Electrical Commission

1 APPROVED 2 3 MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE ELECTRICAL COMMISSION 4 VILLAGE OF NORTHBROOK 5 COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS 6 January 31, 2013 7 8 9 Commissioners Present (3) 10 Richard A. Jamerson, Chairperson 11 Robert Boiko 12 Bernard Petchenik 13 14 Ex Officio Commissioners Present (3) 15 Kevin Frangiamore, Director, Fire Prevention Bureau, Village of Northbrook 16 Mark Nolan, Fire Chief, Village of Northbrook 17 Tom Poupard, Director, Development and Planning Services, Village of Northbrook 18 19 Commissioner Absent (1) 20 Dennis Lauer 21 22 Other Village Staff Present 23 Jamie Clar, Electrical Inspector 24 Corey Friedman, Electrical/Mechanical Inspector and Electrical Commission Staff Liaison 25 Stacy Seiden, Recorder 26 27 Additional Attendees 28 Jerrold Frumm, Executive Vice President, Senior Lifestyle Corporation 29 Tom Herman, Senior Superintendent, Skender Construction 30 Gary Hrivnak, Manufacturers Representative, Bill Casey Electric Sales Inc. 31 Jim Kavanagh, Central Region Sales Manager, AFC Cable Systems 32 Jon Lindstrom, Project Architect, SAS Architects 33 Blake MacGregor, Project Engineer, Skender Construction 34 Jim Moran, Vice President, Moran Electrical Contracting 35 Joe Pecorano, Senior Project Manager, Skender Construction 36 37 1. Call to Order 38 Chairperson Jamerson called the meeting to order in the Terrace Room of Village Hall, 1225 Cedar Lane, 39 at 5:00 PM. A quorum was present. 40 41 2. Review of Minutes 42 Commissioner Boiko moved, seconded by Commissioner Petchenik, to approve the minutes of the 43 September 20, 2012 Electrical Commission meeting without corrections. On a voice vote, the motion 44 unanimously carried. 45 46 3. Public Comments 47 There were no comments from the public.  Page 2 Minutes of the January 31, 2013 Electrical Commission Meeting 1 4. Using Stabiloy Cable 2 Mr. Moran, on behalf of the owner/developer of North Shore Place, 1000 Sunset Ridge, requested a 3 variance from Northbrook Municipal Code Amendment #310.106B to use Stabiloy compact aluminum 4 alloy in lieu of copper conductor for any wire #3 and larger in the power distribution riser. Stabiloy 5 compact aluminum would not be used for motor feeds and branch wire. 6 7 Following brief introductions of additional meeting attendees, Mr. Hrivnak described Alcan Aluminum 8 Alloy Stabiloy. The product had been available for about 30 years, was approved by the City of Chicago, 9 and was used for the Grainger corporate headquarters. Mr. Hrivnak reported that there “had not been 10 any problems” associated with aluminum cable since changes were made to its content and to the 11 connectors, which were now dual rated for copper and aluminum. He referenced a white paper by 12 Georgia Power in which, according to him, aluminum cable reacted “exactly like copper” under identical 13 conditions. He also cited the relative benefits of using his product, including the cost (1/3 the cost of 14 copper), weight (half the weight of copper), flexibility, and labor savings. 15 16 Chairperson Jamerson inquired as to how the voltage drop would be handled. Mr. Moran responded 17 that the voltage drop could “cause problems” and, therefore, the project engineer would do the 18 necessary calculations. Commissioner Boiko raised concerns about the absence of inspection protocols, 19 particularly since the electrical inspector would not be onsite for most of the construction. 20 21 Commissioner Boiko submitted, for the record, two studies. One, Corrosion and Current Burst Testing of 22 Copper and Aluminum Electrical Power Connectors for Use with Copper and Aluminum Conductor, found 23 that all-copper connectors performed the best in an accelerated aging test. Similarly, the other, 24 Comparative Corrosion and Current Burst Testing of Copper and Aluminum Electrical Power Connectors, 25 found that all-copper connectors performed the best in a 2,000-hour corrosion and current burst test. 26 27 Commissioner Boiko stressed the need for more technical information and, specifically, requested a 28 copy of the relevant warranty and procedures. As the electrical contractor, Mr. Moran noted that it was 29 his responsibility to install the Stabiloy cable properly. Commissioner Boiko emphasized the importance 30 of the product warranty and other written literature from the company once the contractor is “out of 31 the picture.” Mr. Hrivnak would provide the commission with the requested information and noted that 32 his product came with a 10-year warranty. 