Februarythat new-home sales rose nearly16 percent in January, making itthe largest increase in nearly 20years, according to AP reports.
Local housing at a glanceTheHuntingtonBoardofReal-
tors closed 1,236 residential salesin 2012, a marginal drop of 1.7percent from the previous year.Thevolumeof those transactionstotaled nearly $169 million at anaverage price of $136,702.
The total volume was downfour-tenths of a percentagepoint from 2011, while the aver-age price rose 1.4 percent.
The average time a unitremained on the market rose 2percent from 148 days in 2011to 151 in 2012. Early statistics,through late February, show thataverage having risen to 161 days.
Kevin McGuire, the board’spresidentandanagentatMcGuireRealty, attributed that increase toJanuary and February tradition-ally being a real estate agent’sslowestmonths.He saidbusinessshould pick up in the spring asthose interested seize onwhat hecalled a “buyers’market.”
Those working outside of realestate offices also are optimisticaboutapickupinthemarket.Thatincludes 84 Lumber’s Joe FralicanddeveloperAdamJohnson.
Fralic started seeing an uptickin sales last year at his store,which is located near the 29thStreet Exit. The increase carriedover into the winter, and thestoremanager anticipates a busyspring. He personally felt therecession and a series of foreclo-sures finally ran its course andalmost left a shortage.
“Now there’s a need for newhousing,” he said.
Johnsonisexperiencingthatneedat Bradford Heights inMilton andCherrybrookeinOna.Hiscompany,Johnson Land Development, justlast year shifted its Cherrybrookestrategytowardone-floor,rancher-stylehomes.Ithasattractednewly-weds, youngprofessionals and theelderly,alongwithotherswhomaywanttodownsize.
The homes come with 1,600square feet in living space anda garage. They sell for approxi-mately $199,000. They’ve builtthe first one in April 2012, soonthereafter selling it and four
others. More are on the way.“The first four that we’ve got
down there, we’ve had themsold before theywere ever com-pleted,” he said. “I think theprice point is something that’saffordable, especially for theproduct that they’re getting.”
Johnson placed today’s prizedprice range from $189,000 to$219,000. McGuire set thedemand a bit lower between$125,000 and $175,000.
“You could sell them as fast asyou’re building them,”McGuiresaid. “That’s this market righthere. It’s the big-dollar homesthat are hurting.”
Cathy Rickman, a mortgagelender at United Bank, also seesimprovement in the market, butshe qualified it as slow. At thedepths of the recession approxi-mately 15 percent of her clientswere buying a home to the 85percent focused on refinancing.
Now she estimates that splitat 30-percent purchases to 70-percent refinancing.
Financing remains difficultAnalysts say f inancing
remains the most challengingaspect of the market.
The Huntington Board ofRealtors’ report indicates 43.2percent of units sold by itsagents in 2012 were financedwith conventional loans. That’son par with the previous yearsand many others, according
various analysts.The challenge involves quali-
fying for such a mortgage andbeing able to afford its downpayment. McGuire said loansthat once closed in 30 days nowtake 45 to 60 days.
And then it varies with theunderwriter, McGuire said. Hecitedoneexampleinwhicharegis-terednursewasrequiredtoprovideadiplomatoprovehiscareer.AW-2 tax formwouldnot suffice.
“It’s still tight,” he said. “Peo-ple have to be pretty squeakyclean with their credit.”
Government financing rankedsecond in the Board of Realtors’reportwith327purchases, or26.5percent, having utilized a loanfrom either the Federal HousingAdministration,U.S.DepartmentofAgricultureor theU.S.Depart-ment of VeteransAffairs.
The FHA loans still require adown payment and come withwhat can be troublesome regula-tions. Neither the USDA nor VAloansrequireadownpayment,butboth restrictwhocanqualify.
Rickman said those difficul-ties make saving money andwatching one’s credit all themore crucial.
Fralic attributed finance chal-lengeswith giving a boost to therental industry. His store hasseen an increase in multi-fam-ily construction, particularly inHuntington. He said rentals canbecome a better option in theface of a buyer needing $70,000to $80,000 in upfront money toconstruct a new home.
The Board of Realtors’ reportranked cash purchases as third
at 25.8 percent among the vari-ous types of financing. Those1,236 units sold at an averageprice of $87,237, much cheaperthan more popular forms offinancing for which averagesexceeded $115,000.
Lucas and McGuire said thecash buys were indicative offoreclosures, which are sold atcheaper prices to those capableof paying full cash.
Growth trends suburbanAnalysts say areas of east and
north ofHuntington continue tobe themost favorablemarkets forselling real estate.They attributethe trend to a mix of city weak-nesses and a general preferencefor a suburban lifestyle.
McGuire listed taxes and fees,alongwithscarce landavailabilityand the aging nature ofHunting-ton homes as reasons people arechoosing to locate outside of thearea’smost populous city.
But suburban amenities alsoare causing prospective homebuyers togravitate towardeasternCabell County and Proctorville,Ohio. Analysts say those issuesincludepresenceof subdivisions,newerconstruction, thechoiceofparticular schools and the prox-imity to attractions, such as theHuntingtonMall.
Homes there generally sellfor more money, according tothe Board of Realtors’ report.The average price formany sells
in that area, for 2012, exceed-ed $137,300 with most rangingbetween $154,500 and $173,000.
PutnamCounty also remainsa viable market, especially fordual-income families whosejobs are split betweenHunting-ton and Charleston. Lucas saidthe county particularly appealsto those out of state due to simi-larities between it and their pre-vious hometown.
In Huntington, the Board ofRealtors’ report identifies thecity’s Southeast Hills area asparticularly busy. It outpacesother city neighborhoods withmore than 100 units sold inboth 2011 and 2012. The areaincludes the Meadows Elemen-tary School district to southeastto areas along Norway Avenue.
McGuire said homes in South-east Hills match the desiredprice range. Last year the aver-age price was approximately$118,500, down from $128,400from 2011. He believes the 2012numberwould have been higherwithout recent foreclosures.
Lucasalsomentionedtheneigh-borhood attracts less foot traffic.It’sproximitytoareahospitalsalsointerests young doctors who arerequired to live within a certaindistanceof the city’s hospitals.
Follow Curtis Johnson viaTwitter @curtisjohnsonHD andhttp://facebook.com/curtis-johnsonHD.
Housingn Continued from 1G
Kevin McGuireHuntingtonBoard of Real-tors president
Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch
Construction workers from Scott Wheeler Development LLC lay brick in Ona. In Huntington, the Board of Realtors’ report identifies the city’s Southeast Hills areaas particularly busy. It outpaces other city neighborhoods with more than 100 units sold in both 2011 and 2012. The area includes the Meadows ElementarySchool district to southeast to areas along Norway Avenue.
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Criminal History Specialist
Putnam County Circuit Court is now accepting resumes forthe position of Criminal History Specialist.The Criminal History Specialist will improve the completeness, automationand transmittal of records used by the FBI’s National Instant CriminalBackground Check System (NICS). Applicants should have a goodworking knowledge of the justice system. Must have the ability to prepareand effectively present written and oral reports, establish and maintain aprofessional working relationship with staff and the West Virginia StatePolice; apply existing laws, rules and regulations; possess the ability tolearn and apply technology in the course of the job; exhibit attention todetails and accuracy; and maintain discreet behavior due to work withsensitive records. The highest level of discretion is mandatory.Must have a bachelor and/or masters degree in counseling, psychology,social work, criminal justice, or corrections. Relevant experience in theareas of corrections, counseling, social work, and/or criminal justiceis preferred. Equal Opportunity Employer. Must pass an NCIC/CIBbackground check.
Go to www.courtswv.gov for job application.Closing date March 29, 2013.Please send a job application, cover letter,:<85&< 1%" #;,$613 $#33<9< 7:1%8$:6!7 7#'Judge Phillip M. Stowers,Putnam County Judicial Building,..)( -6%,<3" 4#1"* -6%,<3"* -/ 0+02.
Fruth Pharmacy is seeking Experienced Full timepharmacy technician. 3+ years experience in retailpharmacy and state and/or national certification
preferred. Pay commensurate with experience, for theHuntington and Proctorville area. Benefits available.
or mail to 4016 Ohio River Rd.Point Pleasant, WV 25550
FULL TIME PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
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Fruth Pharmacy is seeking a Gift Specialist(flowers, balloons & etc.). for the Huntingtonstores. 3+ yrs exp. pref. Pay commensurate
with experience. Benefits available.Apply online at
www.fruthpharmacy. comor mail to 4016 Ohio River Rd.
Point Pleasant, WV 25550
GIFT SPECIALIST
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C M Y K 50 inch
Progress 2013: Homes6G The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
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The Lawrence County realestate market is ever changingand dynamic. History showsthat we don’t typically seethe booms and the busts thatare portrayed on the nationalnews.
However, the real estatemarket in Lawrence Countyhas definitely cooled since thehighs of 2007.
In fact, six years ago thetotal real estate sales in Law-rence County reached anall-time high of nearly $110million. For calendar year2008, total sales dropped to$95,189,500, and for calendaryear 2009 the amount droppedagain to $79,899,500 in sales.
In 2010 the total realestate sales bounced back to$84,436,135. In 2011 the totalreal estate sales increasedagain to $89,083,865, but in2012 the total real estate salesin the county dropped to$77,597,305.
As you can see, the volumeof sales has fluctuated fromyear to year in LawrenceCounty.
Looking at the county as awhole over the last few yearsis interesting. I would like toshare with you the breakdownof only the valid residen-tial real estate sales of 2011
through 2012, from specificareas of the county.
These are sales betweena willing seller and a will-ing buyer in an arm’s lengthtransaction. They do notinclude sales between relatedparties or non-residentialproperties:
As these numbers show,almost every area in thecounty saw a slowdown ofresidential sales from 2011 to2012. The most active area ofthe county is along the OhioRiver. Only Union Townshipsaw an increase in the totalsales amount even though thenumber of sales was downabout 17 percent.
Rome Township continuesto lead the county in boththe number of sales and theoverall value of residentialreal estate property involvedin transactions. The City ofIronton and surrounding areashad a strong 2011 in numberof sales, but the real estate
market slowed in the city andsurrounding areas in 2012.
The South Point area, whichis made up of the village andFayette and Perry townships,displayed a similar trend asthe county in whole, whilethe remaining portions of thecounty, which are more ruraland away from the Ohio River,saw level but light transactionsin both 2011 and 2012.
Although, the overall activ-ity has declined from 2011 to2012, when looking at indi-vidual sales, it is apparent thatreal estate values are remain-ing steady within the county.What this means for the pro-spective buyer or seller is thatwhat they will pay or get outof their particular piece of realestate is somewhat predictable.
Our conveyance records(sales information) are openfor your inspection. You areinvited to the County Auditor’sOffice in the Lawrence CountyCourthouse to see for yourselfthe details of our local realestate market. You can alsosearch a variety of detailedsales information on ourWebsite at www.lawrencecounty-auditor.org.
Jason Stephens is the Law-rence County Auditor.
Rome Township leadsLawrence in numberof homes sales, value
JasonSTEPHENS
How Did I Get Into This:Retired after 36 years in thenewspaper publishing busi-ness. Found out I was tooyoung to retire.First job: Making ice
cream cones at Baskin Rob-bins while in high school. Asan adult my first and only jobwas in the newspaper indus-try.Family: Wife Birdie, three
children, two grandchildrenwith another on the way.Special skills: They say
I’m not a bad writer and sort
of accomplished in business.I’m also a half way decentdrummer having played pro-fessionally for a few years.Favorite book: Oh good-
ness. Too many to mention.I lean toward thrillers for fun.History and political commen-tary for the substance stuff.Favorite movie: Every-
thing from spectaculars like“Ben Hur” and the morerecent “Harry Potter” series totoday’s fast action things.Favorite TV show: “NCIS,”
“The Following”
Key Player: David W. Roof
2011 Sales 2012 SalesResidential Residential
Entity PArCELS totAL SALES Entity PArCELS totAL SALESRome Twp 75 $10,640,550 Rome Twp 65 $8,307,400Ironton 74 $5,187,300 Ironton 48 $3,816,020Union Twp 62 $6,044,680 Union Twp 52 $6,821,790Fayette Twp 46 $4,090,375 Fayette Twp 38 $3,206,750Perry Twp 33 $1,779,350 Perry Twp 19 $1,526,000South Point 31 $3,499,400 South Point 23 $2,123,000Upper Twp 15 $1,246,500 Upper Twp 6 $632,000Elizabeth Twp 10 $498,500 Elizabeth Twp 8 $498,000Lawrence Twp 9 $557,000 Lawrence Twp 6 $515,000Windsor Twp 8 $709,000 Windsor Twp 8 $528,050Coal Grove 7 $307,900 Coal Grove 8 $401,000Proctorville 5 $611,500 Proctorville 6 $306,270Symmes Twp 4 $129,500 Symmes Twp 0 $0Aid Twp 2 $205,000 Aid Twp 1 $72,800Decatur Twp 2 $44,300 Decatur Twp 2 $58,000Hamilton Twp 2 $76,000 Hamilton Twp 2 $76,000Mason Twp 1 $28,000 Mason Twp 2 $287,000Wash. Twp 1 $93,000 Wash Twp 1 $5,500Hanging Rock 1 $12,000 Hanging Rock 0 $0Athalia 0 $0 Athalia 0 $0
Lawrence County home sales
LawrenceCounty, ohio
7. Prioritize your spending.After health care, keeping
your house should be your firstpriority. Review your financ-es and see where you can cutspending in order tomake yourmortgage payment. Look foroptional expenses— cable TV,memberships, entertainment-that you can eliminate. Delaypayments on credit cards andother “unsecured” debt untilyou have paid your mortgage.
8. Use your assets.Do you have assets - a sec-
ond car, jewelry, a whole lifeinsurance policy — that youcan sell for cash to help rein-state your loan? Can anyone in
your household get an extra jobto bring in additional income?Even if these efforts don’t sig-nificantly increase your avail-able cash or your income, theydemonstrate to your lender thatyou are willing to make sacri-fices to keep your home.
9. Avoid foreclosure preven-tion companies.
Youdon’t need to pay fees forforeclosure preventionhelp-usethatmoney to pay themortgageinstead. Many for-profit com-panies will contact you prom-ising to negotiate with yourlender. While these may belegitimate businesses, theywillcharge you a hefty fee (oftentwo or threemonth’s mortgagepayment) for information and
services your lender or aHUD-approved housing counselorwill provide free if you contactthem.
10. Don’t lose your house toforeclosure recovery scams.
If any firm claims they canstop your foreclosure imme-diately and if you sign a docu-ment appointing them to act onyour behalf, you may well besigning over the title to yourproperty and becoming a rent-er in your own home. Neversign a legal document withoutreading and understanding allthe terms and getting profes-sional advice from an attorney,a trusted real estate profession-al or a HUD-approved housingcounselor.
