After months of searching for a location and spending thousands of dollars on renovations, Double Barrel Tattoos recently opened just outside the city limits.
Randy Garcia, manger of the shop, said he wanted to open a tattoo business in the city because "they don't have anything like that here."
"We were just throwing stuff around, ideas of different places to open," he said. "Not Killeen or Austin because they have so many. We finally decided on Lampasas, and people said it would be great; it's what Lampasas needs. People say there's nothing here."
Prior to settling at South U.S. Highway 183, Garcia spent about $10,000 in renovations on a building on Farm-to-Market 580, within the city limits, believing the lease was guaranteed. Then he got a letter from city officials.
denied the shop a special-use permit to open in a noncommercial business location. Several residents attended the council's mid-October meeting, which was held at a school cafeteria to accomodate the crowd interested in the controversial matter.
"We did the floors, the walls; we were ready to open up," said Garcia. "It was a huge setback for us. That was the majority of our budget for opening that shop."
"We heard about (our current location) through a Facebook friend," said Garcia. "I went knocking on doors and found the owner, who lives behind the building. He said a gentleman had been renting it from him, but had gotten sick. After a week he called us back to say the man wouldn't be able to continue paying rent."
Garcia signed a five-year lease within a week of the Facebook tip.
"The rent is perfect. It wasn't in too bad disrepair, so we wouldn't have to spend a whole lot of money on it. It's just perfect," said Garcia. "Mainly, it was location. It's right outside the city limits. The drive-by traffic is going to be great."
Besides acquiring a location, the tattoo shop also met several state standards before opening.
"We had to get a business license, then get a body piercing and tattoo license from the state, which requires following a lot of guidelines in the way the shop is set up," said Garcia. "Once we got the state license, we had to start getting approvals from the city. We had to get into a light industrial area, So we moved right outside the city limits so we didn't have to do City Council meetings."
Securing a state license, including paying the $1,600 fee, was something Garcia had to go through twice.
"It's address-based," he said. "We got our license at the last location, and when we found out we couldn't open there, we had to get a new license. We were trying to tell (the state) that we didn't actually open up there at the (previous) address, and we tried to get some kind of discount, but the state isn't too lenient. They did the best they could."
At the shop's State Highway 183 location, Garcia estimates he's spent about $13,000 on renovations and supplies, including required flooring, chairs and sterilization equipment. The shop will employ five people, including two apprentices. All tattoo artists have been professionally trained.
"A lot of people in Lampasas have been getting tattoos out of friends' garages, and doing it that way is not 100 percent sterile," said Garcia. "The chance of cross-contamination and blood-borne illness is high, and the artists who do it that way don't have a lot of experience. Do it here, and there's a guarantee that we've taken our blood-borne pathogens class. All needles are disposable and thrown away."
Shop staffers intend to take part in activities to benefit the community, after they get settled.
"Right now, we're just trying to open," said Terry Bruce, the shop's owner. "We're going to work with Blue Santa and have a toy collection box; we want to collect food for the local food pantry, too."
Working to help local charities and planning to collaborate with the school to offer face-painting for football games are all in an effort to work with the town and dispel assumptions about the inked-crowd.
"They frowned upon tattoo shops at first, and we're trying to tell them it's not like it was in the '60s and 70s with bikers and drugs," said Bruce. "We're trying to work with the city. If we help them, they'll help us."
2011年12月27日星期二
2011年10月20日星期四
Abu Dhabi to launch rental guidance index
The index will determine the rental value of a unit based on indicators like location, number of bedrooms and how old it is, Ali Al Hashemi, manager of Tawtheeq at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, told Gulf News.
"This index will be in place within the next two years, and it is one of the future plans for the municipality's Tawtheeq system that aims to streamline leasable unit transactions in the city," Al Hashimi said.
From November, the Tawtheeq system will be implemented for transactions associated with the Department of Transport , the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company and the Department of Economic Development.
"In this first phase, a Tawtheeq-registered tenancy contract will be required for all transactions related to rental units leased out by property management companies. These transactions include getting a parking spot near one's residence from the DoT, or opening up a new account for water and electricity distribution with the ADDC," Al Hashimi said.
The requirement will be extended to units leased by private landlords and property owners as well by February, he added.
"Although tenants will eventually require Tawtheeq-registered contracts for transactions with at least 16 different entities, the responsibility to register units on to the system, as well as the cost, is entirely up to the property management company or the landlord. Tenants must therefore approach their landlords if their contracts are not registered," the official added.
Nearly 45,000 leasable units have already been registered under the system since its introduction in March, including those owned by Abu Dhabi Commercial Properties Company, First Gulf Properties, Deyaar Development and Abu Dhabi National Property Company.
"While nearly 80 per cent of property management companies have registered by now, only about 10 per cent of private landlords have responded," Al Hashimi said. He urged leasable property owners to ensure conformity with the system soon.
