Board of Building Appeals

Village Hall Village of Lombard 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Board of Building Appeals Members Bob Mueller, Marty Igoe, Steve Flint, John Cullen and Maurice Bernardi Staff Liaisons: Director of Community Development William Heniff and Building Official Keith Steiskal Thursday, March 21, 2013 6:30 PM Village Hall/L22 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Keith Steiskal, Building Official, at 6:32 p.m. Mr. Steiskal led the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call Present 4 - Stephen Flint, Marty Igoe, John Cullen, and Bob Mueller Also present: Chuck Riforgiate, Fire Marshal and Janet Downer, Administrative Coordinator. Public Hearings None. Business Meeting Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Stephen Flint, seconded by Bob Mueller, to approve the minutes of the February 29, 2012 meeting. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. Prior to discussing the amendments to the Building Code, Mr. Steiskal Village of Lombard Page 1 Board of Building Appeals Minutes March 21, 2013 updated the members of the changes that have occurred since the last time the Board of Building Appeals met: · Staff Changes - Len Farina, the Electrical Inspector, has retired and come back in a part-time capacity. The Village is looking to hire another part-time position and with the two part-time positions, the hours will be equal to one full-time position. The Village still employs a full-time building inspector, a plumbing inspector and himself. With the new part-time electrical inspector and Len coming back part-time, we will have a total of five inspectors. Changes to Code include the following: · The furnace law that was to start May 1, requiring furnaces to be 90% efficient instead of 80%, was never instituted but may resurface at a later date. Bob Mueller asked why. Mr. Steiskal replied there was concern that people couldn’t afford to purchase them and as a result, they might be apt to do work without permits or possibly use space heaters instead of buying a new furnace which would be more dangerous. They are considering a grant program for those who cannot afford it, but that is being worked out. 2015 is the new target date. Marty Igoe asked if this was State or Federal Code. Mr. Steiskal answered Federal. · On January 1, 2013 the Village started using the 2012 Energy Code. The last time this Board met, the Village was using the 2009 Energy Code. · Inspections now needed which previously were visual: o Blower door test inspection - This test helps determine a house’s air tightness. The thought is that if your house if is sealed tight, there are less air leaks which results in energy efficiency. o Energy efficient window inspection o High efficiency light inspection Bob Mueller asked what the failure point is for the blower door test. Mr. Steiskal answered that the results are measured off of air leakage. He explained how the test is performed. A fan is mounted into the frame of an exterior door. This fan then pulls air out of the house lowering the air pressure inside. The higher outside air pressure flows in through all unsealed cracks. There are seven air exchanges that measure the amount of air pulled out of the house by the fan. The Village of Lombard Page 2 Board of Building Appeals Minutes March 21, 2013 data that is collected quantifies the amount of air leakage. If you do not pass the first time, corrective measures like caulking are performed to address the inefficiencies. The test can be performed multiple times until you hit an appropriate number. Bob Mueller commented that foam insulation in the roof would work well in houses to seal air leaks. Mr. Steiskal replied that you could do that also. Bob Mueller asked if the conduit is sealed when a blower door test is performed. Mr. Steiskal answered that all conduit that goes to any exterior electrical box needs to have duct seal around it. In commercial uses, they are using putty pads around the electrical boxes but he has also seen the application being used on ceilings in residential uses. John Cullen asked how fresh air would enter a house. Bob Mueller answered from the outside of the house via the air return. Mr. Steiskal added that having your furnace on a cycle keeps from getting abnormal air exchange. John Cullen mentioned possible problems with mold. With the 90% energy efficient furnace, you need a thermostat that cycles the fresh air intake through the furnace. Mr. Steiskal indicated that you can also have a continuous fan running throughout your house. Mr. Steiskal stated that overall the house performs better but there are concerns about sealing up a house too tight. · New Radon Law Mr. Steiskal stated radon can be a concern. Lombard is located in Zone 2 and Kane County is considered Zone 1 which is the most dangerous. