The Owners' Manual | Issue 14 | Fall/Winter 2018

2018  issue 14  fall/winter

issue 14, fall/winter 2018

Fall Harvest Fair at the Ansonia Nature Center (BL designed the entrance improvements for the Nature Center) Photo credit: Lisa Pavano, Meriden

BL Buzz

All Things Owners

FYI

Around BL........................1-3 Ribbon Cuttings..............4-5 Public Hearings & Outreach.....................15-18 Holiday Email Signature..38

ESOP Month Recap........6-9 Get to Know................10-13 ESOP Video Contest........14 Question of the Quarter........................21-28

Winter Activities..........30-31 Legal Topic.................32-33 Safety Tip.....................34-35 IT Tip.............................36-37 Happenings......................39

Front & Back Covers: Recently completed Self Storage Facilities, Cohasset & Dedham, MA

Mark Heeb, Jose Lazo and Rob Good attended the SIOR Conference - BL also headlined the keynote presentation for this conference!

Michele Smith has transformed the Meriden office lobby into a festive holiday & winter wonderland.

An outdoorsy group of employee owners participated in a lunchtime hike for ESOP Month. Want to see more pics from ESOP Month? Check out the recap article on pages 6 - 11.

We love pictures of our employee owners! Please send them our way to share in the next newsletter (Heather Halotek or Jess Osborne)

Mark Heeb led a bicycle tour through Philadelphia at the ASLA National Conference. Rocky thought they were pretty cool!

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Sarah LeClerc, Cody L’Heureux, Dennis Gehring and Holly Linder attended the HYPE (Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs) Tons of Toys fundraiser event in Hartford, CT. The toy drive collected thousands of toys for the YMCA of Greater Hartford.

Congratulations to the 2018 LDEP (Leadership Development Essentials Program) Graduates! Adam Davis, Clare Olesen, David Mancuso, David Parent, John Thatcher, Joy Kloss, Kelly Beaudreau-Hwang, Michael Bensh, Sara Sciotto, Sebastian Tata, Steven Fraysier, Sue Knecht, Suz King, Terri Delo, Tom Pechillo, Jr., Wayne Violette, Bill Fries

In addition to our Top Workplaces award, Carolyn received the Top Leader Award for all mid-size employers. Congratulations to Carolyn and ALL employee owners for making BL a great place to work!

A group of employee owners attended the Top Work Places Awards Ceremony in Monroe, CT. BL Companies was ranked 5 th amongst mid-size (150 - 499 employees).

Thank you to our generous employee owners, who donated 160 stockings to the Soldiers’ Angels Holiday Community Partner Program, which works specifically during the holiday season to provide cards, letters, and stuffed stockings for our troops and veterans.

BL hosted a Client Appreciation event for the Rockefeller Group in Morristown, NJ. The BBQ was catered by our own Mark Koellner. Needless to say, our clients certainly appreciated the personal touch (and scooped up all of the leftovers!).

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 FedEx Middletown celebrated the opening of its new hub with a ribbon cutting ceremony in September.  FedEx Allentown wasn’t too far behind! It’s ribbon cutting was held in November.  The Southington Calendar House Senior Center’s grand opening/ribbon cutting took place in September.  The Ox Ridge Riding & Raquet Club broke ground in October. It’s expected to be complete by spring 2019.

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E S O P MONTH

October is nationally recognized as ESOP Month, where the ESOP Association and employee-owned companies like ours celebrate being an ESOP. BL uses this month to continue to promote our ownership culture, strengthen camaraderie and internal relationships, increase awareness and understanding of our ESOP, and celebrate our employee-owners for all their hard work. This past October was no different, and while ESOP Month is sadly over for another year we can still look back on all we’ve done!

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“BL Gear Day” is a day for our employee-owners to show off their BL pride! Some offices also took advantage of the opportunity to snap their annual office-wide photo.

It wouldn’t be ESOP month without our annual happy hour and raffle to close out the festivities! All the events, competitions, and challenges earned participants raffle tickets culminating in a company-wide drawing, complete with lots of food, refreshments, and camaraderie.

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Above: Hartford Office Group Photo. Below: Meriden Office Group Photo.

Left: It took some creativity to secure Meriden’s food for transport! Right: After unwrapping the food and car, Meriden sets up for their happy hour smörgåsbord.

