By Laurin Penland
Wilmington, NC – As a result of 2007's Build the Force initiative, Onslow County contractors have built houses for new Marines at cut-rate speed. This has caused a backlog at the Onslow County inspections office, and, in turn, frustrated and delayed builders.
To address the long wait for inspections, county employees redoubled their efforts, sometimes working overtime. President of the Onslow County Association of Home Builders, Jim Quinn, says inspections sped up and then slowed again with the rush of builders taking advantage of the home buyers' tax credit.
"We work a little harder and try to anticipate when we need an inspection and schedule it a little bit early. But, quite frankly it's a good problem to have, because it's better than not having any homes to build and no inspections to call on."
Onslow County's Planning Department's Scott Shuford says requests for inspections have more than doubled from January to April. The County expects the number of inspections to keep going up while new Marines, their families, and new businesses make Onslow County their home.
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