David Dudley, regional director of international real estate services company Jones Lang LaSelle and head of its Abu Dhabi office, said the rental index would promote market transparency.
"Currently, a two-tier market exists in the Abu Dhabi housing market. People who rented units before the 2007-2008 peak are paying low rents due to the 5 per cent annual rent cap, while those who came in afterwards are paying much higher sums and constantly negotiating with their landlords to have these reduced," Dudley explained.
"This index will be in place within the next two years, and it is one of the future plans for the municipality's Tawtheeq system that aims to streamline leasable unit transactions in the city," Al Hashimi said.
From November, the Tawtheeq system will be implemented for transactions associated with the Department of Transport , the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company and the Department of Economic Development.
"In this first phase, a Tawtheeq-registered tenancy contract will be required for all transactions related to rental units leased out by property management companies. These transactions include getting a parking spot near one's residence from the DoT, or opening up a new account for water and electricity distribution with the ADDC," Al Hashimi said.
The requirement will be extended to units leased by private landlords and property owners as well by February, he added.
"Although tenants will eventually require Tawtheeq-registered contracts for transactions with at least 16 different entities, the responsibility to register units on to the system, as well as the cost, is entirely up to the property management company or the landlord. Tenants must therefore approach their landlords if their contracts are not registered," the official added.
Nearly 45,000 leasable units have already been registered under the system since its introduction in March, including those owned by Abu Dhabi Commercial Properties Company, First Gulf Properties, Deyaar Development and Abu Dhabi National Property Company.
"While nearly 80 per cent of property management companies have registered by now, only about 10 per cent of private landlords have responded," Al Hashimi said. He urged leasable property owners to ensure conformity with the system soon.
David Dudley, regional director of international real estate services company Jones Lang LaSelle and head of its Abu Dhabi office, said the rental index would promote market transparency.
"Currently, a two-tier market exists in the Abu Dhabi housing market. People who rented units before the 2007-2008 peak are paying low rents due to the 5 per cent annual rent cap, while those who came in afterwards are paying much higher sums and constantly negotiating with their landlords to have these reduced," Dudley explained.
2011年9月7日星期三
Plan to Reduce F.C. Voting Wards From 5 to 3 Set for Vote Monday
The Falls Church City Council determined at its work session Tuesday that it will put it to a vote on next Monday night to reduce the number of voting precincts in the City of Falls Church from five to three.
The number has been five for as long as anyone can remember, but following the guidance of the City's new voter registrar David Bjerke and with the backing of the citizen-volunteer Electoral Board, the move to three would serve to better enable the smooth conduct of elections in the City, the Council was told.
The primary reasons were given as reducing the number of polling place officials required and eliminating at least one voter location -- the Boy Scout House on S. Spring St. -- that has inadequate heating and air conditioning and its Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance is questionable. The American Legion Hall on N. Oak would also be eliminated, although maintained as a backup if needed.
The locations to be retained under the plan will be the Thomas Jefferson School, the Community Center and the Oakwood Apartments.
If approved by the Council with two votes, one Monday and another on Sept. 19, the plan would go to the U.S. Department of Justice for review, and would not be completed in time to change anything for this coming November 8 election. It should be in place in time for the March 6, 2012 presidential primary election, however.
Speaking to the Council Tuesday, Bjerke laid out six reasons for the consolidation, including (1) budget factors, that would save a modest amount (about $1,500 per election), (2) current precincts do not have uniform population sizes, (3) temperature and other problems with the Scout House site, (4) efficiencies important to a small staff, (5) reducing the requirement for election officers, and (6) Virginia election law's preference for using government buildings (Thomas Jefferson School and the Community Center) when possible, the exception being the Oakwood Apartments as the only option east of Washington St. (Rt. 29) with adequate size, parking and ADA compliance.
Renee Andrews, chair of the City's Electoral Board, told the Council that the level of service to voters will not change
She said that in the case of the Scout House location, it is very difficult for election workers to be there from before 6 a.m. when polls open to after 7 p.m., when they close, up to 16 hours, when it is either sweltering heat or bone-chilling cold.
Council member Robin Gardner concurred, as one who votes at that location, adding that elderly or disabled voters have to be escorted around the back of the building to make their way in.
"The Scout House is also the only polling place that charges the City for use on Election Day, has the smallest amount of usable space, and the ramp used for compliance with ADA requirements leads to a back door, rather than the front door that is the entrance to the polling place," the City staff report noted.
On the issue of ward size, Virginia election law allows for up to 5,000 registered voters in a ward, but "best practices" in Virginia are aimed at holding ward sizes to about 3,500 registered voters. In the proposed plan for Falls Church, the three precincts (instead of five) would all still have less than 3,500 registered voters.
