HOULTON, Maine — Construction and renovation projects in the town did not appear to suffer from any shortage of manpower or materials in 2021.
Based on figures collected by the town’s Code Enforcement Office, 130 various building permits for new construction or renovation projects were approved in 2021. With an estimated cost of $5,661,826, the projects featured five new commercial projects and six residential buildings.
Additions and renovations were the largest source of construction as 17 commercial projects, nine residential and 86 miscellaneous permits were issued in 2021.
“The majority of the permits were for renovation projects,” Code Enforcement Officer Kevin Tingley said. “The Houlton Band of Maliseets contributed to a number of those projects.”
The biggest of those projects was the expansion of the Maliseets gymnasium, Tingley said. An expansion of Brown Construction on the Bangor Road was another major renovation project.
That $5.6 million cost of projects was the largest the town has seen for the past five years. Tingley attributed some of that increase to the higher cost of construction materials. The town collected $28,552 in fees from those building permits. The amount of the fee varies depending on the scope and price of the project, Tingley said.
It marks the second straight year that 130 permits were approved by the town. In 2020, the 130 permits included 10 new commercial buildings, as well as four modular and three stick built homes.
“I don’t know why, but 2018 and 2019 were really down years for us,” Tingley said.
In 2019, the town issued 106 total permits at an estimated cost of $2.7 million and in 2018, that number was just 98 permits, for a total of $1.8 million.
Tingley said he typically compiles his report each December so that it can be included in the annual town report.
