Going back to my days as a financial advisor, I always looked forward to the questions about when a recession would be over or when a stock's drop would be at the bottom. When the question would shift from occasional to a few times a day, compounded by a regular media blitz predicting the worst, we knew we were at or near the bottom. In conversations over the last two-to-three weeks with people in the building industry or those who know I advocate for the industry, the topic has changed from, "We have a long way to go until this is over to Do you think we are there yet?" Tommy McIntosh was sharing with me some statistics about recoveries after Economic Stimulus Plans being introduced that I found interesting. The Gainesville Sun is contradicting itself with a horrible report one day followed by a "better than expected" the next. Builders are talking about increased activity, and subs are talking about business picking up. What does all that mean? I don't know, but the indicators are there to say we are either in the early stages of a recovery or near a recovery.
The Parades of Homes in Alachua and Marion County are now both over, and judging by the feedback, they were very successful. What defines success? Contracts were written on parade homes in both markets. Attendance varied by location, but there were serious interest from potential buyers in different price ranges at both parades. That's encouraging news. The questions I heard asked were unlike any other year. Energy efficiency was definitely the buzz at both parades. Questions about R-30 insulation, Seer ratings on a/c units and gallons of water a toilet uses were discussed. I saw many people want to try out the toilet from Indigo Green Store at the Brice Business Group house in Brytan, which my six- year-old daughter got a kick out of. We are adding pictures from the MCBIA Parade of Homes™, to the pictures we posted last week for the BANCF Parade of Homes™ on our website. You can view the MCBIA pictures by clicking here. For the BANCF pictures, click here. Both are posed in the news section at www.advantagepublishinginc.com.
This week we are adding a new feature to our local news briefs - highlighted calendar events. If you have an upcoming event that you would like covered, and want us to feature, just let us know.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR JUDGES!
Starting with the Winter issue of HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida, we are going to be introducing our BEST OF series. The Winter issue will kick off the series with Best Kitchens of the Year. We are looking for an expert panel of judges to view and vote on the best kitchens of the year. In the Summer issue of HOME, we will announce the new series and ask for submissions. If you are interested in being a judge for us, please let us know. The category will be open to both new and remodeled kitchens, residential and commercial. Email us at info@advantagepublishinginc.com or call us at (352) 372-5854 in Gainesville, (352) 368-1707 in Ocala if you are interested. |
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www.BuildingEdgeMagazine.com
Our May issue, featuring The Enclave Apartments developed by Collier Enterprises, and constructed by Davis and Sons Construction is now online, and should start arriving by mail towards the end of this week. The National Feature will be on Outdoor Living: decking, landscaping, fencing, outdoor lighting, retaining walls, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces. Look for this issue to arrive in early May.
Our June issue of Building Edge closes this week. Our feature is on Claeys Construction. I am very excited to share this story with you. Jim and Sarah are exceptional at what they do. Their parade house this year had quite a bit of the "Wow Factor." I look forward to sharing it with you. The National Feature will be on Doors: entry, interior, patio and overhead. This will be the issue that we recap the Spring Parade of Homes™.
Opening this week is our July issue, featuring Barry Rutenberg & Associates. You may remember that we featured Barry back in March of 2004. We are thrilled to be able to feature Barry and his team with you, and look forward to updating everyone as to what is going on with one of North Central Florida's finest builders. Our National Feature is on Baths: fixtures, faucets, home spas, appliances, tile, countertops and appliances.
Coming up in August is Schaefer Construction of Gainesville. The National Feature will be on Curb Appeal.
The Spring 2008 issue of Commercial Building Edge is online here. 2007 Marion County Small Business of the Year Stentiford Construction Services, led by Paul Stentiford is our cover story. We are also in the process of developing a website for Paul and his team. Bookmark this site at www.stentifordconstruction.net.
The Summer issue of Commercial Building Edge, featuring Brian Crawford, owner of Concept Construction of North Florida is now open for sales. Brian is also the president of the Columbia County Builders Association. We look forward to our first Columbia County Commercial issue. To participate, please give us a call.
