Building Buzz May 2025 by Bismarck-Mandan Home Builders Association

BUILDING

ANDREW MELDAHL, PRESIDENT

Pinnacle Homes and Design

214 Riverwood Ave Mandan, ND 58554 (701) 426-0237 andrew@pinnaclehomesnd.com

JOE VETTER, 1ST VICE PRESIDENT

Joe Vetter Construction 2523 Powder Ridge Cir Bismarck, ND 58503 (701) 258-9394 joevetterjvc@gmail.com

LEROY THOMAS 2ND VICE PRESIDENT

J.E. Homes LLC PO Box 3121 Bismarck, ND 58502 (701) 400-9163 leroy@jehomesnd.com

NATHAN TODD,SECRETARY & TREASURER Northwest Contracting 2840 Valley Forge St Bismarck, ND 58503 (701) 226-0526 nathan@northwestcontracting.com

JOE HILLERSON, PAST PRESIDENT

Boulder Homes PO Box 1421 Bismarck, ND 58502 (701) 400-5554 boulderhomesnd@gmail.com

SHANE GAFFANEY

American Roofing Supply 1600 Industrial Dr Bismarck, ND 58501 (701) 805-8650 sgaffaney@srsicorp.com

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Dawn Watson dawn@bmhba.com Office: 701-222-2400

Cell: 701-390-5049

MCKENZIE LAWLER

Dakota OutdoorScapes 8351 Hwy 1804 N Bismarck, ND 58503 (701) 595-0890 mckenzie@ndscapes.com

PARKER PLADSON

Epic Buildt 840 43rd Ave NE Bismarck, ND 58503 (701) 290-6734 parker@epicbuiltnd.com

CORY THOMPSON

Fabricators Unlimited 171 Eastdale Dr Bismarck, ND 58501 (701) 751-6024 cory@fabricatorsunlimited.com

CASEY BERNARD Fix It All 2716 Memorial Highway Mandan, ND 58554 (701) 751-6024 fixitall701@gmail.com

LOGAN HAUFF

Trubuild Homes 212 W Main Ave Bismarck, ND 58501 (701) 426-0895 logan@plainviewnd.com

JAMIE SCHMIDT

Invest Core 4614 Memorial Hwy Mandan, ND 58554 (701) 319-6000 jamie.schmidt@investcore.com

COMMUNICATIONS

Jennifer Patera jennifer@bmhba.com

Office: 701-222-2400

Cell: 218-416-2439

Welcome to May’s edition of the Builder Buzz.

President’s Message

We can officially say Spring is here and our 2025 building season is under way! As we head into the building season, we are still well below average on new and used housing inventory in the Bismarck metro area.

At the beginning of April, we had another successful builder engagement meeting with our fellow city representatives of Bismarck/Mandan and our local builders. Some of the many topics covered included new and upcoming land development codes, building codes, and energy codes. These meetings have been a valuable resource, and I highly encourage all of you to take advantage. At the end of April, we concluded our 33rd annual Spring Parade of Homes with a total of 31 entries. We had great weather and a great turnout. Thank you to all the builders who worked hard to enter your homes and thank you to our parade committee and sponsors! Once again, you pulled off a great event and we couldn’t have done it without you. Make sure to mark your calendars to attend the Spring Mixer Tuesday May 13th at the Luft, downtown Bismarck. This event is FREE to all members and guests. I look forward in seeing you all there! As I always conclude, let’s keep striving to continue our growth in membership recruitment and support. Our association does many wonderful things for our building industry. Let’s continue to grow and support one another! Have a wonderful spring and see you back in June!

Join the BMHBA in congratulating these longstanding members. Their dedication to the Bismarck-Mandan Home Builders Association is appreciated and truly valued.

30 Years

ANDREW MELDAHL 2025 BMHBA PRESIDENT

Membership Matters

The BMHBA consists of building specialists from every section of the construction field and associate industries. Your membership strengthens our voice in the Bismarck-Mandan construction sector as well as at a state and national level. If you haven’t already submitted payment, please renew your membership by month end.

Aspire Homes, Inc.

