Building Code Review Board

CITY OF DEKALB BUILDING BOARD OF APPEALS MINUTES October 15, 2015 Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 9:04 by Chairman Don Whitmore. Roll Call BBA Members present were Chairman Don Whitmore, Charles Shepard, Jim Ward, Christine Scholl, Lisa Sharp. Steve Irving was not present. Staff present were Community Development Director Ellen Divita, Deputy Fire Chief Greg Hoyle, Dan Burrow of SAFEbuilt, and Community Development Administrative Assistant Natalie Nelson. Natalie Nelson acted as recording Secretary. Also present were Dan Hager, Jerry Evans, Steve Doonan, Randy Nelson, Jim Mason, William Heinisch, and Sean Kelly. Chairman Whitmore asked for a motion to approve the agenda, and prefaced his request with this clarification: the agenda item regarding timeline to review and identify concerns on the 2015 codes is to be a discussion on how to go about formal consideration, when to have public meetings, at what point a code change would be adopted, and there is a second consideration, namely, should DeKalb become part of the Northwest Regional Group. Christine Scholl motioned to approve the Agenda without changes, and the motion was seconded by Jim Ward. All approved. Approval of Minutes Jim Ward motioned to approve the September 3, 2015, minutes, and the motion was seconded by Lisa Sharp. All approved. New Business 1. Election of Chairman – Don Whitmore was nominated by Chuck Shepard, seconded by Christine Scholl. Don Whitmore accepted the nomination. Nominations were closed. The Building Board approved unanimously and thanked Don Whitmore for his leadership. It was noted that Commissioners Whitmore, Shepard, and Ward have served on the commission since its inception. 2. Commission roster and terms- The roster was distributed; members have been asked to submit any revisions.  3. OMA training– The newest member of the commission, Christine Scholl, will submit her certificate of training to the City. Old Business 1. COMMITTEE REPORTS on draft Regional Building Code review activity Mechanical – Steve Doonan recommended the 2015 International Mechanical Code be adopted as written, without amendments. He believes the regional group amendments are covered under the Energy Code, and in two instances (welds and required pipe size) are more restrictive; these changes add cost, and in his experience, are not necessary. Discussion was held on prohibition of unvented room heaters, including unvented gas fireplace inserts, which the Regional Group would like to prohibit. The BBA will give consideration to retaining their use if installed according to manufacturers’ specifications. The new Energy Code controls heat loss through ventilation systems. Steve will present a written summary for the group. Electrical – Dan Hagar reported that the changes between the 2002 code to 2014 would be significant. The requirements would add costs, but he believes it would be good to move to the new Code. Discussion centered on the use of new materials and requirements for grounding the electric system. The regional group will delete references to electric within the IRC with a reference to replace with the NEC. Randy Nelson asked what the 2014 NEC changes mean for residential builders. Dan Burrows noted the DeKalb Code does not use the 2003 IRC for electric; instead the City code adopts the 2002 NEC. Plumbing – Chairman Whitmore commented that Matt Swanson, who was present at the last meeting, has accepted the language that currently exists in the Code. Mr. Evans will work with Reese to develop comments on the proposed code. Dan Burrows will talk to Mike Holland, DeKalb Sanitary District, about any requirements on sanitary connections. A discussion was held regarding disconnect valves for structures with both potable water and sprinkler systems. Design decisions are up to the local jurisdictions (and are not being dictated by the Regional Group). Jerry Evans will review the regional amendments with Reese Menard and submit written recommendations. IBC (Commercial Building Code) – Lisa Sharp stated the group has already submitted their changes to the Regional Group work team, and they have been incorporated. There is no need for further amendments. Fire – Greg Hoyle stated he is reviewing the code and amendments and said he would have something to report when the Board meets again. IRC – The main discussion centered on the recommendation of sprinklers to be required in townhomes of three units or more. The Regional Group has chosen to remove the 2015 code requirement for sprinklers in one- and two-family dwellings, with additional fire-proofing elements. The draft regional Code seeks to require automatic residential fire sprinklers for townhouses, designed and installed in accordance with the current edition of the Illinois Plumbing Code, and NFPA 13D. Design of these systems differs from the sprinklers used in apartment complexes. The IRC definition of a townhouse is “a single-family dwelling unit constructed in a group of three or more attached units in which each unit extends from foundation to roof and with open space on at least two sides.” Randy Nelson spoke about his building project in Green Tree Villas in Southpointe. These are attached 1800 sq. ft. single-family housing, one and two stories, with up to four units. He disagreed with the sprinkler system requirement. Chairman Whitmore gave a recap of the Board’s discussion of this issue. Christine Scholl spoke on the fire protection requirements for wall separation. Randy Nelson spoke about the fire suppression methods he has been building with. He stated that customers do not want to pay for sprinkler systems and are worried about water damage. Jim Mason stated he believes townhomes are some of the safest structures built due to the two-hour fire rated walls. He believes sprinklers should not be required in buildings two stories or less because people can get out of a second-floor window. He stated the damage from a sprinkler can be more significant than the damage from a fire. He is concerned that renters will leave windows open and generally not maintain the systems, resulting in broken sprinkler heads or triggering false incidents of sprinklers being used. William Heinisch stated that he has spoken to other builders who also have