tuesday, december 9, 2003
news
the university daily kansan
5A
INSPECTION: Accident could have been prevented
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collapsed because of the distance between joists and the lack of joist hangers. Joists are beams that run parallel to each other to support a floor or ceiling. Joist hangers are metal brackets that hold beams of wood together. Pieces of lumber are nailed together with joist hangers to put weight on the metal brackets instead of the nails.
The list
Pinnick found that the hangers had been installed along the structure itself, but were not installed along the outside rim joist. It was along the outside rim joist where the porch fell. The floor joist was joined to the outside rim joist with nails instead of brackets. This put the weight of 15 to 20 people on the nails that could not withstand the weight.
Torres said the outcome could have been different had the joist hangers been in place.
"It is very likely that they would not have collapsed," he said.
The lack of hangers should have been caught during the building's construction in 1995, according to Torres. Two days after the Arkansas Street porch collapse, a permit was issued to replace the deck. All other decks at the two story, side-by-side duplex were also inspected.
On Oct. 21, the city listed addresses for 2,941 open permits issued before 2001. There are 309 open permits since then. Lawrence City Commissioner Mike Rundle is concerned about the high number of buildings with no final inspections. He said the city was misleading its residents about safety.
"We're guaranteeing people are getting sound structures," he said, inferring that they might not be safe.
Rundle said he had difficulty obtaining information about the incident at 925 Arkansas St., and he blamed Torres of playing a game of "cat and mouse."
When Lawrence experienced a construction boom in the late 1990s, the number of permit requests increased, but the Housing Resources Department did not grow. Torres admitted it was an issue that the department is facing. He said the number of inspectors would not meet the demand.
Torres said since he was named director several years ago, the department had reduced the number of open permits. In a memo to City Manager Mike Wildgen, Torres reported that nearly 1,500 open permits have
Number increasing for open permits
Number of open building permits as for each year of the last decade. If a structure has not had a final building inspection, its permit is considered to be open.
1992: 16
1993: 40
1994: 72
1995: 47
1996: 127
1997: 265
1998: 632
1999: 802
2000: 939
2001-present: 309
Total: 3,249
Source: City of Lawrence
been closed, leaving 2,941. The open permit list of structures needing final inspection includes new residential homes and businesses and remodels, including three structures contracted by the City of Lawrence, located at 445 Mississippi St., 2601 W. 25th St. and 246 Michigan St. Two on the list were new residential homes built by Habitat For Humanity at 1725 E. 17th St. and 1611 Wedgewood Dr.
The porch at 925 Arkansas St. was repaired after it collapsed early in the morning on Sept. 21. The floor of the porch fell because it did not have the appropriate support.
Ariel Tilson/Kansan
Inspection issues go beyond Lawrence
Just three months before the Arkansas Street porch collapse, a three level porch collapsed in Chicago and killed 13 people. City officials quickly blamed the June 29 event on overcrowding.
According to CBS News, the city later sued the building owner and contractor, saying the structure was dangerous.
Families of the victims sued the owner and contractor, as well as the city. Attorneys said the city did not inspect the porch and according to The Journal of Light Construction, "focused immediately on undersized joists." The Journal of Light Construction is a monthly magazine for residential and light-commercial builders, remodelers and designers.
The inspection process
Engineering officials disproved the city's theory that the porch was overloaded. The porch would have supported even more people had it been built properly, according to engineers.
In an effort to correct the problem, Chicago building inspectors looked at 700 porches after the fatal collapse. According to The Journal of Light Construction, they found 70 decks and porches that had to be condemned and 545 with violations.
Amanda Kim Stairrett
In 2002, the Lawrence Neighborhood Resources Department conducted more than 30,000 inspections. The department has four inspectors — one of each for building, electric, mechanical and plumbing. When contractors want to begin construction on a single family dwelling, they must submit a building permit application with a set of plans. The department reviews the plans to make sure they follow city codes. Once the plans are approved, the contractor is issued a building permit.
At the end of construction, contractors must contact the city for a final inspection. At that time, officials check the driveway and sidewalks. They test smoke detectors and heating and cooling systems. They make sure
that there are proper door openings and window sizes. Inspectors also look at decks. According to Torres, most of the structural components are checked during the framing inspection. The final inspection is a general overview of the entire construction project.
The City of Lawrence does not handle inspections for University buildings because they are owned by the state.
Steps to fix the system
With ongoing construction in Lawrence, Torres said the Neighborhood Resources Department's primary focus is on its current work load, not the list of open permits.
"Our number one priority is work in progress today," he said. "So if there's time that permits, we'll address these buildings as well."
The department has a process for closing open permits. A letter is sent to the property owners and they are asked to contact the city for an inspection. Residents concerned about the safety of their home or apartment can contact the Neighborhood Resources Department at 785-832-3100.
Sue Hack, city commissioner, was confident in the Department's staff.
"The inspectors that were in charge of that particular building are no longer with the department," she said. "And I am convinced that this will not happen again."
Torres said a vast majority of the final building inspections are just a formality because the structural and safety concerns were addressed during the preliminary inspections. He said the inspections for buildings on the list have turned up one thing.
"To date we have not found any safety violations of concern," he said.
Edited by Michael Owells
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