Offices gathered in groups to watch a movie of their choosing. Below: The Meriden office (+ some friends and family) attended the film “Halloween” at a nearby movie theater.

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We introduced some friendly competition with our jigsaw puzzle challenge. Every office received the same 2000-piece puzzle and raced to see who could complete it first. Congrats to the Bridgeport office, who was the first to complete the puzzle!

Over the course of the month we hosted four coffee breaks, each designed to get us away from our desks for some yummy refreshments.

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Above: Bridgeport’s completed puzzle.

Above: The KOP Office took the opportunity to work on the jigsaw challenge during coffee breaks. Below: One of Meriden’s coffee breaks had an Apple Cider theme.

CUBE DECORATING The Halloween cubicle / office decorating contest is an ESOP Month fan favorite. Michele Smith in Meriden took home first place, with Andy Loraw from KOP as the first runner-up and Manon Morande from Hartford as the second runner-up. And a special shout out to Chris Mastriano from Meriden, who carved the BL pumpkin featured in the winning submission!

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The final coffee break was a Lemonade Stand theme and was hosted by the Giving Back Committee. We raised nearly $300 for the Stockings for Soldier initiative.

COSTUME CONTEST In addition to our decorating contest, we also had a Costume Contest, with 25 amazing entries! Karina Molnar from Meriden came in first place, with Annette Hyland from Meriden in second, and Clayton Stewart from Houston in third. 1st 3rd

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Above: The Hartford Office’s Giving Back Lemonade Stand.

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WHAT ELSE DID WE DO?

TRIVIA THURSDAYS POP-UP PUZZLES BL REQUEST FOR ART (RFA) MINI-GAME MONDAYS LUNCH HIKE SPORTS JERSEY DAY BINGO PIECE OF THE PIE PIZZA PARTY YOGA AT A BREWERY SCAVENGER HUNT VIDEO CONTEST REVEAL Believe it or not, that’s not all we did! We don’t have pictures, but we also hosted:

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He also goes by Bret!

Director of Recruitment and Talent Management Meriden, CT Office

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(lots of Law and Order).

When did you join BL Companies? I started at BL on August 2nd, 2018. What made you decide to work at BL Companies? The growth mindset and commitment to the internal stakeholders as much as clients. What is a “day in the life” of Bret look like for you at BL Companies? Depending on the day it is a combination of reviewing applications that have come in, supporting hiring managers with applicants who are already in the process of interviewing, sourcing new candidates, and reaching out to potential applicants. What did you want to be when you grow up? I wanted to be Jack McCoy

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? Playing with my kids (20 months – Sabine; 5 1/2 years - Beatrix). What type of music do you like? On rotation in my car is Phoenix, CCR or the genre of “Dad Rap” (as I recently found out it is called) but realistically, more often than not I am listening to Disney music. When driving, safely of course, what do you like to listen to? Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts (when not Disney Music – see above) – Revisionist History

is the one I have been listening to the whole backlog.

someone I can go back to just to run ideas by and he is great at asking the questions that really get me thinking. Have you ever had something happen to you that you thought was bad but it turned out to be for the best? Not getting into my first choice grad school. What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? Maintain my “serious dad face” and stifle my laughter when my daughter does something hilarious, but not appropriate. What do you miss most about being a kid? Naps What is something you learned in the last week? How to get the skin extra crispy on a homemade Peking duck (turned out delicious).

What is one of your favorite quotes? “The plural of anecdotes is not data” If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? See an accountant and a lawyer! (then take a big family trip). I don’t know what celebrity I was mistaken for, but I was recently getting a burrito in New York and the guy behind the counter whispered to me “I love all of your movies” – I was flustered so just mumbled “thank you” as I paid quickly and moved on. Not really sure who he thought I was. Which celebrity do you get mistaken for? Who is your favorite teacher/ mentor? Why? Steve Larosiliere (Former boss and mentor at Stoked Mentoring) he is always

At which store would you like to max-out your credit card? It would have to be an art gallery What was your favorite TV show when growing up? We watched a lot of game shows (Press Your Luck, Family Feud) and I watched Scooby-Doo and Looney Toons every Saturday morning . What is the nerdiest thing you do in your spare time? I have seen every episode of Dr. Who since it relaunched in 2005 (and many of the originals episodes as well.) Choose a movie title for the story of your life. Adventures in Babysitting (I am the oldest of 6 kids so was constantly watching after my younger siblings).

