Take a look around Keremeos, and you’ll see something that hasn’t happened in the village in several years.
There are multiple housing starts taking place in the village, as building activity picks up in the second half of 2014.
The Village of Keremeos is reporting 29 building permits issued to September 20 this year.
That compares to a total of 13 issued to the same date last year.
This year’s total equates to 1.2 million dollars in value, $806, 930 of which is coming from new housing starts.
A short drive through town reveals the activity, whether one looks up on the bench, down on Twelfth, or on Highway 3 past the RCMP detachment - new houses in various stages of construction.
The village is nearing the last good year of numbers for housing starts - a total of 37 in 2009.
The village still has ways to go to get to pre-recession numbers (55 in 2007) but it should be safe to say the current trend is heading in that direction.
Realtors are also expressing some optimism, as market activity picks up. Prices remain flat, however, but that could change if these other trends continue.
With many local businesses reporting strong summer activity, and a noticeable resurgence in Seventh Avenue activity, there appears to be reason for optimism in the South Similkameen, good news as we head into the winter season.