On The Level - May 2009

Contents:

Annual TABA Golf Tournament

Scheduled for Friday, May 15th at Sammons Golf Links

Sponsored By:

   

We are now accepting entry forms for our upcoming Annual Golf Tournament.  It is a four man scramble and prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 5th, 10th and 15th place winners.  If you missed last year's tournament - you missed a great day!  At last year's tournament, the party place was at the 10th hole where Brad Turner (Monteith) cooked up all the goodies for the golfers that passed by and he will be back this year!

Please click here and print off our entry form if you wish to enter a team, fill it out and mail it back to TABA with the appropriate entry fee.  If you don't have a team but would like to play, please fill out an entry form and the committee will place you on a team.

This event is great fun and begins at 12:00 noon at Sammons Golf Links in Temple.  We are limited to the first 110 golfers so sign up early!!  We hope to see everyone there!!

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I am happy to report that our Parade of Homes was a wonderful success. A big THANK YOU to committee chair Jason Carothers and his dedicated committee that included Robbie Johnson, Rachel White, Lauren Patterson and Gary Garner, as well as our TABA staff. 

Given the challenges of our economy and the downturn in the housing market, our association boldly decided to move forward with the Parade of Homes while other associations across the state have canceled or delayed theirs.  We budgeted conservatively and are pleased to report that everyone stepped up to make this event not only a financial success, but also a success with our builders, subcontractors, suppliers, sponsors and our attendees.  

Although the number of homes entered was down from previous years, the quality, amenities showcased and presentation of the homes was superior.  We sincerely appreciate the commitment from our parade builders who agreed to open their homes to the public for additional days and extended hours.  The best news is that several of the homes SOLD during the parade! 

Thanks to Gary Garner and his Temple Telegram staff, the parade magazine was first class.  The Friday evening viewing hours seemed to be a success with our attendees and our builders. In addition, the Parade Party at Dead Fish Grill was well attended and a huge success.  I am proud of the way our members have continued to support our association and go the extra mile to insure that our TABA events are successful.

Our TABA Golf Tournament is set for May 15 at Sammons Golf Course.  This event is always great fun so get your teams together and sign up to play.  It does not matter what your handicap is…serious golfer or novice… it is more about enjoying the day off.  We invite you to sign-up, show-up, turn your cell phones off and enjoy a beautiful day with your friends and business associates.  If you haven’t signed up to be a $100 hole sponsor, it is not too late.  Contact Cheryl for more information.

We are pleased to welcome three new members to our association:  Billy Martone of AM Construction, Chris Kauffman of Silver Creek Cast Stone and Rob Warren of Eco-Tex Insulation.  We invite and encourage these new members to join us in upcoming events and ask our TABA members to welcome the newest members of our organization.

As I was wrapping up this message for our newsletter, I read a report on CNNMoney.com by Les Christie which asked the question, “Is the housing meltdown ending?”  The article reports that the Pending Home Sales Index from the National Realtors Association showed a 3.2% gain in home sales (contracts written) for March across the US.  It went on to say that the Southern region of the US saw pending sales 7.7% higher than a year ago. This may indicate that buyers realize that this is a great time to buy.  In addition, the increase in sales may be related to the $8,000 tax credit for first- time buyers. 

I look for every opportunity I can to find positive signs that our economy may be coming out of the storm.  If you want to feel even better about the growth of our Texas economy, google Texaplex and watch the video.  It was done by David Winans and is entitled, “TEXAS… A perfect storm of opportunity and growth.”   The best news is that we live and do business in this triangular region where 4 out of 5 of the 24 million Texans reside.  Winans cited forecasts that by 2030 an additional 14 million people will reside in this triangular region known as the Texaplex. 

I'll close with a note to our builder members:   On Thursday, May 21st at 11:30 am Boise Cascade will host a free builder lunch at TABA to discuss code and environmental issues as they relate to some of their products.  Not only will our builder members receive a free lunch, they'll also get a free hour of training credit from the TRCC from attending this event.  Please join us for a free lunch and some valuable information.

Chris Alexander

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Belton Design Standards Update
The Belton Design Standards have been thoroughly reviewed by the Belton Planning and Zoning Commission and TABA recommendations have been heard.  We have voiced many concerns about the document and will continue to be involved as much as we can throughout the adoption process.

Based on the conversations that were held at the last Commissioner's workshop, we are hopeful that the City will make some needed changes to the document based on our recommendations and the recommendations of others that testified during the meeting.  We won't know the extent of the changes that will be made until the City releases a summary sheet that will detail the revisions.  Areas we believe some positive changes may be made include requirements on shingles, chimney stacks, screening walls, residential landscaping, the landscape architect issue, roof pitch, and tree preservation.  For more on these and other issues see the presentations page on our website and click "TABA Comments: 2009 Belton Design Standards."