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. When a house is sealed up tighter, radon can be more of a problem. The State passed a new radon law which requires all new houses built after June 1, 2013 to have a passive radon pipe installed. The pipe is run through the heated part of the house. It is enough to depressurize the soil to pull the radon out of the house rather than having it vent into the house. This requirement is not costly, maybe a few hundred dollars, but can save money in the long run if you need to install a radon mitigation system as the pipe would already be in place. Lastly, Mr. Steiskal mentioned that he is a member of the Suburban Building Officials Conference (SBOC) and is President for this term. He went to an International Code Council (ICC) meeting, and one Village of Lombard Page 3 Board of Building Appeals Minutes March 21, 2013 looming issue being discussed is that the State Fire Marshal wants to adopt the newest version of the Life Safety Code. The issue is that the newest version of the Life Safety Code references another code which would require that sprinklers be installed in all residential houses in the State of Illinois. The reason for wanting this change is unknown. The Homebuilders Association does not have a lot of representation in Springfield and has no influence to counteract the proposal. Bob Mueller asked what he thought might happen. Mr. Steiskal replied that this issue is being discussed and he believes the State Fire Marshal would have the votes he needs in order for this to pass. Bob Mueller asked when it would take effect in the Village if it were to pass. Mr. Steiskal added that it would only affect new structures and not additions. Steve Flint thought maybe January next year. Mr. Steiskal stated he didn’t know. Bob Mueller commented on how hard this would be for the builders as it will involve additional costs. He added that he is not against saving energy or being safe. · High Efficiency Lighting Mr. Steiskal stated that the 2012 Energy Code requires that 75% of fixtures in a home must have high efficiency lighting instead of 50%. John Cullen added that the consumer is paying more for the bulbs and commented that this is so ComEd doesn’t have to build another power plant. Mr. Steiskal mentioned how the CFL’s have come down in price but they contain mercury so you have to be careful of their disposal. John Cullen asked how an individual or business owner can address the State about some of these matters. Mr. Steiskal indicated that you can approach your congressman or through the Village. We can relay your opinion against this going forward. Fire Marshal Riforgate exampled how the State funding works and how it is tied to the Energy Code. If you don’t follow the Code, the funding gets cut off. New Business 130136 Amendments to the Building Code, Chapter 150, of Village Code Review and discussion of proposed amendments to the Building Code, Chapter 150 of Village Code. (ALL DISTRICTS) Mr. Steiskal then referred to staff’s memo about the local amendments Village of Lombard Page 4 Board of Building Appeals Minutes March 21, 2013 being proposed. He indicated that the proposed changes to Code are meant to clarify the Code and be more business friendly in order to help designers, architects, engineers and property owners find things easier. The proposed amendments are being presented in a redlined version of the Code. Text being added to Code was denoted by underlining and any deletions were struck. 1. Section 150.008 - Number of copies of Code available for study at Village Hall Mr. Steiskal referred to the Code books that he brought as samples and stated that they are required to be available at Village Hall for review. He pointed out how voluminous the books are and how costly they are to maintain especially as updates are occurring more frequently. He also noted that there is not and never has been a demand for three copies and that digital versions are available. Consequently, staff is recommending that the number of Code books available for study at Village Hall be changed from three to two. Mr. Steiskal asked if anyone had any questions or comments. The members agreed with the amendment and had no questions or comments. 2. Section 150.011 - Add Design Criteria Mr. Steiskal exampled an experience where the architect who was doing a commercial project questioned if the Residential Code was applicable to the Commercial Code and why he had to meet specific design criteria as it was not adopted in the Commercial Code. While the Residential Code is referenced in the Commercial Code to eliminate any confusion, staff is suggesting that the Design Criteria found in the Residential Code be added to the beginning of the Commercial Code in Section 150.011. This way it can be found in both locations and there is no ambiguity in Code. This additional language will be introduced by the following sentence with the design criteria following: “All structures built within the Village, the following design criteria shall be followed:” Ground Snow Load 25 Wind Pressure 80 Seismic Conditions 1 Weathering Severe Frost Depth 42” Termite Yes Winter Design Temp 14 Village of Lombard Page 5 Board of Building Appeals Minutes March 21, 2013 RadonZone 2 Mr. Steiskal asked if anyone had any questions or comments. The members agreed with the amendment and had no questions or comments. 