Wolf River Builders - Builder News July 2011

Take County M West out of Shawano to Pella, then left on County D in Pella. Park is on the right.

Time: Networking starting at 5:45
Meal approximately 6:30

Pig is being cooked by Kropf’s. Balance of meal will be provided…join us for a great time! We will have some beer and soda available…or B.Y.O.B.
(Bring Your Own Beverage)

One meal per membership is free, but we need your RSVP! Any additional meals for spouse or guests are $15.00 each.

Are you interested in donating a door prize?? Give Diane a call or just bring it along!

In order to make it easier for members to make their dues payment, it was decided to offer the option of making “installment payments”. I will try to send notice at least two months ahead of due date. You may split the payment up into two or three payments, with the final payment due by your renewal date. There will be no refunds if dues are not paid in full. And one payment in full when due is always an option!

Reminder- Incentive to Recruit New Members! – Members will receive $20 off their next renewal for each Associate member that they recruit and $40 off their renewal for each Builder member that they recruit! Promote WRBA membership!!

Are you still receiving just the hard copy of the newsletter? Please consider providing an email address to WRBA so that your newsletter as well as other information can be emailed to you. You will still have the option of a hard copy of the newsletter if you desire. An email address will also give me the ability to include you when sending information received that will not wait for the next newsletter.

Recently Habitat for Humanity held a donor appreciation night, to which WRBA was invited. Only those members who have given WRBA an email address were informed of the invite. Please consider providing your email address!

Our July 12^th meeting will be the picnic and pig roast at Pella’s Mill Park Shelter just off County D. In September of last year we again purchased a pig during the auction at the Shawano County Fair from one of the area 4-H/FFA members. Mark Kropf from Kropf’s meat will be cooking our pig and the balance of the meal will be catered in. WRBA will provide plates, utensils, cups, and some beer and soda (left from the Home Show appreciation night). If you have something in particular you would like to drink, feel free to bring it along!

August 9^th will be our annual Golf Outing in conjunction with our general membership meeting at the Golden Sands Golf Course in Cecil. Flyers will be going out soon, but first we are looking for a major sponsor for the outing. For $300 your business will be promoted on the flyer, in the newsletter and with whatever other promotion goes out. You may have signage and a table/booth with other information on your business at the golf outing, and will be mentioned during the program after the dinner that evening. Get in touch with Cap Wallrich at 715-526-2156 (golf outing chair) or Cory or Diane today to become the Major Sponsor for this year! With the flyer we will also be requesting Hole Sponsors at $50 each as well as door prizes. We hope you will consider these options to help make our golf outing a success.

Lumber Dealers Supply has announced a continuing education opportunity featuring national speaker Mark LaLiberte at NWTC in Green Bay on Tues., August 9. Mark’s topic will be “Ideas & Solutions for Building Better Homes”. Registration prior to July 31^st is $20. A flyer on the class has been sent to builder members. If you did not get the flyer and are interested in getting more information, please contact Diane.

If you are a contractor or subcontractor looking for some type of specific training, please let WRBA know! If it is something that a group of our members might find useful, we will try to bring in an instructor. Also - don’t forget to check out the education link on the Wisconsin Builders Association^® website, www.wisbuild.org, for classes being offered by other area builders associations.

Lincoln School Feasibility Study

Public Comment Meeting - July 12, 2011

5:30pm to 7:30pm

Hillcrest School Cafeteria, Shawano, WI

Please attend - we want to hear your ideas about the future use of the Lincoln School Building.

To RSVP or for more information call

715/526-5839.

Sponsored by:

Shawano County Economic Progress, Inc.

Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce

Shawano County UW-Extension

Dimension IV

We are starting the third quarter of our advertising campaign with the Shawano Shopper’s Guide. We get the full front page of the Shopper once per month, giving you prime business card size advertising space for $110 per quarter (three issues-one per month).

If you are unfamiliar with our program or to check availability for this quarter, contact Karen Theis.

Thank you to Dave & Karen Theis, Randy Bohm, Bill Rapaich and Diane Montour for helping out with the parking at the Brunch on the Farm at the Paiser Dairy on June 26^th. Scott Breitrick helped with organizing the group but did not help with parking himself…he was busy under the tent helping prepare breakfast for the attendees!

