REP PWIRC 020 05/01/2007 2006-2008

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"[l-n} Due to seismic activity in Hawaii County, all new water heaters shall be anchored or strapped to the floor and anchored or strapped on the top one third of the heater to a well anchored, structural wall, to resist horizontal displacement due to Earthquake motion. Strapping shall be at points within the upper one- third (1/3) and lower one-third (1/3) of its vertical dimensions. At the lower point, a minimum distance of four (4) inches (102 mm) shall be maintained above the controls with the strapping." Public Works Director McClure stated that this was covered in other parts of the code. Pete Hoffrnan asked where this was covered, that he can't follow where it was applied when he looked at the pages. Public Works Director McClure said the Uniform Plumbing Code is being followed, that the new 1997 code changed the formatting at the National level and that ramsayering was not the best way to mesh the two codes. Leslie Chow from the Legislative Reseazch Branch came forward and stated that she had reorganized the outline to make it easier to understand. She took Sections and divided them up. Page 5 shows the ramsayer changes to the code. Council Chair Pete Hoffmann said when he looked at page 16, that he still did not understand it. Leslie Chow continued, saying that the table of changes that accompanies the bill summarizes the changes. Council Member Pilago said that it appeazed that the staff at the Legislative Review Branch had not dovetailed the two parts in the ramsayered version. Public Works Director McClure stated that the core documents were different from the Uniform Building Code and that Lesley had tried to put it all together. Gary Nakao, the Kona Senior Plumbing Inspector said that the new code was in a different order. Public Works Director McClure advised the Council to adopt Bi1197, the Uniform Plumbing Code with some changes. Council Chair Hoffmann recommended that the Council vote on Bi1197 and move it forward to the Council with comments to be expected at the first reading. Council Member Ford offered to withdraw her amendment and Council Member Jacobson suggested that the Council pass it as it was and he called for the question. The floor amendment set forth by Comm. No. 85.2 passed unanimously. Leslie Chow asked that the Council include the two amendments from Comm. No. 85.1, which are stated here: 1. Section 17-17.1, that creates a temporary amnesty period, was inadvertently left out of this bill. As this section contains language similaz to that also placed in the Building, Electrical, and Plumbing Codes in 2006, we ask that the council amend Bill 23 to reinsert the language contained in section 17-17.1 into the bill, to be numbered and with section references amended as appropriate by the Legislative Research Branch. Section 17-17.1 reads as follows: "Section 17-17.1. Amnesty period. (a) For the period beginning October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007, persons may apply for plumbing permits for residential building or farm structures completed before January 1, 2006 without proper plumbing permits. These special circumstance permits shall be called "amnesty permits." Only persons eligible to obtain a permit, pursuant to section 17-15, may apply for an amnesty permit.