3. Section 150.011- Metal Roof Trusses Mr. Steiskal explained that some designers screw the drywall to the metal truss. As the cold metal at the top contracts and the warm metal expands, this results in a buckled truss which lifts the ceiling and cracks the drywall. Staff wants to ensure that this does not happen. We want to make known that there are alternate installation methods that can be used such as spray foam insulation or hanging the ceiling from the bottom of the truss to isolate it from the truss. Truss uplift can be significant which was experienced by the Lombard Station building located at Charlotte and Grove. They had minimum insulation and this was a problem for them. Having alternate installation methods can be simple and uncostly, but will ensure that our residents will not encounter a hardship. Staff recommends that the following sentence be added to Section 150.011 after the design criteria (found in 2. above). “All metal trusses shall be installed with a method approved by the licensed designer that prevents “truss uplift”, or the finished ceiling material shall not be directly attached to the metal truss.” Mr. Steiskal asked if anyone had any questions or comments. The members agreed with the amendment and had no questions or comments. 4. Section 903.2(5)(a) - Fire Alarms Mr. Steiskal explained that this amendment is significant. Staff is proposing to allow the installation of a fire alarm in place of a sprinkler system when a building addition is less than 1,000 square feet. Mr. Steiskal provided a brief history of existing code which says that if you have a commercial building and you propose a 500 square foot building addition increasing the total area to 2,500 square feet or more, currently you are required to install a sprinkler system throughout the whole building not just the addition. The problem with this is that a sprinkler system can cost anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 and the building in most cases is not appraising for enough money. Consequently, business owners do not expand their operations and outgrow their location and move out resulting in a lost opportunity to maintain a business and gain important fire protection features. Village of Lombard Page 6 Board of Building Appeals Minutes March 21, 2013 As a result, staff is introducing an amendment whereby we can at least get that first level of protection by requiring a fire alarm. This amendment would not apply to high risk occupancy types such as a fireworks manufacturing building or a condominium building constructed of wood. Chuck Riforgiate, Fire Marshal, stated that in a multi-family building with 16 units or more, a fire alarm system is required in the building. The next threshold is a high rise residential building that has units higher than 75 feet above grade. Mr. Steiskal indicated that staff is not proposing to back off from the State requirements or expand those uses without a sprinkler system, we are taking about an office building, or a small storage business which, if approved, this amendment will enable them to survive while offering some form of fire protection. Fire Marshal Riforgiate indicated that he has provided updated language which he distributed to the members. He indicated that this amendment does not include occupancy types A, F, H, I or R. Mr. Steiskal stated that this amendment would be a benefit because if someone wants to do a commercial addition, we will be getting a fire alarm where there was not one before. He explained that A stands for assembly which includes restaurants with a capacity of over 49 people. Anything under 50 is not classified as assembly but as business. Mr. Steiskal asked if anyone had any questions or comments. The members agreed and stated this was a great amendment. 5. Section 309.6 - Gutters and Garages Mr. Steiskal indicated that language would be added to Section 309.6 that all garages built after May 1, 2013 shall have gutters installed, or equal as approved by the Community Development Director or his/her designee. “Equal” would mean something like a French drain, a trench with gravel, etc. which would have to be approved. What we want to avoid is water being directed to a neighbor’s yard or having a trench dug too close to the side of the garage where it end up will rotting the side. Code currently states that gutters are required on habitable structures. Mr. Steiskal asked if anyone had any questions or comments. The members agreed that the amendment made sense and had no other comments or questions. Village of Lombard Page 7 Board of Building Appeals Minutes March 21, 2013 6. Section 150.141(X) - Plan Review Fees Mr. Steiskal indicated that staff is proposing that the following language to be added into the plan review section fees. “Plan review fees shall be paid if plan review has been completed. This would apply even if the permit applicant withdraws the permit, or does not pick up the permit.” There is a loophole that currently exists in Code which we want to close. This happened not too long ago when a homeowner wouldn’t pay the plan review fee because the Code was unclear. The thought would be to not charge the fee upfront; rather, staff will send them a bill. If they choose to not pay it, we can send it to collections. This amendment would be forcing people to pay for a service they already received. Mr. Steiskal asked if anyone had any questions or comments. Steve Flint suggested charging upfront. Mr. Steiskal responded that some towns do it that way but we decided otherwise because in most cases, people come unprepared to pay. We can still begin the permit and when they pick it up, they can pay. John Cullen suggested setting up an escrow account for people who process multiple permits throughout the year. Marty Igoe added that it was a great idea. Mr. Steiskal added that staff will look at this possibility with the New World software when E-Suite is up and running. A motion was made by Stephen Flint, seconded by Marty Igoe, to recommend to the Board of Trustees the adoption of the proposed building amendments to Chapter 150. