Building Code Board of Appeals Minutes 2000

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Sam Light—What is the situation in a typical residential unit? Are you always right on the cusp of a 3/4 or 1 inch line? Thomas Talboom—Yes,you usually are. The ones that will be more affected are the commercial. There is a project over on McCaslin where they have done a lot to keep that to a 3/4 inch meter This will double there water tap fee,which in turn will double the sewer tap fee. I have noticed that from the 94 to the 97 there is a significant difference in the fixture points m their effort to try and take into account the effect of the low flow fixture. There still is not the savings that there is compared to the IPC. Ray Schlott—In my own experience,I was building a house that was right at the line for a 1 mch meter In talking with Tom Phare he did not want the 1 inch tap at the main line. You may pay for a 1 inch tap but only get a 3/4 inch tap,because the 1 inch tap depletes the reserve for fire fighting. Thomas Talboom—One issue that I would like you to address, Sam, is the lawsuit directing the Plumbing Board to accept the studor vents as an alternate method and material. Is that something that we would want to look at amending into our ordinance as acceptable? Sam Light—I just picked up the case tonight, so I have not read it to know exactly what we can do Second,I have to make sure there is no appeal pending. Third, from a timing standpoint, it might make more sense to pursue it as an amendment outside of the initial adoption of the code. This would give us more time to go over the issue. One approach is to put the Plumbing Board on notice that we know they lost a lawsuit and therefore we are going to bring forward this amendment. Thomas Talboom—I am now getting more requests to use the studor vents. How should I handle those? Sam Light—I have to look at the lawsuit before I can tell you to go out and say not withstanding the fact that the UPC does not allow it,it is okay to adopt the use of the studor.vents based on a legal opinion by the Court of Appeals that is not officially published. From my perspective, because it is an unpublished opinion,I cannot rely on that as judicial precedent m some other law suits. I need to go over what it says and see what its effect is. Thomas Talboom—So we can go ahead a let the Council adopt the UPC, and then this Board can review it and come back with some amendments or recommendations on vents. Sam Light—We can do a full text amendment to deal with the studor vent issue and ask Council to consider that in a regular process. Ray Schlott—Doesn't in become a moot point if there has been a decision that has been made. , 5