Thu Sep 09 2010
By LISA NICELY
Optimism is building in the construction industry.
Many building contractors in the region say things are slow now, but that hopefully will change soon.
"We're optimistic, it's going to get better it always does," said Colleen Barth of Barth Builders & Supply in Defiance. "A lot of people are doing repairs rather than building at this time. We're doing a lot (repairs) right now."
Chris Switzer of All American Custom Building in Defiance said everyone in the industry is hoping new construction will increase.
"We have, for the last three years, held steady," she said, adding that things are starting to look up.
"I think people are feeling more secure in their jobs, not quite to where we would like it to be. That's giving them the optimism that they can go ahead and build."
Jenn Martin of Morton Buildings in Paulding said the company has a few commercial jobs it's getting ready to start, but the salesmen are keeping really busy.
"Business is a little slower than last year, but it's starting to pick back up," she said. "Usually we sell our most buildings in February. It gets slow this time of year. The salesmen have a lot of things working, it's just a matter of time."
She said some people don't realize the company builds homes as well as commercial buildings. Martin said the economy has had some customers waiting to build.
"We're not selling to as many farmers as we usually do," she said, adding that she believed they were waiting to see how both their crops and the economy would do before making any decisions on new buildings.
According to information from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Census Bureau, privately-owned housing completions for June were above the 2009 rate. June's rate was 886,000 compared to June 2009's rate of 798,000. However building permit numbers for privately-owned housing units in June were slightly below those of June 2009.
Locally, it's difficult to see if there has been an increase in building permits over last year. Permits are issued for both new buildings and renovations.
Townships and municipalities issue permits and then register them at the county auditor's office for real estate appraisals each year.
Paulding County has had 80 permits registered for the first six months of 2010, however several townships have not submitted their permits yet. For the first six months of 2009, only 71 permits were issued.
The Williams County auditor's office had 69 building permits registered through June. Only 58 permits had been issued for the first six months of 2009.
In Putnam County, 20 permits have been registered at the county's auditor's office for the first six months of this year. The number of permits issued for the first six months of 2009 was not immediately available.
In Henry County, the auditor's office receives the total number of permits for each township at the end of the year.
Each township turns their permits in to the auditor's office in Defiance County at various times during the year.
A number for permits for the first six months of the year was unavailable. Fulton County auditor's office does not enter permit information until the end of the year.
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