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A Day at BL — ESOP Video Contest Winners have been announced!

HARTFORD

KOP

MERIDEN

CAMP HILL

Thank you to all that participated! Haven’t had a chance to see the videos? They’re posted on the intranet: Documents and Resources > Video Library

LISTEN, ENGAGE, EXCITE!

A Look into BL’s Rol e in Publ i c Hear ing’s & Publ i c Out reach

PUBLIC HEARING

During the permitting process for some of our development projects at BL Companies, we need to participate in a Public Hearing that gives citizens an opportunity to contribute their opinions about the specific project. Ultimately the decision for approval of the project is made by government officials, typically Planning & Zoning and Wetlands Commissions. Not all development projects require a Public Hearing. The main reasons that may require a project to be subject to a Public Hearing include , the size of the project, and if the proposed use requires a Special Permit. Larger scale projects often trigger the need for a public hearing due to the potential impact on the local neighborhood and entire municipality. A Special Permit designation is built into many local zoning codes or ordinances that allow officials to call for a public hearing when the proposed use may differ from the allowed use, or if the proposed use requires additional attention that the Public Hearing process would provide.

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Local officials conduct the formality of the Public Hearing which includes opening and closing of the hearing, scheduling the meeting(s), creating and following the agenda for the Public Hearing, listening to and considering public testimony & input, and finally making the decision to approve or not approve the specific project. Project Applicants, and/or Project Representatives, are required to represent the project and provide information for the commission with the witnessing public in attendance. Often times, BL Companies is utilized as the expert for the project to present with detail the specific elements of the architectural, engineering, and site related design components. The local community is given advanced notice of proposed projects that will be required to enter a Public Hearing and are invited to participate. Neighboring residents and land owners that surround the subject property are often notified individually as well to make them aware of the potential project and upcoming Public Hearing. During the Public Hearing, officials will notify attending citizens when they are able to offer their questions and comments. All attending citizens will have an opportunity to voice their opinions and ask questions during the process if they choose to do so. Not all choose to attend or participate but the Public Hearing process allows an opportunity for all community residents and stakeholders to be heard. THE ROLES OF PUBLIC HEARING

EXAMPLES OF PUBLIC

OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT Community Surveys Design Workshops Websites Social Media Pop-Up Events

Site Walks/Tours Multilingual Communications

IT IS ALL ABOUT TRUST. PUBLIC OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT

Successful Public Outreach and Engagement during the planning process helps build TRUST with the public and communities to ensure the design team is listening and able to effectively capture their feedback and apply it to the Master Plan and Vision. The future development of OUR COMMUNITIES needs to reflect the current and future needs of its residents, stakeholders and partners. Public planning projects require the consistent collaboration between the planning team and the community to ensure a transparent process that aligns current project goals with future visioning. This collaboration needs to happen from beginning to end. The Public Outreach and Engagement Plan is a key element to all successful community planning projects and initiatives. Typically, the main goals may include raising awareness of key project issues and opportunities, educating communities and stakeholders of various project aspects and providing opportunities for public input and decision making. The appropriateness or extent of the plan should be flexible and accommodate the specific planning project. Not all outreach and engagement tools would be needed for all projects, however a selection of those tools most appropriate to the project and community could be most effective. A large-scale planning project might utilize a greater amount of outreach tools to engage its participants while a smaller scale project might simply pick one or two mechanisms to help with engagement.

