GROWING JACKSON VIEWS BOCA CODES AS VITAL

JACKSON -- Director of Public Works Mark Brown calls it housekeeping -- the adoption of BOCA codes into city ordinances every three years.

To towns growing as quickly as Jackson, the adoption is vital. Building Officials and Code Administrators International revise the guide every three years to incorporate changes in the code.

Most of the changes are to save lives, said building official Joe Massa. For example, BOCA codes initially required new homes to have smoke detectors with batteries. Today, they must have AC smoke detectors with battery backup.

Several area cities, including Cape Girardeau, are in the process of adopting the most current revisions. The Jackson Board of Aldermen had to delay adoption Tuesday night while city staff researched amendments that would make the law applicable to Jackson.

"The code is written to be adapted," Brown said. "Each town has different fees, a different way of setting up planning and zoning commissions and different titles for officials."

He expects the revisions to be completed in time for the Feb. 6 board meeting.

Inspectors don't have much time to worry over paperwork these days, as Jackson's residential neighborhoods spring up faster than those in Cape Girardeau, its larger, southern neighbor. Brown estimated 160 residential building permits were issued in Jackson in 1994. Cape Girardeau Inspection Services Director Rick Murray said there were about 105 issued in Cape Girardeau.

Cape Girardeau has three inspectors plus Murray. Jackson has 1 1/2, Brown joked. Massa, the building official, does building inspections full time and Dave Turner divides his time between street and sewer inspections and building inspections.

"Some days I'm not in the office 10 minutes," Massa said. "The rest of the day I'm in the field, inspecting new construction, giving occupancy permits and answering questions."

Builders have to beware. While it would be impossible to check for compliance with every part of the BOCA code, construction companies don't know which ones Massa and Turner might check.

Jackson city officials don't expect growth to stop, and Brown said he hoped to see salaries for two new construction inspectors, who would check streets and sewers, included in next year's budget. This would allow his part-time building inspector to do more.