|
| —*ADVERTISEMENT— |
 |
 |
Lebanon's Ray Hubner Presented TBOA Code Official of the Year Award
|
| Back to top |
|
| Ankersmit Recognized As Idaho Building Code Official of the Year The Idaho the Idaho Association of Building Officials (IDABO) recently recognized Kootenai County Building Official Robert Ankersmit as the 2012 Building Code Official of the Year for his significant contribution to the building profession. Ankersmit sets an outstanding example for the public as well as his internal staff. He has over 15 professional certifications in his field and works diligently to motivate others to obtain continuing education and professional expertise. He has contributed significantly to the IDABO Chapter in the northern part of the state (the North Idaho Code Enforcers) by organizing continuing education for numerous jurisdictions, contractors, consumers, and for both his local Chapter and at the statewide level. He is also a member of the North Idaho Uniformity Group, which meets on a regular basis to discuss consistency in implementing code interpretations and code enforcement. Read more at idabo.org |
| Back to top |
|
| —*ADVERTISEMENT— |
 |
|
Despite Challenges, Code Officials Continue to Promote Building Safety in Virginia Senior Commercial Inspector Tim Ferguson faces a lot of obstacles while performing his work duties for Shenandoah County, Virginia, including fending off dogs, snakes and even fungal growth. And while Ferguson's job has landed him in difficult situations over the past 14 years, he said often the toughest part is convincing builders, homeowners, renters and business owners that the inspection process is for their safety and that of others. |
| Back to top |
|
Sioux Falls, S.D., Sets New Record for 2013 Permitting in April Sioux Falls City officials announced the construction valuation for building permits issued by its Building Services Department in 2013 recently exceeded the benchmark of $200 million. This is the first time construction valuation for building permits has ever reached that milestone in April."The significance of these construction numbers indicates how strongly we are responding to continued increases in employment, population, and economic expansion of the community," said Director of Planning and Building Services Mike Cooper. "Sioux Falls development is outpacing other regional cities, and the prospect for even more growth through the rest of this year is very positive." The earliest the $200 million benchmark was reached before this year was the end of May 2007. The construction valuation is about double what it was at the same time last year, $103.5 million, and exceeds the next highest construction valuation on record at the end of April, which was $138 million in 2005. "Some large commercial additions and updates, as well as some new construction of hotels, apartments, and condominiums, are really helping to drive these values," said Chief Building Official Ron Bell. "The last two months have created records for construction valuations, which have resulted in us reaching the $200 million milestone much earlier than ever before." |
| Back to top |
|
Building Official and Fire Service Membership Councils
The Governing Committees of the BOMC and FSMC met at Guntersville State Park for a two-day workshop to discuss ways of improving the interrelationship between fire and building officials. Under the guidance of facilitators Jim Bartl and Ken Kraus, the members of the two Governing Committees were merged into four Work Groups which developed six initiatives and associated Action Items. Group #1 — Scott McDonald (Leader); Fulton Cochran; Bill Duck; Bruce Faust; Tonya Hoover; Neville Pereira; William St. Michel; and Chris Young Staff: Bruce E. Johnson Action Items: 1) Political Pressure 2) Education — Joint Training Group #2 — Tom Allen (Leader); Alan Boswell; Ronny Coleman; Sean DeCrane; Pat Naticchione; Jeff Shapiro; Steve Shapiro; and Adolf Zubia Staff: Vaughn Wicker Action Items: 1) RFS issue/Minnesota vote 2) Trust/Mistrust 3) Baggage from previous actions Group #3 — Terry Cobb (Leader); Scott Adams; Bill Barnard; Jackie Gibbs; Gilbert Gonzales; Jerry Mallory; and Kelly Nicolello Action Items: Staff: Rick Hauffe 1) Lack of Communication Group #4 — Becky Baker (Leader); Jeff Bechtold; Jimmie Deer; Frank Hodge; George Michehl; Rick McCullough; Ernie Misewicz; and Mark Showmaker Staff: Phil McMahan Action Items: 1) Cultural Differences It rapidly became apparent that the topic needing immediate discussion was the residential fire sprinkler issue/Minnesota vote. Group 2 led this discussion and suggested that a joint statement be considered by both Councils regarding the vote to require residential fire sprinklers in new homes that occurred at the ICC Final Action Hearing in Minneapolis in 2008. FSMC member Ronny Coleman spoke passionately about the Minneapolis hearing, the fire service commitment to the national initiative to have residential fire sprinklers added to the national model codes and his support for a joint statement. Both Governing Committees continued the work started at the Guntersville Workshop during a Joint Meeting of the Governing Committees on April 21 in Dallas, immediately preceding the Group B Committee Action Hearings. The focus of this meeting was for each Work Group to continue development of its specific action plans and to finalize the Joint Statement about the Minneapolis Hearings: "In the interest of developing a better working relationship between our two professions, both of which have the public's safety at heart, the BOMC and FSMC agree that it is not productive for ICC Members to dwell on the events that transpired in Minneapolis in 2008. It is further agreed that participation and voting by the ICC Membership at the Minneapolis hearing, and in subsequent code cycles, was done in compliance with the rules and policies governing ICC's code development process that were in place at the time and that proponents of home fire sprinklers acted with a genuine interest in public and firefighter safety." The FSMC and BOMC embrace this statement and strongly encourage fire officials and building officials to pursue our shared mission of public safety as a basis for cooperative and productive working relationships. Click here to visit the Joint Meetings of Building and Fire Councils page. |
||||
| Back to top | ||||
|
| —*ADVERTISEMENT— |
 |
 |
Lebanon Building Inspector Ray Hubner was the recipient of the Tennessee Building Officials Association's (TBOA) Code Official of the Year Award during the Chapter's 50th Annual Conference held in Gatlinburg. The Code Official of the Year is the most prestigious award that is bestowed upon any code official by the TBOA. Recipients are considered to be hard-working and dedicated to their community and profession.