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HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
Spring 2008
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 Commercial Building
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Spring 2008
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Friday night, we attended the Angel's Dinner, the third-annual Little Bits of Honey event organized by Eddie and Jenny Jacobs in memory of their son, Lazarus, who died in 2002 from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. We were fortunate to sponsor this wonderful event. While there, we learned that if a child passes away, you have an extremely short amount of time to plan and pay for the burial, otherwise they cremate the child. Jenny and Eddie, with the help of host Storm Roberts and Coaches Billy Donovan and Urban Meyer raise money so that families in need can have a dignified burial for their child. This year, Gator tailbacks Chris Rainey and Kestahn Moore, along with Coach Meyer and Coach Donovan were available for photographs and helped make this event a memorable one. We will be working to bring you more throughout the year if you would like to get involved.
You probably received over the weekend a brief survey from us regarding these briefs. If you could take a few moments and fill it out, we would greatly appreciate it. It was designed to give us a better understanding as to what you like about the briefs, what needs to be done to improve on them and how we can continue to bring them to you each week. You can also view the survey here .
A reception is being held this week in honor of Gainesville builder Barry Rutenberg. The reception is this Tuesday at 5 p.m., at the C. Perry construction office. To learn more about the reception, click here . We have a unique and exciting opportunity to help Barry get elected as Vice President/Secretary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the traditional first step to the presidency of the 235,000-member federation. It has been over twenty-five years since a Florida member has been the President of NAHB. You can also visit Barry's campaign site at www.BarryMeansBusiness.com The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has asked its members to do everything they can to urge Congress to pass Housing Stimulus Legislation before the Fourth of July holiday. This legislation can go a long way to help ease the current housing crisis. If you are a member of NAHB, I urge you to take a few minutes to let your member of Congress know how you feel about this vital issue. Here is the legislative alert issued by NAHB.
We introduced Jake's Corner last week, and the response was terrific, better than I ever expected. You can find him here every week, and in each of our magazines.
We introduced a new format for the E-News briefs last week. We believe that this new format will be much easier to read and navigate. We can't think of a better time to launch the new format than with Jake's inaugural cartoon. We would love to hear from you as to whether you like the new format and your feedback about Jake's cartoon.
Building Edge Magazine
Our June issue of Building Edge is available to be read, both online and in print. Our feature is on Claeys Construction. The National Feature is on Doors: entry, interior, patio and overhead. This will be the issue that we recap the Spring Parade of Homes™.
Our July issue, featuring Barry Rutenberg & Associates is now in production. We also are spotlightng Ro-Mac's new showroom in Marion County. This issue will be the print lauch for Jake's Corner, and he kicks it off with a bang.
Our August issue, featuring Schafer Construction of Gainesville closes next week. The National Feature will be on Curb Appeal.
Our September cover will be announced next week.
October finds us back in Lake City with Isaac Construction. The National Feature will be on weathering the Elements. This issue will also mark the return of our highly successful, semi-annual Buyer's Guide. In November, we will be featuring Chris Luetgert and Luetgert Development. Chris is a third generation builder intimately involved in every project he works on. We are excited to share his story with you.
Commercial Building Edge Magazine
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 is closing this week. 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.
The Summer issue of HOME is in production. Our cover story is on Judy and Davis Rembert. In this issue, we will have an article on the difference between Green Building and "Green Speak." We will showcase Alachua County's newest green development, Campo Verde. In our healthcare section, we interview Dr. Timothy Goldfarb, CEO of Shands. This is shaping up to be our biggest issue yet. Look for this issue to start arriving in early July.
Based on the feedback and response to HOME over the last year, we have decided, starting in January to go bi-monthly. We have typically run out of magazines with 3-4 weeks left in the cycle. We already have the highest distribution in the area, so we felt going with more issues would be the best resolution. We would love to hear from you about this increase in frequency of the magazine. |
Local News  |
NE 39th Ave. Prison Plan Alarms Some
The state Department of Corrections is considering building a 1,300-bed prison on NE 39th Avenue - a proposal that is drawing swift opposition from County Commission Chairman Rodney Long and others. Long said a prison along 39th Avenue would not mesh with Plan East Gainesville - a long-range blueprint for economic development in the area - and could create pollution for Newnan's Lake and creeks in the area.