Ellen Salsbury of the Falls Church League of Women Voters, asked to comment by the Council, said that while her organization does not have a position on the matter, one way or the other, "We will be watching, and will help get the word out."
Mayor Nader Baroukh was luke warm about the proposal, saying the upsides a "marginal," and suggesting that "if the current system is not broke, why fix it?" He was concerned about confusion among voters about where to vote, and that some close-knit neighborhoods might get split into different precincts.
Some tweaking on the boundaries of the proposed three wards will be made at City Hall prior to Monday's Council meeting.
The number has been five for as long as anyone can remember, but following the guidance of the City's new voter registrar David Bjerke and with the backing of the citizen-volunteer Electoral Board, the move to three would serve to better enable the smooth conduct of elections in the City, the Council was told.
The primary reasons were given as reducing the number of polling place officials required and eliminating at least one voter location -- the Boy Scout House on S. Spring St. -- that has inadequate heating and air conditioning and its Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance is questionable. The American Legion Hall on N. Oak would also be eliminated, although maintained as a backup if needed.
The locations to be retained under the plan will be the Thomas Jefferson School, the Community Center and the Oakwood Apartments.
If approved by the Council with two votes, one Monday and another on Sept. 19, the plan would go to the U.S. Department of Justice for review, and would not be completed in time to change anything for this coming November 8 election. It should be in place in time for the March 6, 2012 presidential primary election, however.
Speaking to the Council Tuesday, Bjerke laid out six reasons for the consolidation, including (1) budget factors, that would save a modest amount (about $1,500 per election), (2) current precincts do not have uniform population sizes, (3) temperature and other problems with the Scout House site, (4) efficiencies important to a small staff, (5) reducing the requirement for election officers, and (6) Virginia election law's preference for using government buildings (Thomas Jefferson School and the Community Center) when possible, the exception being the Oakwood Apartments as the only option east of Washington St. (Rt. 29) with adequate size, parking and ADA compliance.
Renee Andrews, chair of the City's Electoral Board, told the Council that the level of service to voters will not change
She said that in the case of the Scout House location, it is very difficult for election workers to be there from before 6 a.m. when polls open to after 7 p.m., when they close, up to 16 hours, when it is either sweltering heat or bone-chilling cold.
Council member Robin Gardner concurred, as one who votes at that location, adding that elderly or disabled voters have to be escorted around the back of the building to make their way in.
"The Scout House is also the only polling place that charges the City for use on Election Day, has the smallest amount of usable space, and the ramp used for compliance with ADA requirements leads to a back door, rather than the front door that is the entrance to the polling place," the City staff report noted.
On the issue of ward size, Virginia election law allows for up to 5,000 registered voters in a ward, but "best practices" in Virginia are aimed at holding ward sizes to about 3,500 registered voters. In the proposed plan for Falls Church, the three precincts (instead of five) would all still have less than 3,500 registered voters.
Ellen Salsbury of the Falls Church League of Women Voters, asked to comment by the Council, said that while her organization does not have a position on the matter, one way or the other, "We will be watching, and will help get the word out."
Mayor Nader Baroukh was luke warm about the proposal, saying the upsides a "marginal," and suggesting that "if the current system is not broke, why fix it?" He was concerned about confusion among voters about where to vote, and that some close-knit neighborhoods might get split into different precincts.
Some tweaking on the boundaries of the proposed three wards will be made at City Hall prior to Monday's Council meeting.
2011年6月1日星期三
BMW Headlight Technologies: LED headlights, Dynamic Light Spot, Glare-free high beam assistant
World largest premium automaker, BMW Ag is pushing lightning technologies for more safety. The automaker unveiled two new lighting technologies.
First, the Dynamic Light Spot which is an enhancement of the already available Night Vision system. Currently, Night Vision can recognize pedestrians and animals on the road, and warn the driver if necessary.
With Dynamic Light Spot, BMW plans to take the technology a further step by working on a headlight that “can focus on that area and show directly where a pedestrian, who is possibly endangered, is.”
The is the Glare-free high beam assistant – a new tech that uses a camera to detect oncoming traffic and then “masks” the headlights to prevent glare.
Finally, BMW is introducing full LED headlights with the F13 6-series coupe as we knew already. Read the full press release below for more details.
First, the Dynamic Light Spot which is an enhancement of the already available Night Vision system. Currently, Night Vision can recognize pedestrians and animals on the road, and warn the driver if necessary.
With Dynamic Light Spot, BMW plans to take the technology a further step by working on a headlight that “can focus on that area and show directly where a pedestrian, who is possibly endangered, is.”
The is the Glare-free high beam assistant – a new tech that uses a camera to detect oncoming traffic and then “masks” the headlights to prevent glare.
Finally, BMW is introducing full LED headlights with the F13 6-series coupe as we knew already. Read the full press release below for more details.
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