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03-21-1991 IOW CITY OF EDGEwATFR BUILDING TRADES REGULATORY AND APPEALS BOARD MARCH 21, 1991 SUMMARY OF MINUTES The Regular Meeting of the Building Trades Regulatory and Appeals Board was called to Order on March 21, 1991 at 700 P.M. in the Conference Room at City Hall. Roll call was taken, new members were recognized, and minutes were approved. Motion to continue the Building Department Policy of setting meters early on job sites. Motion approved. Motion to adopt the Deemed to Comply Manual as a guideline for the Building Department to use for compliance with the windload requirement. Motion approved. Motion to nominate Bob Howard as Chairman of the Building Trades Regulatory and Appeals Board. Motion to close nominations. Motion approved. Motion to nominate Gary Butt as Vice Chairman. Motion to close nominations. Motion approved. Discussion was heard on the following topics: lntrodurtion of New Members Deemed to comply Manual Procedure for Competency Card Renewal Contractors Working Without Licenses/Permits Election of Officers Meeting adjourned at 9:12 P.M. lm *tar low CITY OF EDGEWATER BUILDING TRADES REGULATORY AND APPEALS BOARD REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 1991 CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL Chief William Vold called to order the regular meeting of the Building Trades Regulatory and Appeals Board of Thursday, March 21, 1991 in the Conference Room of City Hall at 7:00 P.M. ROLL CALL: Members present were: Lester Yarnell, Douglas Cole, Gary Butt, Les Ogram, Michael Nelson, and John Ciaffoni. Bob Howard was excused. Also present were William Vola, Fire Chief, and Lisa Miller, Recording Secretary. New Members John Ciaffoni and Michael Nelson were introduced to the Board. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The Minutes of July 26, 1990 Meeting of the Building Trades Regulatory and Appeals Board were submitted for approval. Mr. Butt moved to accept the minutes as provided. Mr. Cole seconded. Motion carried 6-0. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Permanent Electric Power Meter Set Early On Site Chief Vola stated at the last meeting of the Building Trades Regulatory and Appeals Board there was discussion concerning the early placement of electrical meters on residences before the Certificate of Occupancy was issued. This would be done by the Contractor for the primary purpose of checking out the building and support for lawn irrigation, etc. At the last meeting, the Board voted to put this procedure into effect on .a 6 month trial basis. As that time period has expired, he questioned whether they would like to put this policy into effect on a permanent basis. Mr. Cole moved to continue to use this procedure in the Building Department. Mr. Yarnell seconded. Motion carried 6-0. NEW BUSINESS: Deemed to Comply Manual Chief Vola stated Section 1205 of the Standard Building Code is basically the natural forces resistance code. There are sections dealing with hurricanes, earthquakes and seismic activity .as well as wind resistance. The Deemed to Comply Manual has been adopted by the Southern Building Code Congress based on engineering data as alternative construction methods for framing. This is engineering sealed to comply with the 90 M.P.H. wind resistance that is mandated by section 1205 of the Standard Building Code in our area. This way there is no requirement for a contractor to get engineered sealed drawings that will affirm that the building meets the wind resistance. It gives specific methods of tying the building together to reduce the causes of building failure. Mr. Cole questioned whether anyone in town was stocking the required fasteners. Chief Vola stated Scotty's and Dunn Lumber are stocking them and they have been required in the County for over a year. Mr. Nelson stated he is a Plans Examiner for the County and they had basically backed off the Deemed to Comply Manual. The County hasn't backed off the basic premise that it is based on. They backed off some of the items that were becoming a nightmare. Mr. Gordon with the County formulated the 90-14 Ordinance. It is general and up to Mr. Gordon's interpretation. Now Mr. Cole questioned if we already accepted the Deemed to Comply Manual. Chief Vola stated yPs, it was adopted by S.B.C.C.1. as part of the Building Code. It is not in the 90 Code Book. This is an alternative to signing and sealing every house to meet the 0 mph wind code. They would use the specifications in the Deemed to Comply Manual and these are engineering designs. Mr. Cole questioned if we should wait until they had a lank at the changes. Mr. Nelson stated it was the samP thing that thy looked at; the difference is just in how its being enforced. Mr- Cole questioned if it was in effect now. Chief Vola stated somP form of methodology by which the wind code would be adherPd to would be in effect by April I, 19'91. Chief Vol. stated up to this point it has been basically past practice and bits and pieces of what the County did and what felt good. There was no technical basis for what we've all been doing for years. Basically to comply with the windioad requirements for framing, we should have been making every home builder submit signed and sealed drawings on all of their houses- He stated wP all knnw that is not practical, its not economically feasible, and it would be almost into to do that This manual is an alternative to that. We do have the liability upon us, the community as well as this board, to assure that the buildings that are being built in this community do comply with the wind resistance standards. Each and every set of plans that the contractors submit would have to go through the Building Department, the Engineering representative