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BL COMPANIES’ EXAMPLES & ENGAGEMENT OF PUBLIC OUTREACH

Farmington Center Study

The Farmington Center Study project re-imagined a key parcel and its surrounding village district by creating a thoughtful Master Plan and Design Guidelines that incorporated community input from the beginning. Our design team worked with Town Staff to develop a Public Outreach and Engagement plan that included multiple community site walks of the village, participatory community gatherings, and a highly successful visual survey analysis. The community site walks were open to the public and encouraged participants to join Town Staff and the Design Team (BL) to tour the existing village center and review the existing village character, challenges and opportunities. These site walks were held before the Design Team developed the eventual Master Plan for the area ensuring that public comments collected during these engaging site walks were captured in the final vision. In addition to the site walks, the process included regular community gatherings throughout the project that provided updates on concept development that

reviewed collected public input and how it would be applied, and was also an opportunity for some great story telling and imagination. As you might imagine, whenyougather enoughcommunitymemberswhoare very passionate about their town and neighborhoods some “design and planning magic” may occur. Our team had countless conversations and interviews with the local community that guided much of the concept design development and helped solidify a vision for the community they had helped to create. One of our regular community gatherings included a creative visual preference survey which challenged participants to identify architectural stylings fromother Connecticut and New England locations that could be used as precedent imagery for the Farmington Center Study. Hundreds of images were utilized and voted on by the community to develop a consensus on some architectural elements that would eventually help shape the design guidelines that were created as part of this study. The survey proved to be an effective method to narrow and focus the preferred vision for the community.

Milford Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Planning Project The Milford TOD Planning Project was a Connecticut Grant Funded Project that focused on the re-development of key parcels bordering the Milford Train Station and their connection through the downtown core and waterfront areas. The Public Outreach and Engagement Strategy usedduring this project was highlighted by a series of public workshops and site walks that focused on the identification of area assets, existing challenges and opportunities to make stronger connections throughout the downtown area. During the initial workshops and site walks, the design team developed unique maps and questions intended to spur thoughts from participants while they toured the project areas. Groups of 10-15 participants were led by different members of the Design Team. During these site walks through the project area, each group stopped as needed at different assets and/or opportunities to understand a “ground level” perspective of potential options and connections for the eventual Master Plan and Vision developed for the project. Typically, at the following workshop, there was a recap of the previous site walks and review of the

collected data and input. These measures helped to create a positive dynamic and working relationship between the design team, City staff and the participating public. The process was transparent, and all collected data was shared and made available to all. The final product of the initial workshops included a master view of the downtown area and definition of potential improvement projects that could be made to create a more vibrant and well connected downtown area. During workshops conducted during the later stages of the project, the design team provided two concept plans and divided participants into smaller groups to engage and challenge them to identify what they liked or didn’t like about the plans and also, potential edits or improvements that could be made to better reflect the community needs. These workshops yielded successful results and additional input that shaped the ultimate Master Plan. Throughout the planning process the public was heard and engaged and that allowed the community to be able to trust that the Design Team would be able to capture the vision for their community.

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Torrington Brownfields (BAR) Grant

The Torrington Brownfield Area-Wide Revitalization (BAR) Project was a Connecticut Department of EconomicandCommunityDevelopment (DECD)Grant funded project that focused on crafting an actionable strategy for redeveloping brownfields within the downtown area. Included in the brownfield strategy, the Design Team developed schematic plans that identified physical connection improvements that would assist in connecting these isolated brownfield sites with the downtown. The development of these schematic plans was framed by a creative Public Outreach and Engagement Strategy that included design workshops, pop-up events around downtown and some “tactical urbanism” techniques. What is “ tactical urbanism ”? It is the conversion of public spaces into people places. Low cost, flexible and short term techniques are used to turn underutilized space into pocket parks, pedestrian streets, seating areas, demonstration spaces, etc. The underutilized space could come from lots of different places but some might include parking spaces, an overly wide street, undefined and used public realm areas, etc. These projects can be driven by City Staff, Community Organizations, Local Citizens or others with the goal of increasing and enhancing public space for our neighborhoods. The design team along with City Staff, local business ownersandresidentsutilizedsome “tactical urbanism” to convert an underutilized service road in the heart of downtown into a pedestrian only street that was filled with farmers market tents, street games, accent lighting, trees and shrubs, chalk art, outdoor seating, good food, mood music, and whole lot of fun!

We invited the whole community to take part in converting this street into a great public space. The City plans on officially converting this street into a permanent pedestrian street in the upcoming years, but in the meantime as part of our outreach and engagement with the public, we were able to provide an opportunity for the City, its residents, stakeholders and business partners to work together and participate in developing great public spaces for its future.

Question of the Quarter Do You Or Your Family Have A Special Holiday Tradition?

