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 Is the city of Wichita about to adopt a new building
code that will lower safety and access? Is this process driven by one or two staff people rather than by demands
from the public or the building industry?. The answer to both questions is yes according to Jerry Jones, training coordinator for the Plumbers and David Finley of the
plumbing contractors association who spoke to a recent meeting of the Living Wage Coalition/Wichita Action Network.
The new code is known as the “International” code,
although it could be called the intergalactic code with equal justification. In fact, the proposed code has been adopted by no country, and cannot be considered
superior to existing regional codes. The international code, according to Jones and
Finley, is built on three principles. First, it is “performance” rather than prescriptive
. This means that explicit requirements are not spelled out. Instead, architects and builders have wide latitude in how the design and build. Second, it is based upon
minimum, “least restrictive” standards. Third, it scraps the existing system of public and industry input.
Many provisions of the proposed “International” code could endanger public
health and safety, Jones said. In large retail shops, there would be no requirement
for public restrooms. If the new code was enacted, the number fire exits for a child care center serving fifty children would be reduced from five to one.
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Jerry Jones (l) and David Finley (r)
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The implementation of the new International Building Code has
been blocked elsewhere. Ironically, Finley noted, the city of Wichita has cited California as a reason to adopt the new code, but that state
voted to keep its existing code, the UBC, the same code currently used by the city of Wichita. The disability rights group ADAPT was
actively involved in stopping the code in New York.
Moreover, there will be another building code family coming out in about a
year which is the result of a bottom-up, consultative approach. At a minimum, Jones and Finley said, the city should wait until it can make a side-by-side
comparison of the two proposals.
The Living Wage Coalition/Wichita Action and the building trades unions urge
concerned citizens to contact their city council members on this issue.
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