MILWAUKEE – When trains roll into the Milwaukee Intermodal Station downtown, passengers walk into a dark, half-century old train shed. The platforms are showing their age and the ramps are too steep for wheelchairs.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is fully supporting an upgrade.

“To say this very, incredibly successful Hiawatha line should not have improvements, I think just shows a hatred for anything that’s rail related,” Barrett told TODAY’S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray.

Opponents contend the plans are too grand and the price, which could be as high as $18 million, is too much. The building is expected to include a mezzanine spanning five tracks and a system of elevators and escalators. The new train shed will accommodate existing Amtrak lines and future high-speed trains.

County Executive Scott Walker wants to derail the plan.

“They were trying to get it in under the radar by really not telling people about it, and hoping by the time they got done with it, nobody would notice. But, obviously people have,” Walker said during an interview with WJFW-TV.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation plans to start construction in October. Project supervisors took questions at a public information session on Tuesday.

“This structure has reached the end of its useful life,” said John Oimoen, who oversees DOT passenger rail projects. “It’s about 45 years old right now.”

Some at the meeting support the new train shed.

“Inside the shed needs to be lighter, brighter, better ventilation, especially if we’re going to have more trains,” said Liz Wessel, a frequent rail passenger.

Others call it a waste.

“Seems like a travesty, in the final days of the Doyle administration,” said Andrew Kubiaczyk of Milwaukee. “It really does seem like an act of arrogance.”

The DOT dismisses claims that they are trying to start the project before a new governor is elected.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

Wealth, it would appear, is the most talked about element of human existence. People are ever eager to cull information about billionaires, their lifestyle, residences, stories of opulence, etc.

A curiosity to know about billionaires’ residences stems from that very urge. Here are some interesting facts about 10 most expensive houses in the world. Read on . . .

Interestingly the first place is occupied by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani’s house.

1. Antilla, Mumbai — $2 billion, say reports

Named Antilla, the house owned by Mukesh and Nita Ambani, is a 27-storey, 40,000-square foot tower.

Known for its custom measurements and fittings, Antilla comes with a six-story car park.

The house has been designed after consultation with architecture firms Perkins and

Will & Hirsch Bedner Associates based in Dallas and Los Angeles.

No floors in their home are alike. Each floor has a different layout, material and design.

Atop the parking lot begins the living space with nine elevators in their lobby. The house also boasts of a silver coloured railing large ballroom with 80 per cent of its ceiling covered with crystal chandeliers.

The 570-foot tall mostly glass, the tower has 600 staff to handle the chores. There is a crystal chandelier in the ballroom ceiling.

It also features retractable showcases for artwork and entertainment stages.

Each floor is double the average height.

The head of Reliance Industries, a oil and petrochemicals giant, Mukesh Ambani holds a net worth of $43 billion.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

Visitors to Bangkok can now avail of a smooth and convenient transfer from Suvarnabhumi airport to various locations in the city centre following the official opening of the rail-link. The rail-link will be a blessing for independent travellers, from business travellers to backpackers, seeking to avoid the taxis and touts at Bangkok airport. In addition to helping decentralise and decongest Bangkok towards the suburbs, it will also help the capital join the league of regional cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong which have city-airport mass transit links.

HotHotels in the vicinity of the rail-link stations and terminals at Phya Thai, Rajprarob and Makkasan areas will gain a significant competitive advantage, especially in the Rajdamri area as well as those along Phetchaburi, Asoke and Rajdaphisek roads. Hotels located close to the city’s mass transit systems, the BTS Skytrain and the Metro Underground, will also get a lift.

Providing easy access right under the Suvarnabhumi airport terminal, the rail-link is smooth and efficient. The rail-cars are spacious with plenty of place for luggage. Visitors will also enjoy panoramic views of Bangkok, including greenery, housing estates, temples, mosques, malls and the office towers of the inner city.