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Five New Complexes Going Up Will Cater to Students
One of an apartment complex's four buildings on NW 13th Street was no more than a one-story wood frame Thursday, but in two months it will be a three-story, 20-unit building ready for students to move in in time for fall classes, the owners say. The University House is one of five major apartment complexes - all catering mostly to students - scheduled to open this summer. Nearly 1,500 apartments are at various stages of construction, from the wood frame at University House to final touchups at Jefferson at 2nd Ave. downtown, to some buildings already open at The Enclave in southwest Gainesville.
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Program Gives Kids Right Tools
Students from a generation that seems to have been born knowing how to use every function on an electronic device got a lesson Wednesday afternoon on how to use some old-school devices. About two dozen middle schoolers learned how to use hammers and screwdrivers and other tools that work without electronics or batteries. "I guess this is the first time I've really used a tool. Well, other than a flashlight, if that's a tool," said Napria Willis, a 12-year-old who will be a seventh-grader at P.K. Yonge in August. Napria was among the middle schoolers selected to attend a weeklong program put on by the Santa Fe Community College Community Outreach and East Gainesville Initiative.
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Health Services Center Expands
Construction is well under way at the north wing of Heart of Florida Health Center, better known as Community Health Services. The section, which was previously unoccupied, will add six new exam rooms to the health center and will serve as a medical home for those who don't have a primary care doctor. The county and the two local hospitals, Munroe Regional and Ocala Regional Medical centers, helped establish HFHC more than a decade ago.
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County Commission Increases Impact Fees
The Marion County Commission has approved increases to the fire and education impact fees. Effective Oct. 1, the school impact fee on a new single family home will go from $3,774 to $3,967. Effective Jan. 1, 2009, the fire impact fee on a new single family home will go from $275 to $287.
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Protected Status for Gainesville's Chert Homes?
A style of architecture almost exclusive to Gainesville has been named one of this year's 11 most endangered historic sites in Florida by the historic preservation group Florida Trust. More than 140 houses in Gainesville were built using the limestone rocks, called chert, that were abundant in the quarries of North Florida between 1920 and 1940.
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Gainesville Greens Condominium Project Gets Deadline
Gainesville Greens, a proposed 11-story downtown condominium project, has six months to secure financing and begin construction under a new timeline approved by Gainesville city commissioners Monday. During those six months, the city will be drafting a new request for an alternative development that could be built on the city's Parking Lot 10 if the Gainesville Greens project fails. John Hudson, president of Hudson & Co. Inc., proposed the condominiums in 2005 in response to the city's formal search for a project to develop the parking lot on SW 2nd Avenue and SW 2nd Street.
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Hatchet Creek Changes Advance
Hatchet Creek and Plum Creek are now flowing in the same direction - to the state agency in charge of reviewing changes to a city's comprehensive land-use plan. Both developments are substantial: proposing 1,199 homes and 1,890 homes respectively in the less-developed northern part of Gainesville. Hatchet Creek has been proposed as a retirement community on roughly 500 acres enveloping the Ironwood Golf Course. Plum Creek would be a master-planned community with commercial and retail space on 1,700 acres.
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Marion Pays for a Voice in 2 Area Water Partnerships
Marion County will pay a little more than $200,000 to remain in the mix on two potential partnerships for future water supply projects. The county will pay $10,000 to remain part of the discussion for at least another year on a desalinization plant planned on the Atlantic Coast in Flagler County. After a 17-year hiatus, Marion County also will return as an active member of the Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority. That special government district provides water to the counties of Hernando, Sumter and Citrus, their municipalities, Ocala and The Villages. It owns well fields, and its board is looking at the possible construction of a desalinization plant at the nuclear power plant in Crystal River.