33 34 Commissioner Boiko further observed that, unlike copper wiring, Stabiloy was required to be inspected 35 at every connection point with thermal imaging multiple times in the first five years of use. Once the 36 permit was closed, the relevant Village inspector would have no legal authority to assure that the 37 mandated thermal imaging was completed in the succeeding years as mandated by the manufacturer. 38 39 Fire Chief Nolan inquired as to which Cook County suburbs approved the use of this material, to which 40 Mr. Moran reported that Evanston and “quite a few other” municipalities had done so. According to Mr. 41 Moran, Northbrook was the exception in this regard. Fire Chief Nolan also asked if the electrical 42 contractor could guarantee that the appropriate connectors would be used, to which Mr. Moran replied 43 affirmatively. Commissioner Boiko cited the need for certification or a log to document that protocols 44 had been correctly followed. 45 46 Inspector Friedman delineated his concerns with the voltage drop and requisite engineering “stamp of 47 approval,” as well as with torquing and the need for self-certification. He also raised longer-term  Page 3 Minutes of the January 31, 2013 Electrical Commission Meeting 1 concerns, such as when the warranty expired and other electricians were not as familiar with the 2 product. 3 4 Mr. Frumm explained that his company was the long-term owner of the property. While his company 5 requested the relevant variance because of the associated cost savings, he maintained that he would 6 “not be here” if his company thought that the material in question was substandard. He emphasized 7 that North Shore Place was a “quality project” and, as such, quality materials would be used. The 8 professionals that his company hired counseled him that Stabiloy cable was “a good product” and no 9 different from using copper throughout the project. Mr. Frumm also noted that his Chicago-based 10 company operated the tenth largest senior housing community in the country. 11 12 Commissioner Petchenik inquired as to how many senior residences used aluminum cable, to which Mr. 13 Frumm responded that he would find out the answer. Chairperson Jamerson commented that 14 certification of employee training would be necessary should the commission approve the requested 15 variance. He stated that the commission would not vote on this issue tonight and the requested voltage 16 drop analysis would limit the associated cost savings from using Stabiloy cable. 17 18 5. Using MC Cable for Feeders and Branch Wiring 19 Mr. Moran, on behalf of the owner/developer of North Shore Place, 1000 Sunset Ridge, requested a 20 variance from Municipal Code Amendment #230.43(13) to use MC cable for the following areas: 21 PVC jacketed MC in poured in place decks, 22 Sub-panels feed under 200 amps, 23 Within residential units, and 24 Branch circuiting in public areas. 25 26 Mr. Kavanagh reported that no projects used MC cable and concrete in this geographic area. Instead, 27 regular MC was used, according to Mr. Moran. The cable should be supported every six feet and would 28 not be exposed, making it necessary to “rip open” the wall to repair. Mr. Moran observed that the cable 29 did not appear as “neat” as conduit. However, the associated “sag” would not be visible. 30 31 Inspector Friedman noted that installation would require customization to avoid “sloppy work.” Mr. 32 Herman commented that “as one of the top electricians,” Mr. Moran did not permit sloppy work. 33 Chairperson Jamerson inquired as to whether the cable could be prefabricated, to which Mr. Moran 34 responded negatively. 35 36 Fire Chief Nolan expressed concern that firefighters might “hook and yank” the sagging cable when 37 tearing apart walls – less of a concern with non-flexible conduit. Commissioner Petchenik requested 38 drawings indicating the proposed locations where unsecured cable would be used. Inspector Friedman 39 underscored the need for such drawings to “know what is supposed to be used where.” 40 41 Director Poupard clarified that the Village issued a building permit to code for 1000 Sunset Ridge. The 42 owner/developer now requested permission to deviate from that code. Chairperson Jamerson further 43 clarified that the request before the commission was to “grant special permission,” not to change the 44 code itself. Inspector Friedman commented that should the commission grant special permission for this 45 project, it was likely that other owners/developers would make similar requests. Mr. Frumm indicated 46 that while his property would be staffed 24-hours/seven days a week, the onsite maintenance person 47 would be available on a more limited basis.  