Township needs inspection help

BRUCEDALE - An expected surge in residential construction this year has the Guelph-Eramosa building department looking for some back-up.

A report by chief building official Dan Sharina at the March 20 committee of the whole meeting requested authorization to engage RSM Building Consultants.

RSM would provide extra building inspectors as needed at a cost of $125 per hour, which would be more than covered by permit fees generated by new development, he said.

The township had a decline in 2018 building activity with 31 building permits for new residential units, compared to 75 in 2017.  The total of all permits was 250, compared to 319 in 2017.

There were 1,290 inspections in 2018, down by 609 compared to 2017.

A decline is not expected this year, however, with “numerous active permits and new applications coming in daily that require attention,” said Sharina.

In addition, the Rockwell Estates subdivision by Fernbrook Homes in north Rockwood, is expected to add 200 new single family dwellings in 2019, requiring at least 2,000 inspections.

The township already has 60 building permits ready for the developer to pick up.

With more work than the township’s two inspectors can comfortably handle within legislated response times, Sharina said it would be “prudent to have a contingency plan in place to off-set this isolated influx of inspections.”

The committee supported the arrangement with RSM and at the April 1 meeting, council passed a bylaw to authorize RSM staff as township inspectors.