As mentioned last month in the newsletter, we are looking to do a couple of new projects at the Heritage Park Historical Society. Some of the things that they would like to see completed include a new roof and exterior painting of the Oil House, as well as exterior painting of the Archive Center. If you are interested in helping or getting more information, give Diane a call.

We have passed the first deadline for the early bird discount for our 2012 WRBA Home & Cottage Show that was offered to all vendors from the 2011 show. So far we have nine booths reserved for the April 13th, 14^th and 15^th show. Packets for open registration will be out soon with the next deadline for discounted booth rates being October 15^th. Interested in helping on this committee? We’d love to have you! Give Cap or Diane a call.

(A monthly report from Brad Boycks, the Director of Government and Political Affairs with WBA)

Recently both houses of the legislature met and passed identical versions of the state budget. In the end, it was slightly tweaked from the version passed by the Joint Committee on Finance.

The state budget now goes to Governor Walker’s desk where he will announce his vetoes (if any) and then sign the budget before July 1, 2011.

WBA will be communicating with the entire membership once the budget is signed with an extensive summary of the issues we supported in the budget. If there are no changes to the budget passed by the legislature we are very happy with the overall package.

▪ Prevailing wage law changes to eliminate prevailing wage requirements on residential subdivisions, “publicly funded private construction projects,” and donated labor used to construct or repair municipal projects. These changes would now take effect once the budget is signed into law by Governor Walker.

▪ Ban on code packages that increase the cost of housing by $1,000 unless passed by both houses of the legislature and signed into law by the governor.

The conversion fee on land will be eliminated if Governor Walker accepts the legislature’s recommendation contained in the recently passed state budget on this matter.

According to an analyst at the Legislative Fiscal Bureau “the conversion fee repeal would take effect immediately upon the bill's effective date, which would be the later of July 1 or the day after publication. Until the bill's effective date, current law would apply, meaning a conversion fee is to be collected for each rezoning.”

Governor Walker recently signed into law Special Session Bill 8 (SS AB 8), a comprehensive reform of the rule making process in Wisconsin.

Now that SS AB 8 has been signed into law any Wisconsin governor will have a greater ability to review and reject administrative rules in the future. This greatly affects the building industry because the vast majority of building code changes come via the administrative rule process.

For years WBA members have asked for more transparency and accountability in the legislative rule making process and this major reform package will do just that.

• Agencies will only have the authority explicitly specified by the Legislature.

• Citizens may challenge administrative rules in the county in which they reside, not just Dane county.

This is another item on the 2011-2012 GA agenda that we were happy to finally become law.

Recently Virgil Waugh of Amwood Homes in Janesville was appointed by Governor Scott Walker to serve as a member of the Wisconsin Council on Forestry. Mr. Waugh will replace Leon Church, a long time WBA member who previously served as a member of the Wisconsin Council on Forestry.

According to their website, the Wisconsin Council on Forestry was created by State Statute 26.02 in July 2002 to advise the governor, legislature, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Commerce, and other state agencies on a host of forestry issues in the state, including:
• Protection of forests from fire, insects, and disease
• The practice of sustainable forestry, as defined in s. 28.04 (1) (e)

• Economic development and employment in the forestry industry
• Marketing and use of forest products

Thank you to Leon Church for your service as a member of the council and congratulations to Virgil Waugh as you begin your term on the Wisconsin Council on Forestry.

Recently current Commerce Secretary and head of the newly created Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Paul Jadin took time from his busy schedule to address the WBA Executive Committee in Madison.

Secretary Jadin gave the group an update on the transition from the current Department of Commerce to the new WEDC and the transitioning of the Safety and Buildings Division from Commerce to the new Department of Safety and Professional Services.

Jadin also mentioned that WEDC will be creating a number of “citizen advisory groups” to get input on a wide variety of issues and said he would looking for WBA members to serve on these groups. WBA President Don Esposito followed up with Secretary Jadin after the meeting to both thank him for joining us and offering our help in finding members to serve on these advisory groups in the future.

As you know WBA purchased new software to help members better communicate with elected officials this session. In the past we had asked you to send e-mails to your legislators on important issues but the process required a number of steps and admittedly was far from “user friendly.”

