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2 I February 27, 2015 The Guilfordian i WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM/NEWS GREENLEAF Greenleaf closes after Guilford’s permit snafu Before the closing of the Greenleaf this semester, members of the community enjoyed the shop's new space located in the basement of Milner Hall after it's move from Mary Hobbs this past summer. Continued from page 1 certifying that certificate of occupancy everything is in order. However, the process does not always work out so neatly. “Sometimes people start a project and somebody will call to their attention that they need a permit for that kind of work,” said Plan Review Supervisor Julius Register. When a permit is not filed before construction starts, the city takes notice. “It’s an automatic double fee for the permit,” said Building Inspections Section Chief Don Sheffield. “Then, we’ll come in. We should have stopped the project and permitted it, right then and there. And we didn’t do that. Jonathan Varnell, vice president for administration and they’ll have to undo stuff; whatever we architect who had drafted the pl&As*'for the project manager Tim Rouse went t^-|^^;^|'^f^rhj^arshal comes out, chbcks all of tb cross some people to cio that deem necessary for us to be satisfied it was built right.” Guilford would have several tasks to complete for the city before starting the renovation of a residence hall to a coffee shop. “Permits would be required for the electrical, mechanical and demolition work done,” said Development Services Manager Michael Lewis in an email interview. “There coffee shop and got a temporary occupant load posting once they received the request from Public Safety. A sign was then posted near the exterior door inside the Greenleaf “There was an occupancy certificate, I looked at it, and it did not appear to be one that was issued by the city,” said Director of Public Safety Ronald Stowe. “I raised our records, “goes through all of our buildings and tells us what we need to correct as per fire code,” said Johnson. “He said we needed How things went wrong ... According to records obtained from the (an occupancy posting in the Greenleaf), so city, Guilford filed a building permit July 10, I turned in my work orders and sent them to 2014, for interior demolition done in Milner. of the would be a building permit and plan review the issue that I did not think that was right required for the change of use to (the) because we’re dealing with a public space in facilities.’ Varnell disputes the importance maximum capacity posting. “It sounds like somebody is trying to drive at that point that Public Safety made. The permit covers $8,862 worth of work done by Abatemaster, Inc., a company that specializes in hazardous material removal and demolition. “We were out there (to Milner) three times dormitory.” Occupancy posting: required? On multiple occasions, Pubhc Safety requested that an official sign be posted in the basement of a residence hall. That could ultimately be a liability issue or a safety issue for our students.” Afterwards, the sign was taken down. ‘Our staff provided one, and then (Public the Greenleaf giving the maximum capacity Safety) turned around and tried to make it of people allowed inside. However, a permit look like we were setting occupancy without was not always present in the space. the city which was not at all the case,” said Public Safety Coordinator Rhonda Johnson Varnell. “We were simply responding to their noticed early on that no one had posted an request to give them one.” occupant load and suggested posting one. In early December, Duane Gilbert of the According to Vice President for Greensboro Fire Department made an annual Administration Jonathan Varnell, former inspection of campus. which was not a very good point at all,” said in July of last year,” said Sheffield. “That was Varnell. “Public Safety raised an issue with the just to consult for the demolition.” occupancy number, and then tried to hang it Guilford did not apply for another permit back on my staff, which was not pleasant and for the Greenleaf, including required electrical not right.” or plumbing permits, until Jan. 13, long after Stowe pointed out where Public Safety’s the shop opened and subsequently closed, priorities lie. “I think that the discussion was that “For (Varnell) to indicate that Public Safety (Guilford) had gotten ahead of themselves,” is doing something, well yeah, I am doing said Register. “They came in and told us what something,” said Stowe. “I’m looking out their plans were, so we told them how to go for the safety of the students in the campus about the process.” because I think when you start monkeying The application states that the school paid with official documents that’s a concern. a permit fee, with a late penalty attached, “We’re serious about the job of keeping the of $226 for an estimated $100,000 worth of campus safe. And sometimes, we might have work. It also covers the change of use of the space to A-2, defined as a space dedicated to eating or drinking. “They had the previous occupancy use as being dorm rooms, and the description of the use they are going to is switching an area in the basement to a coffee shop,” said Register. Because the apphcation covers a change use, Guilford submitted plans from m architecture firm Spectrum Designs dated Jan. 9, 2015, along with the permit. The plans show the interior demolition done over the summer as well as other construction in the Greenleaf Because the space in Milner is a type of assembly space, it must follow certain different rules. According to the 2012 North Carohna Fire Codes, the occupancy load must be posted near the main exit. And how it slipped through the cracks The long delay between the construction over the summer and the permit filed in January may have contributed to the debacle over the occupancy load sign. As part of the permitting process before the renovation, the city would have given Guilford a number to post. In the city’s review of the new Greenleaf plans, the fire prevention reviewer noted that an occupant load of 83 would need to be posted. According to Varnell, the delay was partially due to the tight schedule — work did not begin until mid-July and the fall semester started in late August. See greenleaf \ Page 3
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