Progress 2013: Homes The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 7GQuestions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
Modest increases in thenumber of home sales is thelatest sign that the marketcould be starting to turnaround nearly five years afterthe housing bubble burst.Much of this is due to interestrates being at a historic low.Putnam County saw a levelingoff period and not the sharpdecline other counties andstates experienced.
Newconstruction values, forthe 2013 tax year, are $17,978,220.A five-year average of homesales indicates themedian valueat approximately $193,357.
With the building of severalnew schools in the county— Buffalo High School, Con-
fidence Elementary andthe renovations atWinfieldMiddle School andWinfieldElementary and more schoolsin the future, Putnam Countyis even more desirable to liveand raise a family.
Tax year comparisons:n July 2007 to July 2008: 665
sales totaling $121,868,587 for anaverage sale price of $183,260
n July 2008 to July 2009:
523 sales totaling $99,958,922for an average sale price of$191,125
n July 2009 to July 2010:643 sales totaling $125,120,436for an average sale price of$194,590
n July 2010 to July 2011: 512sales totaling $104,324,918for an average sale price of$203,760
n July 2011 to July 2012: 623sales totaling $120,895,190for an average sale price of$194,053
Sherry L. Hayes is thePutnam County Assessor. Formore information, visit http://putnamcoassessor.com.
Putnam County continuesto attract families to area
TEAYS VALLEY, W.Va. —The housing market continuesto be strong in Putnam County,according to real estate agentsand County Assessor SherryHayes.
JoshMcGrath, president electof the Kanawha Valley Boardof Realtors, said in early Marchthat he had noticed a favorableshift within the past 30 days. Somuch of a shift he moved thecounty from being a “buyer’s’market” to a “seller’s’ market.”
Thatmeans agents havemorequalified buyers than an inven-tory of available homes.
“I mean I have agents righthere in our office that havethree, five, six, 10, buyers thatthey’re trying to find somethingfor,” saidMcGrath, also broker/owner for Real Estate Central inTeays Valley. “There’s just nota lot of good listings out there.If a good property goes on themarket, and it’s clean, neat andmove-in ready and it’s pricedright, it will sell.”
The number of units soldin Putnam County increased12.5 percent from 2011 to 2012,according to combined statis-tics provided the Huntingtonand Kanawha Valley Boards ofRealtors.
The Charleston-based ,Kanawha Valley board handlesthe majority of county transac-tions. Its numbers showPutnamCounty sellers, in 2012, experi-enced fewer days onmarket andreceived more of their askingprice as compared to 2011.
Kanawha Valley board mem-bers tallied 590 units sold in2012 for an average sale price of$190,706, a slightdrop form2011’saveragepriceof$192,033.McGrathsaid thecheapsell of foreclosurescaused themarginal drop.
The average time a housestays on the market improvedto 72 days in 2012, accordingto statistics from the KanawhaValley Board of Realtors. Theyear-to-date number for 2013had risen in early March to 77days, but it remained below the
2011 mark of 81 days.That length of time is rela-
tively low. For instance, homessold by theHuntington Board ofRealtors had an average days onmarket 151 days.
McGrath attributed the coun-ty’s success to sellers listingtheir homes at an appropriateprice. He said that reality isfound in that sellers received96 percent of their asking pricein 2012, up one percent from theprior year. Thatmeans a negoti-ated reduction of only $4,000for someone who listed theirhome at $100,000.
The average home selling inPutnamCountyhas 4bedrooms,2.5 baths and is priced between$180,000 to $250,000, McGrathsaid. They are typically locatedbetween Hurricane east to theCrooked Creek interchange inScott Depot.
“I just think people like thatarea,” he said. “A lot of the timeyou can find a house that isa little bit newer and needs alittle less work. If you go intoCharleston, Dunbar and placeslike that, even SouthCharleston,the homes are older, sometimesneed more updating if theyhaven’t been renovated.
“That can be a scary thingfor a young buyer,” McGrathadded.
Qualifying for a mortgagecan be a challenge in PutnamCounty as anywhere else, but
buyers there can benefit frommortgages offered by the U.S.Department of Agriculture.Those loans require no downpayment, but cities are typi-cally excluded as qualification isrestricted to certain geographi-cal areas.
Putnam County benefitsbecause, unlike other counties,all of its land is classified asa rural community and fallswithin the USDA’s boundar-ies of qualification, McGrathsaid. Thatmakes buying a homesimpler.
“I think that’s helped tre-mendously,” he said. “It affordspeople the ability to live in anarea they want to live with aprogram they can afford to buya house with.”
Hayes noticed an increase inactivity between tax years end-ing 2011 and 2012, during whichtotal sales rose from 512 to 623.She believes the building of newschools and renovations at oth-ers are making the county evenmore desirable.
McGrath has not noticed anyreal shift in population, althoughhe mentioned newer construc-tion under way in Fraziers Bot-tom and Scott Depot. He alsonoted Winfield is becomingincreasingly popular with somebuyers.
The broker said he doesn’tbelieve any of that growth willimpact the strength of the Hur-ricane-Teays Valley market.
Curtis Johnson /The Herald-Dispatch
These signs represent just two homes for sell in Teays Valley, W.Va., which analysts describe as abustling real estate market between Hurricane, W.Va., and Scott Depot, W.Va., in Putnam County.
A seller’smarket
“I mean I haveagents right herein our office thathave three, five,six, 10 buyers thatthey’re trying tofind something for.”Josh McGrathpresident elect ofthe Kanawha ValleyBoard of Realtors
By KIM COOKThe Associated Press
When Pa n tone LLCannounced that emerald greenwas its Color of the Year for2013, reaction among design-ers and interior consultantswas mixed.
The company, which cre-ates andmatches colors for thehome and fashion industries,picks a top hue each year basedon current use and expectedcontinued popularity.
For New York color con-sultant Debra Kling, emer-ald green’s boldness meansit should be used only as anaccent. “Emeraldmight be oneof those polarizing colors likepurple — you either love it orhate it, and certainly could gettired of it fast,” she says.
Other shelter style arbiters,however, suchasElleDicor, her-alded the color by featuring luxegoods in emerald green, includ-ing fabrics from Scalamandre,Schumacher andPhillip Jeffries,and Baccaratwater glasses.
Greens have been strongfor a while because of interestin nature, Leatrice Eiseman,executive director of Pantone’sresearch arm known as thePantone Color Institute, hassaid. She calls green “a color ofgrowth, renewal, healing, unityand regeneration.”
So can you decorate withemerald greenwithout becom-ing overwhelmed by it?
New York designer ElaineGriffin thinks you can, as longas you’re careful.
“There’s no getting aroundit, emerald is flat out dramatic.Which means it’s best used in
small doses, as accessories,”she says.
For those liking the colorenough to consider paint, Grif-fin has a suggestion. “Trueemerald should go in tiny spac-es like foyers or powder rooms,and then dining rooms, whichalways benefit from a theatri-cal touch. But it’s too harsh acolor for rooms in which youlinger.”
Consider malachite acces-sories. “Malachite is emer-ald at its best, so take yourinspiration from there. Mala-chite boxes, printed fabricslike Tony Duquette’s for JimThompson, bedecked platesand table lamps are all fab,”Griffin says.
Some colors pair well withemerald, and can give a visualpop to a room. Griffin likesyellow and brown, “like a sun-dappled forest”. As preppy go-withs, try raspberry, peacock,Prussian blue, pale rhubarb andturquoise.
And Kling notes that emeraldpairswell with other greens: “Incontrast toanyothercolorfamily,the humaneyeperceives that notwogreensclash.This isbecausewe’reaccustomedtoseeingeveryvariant of green coexisting har-moniously in nature.”
Where shouldn’t you use thehue?
“Avoid upholstering a long-term piece like a sofa in emer-ald — I promise the visu-al thrill will be gone in amatter of months,” Griffinsays.
At Wayfair, you’ll find JoyCarpet’s 3D graphic Highriserug in a great emerald. Glassdrawer knobs and pulls mightbe a fun way to introduce thisgreen too. (www.wayfair.com)
Launching in February, JCPenney’s got a bedding andbath collection created inpartnership with Pantone;there are severa l piecesin emerald, trimmed withwhite or cream. (www.jcp.com )
At Lamps Plus, find Arte-riors Home’s Roma emeraldcased glass and Greens Cir-cle Rings Ovo table lamps,as well as the smart Kite pil-low in an emerald ikat print.(www.lampsplus.com )
At Homegoods, there aresome striking emerald wineglasses priced quite a bit lessthan Baccarat, and a goodselection of emerald throwpillows and picture frames aswell. (www.homegoods.com )
Emerald is considered thestone of Venus, and there maybe a little luck of the leprechaunat work too—more reasons togive it a try.
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8G The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013
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www.herald-dispatch.com Sunday, March 24, 2013 1HProgress 2013
Progress 2013:
Homes
You may not know David SethCyfers and Jill LaFear, and youmay not have any idea what anAckenpucky is, but if you’ve
been in Backyard Pizza and Raw Bar,SIP Wine Bar or the new downtownoffices for Trifecta Productions, you’vestepped into the wild and wonderfulworld of Ackenpucky Creative.
Cyfers and LaFear, two artists whomarriedNewYear’s Eve 2010, are also grapevine-wrapped togeth-er in a ever-twisting and growing business calledAckenpucky Creative, a business named after theAppalachian colloquialism defining a stew-basedmeal made of unspecified ingredients with eachingredient enhancing the flavor of the others.
It’s a creative resource firmbased onPricesCreekRoad that’s blessedwith a sprawling 5,000-square-foot industrial workshop (originally built by TSIInteriors owners Norman Davis and his late wife,Shirley Broh Davis). Ackenpucky brings an artists’eye and a craftsman’s touch to everything fromunique lighting, upholstery for antique furniture(even with their own fabric designs), making one-of-a-kind furniture pieces, and putting their studioart and design stamp on interiors and exteriors forboth homes and businesses.
A Marshall University art graduate who did an
Wild, WonderfulWorld ofDESIGN
internship and installation at NewYork’s Museum of Modern Art withrenowned artist Doug Aitken, Cyfersalso worked for a year and a half withthe late Huntington homebuilder,designer and antique furniture restor-er, Tom Sadler.
“Ackenpucky is a West Virginiaword and it’s sort of a watchamacallitword and it fits in that we startedwitha purpose but no definite direction,”Cyfers said. “We thought that wasappropriate as we are evolving intofinding ourselves as a company andthe kind of products we are going toproduce.”
LaFear said they started out doing
studio arts, furniture, light and design,but as requests came in for additionalservices, they have either created itthemselves or found a craftsperson tohandle the challenge — like one cur-rent project of reupholstering nearly100 bar stools for a soon-to-open Eng-lish pub in Barboursville.
“Instead of telling people no, westarted figuring out how to do it andthat is part of the creative processpushing yourself to be more creativerather than just relying on amanufac-turer,” she said.
A quick scan of their own livingroommirrors the depth of their tastes— a beautifully-twisted and ribboned
metal drum lamp, hanging over thecouch is one of Cyfers’ large mixedmedia pieces that would look at homein a SoHo gallery, and in front of thatcouch, a massive maple stump-sawncoffee table he created from giantchunks of a more than 100-year-oldtree that had been cut down in Hun-tington’s west end.
He’s already sold two of those tablesand has more curing.
“I have a bunch of these slabs tomake tables. Once you cut it you haveto let it sit a year. You noticed thoselogs in the yard,” Cyfers said. “I am
Husband, wifeblend creativestyle, talent intheir business
ABOVE: Husband and wife duo Seth Cyfers and Jill LaFear are the owners andcreative minds behind Ackenpucky Creative. The company specializes in interiordesign for homes and businesses. BELOW: Ackenpucky Creative brings an artists’eye and a craftsman’s touch to unique lighting and upholstery for antique furniture.Photos courtesy of Josh Edwards and Ackenpucky Creative
STORY BY DAVE LAVENDER / THE HERALD-DISPATCH
Please see STYLE/2H
C M Y K 50 inch
Progress 2013: Homes2H The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
waiting to saw them and thenstack them to cure and thenprepare them to finish.”
Though the design pendulumswings broadly, they believe athread runs through it — char-acter, quality and an individu-ality you can’t find in a boxstore.
“The things that peoplemightcommonly consider to be decorfor their house is often junk,”Cyfers said. “We are trying tobring the handcrafted elementback to it and the quality.We tryto make things as affordable aspossible by one — cutting outasmanymiddlemen as possibleand two using asmuch salvagedmaterial as we can.”
When they’re not stackedwith client’s furniture piecesto re-imagine, the young cou-ple jumps into the Jeep, whichpulls a giant trailer, to hunt forantique furniture to rehab.
“A lot of people want some-thing that is very original withtheir upholstery like that setteesomething that is original andunique and something nobodyelse has and that is fine if youwant to pay a few thousandsdollars,” said LaFear, who cannot only order but who alsodesigns her own fabrics andpatterns. “But if you can findsomething antique or vintage
and then reupholster it you cansave a lot of money.”
Though relatively new as acompany, Ackenpucky’s visionofmashing up andmelding rus-tic Appalachia with splashes ofmodern art, is a bold, refreshingstyle that has already picked upa number of fans in the city.
What Joe Murphy calls “Hil-
billy chic” has its stamp on thenew space for Trifecta, the TVand film company that is housedon the first floor of the newKin-dred Communications-ownedbuilding that was once Chan-nel 13.
“You can go onto a sound-stage anywhere in the U.S., butit’s not Huntington,” Murphy
said walking past floor lightsref lected in guardrails thatwrap the room. “We wantedsomeonewho shared our visionand to articulate what we arefeeling. Seth Cyfers is our guy.He’s worked for us doing artdirection for years, so when itcame time to build our spacewe basically wanted him doing
every space in our studio. Seth’swork is very progressive, yettaps into the heart of Appala-chia.We call it hillbilly chic.Wewanted things around us thatembrace who we are and lookat this every room is a work ofart.When you areworkingwithcreative people you can’t haveconventional thinking.”
DrewHetzer, owner of Back-yard Pizza and Raw Bar, spentmonths with Cyfers as Cyfersput his rustic meets modern arttouch on the place on a shoe-string budget.
“I showed him the logo, thecolor schemes and the feel andhewent into Sethmode,”Hetzersaid. “It has that Appalachianfeel as it should, we are in WestVirginia but it doesn’t in anywayfeel hokey. He puts his uniquetwist to it and he can pull it off,and we get a lot of people trav-eling in here from Florida toCalifornia toNewYork and a lotof them say ‘we need this placewhere we live.’”
And while their work maybe finished at some business-es, their touch remains on thescene as they curate the revolv-ing local artwork at such venuesas SIP Wine Bar and Backyard,where such standout local art-ists as Joanna Donchantz, ClayMcNearney and others haveworks.
Not surprisingly,Ackenpucky,which carries nine furniturebrands including American
Leather, Norwalk, Baker, FourHands andHenredon, continuesto grow its scope.
In fact, they are in the pro-cess of also opening a commer-cial space and art gallery inthe historic Old Central Citydistrict along 14th Street Westin Huntington, home to suchestablished shops as Hattie andNan’s, the Farmer’s market,Perry and Jaymes Florists and agood dozen antique shops.
