A closer look at Building Dept. delays may resolve controversy
Published on December 1st, 1999
STONEHAM, MA - Some citizens say the building department is inefficient and inconsistent, but Building Inspector Eugene Argiro says he can explain.
"We are so damn busy," Argiro said.
Upon entering the office of the building inspector in the basement of Town Hall around 30 piles of sketches, blueprints, contracts and regulations rise like a small paper city from the desk and table landscape. The phone rings five or six times and four people require service at the counter during the course of a one-hour interview held the day before Thanksgiving.
A report from the state (still unavailable to the public) said Stoneham should have three building inspectors to meet the needs of the community. Stoneham has one — Argiro.
"We try to hurry, but we fail a lot," Argiro said.
Some citizens who acknowledge the heavy workload of the building department question whether the department responds faster to some builders than others.
"Not everything is handled in exactly the order it comes in," Argiro said.
If Argiro is out of the office, a game of phone tag often ensues before a builder can get the permit or information he needs.
Community Development Director Stephen Sadwick works in the office next to Argiro's.
"Gene meets with people at the counter right away if he is here," Sadwick said. "But he has to be out doing inspections."
Also, not all requests are identical. There is a "fast track" process for items which do not require certified plot plans, such as repair to front steps or installation of an above ground pool.
"Home additions take a lot of time," Argiro said. "Five to six different inspections have to be made, and new linked smoke detectors must be installed if a new bedroom is planned."
Critics insist that requests for building permits for similar projects receive inconsistent responses. State law requires building inspectors to grant permits within 30 days of permit applications, if everything is in order.
"Often a permit application is not complete," Argiro said. "We have 30 days from when the application is complete."
For example, a small, local builder recently submitted a request for a building permit, but the subdivision bond was not in place. The building department personnel had to wait until the Planning Board notified them about the bond before processing the permit.
"We got it done within 30 days of the original application, but we could have waited 30 days from when we heard about the bond," Argiro said.
For some larger developers the permit process drags on past 30 days.
Symes Associates of Wakefield has permit requests from as early as Aug. 10 which the building department has yet to approve.
"The bigger guys can usually work on one of their other projects so they can handle a reasonable delay," Argiro said.
He said the town tries to be wary of the immediate needs of smaller contracting businesses and individual builders.
However, these builders are wary themselves. They wonder why Cunningham Construction of Stoneham received a building permit without a site plan to convert a portion of the old Box Factory on Pleasant Street into a day-care center and why Symes Associates took the roof off the Stoneham Theater on Main Street without a demolition permit.
"You cannot hold an educational facility to a site plan under state law (MGL Chapter 40a), and replacing a roof does not qualify as demolition under (Section 112) of the building code," Argiro said.
Yes, the building department is slow and inconsistent, but understanding why may help the whole process improve.
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