The watchdog group had been working on an industry proposal for the state’s upcoming changes to California’s building code since early 2011, the work being carried out by a committee of SPEC members and others who volunteered their time. The committee developed more than 100 pages of comments aimed at making certain the proposed new building standards “reflected modern technology and building practices,” SPEC said in a release.
Earlier in the year, the California Department of Health accepted a majority of SPEC’s suggestions; however, members of SPEC’s committee were not satisfied and continued working to shape the policy. After opposing adoption of the new standard at an October Building Standards Commission meeting, SPEC convinced the Commission to table a decision of the regulations until they could be studied further.
The result is a compromise, with SPEC getting four more of its recommendations included, along with assurances that SPEC’s other suggestions would be considered for the next code upgrade cycle in exchange for supporting adoption of the Title 24 regulations at the January meeting of the California Building Standards Commission.
“This is a good result,” said Mike Geremia, president of Geremia Pools and Chairman of SPEC. “I think we now have a good working relationship with the Department of Public Health and I expect that this will truly result in benefits for pool safety and for the members of SPEC.”
