Building

permits

just short

of 2002

511 permits worth $18.5

million issued

in 2003

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- With a little stronger showing in December, 2003 could have won the building-permits-issued sweepstakes as its total of 511 fell just two short of the 513 issued in 2002.

The $18,523,190 value of those 511 permits fell about $8.2 million short of the $26,797,833 rung up in 2002. However, the 2002 total of permits issued and total value included the city's own $10 million sales tax referendum projects with the construction of the Civic Center, the addition to the former Senior Center and the renovation of Vogel Fieldhouse.

Subtract those projects, and 2003 was clearly the most robust building year in the city's history, both in permits issued and total value. However, there's no provision for an asterisk-mark record so the numbers posted in permit value in 2002 should remain a record for a long time as projects like the STR projects don't come along every year.

Look for the record number of multi-family units built (114) in 2003 and their value totaling $7,548,000 to stand for a while, however. Then, there's the 27 single-family housing permits that tied the total issued in 2001. The value of houses built in 2003, $3,683,000, fell about $400,000 shy of the value rung up in 2001.

Industrial/Commercial construction wasn't nearly as robust as in either 2002 or 2001. A total of 36 permits were issued, having a value of $4,354,400. In 2002, 45 permits were issued with a total value of $19,407,328 so even when the STR projects are subtracted, the value is more than double that in 2003. While only 30 permits were issued in 2001, they had a value totaling $5,564,658.

For the month of December, the 11 permits issued in 2003 had a value of $626,500. While the 12 issued in 2002 totaled only $226,285, the 13 issued in 2001 were valued at $747,408.

December Permits

Erik T. & Jeanette Olson, 45 Cedar Dr., build one-family house, $170,000.

Jason Mortenson, 318 S. Broadway, sheetrock basement for family room/bathroom, $2,500.

Jeff Gronholz, 1022 Southridge Road, install egress window, $1,000.

Darwin Hohenstein, 1119 8th South St., replace windows, $5,000.

Jason Wohlers, 1418 Hilltop St., replace windows, $4,000.

Cottonwood Development LLC, 813 Cottonwood St., build one-family townhouse, $107,000.

Cottonwood Development LLC, 815 Cottonwood St., build one-family townhome, $107,000.

Cottonwood Development LLC, 817 Cottonwood St., build one-family townhouse, $107,000.

Cottonwood Development LLC, 819 Cottonwood St., build one-family townhouse, $107,000.

Marcella Mielke, 900 N. Washington St., add bathroom on back of house, $14,000.

Chuck Riegel, 508 1st North St., install exhaust system and re-do walls for T&M Nails, $2,000.