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. Mr. Steiskal then updated the members on what was going on in the Village. Staff is now beginning to do preliminary review plans electronically. The technology is allowing you to buy a TV as large as the plans. He indicated he has a 50” flat TV screen in his office and how it is hooked up to a computer. The computer also has software which enables them to review the plans. The cost of the software was free. Reviewing plans in this fashion is more cost effective as it eliminates shipping, energy, paper and storage costs and cuts down on review time. The software forces us to go through a pre-defined checklist so it helps avoid errors. Staff is currently working out the bugs before this new procedure is being announced. Village of Lombard Page 8 Board of Building Appeals Minutes March 21, 2013 Bob Mueller asked if permit fees would be going down since the Village is saving money with this new technology. Mr. Steiskal answered no. John Cullen asked if there was state funding for this type of technology. Mr. Steiskal responded that we do apply for grants but they mainly apply toward the promotion of building permits such as for pamphlets and the like. The Village has applied for and received a $50,000 lighting grant. This enabled the Village to upgrade or replace the lights in the entire building. While these types of initiatives as well as staffing reductions have cut costs, we have to keep taking advantage of these incenvites in order to keep up. Bob Mueller asked how staff determines if a house is 75% efficient. Mr. Steiskal answered that we count the light bulbs. The Village has not increased fees even though codes are being mandated. We also have interns that work here for free but the inspection work that is required is considered speciality work and these mandates cost money in order to enforce. John Cullen added that everyone at the local level needs to go back to the State. Mr. Steiskal mentioned that the Village Manager participates in the DuPage Mayor & Managers which is a forum for local DuPage officials to speak their concerns which are then taken to Springfield. Steve Flint mentioned how he went down to Springfield last week with other architects. Marty Igoe asked if there was any talk about Lombard using smart meters. Mr. Steiskal indicated it is up to ComEd. Right now it is voluntary and you get a discount if you use it. The smart meters can register when you are using certain appliances at a specific time and would know when the electrical grid is becoming too burdened. They can then turn off the applicances to avoid a blackout. Unfortunately, there is a concern that ComEd would collect information about your lifestyle which raises privacy concerns. Marty Igoe asked about ComEd controlling the electricity. There was talk about ComEd giving a discount to residential users if they allow something on their air conditioning to turn it off during peak times. Mr. Steiskal added that ComEd gives the Village a discount for turning on generators during peak electrical times. Bob Mueller questioned if the costs would be higher for using gas and would offset the electrical savings. Mr. Steiskal answered that our Village of Lombard Page 9 Board of Building Appeals Minutes March 21, 2013 generators are diesel. Mr. Steiskal mentioned how the Village has begun using a new software program, New World Systems which is specially made for government. The hope is that the new software will enable customers to do more online than we have done in the past. This would include using a smart phone to make payments, check the status of permits or schedule inspections. Marty Igoe asked about the number of permits. Mr. Steiskal replied that we are over 2,500 permits right now. He exampled how Yorktown has submitted several permits for over $5 million and with the new mandates for energy efficient windows the numbers are climbing. John Cullen commented that every time the Village requires a new permit with an associated fee, you either lose people upgrading their homes due to the cost or they bypass the permit process. Mr. Steiskal exampled house flippers who usually gut the whole house and don’t get permits. Lastly, Mr. Steiskal updated the Board about the status of the house in Yorkshire Woods that has been sitting unfinished for years as well as the house that has the Manco sign still in front of it even though the house is finished. Unfinished Business Other Business Adjournment A motion was made by Stephen Flint, seconded by Bob Mueller, to adjourn the meeting at 7:55 p.m. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. Village of Lombard Page 10