LaFear, and Cyfers, who havestarted a family and have twoyoung children, said appreci-ating older things was passeddown from their families andthat respect for craftsmanshipis something they are trying toshare today.
“We kind of both come fromfamilies that while dissimilarin certain ways both have anappreciation of things that areolder,” LaFear said “To us, olderfeels like home and not like youarewalking into a big box store.That is one of the best compli-ments someone can give you isthat when they walk into yourhouse that it feels like homeand youwant everybody to feelthat way. We want to give thatto people because it is importantto us. You can’t do that by goinginto a big box store and pickingout everything that everyoneelse has and putting it in there.You have to have your own per-sonality and your own tastesand preferences.”
Stylen Continued from 1H
Courtesy of Josh Edwards and Ackenpucky Creative
Ackenpucky Creative brings an artists’ eye and a craftsmans’ touch to everything from uniquelighting, upholstery for antique furniture (even with their own fabric designs), making one-of-a-kind furniture pieces and putting their unique studio art and design stamp on interiors andexteriors for both homes and businesses.
“I wasmoving fromCharleston for a job andreally my employer was right downtown too,”Huffman said. “It’s very convenient.”
Besides being able to walk across the streetforwork,Huffman also said a perk is being abletowalk to Starbucks, the Keith-Albee or beingclose to downtown events such as the paradesand games at Marshall University.
“You see what goes on more when you’redowntown,” Huffman said. “There are alwaysthings going on. And you see everyone outdoing things in the city.”
Huffmansaidoverall therearedifferentdoors,gates and security codes used for safety andpro-tection. These security measures could affect aperson’s decisiononwhere theychoose tomove.
“Freedom to travel on business or leisurewithout theworries of home invasion or utilityfailures could weigh heavily on the decisionprocess,” Pickens said.
With advantages, come a few disadvantagesto living downtown.
“The disadvantages would likely center onthe tendency for excessive noise and a concernfor higher crime potential,” Pickens said. “Alltoo frequent reports of altercations at the localbars does create a yearning for the seemingly,more peaceful suburbs.”
Huffman said people do hear some of thenoise but do eventually get used to it.
One of the things Huffman finds unappeal-ing is walking out the front door and havingsome people ask for money while walking the
streets of Huntington. There have also beenproblemswith people from area bars commit-ting vandalism, such as busting beer bottles onthe building or breaking lights that residentsplace in flower boxes.
Better patrol by the police department onFriday and Saturday nights was one of Huff-man’s suggestions to helping prevent futurevandalism but he also wishes residents andarea business owners would take pride in thecity and help keep it clean.
“You also see first-hand things that could beimproved,” Huffman said. “More pride needsto be taken in the streets downtown. Duringthe Marshall movie, the streets were spotlessbut now everyday there is trash in the streets.I think if they could improve anythingwith thedowntown area, it would be the cleanliness.”
Although downtown living may not be foreveryone, it depends on your lifestyle andpersonal preferences.
“Familieswould likely find downtown livingthe least attractive due to space confinementsvalued for raising children,” Pickens said.
Huffman prefers the advantages of being
able to walk to work and still being able tohaving a community feeling while living in acondo downtown.
“Yougettoreallymeetyourneighbors,”Huffmansaid. “Rather than if you had separate houses orsomething like that.Theyknowyourbusinessbutnever really too close. It’s nice to have people thatarecloseby. It’s justa feelingofcommunity.”
Downtown living is also convenient forMar-shall students since they can bewithinwalkingdistance to campus andplaces such as PullmanSquare. Students and residents in the area canalso ride their bicycles to and from class orwork, instead of driving a car and having toworry about finding a parking spot or gettinga ticket at a meter. Bicycle lanes created onOldMainCorridor along 4thAvenue help keepthese riders safe during their travels.
“The convenience can’t be beaten,” Huff-man said.
Photos by Marcus Constantino/For The Herald-Dispatch
ABOVE & BELOW: Lee Huffman poses in his condo in the St. James building on 10th Street in Huntington. Huffman moved into the St. James building in 2005, while the building wasstill apartments. Between 2006 and 2007, he became the third owner to purchase a condo in the building.
HUNTINGTON — Living indowntown Huntington hasmany perks for people whoprefer to be close to businesses
and entertainment.“Downtown living is most appealing to
young professionals and empty nesters,”said John Pickens, a Realtor for PrudentialBunch Co. “Both groups enjoy the ben-
efits of low to no maintenance issues, andthe conveniences offered for shopping,entertainment and dining within short dis-tances.”
Lee Huffman moved into the St. Jamesbuilding in 2005, while the building wasstill apartments. Between 2006 and 2007,he became the third owner to purchase acondo in the building.
John Pickensa Realtor for Prudential Bunch Co.
DOWNTOWNLIVING
COnVEniEnCEs OF
A young Huntington professional says heenjoys being able to walk to work, havinga community feeling while living in a condo
sTORY BY WHiTnEY JOHnsOn / THE HERALD-DisPATCH
C M Y K 50 inch
Progress 2013: Homes The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 3HQuestions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
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“For many buyers, building a mountain homeon the face of the New River Gorge can be anintimidating proposition,” Galyean says. “TheTreeHouses on Falls Creek offers newWildRockresidents a luxurious and individualized homewithout the burden, and expense, of designingand building on their own.”
The Tree House includes all the amenitiesyou might find in a luxury hotel, but its metalmineshaft roof and pine plank siding are true toWest Virginia’s rugged landscape and character.Galyean’s design pays respect to the region’s coalmining history and U.S. National Park Servicearchitecture.
“This is a positive reference. It was a practicaland deliberate choice,” he said.
Plans start with four bedrooms and 3,000square feet under roof. The homes use high-quality, long-life materials, including hardwoodflooring, granite counter tops andmetal roofing.They also feature an outdoor Jacuzzi. The fullyfurnished and landscaped homes will cost about$250 per square foot, a significant value comparedwith mountain homes in surrounding states.
Galyean’s Tree House makes ample use ofgrand views and open spaces. The home’s focalpoint is a gathering room with three of the fourwalls glassed and doors that open to a patio inthe woods. The home’s main section has twomaster bedroom suites that open to a high-endkitchen/dining area for entertaining. A woodenwalkway bridges the main cabin to a two-bed-roombunkhousewith its own screened-in porch.The bunkhouse gives the kids their own space,but within a safe distance of their parents.
“For the past 45 years I have been designingproperties by imaging how a couple or fam-ily might enjoy them,” Galyean said. “The TreeHouses are designed for romantic getawaysor bringing the grandkids for a vacation in thewoods.”
Galyean developed the Tree House on FallsCreek to fit within Wild Rock’s sustainablecommunity design initiated in 2008 by Nelson,Byrd,Woltz LandscapeArchitects. An importantpart of his work will be ensuring thatWild Rockcontinues to develop in harmonywith the naturalenvironment of the New River Gorge.
The homes are next to a pond and PeregrinePark, complete with fire pit and bocce ball court.The setting creates an intimate communitywithin the larger Wild Rock community.
Wild Rock, which shares a three-mile bor-der with the New River Gorge National River,complements a region famous for its beautifulwilderness, world-class whitewater rafting andoutdoor adventures. Wild Rock partners withtheir neighbor Adventures on the Gorge to offerresidents everything from whitewater raftingand rock climbing to sunrise yoga and zip linetours of the wilderness’ canopy. The propertyhas a commanding view of the 1,000 foot gorgewith the iconic New River Gorge Bridge on thehorizon. There’s front door access to miles oftrails.
The community is located just north of theNew River Gorge Bridge and is minutes fromFayetteville.
Find outmore info about rental vacation homesand cabins at www.wildrockwv.com .
Submitted photos
Renowned resort designer and architect TAG Galyean has created the “Tree House on Falls Creek” for the Wild Rock West Virginia community. Galyean designed the homes to capturethe beauty of the West Virginia mountains from their perch atop the New River Gorge.
LANSING, W.Va. — Renowned resort designer and architect TAG Galy-ean has created the “Tree House on Falls Creek” for the Wild Rock WestVirginia community. Galyean designed the homes to capture the beauty ofthe West Virginia mountains from their perch atop the New River Gorge.
Galyean dubbed his design the“Tree House” for the homes’ high stanceamong the trees. Adding to this appeal is a wooden bridge that connects themain house to a bunkhouse for the kids. A backyard pond and nearby parkmake it an ideal retreat for families who love the outdoors.
Galyean has 45 years of design experience and has worked with some theworld’s top resorts, including The Greenbrier Hotel, The Broadmoor Hoteland The Lodge at Pebble Beach. TAG has a “style-free” approach and hisdesigns complement each resort’s awe-inspiring environs. He brings thatsame touch to Wild Rock’s new Tree Houses. The adaptable plans offer anaffordable and easy path for new buyers to customize and build their ownhomes at Wild Rock. A four-bedroom Tree House is now available for vaca-tion rentals or purchase.
Courtesy of Wild roCk West Virginia
Resort architect captures beautyof mountains through a TreeHouse design on Falls Creek
Galyean developed the Tree House on Falls Creek to fit within Wild Rock’s sustainable communitydesign initiated in 2008 by Nelson, Byrd, Woltz Landscape Architects
Job: RealtorHow did you get into your
career?: After 20 plus yearsas a paralegal/office manager,I sought a career change whenmy only child began college.First job: Legal secretary
at a law firmFamily: Married to Wayne
for 30 years, one child,Carissa, a medical student at
Joan C. Edwards School ofMedicineSpecial skills: Multitasker,
attention to detail, good orga-nization, exceeding expecta-tionsFavorite book: The BibleFavorite movie: “Some-
where In Time”Favorite TV show: None, I
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KeY PlaYer: CindY elKins
C M Y K 50 inch
By MELISSA RAYWORTHThe Associated Press
Many Americans haveembraced outdoor decorating,filling their yards with fluffysofas, gleaming end tables andeven outdoor rugs.
But what happens when thesun goes down?
Chris Lambton, landscapedesigner and host of HGTV’s“GoingYard,” advises his clientsto give as much thought to thelighting of their outdoor spaceas they do to the furnishings.
Forget yesterday’s glaringporch light, he says. You cannow choose from a wide rangeofmuch subtler lighting options.Many are inexpensive and styl-ish enough to quickly turn abasic patio into a chic entertain-ing space.
Here Lambton and two otheroutdoor decorating experts— Los Angeles-based design-ers Jeff Andrews and BrianPatrick Flynn — offer adviceon the newest, most attractiveand safest options for outdoorlighting.
Indulge your indoor styleMany indoor furniture
designs and fabrics are nowavailable as outdoor items,Lambton says, and the samegoes for lighting. Companiesare creating outdoor versions oftheirmost popular indoor lampsand fixtures.
Flynn is a fan of outdoor chan-deliers on patios or decks thatare covered: “They’re an excel-lent way tomake any humdrumoutdoor space feel like an actualroom.”
But, he says, choose wisely:“To get them right, you’ve gotto take scale and proportion intoconsideration. Install one that’stoo small, and itwill look like anafterthought. Install one that’stoo big or hangs too low, and itwill completely overwhelm thespace.”
Flynn also recommends usingfloor lamps and table lampsdesigned for outdoor use. Pricesvary widely (from more than$1,000 to less than $100), sohe suggests hunting online fordeals and the perfect style.
Another option: Create yourownoutdoor fixture.Many elec-tricians can rewire your favoriteindoor lighting to be safely usedoutside, Lambton says. “Searchfor whatever fixture you like,”he says, “then put an outdoorconduit in and attach it to aswitch.”
Go vintage“Vintage is always a key to
good lighting,” Andrews says,“indoors and outdoors.”
“Recently I got these reallycool, inexpensive Moroccanlanterns” with a vintage look.Rather than simply displayingthem on a table, he hung themfrom outdoor branches. “I hadthem wired for outside andhid the wires in the trees,” heexplains.
When the vintage lanternsglow from the tree branches atnight, it gives the yard a “roman-tic and kind of European feel.”
Forget the flood lightRather than one or two bright
porch lights, all three designerssuggest using a variety of softerlights.
Lambton has used faux stoneblocks with LED lights hiddeninside, alongside traditionallighting. Flynn has done thesame with illuminated plant-ers.
“Sneaking in ambient light inunexpectedways is something Ilove to do,” Flynn says. “In LosAngeles, I turned the middle ofa family’s Los Feliz backyardinto a full-fledged family room,comfy sectional sofa and all.To bring light to the space, Iused modern, plastic plantersthat light up. They have cordson the back of them, and con-nect to exterior outlets. Onceturned on, a light bulb insidethe transparent plastic illumi-nates and the entire area glowssoftly. This is so genius becauseit requires no electrician what-soever.”
Even simpler options: thinstrips of lights that can beattached along the underside ofdeck railings, or strands of lightsin the shape of everything fromsimple bulbs to stars, hearts orjalapeno peppers strung over-head.
Nomatterwhich style of lightyou choose, Andrews says, adddimmers to your outdoor lightswitches. “Everything in theworld,” he says, “needs to be ona dimmer.”
Go beyond your deck or patioDon’t forget to light the far
reaches of your yard, Lambtonsays. It will make your prop-erty feel bigger and banish thefeeling of being enveloped bydarkness when you entertainoutside.
It costs little to place a fewsmall, solar-powered lights atthe bases of trees and shrubs.He also suggests attaching a fewto tree branches. “And I love touplight ornamental grasses,”Lambton says. “It adds nicedepth to the yard.”
Don’t forget the fireFire pits of all sizes — from
huge outdoor f ireplaces tosmall tabletop containers— provide golden, flickeringlight for your outdoor space.
Display a collection of pil-lar candles in varying sizes(battery-powered or real),either clustered on their ownor tucked inside large, glasslanterns to “add a bit of spar-kle” to your yard, Andrewssays.
Or create an outdoor chan-delier with candles: “I tendto try my hand at rustic do-it-yourself ideas,” Flynn says.“In my own outdoor diningroom, I suspended a cande-labra made from reclaimedpine planks, rope, mason jarsand tea lights above the diningtable. When my family comesover for pizza night, it createsthe perfect ambience.”
Combine safety and beautyHome improvement stores
and websites offer a huge arrayof options for lighting outdoorpathways and deck stairs, addingbeauty while making your spacesafer.
And what about the safetyof leaving lighting out in allweather? If it’s outdoor-rated,Andrews says, it should be fine.But keep your climate in mind.
Flynn prefers not to leave“most lighting sources out year-
round unless an outdoor spaceis covered,” he says. “The onlytype of lighting I’m worry-freeabout for the outdoors is festival-style string lights. They’re prettymuch the same thing as holidaytwinkle lights.
Progress 2013: Homes4H The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
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This photo provided by Brian Patrick Flynn showslight-up plastic planters added to an outdoor fam-ily room to give it nighttime use by designer BrianPatrick Flynn for Hayneedle.com. In order for theplanter to work, it simply requires being pluggedinto a nearby outlet with its attached cord and anextension cord.
