WABO 2020 Fall Business Meeting - Zoom Conferencing

 

WABO PRESIDENT’S REPORT -  by Kurt Aldworth, CBO, ACO 

Greetings fellow WABO members! So here we are, now in the final stretch of the year 2020 and if you are like me, you are probably thinking that 2021 can’t come soon enough. COVID-19 has impacted us personally and professionally in ways we could never have imagined. Our Annual Education Institute and the last three Business meetings have been held virtually, the ICC Annual Business Meeting was cancelled, and most of us have been relegated to working from home. Last but not least, dealing with the fires and smoke that inundated the West coast…dare I mention the political climate? Needless to say, I am hopeful for the day when we can all meet and work in person again, with the return to normalcy as we’ve known it.

Our Fall Business meeting was well attended, and it was good to see some new participants and many familiar ones as well. Some of the highlights included presenting the past Presidents award to Ray Allshouse, who went from using a wood gavel the last two years to being given a shiny new brass one! I’m also very proud of the hard work our committees are doing, one that has hit a milestone is the Code Official Accreditation Program with 24 students registered for the first year. Our education committee has been working diligently on the schedule for our next AEI with many new classes that will be offered. WABO’s involvement regarding SB5795 -Contractor Accountability Workgroup is ongoing. The workgroup will soon be hearing a proposal from BIAW on how to qualify a contractor. If you are interested in sitting on the Underground Economy Construction Task Force committee, we could always use more volunteers. During our meeting I also announced an agreement between WABO and Jon Siu as our new Technical Code Development committee consultant. We are very fortunate to have Jon’s continued knowledge and guidance as it pertains to the codes we administer.

I want to thank The State Building Code Council for working collaboratively with WABO and ICC on the 2018 Washington Custom Codes, this has been a long and arduous task. Richard Brown will be retiring as the Managing Director of SBCC as soon as his successor can be found. I want to thank Richard for working well with WABO these last three years and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

ICC has announced that their By-Laws committee has been formed. The Code Council Board and Chief Executive Officer feel that a comprehensive look at the bylaws is important given the growth of the organization, the Code Council's 2025 strategic plan, and the changing world around us. WABO will continue to stay active through this process providing support as well as constructive feedback.

Our Winter Committee meeting will be held virtually on February 4, 2021. This meeting will be a legislative overview and talking points prep for all of the WABO members that will have volunteered to meet their district legislators virtually the following week of February 8-12, 2021.

I want to thank all our active members for all that you do on our committees as well as your participation during our business meetings. Without your support and hard work WABO could not be the great organization that it is today. With that said, I encourage those who are looking to sharpen or develop leadership skills, code knowledge, or just want to make a difference to please contact any of our Board members as to where you could contribute. See you all in February!

Committee Reports

Technical Code Development Committee - Chair Micah Chappell, MBA, CBO

The TCD Committee is meeting regulary preparing for the 2021 ICC code proposals.  The next meeting will be held Monday, October 19, 2020 from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm.  For future TCD committee dates please visit the TCD Code Development page.

Emergency Management Committee - Chair Ray Cockerham, CBO

WA Safe -
WASafe operation manuals for coordinators are developed and currently being vetted at the City of Puyallup. David Swasey (City of Bothell) and Lee Kranz (City of Bellevue) have volunteered to help review the operations manual.
WAsafe steering committee will test the call out system early next year, if you are a responder please make sure all contact information is up to date in your WAserv profile.  It is highly recommended that you include a personal e-mail and phone number.

WE NEED WASafe – WABO Coordinators.
If you are interested in being a Coordinator please e-mail
 
rayc@puyallupwa.gov Please note coordinator in the subject line.

Training- The Emergency Management Committee will fund travel and accommodations in accordance with WABO policies (please follow up with Ray or Tara for questions)  Currently trying to coordinate virtual training as an option during the pandemic.
EMD0001 SEOC Foundations Course training
Please go to their Training Calendar for more information and to apply: https://mil.wa.gov/training-and-exercise

Government Relations - Chair Tim Woodard & Amy Brackenbury

We are once again planning a trip to the capitol to visit legislators, but this year we will be visiting them 'virtually' to request their support for WABO issues.  We will be holding our 'virtual' committee meeting on February 4th to provide the membership a legislative overview and to discuss the 'talking points.'  WABO lobbyist, Amy Brackenbury, will be setting up virtual appointments (by districts) with legislators for the week of February 8th - 12th.   The Government Relations committee will be meeting on December 8, 2020 to request 'firm' commitments  from WABO members that will be willing to attend the virtual legislative meetings.  We will be asking for volunteers to take a 'lead' role in each district and recruit neighboring jurisdictions to increase our attendance at each meeting.  If you are interested in attending the meeting and the virtual meetings with the representatives and are not part of the government relations committee, please email Tara at the WABO office so she can add you to the distribution list.

C & R Committee - Chair Brian Smith, CBO, ACO

The Weld Advisory Board is updating the standard to include agency requirements and verifying figures and tables are up to date.  The SIRP Advisory Board is updating written exams and model guidelines and finalizing the Mass Timber endorsement for incorporation in Standard 1701.  Gary Schenk is willing to assist the SIRP Program as a technical consultant and remain on the advisory board committee.   Two building official representatives are needed to sit on the SIRP Advisory Board as the board needs additional representation due to retirements.

Education Committee - Chair Todd Blevins, CBO

The Education Committee is excited to announce the full class lineup for the 2021 Annual Education Institute is finalized.  The intent is to plan the event as an in-person training and will adjust due to any government restrictions that may still be imposed in March.   The WABO staff will be busy finalizing instructor agreements and plan on distibuting the Education Brochure the first week of January.

Outreach Committee - Chair Stacy Criswell, CBO, ACO

  • Remember to keep yourselves, your family and your team safe. This includes washing your hands frequently (like you already didn’t know that…) and keeping your desk area clean and sanitized. For field inspectors, this is even more important because of the changing environments we are subjected too. Make sure you sanitize thing that are constantly being “touched” between inspections, including your clip board/tablet, pen, keys, steering wheel, shifter and the like.
  • Now that we are doing more follow-up inspections via text and video, I want to remind you that many of these are subject to public records requests. Meaning that if your friendly contractor tries texting you pictures and/or videos about the game or politics, what you say back is public record.
  • With the 2018 codes set to be adopted Statewide February 1st, 2021, please remember to look at our WABO website under “Education and Events” for upcoming trainings.
  • If you are looking for helpful resources, please check out our WABO website and go to “Member Services”, then click on “Resources” tab. We are always looking for additional information to put here, so if you have something you would like to share, please let us know.
  • Lastly, I want to remind you that despite the weather changing, an uncertain global pandemic, and everyone working more independent away from each other, you are not alone. Please reach out to your neighboring jurisdictions, your WABO executive team, and/or myself. Even though we can’t share a cup of coffee, bouncing an idea off someone else or at least saying 'hi' over the phone is a great way to get through this.

Accreditation Committee - Chair James Tumelson, ME, CBO, MCP

The accreditation committee is pleased to announce that there are thirty students enrolled in COAP 101 & COAP 201.  This is a fantastic turn out for our first year with an astounding twenty-four students. Additionally, we have seen a 50% retention rate for the first year students returning to year two. This is a capitulating career move that will enhance these individuals for their entire futures as Code Officials. We are taking advantage of each opportunity to expand and enhance this program to ensure its continued effectiveness.