The town of Morris and RM of Morris are at the halfway mark of building construction for the year.

Ed Voth, Economic Development Officer for the Town of Morris, said nine permits have been issued so far.

"For 2018 right now we're sitting at 9 permits, last year for the entire year we did 17, so we're exactly on track to meet last year's numbers," said Voth.

This includes a mix of renovations, decks, new homes, and commercial buildings. "The majority in Morris tends to be housing... that includes things like single-car garages, garden sheds," Voth explained. "For this coming year we only have one commercial building at this point, last year we did have two."

Voth is happy about the local construction work that's taking place in the area.

"A local builder has spoke for 4 lots, one of them is a new building under construction right now... the minute he has that completed he plans on starting the second one."

Upwards of 20 new lots are also being serviced this season.

"Our developer who owns the new residential lots is also going to be servicing approximately 20-25 new lots this summer. That will encompass smaller lots of duplexes, as well as larger lots of multi-family units, whether it's an apartment block or seniors housing, that type of thing," said Voth.

The subdivision for these lots is complete, and the developer is working with the engineering firm to do pricing. Voth anticipates construction to begin in August.

As for the RM of Morris, Reeve Ralph Groening said they're a little over the halfway mark compared to last year's numbers for residential house construction.

"We're right in line with what traditionally we've seen for activity. We had 11 housing starts in 2017. This year we have 7 at the moment, and expecting a few more," said Groening.

Last year the RM of Morris saw $7 million dollars in building activity.

"We continue to see consistent growth, economic activity happening, largely in Rosenort but in Lowe Farm, Sperling and other areas as well," said Groening.

He added MSTW planning district takes care of all part 3 commercial building inspections, making the process easier to follow.