Excerpt from ABC Construction Economic Update 3-1-13

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NONRESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION SPENDING FALLS 3.3 PERCENT IN JANUARY
NONRESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION SPENDING FALLS 3.3 PERCENT IN JANUARY

As further evidence that the nation’s construction industry continues to struggle, nonresidential construction spending fell 3.3 percent in January, with outlays decreasing to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $572.1 billion, according to the March 1 report by the U.S. Census Bureau. Year over year, total nonresidential construction spending is up only 0.8 percent (unadjusted for inflation).

Both private and public nonresidential construction spending were down for the month. Private nonresidential construction spending fell 5.1 percent on a monthly basis, but is 4 percent higher compared to one year ago. Public nonresidential construction spending declined 1 percent in January and is 2.7 percent lower than January 2012.

Basu Quote 3-1-13“January’s construction spending decline was particularly alarming because the loss in momentum spread deep into privately financed categories,” said Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “In previous months, decreased spending in a number of public spending-oriented sectors like sewage and waste disposal and public safety was roughly counter-balanced by increased spending in intensely private segments, such as power and manufacturing.

“That changed in January, with privately financed segments like power and manufacturing reversing course and experiencing substantial monthly declines in construction spending” said Basu. “The upshot is that nonresidential construction spending is virtually unchanged over the past year.

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No Range Cord! Arghhh!!!

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Image borrowed from Galesburg Electric website
6 foot range cord

We’re installing some appliances for a client today.  The client purchased the appliances at a reputable appliance store.  You would think they would include everything necessary to install the appliances, but nope!  No range cord.

Now I understand why they don’t come attached as there are sometimes issues with the type of existing outlet.  What I don’t understand is why an appliance store would sell you a range that you can’t install… They sell the cords.  Wouldn’t you think they would ask?  Wouldn’t you think they would try and sell you a cord so you could do the install?

I KNOW they don’t come with cords and I still forget sometimes.  And I’m thoroughly tic’d with my supplier when it happens.  They shouldn’t forget.  I would be much happier knowing that charge up front and receiving what I need to do the work.

Letter to the Editor

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I shared some of my rants regarding the changes to the zoning boundary with Jeff Kenney of the Culver Citizen and he suggested that I send him a letter to the editor on the subject.  I am a little freer with my writing here in the blog since I know my audience is different, so I wrote a separate Letter to the Editor and cleaned up my prose a bit.  Hopefully it will encourage people to get involved and do some of the research themselves.  My earlier piece included all of the links and drawings, so I’ve made it easy for anyone to follow my research.  What do you think?

PS – If anyone can tell me why I lose my paragraph breaks on text I cut & paste into a post, let me know!  Drives me nuts!  It looks right in the editor and then loses the spaces between paragraphs when it posts…  I guess I’ll go old-school and add indents…

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Jeld-Wen Pet Doors

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Jeld-Wen Integral Panel Pet Door

Jeld-Wen has a line of doors with integral pet panels, but recently I ran across their option for a pet panel integral to a sliding glass door which I found intriguing.  In general I encourage the use of French doors in lieu of sliding glass doors in our area.  The seals are much better, security is better and the mechanisms hold up better over time.  That’s not to say that sliding doors don’t have their place.  I have two at my house opening up to our deck.  They are hard to beat when you want maximum glass and have limited floor space which makes a swinging door an issue.

One of the major down sides of our sliding doors is that we use them to let our dog Theo out.  We lose AC in the summer and heat in the winter every time we open that door for him.  A couple of weeks ago when we had all the wind, it didn’t take much time with the door open to kick the thermostat on again.  This system has a passage flap that is held closed via magnets and a second locking window similar to a single hung window that provides a secure and weathertight seal the rest of the time.  I don’t think I will be changing out our existing doors for Theo, but this would be something I would consider when the existing doors fail.  It is definitely something I’ll point out to pet owners when we talk about remodeling projects!

MCEDC Community Leaders Gathered for Brainstorming

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Marshall-EDC-logoOn Wednesday, Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) held a meeting at Swan Lake Resort with some of the leaders from each of our communities.  This was presented as a follow-up to the successful Econ 101 seminar MCEDC held last fall.  Approximately 30 individuals representing the County Commissioners, Town and City Councils, Redevelopment Commissions and area businesses held a frank discussion on what needs to be done to move their various communities forward.

Shawn Peterson from the Corporate Partnership for Economic Growth (CPEG) did an excellent job of facilitating the conversation.  His former position with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) allowed him to share insight into  the interactions the state and LEDO‘s have with site selectors.  “Generally requests come in with a requirement for a 48 hour turn-around.  If the information is not readily available, a community will not make the cut.”

While the root causes varied, there was a consensus that we need to streamline our processes and work towards having properties and buildings ready for immediate sale in order to attract new business to our communities.  It was gratifying to hear some community representatives share what was working for them.  It was also good to hear their willingness to expose their problems and share in discussions on what can be done that will benefit all of Marshall County.  I think many there were relieved to hear that the problems were common and not just something they were dealing with alone.

A Comprehensive Plan should pull the puzzle pieces together

MCEDC is looked to by our communities to market them and bring in new business.  While we’re eager to help, the individual communities need to do the ground work and provide MCEDC something to sell.  One of the key discussion points was Comprehensive Plans.  Currently three local communities, Culver, LaPaz and Plymouth are in various stages of new or updated Comprehensive Plans.  We discussed at length how those plans should include long range plans for growth and preserve land for future industrial growth.  The communities not currently involved in new Comprehensive Plans should dust theirs off and see what their plans say in this regard.  It may well be time for them to address these issues as well.

The conversation was well received and seemed to have generated some excitement.  Hopefully the attendees take that enthusiasm back to their communities and it spreads.  We have a lot to offer and I sincerely hope we can work together to showcase the possibilities.