1325 Laura -- demolition hearing at HPC

[iloveionia]

Mothballing removes blight and prevents any further deterioration.  It is monitored over the course of the 3-year certificate and work is done on the property (following a submitted plan to HPC) to bring it to it's certificate of occupancy. 

[sheclown]

photo from 1985



from Springfield heritage Education Center website

[strider]

More on the ongoing saga that is dealing with MCCD in Jacksonville. Steve Heykens of the Palace Company is the contractor hired to do the mothballing on this house. We put him in touch with the architect we use and who has done the stabilization/ shoring plans for several of our houses.  A stabilization/ shoring plan was ,in this case simply written up as most of the required shoring is already there and Steve goes down to pull a permit. The first thing that happens is that the Building Department doesn't even think a permit is needed for what he is doing. Steve goes to the MCC and gets told that he must have a shoring engineer do the shoring plan.

I did some research and found out that yes, the Final Order for this mothballing COA does state that a Shoring Engineer must draw up a shoring plan. The issue is this. Shoring engineering is a discipline of engineering and architecture. It is not a separate career or license. The ordinance that governs what can be required to mothball a structure states simply that:

I. Stabilization Specifications
The structural stabilization needs identified by the Municipal Code Compliance Division as a result of it being classified as an unsafe structure as defined under Section 518.111 shall be met by following a scope of work or drawing approved by a licensed structural engineer, the Chief of Building Inspection Division or the Chief of the Municipal Code Compliance Division.

So any of the three entities can approve the shoring plan. The fact that the ordinance lists a licensed structural engineer as being able to APPROVE the plan means that someone else can draw it up, including an architect for instance. There is no requirement that a structural engineer be used. Which is why we use an Architect familiar with the old houses and how they are built. In addition, the "or" between scope of work and drawing means that the "shoring plan" can be either a drawing or just a plan,  a list of what needs to be done to accomplish that shoring. We can add to this the fact that the inspectors who write up the condemnations do not have the correct qualifications themselves to determine the structural needs of a structure. You really do need to use a qualified person to come up with not only the plan but to determine what the real needs are. And frankly, the Municipal Code Compliance Chief has a Masters of Public Administration and so is hardly qualified to approve a shoring plan anyway so approval by her or her department seems pretty meaningless.

What this means in practice is that as a Shoring Engineer really doesn't exist as specified, the best thing to do is to make sure the person who does the work is indeed qualified and then get that plan approved as required under the actual law.  As the building inspection department deals with this daily, the best way to do that is to pull that permit. I also communicated with Autumn Martigage (Historic Department Planner) about this and have this from an e-mail: “If MCCD or Building Inspection Chief are willing to accept a shoring plan submitted by an architect than we will accept that as well.” In theory, every permit must be approved by the Chief. In practice, that is accomplished by the Chief delegating the responsibility to other, qualified people. That is how the system works. Once a permit is issued and approved, it is technically "approved by the Building Inspection Chief."

Based on the above, I advised Steve to go get a permit and that will be accepted. He did this on Friday and then went to MCCD to get that piece of paper from them stating he had the right to be on the condemned property. He got told that no, he had to show them a drawing done by a shoring engineer before they would give him permission to be on the property. That he has a permit on and so it is now his legal job site making him responsible for what happens on that job site. Remember, the MCCD's job is to make things safe. The purpose of the mothballing is to make things safe and yet, they are ignoring both the law and common sense to make it impossible to make this structure safe for the general public.

Is there any doubt that the MCCD is out of control?

[sheclown]

Licensed building contractor, with permit and drawings in hand to brace the interior of the house, is prevented from doing his job?

Denied access?

Isn't access given by the building department when they issue a building permit?

[JaxUnicorn]

Stephen, what are you talking about?

[sheclown]

Hooray!!  Permit pulled.  Access granted.

Mothballing work begins today.

"The Palace Company" has begun interior cleanup.

[sheclown]

"faux windows"  per mothballing requirements -- looks pretty good huh?

[sheclown]

getting there...

[Cheshire Cat]

It sure is.  Thanks to all on the PSOS team for working so hard with so little in order to preserve what we have for future generations.  Never forget with all the aggravation and struggle, there are those in the community who cannot thank you enough for taking on the fight to save the historic fabric of Springfield.  You guys are the best!

[hooplady]

That looks so good I might have to install them on my own house!

[sheclown]

[Cheshire Cat]

That looks really good!  The faux window idea is great.

[strider]

Hmm, so you can remove the blight and make it safe without demolishing it.  Amazin', ain't it?

And all for about half of what a demolition would have cost the city.

[Cheshire Cat]

Hmm, so you can remove the blight and make it safe without demolishing it.  Amazin', ain't it?

And all for about half of what a demolition would have cost the city.

What a concept! 

[Debbie Thompson]

Maybe, maybe not.  But in the meantime, it's stable, safe, and looks so much better.  We hope the owner will now finish the remaining three houses, including this one.