Former Saratoga Springs building inspector, Lauritz Rasmussen, who was terminated from his position on Thursday, April 16, appeared before the City Council on Tuesday, April 21 to reveal to city officials and the public that his firing had come because of concerns he had raised over the design of the indoor recreation center.
Rasmussen told the public during the meeting's public comment period
that the current design of the 35,500 square foot facility fails to
meet the minimum standards under Chapter 26 of the state buildings
code.
"I have already lost my job as a city inspector but I will not lose my integrity or abandon my ethical duty as a professional engineer," Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen's concerns are in regard to the type of foam insulation that architects working on the rec center had proposed using in the building's outer walls. The foam, however, had not passed tests to confirm its safe use in buildings larger than 30,000 square feet.
Rasmassun said he ordered a conditional building permit on April 14 that included the building be subjected to three full scale tests. He added that the architect of the building had previously expressed concern to him that the design would not pass such tests in a tight 2B construction, meaning that the construction needs to be non-combustible. He also said his findings have been confirmed at the state level.
"It is imperative that the council receive independent confirmation that these tests are satisfactorily passed in the design condition as a type 2B building before the rec center can be considered compliant with NYS building code," Rasmussen said.
While Rasmussen said that he was not sure if Mayor Scott Johnson had been involved in discussions concerning the building's code compliance, he was quick to note that City Attorney Joe Scala and Deputy Mayor Shauna Sutton were involved in every step of the process and had acted in a "hostile" and "aggressive" manner towards him because he was being a "road block to the agenda of the rec center."
"After experiencing the working environment and conditions that I had been subject to I can ensure this council that the assistant building inspectors remaining in the building department will not be able to withstand the pressure and influence exerted upon them to be sure that this rec center is a safe and code-compliant building," Rasmussen said.
During the meeting Johnson said that it would be improper at the time to discuss details of the allegations. He did, however, flatly deny them.
"We will deal with those as time unfolds and the public will become aware of what is truth and what is fiction," Johnson said.
Johnson has previously stated that Rasmussen's termination came due to performance-related issues.
Rasmussen was appointed on a provisional basis by Johnson on Oct. 27, 2008. Due to his provisional status, Rasmussen was required to take a civil service test that he is yet to take and was also subject to be terminated for any reason.
Three assistant building inspectors will now fill the role of building inspector until another candidate can be hired to fill the position.
"I have already lost my job as a city inspector but I will not lose my integrity or abandon my ethical duty as a professional engineer," Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen's concerns are in regard to the type of foam insulation that architects working on the rec center had proposed using in the building's outer walls. The foam, however, had not passed tests to confirm its safe use in buildings larger than 30,000 square feet.
Rasmassun said he ordered a conditional building permit on April 14 that included the building be subjected to three full scale tests. He added that the architect of the building had previously expressed concern to him that the design would not pass such tests in a tight 2B construction, meaning that the construction needs to be non-combustible. He also said his findings have been confirmed at the state level.
"It is imperative that the council receive independent confirmation that these tests are satisfactorily passed in the design condition as a type 2B building before the rec center can be considered compliant with NYS building code," Rasmussen said.
While Rasmussen said that he was not sure if Mayor Scott Johnson had been involved in discussions concerning the building's code compliance, he was quick to note that City Attorney Joe Scala and Deputy Mayor Shauna Sutton were involved in every step of the process and had acted in a "hostile" and "aggressive" manner towards him because he was being a "road block to the agenda of the rec center."
"After experiencing the working environment and conditions that I had been subject to I can ensure this council that the assistant building inspectors remaining in the building department will not be able to withstand the pressure and influence exerted upon them to be sure that this rec center is a safe and code-compliant building," Rasmussen said.
During the meeting Johnson said that it would be improper at the time to discuss details of the allegations. He did, however, flatly deny them.
"We will deal with those as time unfolds and the public will become aware of what is truth and what is fiction," Johnson said.
Johnson has previously stated that Rasmussen's termination came due to performance-related issues.
Rasmussen was appointed on a provisional basis by Johnson on Oct. 27, 2008. Due to his provisional status, Rasmussen was required to take a civil service test that he is yet to take and was also subject to be terminated for any reason.
Three assistant building inspectors will now fill the role of building inspector until another candidate can be hired to fill the position.
Main Menu
Leave a comment