The State Railways of Thailand, which owns and operates the system, has ensured that it includes complete facilities for the physically-challenged, including proper car parks, spacious wheelchair access, elevators equipped with buttons in Braille buttons and voice announcements. There is also as area allocated especially for the disabled within the passenger car. Toilets, ticket distribution channels and access gates have also been designed accordingly, and in line with international standards.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

Name, job, title: John Canetti, 56, of West Milford is an elevator mechanic for Liberty Elevator Corp. of Paterson who has worked at many famous structures, including the 1980s renovation of the Statue of Liberty.

John Canetti of West Milford renovating an elevator in a 14-story office building at 100 Hamilton Plaza in Paterson. ‘You have to have a logical mind. Be able to analyze a job. And you can’t be afraid of heights,’ he says.

How long on the job?: 37 years, the last eight of those with Liberty Elevator.

How he got the job: “My dad was in the business. He would always say to me, ‘Johnny, you want to be an elevator man?’ I’d be like ‘Yeah, Dad!’ and he’d say ‘What are you, nuts?’ ”

What he does: “I’m in modernization. I go into a building that’s been up for 30 years, where the elevators have just been beat to hell, and take them apart and replace every single part we can – the door operating mechanisms, the wiring.”

What makes a good elevator repairman?: “You have to have a logical mind. Be able to analyze a job. And you can’t be afraid of heights.”

Training: He is a member of the International Union of Elevator Constructors, Local 1. The union has a four-year apprenticeship program with eight hours of classes a week and final exams that must be passed before apprentices can advance to journeymen.

Salary range: About $40,000 to start, but the average range is $80,000 to $100,000, and experienced repairmen willing to work overtime can make $125,000 or more in the New York/New Jersey area.

What he likes best about the job: “When you do a modernization in an older building, the elevators have been so abused, and the service of the elevator is absolutely horrendous. People wait for the elevator for five, six minutes. By the time we get done upgrading it, the performance of the whole system is tenfold better.”

How dangerous is it?: “Probably the most hazardous part of this business is something coming down the shaft and hitting you. The last job I did we were working in the shaft and they had electricians working upstairs and all of a sudden we hear drilling upstairs. What’s going on? The next thing a piece of concrete comes down the shaft.”

Question he gets asked all the time: “How long can we breathe in there if the elevator gets stuck? People think they’re going to run out of air.”

What he tells them: “You can breathe as long as you need to. The elevator shafts are not sealed. There’s plenty of air circulating at all times.”

Other question he gets asked all the time: “Do you work for Otis? As if that is the only elevator company.”

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

A power failure sent Langley City firefighters scrambling Sunday evening, rescuing people trapped in elevators.

According to deputy City fire chief Pete Methot, the power failure was caused by a fallen pole in Surrey.

The power failure began at around 5:30 p.m. and affected about 1,900 buildings from Fraser Highway to 50A Avenue, 196th Street to 207th Street until early Monday morning.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

The S.A.T.A (ski lift company) which runs the lifts and maintains the pistes at Alpe d’Huez has earned three separate levels of certification for its service management.

The company is now certified in terms of quality (ISO 9001), as well as in environmental management (ISO 14001) and security (OHSAS 18001).

“This triple certification will enable a fully integrated management system to better satisfy its clientele whilst continually bringing about improvements. It will alsoreinforce and up-date safety/security for clientele and personnel and recognize sources of pollution with the aim of effectively dealing with it.” said a resort spokesperson.

Alpe d’Huez is now planning a complete review of its operations to highlight issues in different projects. Different types of works are taken into consideration in order to forecast security measures and environmental issues. For example waste treatment must be managed, in particular for chemical products, so procedures need to be set up to deal with any potential pollution issues (engine failure with oil leaks, chemical products).

Impact studies concerning each potential new project will be done systematically for each project and there will be reductions in the number of new ski lift pylons, better integrating them in to the surrounding landscape.

Staff will be trained to have improved eco-awareness/sensitivity and grooming machine drivers will be trained to, “drive ecologically.”

