Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette The KFC building in Houghton was one of the new buildings constructed in Houghton County in 2023. The county issued 425 building permits last year, up 6.8% from 2022.

HOUGHTON — New construction in Houghton County was up over last year, Building Inspector Todd LaRoux said during Tuesday’s monthly board meeting.

The county issued 425 building permits last year, compared to 398 in 2022. The total cost of construction increased by even more — up almost 68% to $77,383,211.

New homes were also up in 2023, going from 106 to 117. That’s the highest the county has seen at least as far back as 2017, LaRoux said.

More 911 numbers were also created in 2023, increasing from 124 last year to 155. Soil erosion permits, up four to 116, also went up.

One of the few decreases came in electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, which fell from 1,230 to 1,091.

LaRoux also offered a preview of commercial buildings being constructed this year. Last fall, Calumet Electronics began building a 60,000-square-foot factory at its facility for substrate manufacturing. All the interior piers and pads have been installed in the foundation, which is about 80% complete, LaRoux said.

Latest reports are that the foundation will be finished by the end of January, LaRoux said. Steel should arrive sometime in March.

“That building’s going to be ready to go as soon as the steel comes in,” he said. “Obviously, they’ll pour floors and that after the building’s up.”

LJJ Construction is also working on a 153-bed complex in Houghton with five floors, including one below level. It is also handling the Keweenaw Co-op’s new building on Quincy Street in Hancock, which includes renovating and building additions to a former car dealership site.

U-Haul is also planning two large buildings. One will be used to hold pods for portable storage. The other will be climate-controlled storage with individual units.

Two large foundations have been laid, and steel work will start in the spring, LaRoux said.

Wuebben Construction also filed Monday for new construction at the top of Quincy Hill. It will include a 100-foot-by-300 building, plus a two-floor 30-by-50 office. Bryan Heating is also building a new shop and office building on the corner of Sunshine Road.

In Kearsarge, Royale, Inc. plans to build a new fabrication shop in the spring, LaRoux said.

In other action, the county:

• Approved the sale of the former 911 tower building to Torch Lake Federal Credit Union for $300,000. The deal is scheduled to close next week.

The building had become extraneous, as the county now handles 911 dispatch through Negaunee. The tower at the Laurium site was slated for removal after a new 911 tower went online in Centennial in August.

All proceeds from the sale go to the county’s 911 fund, where it will be used to support police, fire and emergency services with radios and other equipment, said Chair Tom Tikkanen.

“This will also put this county property back on the tax rolls,” he said. “It was a very good collaborative effort from a number of our departments to get this property ready for purchase.”

The sale was approved 4-0. Commissioner Joel Keranen abstained, as he is a member of the credit union and formerly sat on its board.

The board thanked Tikkanen and Commissioner Gretchen Janssen for their work on the project over the past two years.

• Approved $42,000 in funding for the treatment court from opioid settlement money received by the county. Another $50,000 of the original $92,000 request would go toward a pretrial services officer. That item was removed from the motion so the board could get clarification on if it would be a full-time position.

• Approved appointments for the Houghton County Planning Commission, which recommended both new members. The board voted 5-0 to appoint Mark Larson as representative for local recreation and culture. Erik Kiilunen was appointed to the local government planning and zoning position on a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Glenn Anderson and Janssen voting against.

• Reappointed Roy Britz as vice chair for a one-year term.

• Appointed Jay Ruohonen to the allocation board.