NULL

Wayne Schutz climbed a short flight of stairs that led him onto a narrow walkway stretching over a rectangular vat filled with wastewater.

It took several years of discussion and debate, but 11 Lancaster County municipalities have accomplished an uncommon feat in Pennsylvania’s fractured system of government.

Realtors have a new marketing tool available at their fingertips.

Many businesses that work on construction projects in Central Pennsylvania criticize this state’s building-approvals process. So the Business Journal asked those companies and building-trade groups how that process compares with other states’ systems.

Phil Wenger used to have a dream home — if you like lots of yard work.

In 2004, 44,000 building permits for single-family houses were issued in Pennsylvania. Last year, that number dropped to 24,974, according to the Pennsylvania Builders Association.

Do you think it’s worth it to build ‘green?’

The rear portion of Burle Business Park in Lancaster reflects the park’s industrial past. A set of hulking cooling towers dominates the scene, and manufacturing buildings are scattered about.

NULL

In the next three years, Pennsylvania construction companies will have to fill approximately 22,000 job openings, according to “Pennsylvania Workforce 2010,” a publication of the state Department of Labor and Industry.

Two state lawmakers presented a $1.5 million grant to Harrisburg-based development group Powers & Associates to help subsidize a midtown expansion of Harrisburg Area Community College, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College.

Midstate construction and real estate experts answered the question, “Is it worth it to build ‘green’?” in the Business Journal’s Fall Construction and Real Estate Report. For more responses, see the report.

Does your basement have a name?

REAL ESTATE NEWS: openings, contracts, transactions, relocations