HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM Letters / Memos - 9/26/2007 RECEIVED
September 26, 2007 OCT 0 2 2001
Barbara Robinson MCCD - PLANPQ
Mason County Community Development Director --f
Mason County Bldg. 1, 411 N. 5t
R 0. Box 279
Shelton, WA 98584
Dear Ms. Robinson:
Thank yo4 very much for your 9/25/07 letter to Louise Okonek explaining your
position on the exit door requirements for the kitchen at Grapeview,Fire Hall. The
letter helps us understand your position. However, you still don't understand our
position and I want to try one more time to explain.
Your letter suggests that we once installed side-hinged exit doors in the meeting
room/kitchen and that we later changed them to sliding glass doors. Nothing could
be farther from the truth. If Mr. Haugen believes that there were side-hinged exit
doors in that room at the time of the fire alarm inspection on 02/09/2006, he is
mistaken. If Mr. Shaw believes that there were side-hinged exit doors in that room on
January 3, 2007 when he finaled the building, he is mistaken. The sliding glass doors
were installed by Sound Glass in November, 2005, and have been in place ever since.
Maybe now you can understand our frustration. The original permit of 2/11/05
approved sliding glass exit doors. No one told us that they had to be replaced until
Mr. Haugen's e-mail of 6/26/07. Then later, on 7/25/07, Ms. Coker annotated the
kitchen layout sketch with the side-hinged door requirement.
We are not playing musical doors with you. The sliders were installed in good faith
and with your authority. Chief Graeber, Sound Glass and the General Contractor will all
be able to confirm this.
It wasn't until we read your letter that I realized that I had unwittingly shown side-
hinged doors on the kitchen sketch. I used IKEA's software to produce this sketch and
their software doesn't have sliding glass doors in it. There was no intent to change to
side-hinged doors. Why would we? We designed the kitchen to accommodate the
doors.
Given this information, does any other solution come to mind. We will not be installing
side-hinged doors as a replacement because of the costly design and code issues
i
Page Two
September 26, 2007
Barbara Robinson
associated with a covered exit. The ICC in Section 1008.1.2 states in exception No. 9:
"In other than Group H occupancies, manually operated horizontal sliding doors are
permitted as a means of egress from occupied spaces with an occupant load of 10 or
less". Please confirm that we qualify for this exception.
Sincerely,
an Hillesland
CC: Commissioner Lynda Ring-Erickson ho —QJ ,VcA-rAZ Nt G
Louise Okonek, President, GCA V' `�,- 2-Mj
Enclosure &a.)(L
t
RECEIVE �J
September 26, 2007 OCT 0 2:00]
Barbara Robinson MCCD - PLANNING
Mason County Community Development Director
Mason County Bldg. 1, 411 N. 5th
P. 0. Box 279
Shelton, WA 98584
Dear Ms. Robinson:
Thank you very much for your 9/25/07 letter to Louise Okonek explaining your
position on the exit door requirements for the kitchen at Grapeview Fire Hall. The
letter helps us understand your position. However, you still don't understand our
position and I want to try one more time to explain.
Your letter suggests that we once installed side-hinged exit doors in the meeting
room/kitchen and that we later changed them to sliding glass doors. Nothing could
be farther from the truth. If Mr. Haugen believes that there were side-hinged exit
doors in that room at the time of the fire alarm inspection on 02/09/2006, he is
mistaken. If Mr. Shaw believes that there were side-hinged exit doors in that room on
January 3, 2007 when he finaled the building, he is mistaken. The sliding glass doors
were installed by Sound Glass in November, 2005, and have been in place ever since.
Maybe now you can understand our frustration. The original permit of 2/11/05
approved sliding glass exit doors. No one told us that they had to be replaced until
Mr. Haugen's e-mail of 6/26/07. Then later, on 7/25/07, Ms. Coker annotated the
kitchen layout sketch with the side-hinged door requirement.
We are not playing musical doors with you. The sliders were installed in good faith
and with your authority. Chief Graeber, Sound Glass and the General Contractor will all
be able to confirm this.
It wasn't until we read your letter that I realized that I had unwittingly shown side-
hinged doors on the kitchen sketch. I used IKEA's software to produce this sketch and
their software doesn't have sliding glass doors in it. There was no intent to change to
side-hinged doors. Why would we? We designed the kitchen to accommodate the
doors.
Given this information, does any other solution come to mind. We will not be installing
side-hinged doors as a replacement because of the costly design and code issues
Page Two
September 26, 2007
Barbara Robinson
associated with a covered exit. The ICC in Section 1008.1.2 states in exception No. 9:
"In other than Group H occupancies, manually operated horizontal sliding doors are
permitted as a means of egress from occupied spaces with an occupant load of 10 or
less". Please confirm that we qualify for this exception.
Sincerely,
)an Hillesland
CC: Commissioner Lynda Ring-Erickson
Louise Okonek, President, GCA
Enclosure
III'