would review each one of them to see if they comply with what is outlined in ChaptPr 1205. It would become particularly burdensome on all of Gbief Vola stated most contractors used the same plans. Once they designed their house in compliance with Chapter 1205 they could build the same type of house and the rest of it is simple. He stated people who build custom homes would have more of a problem. Mr. Nelson stated the manual addresses basic shapes only. There was discussion between the Board Members about using basic items for their recommended use. Chief Vnla stated the Board needed to take some stance because the way the buildinos are being built now, they will not stand up to a 90 MPH windload. Chief Vola stated there is more than one option. If the contractor does not want to follow what is in the Manual, then he must submit an architect or an engineer seal that says the building won't fly apart in a. high wind. Mr. Ogram question if these requirements were going to make the home that much safer for the cost and trouble that it was going to cause. He stated he felt sorry for the people that are trying to buy a home because they are the ones who ultimately end up paying for the policies made by the Board. Mr. Yarnell stated no matter how many nails you put in something, if a hurricane comes its going. Mr. Ogram stated he was for keeping the price of a house down so that the normal person making six dollars per hour could afford to buy a. house; right now they can't. Its not Just here, its all over the country- Chief Vola stated if you look at some of the tables in Chapter 1205 that the contractor is supposed to use they better have a good math background or they can't do it. If the contractor wants to go ahead and show us those figures, then they don't have to worry about the Deemed To Comply manual because they have already complied. He stated no one would want to do that on each and every house they wanted to build, but that's basically what the book says you are supposed to do. It was an unrealistic expectation from the start. Mr. Ogram questioned what they wanted the Bo.. to do .abaut thc Deemed To Comply Manual. -2- 4 01MY Chief Vola stated they basically wanted to know how the Board would approach this problem' Tentatively we are set up to put this in effect as of April 1. This is not set in concrete, but we have to do something to comply with our own Code. He is open for suggestions. He stated the Deemed to Comply is one solution it is not "the" solution. Another solution is to have them submit to us their mathematics to show that it will in fact meet the criteria. Mr. Butt questioned what other departments are doing to meet these requirements. Chief Vola stated they are doing combinations of things' The County has its own standards. Mr. Butt stated they should gm toward what the book recommends, but be able to bend somewhere along the line, but how far do you bend? Chief Vola pointed out that this was a no in situation. Mr. Ogram questioned if our architect would have any input on this. Chief Vola stated that the AlA was involved in the writing of the Deemed to Comply Manual. Chief Vola stated basically the idea behind all this was to have a solid integral structural member running from the bottom of the footer to the underside of the, plywood decking' How you achieve that depends on which book you read or the way you go at it. Mr. Ogram questioned if we were bound by the Southern Building Code to have something like this in one form or another' Chief Vola stated yes, we are bound to make sure the buildings are designed and built to meet the wind resistance standards. For our area it is 90 mph. Mr' Ogram questioned how they could explore any other ways that this could be done. Chief Vola stated they had already rejected Mr. Gordon's way earlier, the Deemed to Comply Manual is another alternative, the third alternative is to require the contractor to submit the windloading and uplift figures for each and every house they build or at least each model they build. The person that gets hurt there is the guy who builds custom homes. You have to use the specified equipment in the manner in which it was designed and certified for. Mr. Butt questioned if everyone was doing things a different way, wouldn't it be harder for the Building Department to go out and check the work? This would be opposed to everyone doing it the same way. Chief Vola stated the Deemed to Comply manual would be the easiest way for the Building Department to show compliance. Otherwise someone is going to have to take each set of plans and check the contractors windload figures' This is going to be quite time consuming both for the contractor and for Building Department' Mr. Nelson stated the City doesn't want responsibility for that. Chief Vola stated he truly has a problem with that. All it takes is for someone to put a decimal point in the wrong area and we have a major problem. He is not paid as an engineer and neither is Dennis. Mr. Butt stated it seems it would be much easier for everyone concerned to do it this way to comply and that would be it. Mr. Nelson said this would work on simple houses. On a complex house there would be enough money in it for the contractor to have it engineered. Mr' Butt stated it would be the exception and not the rule around here. Chief Vola stated the contractor can submit his house plans to Southern Building Code to have them certified. They will do that for each model but it is going to cost somewhere between $800 to $1,000 per review. Mr. Ogram questioned Mr. Ciaffoni regarding some of the houses that he built. Mr. Ciaffoni stated most of the houses he build would have had to be engineered. Chief Vela stated that he wasn't sure he agreed with that. There was discussion between Board members