Page 4 Minutes of the January 31, 2013 Electrical Commission Meeting 1 Fire Chief Nolan sympathized with the need of the owner/developer to reduce costs. Nonetheless, he 2 noted that the Village did not grant waivers for fire sprinklers. Director Poupard commented that this 3 variance could provide an opportunity, at the staff level, to work through the necessary protocols and 4 training—the Village was “open to something” that made sense. Mr. Moran added that just because MC 5 cable was new, did not mean that the product was inferior. He cited the reduction in labor costs and the 6 need to make projects more cost-effective for developers. Commissioner Boiko noted the finality of 7 using MC cable, as opposed to conduit, stating that “this change ends change.” 8 9 Mr. Pecorano reviewed with commissioners the following deliverables: 10 11 MC Cable for Feeders and Branch Wiring 12 A typical apartment layout, indicating the proposed locations where MC cable would be 13 installed 14 A list of where the owner/developer planned to use the cable (e.g., emergency system, 15 mechanical rooms, public areas, etc.) 16 17 Stabiloy Cable 18 Voltage drop analysis by the engineer, starting at the ComEd transformer to the farthest panel 19 and/or mechanical equipment 20 Protocol for documenting the torque connection 21 Warranty literature 22 Certification for installation 23 Maintenance protocol 24 Internal company documents regarding accelerated corrosion testing 25 26 Mr. Pecorano will follow-up with Inspector Friedman regarding a timeline for the deliverables. Mr. 27 Kavanagh also will research whether or not a firefighter had ever been injured as a result of MC cable. 28 Commissioner Boiko stressed the importance of the decision before the commission and, therefore, the 29 need to be as thorough as possible in its deliberations. 30 31 Following the departure of the additional meeting attendees, commissioners shared their initial 32 impressions about MC cable. Chairperson Jamerson reminded them of their charge to act in the best 33 interest of Northbrook and, in so doing, consider the relevant economic and safety pieces. He was 34 doubtful that MC cable was superior to conduit. Inspector Friedman noted the particularity of 35 installation and that the Village was not ready to “open up” the material for general use. The fact that 36 no one in the region currently used the cable also concerned him. 37 38 Fire Chief Nolan recalled a Memphis firefighter who died as a result of becoming entangled in MC cable. 39 He also observed that the commission originally amended the relevant code to preclude the use of the 40 cable. Commissioners agreed that the code represented a minimum standard and approving the 41 material would necessitate the development of “a whole new set of rules.” Chairperson Jamerson stated 42 that commissioners would need to determine if lowering the current standard was warranted. 43 44 6. Inspector Report – Installation and Challenges 45 Inspector Friedman reported the electrical and other code violations, defects, and hazards encountered 46 “in the field.” Commissioners noted that a licensed electrician may not necessarily provide quality  Page 5 Minutes of the January 31, 2013 Electrical Commission Meeting 1 craftsmanship. However, they discussed the obstacles, including state processes and the related 2 administrative burden, associated with requiring electricians to be more than licensed (e.g., passing a 3 local test). Chairperson Jamerson observed that while explaining a code violation should take about 15 4 minutes, sometimes that explanation could take 45 minutes due to the “knowledge gap.” 5 6 7. New Business 7 Commissioners scheduled the next Electrical Commission meeting for 5:00 PM on Thursday, February 8 28, 2013. At that meeting, they will further discuss the variance requests for 1000 Sunset Ridge. 9 10 8. Old Business 11 There was no old business. 12 13 9. Adjournment 14 There being no further business, Commissioner Petchenik moved, seconded by Commissioner Boiko, to 15 adjourn the meeting. On a voice vote, the motion unanimously carried. Chairperson Jamerson 16 adjourned the meeting at 7:20 PM. 17 18 Respectfully submitted, 19 20 /s/ Stacy J. Seiden 21 Recorder