Construction fell back to earth in the city during the month of May while the county numbers soared on the wings of Wacker Polysilicon North America.

Bradley County reported $91.5 million in construction permits issued in May. Wacker accounted for $87.624 million. Other commercial construction included eight chicken houses valued at $124,750 each for a total of $998,000, and Rock of Ages on Dalton Pike valued at $350,000.

Twenty-two new residential permits, including eight mobile homes and two multi-family structures amounted to $2.3 million. The most expensive single family home was valued at $500,000. One home was valued at $200,000 and one at $170,000. The other nine were valued at $150,000 or less. The two multi-family homes were valued at $180,000 each. The cost of 12 residential alterations or additions equaled $244,690.

Bradley County collected a total of $136,679 in permitting fees for the month of May. Between December 2010, when Bradley County issued its first land disturbance permit to Wacker, and June 7, the company has pulled permits valued at $257,560,588 and paid $373,828 in fees. The plant, located East of Interstate 75 near Lauderdale Memorial Highway, is expected to cost about $1.8 billion.

County Building Inspector Tina Bishop said the fees Wacker has paid to date make up for the loss of fees her office has seen in residential housing. Housing construction plunged because of the downturn in the economy and tornado damage. Waiving the fees for storm-related construction worsened the shortage.

“That (Wacker) would have been a real boost for our office but really, it makes us even because of the downturn in the economy and the tornadoes,” Bishop said.

The city of Cleveland reported $4.1 million with $2.9 million in commercial spending. Construction at the Cleveland Regional Jetport accounted for $2.4 million. The remainder of commercial building came from three smaller projects: a buildout of an Inkcredible store in Mouse Creek Crossing on Paul Huff Parkway at a cost of $39,981; a buildout at 3780 Ocoee Place for Pain Management costing $110,800; and $77,714 for mini-warehouses at 1853 Westland Drive.

The city logged seven addition or alteration permits valued at $296,500 and two business renovations costing a total of $58,521. One educational permit for a buildout at Bowman Hills Seventh-day Adventist Christian Academy totaled $201,590.

Patricia Haws pulled four permits valued at $76,250 each for townhomes on New Castle Drive.

The city also issued five single-family residential permits totaling $651,000. The most expensive of the five cost $235,000 and $130,000.

Construction boomed in the city and county in April when Cleveland reported $15 million and Bradley County reported $18.9 million.