Construction exceeds $20 million

Construction continues at a record pace here according to statistics provided by the building department. 

Chief building official Terry Kuipers reported at the Oct. 20 meeting the township had issued 149 permits for construction valued at nearly $20.5 million as of the end of September.

That’s up substantially from 2014, when 138 permits for just over $12.1 million worth of construction were issued in the first nine months.

The 10-year average for this point in the year is about $12.2 million and the previous high during that period was just under $15 million in 2006.

“We’re sitting a little under twenty-and-a-half million, which is easily a clear five million higher than we’ve ever been – so we’re doing good,” Kuipers told council.

He said that in September, the municipality issued about $2.9 million worth of permits.

“That included a couple new houses, a couple of industrial projects and another big dairy barn,” Kuipers said.

Agricultural construction is among the major drivers of the local building boom, accounting for 32 permits for construction worth nearly $5.4 million so far in 2015, compared to 16 permits and about $866,000 to the same point in 2014.

Institutional construction

Institutional construction is also well up over 2014, with permits issued for more than $6 million worth of projects,  compared to just $231,000 last year.

Kuipers said the town has seen four major institutional projects so far this year.

The two largest have been the Palmerston library renovation ($2.75 million) and the Minto Rural Health Centre ($3 million). Others are a church renovation and a school renovation.

“It’s all good News. Build that tax base, we need it,” said Mayor George Bridge.

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