Garfield County building permit activity last year was like a slightly wobbly teeter-totter.On the one hand, total building permits issued countywide were down slightly in 2002 compared to 2001. On the other hand, total valuations were up slightly.Garfield County building official Andy Schwaller said the higher valuations could be the result of new Uniform Building Code calculations that went into effect in April.”You can’t say the buildings in Garfield County that have been put in are bigger, or more expensive,” Schwaller said.Total building permit valuations in unincorporated Garfield County and five reporting municipalities was $128 million in 2002, compared to $124 million in 2001, according to annual reports. Silt’s building permit numbers were not available.Excluding Silt, building permits countywide fell to 1,131 in 2002, compared to 1,161 in 2001. Those building permit figures include everything from new fences and decks, to new commercial buildings and single family dwellings.The building permit decline was nearly across the board, except for New Castle and Carbondale. -Carbondale: 134 permits in 2002, up from 131 in 2001. Total valuation in Carbondale for 2002 was $16.7 million.-Glenwood Springs: 360 building permits in 2002, down from 369 in 2001. Total valuation in 2002 was $27.8 million.-New Castle: 130 building permits increased in 2002, up from 123 in 2001. Total valuation in New Castle for 2002 was $10.9 million. -Rifle: 110 building permits in 2001, down from 131 in 2001. Total valuation in 2002 was $21.1 million.-Parachute: 20 building permits in 2001, down from 27 in 2001. Total valuation in 2002 was $1.5 million.-Unincorporated Garfield County: 377 building permits in 2002, down from 380 in 2001. Total valuation for 2002 was $50 million.New single-family construction in unincorporated Garfield County nearly doubled in the Glenwood Springs area for 2002, grew slightly in the Rifle area and dropped in all the other areas. The breakdowns are as follows:-Glenwood Springs area: 51 single-family building permits in 2002, and 29 in 2001.-Carbondale area: 53 in 2002, and 60 in 2001.-New Castle area: 11 in 2002, and 23 in 2001.-Silt area: 19 in 2002, and 30 in 2001.-Rifle area: 29 in 2002, and 27 in 2001.-Parachute/Battlement Mesa area: 43 in 2002, and 46 in 2001.Inside municipal boundaries, single and multi-family residential building permits grew in Carbondale and New Castle, but fell elsewhere.-Glenwood Springs: residential permits were 40 in 2002, and 64 in 2001.-Carbondale: residential permits were 36 in 2002, and 33 in 2001.-New Castle: residential permits were 118 in 2002, and 85 in 2001.-Rifle: residential permits were 84 in 2002, and 111 in 2001.-Parachute: residential permits were 12 in 2002, and 14 in 2001.Contact Lynn Burton: 945-8515, ext. 534lburton@postindependent.com