"The way the year started off, it was looking real slim,” said Dan Smith, a project manager for Sustainable Construction.

Dave O'Dell issues permits for Greene County's single-family homes. It’s a job that can be hard to talk about -- happily.

“This won't be the worst year in history but it's going to be close,” said O’Dell.

That's because numbers are down -- way down. Here are the numbers of permits from January through June: in the high times of 2007, there were 282; in 2008, it was 185; in 2009, the number is 129.

It's not all bad, however. June has seen the largest number of permits yet this year, 49, of which 36 are in a new subdivision just north of Springfield.

"These days, this is a pretty nice-sized project, even for Springfield!" said Smith.

This neighborhood will employ upwards of 100 people.

"We've got 2 different foundation companies doing footings and stemwalls, plumbers, etc. Let it roll as long or as little as you want,” said Smith.

That's made for a better mood in the building business. One that - dare they say it - may be looking up.

"The ones that come in and pull the permits are a little more positive than they used to be,” said O’Dell.

"Everyone seems to be more active, getting more active, seeing more work to look at, so we could possibly be turning the corner. It's still going to be a slow process!"

O’Dell says more people are remodeling or adding buildings on their property. That's keeping inspectors busy.