Since the start of this legislative session we have sent out a number of alerts asking members to contact their member of the legislature on a number of important GA matters. In addition to allowing members to contact your legislator with “one click” VoterVoice also allows us to track the response rate we receive on each alert.

Enclosed is a summary of the e-mails we sent out and the rate of return we received from the household list of around 5,200 unique e-mail addresses we have in our database.

5.9.11, Support concept (budget) to repeal conversion
fee, 138 e-mails to the capitol

5.11.11, Support Rep. Williams bill on prevailing wage
repeal, 191 e-mails to capitol

We are very happy with VoterVoice but as you can see by the numbers above we still have a lot of room to increase our member participation on important GA issues. If you have been responding out our “Call to Action” messages, thank you and please continue to spread the word to your fellow members.

Please alert homeowners in your area who are unemployed and struggling to stay in their homes to apply for emergency funding to avoid foreclosure, through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Emergency Homeowner Loan Program (EHLP) program.

EHLP will provide a forgivable bridge loan of up to $50,000 to pay mortgage, tax, and insurance bills for up to two years.

Pre-applications for the Emergency Homeowner Loan Program (EHLP) will be available starting June 20.

Who is eligible to apply: Unemployed and underemployed homeowners (due to job loss or serious medical condition) who are at risk of losing their home, and are 90 days delinquent on their mortgage payment.

When to apply: Homeowners will only have until July 22, 2011 to submit pre-applications for these limited funds.

Homeowners should gather key documents now for the next stage of the application process.

* Citizenship documents for every person listed on the mortgage (passport, birth certificate)

AL, AR, CO, CT, DE, HI ,ID, IA ,KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, MT, NE, NH, NM, NY, ND, OK,PA, SD, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA,WV, WI, WY, & Puerto Rico

For assistance on how to apply for foreclosure prevention funds in every state scroll down and click on your state. EHLP materials are available in Spanish, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean.

Time is short. Please help us get the word out today to help as many unemployed homeowners as possible qualify for a forgivable bridge loan to save their homes.

WRBA recently received an email from Jerry Deschane, WBA Executive Vice President who received information from Todd Taylor with the Safety and Buildings Division (Department of Commerce). They asked that if we thought there may be any interest in a career change for any of our members, that we pass this information along to you.

1) S&B is looking to hire a building inspector for northeast Wisconsin. See wisc.jobs # 1103263

2) S&B is looking to hire a fire prevention coordinator for northwest Wisconsin. See wisc.jobs #1103063

What are the Best Ways to Add Value to Your Home? (Provided by Wisconsin Builders Association -Posted: 29 Jun 2011 06:00 AM PDT)

Which home remodeling projects are the best ones for those looking for a solid return on their investment — and higher profits come selling day?

Americans spent over $114 billion on home remodeling in 2009, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Remodeling is expected to outpace new home building in about 10 years.

But all home remodeling projects are not equal. Here are some top ways to add value to your home:

Home offices are becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity, with more people telecommuting. The number of Americans that work from home is in the millions, and that number has continued to grow every year. With many companies cutting costs and becoming more aware of their carbon footprints, telecommuting has become a viable solution for many in the working world. Making sure that your home has a state-of-the-art space for potential teleworkers is a surefire way to increase your home’s value.

With open floor plans becoming more in demand, a family room is an excellent way to make existing homes more like new construction. Remember, it’s a good idea to keep in mind what homes in your area are like. People like to purchase homes that blend with other homes around them. Chances are you’ll find many of your neighbors are investing in family rooms as well.

The roof is one of the first impressions people have of a home. Make sure yours passes the test by replacing an old roof. You can also change the character of your home by looking into architecturally styled roofing tiles.

Along the same lines of thinking as the roof, landscaping can give a great – or not so great – first impression. Backyard landscaping can transform ordinary spaces into incredible entertaining areas by including elegant water features and lush plants. Consider your area’s climate. If you live in an area that receives temperate weather year-round, you’ll find that your new landscaped yard adds value to your home and increases your living space.

Thirty percent of a home’s energy is lost through its windows. Replacing old windows with energy-efficient ones signals to home buyers that you really care about the house and it reflects on the quality of the house as a whole. Plus, who doesn’t like to save money on energy bills?

