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Editorial
Housing series -- in a nutshell
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Three reporters, nine stories, over 8,000 words, and countless hours. Those are the numbers that represent the housing series stories that the Gazette has published over the past few weeks. Here are the key take-aways that we thought were important to know:
1. McCook and the area is fortunate to have a number of skilled craftsmen who are capable of meeting the demand for housing, both in the area of new construction and remodeling existing structures.
2. We could use more contractors, as many of them are booked up more than six months into the future, making new projects challenging.
3. Community leaders have tackled the housing problem in various and innovative ways. The McCook Community Builders Investment Group, Southwest Nebraska Habitat for Humanity, Purchase-Rehab-Resell Program, East Ward Village, Prairie Gold Homes, Clary Village, North Pointe Subdivision, and the Calabria Subdivision have all added or will add housing units to the inventory in McCook.
4. Jobs are at stake, as several major employers have high-paying positions unfilled because potential employees could not find the right kind of existing housing on the market.
5. The "right" kind of housing includes executive homes, low-income or senior multi-family units, and "bread and butter" homes for middle income families. Those middle income houses (in the $80,000 to $100,000 range) are the hardest to come by as most new construction costs are well above that price point.
6. McCook is not alone in facing a housing shortage -- other communities in western Nebraska have also tackled the problem in innovative ways, including giving away lots to individuals on the condition that a home will be built on the property. That is not an avenue that McCook has been able to pursue yet.
7. Tackling a housing project, whether it is a multi-unit dwelling or a single family home, is hard work and requires patience, flexibility, persistence, and stamina.
That is it -- in a nutshell. All of the housing stories have been posted to our web page here if you would prefer the 8,000-word version.