“Noise from overnight ICC construction drives some residents to hotels” plus 2 more |
- Noise from overnight ICC construction drives some residents to hotels
- Whistler hotels
- Choice Hotels International Declares Cash Dividend of $0.185
| Noise from overnight ICC construction drives some residents to hotels Posted: 17 Sep 2010 11:01 AM PDT The first night the rumbling from the Intercounty Connector construction kept him awake, Fred Begosh said he grew so desperate that he drove a half-mile to a quiet church parking lot and spent two long hours trying to sleep in his Oldsmobile. The second night, Begosh said, he packed a bag and took the Maryland State Highway Administration up on its offer of a complimentary hotel stay. During the past two weeks, Begosh has slept four nights in a Gaithersburg hotel. One night, he came across one of his Derwood neighbors in the hotel lobby. She, too, had had enough. "The noise was insane," Begosh said. "The house was vibrating. It was brutal." Ten of Begosh's neighbors from the Winters Run subdivision joined him at Montgomery County hotels between Sept. 8 and 15 as crews paved and painted stripes on part of the 18.8-mile highway's westernmost section, ICC officials said. Hundreds more living near the 1.5-mile stretch between Shady Grove Road and Olde Mill Run endured the all-night noise in their own beds. State officials said the paving is noisy because workers use giant vibrating rollers to compact the earth -- and there's the cacophony generated by the engines of the huge trucks and construction equipment. The ICC has long been plagued by its proximity to -- and effects upon -- densely populated Montgomery and northwestern Prince George's County, but the past two weeks have been among the most irritating for many who have lived with the construction for more than two years. Some residents said their homes vibrated so much because of the noisy earth-pounding equipment that dishes rattled in cupboards and teapots shook on stoves. "Just as you're dozing off, you hear 'Bang! Crash!' and then you can't get to sleep because you keep expecting to hear it again," said Ruth Hepner, one of Begosh's neighbors. Hepner declined the state's hotel offer because she didn't want to leave her home. Impacts on nearby neighborhoods, along with environmental concerns and the project's costs, blocked the ICC's construction for 50 years. ICC officials say they understand residents' irritation and let those within 500 feet know when the relatively unusual overnight work is planned. But Begosh and Hepner, whose homes are so close to the ICC that their back yards are now bordered by a concrete sound wall, said they had no warning. Most construction takes place Mondays through Saturdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., officials said, but contractors are permitted to work around the clock. When work will occur on a Sunday or overnight, a "community outreach" team sends e-mails to neighborhood associations and leaves fliers on doorknobs, the officials said. The contractor is required to give residents a two-day break after five consecutive late nights. At a $189 daily rate, residents' hotel costs over the past two weeks totaled $6,500. It will be paid by the contractor, said Ray Feldmann, the project's coordinator of community outreach, and it doesn't change the cost of what the state will pay for the project. "Sometimes you just don't know how loud noise will be in a community" until work begins, he said. "We try to avoid [overnight work] when we can, but sometimes it's just unavoidable." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Posted: 17 Sep 2010 10:08 AM PDT HotelsThere is a wide range, including a lot of top-end places. *****Fairmont Chateau Whistler (www.fairmont.com/whistler; 604 938 8000) Well run, luxurious, at the foot of Blackcomb. We and reporters love it. Excellent spa with pools and tubs. 'Breakfast is a treat.' The Gold floor is expensive and cosseting. *****Westin Resort & Spa (www.westinwhistler.com; 604 905 5000) Luxury all-suite hotel at the foot of Whistler mountain next to the lifts, with pools and hot tubs ('overcrowded though', says a reporter). *****Four Seasons (www.fourseasons.com/whistler; 604 935 3400) Luxury hotel five minutes' walk from Blackcomb base, but with ski valet service at the base. Unremarkable public areas but good food. Good fitness/spa facilities. *****Pan Pacific Mountainside (www.panpacific.com; 604 905 2999) Luxury, all-suite, at Whistler Village base. Pool/steam/hot tub. Recommended by a 2009 reporter. ****Crystal Lodge (www.crystal-lodge.com; 604 932 2221) 'Comfortable, friendly, convenient'; in Whistler Village. Pool/sauna/hot tub. ****Sundial Boutique (www.sundialhotel.com; 604 932 2321) One and two bedroom suites. 'Great for groups and families, excellent location in Whistler Village.' Hot tubs. ***Lost Lake Lodge (www.whistler-lostlakelodge.com; 604 932 2882) 'Excellent' place: studios and suites, out by the golf course. Pool/hot tub. ***Glacier Lodge (www.glacier-lodge.com; 604 932 2882) In Upper Village. Large rooms, 'good value'. 'Recommended.' Pool/hot tub. ***Tantalus Resort Lodge (www.tantaluslodge.com; 604 932 4146) In Whistler Village. 'Fine.' Shuttle service to lifts. Hot tub. ***Whistler Village Inn & Suites (www.whistlervillageinnandsuites.com; 604 932 4004) 'Great location, good sized rooms and enough breakfast to keep you going all morning.' Hot tub/sauna. ApartmentsThere are plenty of spacious, comfortable condominiums. Price tends to be dictated by location – ski-in/ski-out condos are pricier than those a shuttle ride from the lifts. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Choice Hotels International Declares Cash Dividend of $0.185 Posted: 17 Sep 2010 09:36 AM PDT Press Release Source: Choice Hotels International, Inc. On Friday September 17, 2010, 12:36 pm EDT SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE:CHH - News) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.185 per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on October 15, 2010 to shareholders of record on October 1, 2010. About Choice Hotels Choice Hotels International, Inc. franchises more than 6,000 hotels, representing more than 485,000 rooms, in the United States and more than 35 other countries and territories. As of March 31, 2010, more than 600 hotels are under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in the United States, representing more than 52,000 rooms, and more than 100 hotels, representing approximately 8,200 rooms, are under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in more than 20 other countries and territories. The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands serve guests worldwide. In addition, via its Ascend Collection membership program, travelers in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean have upscale lodging options at historic, boutique and unique hotels. Additional corporate information may be found on the Choice Hotels International, Inc. Web site, which may be accessed at www.choicehotels.com. Choice Hotels, Choice Hotels International, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and Ascend Collection are proprietary trademarks and service marks of Choice Hotels International. © 2010 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All rights reserved. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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