Look at space you already have. Do you have unused space that serves as a black hole for all things without a home? Try remodeling your basement. Remodeled basements can make excellent game rooms or guest suites, adding value to your home without adding space.

Enough said. But remember to hire a professional if you need help and keep the colors neutral if you’re looking to sell. Nothing looks worse than a poorly done paint job in bright fuchsia.

Small changes can result in big value. Upgrading appliances, door handles and painting tired walls can add new life to your kitchen, and add value to your home. The general rule when doing a remodel is not to overdo it…unless it’s the kitchen. Kitchens sell a home, and in this case, size does matter. But a kitchen remodel is a long-term investment; you’ll see payback 10 years down the road. And if you are a DIYer, know your limits. Sometimes doing it yourself can save money, but always bring in a professional for the big jobs.

A bathroom remodel can often mean simply making the most of your current space, by upgrading fixtures, flooring and lighting. Have a little more money in the budget? Adding a bathroom is a great way to increase the value of your home. Is your only bathroom upstairs and not convenient for dinner guests? Often the area under a set of stairs is the perfect place for a powder room.

For more information on adding value to your home through remodeling, visit www.nahb.org/remodel.

Business travel can be stressful, whether it’s regional client visits or cross-country flights. A smartphone can go a long way to ease some of the anxiety that often accompanies business travel. With the addition of a few applications your phone becomes a travel agent, GPS and can save you money.

● TripIt – This travel app organizes a trip itinerary from airline tickets, hotel rooms and rental cars to restaurants, activities and weather into one, easy-to-carry location, eliminating the stack of papers that were once a must-have when traveling. To use, the traveller simply forwards confirmation emails to their TripIt account.

● Google Maps – Whether you are walking in an unfamiliar city or planning the best route for local client visits, Google Maps with built-in navigation eliminates the need for a separate GPS unit. It provides traffic information and construction updates to keep you on schedule. Additionally, with Google Layers you can also find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs and more on your route, saving time and energy when you need to make a pit stop.

● Gas Buddy – With gas prices at an all-time high, it’s worth taking an extra second to shop around, especially when you can do it with the push of a button. Gas Buddy uses your GPS to find the cheapest gas prices in your area. The prices are updated by other users, assuring the app has the latest pricing information.

These apps are available for free download on Android™, BlackBerry™ and Windows Mobile™ devices. Cellcom recommends checking out the application market on your phone for additional travel apps.

Cellcom is a proud partner with your association, providing discounted wireless plans and business solutions for all members. Cellcom is a locally owned and operated communications services provider throughout Wisconsin and Michigan, with more than 70 retail and agent locations. For more information on Cellcom’s partnership with your organization, contact Tom Swiecichowski, 920-617-7171 or tjs@cellcom.com.

Board members voted to endorse Secura Insurance at the June board meeting. This endorsement does not limit us to Secura in any way, and may bring us another associate member! More info to come on this…

MILE-STONE Group Program:

Get the policy and the price

(As submitted by Cap Wallrich, Wallrich Insurance)

Price is an important factor in choosing your home and auto insurance policy. Equally important is what your policy covers.

Cap Wallrich is an independent agent with Wallrich Insurance who’s been working with us to deliver outstanding home and auto coverage at a special group rate for our WRBA Members.

The policy comes from SECURA Insurance, an A-rated carrier known for delivering exceptional value and outstanding claims service. With our special group rate, you can get a customized comprehensive policy that contains all the options that fit your lifestyle and budget.

Cap Wallrich is an experienced insurance professional committed to helping you get the right insurance at the right price. Call today for your free quote and special rate.

Cap Wallrich - WALLRICH INSURANCE

300 E. Green Bay St. – P O Box 90

Shawano, WI 54166

715-526-2156, cap@wallrich.com , www.wallrich.com

OSHA Begins Enforcement of New Fall Protection Guidelines for Residential Construction on June 16, 2011 By: Robert Procter

The United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) begins enforcement of the new Fall Protection Compliance Guidelines for Residential Construction on June 16, 2011.

The New Fall Protection Guidelines require residential builders to ensure that employees working six feet or more above the lower level of the site to use guardrails, safety nets or a personal fall arrest system. A personal fall arrest system includes a full body harness, a deceleration device, a lanyard, and an anchor point, and must be rigged to prevent a worker from reaching the fall hazard and falling over the edge.