The Associated Press
C M Y K 50 inch
Progress 2013: Homes The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 5HQuestions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
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By DEAN FOSDICKThe Associated Press
Stormwater runoff can quickly draina homeowner’s wallet. The floodingerodes yards, soaks basements, pol-lutes streams and wastes a preciousresource.
But rainscaping — an integratedsystem of directed water flow and set-tling basins—can convert those lossesinto gains by providing new wildlifehabitat, beautifying properties andin some cases providing food for thedinner table.
“It’s becoming a pattern of captureand reuse rather than simply movingthe water off,” said Pat Sauer, Rain-scaping Iowa Program administrator.“There are more options out therethan just rain gardens. We’re lookingmore comprehensively at what can bedone on the landscape.”
Numerous state and local groupsare holding workshops and providingrebates for residents who add suchrefinements to their properties asrain barrels, cisterns, permeable pav-ing, settling ponds, green roofs andberms.
“Iowa is providing training for pro-fessionals — certified rainscapers— who are designing some of thoseprograms,” Sauer said.
“Many of these agencies also buildlarge-scale inf iltration systemsprojects on public lands,” said CleoWoelfle-Erskine,who alongwithAprylUncapher wrote “Creating Rain Gar-dens.” (Timber Press, 2012).
Landscapers often merge art withscience. “In Portland, Ore., many park-ing lots and curb strips sport swales(depressions) and retention basins,often decorated with sculptures ofleaping fish,” Woelfle-Erskine said.
Rainscaping, though, can be expen-sive and complicated. So why bother?
“A rain garden is not only a beauti-ful, low-maintenance, water-savinggarden, but can additionally providehabitat and forage for local fauna, sus-tain select edibles for harvest, reducepollution, f looding and erosion tonearby rivers and become a dailyreminder of the importance of water
conservation,” Uncapher said.Yards vary, and rainscaping designs
must be site specific. Some sugges-tions:
n Perk. Conduct a soil test to seeif your yard will percolate (drain)rainwater, Sauer said. “If it doesn’tperk, then all you’ll be left with isstanding water. If your yard is hard,like concrete, you’ll have to improvethe soil.”
n Plant native. Prairie plants andwoodland seedlings with deep rootshelp soak up stormwater, filter pollut-ants and recharge groundwater levels,Sauer said. “Using native plants alsohelps ensure they’ll survive their newsetting.”
n Installing a residential rain gar-den, which is a saucer-like depressionin the ground that captures rain froma downspout, driveway or patio, is thesimplest and least expensive way toretain stormwater, Woelfle-Erskinesaid. But here’s his kicker: “Theywon’twork if your yard is uphill from yourhouse.”
n Use permeable materials likebricks, pavingblocks or gravel ondrive-ways and walkways, with spacing thatallows water to seep into the soil.
n Edibles. Berries, asparagus,fiddlehead ferns, fruit trees, wintersquash, Brussels sprouts, and culinaryand tea herbs can be creative additionsin the right rain garden sites, but usethem with care. “Be aware of wherethe water is flowing into your raingarden from,” Uncapher said. “Raingardens serving to intersect runofffrom potentially polluted surfacesare not ideal for edibles unless soiland water nutrients are tested andmonitored.”
Rain gardens and related rain-scaping features give homeowners achance to be part of the stormwaterand pollution solution, while servingaesthetic and functional purposes,said Bob Spencer, RainWise programmanager for the City of Seattle.
“Not only are the gardens attractivelandscaping, they are protecting ourwater bodies and the creatures that livethere,” he said.
Rainscaping an answerto storm runoff problems
ABOVE: In this Feb. 11 photo, art comple-ments science on this settlement pond inSeattle’s Northgate neighborhood. Sedi-ment ponds slow the flow of storm water,allowing particles and pollutants to settleout. The accumulations are removed everyfive years or so by Seattle Public Utilitiescrews, leaving cleaner and clearer water toflow downstream.
LEFT: Rainscaping features can be expen-sive and complicated or simple and cheap,like this rain barrel capturing water froma downspout on a rural home in northernBelgium. The gardener simply dips a spraycan into the surplus when she wants towater her plants.
The Associated Press
Courtesy of www.usa.govNot all moving companies
are the same. Although manyare legitimate, there are somewho attempt to take advantageof their clients. Follow theseguidelines to help you choosethe right mover:
n Get a written estimatefrom several movers. Be waryof very low estimates. Somecompanies use the low price toget a contract and later ask formore money before they willremove your belongings fromtheir truck.
n Make sure the mover hasan operating license. Formovesfrom one state to another, visitprotectyourmove.gov to verifya mover’s license. For moveswithin a state, check your state,county or local consumer affairsagency.
n Make sure the mover hasinsurance. If furniture is dam-aged during the move, the mov-er’s insurance should cover it.
Ask how to file a complaint ifthere are limits to the coverage.
n Check the mover’s trackrecord. Contact your state orlocal consumer protection agen-cy or Better Business Bureauto see if there is a history ofcomplaints.
n If you have a dispute with
amoving company, you can filea complaint with the FederalMotor Carrier Safety Adminis-tration or by calling 1-800-832-5660. If you have a dispute aboutmoving your household goodsor vehicles internationally, con-tact the FederalMaritime Com-mission.
Courtesy of www.usa.govWhen shopping for a home
mortgagemake sure you obtainall the relevant information:
n Research current interestrates. Check the real estate sec-tion of your local newspaper,use the Internet, or call at leastsix lenders for information.
n Check the rates for 30-year,20-year and 15-year mortgages.You may be able to save thou-sands of dollars in interestcharges by getting the shortest-termmortgage you can afford.
n Ask for details on the sameloan amount, loan term, andtype of loan frommultiple lend-ers so that you can compare theinformation. Be sure to get theAnnual Percentage Rate (APR),which takes into account not
only the interest rate but alsopoints, broker fees, and othercredit charges expressed as ayearly rate.
n Askwhether the rate is fixedoradjustable.The interest rateonadjustable rate mortgage loans(ARMs) can vary a great dealover the lifetimeof themortgage.An increaseof severalpercentagepoints might raise payments byhundreds of dollars permonth.
n If a loan has an adjustablerate, ask when and how therate and loan payment couldchange.
n Find out how much downpayment is required. Somelenders require 20 percent ofthe home’s purchase price as adown payment. But many lend-ers now offer loans that require
less. In these cases, you may berequired to purchase privatemortgage insurance (PMI) toprotect the lender if you fallbehind on payments.
n If PMI is required, askwhat the total cost of the insur-ance will be. How much willthemonthlymortgage paymentbe when the PMI premium isadded and how long youwill berequired to carry PMI?
n Ask if you can pay off theloan early and if there is a pen-alty for doing so.
In addition, there is a longlist of sources for mortgagesloans: mortgage banks, mort-gage brokers, banks, thrifts andcredit unions, home builders,real estate agencies and Internetlenders.
Get moving: Followguidelines to success
Research, double check whentrying to obtain a home loan
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www.herald-dispatch.com Sunday, March 24, 2013 1IProgress 2013
Impressive yes, but there was some-thing about the design. The buildingshad that cookie-cutter look like the cir-cular, two-sport ball parks that came intoexistence in the 1960s and 1970s in citiesacross theUnited States. Big, but not grab-bers visually. Seen one, seen them all.
Gue once had a notion to erect town-homes that carried the luxury brand witha simplistic look in his hometown, butbackedoff. The conversation startedwhilehe was doing renovation work for a client.“Thought about it. Put it on hold,” he said.
In August 2011, Gue got the townhomefever again. This time wheels started toturn when Ameen Mansouri purchasedGue’s house in Deer Creek and Gue builtnewdigs in nearbyKnobCreek.Mansourihas been in the building industry overseasfor more than 25 years.
Developer’s dream of offering luxury livingin a simple neighborhood becomes reality
Progress 2013: Homes
Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch
The Sentiment, a new subdivision of luxury townhomes, is located on Peyton Street in Barboursville.
CUSTOM HOMEENVIRONMENT
Michael Tubbs is the director of operations and sales for Sentiment, a new subdivision of luxury townhomes located on PeytonStreet in Barboursville.
Story by DAVID WALSHTHE HERALD-DISpATCH
BARBOURSVILLE— Jason Gue started hisGutenhaus Construction
Company in 2002. Over theyears, the Marshall Universitygraduate and Barboursville resi-dent has made trips to Lexington,Ky., Columbus, Ohio, and othermajor cities and observed the lav-ish townhomes located either offthe interstates or main highways.
Please see ENVIRONMENT/2I
C M Y K 50 inch
Progress 2013: Homes2I The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
“I thought itwouldbe success-ful,” Gue said. “Your concern isfinances. He does developmentoverseas. I told him about it, heliked it. It was most suitable atthe time. We didn’t have any-thing like that here.”
The next step would be land.Preferably flat. “That’s hard tofind,” he said.
During his search, Gue eyedproperty off Peyton Street(right at the light on U.S. 60and acrosswhat has been called“The Bridge to Nowhere.”)There are businesses there aswell as a deluxe apartment com-plex called Waterford Villageon Riverview Drive. Quiet athome, quick access to necessarypoints. Gates to control accessin and out. Good fit.
Gue had a feasibility studydone. Thumbs up on the proj-ect.
“Didn’t want to rent, it wasgo on the sell route,” he said.
“Spendmore,make it nicer. It’s arisk, but a risk worth taking.”
Gue now needed a name/design for the yet-to-be-devel-oped nine-plus acres where theGuyandotte River serves as abackdrop, one that would cre-ate curiosity. Enter Dina Low-ery Vacho, a designer who oncelived in West Hamlin, gradu-ated from Marshall and nowhas a design studio in York, S.C.Vacho, with an assist from KikiGue, Jason’s wife, did her home-work and came up with “TheSentiment.”
The definition of sentimentis: a thought, view, or attitude,especially one based mainly onemotion instead of reason.
From the inception, Guewanted this project to be a fitfor the quaint village. Architec-ture reflects elements of timespast — an old firehouse with abell tower on top, periodmateri-als brick, stone and metal usedin ways to make the complexcharming. Bell towers are atopthe eight-unit building currentlyup and will be present for all to
see when remaining buildingsgo up. A simple, eye-catchingapproach from the outside.
“We wanted to blend it, thehometown atmosphere,” Guesaid. “Don’t skip on things thatmake it nice.”
Vacho refined the siteplan anddesigned the exteriors and floorplansofthebuildings.Shesaidshedid a lot of research and broughtmany ideas to the table.
“A lot of neat things,” Vachosaid. “I tried to give him (Jason)that sense of feel. We didn’twant to lose the feeling of whatonce was. The feeling of homeneeded to remain. It becamesentimental tome. I stayed trueto the whole thing.”
Once inside, the ownerdecides on furnishings. Help isavailable from Michael Tubbs,owner of Creative Accents. Hewas hired as design consultantand director of operations andsales for The Sentiment.
The Sentiment features fivelayouts. Prices range from$179,000 to $439,000.Thedemo-graphics ... late 20s to early 70s.
“It’s not for everyone,” Guesaid.
All townhomes feature tallceilings, lots of windows andplenty of open space.
Each unit has a pertinentname. Old Toll House Villa,according to the brochure, cor-responds with the toll housebuilt in 1837 on Main Street inBarboursville that was usedto collect tolls from ferry pas-sengers. Harvey Hall is tied tothe town of Barboursville, theoriginal home ofMorris HarveyCollege.
“We didn’t want to get thecondo feel,” Gue said. “Wewantthat custom-home environ-ment.”
Gue said Vacho had thisthought: “A memory of simplertimes.Walk down the sidewalkand talk to your neighbor.”
Lowery ranks The Sentimentas one of her top five all-timeprojects to date. She said it proj-ects the look of one big estate.
“It challenged me to put theproof in the pudding,” Lowerysaid.
“That ovenwasmy style.My thing,” saidPedro, of Philadelphia.
She was disappointed by the lack ofchoices, and in 2009 began looking for away to create her own textiles to decoratethe kitchen. “I couldn’t find somethingthat fit my aesthetic, so I decided to makeit,” she said.
After a year of looking online, shefound a company that would allow her todesign her own fabric. Now she runs herownonline business,Crashpaddesigns.com, selling tea tow-els, pillow cases andtable linens in mod,bright, geometric orflowered patterns that she designs her-self.
Many companies have begun to offerconsumers the chance to create customfabrics andwallpapers. Advances in print-ing have made it more affordable to cre-ate small runs, and to make high-qualityproducts faster and cheaper, said AaronKirsch, president of Astek WallcoveringInc. in Van Nuys, Calif.
He sells directly to consumers via hiscompany’s website, Designyourwall.com. The company also makes customproducts for the fashion, hospitality andmotion picture industries. Demand forthe custom products has been steadilyrising, Kirsch said.
“Customwall covering ... has gone bal-listic,” he said.
Homeowners can create their ownwallcovering for about $6.50 a square foot,he said.
Custom fabrics run about $18 to $30 ayard, said Rysa Pitner, founder of Fabricon Demand in Los Angeles.
Custom options appeal to “individualswho love to author their own stuff,” shesaid.
You can upload photos, original art-work or computer-generated designson her company’s website, Fabriconde-mand.com.
Some manufacturers have designerswho help customers develop the lookthey want. Do-it-yourself designerscan usually preview the order online ororder a sample piece. It normally takesless than a month for orders to be pro-cessed. The websites also have a wide
variety of premadepatterns available.
Nile Johnson ofNile Johnson Inte-rior Design in Ken-nett Square, Pa . ,
said custom pieces help his firm accom-plish its goal of creating spaces thatreflect a client’s personality.
“It really helps the interior show andbreathe who they are,” he said. “It’s notjust pretty. It’s not just functional. Itreally tells their story.”
Johnson has used the custom print-ing process to create a window shadedepicting a child’s favorite story book.He is currently creating wallpaper thatcorresponds to a client’s checkereddishes.
Creating rolls of wallpaper for anaccent wall or producing yards of fabricto make curtains, bedding or furniturecovering allows homeowners to createlayers of design that contribute to thelook they are after, added Los Angelesdesigner Kate Albrecht, who runs thewebsite Mrkate.com.
“It’s a layered look where they feel likeeach little element of a room speaks abouttheir personality,” she said.
“As a designer, you have this idea for aperfect fabric in yourmind and sometimesyou can’t find it. Sometimes that fabricneeds to be created.”
Make a room your own withcustom fabric and wallpaper
ABOVE: This photo takenSunday, March 3, 2013,provided by Sarah Row-land shows Sarah Row-land with the wallpapershe designed for DixieDonuts in Richmond, Va.Owners Betsy Thomasand J Frank asked Row-land to design a customwallpaper for an accentwall at the shop locatedin the trendy Carytownsection of Richmond.
LEFT: This undated photocourtesy of Renee Pedro/Crash Pad Designs showsthe custom tea towelsshe made for her homein Philadelphia. Pedrohas started a businessmaking household goodswith fabrics she designsand orders through theInternet.Photos by TheAssociated Press
Story byMELISSA DUTTON
The Associated Press
When Renee Pedro bought a house with mid-century dicor,she decided to embrace the look.