Greg Meidinger

Better Homes and Gardens Real

Estate Alliance Group

Bill Dean

Bianco Realty

Kathy Feist

Bismarck Title Company

Katie Bohrer

Border States Electric

Sherry Leno

Brendel's Lawn Sprinkling, Inc.

Bryan Brendel

Copper Ridge Design and Builders

DeAnn Kuntz

Dakota Fence

Doug Doerr

Extreme Sales, Inc.

Vern Vetter

Fargo Glass & Paint Co.

Andy Nelson

Forest Products Direct

Kain Martell

J & R Vacuum & Sewing

Jim Barnhardt

K & L Homes, Inc.

Chad Moldenhauer

Mark Your Calendars !!

May 13th

June 19th

Sub-Contractor Lunch

July 8th

38th Annual HBA Golf Tournament Prairie West, Mandan

August 7h

HBA Sporting Clay Shoot

Capital City Sporting Clays

Prairie View Landscaping & Nursery

Vicki Rempher

Quality Title, Inc.

Karli Skjeret

Quality Title, Inc.

Laurie Wentz

Starion Bank

Kassy Landis

Titan Machinery Bismarck

Colin Fredrick

Verity Homes

Noah Spitzer

Membership Matters

Please welcome our newest members from April to the Association.

Lowe’s Home Improvement

Victoria Phillips

Associate Membership (701) 934-9028

victoria.m.phillip@store.lowes.com

Lowe’s Home Improvement

Paul Howarth

Affiliate Membership (763) 292-0798

paul.howarth@store.lowes.com

Thank you to our members who have helped grow our BMHBA membership over the years by recruiting new companies to join our association. If you know of a company that is interested in joining, contact Jennifer

Pete Brendel (10.00)

Statesman Spike (500-999)

Kelly Moldenhauer (752.00)

Super Spikes (250-499)

Todd Brady (393.00)

Robb Sattler (305.00)

Mike Todd (290.00)

Lee Mitzel (275.00)

Pat Marback (266.50)

Royal Spikes (150-249)

Lori Willson (228.50)

Mike Hopfauf (207.50)

Berna Vetter (193.50)

Jack Knutson (166.50)

Blair Ihmels (151.00)

Red Spikes (100-149)

Chad Moldenhauer (121.00)

Jerry Splonskowski (110.50)

Vance Vetter (103.75)

Paula Haider (103.50)

Green Spikes (50-99)

David Patience (99.50)

Eric Brenden (96.00)

Jamie Schmidt (95.50)

Mark Larson (93.00)

Darren Buffington (85.50)

Jeff Sattler (70.50)

Kenneth Knodel (70.00)

Scott Moran (61.00)

Gerry Rudnick (56.50)

Life Spikes (25-49)

Gerald Hopfauf (47.00)

Greg Meidinger (46.50)

Drew Knutson (46.50)

Matt Shauer (46.00)

Greg Zenker (40.50)

Kelli Thompson (29.50)

Joe Hillerson (27.50)

Shane Gaffaney (26.00

Blue Spikes (6-24)

Jason Frank (23.50)

Melinda Llyod (16.50)

Andrew Meldahl (19.50)

Rory Anderson (10.00)

Darryl Hatzenbuhler (9.00)

Mike Wolf (8.50)

Vicki Moran (7.25)

Shannon Reichenberg (7.00)

Melanie Staiger (6.00)

Spike Candidates (.50-5.50)

Jeran Thomson (4.50)

Parker Pladson (4.00)

Wade Vogel (4.00)

Sam Gietzen (3.50)

LeRoy Thomas (3.50)

Jarred Roloff (3.50)

Dave Prindiville (3.50)

Alissa Kleinsasser (3.00)

Brian Eiseman (3.00)

Lynn Klein (2.50)

Laurie Wentz (2.50)

Natalie Eckes (2.50)

Kathy Feist (2.00)

Chad Wachter (2.00)

Tom Reinke (2.00)

Gina Hruby (2.00)

Kari Anderson (2.00)

Joe Vetter (1.50)

Nathan Todd (1.50)

Brad Balerud (1.50)

Hannah Haynes (1.50)

