June construction totals $7.1M, led by Ingles work

Well into the summer season, several projects are taking shape in Morganton. The renovation of Ingles on Carbon City Road, perhaps the most anticipated, carried the weight of June’s construction values.

June construction activity was valued at $7,133,974, about $3 million less than May. Commercial projects accounted for about $5.87 million, or 82%, of the total value. Residential projects totaled $923,375, or 13%, while government projects accounted for $336,165, or 5%.

The permit with the largest construction value was an electrical permit for a remodel of Ingles and parking lot lighting, listed at $1.44 million. A mechanical permit was also issued with the construction value of $368,554, along with a plumbing permit listing $673,000 worth of work.

Permits for other major commercial projects included:

• A building permit was approved for about $1 million worth of construction at Packaging Corporation of America, located off Dixie Boulevard. The scope of work includes new column footings, roofing, electrical, and more for a pre-engineered metal building that will be used for storage.
• An electrical permit was approved for $850,000 worth of wiring for a new breast line expansion at Case Farms off Rand Street. The company has been working on the new breast packaging facility for months now.
• A building permit was approved for $500,000 worth of work to expand Carolina Chiropractic Plus on Bouchelle Street.
• An electrical permit was approved for $90,000 worth of work to wire the new Chicken Salad Chick restaurant on Burkemont Avenue. The restaurant is located in the former Village Inn Pizza Parlor spot and is scheduled to open in mid-August.
• A mechanical permit was approved for $600,000 worth of heating and cooling work at the new Greenway Dental office being built on North Green Street.

Residential permits reflected steady home improvement activity, rather than large-scale new housing development. The residential permit with the largest construction value was for the demolition and reconstruction of a single-family home.

Most residential projects focused on home additions, remodels and renovations, decks, pools, and accessory improvements, along with repairs and rebuilding projects.

Government construction projects focused heavily on educational facilities. Building and electrical permits for $217,195 worth of upfits were approved for Western Piedmont Community College’s dental classroom at the Foothills Higher Education Center on South Sterling Street.

Permits approved for other projects included:

• An electrical permit for $67,970 worth of work to install a fire alarm system at the new Burke County Public Schools administrative building on West Union Street.
• An electrical permit was approved for $19,000 to install a temporary power pole and restrooms at Bethel Park. A plumbing permit was also approved for $32,000 worth of work. The park reopened in late March after two years of closure, though the city’s final improvement project is a new restroom facility.