Virtual Assistants for the Home

Virtual assistants aren't just for uber-busy business execs or jet-setting celebrities anymore. If you frequently run out of time on projects, or you find it a hassle to perform certain tasks, a virtual assistant could be your solution. 

Sites like fancyhands.com and zirtual.com are specifically geared to provide general virtual services, while Odesk.com and elance.com offer thousands of specialized virtual tasks performed by those with certain skillsets. 

Costs for these services vary, starting at $25 a month, and are typically based on the number of task requests you make per month. 

Here are a few ways you can use a virtual assistant to make life easier: 

Bookkeeping, tracking bills and staying on top of banking information are popular, albeit time-consuming tasks better left to assistants. 

Online shopping for finding and sending birthday gifts and wedding presents, or for comparing and locating items to be purchased later, is another popular task to delegate to virtual assistants. 

Data-entry can be a pain, but assistants can help with everything from bills to managing calendar events to setting up money management software. 

Managing email is a hassle for lots of busy folks. Let virtual assistants help you sort and prioritize. 

Travel and vacation research can also be delegated to help you find the best travel deals. 

Finally, Knowledge preparation for business meetings, reports, homework, potential opportunities, or anything you want to know more about, can be outsourced to save you time. 

Time is money, and sometimes it pays big dividends if you have a little help! These ideas scratch the surface of tasks a virtual assistant can handle for you. Delegating tasks you don't have time for (or simply don't enjoy) will pay off in the long run.

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
(910) 523-0903 mobileEmail Mewww.KenKeegan.com Click here for more information on Brunswick, County Real Estate St. James Plantation

St. James residents urged to respond to survey on reuse water for irrigation

Brunswick County officials and consultants from Hazen and Sawyer are urging St. James residents to complete a survey regarding potential use of reclaimed water for residential irrigation purposes by the Wednesday, February 19 deadline.

 

Reclaimed water is currently used for irrigation on golf courses in St. James Plantation, and county officials have begun looking at the possibility of offering it for irrigation on residential lawns as well. Doing so would reduce demand on the county’s potable water supply, especially in the visitor- and irrigation-heavy summer months, and would help postpone the need for expansion of the water system. Residents would be charged a lower rate for the reclaimed water than the rate charged for potable water used for irrigation.

 

But before the design process proceeds, county officials want to know if residents are interested in the reclaimed water for irrigation. The responses will let county officials know if they should proceed with the project and, if so, will help give a better idea of what rates would be.

“We would encourage each property owner to submit a response to the survey to indicate his or her willingness—or unwillingness—to connect to an irrigation system using reclaimed water,” said Brunswick County Public Utilities director Jerry Pierce. “The results of the survey will be provided to the board of commissioners so they can make an informed decision about whether to move forward with the project.”

“It is really important that we hear back from as many residents as possible so that we can determine if residential reuse is economically feasible,” said Patricia Drummey Stiegel, senior principal engineer with Hazen and Sawyer. “We will incorporate information from the survey into our model to determine system phasing and sizing. We hope residents will let us know what they think, even if they are undecided about reuse at their homes.

“We hope residents take this opportunity to learn more about water reuse in general and the potential for reuse in St. James in particular,” she added.

“Water reuse is commonly practiced around the U.S. and is an important part of a community’s long-term water supply portfolio,” added Ben Stanford, director of applied research with Hazen and Sawyer. “We feel confident that effluent reuse at St. James provides a safe, sustainable way to minimize demand on the drinking water system while preserving a resource for use in the community.”

Residents can access the survey at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1497464/St-James-Effluent-Reuse-Survey-1. The survey will only be available until Wednesday, February 19.

Fact sheets about the potential project, slides shown during two community meetings in St. James and a summary of questions asked at those meetings are all on Brunswick County’s website under the Utilities page.

The Reclaimed Water Study Committee Report, completed by a committee of St. James residents and presented to the St. James Town Council last week, is available on the Town of St. James’ website.

The survey is open to all St. James residents, though officials are requesting one response per household.

State Port Pilot Article

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
(910) 523-0903 mobileEmail Mewww.KenKeegan.com Click here for more information on Brunswick, County Real Estate St. James Plantation

Southport going back 'Under the Dome' for series' second season

Filming permits that would make it official are not yet in hand, but apparently Southport will be going  “Under the Dome” again this season. 

 

Scouts and production representatives for the sci-fi series were in the city last week reviewing several locations that were used in the CBS series last year, including an East Bay Street home. Interior, exterior, side- and back-yard shots and the detached garage were all featured at times during the first season. Crew members have inquired about reconstructing a façade bunker door in the property’s side yard previously featured.

 

“The production has informed us of their intent and interest in returning to Southport to shoot for a period of about six months,” city tourism and economic development director Cindy Brochure said. “No permits have been filed, so things can always change, but I think we can say with a 99-percent certainty that they will be back.”

After opening production offices in Wilmington in early January, work on episodes, the first of which will be directed by Stephen King, are to start the first week of March. The famed horror writer wrote the 2009 source novel and played a major part in the pilot episode last year. 

Crews last year also utilized inside and outside shots of Trinity United Methodist Church, Old Smithville Burying Ground and Ocean Trail Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. Southport Motor Cars and Spike’s Dairy Bar also appeared in the initial season, but only briefly. 

One location that likely won’t be seen again in the series is the pilot tower, which  stood in as the Chester’s Mill radio station, which was burned down by “Big Jim” during the show’s 12th episode, “Exigent Circumstances.”

State Port Pilot Article

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
(910) 523-0903 mobileEmail Mewww.KenKeegan.com Click here for more information on Brunswick, County Real Estate St. James Plantation