Kassy Landis (1.50)

Heidi Stein (1.00)

Tae Pifer (1.00)

Reid Kubesh (1.00)

Travis Welle (1.00)

Casey Bernard (1.00)

Sue Blair (1.00)

Jenessa Wright (1.00)

Terry Leabo (1.00)

Kayla Bosch (1.00)

Eric Belanger (0.50)

Judy Maslowski (0.50)

Bryan Brendel (0.50)

Pat Koski (0.50)

Andy Nelson (0.50)

Alan Wilson (0.50)

City and County

Misty Waters Dr

County Rd 140

Berger Dr

Homes 612 Koenig Dr

Land Development Code Update

Mehrer Dr.

Hendrickson Dr

Elk Ridge Dr

Spaniel Rd

City of Bismarck Quarterly Update

Currently, land development regulations are addressed in Title 14 Zoning of the Bismarck Code of Ordinances. These ordinances regulate zoning and subdivision standards and are currently going through a substantive update, which when finished will be titled the Land Development Code. The Land Development Code update will be released in three parts. Module 1, relating to zoning districts and standards, has been released to the public and is available for comment at Module 1: Zoning Districts and Uses | Land Development Code. Any member of public may leave comments on this draft and staff will review for incorporation into future versions.

The next phase will be Module 2, which includes development standards related to parking, landscaping, signs, and other items typically reviewed at the site plan level. Work on this is underway and a draft will be release when available later this Spring

Even while the overall land development code is underway, there will be three zoning ordinance text amendments on special topics: regulation of short-term rentals, changes to some dimensional standards in P – Public districts, and keeping of chickens in urban residential areas. These are being pursued separately for reasons of timeliness and providing an opportunity for the public comment on specific topics. A new zoning map will also be presented this summer for public review. The map will align with the new zoning districts that are included within the Module 1 that has been released.

North Dakota Building Code Update

The North Dakota Department of Commerce, Division of Community Services (DCS) is assigned the responsibility of updating and amending the North Dakota State Building Code. DCS recently announced its intentions to review and consider amendments to the newly published updates to the 2024 International Building Code (IBC), 2024 International Residential Code (IRC), 2024

City and County

International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC). These are nationally recognized model codes published by the International Code Council and updated nationally every three years.

The schedule for updating the North Dakota State Building Codes is as follows:

• April 28th all proposed amendments are due and must be received at DCS by 5:00 p.m. April 28th, 2025, to be assured consideration. All proposed amendments received by this time will be considered.

• May 22nd, the Building Code Advisory Committee will meet to review the proposed amendments and to develop additional amendments.

• June 12th, DCS will make available all proposed amendments to the Building Code Advisory Committee, participating jurisdictions and interested parties by posting on the website.

• July 15th, public hearing of the Building Code Advisory Committee to receive comments and develop recommendations on the proposed amendments.

• July 31st, DCS will make available the recommendations by the Building Code Advisory Committee on the proposed amendments to the eligible voting towns, cities, counties, and committee members by posting on the website. Letters will also go out to the jurisdictions about the registration process for the voting meeting.

• September 11th, meeting of the eligible voting jurisdictions and voting individuals to vote on the proposed amendments.

• November 18th, the updated North Dakota State Building Code will be posted on the DCS website.

• January 1, 2026, effective date of the updated North Dakota State Building Code.

DCS is not involved in the enforcement of the State Building Code. This is the responsibility of jurisdictions that elect to adopt and enforce building codes. If a city, county, or township elects to adopt and enforce a building code in their jurisdiction, they must adopt and enforce the same building codes that have been adopted by the State of North Dakota. These jurisdictions are allowed to further amend the State Building Code to conform to local needs.

The City of Bismarck Community Development Department, Building Inspections Division, plans to recommend adoption of these same model codes with local amendments. Contractor engagement meetings will be scheduled throughout 2025 to discuss significant code changes, receive comments, and develop recommendations for local amendments. For questions contact City of Bismarck Building Official; Brady Blaskowski, at 701-355-1467 or bblaskowski@bismarcknd.gov

Public Notification Signs

At the January 28, 2025, Bismarck City Commission meeting direction was provided to staff to pursue a one-year pilot project for posting public notification signs. Currently different sign estimates and designs are being developed and tested. It is anticipated that a media release will be issued notifying the public of more specifics of the public notification sign posting once the process is ready to be implemented on a trial basis.