Drawing inspiration from the 1963 Philco oven in herkitchen, she began hunting for towels and table linens with a mod‘60s vibe to complement the appliance.
Environmentn Continued from 1I
Each unit has a pertinentname. Old Toll HouseVilla, according to thebrochure, correspondswith the toll house builtin 1837 on Main Streetin Barboursville that wasused to collect tolls fromferry passengers. HarveyHall is tied to the town ofBarboursville, the originalhome of Morris HarveyCollege.
The Sentiment, a new subdivision of luxury townhomes,is located on Peyton Street in Barboursville.
Photos by Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch
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“There’s a strong remodeling seg-ment,” Stepp said. “Thingswere slowat one time, but now things are pick-ing up. Remodeling never quits.”
Any uptick in the economy helpsspark the remodeling fires. “There’sbeen a pentup demand,” Stepp said.“People held off. It’s a challengeunless you get the money.”
As for kitchens, customers aregoingfromsimpleupdates tomake theheartof thehomemore functional toupscaleremodels that offer a high-end look.
One trend is to have an island inthe kitchen. “That is catching on,”Stepp said.
The stainless steel look (refrig-erator, stove, etc.) also is in alongwith granite tops (over formica).
As for bathrooms, heated floors,towel warmers, hot tubs and warmcolors are popular as customers tryto create an indoor oasis.
Stepp said remodeling in eitherarea takes on many forms.
If a family has a house with
three bedrooms and one bath, therecomes a time when a bedroom goesin favor of a master bath. A wallcomes out for a kitchen/diningroom combination.
“Kitchens are at the heart,” Steppsaid. “People want that open feel.”
Creative Kitches has offices inCharlestonandLewisburg.Thecompa-ny’scustomerservicebasehasexpand-
ed as Stepp has 20 installers. There’sthehugeinventoryandonceapurchaseismade,CreativeKitchenshandles theproject through to completion.
“It saves a lot of time and youdon’t piece meal things,” he said ofcustomers having to find a contrac-tor to handle the work.
Stepp’s company handles otherremodeling projects. One growingin popularity is fireplaces.
Another area that’s changing isfurniture style for the rooms. “There’sa look thecustomerwants,” Steppsaid.Paint colors for rooms vary, too.
“The metropolitan look has comeback,” Stepp said.
Once done, remodeling does deliv-er bang for the buck. The customerknows the home value has increased.That comes in handy when it comestime for a possible sale.
“You get a high return on theinvestment,” Stepp said.
Metro Creative Graphics
Kitchen and bath projects top the list of remodeling projects, RealtyTimes reported in a story by Carla Hill on its website realtytimes.com.Realty Times is an online news service for the real estate industry.
Kitchens top remodel list; bathrooms third
NatioNal assoCiatioN of HoMe Builders
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Story by
DAVID WALSHtHe HerALD-DISpAtcHAccording to the latest survey by the National Association of Home Builders
(NAHB), kitchen and bath projects top the list of remodeling projects, Realty Timesreported in a story by Carla Hill on its website realtytimes.com. Realty Times is anonline news service for the real estate industry.
Burgin Construction concurred. In a story posted at burginconstructioninc.com about predic-tions for hot remodeling projects in 2013, kitchens ranked No. 1 and master bath upgrades third.
Rob Stepp, president of Creative Kitches in Huntington, agrees with the assessments asthose two projects dominate his store traffic.
Rob Stepppresidentof CreativeKitchens inHuntington
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Progress 2013: Homes4I The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
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Angie Payton said different factors couldexplain that tenant’s situation. The loan offi-cer atMetroCommunity FederalCreditUnionadmits today’s lending climate remains tightwith added regulations, however low interestrates for those who qualify make additionalwork worth the effort.
But renting remains a viable option formany in the area. Real estate broker JimWeiler joined devel-oper Adam Johnsonand Glaser in sayingvacancy rates remainlow as developersbui ld addit iona lunits in Huntingtonand the surroundingarea.
Weiler, of RE/MAX Realty, wentas far as to call it agood market forlandlords as highutility costs causedsome to search forconsistency in arent/mortgage payment.
“You’re paying on the high side right nowbecause of that demand,” he said of tenants.
Glaser said his tenants represent a cross-section of the area’s population. He acknowl-edged economic issues have caused sometenants to move in needy family members, amove that violates Glaser’s policy.
Johnson, who develops properties for saleand rent in eastern Cabell County, said hisaverage tenant stays for three to four years.Some are middle-age adults who opt to rentbecause they remain scared or unsure of thehousing market.
Glaser and Payton said determining one’sgoals can help a person decide whether tobuy or rent. Both said those who frequentlyrelocate or remain unsure of their desiredlocation should rent.
Knowledge of one’s credit score can provideadditional help. Payton recommends anyone
Photos by Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch
ABOVE & BELOW: Construction continues on a rental housing project owned by Bob Gleason in Huntington.
RENTAL PROPERTY:IN DEMAND
Herman Glaser, a local landlord,uses the story of one tenantto illustrate the difficulty oftoday’s lending market — an
obstacle that benefits the rental industry.That tenant has rented form Glaser
for nine years. She has never missed amonth’s rent and currently pays $650. She
recently applied for a mortgage, but wasdenied even though Glaser suspects hermonthly payment might end up being lessthan rent.
“Most banks are a little more pickythan they were,” he said. “I’m hear-ing tenants say they wanted to buy, butcouldn’t get loans approved.”
More choosing to rent as being approvedfor home loans continues to be difficult
STORY BY CURTIS JOHNSON / THE HERALD-DISPATCH
HermanGlaserlocallandlord
Angie Payton
with a score in the upper 600s and aboveto buy. To the contrary, she said anyonein themid to upper 500s and below shouldconsider renting.
“But I alsowould say they need to comein and let someone take a look at theircredit and see if there are any inaccuraciesand what improvements could be made,”she said. “There’s just a lot of little tweaksthat could make a huge difference.”
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Progress 2013: Homes The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 5IQuestions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
By DWIGHT BARNETTScripps Howard News ServiceQ: Late last summer, our
air conditioner was not doinga good job of cooling, but wedecided to save through thewinter and have a new air con-ditioner installed in the spring.I have received several esti-mates onwhatwe need to do toupgrade.We have a 1980s two-story homewith an unfinishedbasement. One contractorwantsto replace the air conditioneronly. Somewant to replace thefurnace and air conditioner, andonewants to replace everythingincludingmost of the ducts.What shouldwe consider inmaking a decision?A:The easiest andmost
economical choicewould be toreplace the air conditioner only,but thatmay not be in your bestinterests in the long run.
If your plans includeremaining in the home forfive years or longer, youreally should consider a totalupgrade. Your question con-cerning an air conditionerleads me to believe the homeis heated by natural gas andnot an electric furnace, so myanswer will be concentratedon a gas-forced air-heatingsystem.
There are so many variableswith each home that the firstthing you should do is havean energy audit performed.An audit will determine suchthings as: Do you have therequired insulation? Is thehome substantially airtight?An auditor may test to see if
a home has a large amountof leakage of the conditionedair to the outside air or if theducts have air leakage insidethe home.
It’s critical for the houseand the HVAC system towork together, and you can’tdepend on the HVAC system
alone. There is a guide to DIYenergy audits at http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/do-it-yourself-home-energy-audits. But for such a largeinvestment, you should usethe services of a professional,certified by BPI (BuildingPerformance Institute, Inc.,
at www.bpi.org) or RESNET(Residential Energy ServicesNetwork, at www.resnet.us).
With a total upgrade, thecontractor will determine ifthe existing ductwork is sizedproperly for the furnace fan,and where the furnace is locat-ed in the home.
As I have stressed in pastarticles, when a furnace islocated in a basement, it is dif-ficult to cool the second-floorrooms, because the colderair is dense and does not riseas easily as warm air. With anew high-efficiency furnace,the furnace can be relocatedto anywhere inside the homeor attic to better cool the sec-ond-floor rooms. You shouldchoose an HVAC (heating,venting and air-conditioning)contractor who uses the HVACmanuals designated for the siz-ing, placement and installationof the ductwork and for theproper sizing of the heatingand cooling equipment.
One home I recently inspect-ed had a 4-ton air conditioner fora 1,900-square-foot ranch-stylehome. Inmyopinion, the airconditionerwas oversized andwould quickly cool the home,butwould do little to removemoisture from the home’s air. A
damphome is a breeding groundformold andmildew.
I also found that the insidecoil, which is part of the cool-ing system and located inthe furnace cabinet, was notdesigned for a 4-ton system.All components of the HVACsystem need to be matched towork efficiently, quietly andprovide the most comfort forthe homeowners.
If possible, all theductworkshouldbe located inside thehomeandnot in anattic, attachedgarageor crawlspace, andall oftheductsmust be sealedairtightat all joints and seams.
Even though this has been acode requirement dating backto the 1980s, few contractors inmy area bothered with sealingthe ducts then, but the “timesthey are a-changin’ “ - and thenew codes are being rigidlyenforced. If advised by theenergy auditor, a total upgradewould be an economicallywise choice.
Dwight Barnett is a certifiedmaster inspector. Contact himat C. Dwight Barnett, Evans-ville Courier & Press, P.O. Box268, Evansville, Ind. 47702or [email protected].
Homefix: Tips on an air conditioner upgrade
Metro Creative Graphics
ZaraHome has a bouquet of lovely throwpillows for spring with vintage prints orbotanical ones reminiscent of paintings bytheMasters. “Mariposa” features a flock ofEdouard Travies-esque exotic butterflieson a white background; “Lula” evokes aRenoir still life; “Spring” has a sweet cot-tage floral; “Lannion,” “Hawaiana” and“Hojas”’ tropical motifs have a retro vibe.(www.zarahome.com )
A spring walk through the ChicagoBotanic Garden inspired artist MatthewLew to create an exuberant burst of whiteand tan blooms on a bright orange back-ground, rendered at CB2 on a hand-tuftedrug. The retailer’s got another modernrug featuring a graphic brush stroke oflinen white on tonal carbon gray. Andartist Katherine Finn-Gamino’s colorfulmulti-media geometric pillow is abstractart for the sofa. (Botanical rug, Swooshrug, pillow, www.cb2.com )
Watercolor paintings of many populardog breeds, including Labs, golden retriev-ers and little terriers, are available fromPottery Barn on linen throw pillows withpersonalized monograms. The needlearts are showcased here, as well, on linenlampshades stitched with tonal ikat orfloral motifs, and a pillow depicting avintage bird postcard in finely-detailedembroidery.
Photographic art is an excellent wayto bring a creative or unusual elementto your room. Pottery Barn continuesto expand its wall-art series this spring
with a coterie of photo artists who havemade intriguing works at a price pointnot easily matched in the market for greatphotography.
California photographer Lupen Grainnecreates imagery that combines a pen-sive Instagram quality with professionalcomposition. She captures dreamy SanFrancisco street scenes and beautifulfruit or fork still lifes that draw you in.San Francisco-based Ana Ramirez’ shellphotographs in stark black and whitehighlight the sculptural beauty of nature.And Prague-born photographer MichalVenera’s expressive black-and-white Tan-zanian animal prints depict the texturalgrace and beauty of the natural world.
You’ll also find some amazingwork from pro photogs Cindy Tay-lor and Rebecca Plotnick. (www.potterybarn.com )
At Crate & Barrel, there’s theMonet-like watercolor floral of the“Myrtle” pillow, while the dramatic“Landscape” pillow, featuring awind-ing road through wild countryside,brings Turner to mind. (www.crate-andbarrel.com )
Bird’s eggs writ large — in fact, 32-inch-square large — are the powerfulfocal point of a series of wall art atWis-teria this spring. The eggs themselvesare softly hued, but the scale of the pho-tographic imagery is so remarkable thatone ormorewould be a central feature inany room. (www.wisteria.com )
BELOW: This photo shows a Bon Appetit printof a Parisian bistro storefront by Cindy Taylorthat is part of a new collection at Pottery Barn.Artistic prints and other elements are a strongspring decor trend.
BOTTOM: Sky Bird embroidered pillow cov-ers from Pottery Barn are shown. Visiting thisspring’s decor previews often felt like explor-ing an art gallery. There was an artistic vibein everything from dinnerware to drapery, artphotographs to textiles.
Photos by The Associated Press
zanian animal prints depict the texturalgrace and beauty of the natural world.
are softly hued, but the scale of the pho-tographic imagery is so remarkable thatone ormorewould be a central feature in
isiting this spring’s decor previews often felt likeexploring an art gallery. There was an artistic vibeto everything from dinnerware to drapery, art photo-graphs to textiles.
Manufacturers are now able to reproduce artworkwith impressive detail and precision. Originals that may havebeen painted or inked retain evidence of brush and pen. Com-puter-generated designs have greater depth of color and patternthan in the past. And photo prints are even more striking.
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Progress 2013: Homes6I The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
Much of our country hasalready started the processof becoming more energyefficient andWest Virginia isscratching the surface.
Is your home energy effi-cient? How does it relate tohousing, or you?
Energy assessments andaudits are one way to begin.Testing (assessments oraudits) of your home candetermine where and howenergy is being lost, whatsystems are operating inef-ficiently, and what cost-effec-tive improvements can beimplemented to improvecomfort, durability and effi-ciency. The assessor willanalyze the data found andprovide a written report.This report should providejustification for improve-ments and could be used toobtain federally sponsoredmortgage loans like an energyefficient mortgage (EEM).
Here are some assessmentsyou can perform on yourown:
1. Visual inspection2. Utility bill analysisIf you have high energy
bills you could have leaks inthe building envelope, ineffi-
cient windows, poorly sealedducts. Damp basement?Moisture migration could bethrough the foundation orwalls. Excessive amount ofdust? It could mean it’s timeto change the air filters (duststreaks on ducts indicate airleakage).
An assessor may perform ablower door test, duct blastertest and thermographic scan-ning. These tests can providemore details in the energyefficiency of your home.
Once of the best resourceswhen searching for an energysurveyor/assessor is contact-ing your utility company.
Being sure your home isenergy efficient is one way tobegin the process in living amore sustainable lifestyle.
Lorre Wilson is a Realtorwith Re/Max Realty Consul-tants.
West Virginiaturning green?
LorreWILSON
Metro Creative Graphics
It’s possible to create a beau-tiful landscape and be kind tothe environment even with a
busy scheduleand while stay-ing within bud-get.
“All it takes isa bit of planning
and a few lowmaintenancestrategies,” said gardeningexpert and author MelindaMyers, in a news release.
Myers recommends thesefive strategies to create a lowmaintenance eco-friendlylandscape this season.
Be waterwiseSavemoneyon thewaterbill,
time spentwatering and this pre-cious resource,water. Start bygrowingdrought tolerantplantssuited toyourgrowingenviron-ment. Onceestablished theywill onlyneedwateringduringextendeddry spells. Mulchwithshredded leaves, evergreennee-dles,woodchips, or otherorganicmatter to conservemoisture,reduceweeds, and improve thesoil as theydecompose.
