Comments on: It must be “Oak Ridge bashing” season again

By: Ray Kircher

Ray Kircher — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:39:45 +0000

Steve Kirkham must never have built in Knox County, Loudon County, Union County, Sevier County, including Anderson County where these counties have state inspectors with a 3-day and 2-day work schedule. Kirkham is obviously delirious and deranged about City of Oak Ridge inspectors.

By: Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:52:56 +0000

More follow-up in a message from city Code Enforcement staff (the following is a quotation from the message, edited for brevity and to remove staff names):

[Before September of 2005] inspections were being performed at almost a “will call” basis. At times the contractors (electrical, plumbing and building) called the inspectors direct to request an inspection.

In September of 2007, in order to be more efficient and cost conscious (because of the rising cost of fuel) regarding routes driven by the inspection staff, [a new policy was initiated] that all inspections (except emergency ones or ones where weather was a factor) must be requested by 4:00 PM and the inspection would be performed the next day. …We try to accommodate people who “forget” to call in the day before or the ones that need an inspection due to weather or other factors.

…The only times that anyone has had to wait a day or so on an inspection was if [the inspector] had been on vacation or the interim period when we were using [another employee after an inspector resigned]….

Since I have been here, never to my knowledge has anyone been told “inspectors only work an area on certain days or every other Thursday”. It is a fact that some State of TN contract electrical inspectors (independent contractors, who set their own schedule) do work certain areas on certain days. This is due to the large geographical area they have to cover. If an inspection was failed on Tuesday, it would be the next Tuesday before a reinspection could be made.

By: Ray Kircher

Ray Kircher — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:40:51 +0000

Shell found the story very interesting. Robin, in customer service, said Mr. Kirkham is to abide by Shell’s rules also. I wonder how well those conversations go over? Does Mr. Kirkham have any complaints of the rules Shell enforces upon him?

By: Ray Kircher

Ray Kircher — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:26:56 +0000

I have to add if Mr. Kirkham knows the code, why doesn’t he face the truth of his issue with Oak Ridge, we clearly follow the rule. He is flat out lying about the times of Oak Ridge inspectors.

By: Ray Kircher

Ray Kircher — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:24:51 +0000

The inspectors in Oak Ridge are not the problem. I have seen and worked with these people for years. Never has any of my work been postponed by an inspector. Mr. Kirkham must be part of the unscrupulous developers who try to hide work and fully avoid inspectors as they come to his work site. I’ve seen how these kinds of developers hide behind a Port-a-John when inspectors come onsite. I run to inspectors, present my workload and scope, address concerns where interpretation needs a clearer understanding to the work asked to be inspected. It isn’t difficult to work with Oak Ridge inspectors. Other issues in Oak Ridge are the difficult matters in developing, not the inspectors.

I plan to tell my local Rocky Top manager about this dig and see how he would like Oak Ridgers to do businesses who like Oak Ridge. I’m sure when this gets out, Rocky Top will see a drop in customers. I plan to present my disgust, I buy $200 of fuel a month from Rocky Top, time to change.

By: Tom Beehan

Tom Beehan — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:19:59 +0000

Ellen,

I don’t normally comment on Blogs, but you’ve hit the nail on the head, and I wanted to give you a big AMEN.

Today I called and left a message with Mr. Kirkham’s voicemail expressing my extreme displeasure over his comments. I for one have been a customer for years, but I tend do to business with folks who support Oak Ridge.

I also called the Roane Alliance and talked with them as well.

Comments like this should not go unchallenged.