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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Construction Trade Advisory & Appeals Board - 02/17/2022 - Special CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI MINUTES – SPECIAL MEETING CONSTRUCTION TRADE ADVISORY & APPEAL BOARD CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1201 LEOPARD STREET FEBRUARY 17, 2022 - 1:30 PM I. CALL TO ORDER - ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order and a quorum was established with Ronald Brister absent. II. PUBLIC COMMENT: None. III. APPROVAL OF ABSENCES: None. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: January 20, 2022 A motion was made by Mike Wanzer to approve the minutes listed above and it was seconded by Vice Chairman Merdes. The motion passed. V. DISCUSSION REGARDING THE 2021 INTERNATIONAL CODE ADOPTION AND LOCAL AMENDMENTS Luke Fry, Deputy Building Official, presented item “V.” for the record as shown above. Drafts of the local amendments were provided to the Board for comment/review. The floor was opened for discussion. Vice Chairman Merdes had the following comments: • NEC Section 514.8 Underground Wiring: He suggested the code should stipulate that when transitioning above ground, an appropriate electrical expansion joint should be provided to avoid PVC breakage. • IFGC Section 404.1.2 Prohibited Fittings - Regarding “all threaded bushings”. If used properly, (correct installation) threaded bushings do work. He asked what triggered this amendment to prohibit a fitting that is approved/useful. He felt it is limiting an installer’s ability to use a tool that is at their disposal. The amendment needs to specify prohibition when used improperly (using a bushing from a large pipe to a smaller pipe) or remove the amendment altogether. Mike Wanzer concurred. It was noted that this amendment is mimicked in the IRC. • IPC Section 110.1.1 Design of Gray Water Disposal – Regarding the term “registered professional engineer”. He said the more technical term is “licensed” versus registered. He suggested to use “licensed/registered” and removing “professional” as it is not a technical term. He also mentioned that when allowing storage of gray water, the applicable code should be referenced (TCEQ) in the section. • IRC Table R301.2 Climatic and Geographic Design Criteria – Regarding “Manual J Design Criteria”. He commented on the numbers for wet bulb and cooling temperature. He added that the table does not have a unit of measurement (degrees Fahrenheit). BOARD MEMBERS: Garry Camp – Chairman Jared Merdes – Vice Chairman Paul S. Cervantes Mike Wanzer Jose Jimenez STAFF: Luke Fry, Deputy Building Official Catherine Garza, Agenda Coordinator Paul Cervantes stated that during a Technical Review Committee (TRC) meeting, it was suggested that the use of “copper-clad aluminum” be prohibited, and it was not included in the draft provided. Jose Jimenez was also in favor of the request as they are locally having trouble in obtaining the product from manufacturers. Mr. Fry confirmed it was not included in the draft and said Staff did research the product and found no significant justification to strike it from the code. He said this product has been in the code for approximately 50 years, is UL listed/labeled and is used in other cities/states. Buck Price, Assistant City Attorney, clarified that if copper-clad aluminum has been approved by the NEC in the past three code cycles then, by State law, an amendment cannot prohibit it’s use. Mr. Jimenez suggested that aluminum in residential use should be reinstated in the City as it is currently allowed in the NEC and the industry has seen change. Paul Cervantes had the following comments: • NEC Section 210.08 (A) Dwelling Units: He mentioned that during a TRC meeting, discussion took place regarding adding an exception with language containing “if hardwired, an AFCI/GFCI would not be required (up to 220 volt)”, e.g., ovens, cooktops or water heaters. Discussion also took place regarding Staff’s indefinite decision to omit the Energy Conservation Code. The State is currently discussing its adoption as it is more stringent. VI. DEPUTY BUILDING OFFICIAL REPORT Mr. Fry stated that the proposed STAR program is still available for public comment: gave an update on the proposed Driveway Committee. He briefly discussed the proposed application process for Alternate Method requests. He also updated the Board on newly hired inspection staff. VII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 2:40 p.m.