City’s new building inspector intends to serve the public

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
Martin Rhodes is still a week and a half from starting his new job as the city of Hillsboro’s first full-time building inspector and code-enforcement officer-and he’d already like to change his job title.

At least one word of it.

“I think a better word than code-enforcement would be code compliance in this small city-it’s a little bit more mellow of a word,” said Rhodes, who will fill an expanded role that was vacated this summer with the retirement of Kermit Dirksen.

“The other (word) sounds like I carry a badge and a gun,” Rhodes added with a chuckle.

His concern about the nuances of his title reflects his commitment to change the perception some folks have that his role is to be the city’s hired muscle when it comes to local building codes and regulations.

“I want to change that mindset,” Rhodes said. “I’m down there as a public servant-to lend advice, answer questions, help (homeowners) all that I can-without actually doing the work myself, which I won’t be allowed to.

“I intend to work very closely with homeowners who want to do their own work,” he added. “I just hope to share with them my knowledge so that if they can’t afford it, or don’t want to, they don’t need to go out and hire a professional. We’ll certainly work with the homeowner.”

Rhodes’ user-friendly perspective resonated with City Administrator Steven Garrett during the interviewing process.

“We’re not trying to be punitive-‘Here’s the rules and you better obey them,'” Garrett said of the city’s approach to building codes. “We really believe the rules we’re trying to enforce will protect the homeowner.

“That was one of the things that really encouraged me during our interviews, that he looked at it the same way. We need to make sure the homeowner is protected, and that’s what we’re trying to do.

“We want to solve problems, we don’t want to be be the problem,” Garrett said. “I think he’ll be a major key to us not being part of the problem.”

Garrett said he was also impressed with Rhodes’ almost ideal professional preparation for this role.

Prior to moving to Hillsboro with his wife, Fran, 51/2 years ago, Rhodes worked in Amarillo, Texas, for around 25 years in the areas of hospital construction and maintenance.

Said Rhodes: “A good part of the time, I worked for a hospital management company and traveled basically nationwide as a field engineer for them, consulting with hospital administrators and boards to develop maintenance departments and the construction of new hospitals and additions to existing ones.”

During that time, Rhodes also represented the National Hospital Engineering Association on the National Fire Protection Association, which publishes national fire and building safety standards.

In the mid-1980s, he started his own construction business in Lawton, Okla., which eventually employed between 25 and 30 people. He and his wife, Fran, also ran a business called Kitchen & Bath Designers Showroom.

About 10 years ago, the couple began making several trips a year to Hillsboro to visit their daughter, Donna, her husband, Kirby Fadenrecht, and their two children, Risa and Macy.

“I just fell in love with this little town,” Rhodes said. “I told (Fran) on the way back from one trip up here, ‘When I’m ready to retire, we’re going to retire in Hillsboro, Kan. She said, ‘Hah! That will be the day.'”

The day did come-when Martin decided to retire at age 62-and neither regrets the move.

“I will tell you what, both of us have found a home here,” he said. “I’m just sorry we haven’t lived here for 30 years.”

When the Rhodes arrived, Martin brought his construction skills with him. A licensed master electrician and journeyman plumber, Rhodes started a one-man remodeling business, specializing in kitchens and bathrooms. He’s also taken on some new-house jobs along the way, too.

It was actually Fran who suggested to Martin several weeks ago that he inquire about the building-inspector position the city had been advertising.

“As matter of fact, she casually mentioned it a couple of times,” Rhodes said. “I ignored her. A couple of weeks later on a Sunday afternoon, I told her, ‘You know, I think I’m going to go down to see if Steve’s got time to talk to me.”

When the two men talked Garrett said he quickly realized that the range of Rhodes’ experiences made him ideally qualified for position.

“It was incredible,” Garrett said. “After talking to him and seeing how rich his background was with facility management and construction-wow, this is something that’s not going to come along every day.

“I was glad the timing was right, that he wanted to do something and that we were looking,” Garrett added. “It’s just one of those moments in my life when I get fortunate and things fall together.

“I’m excited about what it means for us to be able to do some of the things (the council) talked about over the summer,” Garrett said. “Time just did not allow us to fully pursue most of those things while the position was only part time.”

One of Rhodes’ initial tasks will be to help develop the newly expanded assignment.

“There’s never been any policies developed for this department,” Rhodes said. “So there’s going to be a lot of work to do.”

Garrett said Rhodes is eminently qualified to get it done correctly.

“I need somebody who can help me establish this (job) instead of trying to do it the other way around,” Garrett said. “I think he’ll be able to best hit the ground running.”

Rhodes said he’s convinced of the value of having and enforcing building codes. He said one of the best things that ever happened in Hillsboro was when the council decided to start take the codes seriously.

“I don’t know how long they’ve had these laws on the books, but they never really started enforcing them until Kermit came along,” Rhodes said. “I think that’s the neatest thing that ever happened.”

At the same time, Rhodes knows through his experience that some building codes need to be negotiated.

“If the codes say ‘you shall have,’ that means you’re going to do it that way,” Rhodes said. “If it says ‘you should have,’ that means it’s a recommendation, it’s a good idea. Those things have to be interpreted.

“I enjoy dealing with people, and I think I have a good reputation with most of the major contractors around here, so I don’t think we’re going to have any problems at all.”

Garrett said he agrees with that assessment.

“The people skills he has are important because we don’t want to be just blindly enforcing rules,” Garrett said. “His experience as somebody who had had to live within those rules will be invaluable.

“I think he’s forthright enough that he’ll be the first person to say, ‘Hey, this isn’t going to work,'” he added. “He will probably be better able than almost anybody to speak the same language as the people he’s going to be dealing with.”

Another aspect of Rhodes’ assignment is to implement the council’s recent decision that all contractors who work in the city of Hillsboro need to be licensed by the city.

Rhodes said that decision is another step forward for Hillsboro.

“I think it’s going to help the local contractors,” he said. “Any out-of-town ones are going to have to prove to us that they have experience.

“That helps the homeowner, too,” he added. “If a big hail storm moves through-and I’ve seen this happen-these roofers show up in droves, and maybe all they have is a hammer and a ladder, and it’s, ‘We’re a roofer.’ There’s a little more to it than that.”

Rhodes said he’s anxious to begin his new job. He will have an office at city hall and, officially at least, will work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“I told Steve it’s 8 a.m. until whenever I’m done,” Rhodes said. “It’s whenever the people quit needing me.”

Born with a capacity to work long hours, Rhodes said he plans to continue his remodeling business on a scaled-down basis-after hours and on weekends.

He admitted it was hard to let go of the freedom of being fully self-employed.

“If you want to shut down for a day or two or three and leave town, you don’t have to ask anybody,” Rhodes said.

“You don’t have employees to worry about-you just load Mom in the car and go.

“I’m going to miss that part of it.”

But he said the challenges that await him in his new assignment outweigh the losses he might experience.

“I’m excited for Nov. 4 to get here so I can get started.”

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