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64 • MAY 2012 • WORLD FENCE NEWS At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $376 billion, new construction starts in February dropped 7% from the previous month, according to Mc- Graw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. The nonbuilding construction sector, com- prised of public works and electric utilities, lost considerable momentum in February, and diminished activity was also reported for nonresidential building. Meanwhile, residential building in February was able to register modest growth. For the first two months of 2012, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis came in at $52.9 bil- lion, down 14% from a year ago. For the 12 months ending February 2012 versus the 12 months ending February World Fence ews News from the World of Fencing, Access Control and Security N The Dodge Report New construction starts register decline in February 2011, which lessens the volatility pres- ent in year-to-date comparisons of just two months, total construction starts were down 2%. The February statistics lowered the Dodge Index to 80 (2000 = 100), compared to 85 in January. For 2011 as a whole, the Dodge Index averaged 91. "The pace of construction starts during the first two months of 2012 was subdued, retreating to the lower end of its recent range," stated Robert A. Murray, vice-president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction. "Renewed expansion for the construc- © Facebook page! has a tion industry is still struggling to take hold, with gains for a few project types such as multifamily housing being out- weighed by declines for project types that are largely publicly financed. This was especially the case in February, when much of the downward pull came from weakness for public works and institutional building." Nonbuilding construction in Feb- ruary dropped 16% to $107.8 billion (annual rate). Highway construction plunged 26%, resuming the declining trend that was present for much of 2011 before contracting improved briefly in December and January. Murray noted, "The factors affect- Enter or click on the link below http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Fence-News/121158604594820 Then click on "Like" to receive updates! Is your business or association positioned for the changing economy? Do you have the strategy in place to put you and your staff/members in the best position to succeed? If the answer to the above questions is anything other than a solid "YES", then contact us to discuss possible ways we can help you to improve your overall operations and to help put you and your business or association in a better position to succeed. 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I'm interested in____________________________________________________ Telephone________________________________ Convenient time________________________ Fax Number _____________________________ E-mail: ________________________________ Name __________________________________________________________________________ Name of Business/Organization_____________________________________________________ Address_________________________________________________________________________ City________________________________ State ______________ Zip _____________________ ing new construction starts for high- ways are generally negative – fiscal 2012 appropriations included a 5% cut to the federal-aid highway program, the lift from the federal stimulus act has run its course, states continue to deal with budget constraints, and the funding authority under the existing federal transportation legislation is set to expire on March 31. While Congress has taken steps to MVP, a veteran in the vinyl indus- try and manufacturer of WeatherWise® Quality Outdoor Products, has an- nounced the opening of their third lo- cation. The Plant City, Fla. location will be an extrusion, manufacturing, and distribution hub on Florida's West Coast, between Tampa and Or- lando, and will play an integral part in meeting the needs of MVP's quickly growing South- east market. The 67,000 square foot lo- cation will dou- ble production capacity, noted Luke Curtas, president of MVP and a Tampa native. "This new opportunity is an in- credible chance for MVP to grow while maintaining our commitment to customer satisfaction, product innova- tion and quality," said Curtas. "We are making these changes while continu- ing to be mindful of our responsibili- ties to our customers, our employees, our community, and our environment." MVP has assembled an experi- enced team for the operation and will extend the funding authority by con- sidering new transportation measures, such as the $109 billion two-year bill recently passed by the Senate, the un- certainty over the shape and timing of a new transportation package has added another negative to this year's prospects for highway construction." Other large declines for public works in February were registered by water supply systems, down 18%; mis- "Renewed expansion for the construction industry is still struggling to take hold, with gains for a few project types such as multifamily housing being outweighed by declines for project types that are largely publicly financed." – Robert A. Murray cellaneous public works (including site work), down 21%; and sewers, down 22%. The decline for miscella- neous public works was cushioned by $344 million for site work at an oil storage facility in Houston. The two public works categories able to register gains in February were the following Vinyl manufacturer MVP expands with third location be bringing new local jobs to the Plant City economy, he added. MVP was founded in 1997 and runs corporate operations out of its state-of-the-art facilities in Fredericks- burg, Va. In 2008, MVP started operating extrusion lines, and opened a distribution fa- cility in Rock- ledge, Fla. in 2009. MVP' s The Plant City, Fla. facility is MVP's third loca- tion. The company will extrude, manufacture and distribute from the 67,000 square foot plant. (MVP photo) WeatherWise Railing Sys- tems are tested and evaluated on a continual basis and ex- ceed safety code standards when tested in accordance with ICC-ES AC174. The code compliance Research Report (CCRR-0100) can be found at www.mvpweatherwise.com. Weather- Wise Vinyl Privacy Fencing has re- cently been approved by the Miami-Dade County Standards. A grand opening celebration is planned on June 1 for the Plant City location. For more information, call 800- 97-VINYL or email info@mvpweath- erwise.com.