The new OSHA Fall Protection Compliance Guidelines apply to "residential construction." Residential construction means that the end-use of the structure will be a home and the structure is built using traditional wood frame construction materials and methods.

For more information on compliance with the new rule, view OSHA's Residential Fall Protection website.

For more safety information relating to residential home construction and fall prevention devices, the National Home Builders Association and OSHA jointly released a Job Safety Handbook.

The Wisconsin Builders Association will continue to offer education opportunities. For more information on the above classes, and for the dates and times of other classes, contact Megan Lindsey of the Valley Home Builders Association at 920.731.7931.

Biennial Budget and Changes to Prevailing Wage Law (provided by Wisconsin Builders Association - Posted: 05 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT)

The just signed 2011-2012 biennial budget made significant changes to Wisconsin’s prevailing wage law. These changes went into effect on July 1, 2011. Here is a brief summary of those changes:

Increases the threshold cost of a project for which prevailing wage applies as follows:

$234,000 for multiple trade construction projects conducted by towns, cities, and villages with populations of less than 2,500 provided that the work is contracted with a private contractor

Exempts any residential development from laws governing prevailing wage. Residential developments consist of any development where 90 percent of the approved lots contain or will contain a dwelling. Specifies that the exemption applies to any work paid for by a developer and then dedicated to a municipality.

Provides that prevailing wage law does not apply to a project involving construction of a residential property containing two dwelling units or less.

Repeals the prevailing wage requirement regarding publicly funded private construction projects. A publicly funded private construction project is a project in which the developer receives direct financial assistance from a municipality (e.g. a grant or other arrangement whereby the municipality directly provides funds to assist with the project).

Specifies that the statutory prevailing wage provisions must be construed as an enactment of statewide concern for the purpose of providing uniform prevailing wage laws throughout the state. Further, the revised law will prohibit local governments from enacting or administering prevailing wage ordinances and specifies that any ordinance or enactment that is effective as of the date of the statute is void.

Repeals the monthly wage reporting requirements for contractors, subcontractors, or agents thereof.

Amends existing law so that DWD does not need to inspect contractor wage records when requested by individuals.

Repeals the current exemption from municipal and state prevailing wage laws for public works in which the labor is provided by unpaid volunteers. In its place, specifies that prevailing wage laws do not apply to projects in which the contracting government unit is not required to pay any contractor, subcontractor, agent, or individual for performing the work.

Under current law, prevailing wage does not apply to a laborer, worker, mechanic, or truck driver who is regularly employed to process, manufacture, pick up, or deliver materials or products from certain locations unless one of the following applies:

The individual is employed to go to the source of the mineral aggregate that is to be immediately incorporated into the work by depositing the material substantially in place.

The individual is employed to go to the site of the covered project, pick up excavated material or spoil from the project, and transport the excavated material away from the project site.

It will clarify that the individual would not have to be regularly employed in the activities described above to be exempt from coverage.

It will provide that prevailing wage law does not apply to an individual delivering products from a facility that is not dedicated to a project.

It will clarify that, to be covered, the individual would have to be employed to go to the source of mineral aggregate and deliver that aggregate to the site of a covered project by depositing the materials directly in their final place, either from the transporting vehicle or through spreaders from the transporting vehicle.

Amends the current prevailing wage law regarding certification of prevailing wage rates for highway projects to generally include Sunday pay, holiday pay, and shift differential pay.

Specifies that government units do not have to file a prevailing wage survey if the government unit performs any construction work.

These changes should benefit both municipalities and developers by reducing the burden and costs associated with certain municipal projects. We will continue to monitor changes to prevailing wage laws and provide updates as necessary, as there may be additional modifications proposed in the near future.

New U.S. Residential Construction in April 2011 – Statistics provided by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development:

Building Permits: Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 551,000. This is a 4.0 percent (± 1.1%) below the revised March rate of 574,000 and is 12.8 percent (± 1.2%) below the revised April 2010 estimate of 632,000.

Single-family authorizations in April were at a rate of 385,000; this is 1.8 percent (± 1.0%) below the revised March figure of 392,000.