Builders busy despite high construction costs

Throughout McCook's history, carpenters and contractors have been in demand, building and remodeling houses, apartments and duplexes to keep pace with McCook's changing population.

Starting in 1882, when McCook was founded, and continuing until the present day, builders have constructed more than 2,500 places to live in what has become the largest town in Southwest Nebraska.

Over the years, clusters of houses have sprouted throughout the community, starting in the central core east and west of Norris Avenue, and steadily spreading to the edges of town and out into the surrounding countryside. A big surge in housing came in the 1960s, during the oil and lake-building boom years, with Harry Strunk's Parkview Addition -- popularly known as "The Reservation" -- and the Marsh-Larmon developments extending the town's boundaries to the north.

Since 1983 -- the start of McCook's second century -- hundreds of new houses have arisen. For visual evidence of this, take a drive west to Heritage Hills and the Highlands ... north to North Pointe, Countryside Estates, the Henton Addition and the Pearson Addition ... and east to the houses east and south of Community Hospital, known as the Century II addition, and northeast of town to the Calabria Addition.

There are approximately 45 houses in the Hills and Highlands area, 40 in the Henton Addition and Countryside Estates, 26 in the Pearson Addition, 71 in the area around the hospital; and 45 in the Calabria area, which is two miles north and a half mile east of Community Hospital.

Housing development is ongoing, with McCook's builders staying busy with remodeling and custom home projects.

"I've been in the building business for 50 years," says Dan Rempel, "and this is the busiest I've ever been." Remodelings, carports and garage construction are keeping Dan hopping, and the same goes for Harvey Esslinger, who has also logged a half century in the building business, including the last 42 years in McCook.

Harvey, who keeps himself and a crew of six or seven on the move, is currently completing a custom built home in Maywood, as well as doing lots of remodelings and barns in McCook and the surrounding region. "We're always busy," Harv said.

Doug Dame is also booked far into the future. "For the last three or four years, we've been booked three to four months ahead of time. There are all kinds of projects, with lots of remodelings and additions," Doug said. Also upcoming for Doug Dame Construction is a new home, with construction slated to start in the spring on a house in the Indianola area.

Monte Hazlitt of Hazlitt Construction is also finding steady work, with a string of custom built homes completed by Monte and his cooperating contractors, Brent Hazliit, who is Monte's son, and Nate Priddy, who is a plumber as well as a builder. "With the high cost of insurance for employees, we have found it wiser to work together as independent contractors, rather than hire a bunch of help," Monte said. The arrangement has worked well, with a line-up of nice new houses built by the contracting team. The custom construction has included Paul Messinger's brick home across the street east from Brookdale McCook; a large house in Countryside Estates; the Neal Gohl family's new home north of Heritage Hills; and another new house, which will take shape soon on Clubhouse Drive near the southern entrance to Heritage Hills Golf Course.

Out in the country, building action is also on-going, with Pietro (Joe) Giorgione determined to fulfill his goal of building and selling on all of the one-and-a-half and two-acre locations in the Calabria Subdivision. "Since coming to McCook in 1997, we have built more than 45 new homes," Joe said. This includes a number in the Calabria area, as well as several in the Pearson Addition, and others around town, including homes on Apollo, West 12th, East Fifth and D Streets.

Through the years, Joe has been joined in the development business by his son, Pietro Giorgione Jr., and his grandson, Guiseppe Wilcox. With the cost of materials rising, the three-generation building team is finding that the cost of a new, medium-size home ranges from $190,000 to $240,000. "We have 13 lots left in the Calabria subdivision," Joe said. "Once those are done, it will be my son and grandson's turn to carry things forward."

The Giorgiones are not the only ones building in the Calabria area. Another active local builder, Schilz & Sons Construction, recently completed a new house in the Calabria area. The Schilz team, led by Lonnie Joe Schilz, is also the building crew that did the makeover of John and Judy Anderson's home at 402 East First Street.

Another McCook builder who is keeping busy is Terry Pinkal of T Pinkal Construction LLC. "I'm swamped," Terry said. "There's lots of remodeling projects to do, both fix-ups and additions."

Mark Uerling of Uerling Construction also is in continuous demand for building projects. "Since I started in construction in 2002, there hasn't been a day that I did not have work," he said. Mark is currently building a two-story home at Cambridge Lake, and also keeps busy shooting concrete for basements and retaining walls.

Russ Schlager and Rick Weaver are building a house in Countryside Estates, across the street west of John Kugler's home. It's been an eye-opening experience for the cousins, who have been surprised by the high cost of labor and materials. "In the McCook area it's hard to keep building costs in an affordable range," Russ said. "It's going to be tough, going forward, to build houses here that those with average incomes can afford."

The high cost of new construction is one of the things driving the demand for remodeling projects. For this, the McCook area is well served. "We are fortunate to have a wide selection of qualified and competent contractors in McCook and the surrounding area of Southwest Nebraska," said Aaron Peterson, the engineering technician who is handling a large share of the inspecting duties. "I've been impressed with the quality of the general contractors in the McCook area, and also those who do specialized work, such as plumbers, electricians and concrete contractors," Aaron said.

As much as is being done -- now and in the past few years -- more will be needed in the months and years to come.

Bill Davis and Terry McCorkle, the men who are spearheading the North Pointe development north of West Q Street, are hopeful about future prospects. ""Sewer and water lines are in place and the first of the lots has been sold," Terry said. "It won't be long until building begins, not only on the first lot, but also on a spec home which Bill will be constructing in North Pointe." Also emerging is the Gallatin Subdivision, which is a group of three-acre sites across from the Pearson Addition north of town.

When the North Pointe and Gallatin developments are combined with the 12-unit Clary Village project; the Habitat for Humanity home on West Third; the McCook Community Builders-Prairie Gold house on East I; and the growing number of nice custom homes being built by independent contractors, McCook is striving to meet the community's constantly changing housing challenge.

What does the future hold? Can McCook find ways to provide comfortable and affordable housing for all income levels? Those are the questions that are being posed and pondered as McCook and the surrounding region faces the future. The McCook Gazette will explore the housing issues in depth in an upcoming series of articles.