ICBO

Chapter History

Attendees from the First Chapter Meeting 

Mr. J. E. Akire
Chief Building Inspector
City of Benicia

Mr. Albert E. Hurd
Chief Building Inspector
City of Fairfield

Mr. Louis Esperance
Planning Department
County of Solano

Mr. Gene L. Widen
Building Official
City of Vallejo

Mr. Ted F. Jordan
Building Inspector
Solano County

Mr. Victor Holanda
Building Official
City ofCalistoga

Mr. William Burke
Building Official
City of Hercules

Mr. Alan Campbell
Chief Building Inspector
City of Suisun

Mr. Charles R. Summers
Building Inspector
City of Suisun

Mr. H. Glenn Parrott
Building Inspector
City of Benicia

Mr. Carl M. Crawford
Building Inspector
City of Dixon

Mr. Donald W. Jonas
Chief Building Inspector
County of Napa

Mr. Neal McCosher
City Engineer
City of Rio Vista

Mr. Albert Damiano
Chief Building Inspector
City of Vacaville

Mr. Elger Vengley
Supt. of Public Works
City of Rio Vista

Mr. Jim Atkinson
Deputy Building Inspector
City of Calistoga

Mr. Clarence Feigel
Field Representative
N.E.C.A.

Mr. John Barclay
Architect
Suisun, CA

Mr. Richard Stegman
Plumbing/Heating Const.
Napa, CA

Mr. Kenneth Pilcher
New Building Repres.
PG&E

Mr. Pete Lightfoot
Solano District Manager
PG&E

Mr.. Steve Rasmussen
Architect
Lillis and Cooper

Mr. Dan Wynn
Consultant
Fairfield, CA

Mr. Robert Fessenden
Architect
Fairfield, CA

In the fall of 1978, Alan Campbell the new Building Official from Suisun, along with other building officials in the Napa and Solano County areas desired a local chapter of the International Conference of Building Officials.  At the time, the building officials from our area generally attended the Redwood Empire Chapter which is located mainly north of San Francisco.

During those years, as was common, each jurisdictions adopted and enforced its own version of the Uniform Building Code.  The founding members of the chapter desired a local forum to promote uniform interpretations and enforcement of the building codes.

On January 3, 1979, a meeting was called to order at the Holiday Inn in Fairfield. The meeting convened with 24 people in attendance (see side bar). When the meeting adjourned, a Chapter Constitution and Bylaws was approved, the name choose, and officers elected. 

The new officers were:

President  Louis Esperance from Solano County

1^st Vice President  Alan Campbell from the City of Suisun

2^nd Vice President  Don Jonas from the City of Napa

Secretary/Treasurer Carl Crawford from the City of Dixon. 

Dues were set at $10 a year. 

The time, date, and places for the next year�s meetings were established.  Each monthly meeting time alternated between day and evening.  The meetings were held in different cities each month.

The first few years found the Chapter meeting at the B.J. Steakhouse in Fairfield, Crescent School Auditorium in Suisun, The Point in Rio Vista, Landmark Inn in Benicia, and H.J�s in Suisun.  The San Francisco Express, as well as, the Holiday Inn served as meeting places more than once and even on one occasion the Chapter met at the Ace Hardware store in Benicia.

At a day meeting in Calistoga in September of 1979 with 6 people in attendance a vote was taken to make all meetings evening meetings.  A regular Chapter meeting has not been held in the day since, although the idea was proposed more than once.  For a very brief period in the late 1980�s, the meetings were held on a Tuesday, but after a few tries, the meetings were changed back to the first Wednesday of the month.  In 1981 the annual picnic was held at Pena Adobe in Vacaville, a tradition that has carried on through the years.

The Chapter�s first bank account was opened with the Bank of America on Texas Street in Vacaville.  This checking account was begun with a deposit of $230 in May of 1979.  The ending balance for almost the next ten years hovered near the original balance.  Sometimes a bit higher, but oftentimes lower.  A high spending month resulted in four checks being written.

In the late 1980�s the Chapter leaders wanted to sponsor a California Building Official�s annual business meeting.  The Chapter began sponsoring educational seminars as a way to fund such an event.

The Chapter was awarded the honor to sponsor the CALBO ABM in 1989.  The honor had to be returned when the proposed hotel in Vallejo was not built.  But for the first time, the Chapter had extra money in the bank. (The money was put to good use).

Tom Garcia, as president, started the tradition of paying for the Installation dinner. The Chapter began sponsoring a member to attend the annual business meeting for ICBO.  Steve Brown from Suisun was the first to attend.  Yearly, the standing president, now attends the ICBO annual business meeting.

This last year, 1999, the Chapter sent representatives to code development meetings to vote on code proposals to the new International Code.

In 1991, the Chapter cosponsored with the East Bay Chapter the CALBO ABM in Concord.  We, as a chapter, support by contributions neighboring chapters as they sponsor state and national conventions of code officials.

During the presidencies of Jim Kirkman, Dan Kasperson, and Richard Tash education was stressed and local sponsorship of education seminars and classes became the standard for other chapters to emulate.

We have had a variety of speakers.  I believe Simpson Strong Tie has been the most frequent organization to speak at Chapter meetings.  Mr. Stucco was probably the most entertaining. Perhaps the most beneficial was the times when, as a group, we discussed codes and code interpretations which goes back to the original premise of organizing the Chapter 20 years ago.