AUSTINTOWN New construction for '05 tops $40M

The township expects to have another good year for building if the economy is strong.
AUSTINTOWN -- The township had an outstanding year in 2005 for new construction, said township zoning inspector Michael Kurilla.
"We never topped $40 million before," Kurilla said. The grand total for last year is almost $44.2 million. In 2004, the total was $31.6 million.
Last year was not a normal year, Kurilla acknowledged, mainly because of the new middle school being built on Raccoon Road. The school accounts for about $17.5 million of the total.
The number of building permits issued was down to 490 from 532 in 2004, he said, but the drop is mainly reflected in the permits issued for home improvements such as additions, garages, fences and swimming pools. "Those are normally higher, but weren't this year," Kurilla said.
New dwellings
The total number of new dwellings built was 81 this year, compared with 80 last year. Of that total, 74 dwellings were single-family houses, compared with 75 last year. The rest were duplexes and triplexes.
In a breakdown of the total valuation of new construction, nearly $14.2 million is in residential property, $11.7 million is business construction and $18.2 million is for quasi-public buildings, such as the middle school.
Linked to economy
Kurilla said the national economy always propels or retards home building, and as long as economic conditions are favorable, the township is anticipating another strong output in residential construction.
Kurilla said that as the township looks ahead to this year, activity can be expected at three housing developments: the Meander Glen subdivision on Ohltown Road, where the first three building permits have been recently issued; Phase II of Victory Hill on Fairview Road; and Falcon Ridge on state Route 46.