I would like to state the sequence of events on how the north side of the Square stair issue started. On Friday afternoon, I received a call from a shop owner on the north side of the Square concerned about the design of the steps and how they were laid out. The shop owner felt this was a safety issue. I told that person to call the head of the Claims Committee, Mark Coplien, to express concerns. When I arrived I also called Mark to come and view the site. He came to the site and couldn't believe what he or I saw. The vice president of Amcore Bank was on the Square at that time and he said he had called his legal department to draft up a paper that would relieve them of any liability because of the design of the steps. It was that bad. There was also a problem at the west end of the north side of the Square, but not as extreme as the area in front of the bank. Mark called the mayor and a meeting was set up to include only the shop owners on the north side of the Square the block captains, the mayor, Ryan Wilson of Fehr-Graham; Kelly Finkenbinder, Dept. Head of Public Works; Tom Boll, City Engineer; Keith Ingwell, head of the Public Works Committee (who couldn't make it, so he sent Chuck Schuringa) and me. Mark Coplien was out of town and could not come.
Over the weekend I researched the code for the building of steps. The state code and the international building code pretty much says the same thing. I had e-mailed the code to the mayor and I read the code to Mark Coplien. At the meeting on Monday morning, I questioned the design, the reason why the steps did not meet code and why this was the design that was implemented. I took measurements of the steps and risers and nothing was uniform. There was one area where the riser was only 1-1/2-inch high and tapered down to nothing and this would have been between the stair railings. This was not acceptable. The area over by the bank had so many different levels going up and down that it was a nightmare. The council members of the Public Works Committee (of which I am not a member) decided to have the steps removed and have a new design implemented which was drawn by up the City's Engineering Department which was much more acceptable. The President of City Council earlier thanked me for keeping up on the stair issue.
I asked a building contractor who has been in the business for many years and has offices in several states if there is an outside stair code and an inside stair code. What he explained to me is this: There is no outside stair code or inside stair code ... there is a stair code, period. He said the International Building Code supersedes the state code and municipalities can tweak the code a little bit if they want, our city has not done that.
After reading some bloggers comments on how this was a power play on my part, I would like to respond. This was not a power play. This was a safety concern. I am not on city council for power. I serve on the council to do the best job I can for the citizens. I'm concerned about their well being, their voice being heard, and to make a difference (which is what I believe is the reason why all council members serve). It certainly is not for the small amount of money we are paid or for any power. I am only one of 10 people on council. I have the same weight on council as all the other nine members. There have been times when many people have agreed with me on council and there are times when I'm in the minority. It appears that the person that speaks the loudest sometimes to accomplish change is the one that receives the attacks. That is to be expected, and that's probably why some council members are more quiet than others. But sometimes, it's necessary to speak up to get things done and I have strong shoulders.
I would ask if those that complain the most, did you actually see the steps in front of AmCore Bank? I have photographs. Codes are written to prevent safety hazards. If the city had done nothing to correct this, these steps would create about 50-plus years of possible liability claims which is something we can't afford. As a matter of fact, on Saturday, someone going down the steps in front of Amcore almost fell because of the design. I also noticed over the weekend that some citizens as well as store owners around the Square were standing on the north side of the Square and looked at the steps and talking to one another. One of them was scratching his head as though trying to figure out why this design had been put in.
I applaud the council for taking quick action to correct this. It's unfortunate that there will be a delay because of this, but whenever there is a massive project such as this, things don't always go smoothly and surprises usually come up.
If my statement about Ryan's remarks were a little strong, then I apologize to Ryan. I have always liked everything that Fehr-Graham has done for the City. They are an excellent engineering firm. They have done a wonderful job for us on other projects and much of the streetscape project. I would not have wanted any other engineering firm on this project, but I and the council believed that the plans drawn up for the steps were unacceptable for safety concerns and the steps needed to be removed.
After seeing what has been accomplished so far on the Square, I believe that the end result will be worth any inconvenience everyone has had to endure. I believe the downtown of Monroe will be a model for all other Wisconsin streetscape programs as well as a destination for travelers. I look forward to the future success of the downtown and what it can mean for our town.
Over the weekend I researched the code for the building of steps. The state code and the international building code pretty much says the same thing. I had e-mailed the code to the mayor and I read the code to Mark Coplien. At the meeting on Monday morning, I questioned the design, the reason why the steps did not meet code and why this was the design that was implemented. I took measurements of the steps and risers and nothing was uniform. There was one area where the riser was only 1-1/2-inch high and tapered down to nothing and this would have been between the stair railings. This was not acceptable. The area over by the bank had so many different levels going up and down that it was a nightmare. The council members of the Public Works Committee (of which I am not a member) decided to have the steps removed and have a new design implemented which was drawn by up the City's Engineering Department which was much more acceptable. The President of City Council earlier thanked me for keeping up on the stair issue.
I asked a building contractor who has been in the business for many years and has offices in several states if there is an outside stair code and an inside stair code. What he explained to me is this: There is no outside stair code or inside stair code ... there is a stair code, period. He said the International Building Code supersedes the state code and municipalities can tweak the code a little bit if they want, our city has not done that.
After reading some bloggers comments on how this was a power play on my part, I would like to respond. This was not a power play. This was a safety concern. I am not on city council for power. I serve on the council to do the best job I can for the citizens. I'm concerned about their well being, their voice being heard, and to make a difference (which is what I believe is the reason why all council members serve). It certainly is not for the small amount of money we are paid or for any power. I am only one of 10 people on council. I have the same weight on council as all the other nine members. There have been times when many people have agreed with me on council and there are times when I'm in the minority. It appears that the person that speaks the loudest sometimes to accomplish change is the one that receives the attacks. That is to be expected, and that's probably why some council members are more quiet than others. But sometimes, it's necessary to speak up to get things done and I have strong shoulders.
I would ask if those that complain the most, did you actually see the steps in front of AmCore Bank? I have photographs. Codes are written to prevent safety hazards. If the city had done nothing to correct this, these steps would create about 50-plus years of possible liability claims which is something we can't afford. As a matter of fact, on Saturday, someone going down the steps in front of Amcore almost fell because of the design. I also noticed over the weekend that some citizens as well as store owners around the Square were standing on the north side of the Square and looked at the steps and talking to one another. One of them was scratching his head as though trying to figure out why this design had been put in.
I applaud the council for taking quick action to correct this. It's unfortunate that there will be a delay because of this, but whenever there is a massive project such as this, things don't always go smoothly and surprises usually come up.
If my statement about Ryan's remarks were a little strong, then I apologize to Ryan. I have always liked everything that Fehr-Graham has done for the City. They are an excellent engineering firm. They have done a wonderful job for us on other projects and much of the streetscape project. I would not have wanted any other engineering firm on this project, but I and the council believed that the plans drawn up for the steps were unacceptable for safety concerns and the steps needed to be removed.
After seeing what has been accomplished so far on the Square, I believe that the end result will be worth any inconvenience everyone has had to endure. I believe the downtown of Monroe will be a model for all other Wisconsin streetscape programs as well as a destination for travelers. I look forward to the future success of the downtown and what it can mean for our town.