HOME™: Living in the Heart of Florida:
Thank you to Paige Beck and WCJB TV 20 for showcasing the magazine on Friday's news. We have already received numerous hits to our website from the link on theirs. Our Spring issue of HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida, featuring Paige on the cover is out and in circulation. Judging by the response, it is a hit. We are constantly on the go - restocking our distribution points. It has been a busy month. This issue should take us over 500 distribution points. Those include the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce, Ocala Marion County Chamber of Commerce, Newberry/Jonesville Chamber of Commerce, Williston Chamber of Commerce and the Gainesville Regional Airport. It can also be seen online at www.LivingintheHeartofFlorida.com. In addition to our cover story on Paige Beck, this issue is filled with articles about the home and community. If you would like to have HOME displayed in your place of employment, please let us know. Everyone who knows Paige knows how truly genuine her heart is. I think that is part of the reason we can't keep the magazines stocked. If you would like to get a copy, please call us today. At the rate we are going, we may be out by the 1st of May. (352) 372-5854 in Gainesville, (352) 368-1707 in Ocala.
The Summer issue of HOME is open for sales. Our cover story will be on Judy and Davis Rembert. Look for more information in the coming weeks on some of the special features we plan on doing in this issue.
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Poll: Area Supports Sales Tax Increase
A majority of Alachua County voters would support a half-cent sales tax increase to raise money for land conservation, roads and schools in a referendum this year, according to a poll to help county leaders decide if they want to launch an initiative. The poll was done April 21-22 and queried 400 county voters on whether they would support a variety of projects, said Will Abberger, Florida program director of the Trust for Public Land, which conducted the survey. Abberger said some programs fared better than others but would not say which had the most support.
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Liberty Middle School Shapes Up for Fall Debut
Gregg Dudley seemed more like an expectant father showing off his future child's nursery than a principal leading a tour of his new school. He smiled last week as he led a few journalists through the immaculate new Liberty Middle School, which is just off Southwest 95th Street and next to Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary School. Dudley stood in the courtyard of the two-story school, which has the feel of a Marriott Courtyard hotel, and pointed to three two-story wings, each intended for one of the three different grade levels.
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Neighborhood Signs and Entryways on the Rise
The nationwide trend of using signs, walls, entryways and gates to demarcate neighborhoods is becoming increasingly visible in Gainesville subdivisions, even as sociologists warn of unintended effects. In Gainesville, neighborhood signs and entryways are becoming popular with not only new developments but also long-standing residential areas.
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Growth Points to Need for Another School in Marion Oaks
The number of students living in this sprawling subdivision continues to skyrocket, prompting school district officials to push a new Marion Oaks elementary school higher up their construction priority list. In fall 2006, there were 1,931 Marion Oaks children who attended public schools. By fall 2007, that number had risen to 2,290. That's an increase of 359 students, or 18.6 percent. The result: Another elementary school is needed in this community to combat overcrowding, even though the school system in recent years has built numerous schools in southwest Marion.
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Ro-mac Opens State-of-the-Art Ocala Showroom
Describing it as the finest showroom they have ever seen in the area, builders and manufacturer's representatives were heaping praise on the new Ro-mac Doors and Windows Ocala showroom, which opened its doors last Wednesday with a special, open-house celebration. The 4,000-square-foot showroom, located at 1432 SW 15th Ave., provides information and sample products from some of the biggest names in windows and doors - Andersen, PGT, BetterBilt, Emtek, Peachtree, TruStile, Therma-Tru, Locklando, Masonite, Hutting Doors, Builders Hardware, Mid American and Trupine. Additionally, some of the custom services offered at the new facility include door sizing, installation, special window sizes, repair and services and glass insert replacement.
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Columbia County's Merger with City Over Fire Suppression Moves on to Study
The Columbia County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to go ahead with a feasibility study to determine if it's in the county's fiscal interest to provide fire suppression within the city limits of Lake City, at the request of the City of Lake City City Council. The vote was 4 to 1 to fund half the cost of the study, with Dist. 1 Commissioner Ron Williams casting the only no vote.
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Academy Presents Students with Mind Challenges
Retired civil engineer and instructor Dan Barselou is aggressively positioning Trenton High School in Gilchrist County to entice bright, qualified and interested high school students to apply for the school's engineering academy. Barselou's vision is to prepare a group of students who enroll and move through the academy together as a team, and apply the high-level math lessons learned at the academy to hands-on engineering projects.