There will also be pilot team of staff on site created to deal with internal environmental matters.

€150,000 is invested each year on selected seed-sowing.

In the resort’s town hall the community is launching a busy programme that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions via a territorial energy plan. Their commitments include measuring the resort’s current carbon footprint in 2010 so that future improvements can be measured against the current level.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

Disabled residents in a high-rise block of flats in St Leonards say they have been left housebound because of broken lifts. People in Bevin Court in Stonehouse Drive said they feel ‘cut off’ from the outside as a result.

One resident, who wished not to be named, said: “A lot of people who live here are disabled and use wheelchairs. We were told last week that the lifts
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would not be working for one week.

“Everyone has been complaining about it and a lot of residents have had to cancel their hospital appointments because they can’t get out as they are unable to walk down the stairs. It’s as if we have been cut off from the world for one whole week.”

AmicusHorizon, the housing association which owns the block of flats, said it was currently undertaking essential and urgent repair work.

A spokesman said: “We wrote to all residents living at the block on August 2 advising them of potential disruption to access during this time.

“Repairs work to the lifts started on Monday and is due to be completed by next Monday (August 16).”

He said no work will be carried out over the weekend and that there will always be one lift fully operational throughout.

The spokesman added: “Only one lift will be under repair and out of operation between 9am and 5pm. Residents will have access to at least one lift at Bevin Court 24 hours a day, but may need to use one flight of stairs to get to their home. Service on both lifts will resume each evening at 5pm.

“We have advised each resident affected by the repairs when the lift to their floor will be out of action. If anyone has queries we advise them to call us on 0800 121 6060 and ask to speak with their housing officer.”

Madison, Indiana–August 18, 2010–Rotary Lift has an important message for technicians and shop owners: remember to inspect your lifts.

As part of this message, Rotary Lift has extended its Inspect to Protect program to help facility owners find local qualified lift inspectors through the Rotary Authorized Installer (RAI) North American network.

Each participating Inspect to Protect company has lift inspectors on staff who meet all of the requirements for a “qualified lift inspector” outlined in the ANSI standard. Rotary also requires that each company attend factory training, maintain insurance coverage and be able to provide customers with lift maintenance and repair service, as well as genuine Rotary replacement parts.

The company has produced a new Inspect to Protect video highlighting the importance of vehicle lift inspections.

“Maintaining a safe and efficient repair shop is everyone’s responsibility,” said John Rylee, Rotary Lift’s director of marketing. “Technicians should check their lifts every day, and the shop owner should schedule professional lift inspections annually. Regular inspections help ensure that all the lifts in the shop are operating properly. After all, you can’t afford to have a lift out of action.”

In addition to daily operator inspections, the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) recommends that all vehicle lifts be inspected by a qualified lift inspector at least annually, “to ensure reliability and the continued safe operation of the lift.”

The owner’s manual will provide inspection instructions for a specific lift. General guidelines are also available from the Lifting It Right safety manual published by ALI, and ANSI/ALI ALOIM:2008, the industry standard that outlines safety requirements for lift operation, inspection and maintenance. Both publications are available from ALI members (including Rotary Lift) and their distributors, as well as from ALI’s website at autolift.org.

At a minimum, technicians should check the following daily:

* Lift controls are working properly.
* All locks and restraints are working correctly.
* There is no deformation or excessive wear of any lift components, including posts, arms, hoses or wiring.
* There is no damage or excessive wear on any of the lift contact points, including adapters.
* There are no hydraulic leaks.
* There are no cracks or loose concrete around floor anchors, if applicable.

If any of these problems exist, or if the lift makes unusual noises or sudden movements, operates erratically, or creates chips or filings during use, the technician should stop using the lift and report the condition to a supervisor immediately so the lift can be repaired by factory-trained service personnel.

For more information about the Rotary Lift Inspect to Protect program, log on to rotarylift.com/inspect, or call (800) 640-5438.