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Upcoming Events
MCBIA Calendar of Events
BANCF Calendar of Events
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State News  |
Florida Reigns Supreme in Membership Race
Its official: Florida has a drive for membership recruitment unmatched by any other. Leading the nation with 912 new members recruited during the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) National Membership Challenge, the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) squashed the competition and once again earned the title of No.1 for membership recruitment. At the national level, 6,588 new members were registered and Florida accounted for nearly 15 percent of that total. Second place membership recruitment finisher North Carolina garnered 632 new members.
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Crist Now Backs Drilling For Oil off Coast of Florida
Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday abandoned his opposition to drilling off Florida's coast, signaling he's ready to bet that public support is eroding for a ban that has prevented oil and gas exploration off the state's beaches for two decades. Crist, who has touted his opposition to oil drilling since he ran for the Senate in 1998, embraced GOP presidential nominee John McCain's call to lift the federal moratorium that protects the U.S. coastline. Crist said he supports exploring areas previously off-limits because ``Floridians are suffering.''
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Downtown Merchants Discuss Hometown Democracy
Forcing every comprehensive plan amendment to be decided by voters may be too complicated for the average voter, or business owner for that matter. Thursday the Downtown Merchants & Business Association discussed how such a proposal from Florida Hometown Democracy Inc. might affect them. The proposal would force a local government to submit to voters any change to a comprehensive land-use plan before it may be adopted. The Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department has 19 amendments that are being considered for Leon County's plan.
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Officials Vote to Raise City's Impact Fee
Mayor Buddy Fletcher - who said "no" to raising impact fees two weeks ago - changed his mind and cast the deciding vote Monday for small-percentage increases to the fees charged for new construction. Fletcher made his decision despite pleas, particularly from the Polk County Builders Association, that the slumping economy didn't call for increases and that the commission could catch up next year.
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Olympus Rates May Have Hit Their Peak
Orlando-based Olympus Insurance says some of its rates have been too high. The company is lowering homeowners premiums to attract customers in inland and northern Florida. "We just weren't as competitive -- and we shouldn't be if our rates were higher than other people's," said William Lowry, president of Olympus.
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National News  |
Gas Prices Impact Where People Buy Homes
In his hunt for a new home, Demetrius Stroud crunched the numbers to find out that, with gas prices climbing, moving near an Amtrak station is the best thing for his wallet. Stroud was looking in Elk Grove., Calif. - about 85 miles away from his job in the San Francisco Bay Area - because homes there are more affordable. But with gas at $4.50 and a car that gets about 22 miles per gallon, Stroud would be pumping $560 a month into his tank. So instead he made an offer on a home near the train station in Davis, which will shave $160 off his commuting costs.
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Paulson: Wall Street Reform Needed Now
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson pressed for swift changes to how the nation's financial system is regulated Thursday, most notably giving broader powers to the Federal Reserve following the dramatic near collapse of Bear Stearns in March. Paulson promoted the reform plan he pitched in late March. This time, however, he stressed the need to act sooner rather than later in a speech given in Washington, D.C.
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Mortgage Firms to Make Help Requests a Priority
Mortgage companies are pledging to let troubled borrowers know whether they're approved for help within 45 days of receiving a homeowner's application. The promise is expected to be announced today by the Hope Now Alliance, a Bush administration-backed industry group. The new efforts come as the industry draws fire for not doing enough to alleviate the housing crisis. The changes, outlined in a copy of mortgage industry guidelines obtained by The Associated Press, are designed to clarify the mortgage assistance process for borrowers and the industry alike.
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Fed Auctions $75 Billion to Banks
The Federal Reserve has auctioned another $75 billion in loans to squeezed banks to help them overcome credit problems. The central bank on Tuesday announced the results of its most recent auction -- the 14th since the program began in December. It's part of an ongoing effort to ease financial turmoil and credit stresses. In the latest auction, commercial banks paid an interest rate of 2.360% for the short-term loans. There were 76 bidders for the slice of $75 billion in 28-day loans. The Fed received bids for $89.38 billion worth of the loans. The auction was conducted on Monday with the results released on Tuesday.
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Justifying the Decision to Build a New Home
An economist might deem the opportunity cost of building versus buying a house right now to be unacceptably high. And judging from emails I have received, so do some of my readers. With the U.S. in a housing slump there's an ever growing array of homes for sale at lower prices. Meanwhile, prices for supplies like steel and nails continue to increase, driven higher by demand from construction in countries like China and India. Rising fuel prices are also pushing up transportation and production costs.