Fertilize with a low nitrogenfertilizer, likeMilorganite, thatpromotes slow steady growth
instead of excessive greenerythat requiresmorewater. Plus, itwon’t burn evenduring drought.
Put rainwater to work all sea-son long by using rain barrelsto capture rainwater off yourroof or directly from the sky.Recycle yard wastein the landscape
Minimize the amount ofyardwaste produced, reusewhat can be in other areas ofthe landscape and recycle therest as compost. These are justa few strategies thatwill savetime bagging, hauling, and dis-posing of yard debris. And bet-ter yet, implementing this strat-egywill savemoney and timespent buying and transportingsoil amendments, since it will becreated right in the backyard.
Startby leavinggrassclippingsonthe lawn. Theshortclippingsbreakdownquickly, addingorganicmatter,nutrientsandmoisture to thesoil. Growtreessuited to thegrowingconditionsandavailablespace. Thatmeanslesspruningandfewer trimmingsthatwillneedtobemanaged.
Make compost at homeRecycleyardwasteintocom-
post. Putplantwasteintoaheapandlet itrot. Yes, itreallyisthatsimple. Themoreeffortputintotheprocess, thequickertheresults.
Ahealthyplantisthebestdefenseagainstinsectsanddis-ease. Selectthemostpest-resistantplants suited to thegrowingcon-ditions andprovideproper care.
Check plants regularlythroughout the growingseason. It is easier to con-trol a few insects than thehundreds that can developin a week or two. And whenproblems arise, look for themost eco-friendly control.Start by removing smallinfestations by hand. Con-sider traps, barriers, andnatural products if furthercontrol is needed. And asalways be sure to read and fol-low label directions carefully.
Energy wiselandscape design
Use landscape plantingsto keep homes warmer in thewinter and cooler in the sum-mer. Homes will have a morecomfortable temperaturethroughout the seasons andenergy costs will be reduced.
Plant trees on the east andwest side of a house to shadewindows in the summer andlet the sun shine in and warmit up through the south-facingwindows in winter.
Shade air conditioners, so theyrunmore efficiently andbe sureto collect anduse anywater theyproduce for container gardens.
Incorporate these changesinto gardening routines andhabits over time. Soon theseandmanymore strategies thathelp save time andmoneywhilebeing kind to the environmentwill seem tooccur automatically.
Nationally known gardeningexpert, TV/radio host, authorand columnist Melinda Myershas more than 30 years ofhorticulture experience andhas written more than 20gardening books.
5 easy steps to a low maintenanceenvironmentally-friendly landscape
Mulch withshreddedleaves, ever-green needles,woodchips, orother organicmatter to con-serve moisture,reduce weeds,and improvethe soil as theydecompose.Courtesy ofMelinda Myers,LLC
MelindaMYERS
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Progress 2013: Homes The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 7IQuestions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
Almosteveryonedreamsofowningtheirownhomeandexperiencing the feelingsofprideandsecurity thathomeownershipcanbring.But,howdoyouknowifyouarereadyfor thatdream?
There are several thingsthat should be considered andasked of yourself if buying ahome is in your future: Doyou have a stable job? Lenderswould like to see that you havebeen employed at the sameplace for at least 2-3 years andif not at the same job, in thesame field. Lenders are look-ing for stability inyour employ-menthistory. Doyouplan tostay in the area for awhile? Youdon’twant tobuyahomeifyouhaveplanstomoveinthenearfuture. Areyouindebtandifso,howmuch? Lenderswilllookcloselyatyourdebttoincomeratio.Thissimplymeanstheamountofexistingdebtobligationyouhavecomparedtoyourgrossincome.Themaximumamountmostlend-erswillwanttoseeis35%,butthiscanvaryfromlendertolender. Youcanfigurethisbytakingyouryearlygrossdividedby12andthendivideyourtotaldebtbyyourmonthlygrossfigure. Doyouhaveanysav-ings? Areyoureadytopayforhomerepairsandmaintenance? It’sverydifferentfromrenting. Yousimplycannotcallupthelandlordwhensomethinggoeswrong.
One of the many mistakespeople make when buying ahome is simply buying toomuch house. Just because alender says you qualify for a$200,000 mortgage does notmean you can really affordthat much. Look at your pres-ent and future lifestyle andthink about how things maychange. Do you plan to live inthe home for the rest of yourlife? If it’s large, who’s goingto take care of that when youare older andmaynotbeable to
maintain sucha largeplace? Is ita one storyor a twostoryhome?Stairs canbecomean issue asyouage. Doyouplan tohavechildren? Will someonewant tobecomea stay at homeparent? Ifso, one incomeneeds tobeableto support the family. Youshouldalsoplan for theunexpectedillnessordisability thatmayonlyleaveone income for the fam-ily. These are the things that areoftenoverlookedwhenconsider-inghomeownership.
If you decide you are readyto buy, consider hiring areal estate agent to help youthrough the home buying pro-cess. A real estate agent that isworking for you, not the seller,will have your best interest inmind. Theywill consider yourneeds andwants and help youfind the perfect house. Attend-ing a homebuyer education classor pre-purchase counselingsessionwith a certified housingcounselor is also a good idea.Themore you understand aboutthe homebuyingprocessandwhat itmeans toownahome,
thebetterpreparedyouwill be tomake thisvery importantdeci-sion. Ahousingcounselorcanhelpyou learnhowtocreateabudget andsaveenoughmoney tocoveremergencieswithoutgoingintomoredebtbyusingcreditcardsorother loans.
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By ED DEL GRANDEScripps Howard News ServiceQ: We’re going to remodel
our outdated kitchen and planto install a cast-iron kitchensink. I want a single-bowl sinkthat will be open and large forme to work in. My husbandwants a double-bowl sink. Hesays it will be better for thegarbage disposer and, later on,for resale value. Can you helpus solve this disagreement? -Ann, KansasA: One style of sink comes
to mind, and I believe it canbe a good choice for your newkitchen ... and marriage. Thisspecial sink is called a “smart-
divide” kitchen sink.Smart-divide sinks are
double-bowl cast-iron sinksthat feature a divide that’sonly half the height of thosein standard two-bowl kitchensinks. By dropping the heightof the divider, many featuresand benefits are opened up forthe user, giving you the best ofboth worlds.
For instance, you can fill upthe sink past the low divide tocompletely soak large cook-ie sheets. For large pots, thehandle for the pot will usuallysit higher than the divide sothe pot can sit flat on the sinkbottom.
Finally, since the sink doeshave twoshallowbowls, youcanuse one dedicated drain for thedisposer. This can keepwastedfood separate from the dishes.So when you add everythingup, a smart-divide sink can be avery intelligent choice for yournew kitchen.
Master plumber Ed DelGrande is the author of “EdDel Grande’s House Call,”the host of TV and Internetshows, and a LEED greenassociate. Visit eddelgrande.com or email [email protected] consult local contrac-tors and codes.
Plumber: New kitchen sparks‘Battle of the Bowls’
Scripps Howard News Service
A smart divide sink can be a good choice for any new kitchen.
From Putnam County to Boyd County
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www.herald-dispatch.com Sunday, March 24, 2013 1Jprogress 2013
verywhere you turn, it seems people are talking aboutjobs — coal-related jobs, jobs in natural gas and, gen-erally, a lack of jobs.But with West Virginia’s unemployment rate in aslow-but-steady decline since late 2010 and sitting
at 0.5 percent below the national average of 7.9 percent, job-seekers in the area may have cause for hope.
DeniseHogsett, director ofMarshall University’s Career ServicesCenter,has seen some encouraging developments of late.
“I think what we’re seeing now is that internships are increasing, whichis a good sign,” she said.
Internshipsontherisesignal toHogsett thatcompaniesarebeginning to lookforyoungpeopletohireandtrainbeforetheiragingemployeesleavetheworkforce.
Not surprisingly,Hogsett sees this growthhappening in fields like informa-tion technology and niches like social mediamanagement. Computer skills, itseems, are always a safe bet in the jobmarket. Even inmanufacturing and jobsthat require the running of heavy equipment, proficiency with computers isimportant, as that equipment is run increasingly by sophisticated machines.
INsIde THIs seCTIoN
W.Va. guardcreates jobsThe NationalGuard not onlyhelps out locallyby lending a hand,it also creates jobsfor West VirginianGuardsmen / 3J
Technical center successReferred to as “Putnam County’s best keptsecret,” Putnam Career and Technical Centerstudents are graduating and finding success / 2J
CAreers
SIGNS OF HOPE IN WEST VIRGINIAUNEMPLOYMENT RATE DECLINE
sTorY BY rACHeL BAILeY / For THe HerALd-dIspATCHF
E
The Herald-Dispatch’s annual Progress Editions take alook at our Tri-State economy and business community.
Today’s sections focus on homes and careers.
progress 2013:
Value of education remainsin today’s sour economy
Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch
Denise Hogsett, standing, of the Marshall University’s Career Services Center helps graduate student Erin Cristello with a resume at Marshall University.
ON THE JOB
HUNT
Denise Hogsettdirector of MarshallUniversity’s CareerServices Center
Please see JOBS/6JCapt. Will Hargis
C M Y K 50 inch
Progress 2013: Careers2J The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
By RACHEL BAILEYFor The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON—Whetherit’s because of the economy,wandering attentions or adven-turous spirits, career change hasbecome a fact of life for manyAmericans.
The average American work-er stays in a job about 4.4 yearsbefore moving on, accordingto the Bureau of Labor Statis-tics. For Millenials,that number is closerto 3 years. At that rate,people who enter theworkforce now couldexpect to have a dozenjobs or more over thecourse of their life-times.
GlenMidkiff, a coor-dinator at theMarshallUniversity Career Ser-vices Center, is famil-iar with this trend; hesees his fair share ofnon-traditional stu-dents who need helptransitioning into anew field.
“We have studentsthat are dislocatedworkers, unemployedor looking to changedirections,” he said.
Midkiff says he andhis colleagues at theCareer Services Cen-ter try to create anenvironment wherestudents feel comfortable start-ing over. Many of the studentshe assists are older, have nev-er been to college before, andbecame students after yearsin the workforce. These stu-dents often need extra helpwithdevelopmental courses like Eng-lish, reading and math.
“Theymay have been laid offbecause there are more qualifiedworkers where they’re at, so theycome here seeking a degree to getthat edge and really boost theirresume to keep employment,” hesaid. “They’re seeking a secondchanceandachancetostartover.”
Twoof themost popular fieldsfor those changing careers totransition into are allied healthprofessions, like pharmacy orradiation technician, and infor-
mation technology (IT).“There’s a high need in the
community,” Midkiff said ofallied health professions. And,he points out, there is a demandfor IT in virtually every indus-try. From hospitals and schoolsto mining operations and ship-ping, computers are vital inmarkets of all kinds, making ITa good field to transition into.
“IT is very popular becausethere are a lot of entrylevel positions inthose areas,” Midkiffsaid. Companies don’twant to have to traintheir workers to usecomputers, so can-didates with a back-ground in IT makedesirable employees.
Of course, four-year institutions likeMarshall aren’t theonly way to jump-start a career change.Hands-on experience,like internships andvolunteer hours, canbe a valuable way tolearn new skills andmeet the people youhope to work for.Technical collegesoffer two-year cer-tificates and associ-ate degrees that canincrease both earningpower and employ-ability.
The most important thing,Midkiff says, is a resume thatclearly reflects the variety ofskills and experience a candi-date has.
“Everyone needs to practicefor their interview,” he added.“They need a mock interviewand to be able to answer ques-tions related to their careerfield.”
He also highlights “soft skills,”like leadership and teamwork,skills that can be developedanywhere from student govern-ment to sports teams to churchcommitees.
Jobs numbers in the nationalnewsmay sound grim, but thereare options, both for the recent-ly unemployed and those simplylooking to make a change.
Changing careersis a familiar trend
“We havestudents that
are dislo-cated work-ers, unem-ployed orlooking
to changedirections.”
Glen Midkiffa coordinator
at the MarshallUniversity CareerServices Center
The goal of Career andTechnical Education is to pro-vide students with the skills tostep-up to the challenges of aglobally competitive economy.Employers in the 21st centurynot only seek, but demandcareer and technical trainingfor their employees. Prepara-tion for today’s workforcerequires a comprehensiveeducation that integrates rig-orous academics along withcareer and technical skills.
Spring Valley High SchoolCareer and Technical Educa-tion is committed to prepar-ing our graduates with theacademics and marketableworkplace skills to be com-petitive in the 21st century.Our programs are designedto prepare students to be suc-cessful citizens, workers andleaders. We make Career andTechnical Education (CTE)a valuable part of students’overall school experience anduse it to prepare them to enterthe workforce or to transitionto a post-secondary educa-tion. CTE offers students theopportunity to get a jump-start.
In CTE programs, studentslearn how core academics areapplied in real-life applica-tions. They understand therelevance of their educationto their future goals. Allprograms offer participation
in hands-on training thatwill prepare them with theknowledge, talent and skillsvalued and needed for careersuccess. Work-based learningexperiences connect learningwith the world. Examples arejob training, shadowing andclinicals.
At Spring Valley, we offer12 programs of study, whichare in alignment with post-secondary education, businessand industry. Each programconsists of four courses.Students enrolled in CTEcourses automatically receivecollege credit at no cost, bysimply meeting all curriculumstandards and passing thecourse final exam. The pro-grams provide students withthe opportunity to achievelocal and national credentialsto start a career or collegeexperience.
Students who enroll in ourDrafting program will developskills required by entry-leveltechnicians. Students willdevelop drafting skills fromthe fundamental throughadvance practices. The coursealso provides students withcomputer aided drafting sys-tem (CAD).
With a pathway in carpen-
try, students learn to organize,lead and manage the buildingprocess. The program exam-ines the basics of design andhow to establish and controlthe cost of a project. Studentswho complete the carpentrypathway will receive NCCERCertification.
The Automotive Technologycurriculum prepares studentsfor employment and/or techni-cal schooling by training themin basic operations of automo-tive braking systems, enginesand vehicle suspension. Stu-dents completing the automo-tive pathway are prepared todiagnose and service the vari-ous automotive componentsin addition to being able to useand operate the newest com-puter systems, machinery andshop tools.
Welding Technology pre-pares students for careersin three major areas: Manu-facturing, construction andmaintenance repair. Studentswill receive training on weld-ing operations and acquirethe technical skill for eachprocess and each applicationof cutting, Arc, MIG, andTIG welding. Students willreceive NCCER certification.
Therapeutic Services is aprogram for students whowish to pursue a career inhealth care. Students partici-pate in classroom, laboratory
and clinical experiences thatwill prepare them for employ-ment in health care and forcollege admission. Studentswho complete the programare eligible for certifica-tion in direct care worker,phlebotomy technician, EKGtechnician and pharmacytechnician.
Students pursuing a careerin the food industry will gainknowledge and skills throughthe Pro-Start curriculum.Students will discover thebasic and advanced skillsrequired in food preparationand service, principles of foodidentification, food and bev-erage composition, nutritionand dietetics. Students willgain authentic experiencesby planning, setting up, pre-paring and hosting variousevents requiring catering and/or food services.