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

While much of the first day of the Space Elevator Conference was dedicated to the problem of space trash, the concept also faces another significant challenge.

“We have one big problem — everything else pales in comparison — and that is materials,” said Bryan Laubscher, president of Odysseus Technologies and a speaker at the annual conference in Redmond, Washington.

Scientists studying the possibility of building an elevator into space envision a ribbon made of carbon nanotubes stretching from the surface of the Earth up into geosynchronous orbit. Crafts, like elevator cars, could carry people and goods up the ribbon into space.

The problem is, it’s not yet clear if strong enough nanotube ribbons can be made.

“Materials research of carbon nanotubes is dominated by people who are looking at electrical properties,” Laubscher said. “That’s the low-hanging fruit.”

While that’s important for the use of nanotubes in electronics, it has come at the expense of research into stronger carbon nanotubes, he said. Scientists who set out to build super-strong carbon nanotubes have given up in part due to lack of funding, he said.

The nanotube ribbon not only would have to stretch at least 22,000 miles (35,406 kilometers), it would also have to support an elevator car that might weigh 7 metric tons, plus a 13-ton payload, he said.

Space trash is another problem, since objects that collide with the ribbon could damage it. One proposal, presented at this year’s conference, is to collect and remove trash from space using a giant net.

Another challenge is tying the elevator to a platform in the ocean that can be moved so the elevator can avoid collisions in space. That raises questions about how such a structure might react to being moved. No one knows exactly how the ribbon might oscillate when shifted at the base.

Scientists are researching space elevators as a way to dramatically decrease the cost of sending people and objects into space. It costs US$10,000 per kilogram to send a load into space using Delta and Atlas rockets, Laubscher said. A space elevator could transport loads at a cost of $3,000 per kg initially, with the cost quickly dropping to $300 per kg, he said.

He estimates that a space elevator will cost $1.5 billion in research and development and $18 billion to actually build. Subsequent elevators would cost less, with the second running around $7 billion.

If strong enough carbon nanotubes are developed, it could take around 15 years to build a space elevator.

In addition to the challenges of space junk and materials, elevator enthusiasts face another problem: Many people think the idea is ridiculous. Arthur C. Clarke, a science-fiction author who popularized the idea, is reported to have frequently said that he expects a space elevator to be built about 50 years after everyone quits laughing.

The idea has been around for longer than that by now. This year, Yuri Artsutanov, a Russian engineer born in 1929, attended the conference. While Clarke tends to be the first person people mention when talking about the origin of space elevators, Artsutanov published a paper outlining the concept in 1929. His work went unnoticed outside of Russia, however. Clarke described a space elevator in his 1979 book “Fountain of Paradise” after reading a paper about space elevators published in 1975 by another scientist, Jerome Pearson.

Nancy Gohring covers mobile phones and cloud computing for The IDG News Service. Follow Nancy on Twitter at @idgnancy. Nancy’s e-mail address is Nancy_Gohring@idg.com

For lift maintenance, platform lifts, lift installations and lift repair, make sure you speak to a lift company that provide the best lift service – Elevators Ltd

ATLANTA – Over two years after a tornado tore through downtown Atlanta and shattered thousands of panes of glass at the Westin hotel, the scenic elevators at the Westin Peachtree Plaza were reopened Wednesday.

The elevators carry guests from the hotel’s fifth floor lobby to the city’s original tri-level entertainment complex.

“We’re very excited to re-open the Scenic Elevators to our hotel guests and visitors,” said Ed Walls, general manager of the Westin Peachtree Plaza. “Atlantans and visitors to our city will once again be able to take in breathtaking vistas of Atlanta and its landmarks.”

The Westin Peachtree Plaza is expected to complete the window renovations in October which have been ongoing since a tornado ripped through part of downtown Atlanta with the Westin in its path. The grand re-opening in October will also highlight the addition of 65,000 square feet of meeting space accessible through a seventh story bridge connecting the hotel to 200 Peachtree, in the former Macy’s space.