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Green Standards Adapt
The trend towards sustainable building continues to move ever more rapidly, adapting to changing technology and standards. Even as the U.S. Green Building Council is seeking comments on its third version of qualifications for LEED certification, other real estate organizations are creating their own policies to encourage environment-friendly construction. Earlier this month, the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties has formed its official association policy on energy to encourage its member to increase their commitment to green building. "We're looking to positively encourage a proactive stance," Thomas J. Biscacquino, NAIOP president, told GlobeSt.com. "The business case is becoming stronger and stronger."
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Commercial News  |
County May Borrow up to $100 Million for 'Immediate'-Need Road Projects
The name's bond. Road bond. Monday morning, the Marion County Commission moved a step closer to borrowing money through a big bond issue, possibly as much as $100 million, to fund construction on road projects the Transportation Department has labeled as "immediate" needs. During a workshop discussion, commissioners started to get figures on debt payment if they decided to borrow $100 million to do road widening and new road construction. A 20-year bond would cost the county $7.9 million in payments a year, while a 10-year term would mean $13 million in annual payments.
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Atlantic City Plans Largest US Solar Roof
The Atlantic City Convention Center plans to install what it says would be the largest single-building solar energy project in the United States, providing more than a quarter of its daily electrical needs. Under a 20-year agreement, the center is hiring a private company, Pepco Energy Services of Arlington, Va., to install the solar panels on 290,000 square feet _ or about two-thirds _ of its main roof. Pepco will pay to install the panels; the convention center will then buy the electricity they generate from Pepco.
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Contractors Applaud Administration's Call to Boost Oil Supply
The nation's largest construction trade association today applauded President Bush's proposal to increase domestic oil supply. The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), representing more than 33,000 members nationwide, announced its support for the Administration's proposal to expand opportunities for domestic energy production. "The President's announcement underscores the basic truth that we cannot reduce our reliance on foreign oil without increasing domestic production," noted Stephen E. Sandherr, AGC's Chief Executive Officer.
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AGC LEED Course Receives USGBC Approval
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) today announced its highly popular Building to LEED for New Construction: Overview and the Impact on Construction Practices course curriculum has been reviewed and approved through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Education Provider Program. Approval through the USGBC Education Provider Program attests to the credibility of the course, which was introduced in March at AGC's 89th Annual Convention in Las Vegas.
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Karl Rove Addresses ABC's 2008 Legislative Conference
Political analyst Karl Rove, who served as deputy chief of staff to President Bush from 2001 to 2007, today spoke before members of ABC during the association's 2008 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. In his remarks, Rove addressed key ABC issues, including the upcoming elections, the Employee Free Choice Act, and immigration and health care reform. He reminded the audience that winning key congressional races is important in helping defeat card-check legislation.
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Construction Input Prices Surge in May
The price of construction inputs jumped 2.6 percent in May 2008 compared to April 2008 and the aggregate price of construction inputs rose 8.4 percent over the past year, according to a producer price index (PPI) report released June 17 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to ABC Chief Economist, Anirban Basu, construction inputs that saw a notable increase in price include softwood lumber which rose 7.1 percent in May 2008 compared to April 2008; asphalt felts/coatings which increased by 5.6 percent in May 2008; and nonferrous wire and cable which increased 2.2 percent in May 2008 after declining 3.1 percent in April 2008. Fabricated structural metal products also rose 2.9 percent in May 2008 compared to April 2008.
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ABC Continues to Fight Expansion of Davis-Bacon
ABC continues to fight the expansion of the Davis Bacon Act in Congress by opposing two bills that would expand prevailing wage requirements into more areas of the law. The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (H.R. 6003), introduced in the House, would expand Davis-Bacon to new grants created within the program and the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 (H.R. 6049), which is seeing action in the Senate, would expand Davis-Bacon to the construction and repair of renewable energy facilities financed with tax credit bonds.
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Upcoming Events
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