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Upcoming Events
USGBC Heart of Florida & AIA Gainesville Chapter May Social Gathering
Continuing Education onsite at MCBIA -- Earn 14 Hours OF C.E. Credits While Attending a Business Planning and Construction Business Management Workshop
Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase
MCBIA Calendar of Events
BANCF Calendar of Events
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USGBC Heart of Florida Chapter
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Florida's New Budget Has Less Money for Schools, Medicaid, Courts
Lawmakers have signed off on the $66.2 billion budget that is now on its way to Gov. Charlie Crist for approval. The state's slumping tax collections left the legislature with $5 billion less to spend than last year, forcing them to slash spending on education, health care and the courts, among other things. Crist, who has the ability to veto individual spending items, cut a record $459 million out of last year's $71.5 billion budget. The budget includes a $332 million cut to public schools, including a 1.8 percent reduction, or $131, in per-student spending. And it includes a 6 percent tuition hike for community college and university students. Crist vetoed a proposed 5 percent tuition hike last year.
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Property Tax Bill Goes to Crist
Despite an attempt from House Republicans to reignite divisive property tax battles with their Senate counterparts, lawmakers agreed this morning to a package of less ambitious changes. The bill (HB 909) headed to Gov. Charlie Crist would loosen the requirement for property assessors to value land at its "highest and best" use. Appraisers could still assess a property based on its potential value, such as a marina that could be turned into a waterfront condo. But appraisers would also have to consider the potential hurdles, such as necessary zoning changes and a potentially expensive permits. It also requires the state Revenue Department to develop uniform standards for county valuation adjustment boards, which will no longer be elected positions.
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Here's Why Hometown Democracy Fails
On April 23, a state appeals court ruled unconstitutional a law allowing Floridians who have signed an initiative petition to change their minds and revoke their signatures. The decision is a disappointment for Florida's business and community leaders who supported the new law to keep bad ideas out of Florida's constitution. The ruling now goes to the Florida Supreme Court, but even if it stands, the decision changes nothing about the 2008 Florida ballot. Even if the revoked signatures are restored, Hometown Democracy still missed its mark by a mile. Why has Hometown Democracy failed to make the ballot three times? Because the amendment has no grass-roots support, and mainstream green donors refuse to fund it.
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Lawmakers Reach Agreement on Energy, Land Bills
Tackling two major environmental issues, state lawmakers agreed Wednesday to extend the Florida Forever land-buying program through 2020 and passed a massive energy bill that could help reduce air pollution. The Florida Forever bill will allow the state to continue spending $300 million a year to conserve land, while supporters of the energy bill said it's an important step in addressing climate change and energy independence.
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Economy Shows Strength as Job Losses Ease
The economy showed unexpected signs of resilience Friday as job losses slowed, the dollar gained a bit of muscle for a change and there were even indications that food prices may be easing. The unemployment rate dipped, though that may not last. The latest barometers flashed encouraging signs that the economic slowdown may not be as pronounced as some had feared. Still, there's much caution - about housing, credit and other problems.
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Gas Prices Fall for First Time in Weeks; Have They Peaked?
Retail gas prices fell slightly Friday -- the first time in 18 days they haven't risen to a new record -- and analysts say pump prices may be peaking for the year. Oil futures, meanwhile, rose sharply after Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish rebel bases in Iraq injected some supply concerns into the market and the Labor Department's employment report gave investors reason to be optimistic about the economy.
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LEED Certification Set to Raise Bar for North American Building Industry
Emphasis on LEED certification and incorporation of energy efficiency measures increasingly characterize the function of the building sector in North America. This sector witnesses a significant shift toward 'greening' and sustainability. Buildings in both the U.S. and Canada account for a major portion of each country's total resource consumption, while releasing substantial quantum of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. To reduce resource dependency and carbon footprint, the building industry attempts to reduce energy and operating costs while trying to enhance asset value over time. The market trend reflects a direct correlation to the burgeoning importance of green buildings in North America. Nearly all vertical segments within the green building products and services market offer environmentally sustainable alternatives today with positive end-user interest and account for a sizeable portion of the market.
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Bank of America to Pledge Mortgage Aid
Pushing to fast-track its takeover of wounded home-loan goliath Countrywide Financial Corp., Bank of America Corp. will promise today to help 265,000 troubled borrowers keep their homes over the next two years by refinancing or modifying at least $40 billion in mortgages. Bank of America also plans to double its community development lending, which focuses on affordable housing, small businesses and people in low-income and minority neighborhoods, to $1.5 trillion over 10 years, said Liam E. McGee, the bank's top consumer and small-business executive. In addition, the Charlotte, N.C.-based bank will donate $2 billion to charity over the coming decade, up 33% from its current level.
