Construction quiet in October
All signs point to a cold and quiet end to the year for construction activity in the Tournament Capital.
According to the city’s building-permit department, construction activity in Kamloops dropped sharply in October.
The number of single-family permits issued in October reached 10, less than half of the 24 permits issued during the same month in 2010.
That prompted the drop the overall construction value for the month to $8.6 million from $21 million in October 2010.
The sluggish month was led by a decrease in value among residential permits.
The city handed out $6.5-million worth of residential permits last month, compared to $17 million in October 2010.
The statistics won't be a surprise to officials at city hall, who have been predicting the numbers would fall as the year neared its end.
The city has recorded $146 million in construction activity in 2011, compared to $174 million through the same span last year.
In 2010, Kamloops issued $191-million worth of building permits, but expected that number to drop in 2011 to about $140 million.
The city revised its original prediction and now expects permits to top the $150-million mark.
The city also issued $1.5-million in commercial-building permits for the month, less than half of the $3.8 million in permits it issued in October 2010.
Overall, residential-permit values for the year are down $40 million to $85 million, with commercial activity ahead of last year's mark by $7 million to $51 million.
Kamloops has only topped the $200 million in permits once, in 2008, when it doled out $207-million worth of permits, which remains a record.
COMMENTS
Let's keep comments:
We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters.
We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.