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Most of the permits are for home repairs, including roofing and siding work, Prondak says.
“That’s the majority of what we deal with,” he says.
But Prondak says he’s worried that a weak economy will slow down permit requests over the winter.
“I am expecting a dip in applications this winter,” he says. “I expect it to be more than the dip we normally see, which is largely caused by winter weather. Feedback that we have received by contractors indicates that they are doing fewer estimates.”
Less construction will impact how much the Building Department collects in permit fees, Prondak says.
The department charges $12 per every $1,000 of the estimated cost of a project. Last year, around $640,000 was collected from 866 permits. Two years ago, $550,000 was collected from 838 permits.
The Building Department usually handles up to 20 permit applications at any one time, Prondak says.
Currently, the major construction projects permitted by the town are the new student center at Curry College, condominium developments (and a planned restaurant) at the Extra Space Storage property on Adams Street, and renovations to Milton Hospital and the main branch library on Canton Avenue.
Prondak said that the rest of the town’s current construction is scattered among residential neighborhoods.
“It really isn’t focused in one area. It’s a big town,” he said.
Meanwhile, there have been three new homes permitted in town since last July, according to Building Department records.
The new buildings permitted in the current
fiscal year are all single-family homes. The three
houses are located at 6 Garden St., 7 Maple St. and 670 Brook Rd.
The Maple Street home was permitted on July 2 and is valued at $190,000, the Brook Road home was permitted July 3 and is valued at $519,000, and the Garden Street home was permitted Oct. 1 and is valued at $284,000.
There is still a permit pending for a new building at 36 Central Ave., according to Prondak.