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Growth Holds Off Recession
A new government report Wednesday showed the U.S. economy grew at a sluggish rate of six-tenths of a percent over the first three months of 2008 -- hardly stellar growth but cause for cheer since it suggests that there was just enough economic activity to avoid recession. The Federal Open Market Committee also announced a quarter-point cut, down to 2 percent, to its benchmark-lending rate. Many financial analysts had expected the Fed to indicate that it would refrain from any future cuts, having brought down its benchmark federal funds rate, which banks charge each other for overnight lending, from 5.25 percent since September.
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LEED Certification Could Benefit from Booming Industry in Coming Years: Report
As existing buildings become more efficient and new buildings are designed to have a much smaller impact, the green building industry is growing rapidly, from $12 billion in revenues last year to more than $42 billion by 2015, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan, and LEED is the certification of choice for that industry, although it faces some obstacles to continued success. The report, "LEED and Beyond: Evolving Trends in Green & Intelligent Buildings in North America," looks at the recent history of the green building movement and -- based on growing concern about climate change, potential mandates from governments at all levels and the growing effectiveness and availability of green-building products of all types -- concludes that the greening of the building industry is "inevitable."
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Credit Tightening on Builder Loans Threatens to Prolong Housing Downturn
The mortgage credit crunch has spilled over into the housing production loan market, threatening to prolong the current housing downturn, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) told Congress today. "The mortgage credit crunch will continue to be the most significant factor impacting the home building industry into the foreseeable future," Scott Eckstein, a home builder from Naperville, Ill. and president of the Illinois Home Builders Association, told the House Small Business Subcommittee on Finance and Tax. "There is deep concern that the dislocations in the financing markets will increase the depth and length of the housing downturn."
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Builders Applaud Fed Rate Cut; Seek Swift Action on Housing Stimulus Package
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today applauded the Federal Reserve for continuing to take aggressive action to inject liquidity into the financial markets by moving for the seventh time since September to cut short-term interest rates.
"The Fed's action to cut the federal funds rate by a quarter of a percentage point will help prop up the ailing economy. Now it's time for Congress to do its part," said NAHB President Sandy Dunn, a home builder from Point Pleasant, W. Va. "Today, more than 1,200 builders are in Washington calling on lawmakers to avert an economic crisis by swiftly enacting a housing stimulus package that will jump-start housing, save jobs and restore confidence."
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USGBC: A School a Day is Registering for LEED for Schools
One school a day. That's the rate America's schools are registering for the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED certification program for green schools, signaling their intent to build and operate schools that are more energy and water efficient, which will save taxpayers money. Green schools also have significantly improved indoor air quality, and that results in healthier kids. "When you consider the fact that 50 million young people spend 8 hours a school day in a school building, we should do everything we can to make that environment work for them, not against them. Parents, teachers and school board officials understand better than anyone the link between child health and learning; and the fact is that children in green schools have fewer sick days and better test scores," said Michelle Moore, Senior Vice President, USGBC.
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Dreaming in Green: HGTV's Newest Giveaway Home
At first glance, the new house doesn't stand out among the handful of others at Tradition Hilton Head, a new development 20 miles from the South Carolina coast. But look a little closer and the details emerge. Solar panels are on the roof. Gutters and downspouts lead into the rainwater harvesting system in the garage. High-performance windows are designed to cut glare and incoming heat. Low-flow faucets and showerheads cut water use. Irrigation is supplied by a rain-harvesting system. It all comes together to make up HGTV's first Green Home, a custom-built house that takes advantage of the many green products on the market. The house, which is open for tours, will be given away by the cable television network in June.
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Home's Unconventional Features Aim to Thwart Death
The house is off-limits to children, and adults are asked to sign a waiver when they enter. The main concern is the concrete floor, which rises and falls like the surface of a vast, bumpy chocolate chip cookie. But, for Arakawa, 71, an artist who designed the house with his wife, Madeline Gins, the floor is a delight, as well as a proving ground.
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What Your Home is Worth
After a year of nervous headlines, the story is familiar: The country is in the grip of a housing crisis that has put millions of Americans out of their homes and threatens to dispossess millions more. While it might be tempting to view the unfolding crisis as someone else's problem, this is a mess that promises to touch everyone. But there is some encouraging news. In many cases, the government is offering help, and banks are trying to be reasonable. Owning your house may not make you a millionaire, as so many hoped as recently as a year ago, but it doesn't have to leave you a pauper.
