HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter (final inspection) - 11/18/2010 City of Oshkosh
Division of Inspection Services
215 Church Avenue
PO Box 1130
Oshkosh WI 54902 -1130
OfHIKOIH Office 920 - 236 -5050
ON THE WATER Fax 920 - 236 -5084
November 18, 2010
Mr. Richard Gabert
Gabert and Rusch Properties
1290 Osborne Ave.
Oshkosh, WI 54902
RE: Final Inspection at 2905 Universal Street
Dear Mr. Gabert,
I want to start out by stating it was a pleasure meeting you and discussing your project, along with Allen
Davis of our office of the Community Development Department. If you recall, I stated I would follow up
with you once I had a chance to review the project history and plan reviews to make sure the correct course
is being pursued by your organization to facilitate the closure of your project. As you can imagine, my
time has been extremely limited as I continue my transition to the City of Oshkosh. Time has now allowed
me a chance to review the address file and research portions of the code, and I am now in a position to
respond to your questions raised at our meeting.
Based upon the submitted construction documents prepared by Mr. Chet Wesenberg, the corridor is
required to have a 1 hour fire rating. It appears the newly constructed walls meet this requirement. The
exit doors which serve the meeting room and penetrate the corridor walls and stair walls are required to
have panic devices based upon the calculated and posted occupancy of the area served. In order for these
doors to work properly and be code complaint, they must open when activated (or pushed), and after the
occupant passes through the opening, close behind the occupant and latch. It is required to latch in order
to maintain the proper fire rating of the corridor. Having reviewed the plan review on file and the
approved plans, I believe this was the intent of the submitted documents and I agree with the proposed
design.
I recall from our conversation you had indicated that it was your recollection that your Architect, Mr. Chet
Wesenberg, had an understanding these doors only needed to close once opened, thus could be fitted with
a push plate in lieu of panic devices. However, based upon a recent conversation I had with Mr. Chet
Wesenberg, he agreed with the determination that the doors must close and latch in order to be compliant
and maintain the required fire rating. I am not sure if that was your understanding of your conversation.
This item is represented by Item #2 of the Correction Notice dated 8/30/2010.
If you recall I stated that I walked along with staff during the last inspection the City performed on site. I
witnessed a number of the other items listed on the Correction Notice dated 8/30/2010. I will try to
summarize the remaining items so you can get a better understanding of the unresolved issues.
Item #5 requires the attic access panel to meet applicable energy code requirements. The attic access
panel must meet the applicable code requirements in order to reduce energy consumption, and thereby
meeting the energy code requirements.
Item #8 deals with the inspection of and access to the installed duct heater. It was our understanding that
access would be granted to the duct heater through some access into the attic. This access point was never
constructed. Access to this equipment is not only needed to perform the inspection, it also needed to
perform maintenance on this equipment. Access is clearly required by the mechanical code, especially
equipment that is located in attic enclosures. The correction report identifies the specifications required to
provide access to equipment located in attic spaces. This was a requirement identified on the mechanical
plan review dated March 30, 2009.
Item #10 as identified on the Correction Notice outlines the requirement for the State of Wisconsin
disabled parking signs. It is my understanding that this requirement applies to all parking spaces which
serve handicapped persons. Although I do not recall the specific signage that was installed, I have attached
guidelines of the signage requirements from the Department of Transportation Trans 200.7 for your
information.
Item #11 summarizes the previous explained correction items. However, Item #11 also identifies a
deficiency in door #203, which did not work properly during our inspection. The self closing door
hardware installed did not properly close the door completely.
You had also indicated you are not pleased by the format of the Correction Notice. To some extent, I agree
that it is not in a format that is the easily understood. Unfortunately, this report is generated by our permit
software and it makes the most efficient use of the data that is input from our inspections. As I stated
during our conversation, there is also a legal side to the inspection function we perform. When violations
or corrections are noted, they need to be done so in accordance with the process of enforcement, the result
of which is a written Correction Notice. Ultimately, items not corrected do end up in legal process and
court actions as a result of noncompliance. This is a process I hope to avoid as we pursue compliance
with the outstanding items. I compare it your "speeding ticket" analogy, is only written tool the City has to
utilize in the enforcement of our Codes. In the future, I would like to pursue making incremental
improvements to the Correction Notice itself.
I hope this clarifies the issues that are still outstanding at this property. It would be our hope that you
continue to make progress towards completing these items. I would be more than happy meeting on site to
discuss these matters further. If there are any questions regarding the specific building code requirements,
I suggest utilizing the Design Professional who prepared the original construction document submittal. If
you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at (920) 236 -5045.
Sincerely,
Kevin J. Ciabatti
Chief Building Official
City of Oshkosh
Cc: Allen Davis, Director, Community Development Department