The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-02-24
PROVIDES BUILDING INSPECTOR
New Official is Given Power to Con-
troll All Building and Repair Work
in the City-To be Read by Coun-
Gil on Friday.


The new Kenosha building code, the
most monumental piece of legislation
ever proposed to the common council
of Kenosha was placed in the hands
of the city clerk on Monday evening
and the members of the council will
meet in adjourned session ON Friday
evening to begin the work of reading
the ordinance and it is the plan of
the members of the council to have
the ordinance enacted into law before
the beginning of the building season
in Kenosha.
The ordinance covers ninety pages
of closely written matter and it is
the two years work of commission
composed of D. J. Harff, F. E. Foulke,
Fred Larsen, II. J. Clark, John Prid-
dis and Charles III. Goodman. These
six men have given their time and
ability to the city without any charge
and the ordinance is regarded as one
Of the most perfect building codes
ever proposed for any city. Every
point in construction of buildings is
touched in the ordinance and under
it the city is given the widest posi-
bic powers in the supervision of all
buildings to be erected in the city
and those which are to be repaired
and rebuilt. 1t provides for super
vision by the city of every sort of
work connected with the building
trades. The provisions watched with
most interest among the builders are
the sections providing for the selection
Of building inspector. Under the
ordinance this official is to be elected
by the common council in the same
manner as other officials of the city
and at the beginning of the new fiscal
year of the city. The building in
spector must be either an architect,
builder or, civil engineer and he must
have been engaged in the work of
his profession for at least ten years.
Only the men from Kenosha are
eligible to the office and before they
may be appointed it will be necessary
for them to pass an examination as to
their competency before d commission
made up of master builder, master
mason, master plumber and architect
and an electrician. The salary of the
inspector is to be fixed by the coun-
Gil later. The inspector is given
power to issue permits for the erection
of new buildings and for the repair
and removal Of old buildings and these
permits are to be purchased at a rate
of one cent for each 100 cubic feet
of construction with the understand
ing that no permit is to be issued for
less than 81. For removing buildings
the owner must secure a permit at a
cost Of Is cents for each hundred feet
that the building is to be moved. Per
mits for repairs on buildings are is
sued at rate of so cents for each
$500 to be expended in making the
repairs.
The inspector is given wide powers
in the government Of construction and
all plans and specifications for build
ings under construction must be on
file in his Office and any deviation
from the plans can be made only with
the consent of the inspector. Heavy
penalties are provided for any viola
tion Of the ordinance.
Among the duties of the building
inspector is the inspection of every
building in the city once in two years.
The inspector is given the right to
name his own clerks and assistants
with the consent of the common coun-
Gil.
The ordinance enters at length into
the discussion of various lines of
building and makes specified rules in
regard to this work No chance is
given for a misunderstanding in re-
gard to the provisions Of the ordinance
as the Interpretation is left in the
hands of the building inspector.
Tt is claimed by the members of the
commission that the building codes
of every large city in the country
have been freely used in making the
Kenosha ordinance and that the best
from each has been taken in an effort
to make a perfect ordinance.
Before the ordinance is passed it
will be published and contractors and
builders of the city not members of
the commission will have a chance to