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Wal-Mart Supercenter Nears Opening
The first Wal-Mart Supercenter in Alachua County opens next week, bringing the company's new modern look and design, its everything-under-one-roof discount shopping and a vital shot in the arm to economic development efforts in Gainesville's east side. The store's 425 employees are working 24 hours a day in shifts putting the finishing touches on general merchandise and dry goods stocks and displays before perishable foods arrive next week in time for Wednesday's opening. A ribbon-cutting ceremony starts at 7:30 a.m. that day with the doors opening for business at 8 a.m.
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Railroads Suddenly on Growth Track
Bob Billingsley hired on with Norfolk Southern railway 31 years ago, he was a rookie on work crews that were closing unused lines as the nation's economy turned its back on the railroads. Now he's in charge of raising the roof of a Norfolk Southern tunnel in southwestern Virginia. More headroom is needed for the double-stacked container cars that have become the symbol of the industry's sudden surge, thanks to a confluence of powerful global factors.
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Good News Buried in Construction Spending Report, AGC Says
"Nonresidential construction spending rose an impressive 1.3 percent in March and 12 percent compared to March 2007," Ken Simonson, Chief Economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), said today. Simonson was commenting on the March construction spending figures released by the Census Bureau on May 1. "The housing slump buried this news by dragging total spending down by 1.1 percent for the month and 3.4 percent for the year. Yet nearly every category of nonresidential spending continued to exceed year-ago levels."
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AGC Applauds New Construction Ethics Association
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) applauds the Construction Industry Ethics and Compliance Initiative (CEICI) and the thirteen construction companies that came together to form this non-profit association for the sole purpose of promoting ethical behavior and full compliance with the law. The CEICI was formed April 25, 2008. The CEICI is not a lobbying organization; it will instead focus on construction companies' best practices for encouraging ethical behavior and ensuring full compliance. Its goals are to identify and spread those practices throughout the construction industry.
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Highway Trust Fund Solvency Means a Stronger Economy
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) today backed a provision in the U.S. Senate by Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that would prevent the Highway Trust Fund from going into the red by restoring $5 billion in revenue for Fiscal Year 2009. "Failure to pass the Baucus/Grassley fix will reduce highway funding to states by 32 percent-about $16 billion. The Baucus/Grassley provision will ensure that the Highway Trust Fund does not go into deficit next year," said AGC's chief executive officer Stephen E. Sandherr. AGC supports this reauthorization bill, which provides more investment dollars for aviation and highway infrastructure. The proposal helps states fund projects facing increasing materials costs as highway and bridge construction has increased 56 percent since December 2003.
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House Committee Passes School Construction Bill Expanding Davis-Bacon
The House Education and Labor Committee voted April 30 to pass H.R. 3021, "The 21st Century High-Performing Public School Facilities Act," a bill that, if signed into law, would expand Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements to construction, modernization or repairs to public schools paid for with funds authorized within the legislation. ABC and three other organizations sent a letter to committee members before the vote urging them to address the flaws in the existing Davis-Bacon requirements before expanding them to other areas of the law. The letter refers to a series of audits conducted by several agencies, including the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General (OIG), that show Davis-Bacon wage rates are vulnerable to fraud. The letter specifically cites a 2004 OIG report that found errors in nearly 100 percent of the wage surveys reviewed.
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House Passes Bill to Delay 3 Percent Withholding Tax
The U.S. House of Representatives April 15 passed the Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act of 2008 (H.R. 5719), a move that would delay for one year implementation of section 511 the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005. Section 511 requires that 3 percent be withheld on all payments for goods and services made to federal, state and local governments with total expenditures of more than $100 million. The withholding affects payments for goods and services under government contracts, as well as payments to any person for a service or a product provided to a government entity. Additionally, the withholding applies to the total contract, not to the net revenue generated from a project. The new legislation changes the withholding requirements effective date from Jan.1, 2011 to Jan. 1, 2012.
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ABC Recognizes Florida East Coast Chapter Members
ABC has added the names of Florida East Coast chapter members Carlos Ardavin of The Tower-OHL Group, Davie, Fla. and Steve Keneth of Butters Construction & Development, Inc., Coconut Creek, Fla., to the Beam Club Hall of Fame plaque at ABC National headquarters in Arlington, Va. In addition, ABC congratulates Florida East Coast members Bernard Paul-Hus of HYPOWER, Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and Kent Long of Balfour Beatty Construction, Plantation, Fla., for achieving Presidential Level status in ABC National's Beam Club.
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AGCGF is now offering STP & Construction Estimating Classes online!
Click herefor the 2008 class schedule.
AGC of Greater Florida Calendar of Events
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Commercial Winter 2008
HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
AGC: Constructor Spring 2008
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