HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Mechanical/ Plumbing Advisory Board - 02/21/2019NOTICE OF A REGULAR MEETING
Mechanical/Plumbing Advisory Board
Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 3:30pm
3rd Floor Training Room, Frost Bank Building
2406 Leopard, Corpus Christi, Texas
1st Floor, Executive Conference Room
Minutes
.
I. Meeting was called to order at 3:30pm.
II. Roll Call
a. Members present: Mike Wanzer, Jared Merdes, Mike Dildy, Maverick Volesky, Stacy
Gallagher, Benny Franklin, William Boeker
b. Members absent: none
III. Election of Officers: Chair and Vice-Chair
a. Mr. Volesky nominated Jared Merdes for Chair; elected unanimously.
b. Mr. Wanzer nominated Maverick for Vice-Chair; elected unanimously.
IV. Minutes of August 16, 2018 Regular Meeting were approved.
V. Discussion and possible action on inspection and testing of shower pan liners.
a. The Board discussed the currently accepted practice, since 2015, of accepting letters
from builders stating the shower liner was tested and has no observable leaks. It was
argued that, per existing code, the plumber should be responsible for the condition of the
shower pan through issuance of CO. Others argued it wasn’t possible to hold the plumber
responsible after several other trades come through after installation and can damage the
pan. The possibility of restricting materials for shower pans was brought up, but it was
decided that wasn’t the best way to deal with the issue. The question of who is ultimately
responsible for the condition of the shower pan and the warranty thereof was argued with
some stating the plumber is responsible and others, the builder. The question of how
many leaking shower pan complaints came to Development Services was raised; Mr.
Delauro stated one or two a year. Discussion moved to the possibility of an additional
inspection of the shower pan at the final inspection. It was suggested the builder put up a
bond to back up the shower pan letter. Mr. Delauro said one suggestion he would support
is the City perform a shower pan inspection at the final plumbing inspection.
b. Ms. Victoria Reyes was invited to provide further information on concerns and issues she
and her neighbors have with their showers leaking. She had a leak in the shower bench
in the first eight months of taking ownership of the home. The builder fixed the issue. Five
years later there was another leak. She called Development Services in other cities in
Texas and claims no other departments take letters in lieu of testing. She showed
examples of reports for homes that were approved for occupancy without shower pans,
where issues arose later, before letters were accepted. Many of these issues with
benches, which the Board pointed out is not related to the shower pan. She said when
her shower pan was exposed during repairs that there were nails all the way around it.
Ms. Reyes pointed out that allowing a builder to sign a letter saying the shower passed
the test opens the possibility of a failed test being covered up to avoid the cost of fixing
the leak.
c. The Board requested that staff collect all applicable codes and requirements for their
review to be presented at a special meeting to be scheduled at least two weeks after the
present meeting.
VI. Floodplain Manager, Yvette Dodd, reiterated the Elevation Requirement for Mechanical &
Plumbing Equipment
a. To avoid HVAC systems violating elevation requirements in high flood risk areas, it is
recommended that the equipment be installed at the same level as the building’s slab.
Changes to the requirements will go to City Council that may require and additional one
to two feet above the base flood elevation.
VII. Building Official, Gene Delauro, gave a report on the following items:
a. Cost of Service Study: the study is almost complete. A copy of the final report will be
presented to the board.
b. Construction numbers for January 2019
VIII. Public Comment: none
IX. Meeting adjourned at 5:25pm.
Minutes approved on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
______________________________
Jared Merdes, P.E.
Chairperson