Half Cent Sales Tax

The City Commission voted on April 8, 2025, to move forward with the Tyler Parkway extension project from Valley Dr. to Cogburn Rd. The project is anticipated to begin construction in 2026 and be open to traffic in 2027. The project is funded through the half cent sales tax program for arterial road construction and reconstruction.

South Bismarck Control Project Update

The design process is ongoing for the South Bismarck Flood Control project. This project will remove most of the 950 structures that were added to the regulatory floodplain in 2024. State funding is being requested during the 25-27 biennium to lower the local costs associated with the project.

Bismarck BSC

Survey Base Station

The Bismarck Engineering Department is leading the effort in replacing the GPS base station equipment located on the campus of Bismarck State College. The station will be upgraded to the latest survey technology that will help with the accuracy and reliability of this community asset.

Bismarck

Water Treatment

Plant Expansion

The Bismarck water treatment plant is expanding its water production from 30 MGD to 40 MGD by adding microfiltration and reverse osmosis systems that will provide 10 MGD. Work is anticipated to be fully complete by 2028.

Bismarck Water Distribution Master Plan

AE2S will be updating the water distribution model master plan in 2025, which includes evaluating existing water distribution assets, providing a 50-year future growth plan and providing a 20-year capital improvements plan.

Bismarck Hay Creek Interceptor and Lift Station

The next phase of the Hay Creek Interceptor and upsizing project is underway from Main Avenue to Divide Avenue and is to be completed this year. In addition, the Hay Creek Lift Station replacement project was also started this year. This project is to replace the existing Hay Creek Lift Station that was constructed and placed into service in 1975. Approximately 26% of the total flow of wastewater from the City of Bismarck passes through this station. The primary service area of the Hay Creek Lift Station is the east, northeast, and far north areas of the City of Bismarck. The new lift station is designed to handle the full build out of the Hay Creek sewer shed.

A gigantic THANK YOU to Cierra Fisk and J.E. Builders for welcoming us into their stunning new home for our April PWB Council meeting!

We loved getting an early look at their beautiful build, which was proudly featured in the Bismarck-Mandan Parade of Homes!

Around Our State

As thousands of homeowners take on home remodeling projects this spring, we celebrate May as national home remodeling month! Increasing home value, completing needed maintenance and improving energy-efficiency are just some of the reasons many are choosing to remodel instead of purchasing new homes. The number of existing housing units in the United States exceeds 143 million, and American households spent approximately $480 billion over the last four quarters on maintaining and improving their homes.

Remodeler members! On April 21st, the NAHB survey team emailed residential remodelers a link to the 2025 Remodelers’ Cost of Doing Business Survey. This confidential survey measures the impact of increased costs on remodelers’ profitability. Aggregated results will be published in the next edition of the Remodelers’ Cost of Doing Business Study. Remodelers who participate in the survey will receive a free electronic copy of the study. To receive a confidential link to the survey, please email Rose Quint (rquint@nahb.org), NAHB’s AVP for Survey Research.

Exciting news for our Summer Social, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Assistant Vice President of Government Affairs, Heather Voorman, will be our special guest! Further details on our summer events will be coming soon. Committee meetings and the Summer Social/BUILD-PAC event will be held on Tuesday, July 29th and the Summer Board meeting will take place the morning of Wednesday, July 30th

Don’t forget to register and book your room for the NAHB Spring Leadership Meetings & Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. (June 10-13). NAHB’s Hotel Block ends on May 16th. The Legislative Conference, NAHB’s most important lobbying event, will take place on Wednesday, June 11, in conjunction with the Spring Leadership Meeting. This is a unique opportunity for members to speak one-on-one with their elected representatives on Capitol Hill and to push for housing policies that will help their businesses and our industry. The NAHB Fall Leadership Meetings will be in Denver, Colorado on November 17-19.