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We make a Gingerbread Village as a center piece for our table every year. - Mike Archer, Pittsburgh

My Mother bought a Christmas Manger in the 1960’s and collects little animal figurines that we add to each Christmas. She sets up her Manger that now takes up her entire mantel and every year my sisters, nieces, and I give her additional animals to add. Some figurines are ridiculous and don’t fit but we buy her our favorites. There are black cats, hammerhead sharks, meerkats, cows, skunks, opossums, giraffes, crabs, etc. - Kathy Rodo, Meriden

We have gone to the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center right before Christmas every year since Hannah was 3 or 4. After the Nutcracker we go to Carmines on 91 st and Broadway (much better than the Carmines in Times Square). It is usually Sunday. All the food is served family style and we usually get the four pasta special. We all smell like garlic for days after. One year we decided to mix it up and we went to the Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes at Radio City. It did not come close to the Nutcracker, which we returned to the next year. It is a great tradition for our family and never seems to get old. We will be there this year on December 23 rd . - Sam Haydock, Meriden

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Thanksgiving has been THE big holiday in my family since I was a kid. Once my younger son Brodie began playing football in high school (2008) we took over hosting the day since we had to be home for the annual Carini Bowl in Wallingford. From that point, every year, on the day after Thanksgiving, we take a picture of the “kids” for that year’s Christmas card. Each year we pick a different spot, we’ve taken them at Hubbard Park, Hammonasset, Lighthouse Point, Chatfield Hollow, Sleeping Giant, even our own back yard. We also mix in some completely wacky shots (in 2013 we were at Hammo, it was brutally cold, my sons and I may have posed topless, and then my oldest may have polar bear plunged for giggles ... those pictures are sealed for everyone’s protection) 2016 was the first year any of the “kids” were away for Turkey day, so we had to play with the format a bit, and a now-ex-girlfriend made it onto the card for a first, and last, time. That picture is not included.

- Pat Corless, Meriden

My youngest cousin helps me pick out and decorate my Christmas tree. We get too much Chinese food and have “fancy drinks” (Raspberry soda and a scoop of sherbet) while we decorate. When we are done, we drive around town looking at Christmas lights to get the full festive experience. This year will be our 7 th year enjoying our tradition. - Suz King, Norwood

We watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation every year, usually around Thanksgiving. Gets us in the holiday mood!

- John Thatcher, Camp Hill

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For the past 13 years, my family has taken a trip to Yankee Candle Factory in Deerfield, MA. When the kids were little, this is where they would stop in to see Santa. On the way back to CT, we shop in Northampton at Thorns and pop into their vintage black and white photo booth. This has become a tradition that started by accident back when the kids were little and has stood the test of time. We had to improvise last year because the booth was “Out of Order” but that didn’t stop us from piling in and taking the photos with the iPhone photobooth app. - Heather Halotek, Meriden

When I was younger, my Oma would bake several huge “Butterstollen”, a German Christmas cake, and give one to my family at Thanksgiving. German tradition is to not eat Stollen until the 1st Sunday of Advent, so we were always eager for that Sunday to arrive After Thanksgiving. I tried Oma’s recipe (sorry, can’t share the family recipe) and it turned out great. A few years ago when my little brother and his family were visiting for Christmas, I asked my niece Ayla-Maria to help me unwrap something very special. That’s about a 5-pound cake in the photo. Ayla at first didn’t seem impressed, probably because she was expecting a toy. But then she stuck her finger in the vanilla sugar coating – after she tasted that she was all smiles! - Peter Schirmer, Meriden

Filling:

• 1 tsp. salt • 2 cups of water • 1 large potato (about 12 oz.), peeled and cut into ½” dices

My favorite holiday tradition, and one I still try to hold on to, is my family being together on Christmas Eve. There was a time (not too long ago) we were all together. It would be about 20 to 25 of us. Unfortunately, we have lost a brother and a sister-in-law. A few siblings moved away, and some family members just can’t come. It was always my favorite part of the holidays. Lots of food and gifts for everyone! My kids and their cousins would put on concerts for the adults. It was wonderful! One special food we would have especially when my mom was with us would be a French-Canadian recipe, “Tourtiere” (meat pie). I still make it, but it will never taste like moms. My siblings aren’t in CT. anymore, but I have nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews that come, and of course my husband and my two sons, and someday (hopefully not too far down the road) possibly daughter in laws and grandbabies. - Susan Dougherty, Hartford

