91视频

Salem’s $34 million Courthouse Square complex, which now needs $23 million worth of repairs to become habitable, proved to be a public relations nightmare for everyone connected with it.

Even Salem city officials got a black eye in the process, said Tom Phillips, the city’s building and safety administrator 鈥� and they weren’t even directly involved in the project.

City inspectors only reviewed the project’s building plans and inspected its construction in the late 1990s. Inspectors gave the project a thumbs-up. However, 10 years after the building was finished in 2000, it was deemed dangerously unsafe and vacated.

鈥淲hat we saw from a lot of folks was a lack of trust as a result of the Courthouse Square structure,鈥� Phillips said. 鈥淚 wasn’t there at the time. Neither was the majority of my staff. However, we didn’t want to go pointing our fingers at anyone.鈥�

What they did instead was become the first city building department in Oregon to gain the International Accreditation Service’s stamp of approval. Inspectors looked at Salem’s permitting, plan review and inspection services.

鈥淐ourthouse Square prompted this review,鈥� Phillips said. 鈥淲e really felt we ought to have a third party look at our department, and this is the only organization that reviews building departments.鈥�

It was a helpful process to go through, he said.

鈥淚t caused us to evaluate all of our policies and procedures and establish a thorough quality assurance program,鈥� Phillips said. 鈥淭he organization annually reviews everything to make sure it’s still up to date. It makes us focus and tighten up our organization.鈥�

Salem can be proud, IAS President Chuck Ramani said.

鈥淚t is a great achievement when a building department attains accreditation,鈥� he said. 鈥淪alem has gone above and beyond the requirements to implement a number of innovative practices.鈥�

Ramani’s organization is part of the International Code Council and provides an independent assessment and verification of the standards that building departments set for themselves.

鈥淭he value of obtaining this accreditation is it assures our citizens our building department is competent and up to the highest national standards,鈥� Salem City Manager Linda Norris said.

The building department formally received its accreditation Oct. 10. At the time of the review, the department had 18 employees, including six certified inspectors, three certified plan reviewers and a structural engineer.

鈥淲e knew we were doing a great job, but we can always do better,鈥� Salem Community Development Director Vickie Hardin Woods said. 鈥淲e wanted to bring someone in to evaluate our program, make constructive criticism and affirm the quality of our operation.鈥�

Phillips said he hopes that Salem residents find accreditation reassuring.

鈥淏ecause we’re government, we have a higher standard to go by in terms of accountability and transparency,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t just fits in with my business that the public knows that when we say we’re doing a good job, it’s not just saying; someone has checked us out.鈥�

Phillips said his staff members were already doing many of the things required for accreditation, but not all of them were properly documented.

鈥淭hat sometimes meant inconsistency in the application of our procedures and the requirements of the building code,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he accreditation process insists on a consistent application of the building code through strong policies, procedures and quality assurance programs.鈥�

Salem paid $15,000 for the first three-year accreditation, and annual renewals are estimated to cost no more than $6,000. City permit fees covered the initial cost.

鈥淚t costs a little bit of money, but it’s ultimately worth it,鈥� Phillips said.

Work on the five-story, 163,000-square-foot Courthouse Square Building is scheduled to begin this week. Maryland-based Structural Preservation Systems LLC was awarded the contract to rehabilitate the structure, which is supposed to serve as both a city transit mall and a Marion County office building.

Jolene Kelley, a spokeswoman for Marion County, said workers will begin removing wallboards on Monday as a prelude to more intensive structural repairs. She added that anyone who wants to track the project can sign up for email updates at [email protected] or [email protected].