The mission of the JROTCprogram is “To motivate youngpeople to be better citizens.”JROTC seeks to train studentsin leadership and motivationalskills that will serve themduring their school years andthroughout their lives. JROTCis a very effective way to instillgoal-directed, success-orient-ed attitudes and behaviors.
Through fluid power/hydraulics program of study,students learn to apply basicengineering principles and
The InformationManage-ment program focuses oncareers that produce imagesthrough hands on activities.Students will learn how touse various hardware suchas digital cameras, scanners,projectors and documentcameras. In conjunction withthe technological equipment,students will also exploreMicrosoft and Adobe softwareproducts useful in the digitalmedia worlds.
The Careers in Educa-tion/Teacher Cadet programis an innovative approachdesigned to attract talentedyoung people to the teachingprofession through a challeng-ing introduction to teaching.The program seeks to providehigh school students insightinto the nature of teaching,the problems of schoolingand the critical issues affect-ing the quality of education inAmerican schools. Studentsparticipate in clinical experi-ences that will prepare them tounderstand the operations ofmanaging a classroom.
Electrical Technician is a
broad-based program. Stu-dents will learn the basics ofindustrial electricity, fromcircuits to microprocessors.Through the curriculum, stu-dents will use hands-on expe-riences related to real worldsituations while learning toinstall, diagnose, and repairequipment using electron-ics and/or electronic controlsystems to control industrialtechnology. Students willreceive NCCER certificationupon completion of program.
Project Lead theWay(PLTW) is an engaging andthought provoking program.Students develop criticalthinking skills through hands-on projects. Students have theopportunity to create, designand build. PLTW is a curricu-lum that is designed to preparestudents to be the most inno-vative leaders in science, tech-nology, engineering and math-ematics. Students completingPLTW programwill earn col-lege engineering credit.
CTE programs motivatestudents to complete highschool and move on to highereducation or seek immediateemployment in the workforce.Our goal at SVHS is to makethis happen.
Velvet Kelley is the CTEAdministrator at Spring ValleyHigh School.
SV career, technical education committed to preparing studentsVelvetKELLEY
JOB: Director of CareerServices, ITT Technical Insti-tute, Huntington CampusHOW DID YOU GET INTO
YOUR CAREER: I was hiredto be a Career Services advi-sor at a college in Ocala, Fla.It was there that I discoveredmy love for higher education.FIRST JOB: Part-time
book laminator at the RaleighCounty Public Library (Beck-ley, W.Va.)FAMILY: Married with two
boys and one girlSPECIAL SKILLS: It is
easy for me to meet newpeople.FAVORITE BOOK: “Their
Eyes Were Watching God” byZora Neale HurstonFAVORITE MOVIE: “The
Magic of Belle Isle”FAVORITE TV SHOW:
“The Walking Dead
KEY PLAYER: SAMAnthA FREEMAn
By BONNY RUSHBROOKFor The Herald-Dispatch
ELEANOR, W.Va. — The past sev-eral months have been very good forPutnamCareer andTechnical Center inEleanor, W.Va. Referred to sometimesas “PutnamCounty’s best kept secret,”it really isn’t a secret any longer — theschool has won honors, teachers havewon awards, the students are winningmedals, and perhaps best of all, thestudents are graduating with collegecredit and are getting good jobs thatcan be considered careers.
InAugust, PCTCwas named the BestCareer andTechnical EducationFacilityof the year for 2012 by theWestVirginiaDepartment of Education. Althoughthree other schools were nominated forthe award, PCTC was “selected in partbecause of a professional developmentprogram designed through a collabor-ative effort between Putnam CountySchools and theWestVirginiaCenter forProfessionalDevelopment,” according toAssistant Principal Jonathon Pitzer.
“The professional development hashelped several PCTC instructors beginthe process of National Board TeacherCertification,” Pitzer said. Most of theteachers come from industry.
In addition to professional develop-ment efforts, the staff at PCTC alsofocused on a “failure is not an option”approach to student assessment.
During the school year, student testscoreson theWorkKeys exam increaseddramatically, with improved reading,mathematics, and technical thinkingscores over their previous levels. Prin-cipal Mike Erwin said everyone at theschool contributed to the award.
“This award is the result of a school-wideeffort,andthefantasticstaffcertainlydeserves this recognition,”Erwinsaid.
No student left behindFor years, educators have tried to
keep students from dropping out ofhigh school. Two years ago, PutnamCounty Career and Technical Cen-ter began using a state-wide programcalledOption Pathway that encouragesstudents to stay in school and graduate
with a high school diploma. Accordingto Option Pathway Teacher Alli John-son, the program identifies studentswho are not likely to graduate on timeand allows them to graduate with theirclassmates if they can demonstrateacademic proficiency in specific areasof learning to earn their diploma.
“In this program, students complete acareer and technical program, theWork-Keys assessment, the GED, and a rangeof other class work,” Johnson said.
Johnson works with these studentsby identifying the areas where theystruggle and then tailors the instructionto their individual requirements.
“Studentsenjoytheprogramstheyareinandthereal-life learningthat takesplace,”she said. “This program has been benefi-cial forseveralstudents inourcountywhootherwisemayhavedroppedout.”
According to Pitzer, at least 41 stu-dents have benefitted from the OptionPathway program since 2011. He givesJohnson a lot of credit for their turn-around.
“Mrs. Johnson really does a fantasticjob with those kids,” Pitzer said.
Focus on health occupationsOn Saturday, March 2, Sally Har-
vey, Health Occupations instructorat PCTC, was the 2012-2013 HOSA(HealthOccupations Students of Amer-ica) Advisor of the Year at the HOSAState Conference in Huntington.
Harvey, a nurse who teaches directcare in the nursing assistant program,was recognized for Scrub Camp, anannual event at Marshall Universitythat helps middle and high school stu-dents explore careers in health care.
“It is an introduction to health profes-sions. Those interested in health get achance to see if that is what they wantto do,” Pitzer said.Harveywas also hon-ored for her work in starting a HOSAclub atWinfield Middle School.
“Mrs. Harvey is really dedicated. Sheworksoneononewith students,”he said.
Of the 23 PCTC students who com-peted in the HOSA Conference, 18earned a medal for their conferencecompetitions. The five gold medal-
ists will represent West Virginia atthe National Conference in Nash-ville, Tenn. The other PCTC winnersincluded eight silvermedalists and fivebronze medalists.
The design seen ‘round the worldThis past holiday season theGraphic
Arts students were on a special assign-ment. Each year during December,the students design a holiday card forthe Toyota Holiday Card competition.Thewinner for 2012was EmmaHurleywhose design was an ornament in theform of a globe that hangs from thebranch of a Christmas tree. The globewas draped with a ribbon imprintedwith theword, “Toyota.”On the globe, astar sits in the area of the United Stateswhere the Toyota plant is located inBuffalo, W.Va.
Hurley took the design from conceptthrough print, as she competed withother designers to meet the real-worldchallenge of satisfying a customer’sneeds.Her cardwas distributed to com-pany employees, businesses and electedofficials around the world.
Giving students a head startOne of the great programs at PCTC is
called EDGE, or Earn a Degree Gradu-ate Early. It allows students to takehigh school courses for communityand technical college credit. Studentscan earn an associate degree with sub-stantial savings. If you take the rightcourses in high school, you can save upto $3,000 in college tuition, Pitzer said.Students who take the college creditcourses in high school, could earn anAssociate Degreewithin one year afterhigh school or alongwith a high schooldiploma.
PCTC students have been takingadvantage of this program. From Sep-tember 2012 to January 2013 (just onesemester), PCTCstudents earned creditfor 767 college courses through theWV EDGE agreement. These collegecredits are 100 percent free and aregranted by local community colleges
Courtesy of the Putnam Career and Technical Center
The Putnam Career and Technical Center in Eleanor, W.Va., was named the Best Career and Technical Education Facilityof the year for 2012 by the West Virginia Department of Education. It strives to offer training in skills and occupationsthat are relevant in today’s job market, according to Assistant Principal Jonathon Pitzer.
PUtnAM CAREER AnD tEChnICAL CEntER In ELEAnOR
Students win honors, find success after graduating
Please see PUTNAM/3J
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Progress 2013: Careers The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 3JQuestions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
HUNTINGTON — WestVirginians have a proud his-tory of serving their countrythrough military service. InWorldWar II, our state had thenation’s highest number of sol-diers per capita, and residentshave remained dedicated to thearmed services.
But inorder topursueacareerin the military, West Virgin-ians must leave home to trainand live onbases. BecauseWestVirginia doesn’t have amilitarybaseof its own, thebranchof thearmedserviceswith thegreatestpresence and impact in the stateis theNational Guard.
TheNational Guard not onlyhelps out locally by lending ahand when natural disastersstrike. It also creates jobs forWest Virginian Guardsmen.
“For the National Guard, themajority of our force is at oneweek a month, two weeks ayear,” says Capt. William Har-gis, echoing theGuard’s formerrecruiting slogan.
But for those who’ve showntheir dedication to the Guardby serving for a few years,there may be the prospect offull-time work.
“In the cases that enlistedsoldiers come in and are in theGuard,theycanbehiredastechni-ciansoractiveGuards,”Hargissaid,noting that current opportunitiesarelargelyinrecruiting.“Orthere’slogistics; soldiers who have beenin the Guard for a few years andmanage supplies for units and dobudgetingandthingslikethat.”
Of all the military branchesin the state, Hargis says hethinks the National Guard is“probably the biggest employerand recruiter.” This is goodnews for those who prefer tostay close to home.
“All of our recruits stay herein West Virginia as opposedto the US Army Reserve andactive duty,” Hargis said.
Hargis makes clear that theGuard hires almost exclusivelyfromwithin.
“A lot of our soldiers do addi-tional training and certifica-tion,” he said. Thismakes find-ing qualified soldiers to moveup the ranks easy when theNationalGuard is looking to filla full-time position. Especiallysince, as Hargis notes, most ofthe soldiers have a four-yeardegree as well.
But working in the NationalGuard takes more than justcompetence; it takes character.That’s what Hargis looks forin new recruits, in addition togood health, ambition and ahigh school degree.
That character is importantwhen helping relieveWest Vir-ginians dealing with naturaldisasters.
“Every year inWestVirginia,we are called out for some nat-ural disaster,” said Hargis.
Usually it’s a flood or a snow-
storm, but last summer, theGuard devoted time to helpingresidents deal with a prolongedpower outage during some ofthe hottest weeks of the year.
“NationalGuardsoldierswentout assisting with setting upgeneratorsandhelpingwithsup-plies and things like that,” Har-gis said. “We train throughoutthe year to provide services.”
For soldiers who choose tostay with the National Guardand pursue a career in recruit-ing or logistics, all that timein the field turns out to be jobtraining. It takes a long com-mitment, putting in years asa soldier before you’re eveneligible to apply for full-timework. But for thosewhowant toserve the country and the statewithout settling far fromhome,it might just be a commitmentworth making.
Lori Wolfe/The Herald Dispatch
Capt. Will Hargis of the U. S. Army said the majority of WestVirginia’s National Guard works one week a month or twoweeks a year. But for those who have shown their dedicationto the Guard by serving for a few years, there may be theprospect of full-time work.
National Guard biggestemployer and recruiter
WEST VIRGINIA MILITARY BRANCHES
According to a report by thestate Council for Communityand Technical College Edu-cation and the state Higher
Education PolicyCommission, outof every 100 stu-dents enrolled inthe ninth grade
inWest Virginia, only 17 willearn a two-year or four-yearcollege degree within 10 years.Sixty percent of students whodo start college in the state,never finish, the report said.
What happens to thosestudents and the others whonever even started a post-sec-ondary program? How canthey have a family, pay for gasin their car, and all the otherfinancial demands that we allhave, when they do not havethe skills to get a jobwherethey can earn enough to pay thebills? A changing labormarkethasmade an education evenmore valuable today than ithas been in the recent past, theWest Virginia Center on Budgetand Policy said in itsmonthly“Jobs Count” report. Ourstudentsmust be college andcareer ready. To ensure thisfor all students, schools need todowhat Career andTechnicaleducation has done all along-integrate academics, technical,and employability skills into allof their programs.
Students in Cabell County’sthree high schools can com-
plete a career and technicaleducation program and eithergo out into the world of workor go on to a post-second-ary program. They also earnEDGE credits (acronym forEarn a Degree-Graduate Early)when they successfully com-plete their CTE courses. Ourstate community and techni-cal colleges will accept theseEDGE credits, which mayenable students to spend lesstime and money obtaining anAssociate’s Degree.
If you are a senior in Cabell,Wayne, Lincoln, or Putnamcounties, Cabell County’sCareer Technology Centeroffers a “13th” year option.This “13th “ year option allowsgraduating seniors to takeone of our program (with theexception of our LPN pro-gram) tuition free. Studentswill still be responsible forbooks and any fees that applyto the particular program theyare taking. You may evenqualify for a PELL grant or VAbenefits which may cover thecost of your books and fees.This is a wonderful opportuni-ty for those who want to learna skill, which will enable themto find a good job.
If you are a displaced workeror would just like to have anew career, our center alsooffers several adult programs,such as Medical Office Assis-tant, LPN, HVAC, Interior
Design and several others.TheWest Virginia Center
on Budget and Policy said intheir December issue “JobsCount” report that changeswere small forWest Virginiaemployment in December,but the manufacturing sectorsaw a small rebound, adding700 jobs and the constructionworkforce added 400 jobs. Wehave programs at our careercenter where you can learn theskills needed for jobs in thoseareas. The skilled trades arethe hardest to fill in the UnitedStates with “Baby Boomers”retiring faster than these jobscan be filled. Much of thegap caused by these retire-ments, will be concentratedin “middle skill” technicaljobs that require more thana high school diploma, butless than a four-year degree,according to the “Jobs count”report. Again, many of thoseskills for the jobs needed couldbe acquired by attending theCabell County Career Tech-nology Center.
For more information aboutour programs, which will giveyou the skills to help pay yourbills, call 304-528-5106.
Brenda Tanner is the Direc-tor for Career and TechnicalEducation for Cabell countySchools and Principal of theCabell County Career Technol-ogy Center.
You need skills to pay the bills
BrendaTANNER
Toril Lavender/For The Herald-Dispatch
Justin McElroy is the managing editor at Polygon, a video game website founded in 2012 in partnershipwith Vox Media. He is also one-third of the podcast team from “My Brother, My Brother and Me.”
And he gets paid for it.Since 2007,McElroy hasmade
a living as an editor of onlinegamingwebsites, firstwithAOL’swebsite Joystiq and now withVox Media’s super-site, Polygonwherehehasbeenmanagingedi-tor since January 2012.
Since April 2010, he and hisbrothers, Travis, who lives inCincinnati, and Griffin, wholives in Austin, Texas, havegrown their edgy comedy pod-cast tomore than 40,000weeklydownloads, sold-out live perfor-mances around the country.