• 1 pound of ground beef • 1 pound of ground pork • 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine • ½ tsp. ground clove

• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg • ¼ tsp. ground allspice • ¾ tsp. ground sage • ½ tsp. ground black pepper • ½ to ¾ tsp. salt, to taste

Instructions: To make the filling: Put the salt, water and potato into medium saucepan, bring to a boil until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the potatoes, saving the water. Mash about half

the potatoes, leaving the other half in chunks In a large skillet, brown the meat, draining off any excess fat when finished. Add the onion, garlic, spices, salt and reserved potato water to the meat, stirring to combine.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Stirring occasionally, continue simmering the mixture for 35 minutes or so, until the liquid had evaporated, and the onions are tender. Add the mashed potatoes to the meat mixture, stirring until thoroughly combined. Gently stir in the diced potatoes. Set the mixture aside to cool. **You may want to make a homemade double pie crust. - Not anymore for me, I use Pillsbury readymade.** Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Use a 9” pie plate, at least 1 to 1 ½” deep. Spoon filling into the crust, gently patting it flat. Lay the other crust atop the filling. Pinching and pressing to seal. Make sure you put holes in the top for steam to escape. I brush the crust with milk to brown. Bake the pie for 45 minutes, until it’s golden brown. Remove it from the oven and set it on rack. Allow the pie to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

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Ingredients: • 3 large egg yolks • ⅓ cup granulated sugar • 1½ cups whole milk • 1 cup all-purpose flour • ⅛ teaspoon salt • 3 large egg whites, beaten stiff • Oil and butter for pan Toppings: • Lingonberry jam or sauce, Instructions: In bowl with electric mixer, beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Add milk alternately with flour and salt. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, then fold into milk mixture. On a large flat griddle over medium, heat some oil and butter until hot and sizzling. Using a ⅓ cup measure, scoop up the batter and pour carefully onto hot griddle. Cook, turning once, until each side is golden brown and cooked through, just a couple minutes per side. Repeat with remaining batter, working quickly as the batter will deflate. Serve the pancakes immediately either sprinkled with powdered sugar and topped with lingonberries, or with maple syrup. powdered sugar, or maple syrup

Swedish pancakes with Lingonberrys and powdered sugar for Christmas morning at Dad’s. How long has this been a delicious tradition? At least since I was in high school. Probably 40+ years. - Bill Zimmerman, Meriden

BONUS! Click here for more inside scoop into Bill’s Family Tradition!

Have an idea for the newsletter? Suggestions? Comments? Questions? We’d love to hear from you!

Please reach out to Heather Halotek or Jessica Osborne

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MERIDEN POWDER RIDGE MOUNTAIN PARK & RESORT Middlefield, CT Skiing, Snowboarding, Tubing, & Snowbiking HUBBARD PARK FESTIVAL OF SILVER LIGHTS Meriden, CT Holiday Lights Display WADSWORTH FALLS STATE PARK Middletown, CT Cross Country & Nordic Skiing HARTFORD SKI SUNDOWN New Hartford, CT Skiing & Snowboarding WINDING TRAILS CROSS COUNTRY SKI CENTER Farmington, CT Cross Country Skiing, Tubing, Sledding, & Snowshoeing WINTERFEST RINK IN BUSHNELL PARK Hartford, CT Ice Skating HOLIDAY LIGHT FANTASIA AT GOODWIN PARK Hartford, CT Holiday Lights Display BRIDGEPORT WESTPORT P.A.L RINK AT LONGSHORE Westport, CT Ice Skating COLLIS P. HUNTINGTON STATE PARK Bethel, CT Cross Country Skiing & Nordic Skiing BALTIMORE WISP RESORT McHenry, MD Skiing, Snowboarding, Tubing, Ice Skating, Cross Country Skiing, & Snowshoeing PANDORA ICE RINK AT INNER HARBOR Baltimore, MD Ice Skating

Summer may be sadly over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the great outdoors! Here are some fun winter activities near BL’s various offices that will satisfy your need for fresh air (at least until the spring).

