Sallisaw Mayor Shannon Vann said there was a mix of people who attended the meeting, including builders, contractors and others. Bill Baker, Sallisaw city manager, Judy Martens and Dale Wood, who were representing the chamber, were also in attendance.
Vann said the meeting was an organizational one to see if there was interest in forming a homebuilders group in Sallisaw. The turnout proved there was, and Vann said the group has decided to meet again.
Martens said the next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. March 24 at the chamber, and the meeting is open to anyone who wants to attend. She said they hope to bring a spokesperson from the Fort Smith, Ark., homebuilders group to the meeting to talk about how to get organized.
Vann said the chamber will help with the organization of meetings and will do what they can do to assist the group. Martens noted that the homebuilders group will not fall under the chamber, but will be its own association. She said that she and Wood will attend the meeting for a while and help with anything the association needs.
But the meeting was not only organizational. Vann said he and Baker received feedback from those in homebuilding about issues involving city code and the city's permitting process.
From the city's standpoint, Vann said, they will look at ways to improve the permitting and city code process if there are issues among builders.
How to work with builders, electricians, and plumbers to improve the process was one of the concerns. Some at the meeting shared individual experiences, which will be used to look at ways to improve the process.
Vann indicated that sometimes there are codes that change or have changed, and relaying to those changes to contractors in advance may be one issue the city looks at. He said they may look at any city codes that may not be clear or need to be modernized.
"Ultimately it's about protecting the consumer," Vann said.
Vann pointed out that making sure when a person buys a home in Sallisaw that the home is compliant with codes that are in place is important and ultimately impacts property values in the city.
Vann said Rich Looper, a local homebuilder, brought up the idea of forming a homebuilders group to Vann and the chamber and they thought it was a good idea.
When an individual makes complaints or has issues or questions they can get lost in the shuffle because it is one project, but Vann said there may be issues affecting more than one builder, electrician or others.
If that group is organized, they can share their concerns among themselves and bring those issues to the city as a group, he explained.
"It's a better way of trying to work together," Vann said, adding that it is also about making sure the product put out is safe and has a good value down the road.
"I think it was a positive meeting," Martens said, adding that Baker also thought the meeting was a positive step in the right direction.
She noted that an association will allow an association spokesperson to visit with city officials about concerns they may have in the homebuilding business.
"We don't want anything to stifle the growth," Martens said, adding that they want to keep the lines of communication open so that doesn't happen.
Martens said one thing the chamber would like to see the homebuilders association do is showcase a home during the annual Diamond Daze festival in June - an idea that Looper brought up.
"We want them to be part of our group," Martens said.
She said that she hopes more sub-contractors will attend the next meeting. "They all have a voice in this, for sure," she said.
She pointed out that Sallisaw is growing and there is always going to be a need for housing, adding that there are rules and regulations that need to be followed.
Looper said prior to the meeting that he believed the homebuilders group will help regulate the building industry and how houses are being built.
