Building Code Review Board

CITY OF DEKALB BUILDING BOARD OF APPEALS MINUTES December 10, 2015 Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 9:05 AM by Chairman Don Whitmore. Roll Call BBA Members present were Chairman Don Whitmore, Charles Shepard, Christine Scholl, Lisa Sharp, and Steve Irving. Staff present were Community Development Director Ellen Divita, Deputy Fire Chief Greg Hoyle, Dan Burrow of SAFEbuilt, and Community Development Administrative Assistant Natalie Nelson. Fire Chief Eric Hicks arrived at 10:00 AM. Natalie Nelson acted as recording Secretary. Also present were Steve Doonan, Dan Hagar, Matt Swanson, Brian Grainger, Ken Anderson, and Randy Nelson. Thomas Lia and Tom Augusta from the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board were also present. Approval of Agenda Chairman Whitmore asked for a motion to approve the agenda, L. Sharp motioned to approve the Agenda without changes, and the motion was seconded by Steve Irving. All approved. Approval of Minutes C. Shepard motioned to approve the November 19, 2015, minutes, and the motion was seconded by Steve Irving. All approved Public Participation Randy Nelson expressed concern about being required to install sprinkler systems that would raise the price of each unit $8,000 to $10,000, according to his plumber’s estimate, when selling residential units is difficult in today’s market already. Another estimate of Approved Minutes 121015 Building Board of Appeals Meeting 1  about $3,600 for a 1200 sf unit was also mentioned. The cost of the water service may or may not have been included in that estimate. Brian Grainger spoke on the two-hour firewall current requirement, and how this building requirement also acts as a sound wall. He stated it was not realistic to eliminate this wall requirement in favor of sprinklers. S. Irving agreed that sound-proofing measures would still be included in building a quality product, in addition to the cost of sprinklers. Mr. Grainger also spoke on his experience of being called for a sprinkler failure and the liability of the builder in this kind of situation. S. Irving discussed the insignificant cost savings in insurance for homeowners and how the cost of the yearly inspection of the backflow preventer is not covered by this savings. L. Sharp asked about why the backflow preventer needs to be inspected yearly. It was stated that the RPZ inspection requirement is a federal requirement, to ensure that the valve is in working order and stagnant water is not getting into the residence’s water supply. Deputy Fire Chief Greg Hoyle spoke about the high heat materials burn at nowadays and the risk to fire fighters. He stated that he supports the installation of sprinklers in townhomes. Ken Anderson asked how many new homes are experiencing fires and why we are trying to prevent fires that many not be happening. He also mentioned the flammability of the contents of homes. G. Hoyle spoke about how we cannot control the contents of homes, but that homes are being built better so that fires can be extinguished more quickly. Randy Nelson stated he was not in favor of sprinkler requirements due to the cost. He stated he would be willing to get an estimate of what installing sprinklers would be in the units he is currently building. He will bring this information to present at the next meeting. Chairman Whitmore stated that he, E. Divita, and other members of the Board contact some sprinkler companies and builders to get some figures on the cost for installing sprinkler systems in townhouses. Drawings may be necessary to get the estimates. The plan would need to be drawn by a licensed sprinkler and approved by ISO. The cost of the water service will also investigated. S. Irving stated that he is concerned about the declining property values in DeKalb and the limited building that has occurred. A discussion of the City’s ISO rating based upon fire protection took place. Old Business 1. Work Session on individual building codes a. Mechanical – Steve Doonan recommended no changes to the proposed 2015 Code, and he mentioned that Keith O’Higgins had some objections that he does not have.  b. Electric – Dan Hagar recommended change to the proposed 2015 Code regarding metal clad cable, that it should not be allowed, just as is currently stated in DeKalb’s current code in section 25.13 ARMORED CABLE (TYPE AC, TRADE NAME BX). c. Plumbing – Jerry Evans was not present to comment, but Chairman Whitmore stated that Mr. Evans accepts the Illinois state code. d. IBC (commercial) – The Board agreed to keep the amendment for 901.1.1 regarding additional amendments to the International Fire Code. The Board agreed to strike the amendments from Chapter 11 regarding Accessibility. The Board discussed Section 2901 regarding Storm-water Drainage, which may not be covered by the state code, according to C. Scholl. More research is necessary to make a decision on this matter. The Board discussed Appendixes and the need to walk through each one separately to see if changes are necessary. City legal will be consulted on whether they need to be adopted separately. The Appendices will be divided up and discussed in work groups. e. IRC – The Board agreed that section 1205.15 Accessibility should follow the state of Illinois Code throughout. f. Existing Building Code – The Board discussed section 1401.2 Applicability and the date of 1985 in the Regional Code. L. Sharp voiced concern about how to follow the existing code for renovations of existing buildings. C. Scholl will check with ICC this section’s requirements. g. Fire – Chief Hicks stated since the City will not be adopting the Regional Code that the City’s code needs to be reviewed. He recommended to omit the amendment to Section 505.3 regarding Strip malls. For the remaining amendments, he will report back at the next meeting. D. Burrows stated that a rooming house was found to have an unvented gas heater, and he recommended that these not be allowed in a bedroom. F. New Business  1. Presentation on Sprinkler Systems from Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Board representative Thomas Lia from the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board spoke on sprinklers. Mr. Lia recommended to follow the updated code regarding sprinklers. He stated that 104 municipalities in Illinois currently require sprinklers in new single-family residential buildings and townhomes, including Oak Park and Ellwood, who joined most recently. Mr. Lia spoke about the value of 13D sprinkler system used in single-family residential buildings; it is a quick-response two-head sprinklers that directs the water more horizontally. The 13R sprinkler is recommended for townhomes since it has four heads, and the fire department is connected. Certain areas of the home are exempt from sprinkling coverage, including smaller bathrooms, closets, garages, and crawlspaces. One benefit of having a sprinkled home is that insurance costs are reduced, but not by much for residential buildings. Condo associations for common area coverage receive some discount as well. Backflow prevention valves must be tested yearly, which costs from $50 to $100 for a single family home, and closer to $150 for townhomes. The cost of building a townhome with required firewall protection is something to consider when not requiring sprinkling. Mr. Lia stated that the cost of installing sprinkling a home of about $1.80 to $2.00 per square foot. Mr. Lia explained that townhomes can be designed with 13D or 13R sprinklers, depending upon the water supply setup. He stated that sprinkler installers try to avoid placing piping in attics to avoid freezing, but if it is not possible, insulation requirements must be followed. He offered to show a live demonstration in trailer to show how sprinklers work during a fire. S. Irving asked about the designing of sprinkler systems, as architects do not draw up these plans. A discussion took place of who would design the system, the requirements that would be followed, and how water supply for sprinklers would need to be separate from regular residential water supply to ensure that each could be shut off independently if needed. 2. City 2025 Strategic Plan – Commission observations, comments, ideas C. Scholl stated that she appreciated the value of strategic planning but thought that it might have been more pared down to address achievable objectives. S. Irving stated that he thought the ideas were expensive. E. Divita expressed how important the plan is as it will be consulted when making financial decisions at budget time. The next Building Board of Appeals meeting is set for January 21, 2016, 9:00AM at DeKalb City Hall. This will be a workshopping meeting. HEARING AND SEEING NO ADDITIONAL COMMENT FROM ATTENDEES, CHAIRMAN WHITMORE CLOSED THE MEETING AT 11:15 AM.