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Well we’ve been in our new office on the third floor of the Town Hall for a year now and that year has flown past us. It’s been an amazing sight to observe the renovations of the Town Hall from up in our “penthouse suite.” Once again, many thanks to Donald Sargent for providing the funds to bring life to the third floor, turning it from storage and remnants of the former balcony into the wonderful functional space that it is. Over and over we still hear positive comments even a year later. How many residents even remembered that
there was a third floor to the Town Hall?
Speaking of renovations, the Stateline Plaza redevelopment is nearly completed. The moving of Shaw’s across the street and all the improvements that were made helped to breathe a new life into an old, run-down plaza bringing it up to a level that we hope other commercial property owners will follow.
The residents also were patient with the improvements made to the Route 125 corridor. Turning lanes and a median strip were added to increase the safety of our ever-improving commercial district. It’s been a bit of a learning curve adapting to some of the changes, but it has made for a safer situation for those visiting Plaistow’s businesses.
Stateline plaza is not the only place in town were there is renewal and redevelopment. Many homeowners have chosen to put their money into improving their homes and staying in Plaistow rather than building new and relocating. Proving once again that Plaistow is the kind of town people want to live and raise their families in.
Below is a synopsis of the building permits issued in 2007.
Building Improvement Type |
# of Permits |
Value |
Residential New Construction |
1 |
$176,000 |
Garage/Barn |
7 |
$171,799 |
Shed |
10 |
$27,289 |
Other Accessory Structure |
10 |
$183,700 |
Residential Addition |
21 |
$617,255 |
Commercial New Construction |
9 |
$790.000 |
Commercial Addition |
1 |
$100,000 |
Pool |
12 |
$103,295 |
Residential Remodel |
48 |
$427,551 |
Commercial Remodel |
27 |
$3,861,549 |
Totals: |
146 |
$6,278,438 |
The Department of Building Safety is committed to always being informed about the latest happenings in the building safety area. Staff is always renewing it’s commitment to education. Both Ken Ray, Electrical Inspector and Jim Flathers, Plumbing and Mechanical Inspector, are leaders in their fields and possess a depth of knowledge that is second to none. They continue to keep themselves up-to-date regarding changes in the codes in their respective area. Dee Voss, our office manager and the “Radar O’Reilly” (just ask her a map and lot number some day – sometimes we think she knows them all) of our team continues her commitment to service to the Town and is a great resource in the Building, Planning and Zoning areas.
For 2008 the Department of Building Safety renews it’s commitment to be a team player for the benefit of the Plaistow Community. We work very closely with many departments including, but not limited to, Planning, Zoning, Police, Fire and Highway, to make sure that change is approached in a “big picture” fashion and in the best interests of the Plaistow residents.
It’s as important to us, in this department, as I know it is to the residents, that your tax dollars are spent wisely. We are all tax payers too. I am pleased to report that our revenue for 2007 was $113,776.75. This office continues to generate revenue that completely subsidizes our operational budget requests every year and making us a “user-fee” instead of a “tax-payer” based department. We are pretty proud of this and we renew that fiscal commitment to the residents for 2008.
In 2008 we look forward to seeing continued renovations to the commercial community in Plaistow. The renewal and rebirth of some of the older commercial plazas and the never-ending commitment of the residents to improve their own properties continue to make Plaistow the best place to live, work, shop and play.
The Department of Building Safety is here to assist property owners with all their building questions and needs. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Stop by or call us at 382-1191 X3 anytime!
Respectfully submitted,
P. Michael Dorman
Chief Building Official/Code Enforcement Officer
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