If acceptable revisions are made to our noted (above) concerns, our most pressing remaining issues would be the masonry provisions and the tree provisions that are included in the document.  The next public hearing on the standards is scheduled for a May 19th P&Z meeting. 

Best Management Practices Being Considered
City of Temple Engineer Michael Newman recently held the first of two developer stakeholder meetings to address best management practices related to storm water compliance construction and post-construction phases.  These meetings are the next step requirements of the city’s storm water compliance under the EPA/TCEQ Municipal Stormwater Program (MS4) regulations.  The first developer stakeholder meeting took place at TABA on April 23rd and served as a refresher to what we’ve discussed in the past in regard to BMP’s and to begin moving toward the adoption of recommended practices for the City of Temple.  Our next meeting will take place on May 27th, when we’ll thoroughly review and possibly vote on the BMP’s that will be recommended for our area.

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Parade Logo

KICK-OFF PARTY BRINGS OVER 250 ATTENDEES!!

The Dead Fish Grill was packed to the gills with TABA members and a few member potentials as we celebrated the opening weekend of the 2009 Parade of Homes.  It was a great evening honoring the subcontractors and suppliers who worked so hard with the participating builders to bring another first class parade to the citizens of central Texas.

TABA would like to thank the Dead Fish Grill for putting on such a great party with little effort on TABA's part.  The food was delicious, the beverages were plentiful and the atmosphere was perfect.

Check out our slide show from the evening's events.

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Chevy Colorado - TOP PRIZE

Check it out!!!  A NEW 2008 Chevy Colorado pick-up will be this year's top prize at the TABA Reverse Raffle and prizes 2-10 won't be too bad either.  The Reverse Raffle is scheduled for Friday, July 17th at the Knights of Columbus Hall and this year we will have a different format to keep things interesting.

Tickets will go on sale this month and cost $100 each.  There will be NO mulligans this year, however 125 half price tickets will be available for sale at the door during check-in and you must have a ticket to purchase one of the half price tickets.  You can purchase as many half price tickets as you wish until the quantity runs out.  Make sure to get there EARLY!!!  

Check-in begins at 5:30pm, dinner will be served at 6:30pm and the drawing will start promplty at 7:00pm.  Be looking for email blasts and more information in upcoming newsletters about when and where to purchase your ticket.

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BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

TABA is the primary advocate of your industry in the halls of local government.  This is an invaluable service that helps keep your costs in check and assures you have the best possible working relationship with regulators.  Since very few of our members have the time or the inclination to work closely with the government officials that make the rules that impact your industry, it is imperative that someone is working for you day in and day out.  TABA does this!  We also provide marketing and networking opportunities that are designed to help you grow your business and we promote members doing business with other members.  Along with these benefits, we also offer more direct benefits such as those listed below:

The National Association of Home Builders makes 'free money' available to our members in the form of great savings on every day items and services that many businesses use. 

The Member Advantage Program is designed specifically for Association members and only TABA/NAHB members can take advantage of program offerings.  Special incentive programs have been aranged through agreements with companies such as GM, Dell and UPS.

For instance, UPS, the world's largest package company, has partnered with NAHB to offer our members discounts of up to 30 percent on shipping.  This benefit includes domestic air and ground, and international export and import.  Visit www.savewithups.com/nahb for more information.

Additionally, GM has worked with NAHB to provide an exclusive offer to our members.  TABA members can get $500 off their best price on most GM passenger cars, light-duty trucks, vans and SUV's.  Nameplates include Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Saturn, Saab and HUMMER.  Certain exclusions apply, check with dealer for details.  For complete details about this offer visit www.gmfleet.com/nahb.

NAHB's newest partner is the famous Omaha Steak Company.  Check out the Membership Advantage link at the top of this article for a list of all the NAHB partners in the Membership Advantage Program.

Shell Fuel Program - Another Member Benefit

As a member of TABA you qualify for a 3 percent discount on your fuel purchases.  You are invited to apply for the Shell Fleet Plus card and begin earning this discount immediately on your company's fuel purchases and with the sting at the pumps these days, 3 percent can add up to a considerable savings if you operate multiple company vehicles.  If you have questions regarding this program please contact our Shell representative, Raed Salah at 972-653-3127 or by email to shellfleetcard@citigroup.com.  TABA hopes this newest member benefit will help to relieve some of the costly burden of doing business.