objections to required sprinkler systems. He has asked if there was any case law that showed the benefit of having sprinkled townhomes. He recommended that DeKalb adopt the Regional Code with DeKalb’s own amendments. Chairman Whitmore indicated the BBA is essentially considering their own Code and may or may not end up identical to the Regional Code. Sean Kelly stated that he builds in DeKalb and across the region. He said most people consider water damage from sprinklers to be greater than any than damage from any fire. He has avoided building anywhere but near here to avoid these kinds of issues. He argued that increasing the costs of building versus the demand for housing was not good for this particular community. Contractors may not want to build in DeKalb if it follows the Regional Code that Rockford uses, given Rockford’s economic situation. He said he has spoken to people who have direct experience with faulty sprinkler issues and water damage. He expressed concerned about the cost of sprinklers and who will pay for them. Members of the BBA clarified that the Regional Code under consideration is not a code being directed by the City of Rockford; all communities choosing to participate had full input into the consideration to this set of amendments for the 2015 International Building Codes. When referring to “Rockford,” the BBA is referring to the Regional Code work group. Jim Mason stated that the rental rates in DeKalb are low due to overbuilding and lower demand for rentals. He stated the rental rate is $.85 per square foot, and you cannot pay for a sprinkler system on that revenue. Randy Nelson asked why the City needs to update at all. Sean Kelly asked why the group did not phase these in going to 2009 versions. Members of the BBA stated that the City is simply too far behind, and if we are going to go through the code updates, it is a lot of work. They prefer to update to a version of the 2015 Codes with the next  consideration in 2021, at the earliest. Lisa Sharp added that she was leaning toward waiving the requirement of sprinklers for four and under units. She stated she supports the need for updating to the 2015 Code, as DeKalb did not update in 2009 because it was not a good time to make the changes. Don Whitmore expanded upon the reasoning behind considering the regional code as a possibility. Working with the Regional group brought additional energy and resources. A more uniform code across the region would make building across the region easier for designers, contractors, and tradesmen. Chuck Shepard added that the regional builders, like those working in Park 88, are surprised to find DeKalb working on the 2003 Code. Members of the BBA stated the new codes allow for new technologies our builders should be able to use. Jim Mason has stated there have been no fire-related deaths in DeKalb. Greg Hoyle reported that in his 30 years with the City, there have been a handful of deaths. In response to a question, he has no knowledge of a fire death that could have been prevented by a sprinkler system, and he understands the disadvantages of having a sprinkler system ruin a property. Jerry Evans stated sprinklers systems break, rust, heads come off, and create more damage than a fire. The group agreed that they need to understand 13D systems better. It was noted that Ken Andersen of the DeKalb Builders Association had been researching this and had talked to representatives from Weyheuser. Existing Building Code – The subcommittee will meet to prepare written comments for the group at large. 2. REVIEW FINAL DRAFT OF REGIONAL VERSION – 2015 Building Code Schedule – the commission discussed next steps and decided to send a letter of information to all licensed contractors in the City, informing them that: • The commission will meet again on November 5, 2015, to review a final set of amendments • The Commission and local tradesmen and building industry people are invited to training on the 2015 Codes to be held on December 2, 2015, at Faranda’s. There will be a cost. Training is being coordinated by the Regional Code Group and trainers will be from the International Code Council. • The commission will meet on December 10, 2015, with possible action to be taken— sending a recommendation to the City Council. • The City Council would hold a public hearing, first and second readings for consideration of Code adoption Code Training Sessions: Rockford, Dixon DeKalb December 2, 2015, 7:30 AM-4:30 PM, the International Code Council training will take place at Faranda’s, regardless of whether or not DeKalb participates in the 2015 Code. Several presenters will be participating with break-out sessions. Cost of sessions is not yet known, there should be some free sessions, and some classes at a fee. Both general industry knowledge and code-specific topics will be covered. Consideration of the City’s Mechanical, Building, and Electric Commissions. Each of these Commissions still exist per City municipal code, but do not have a full slate of commissioners. It appears they have not met in over 6 or 7 years, similar to the Building  Board of Appeals, prior to this review of the 2015 codes. The BBA discussed the idea of considering expansion of the BBA with representatives from each trade, rather than re- appointing the individual commissions. By code, the mechanical, building, and electric commissions serve two main functions: (1) considering Code disputes between building staff and contractors, and (2) overseeing licensing of contractors. Addition of representatives from these trades has been helpful to the BBA during their consideration of the 2015 Codes. Jerry Evans, Steve Doonan, Keith O’Higgens, and Dan Hagar have provided technical expertise. 3. WORK TASKS Before the next meeting • As a point of information, Ellen Divita provided a summary of building permit data. She will send it electronically to attendees. • Each committee will have its comments on the regional code to Ellen Divita by Tuesday, October 27, 2015. The next Building Board of Appeals meeting is set for November 5, 2015, 9 AM at DeKalb City Hall. The following meeting of the Building Board of Appeals is set for December 10, 2015, 9 AM at DeKalb City Hall. HEARING AND SEEING NO ADDITIONAL COMMENT FROM ATTENDEES, CHAIRMAN W CLOSED THE MEETING AT