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As the construction industry enters its busiest season the timing of the National Safety Council’s (NSC) National Safety Month couldn’t be more perfect! National Safety Month held annually advocates for companies and employees to take action to eliminate causes of preventable injuries and deaths.
National Safety Month acts as a reminder to our members to continue to prioritize safety in and around their workplaces. This month is a great time to review safety guidelines with teams, employees, and customers. It is also a great time review to make sure you are in compliance with OSHA's guidelines for your specific industry. www.osha.gov/complianceassistance/quickstarts This year’s National Safety Month focuses on four main themes:
www.nsc.org/workplace/national-safety-month Planning and Design Services is excited to announce that the Land Development Code (LDC) Reform project is now underway for 2022-2023. Thank you to everyone for your participation in this important work that began in the summer of 2020. As a result of your engagement, initial recommendations, including accessory dwelling units, notification procedures, and urban agriculture reforms have all been adopted.
As we move forward, plans outlining the content under consideration and strategies for outreach and engaging with the community are now available and we would like to discuss these reforms with you. To learn more about the amendments to the LDC being considered in this round, please click HERE to view a summary of the content or copy the following link into the address bar of your web browser:https://arcg.is/05LCLX0. The full program and engagement plan is available HERE and on our website at https://louisvilleky.gov/ldcreform. Flyers:
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments. You can call at 502-574-5860 or email at ldcreform@louisvilleky.gov. Joel P. Dock, AICP Planning Coordinator Planning & Design Services Department of Develop Louisville LOUISVILLE FORWARD 444 South Fifth Street, Suite 300 Louisville, KY 40202 502-574-5860 https://louisvilleky.gov/government/planning-design  According to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the prices of goods used in residential construction ex-energy (not seasonally adjusted) climbed 0.5% in April, following upwardly revised increases of 1.9% and 2.4% in March and February, respectively.
This adds up to an 4.9% increase in building materials prices since the start of 2022. Building materials prices are up 19.2% year over year and have risen 35.6% since the start of the pandemic. Specific material increases include:
In the slideshow below, there are two separate quotes for lumber: One from April 2021, one from May 2020. Notice the difference in the cost of a standard 2x4 stud. This is a fraction of the total lumber package for a new home in North Carolina with a sales price in the $300s. Lumber production must increase. As we all know, Lumber Prices have been on the rise for a while now, with no decline in price in sight. This not only affects the building industry directly, but, it also affects home buyers and homeowners looking to remodel.
A lumber industry veteran told CNBC on Thursday he expects the hot lumber market to persist, at least for a few more months, keeping both prices and volatility elevated.  NAHB - As lumber prices remain sky high, home-building activities continue to suffer across all aspects of the industry — including remodeling projects. Home owners have had an opportunity while sheltering in place to examine their homes and identify key areas in need of repair. But many have been apprehensive to tackle these projects because of the uncertain costs and availability of project materials.
 March 7-13, 2021 is National Women in Construction Week. This week, we celebrate women from all across the building industry workforce.
Women are currently outnumbered in the construction workforce 10 to 1, making it a male-dominated industry. National Women in Construction Week is in place to honor these hard-working women and to emphasize the growing role of women in the building industry.  The Wall Street Journal: Lumber prices have shot to fresh records, defying the normal winter slowdown in wood-product sales in a sign that the pandemic building boom is bowling into 2021.
 From NAHB: It is with deep regret we announce that the technology issues pertaining to the IBSx exhibitor platform could not be resolved. The situation evolved rapidly and rectifying these challenges proved more complex than anticipated. As a result, the show floor featuring IBSx exhibitor booths will not be moving forward as planned this week, but will be postponed to a later date. We are investigating alternative solutions to allow the exhibit experience and virtual booths to open in the near future.
 Due to ongoing technical issues with the KBIS Virtual and IBSx platform, access to all exhibitor booths within the IBSx Expo Hall is inaccessible. NAHB is investigating alternative solutions that may allow the Expo Hall to open in the future.
IBSx show programming including the General Sessions, Gamechangers, the Sales Rally, the Demo Zones and Shop Talks will continue as scheduled, February 10-12, 2021. Be sure to look for updated links to participate in planned IBSx education programming. |