NORWOOD WALPOLE PONDS Walpole, MA Ice Skating BLUE HILLS SKI AREA Canton, MA

Skiing & Snowboarding BLUE HILLS RESERVATION Milton, MA Cross Country & Nordic Skiing

MORRISTOWN CAMPGAW MOUNTAIN Mahwah, NJ Skiing, Snowboarding, Tubing, Sleigh Rides, Snowmobile, Snowshoeing, & Cross Country Skiing NEWPORT SKATES Jersey City ,NJ Ice Skating SKYLANDS STADIUM CHRISTMAS LIGHT SHOW Augusta, NJ Holiday Lights Display

CAMP HILL ROUND TOP MOUNTAIN RESORT Lewisberry, PA

Skiing, Snowboarding, & Tubing PINE GROVE FURNACE STATE PARK Gardners, PA Cross Country Skiing, Ice Skating, & Snowmobile HERSHEY SWEET LIGHTS Hershey, PA Holiday Lights Dispaly KING OF PRUSSIA BEAR CREEK MOUNTAIN RESORT Lehigh Valley, PA Skiing, Snowboarding, & Tubing MARSH CREEK STATE PARK Downington, PA Cross Country Skiing, Ice Skating, & Sledding PITTSBURGH SEVEN SPRINGS MOUNTAIN RESORT Champion, PA Skiing, Snowboarding, Tubing, Sleigh Rides, Snowmobile, Snowshoeing, & Cross Country Skiing SCHENLEY PARK SKATING RINK Pittsburgh, PA Ice Skating WARWICK THE ICE SKATING RINK AT THE ALEX & ANI CITY CENTER Providence, RI Ice Skating CASIMIR PULASKI MEMORIAL STATE PARK Cepachet, RI Cross Country Skiing YAWGOO VALLEY SKI AREA Exeter, RI Skiing & Snowboarding

MELVILLE THE RINK AT RXR PLAZA Uniondale, NY Ice Skating TUXEDO RIDGE SKI CENTER Sterling Forest, NY Skiing, Snowboarding, & Tubing BETHPAGE STATE PARK Bethpage, NY Sledding & Cross Country Skiing

CHARLOTTE CEREMONIAL PLAZA HOLIDAY ON ICE Charlotte, NC Ice Skating APPALACHIAN SKI RESORT Blowing Rock, NC Skiing & Snowboarding CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS DISPLAY Charlotte, NC Holiday Lights Display

CANTON QUAIL HOLLOW PARK Hartville, OH

HOUSTON* AERODOME ICE SKATING COMPLEX Houston, TX

Sledding & Cross Country Skiing DOWNTOWN CANTON ICE RINK

Ice Skating (Indoor Only) MAGICAL WINTER LIGHTS La Marque, TX Holiday Lights Display

Canton, OH Ice Skating STADIUM PARK LIGHTS Canton, OH Holiday Lights Display

*Houston’s average temperature in winter is around 65°. So while there isn’t a lot of skiing or outdoor ice skating, you can do just about anything else outside!

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Legal Topic

If you flip through the agreement that you receive from your client, you may notice that it states we will perform in a manner that is consistent with a “highly sophisticated design professional firm” or we will provide the “highest quality services”. You may think to yourself, that description fits BL and myself perfectly! Naturally, we stand out from all other design firms. Unfortunately, we cannot say this in our contracts. To align our promise to perform with established law, we can agree to an objective standard to exercise that degree of care and skill ordinarily practiced under similar circumstances by design professionals providing similar services. This promise differs from a typical guarantee of a contractor or a provider of a product that the work or product will be free from defects within a one-year period. It is also different than a subjective standard of performance “to the satisfaction of” the client. If we set the bar too high for ourselves and contract for a higher level of care, we risk exposure on many different levels. • With our professional liability coverage : If we agree to a higher standard of care than that which design professionals are normally held to, we risk having our professional liability company not cover us because we have, by contract, assumed additional liability for which we are not normally responsible. • In our payment terms :A client may try to set terms where it can withhold payments for work that it deems deficient or defective. If a payment dispute arises, this makes the client the sole determiner as to whether we deserve payment.This is especially dangerous if we promise perfection or remarkable services. • Breach of contract: Because our designs are unique to the site involved, each project is not tested over and over, as a product is, to ensure it is free from defects. If a problem arises where there is a defect in our work, we should only promise to minimize the consequences. Also, if we promise exceptional work, our client may turn around and demand upgrades or enhancements that go beyond what would typically be expected from us. You may feel sheepish in approaching a client with a marked-up agreement that crosses off superlatives that relate to our work. A little client education, though, can help them understand why we view such promises to be potential deal breakers.