TABA Room Rental

Do you need a place to hold a banquet, seminar or meeting?  Does your organization need a comfortable room that is quiet and has plenty of amenities?  Then TABA has the place for you - the John & Suzanne Kiella Conference Room at the TABA office building on 5th and Adams Ave.  We have one of the best facilities in this area for a small group event and our prices reflect what is typical for a comparable facility in our area.  Best of all we provide a member discount!  Check out our rates:

The room is available Monday thru Friday from 8am until 5pm.  After hours booking may be available upon request - please inquire.

                                               Member                 Non Member

1-3 Hours                                   $100                         $200

3-5 Hours                                   $125                         $250

Full Day                                     $175                         $350

Use of the kitchen facilities, common areas, podium, projector, sound system and screen are at no additional charge.

Booking may be done by calling the TABA office and we reserve the right to book around already scheduled TABA events.

We are very excited to be able to provide this savings benefit to our TABA members and hope that our members will take advantage of this opportunity.  Please call the TABA office for more information.

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NEW HOME STARTS

  Apr '09Apr '08'09 YTD  '08 YTD
 Temple343688180
 Belton9132840
 Morgan's Point0103
 Totals4350116223

ALL HOME CLOSINGS

 Apr '09153 '09 YTD517
 Apr '08193 '08 YTD710

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Parade of Homes 2009 - Successful!

Two down, two to go!  The second TABA event of the year - Parade of Homes 2009 was a pleasant success for TABA and the area citizens.  While the entries were down this year, quality was definitely up with the majority of homes falling in the larger home size giving parade goers alot to look at.  The smaller size homes were also on parade giving first time home buyers a look into what is out there for purchase. 

TABA appreciates all of our sponsors including Central National Bank, Temple Daily Telegram, Keene Roofing, Heart of Texas Landscape, Choice Rentals, Texell Federal Credit Union and Texas Bright Ideas.  We also would like to thank the participating builders, suppliers and subcontrators who worked so hard to bring a first class event to our area.

TABA Annual Golf Tournament - May 15th

It is already here!  The Annual TABA Golf Tournament - our 3rd fundraising event for the association of the year.  We are scheduled for Sammons Golf Links on May 15th with golf registration beginning at noon and a shotgun start at 1pm.  Golf entry forms are available by clicking here.  You can enter a team or just enter yourself and the golf committee will assign you to a team.  We want to thank Lengefeld Lumber Company, Lone Star Drywall, Ratliff Ready Mix and Tri-Supply for being our major sponsors.  The golf tournament is always alot of fun and we encourage everyone to come out and join us.

Reverse Raffle - A New Twist

We've got to keep it interesting...NO MULLIGANS - that's the new twist this year.  However, we are selling 125 half price tickets at the door on a first come first serve basis so get there early.  The 3rd Annual Reverse Raffle is scheduled for July 17th at the Knights of Columbus and 240 tickets will be sold.  You must have a ticket to purchase a half price ticket and you can purchase as many half price tickets that you desire until our quantity runs out.

Tickets will be available for sale beginning this month.  You can call the TABA office right now and reserve one if you wish but be on the lookout for TABA Board members and the Membership Meetings & Sponsors Committee members selling the tickets.

That's it from my desk.  I hope everyone is getting ready for summer.  It already seems like it might be a scorcher!  Let's pray for good weather for the upcoming golf tournament and I hope to see all of our golfers there.

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The Home PAC trustees have joined numerous leaders throughout the community and voted to support BioTemple.  The upcoming bond proposal, which if passed by voters, would provide the Temple Health & Bioscience District with the means to financially support the mission of growing 21st Century jobs through bioscience related economic development in Temple.  The district has a proven record that was built on community partnerships that have generated K-12 math and science educational opportunities that are second to none at the Texas Bioscience Institute and the commercialization of scientific research in Temple.

It can't be overstated how positive this economic development initiative could be for our area.  Attracting high paying jobs to our area is in line with our industry mission to "Promote and Enhance Home Ownership."  It could never be more apparent than now that a diverse economy, buoyed by a recession proof industry such as health care, is just what the doctor ordered for surviving tough economic times and thriving when things begin to turn around.

The type of scientific jobs that are being targeted in Temple are the kind of jobs that could expand the market for homes at all price points.  The companies that are targeted would produce high wage job opportunities for our citizens.  This is obviously good for our industry and community alike.  Please join us in supporting BioTemple and make sure to Vote Yes for this bond proposal.

Check out templebioscience.com to learn more about the effort.

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