Another solid month of construction activity pushed the year-to-date total of building permits to $8.6 million in April.
A total of 23 permits were issued at City Hall during the month, the largest of which is for a $600,000 park and pergola already under construction at the Bremer Center. That project was featured in a recent ANR report explaining what will eventually be the new home for outdoor pickle ball and bocce ball courts.
In total, the April permits added up to $726,979. By comparison, the total in the early spring month a year ago was $403,097, two years ago the total was $476,281 and for the previous decade the April totals were as follows: $111,320 in 2021; $405,592 in 2020; $91,625 in 2019; $1,343,900 in 2018 (a year with four single-family dwellings in the same month); $2,698,200 in 2017 (with the bulk of that attributed to Griess Trucking’s $2 million truck wash and three single-family dwellings); $1,115,212 (boosted by two large single-family dwellings); $522,555 in 2015; and $369,123 in 2014.
The new year was already off to a fast start with $2.35 million worth of building permits issued at City Hall through February, and the March total tripled that by adding another $5.6 million to the running tally. The biggest permit of the year thus far was issued in March to KAAPA Partners Aurora, LLC, which is building a new administrative office building on Harvest Drive valued at $3.7 million. KAAPA also had a sizable permit in January, in the form of a $700,000 addition to a dried distiller’s grain building.
April building permits:
Michael Aschenbrener, 1404 12th St., fence, $5,000; Peggy Richter, 317 1st St., accessory building, $11,000; Charles Monter, 420 12th St., accessory building, $8,500; Rick Johnson, 809 9th St., accessory building, carport, $3,077; Chad Farrall, 218 13th St., fence, $6,500; Todd Gimpel, 2045 Greenway Dr., accessory building, pergolas and deck addition, $16,000; Paul Duey, 2109 N St., fence, $2,956; Bremer Center, 1604 L St., accessory building, park and pergola, $600,000; Gregg Kremer, 210 A St., accessory building, no value listed; Braedon and Alexis Valentine, 111 Terrie Road, fence, $500; Michelle Belitz, 1709 G St., fence, $1,000; Rita Petersen, 1823 Wedeking Court, fence, $8,334; Matt Griess, 1817 Wedeking Court, fence, $5,486; Erin Akerson, 1429 Beechwood Dr., addition to existing shed, $4,526; Glenn Obermeier, 319 Jennifer Road, addition to existing shed, $35,000; Tim and Terri Carlson, 1509 13th St., accessory building, $1,200; Preston Walker, 808 5th St., fence, $900; Mario Flores, 4 Green Meadow Estates, fence, $300; Heath and Dawn Enderle, 621 13th St., storage container, $6,000; Alan Smeltzer, 1308 15th St., fence, $1,200; Dale Havens, 614 G St., accessory building, $7,000; Rich Ludvik, 850 Q St., fireworks stand, no value listed; Mike Svoboda, 510 H St., accessory building, $2,500.