regarding some items that were not addressed in the manual' -3- tome .11110 Chief Vola stated this was a set of guidelines. The Buildino Department does have the option to work within the guidelines and to work within the boundaries of the Building Code for alternative measures. This is not the only answer. It is an answer that would cover the majority of the situations that we come up against. There is a Code Book out there that is another way to comply. There is an engineer out there who can tell you different ways to comply depending on the amount of money you want to spend. Mr. Ciaffoni stated their main concern was if this was going to be Bible. Chief Vola stated the Code Book was Bible. M. Ciaffoni stated as long as there was communcation or are you going to get stuck doing it only a certain way. Mr. Yarnell questioned if it could be set up like .a guideline to work within. Chief Vola stated that was what it was intended to be but for us to legitimately use this we need for it to qo through the Board so that you can decide which option you want to use Mr. Nelson stated he had no problems using it as a tool. He does have a problem with adopting it as part of the Ordinances or Codes. Mr. Nelson stated it was a good too as one way to comply. Chief Vola stated that is what he was trying to say all along. One way or another it has to meet the Code. This is merely ere way of doing it. Mr. Oqram moved the Board adopt the Deemed to Comply Manual as a guideline for the Building Department to use for compliance with the windload requirements. Mr. Butt seconded. Motion carried 4- 0. Procedure for Competency Card Renewal Lisa Miller, Building Department Staff Assistant went over the Building Department's requirements for Competency Cards and Registration Cards. Ms. Miller stated in Ordinance 90-0-15 item "t" states that: (t) Recommend Renewal Notices of Certification of Competency Cards be mailed out the 3rd week of August to holders. These would be due on or before September 30. After this time TWICE the fee would be charged through October 30. After October 30th renewal applicants will be approved by the Building Trades Regulatory and Appeals Board. Ms. Miller stated there was no procedure set up for the Board to review app 1 icants. She questioned if the Board wanted the applicants to come before them, what information would be requested of the and what procedure she should follow in bringing them to the Board. Ms. Miller also stated that the Board's Bylaws do not address this. Mr. Butt stated they would have to show all of the things they would originally have to show to get a Comp Card. Mr. Ogram stated they shouldn't make someone new come before the Board just because they came in the middle of the year. Ms. Miller stated new people would not be penalized and did not need to come before the Board . She questioned if someone did not renew their comp card for several years do they consider them new or do the charge them doub le. What is the amount of time that is allowed to pass? Mr. Cole questioned what each contractor was charged for their comp card. Ms. Miller stated State Certified people cannot be charged. State Registered contractors are charged $12.00 until the end of September and the the fee is doubled. Journeymen are charged $7.00 until the end of September and then the fee is doubled. Contractors who cannot pull permits are given a Registration Card and there is no charge for them. Mr. Ciaffoni stated he thought that anyone who was not State Certified was charged for a comp card. Ms. Miller stated only people who can pull a permit get a comp card. Contractors such as painters and framing and trim can not pull a. permit so they get a Registration Card. There is no charge for this card. Ms. Miller stated she spent the same amount of time on a Comp Card as she does on a Registration Card. Mr. Ogram stated they should pay the same as he has to. Chief Vola stated he adreed, but that they can't arbitrarily charge people, it has to be in the Ordinance. -4- 114., *of The Board discussed other Citie=, policies and requirements. Ms. Miller stated she would take the changes discussed her and bring them back to the Board at the net meeting for their review. Those changes are: 1. Charging the people who get Registration Cards $7.00. 2. Delete the section of Ordinance 90-0-15 that states that after October 740th that applicants have to appear before the Board. 3. The section of Ordinance 90-0-15 that says that twice the fee will be charged through October changed to read "after this time twice the fee will be charged." The Board discussed contractors working without licenses an/or worker's comp and obtaining permits. Chief Vola showed the Board a copy of a proposed building application. He stated several months ago he had gotten together with some contractors to try to simplify the building permit application process. He asked the Board for their opinion or it. Mr. Ogram questioned if he would have to walk it to all of the departments. Chief Vola stated he would drop it of at one point and would not see it again until he was called if there wa., a problem or if it was ready to be paid for. Election of Officers Mr. Ogram moved to nominate Bob Howard for the office of Chairman. Mr. Cole seconded. Mr. Yarnell moved the nomination.; be closed. Mr. Cole seconded. Motion carried 4-0. Mr. Ogram moved to nominate Gary Butt for the office of Vice Chairman. Mr. Cole seconded. Mr. Yarnell moved the nomination-=. be closed. Mr. Cole seconded. Motion carried 4-0. There being no additional bu to come before the Board, M. Ogram moved to adjourn. Mr. Cole seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:12 P.M. Minutes Respectfully submitted by Lisa R. Miller, Secretary Building Trades Regulatory and Appeals Board. \lm -5-