Seven Strategies for Successfully Marketing and Stabilizing the Occupancy of Mixed-Income/Mixed-Race Properties - Summary Report

Mixed-Income rental properties that include extremely low-income households (below 30 percent of AMI) are a valuable strategy for community health. They simultaneously address two critical challenges: housing for those most in need and desegregating poverty. Understanding how to operate mixed-income apartments profitably is important to increase the development and underwriting of these properties.With the generous support of the Ford Foundation, NeighborWorks America undertook this study of management and marketing practices of successful mixed-income properties that have served extremely low-income families while maintaining positive cash flow for at least five years.This report describes seven strategies used by these properties to stabilize and maintain high occupancy rates with healthy operating budgets. For each strategy, we provide concrete implementation examples

Equivalency of risk for a modified health endpoint: a case from recreational water epidemiology studies

BACKGROUND: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and its predecessors have conducted three distinct series of epidemiological studies beginning in 1948 on the relationship between bathing water quality and swimmers’ illnesses. Keeping pace with advances in microbial technologies, these studies differed in their respective microbial indicators of water quality. Another difference, however, has been their specific health endpoints. The latest round of studies, the National Epidemiological Assessment of Recreational (NEEAR) Water studies initiated in 2002, used a case definition, termed “NEEAR GI illness” (NGI), for gastrointestinal illness corresponding closely to classifications employed by contemporary researchers, and to that proposed by the World Health Organization. NGI differed from the previous definition of “highly credible gastrointestinal illness” (HCGI) upon which the USEPA’s 1986 bathing water criteria had been based, primarily by excluding fever as a prerequisite. METHODS: Incidence of NGI from the NEEAR studies was compared to that of HCGI from earlier studies. Markov chain Monte Carlo method was used to estimate the respective beta binomial probability densities for NGI and HCGI establish credible intervals for the risk ratio of NGI to HCGI. RESULTS: The ratio of NGI risk to that of HCGI is estimated to be 4.5 with a credible interval 3.2 to 7.7. CONCLUSIONS: A risk level of 8 HCGI illnesses per 1000 swimmers, as in the 1986 freshwater criteria, would correspond to 36 NGI illnesses per 1000 swimmers. Given a microbial DNA-based (qPCR) water quality vs. risk relationship developed from the NEEAR studies, 36 NGI per 1000 corresponds to a geometric mean of 475 qPCR cell-equivalents per 100 ml

Development of a microminiature sorption cooler

The development of a microcooler for operations below 80 K, for low temperature electronic devices requiring small cooling powers of the order of 10 mW is described. A sorption compressor combined with Joule-Thomson (JT) expansion was selected for miniaturization. The advantage of the system is considered to be its absence of moving parts, with the exception of the check valves. This facilitates the scaling down of the system, minimizes interferences and contributes to a long lifetime. The requirements for small scale cooling of low temperature electronics are listed. The sorption compressor and the JT expansion are described. A parameter study is reviewed together with the scaling of the sorption compressor

Water Wise Plants for Utah Landscapes

In order to better market the water wise plants available in many Utah nurseries and garden centers, and to assist consumers in identifying these plants, a program to recognize desirable low water use species has been developed

Comprehensive Renewable Energy Feasibility Study for Sealaska Corporation

The purposes of this project were: (1) to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study to determine the potential sustainability of wind and/or small hydroelectric power plants on Southeast Alaska native village lands, and (2) to provide the villages with an understanding of the requirements, costs, and benefits of developing and operating wind or small hydroelectric power plants. The program was sponsored by the Tribal Energy program, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, US Department of Energy. The Contractor was Sealaska Corporation, the Regional Native Corporation for Southeast Alaska that includes 12 village/urban corporations. Most villages are isolated from any central electric transmission and use diesel-electric systems for power generation, making them prime candidates for deploying renewable energy sources. Wind Energy - A database was assembled for all of the candidate sites in SE Alaska, including location, demographics, electricity supply and demand, existing and planned transmission interties with central generation, topographical maps, macro wind data, and contact personnel. Field trips were conducted at the five candidate villages that were deemed most likely to have viable wind resources. Meetings were held with local village and utility leaders and the requirements, costs, and benefits of having local renewable energy facilities were discussed. Two sites were selected for anemometry based on their needs and the probability of having viable wind resources – Yakutat and Hoonah. Anemometry was installed at both sites and at least one year of wind resource data was collected from the sites. This data was compared to long-term data from the closest weather stations. Reports were prepared by meteorologist John Wade that contains the details of the measured wind resources and energy production projections. Preliminary financial analysis of hypothetical wind power stations were prepared to gauge the economic viability of installing such facilities at each site. The average wind resources measured at Yakutat at three sites were very marginal, with an annual average of 4.0 mps (9 mph) at 60 meters above ground level. At Hoonah, the average wind resources measured on the 1,417 ft elevation ridge above the village were very low, with a six-month average of 3.9 mps (8.7 mph) at 60 meters above ground level. The wind resources at both sites were not sufficient to justify installation of wind turbines. In summary, although there are several known windy spots in SE Alaska (e.g., Skagway), we were not able to identify any isolated Native American villages that utilize diesel-electric power generation that have commercially viable wind resources. Small Hydroelectric - The study focused on the communities associated with Sealaska Corporation that use diesel-electric for electricity and have a potential for hydroelectric power generation. Most of them have had at least an assessment of hydroelectric potential, and a few have had feasibility studies of potential hydroelectric projects. Although none of the sites examined are financially viable without substantial grant funding, Hoonah, Kake, and Yakutat appear to have the best potential for new hydro facilities

Application of the 3-Dimensional Modeling System for TMDLs and Wasteload Allocations in Charleston Harbor

2008 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Addressing Water Challenges Facing the State and Regio