Gemcraft

Polakoff board names 2 members The Polakoff Foundation, a Forest Hill-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting glaucoma, has appointed Theodore Dixon and Paul Perry as board members. Dixon is employed by TBB Global Logistics Inc. as its vice president of transportation. Perry is logistics and customer relations manager for Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties LLC. $25,000 given to Arc Project The Greater Bel Air Community Foundation recently presented $25,000 to the Arc Project.

When David and Mary Peters went shopping for a home six years ago, the low prices in Rising Sun kept attracting them to the Cecil County town. The couple, who have three children, looked at homes in Baltimore and Harford counties before finding the four-bedroom split foyer in Rising Sun. The house, which sits on 1 1/3 acres in a quiet neighborhood, is much different from the Baltimore home the family left. "We decided we could definitely get more for our money up here," Mary Peters said.

On a small cul-de-sac about a mile southwest of White Marsh Mall, the wooden skeleton of a house under construction has sat untouched for weeks. Work on a neighboring house has gone no further than the concrete foundation. Plywood is stacked nearby. County officials initially designated the site off-limits to construction, but later allowed building to begin. Now they've called a time-out on work there while they decide whether the houses - which come within 24 feet of a creek - have to be farther from the water.

Business group honors residents Four Harford County residents are Maryland winners of the U.S. Small Business Administration's annual Small Business Week awards program. The awards recognize excellence in business throughout Maryland. Harford winners for 2007 are: Small Business Person of the Year: Hollis Thomases, Web Advantage Inc., Havre de Grace. Family-Owned Small Business of the Year: Chuck Boyle, Boyle Buick Pontiac Inc., Abingdon. Financial Services Champion of the Year: Kathy Wajer, Harford County Office of Economic Development, Bel Air. District Director's Unsung Hero Award: Al Henry, Havre de Grace, and Harford County Small Business Development Center, Bel Air. Maryland winners will be honored at the 2007 Maryland Small Business Week Awards Breakfast at 7 a.m. Friday at Martin's West.

Woodworking seminars Jan. 22-24 at Cow Palace"Bending and Curving Wood," "Finishing Basics," "Successful Furniture Joinery" and "Furniture Construction" will be taught at four all-day seminars during the Baltimore Woodworking Show Jan. 22-24 at the Maryland State Fair Cow Palace, 2200 York Road, Timonium.The show will also include 29 mini-seminar demonstrations. Lasting from 15 to 30 minutes, the classes will include table saw techniques and a variety of woodworking skills.The latest in hand and power tools, machinery and supplies that can be purchased at "special show prices" will be on display.

When Joe and Veronica Behan decided to scale down from their Harford County Colonial, they choose a penthouse condominium in the Shores at Water's Edge development along U.S. 40 in Belcamp. "It's absolutely beautiful, and you don't have to do yard work," said Veronica Behan. "We're older, and it's just the place to go and not have any upkeep. And when we tell people how big it is, just under 2,500 square feet, they can't believe it. We are just water nuts, and I can't believe we found something like this here."

When Dan and Vicki Shivery decided to build a house in 2000, they had two requirements: It had to be a log home, and it had to be on the largest piece of land their money could buy. The Shiverys lived in Havre de Grace. They searched for land on which to build their dream house in Harford County, but after seeing how much further their money stretched in Cecil County, they bought 22 acres in Rising Sun, where they built a 3,500-square-foot modern log cabin. "We wanted to give our kids a place to run around," said Vicki about their decision to move to a more rural environment.

Wendy and David Tracey are concerned. Their son Jacob, who has severe cerebral palsy, is 22 years old. They want him to live at home as they all get older, but preparing the house to better accommodate their needs has been difficult and frustrating. Luckily, the Traceys own a rancher. Single-floor living will help as Jacob and his parents age. Even so, seemingly normal design details become flaws, and they are magnified every day. A single step down from the back door to the patio is a challenge for Jacob's wheelchair - and the person assisting him. Jacob also needs help bathing, and his parents must lift him in and out of the tub - something they won't always be able to do. Plenty of other things would help, too: automatic door openers, low-inclined ramps and wider doorways.

Last spring Michelle and Joe Dent decided it was time to change from being renters in Perry Hall into becoming homeowners.They thought they had found a home to buy in the Woodcrest subdivision of Fallston. It was a beautiful four-bedroom Colonial with a two-car garage on a wooded, half-acre lot. But it came with a $300,000 price tag.Even though the Dents liked what they saw in Fallston, they decided to drive about 20 miles north, over the Susquehanna River into Cecil County, to look at the same model in the Beacon Point subdivision, a fast-growing Cecil County development.