While these days there is no
clear path to career success,McElroy has built a multi-fac-eted and fun career using hisbroadbase of skills he gainednot only atMarshall but on areastages as a well-known actor inlocal productions.
There’s no better time tocheck in as McElroy, who ismanaging editor at Polygon, thevideo game website founded in2012 in partnership with VoxMedia, celebrated its one-yearanniversary in February.
Polygonwas built with a teamof eight main writers and edi-tors who came from such sites
as Joystiq (where Justin, Griffinand Chris Grant) came from, toKotaku, The Escapist and fromMTV’s gaming site.
“People were saying that itwas like theExpendablesofgam-ing journalistsbut itwasalsoa lotof chefs in thekitchenanda lot ofpeople to get used to,“ McElroysaid. “We all saw the founders asequals and we started with thatteam of eight about a year agopublishingonTheVerge, the techsite at VoxMedia.”
Since then, Polygon designedand launched its own site (one ofthe largest responsivewebsites)inOctober 2012 and doubled thestaff size which was the planby Vox, which has offices inWashington, D.C., New York,San Francisco and Austin.
“Just fromthe techperspectivethe site has gotten a lot of atten-tion as it is one of the largerresponsive websites,” McElroysaid. “If you go to the website,
Marshall graduate Justin McElroyenjoying Web and podcast success
Please see PATH/6J
It’s only fitting that Justin McElroy’s podcast My BrotherMy Brother and Me airs on the Maximum Fun network,because the Marshall University graduate has been excis-ing just that from his weekly pile of work.
Don’t try this at home college grads, McElroy is a trainedprofessional expert, but McElroy, who graduated in 2004from Marshall with a B.F.A. in acting and directing spends hisdays thinking about video games and how to get the last laughwhen he and his brothers, Travis and Griffin gather for theirMBMBAM weekly podcast.
STORY BY DAVE LAVENDER / THE HERALD-DISPATCH
work completed at PCTC. Stu-dents are eligible for up to 30hours of free college credit ifthey complete a program ofstudy at PCTC.Hosting the bestand brightest
Once again, it is that time ofyear again for PCTC students todemonstrate the skills they havelearned the past year. OnMarch23 Putnam Career & TechnicalCenter hosted the annual WestVirginia SkillsUSA LeadershipandSkillsConference.Thisevent,held in conjunction with localindustries and theWest Virginia
Department of Education, wasexpected to drawmore than 600of the best career and technicalstudents from across the state tocompete inavarietyofvocationaland leadership contests.
Winners from each categorywerebeawardedprizes,apprentice-shipsandscholarshipsfortechnicaltradeunions,colleges,andemploy-ers. Public viewing areas will beavailable for all skill competitions,andspectatorsarewelcome.
“We generally do well. We’vegot somegreat kids and fantasticteachers. I’m really looking for-ward to the contest,” Pitzer said.
An awards ceremony washeld at Winfield High Schoolon the evening of March 23 torecognize winners. First placewinners will represent West
Virginia at the National Skill-sUSA Conference in KansasCity, Mo. The National Confer-ence is scheduled for June 2013.Competition begins at 8 a.m.
“”Theawards ceremony is fun.That is the highlight for me,”Pitzer said. “It’s fun to watchthese young people who are thebest at what they do,” he said.
Pitzersaidstudentswhopartic-ipate in their programs at PCTChave a high rate of employment.Industries in the area stay con-nected to the school andwill hirestudents with these industrialand technical skills when theygraduate from high school.
“We’re really trying to be asrelevant as we can. It won’t doany good to offer skills no oneneeds,” he added.
Putnamn Continued from 2J
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261706
SkilledNursing . . .Providing Person-Centered,Holistic CareRNs, LPNs, and STNAs.
MelissaTurner, RN335TWP RD 1026, South Point, OH 45680
(740)-894-3476
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Needed for Huntington Barboursville area:Registered Nurse with two years of psychiatricexperience for our Assertive Community Treatment team.O%=%9<47 7BSB9N B=' @%=%H6 ;SB=FG%P!@S% Q<9T!=# 7)"%'4S%DCall Stephanie Smith at 304-302-2078 x 136or email at [email protected] 262322
Beech Fork State Park is acceptingseasonal/summer job applications for:
Housekeeping, Swimming pool, Maintenanceand Office. Pay range $7.25-$10.88 per hr.
Apply in person or call 304-528-5794
Housekeeping,Swimming Pool,
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BeechForkState Park
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DirectorofMaterialsManagement
Raleigh General Hospital is currently seeking to fill the Director of Material Management position. TheDirector of Materials Management is responsible for the daily operations of all Materials Managementfunctions. TheDirectorofMaterialsManagement integrates thedepartment’s serviceswith thehospital’sprimary functions, develops/implements policies and procedures that guide or support service,assesses and improves department performance, and ensures orientation and continuing education ofdepartmental staff. This position requires a bachelor’s degree in business administration or equivalentand aminimumof three years of hospitalmaterialsmanagement. Youmay visit ourwebsite atwww.raleighgeneral.com to complete the on-line application.
Raleigh General Hospital is currently seeking full time RN’s for Critical Care. Thesepositions come with a $8,000.00 sign on bonus with experience, and a $5,000 signon bonus without experience. Raleigh General Hospital has competitive wages andbenefits, includinga401(k)savingsplan,paidvacationandsick leave,andmuchmore!Please inquireaboutourexcellentbenefitspackage!Foradditional careeropportunitiesvisitourwebaddress@www.raleighgeneral.comApplyon-lineHumanResources: 304.256.4190EEO–M/F/V/D
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4J The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013
C M Y K 50 inch
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Professional Drivers NeededIn The Kenova Area!
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The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 5J
C M Y K 50 inch
Progress 2013: Careers6J The Herald-Dispatch — Huntington, WV, Sunday, March 24, 2013 Questions? Call the newsroom at 304-526-2798 www.herald-dispatch.com
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Another area where Hogsett saysemployment can reliably be foundis sales.
“They’relookingforpeoplewhohavethe ability to communicate and workhard, theability tobe flexible,” shesaid.
While IT jobs usually require atwo- or four-year degree, one of theupshots of sales positions is that theydon’t typically require higher educa-tion.This is goodnews for both thosewithout higher education and collegegradswonderingwhat to dowith thatBachelor’s degree in history.
“A history degree doesn’t leadto sales, but if that person is verygood at sales and they have a historydegree, they can make it work forthem,” Hogsett said.
Other areas of growth in the Tri-State include health care and engi-neering, according to Hogsett.
“There are large niches for indi-viduals who are registered nursesand, of course, physical therapy,speech pathology, occupational ther-apy,” she said. “All of those thingsare huge, as far as need.”
She also notes that there seems tobe a shortage of engineers to fill posi-tionsmade available by retirees.
“More companies are looking atengineers to do project manage-ment,” she said.
Finally, there are “still huge gaps”in theworkforce for peoplewhohavetwo-year associate degrees and certi-fications, often in a variety ofmedicalfields, but also in positions like elec-trical technician and paralegal.
InHogsett’smind,thereissomethingfor everyone in the job market thesedays - from the availability of jobs insales tovirtuallyanyoneto thespecial-izedrealmofengineering.But it’shardtoadvisejob-seekerswhichpathtopur-sue in anever-changing landscape.
“Before (the sequester)wenton, thegovernment jobs were good jobs tohaveandgood jobs toapply forand forstudents at an entry level to look for,”Hogsett said. “Howdoweknowwhat’sgoing tohappenwith the governmentsector? You think about the Corps ofEngineers; that’s where engineers go.Are they going to be cut?”
But Hogsett is certain about onething.
“Themost important thing to say isthat it’s proven in statistics that if youget a two- or four-year degree, you’regoing tobemoremarketable andposi-tionyourself tomakemoremoneyandget a job thansomeonewhoonlyhas ahigh school education,” she said.
Even in our volatile economy,the value of education seems toremain.
Jobsn Continued from 1J
go to Polygon and change your brows-er width or size the site rebuilds tosuit the size you are looking at, but thereally neat thing if you have a tablet oriPadora phone,where about 30 percentof our traffic comes from, you are look-ing at the same website.”
McElroy, who also does some videogame reviews and features for the site,said it has been a wild ride since whilethere are bigger gaming sites out there,there never has beenone that started sobig and then built from there.
In his job as managing editor atPolygon, McElroy is in touch andworking with writers in Australia,London, New York (both state andcity), Philadelphia, Connecticut, Chi-cago, Akron, Ohio, Austin, Texas, SanFrancisco and Los Angeles.
While they can most often workfrom their homes, McElroy and hisfellow writers must travel to bothcoasts for conferences and meet-ings including the upcoming June E3conference in California where thePlayStation 3 and new X-Box’s will beunveiled.
“It gives us a lot of perspective andrepresents amore diverse set of peopleand it lets us get better people and getthem more affordably,” McElroy said.
“Forwhat I get paid here I couldn’t livein San Francisco, and it also doesn’tlimit us to a specific location. That isthis is what I tell people all the timefor this area. There has never been abetter time ever for you to dowhat youwant and to live here. You don’t needto be anywhere, especially if you area writer. If you can write and have anInternet connection.When I amhiringsomeone, location is the last thing Ilook at.We’ve not had ameeting in ourorganization, even if they have a clumpof people in New York or D.C., wherewehaven’t had someonline componentand someone dialing in. That is theway we work.”
WhileMcElroy and his brother Grif-fin are both writing for Polygon, thetwo brothers also hook upweeklywiththeir computers to record the success-ful “My Brother, My Brother andMe,”comedy advice-strewn podcast whichthey’ve been doing weekly since April2010 on the Maximum Fun website(www.maximumfun.org)
Still growing at 40,000 downloads aweek and counting,MBMBAM’s hostswere featured as one of the headlinersat the annual Maximum Fun conven-tion at Lake Arrowhead, Calif., lastyear, where they were joined by acouple hundred folks in the comedyindustry
Justin said the growth of their com-edy has been a bit surreal.
“We did a show there and therewere a lot of people who I’ve lookedup to for a long time in the same roomwatchingusdoour thing,”McElroy said.“... It’s all Griffin and I can do to keepthe plates spinning. MBMBAM wasbasically somethingwe started becauseweweren’t keeping in good contact butnow it has turned into a considerablepart of our income. It’s fun and we areamazingly lucky. For all the successwe’ve had I think the thing I feel lucki-est about is that I get to do it with them.When we were at MaxFunCon we allhad our significant others, mywife andtheir girlfriends and it was all six of usup there and thatwas incredible gettingto be together and hang out together.That has been the best part, and it’salways been as rewarding developingourworking relationship.Whenitcomesto the boring business stuff we fight likebrothers but watching how our banterworks we really sharpen each other. Sothathasbeenfuntosee thatevolveandtobeapartof it.”
McElroy said he credits his educa-tion both in and out of class atMarshallwith honing him for his multi-facetedcreative jobs.
“I really learned my fundamentalsat Marshall in my journalism classeswith Dan Hollis,” said McElroy, whoout of school worked for The IrontonTribune and The Herald-Dispatch. “It’sDan’s voice I hear in my head when I
write bad and that has been invaluableto me. As far as theater, my MBMBAMis inextricably tied to my degree morethan anything. These days, if you are inthe media, videos and presentation arealmost as big a part of your writing. Noone is just awriter, so that theater train-ing is good for that. Theater too is sucha collaborative art form and so good forlearning teamwork and performance.”
McElroy said these days studentsshould also jump in and start work-ing while in college on honing theirskills for their dream job.
“I tell people don’t rely on justyour education,” McElroy said. “It’sreally good for learning the funda-mentals of things you want to do andlearning the basics but you can’t justrely on it. You need to start workingand doing stuff, especially with theInternet now, there’s no reason notto.”
Because who knows, anything canhappen, even here, especially here.
“My boss at Maximum Fun, JesseThorn, has this talk, ‘MakeYourThing,’McElroy said. “And in this day and agepeople are making a living off of theirYouTubechannels that theydoas a goofand people are doing podcasts that theyjust did for fun and theymake a living offof it. There’s nothing that says you haveto be in L.A.You can live anywhere if youwork on something or make somethingthat people like.”
Pathn Continued from 4J
Understand clearly that thepurpose of your resume is toget you an interview,movingyou to the next step of yourjob search process. Each jobdescription and organization isunique,with differing expecta-tions and requirements. Theresumeyou buildmay openthe door for one opportunitybutmight close the door to thenext. Learning to tailor yourresume to the job descriptionwill give the potential employ-erwhat theywant. Thismeansyouwill bewritingmore thanone resume.
Do not take this advicewrong. The initial effort thatyou put into the developmentof your base resume has notbeen fruitless. This baseresume will be the frame-work for you to use whenconstructing your resume foreach job application.
You are responsible for thedevelopment of your docu-ment. Ask for help but do not
turn over the task to someoneelse. Your resume shouldshowcase your experiencesand what you have to offer.Career Counselors can helpyou evaluate what is and isnot working for you on yourresume.
Connecting what you haveto offer with the employer’sstated needs in the jobdescription is critical, notonly in your resume and cov-er letter, but in the interviewand all other interactions thatyou have with the employer.Use your resume to convincethe employer you are the onefor the interview, providingthemwith the confirmationthat you are worth taking
a closer look at through aninterview.
There are several steps totake to assure that you canmake that connection:
1. Research the company2. Have a very clear under-
standing of the position3. Read and re-read the job
description4. Compare the job descrip-
tionwith your resume toassure that your resume iden-tifies the keywords, skills andrequirement needed
5. Find the parallels betweenthe job duties and your experi-ences and skills sets
6. Attend any information-al sessions that are offered orcontact a person you knowthat works with the organiza-tion and ask questions
7. Ask questions of therecruiters at career fairs
Use all this informationduring the constructionof your resume. Be sure toformat the resume so that
it is easy to read. Do notmake the employer hunt forcritical information or skillsrequired. Remember that forscreening purposes, a poten-tial employer will look at theresume in a matter of sec-onds. So make each secondcount in your favor.
Also, remember thatmany applications will becompleted online. You mayhave submitted your resumeto a recruiter but then theydirect you to an onlineapplication. This is a normalprocess. You must read andfollow the directions verycarefully. Get help if needed,complete all fields, use key-words from the job descrip-tion and then re-check theapplication for any errorsbefore submitting.
The first impression mat-ters. What is my resume, cov-er letter and initial applica-tion saying about me? It cansay that you do not pay atten-
tion to detail and that you notinterested in the opportunity,if your resume, cover letteror online application havetypos, spelling errors andpoor grammar. Details count;use resources available toyou for assistance.
Last but not least alwaysbe honest. Misrepresentingyourself can be a disaster.Bring those real achieve-ments, skills and abilities tothe employer’s attention.
Looking for a full time jobcan be a full time job regard-less of the stage in yourcareer, make the time youspend count by landing thatcareer opportunity of yourdream and adding value tothe organization that sawin you what they needed toensure the future success oftheir organization.
Denise Hogsett is thedirector of Career Servicesat Marshall University.