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Some roadways are designated as low-speed zones. These include areas with high pedestrian traffic, such as school zones and streets lots of intersections close together. Driving over the speed limit can put you and others at risk of harm. Never pass a stopped bus displaying a stop sign to its left. That means children are crossing the street. If you hear a siren coming behind you, pull to the side if you can, stop and wait until the police car or fire truck goes by. Completely stop at stop signs and look for other drivers and pedestrians before you proceed. Obey the posted speed limit at all times. Speeding tickets are costly, and penalties for speeding can include fines, court appearances and loss or suspension of your driving privileges. Also, depending on your insurance policy, speeding tickets can raise your rates. When parking your vehicle, always be mindful of handicapped signs, fire hydrants, bus stop zones, parking restrictions for certain times of day, and parking spots that require permits. Just remember to heed all of the signs. Even if you have to circle the block a couple times, it sure beats getting fined or having your car towed.

Source: https://www.nationwide.com/driving-safety-tips.jsp

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If you are not already aware, the IT Department has been updating the Bluebeam software from 2017 to 2018. If you are not yet on the 2018 platform, please contact and coordinate with the IT Department . Bluebeam has published several videos associated to several key functions. These videos can be found within the HELP > TRAINING RESOURCES page. We would suggest that you watch the first of the series INTERFACE and NAVIGATION > FILE ACCESS before reviewing the other content that they have published as training material. ACTIONS / LINKS / HYPERLINKS In many applications, you have the ability to insert actions, links or hyperlinks to data or locations such as starting or sending an email, accessing web pages and other external documents or areas within your document. This option has been around for a long time and really does not get the attention it deserves. These links can greatly improve the usability of your file(s) by minimizing browsing and allow the user to JUMP to what you want them too quickly and accurately. In Bluebeam there are different options of providing links. The one we will be discussing here is the general link option. The LINK feature is located on a toolbar directly under the TOOLS menu (Green Paperclip).

There are six actions that can be configured for Bluebeam:

ACTION

DESCRIPTION

Moves to a specific page number in a selected PDF. Set the zoom factor or scale of the page that is displayed by choosing the desired setting from the Scale dropdown menu. Moves to a predefined Place on a PDF. The location of a Place can be changed later without breaking the action. Select the Place from the Place dropdown menu. If the desired Place does not already exist, click the Create button to create one on the fly.

JUMP TO PAGE

JUMP TO PLACE

Moves to a predefined Space on a PDF. Only PDFs that are currently open in Revu will be available.

JUMP TO SPACE

Moves to a specific, zoomed in area of the current PDF. This option is useful for zooming into specific views of a region of a large format drawing, such as a particular elevation or detail.

SNAPSHOT VIEW

Opens an URL (Web Page) entered in the Hyperlink field. The URL will open in a WebTab (New Tab) within Revu or in your default internet browser.

HYPERLINK

Opens the file specified in the Open File field. Click the button to open a file browser.

OPEN

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In order to communicate to our clients, associates and business partners that BL’s offices will be closed from 12/24 to 1/2 we have rolled out a temporary email signature for your use. Please refer to Heather Halotek’s email instructions for how to insert this into your normal email signature – and don’t forget to remove it once you’re back in the office on January 2nd. We hope you enjoy the extended time off with your friends, family and loved ones!

December 25 Christmas Day Don’t forget! BL’s offices will be closed from 12/24 - 1/2!

January 1

New Year’s Day 18 MMA Tradeshow 24 RI League of Cities & Towns Tradeshow

Did you know... BL anniversaries can be found on the events calendar on the Intranet!

February 14 Valentine’s Day 18 Presidents’ Day (day off!)

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2018  issue 14  fall/winter

NEWSLETTER TEAM: Heather Halotek Jessica Osborne Jocelyn Taylor Julia DeFrances

CONTRIBUTORS: Doug Campbell Julia O’Brien Bret Boudreaux Wayne Violette