It appears to be feast or famine for local construction contractors depending on the size of project you are working on.

While the larger projects are having issues finding qualified workers for their jobs, it appears the smaller companies are having a hard time finding work,.

Brian Burns reports.

Even though the dust is flying at construction sites thoughout the Golden Triangle, some contractors say they can't find enough work to keep their crews busy.

Alvin Smith of Copperhead Construction says, "I haven't been able to find work for months."

Smith owns and operates Copperhead Construction in Vidor, a company that focuses on the smaller jobs in the area, an area that has seen better times. "With the recession, people who are finally getting insurance checks to fix storm damage are putting the money in their pockets and not fixing their homes."

But its a different story when it comes to the larger construction projects.

The city of Vidor's new city hall remains a vacant lot while administrators try to generate interest from contractors.

Vidor city manager Ricky Jorgensen says, "We had nine contractors bidding on our new city hall and only three bids."

Jorgensen says there weren't enough bids to make their decision so they may have to hold off on the project.
"It's up to city council to decide."

While some jobsites are quiet, there are plenty of others where there's a lot of work going on.

Mike White, the executive director of the Association of General Contractors Southeast Texas chapter says, "There's been a lot of work out there but the expansion is on hold and the recession is about to hit Southeast Texas."

White says, "There's plenty of contractors available to do whatever job you need done."

White predicts the Texas economy will pull out of the recession during 2010.

You can contact the Association of General Contractors to find an available builder at 409-835-6661.