City of Hillsboro recognizes Building Safety Month

The City of Hillsboro is celebrating Building Safety Month this May, as noted in a proclamation issued by Mayor Justin Harsha Monday morning.

Accepting the proclamation was the city’s chief building official, Steve Rivera.

According to the International Code Council (iccsafe.org), the 2023 Building Safety Month theme is “It Starts With You.” There are also weekly themes: “Building Safety Starts at Home,” focusing on fire and building safety and sustainability; “Building Safety Professionals and You,” promoting the role that building safety professionals play; “Prepare Your Community,” discussing ways to protect your home and community from disaster; “Advocate for Your Community,” which shares tips on advocating for building safety in your community and/or becoming a safety professional yourself; and “Solving Challenges Together,” focusing on global issues such as water scarcity and worldwide disasters.

“Building Safety Month 2023 encourages all Americans to raise awareness about the importance of safe and resilient construction, fire prevention, disaster mitigation and new technologies in the construction industry,” Harsha read from the proclamation. “Building Safety Month 2023 encourages appropriate steps everyone can take to ensure safety of our built environment and recognize that the implementation of safety codes by local and state agencies have saved lives and protected homes and businesses.”

In his proclamation, Harsha “encourages all citizens to join with their communities and participation in Building Safety Month activities.”

At the local level, city officials will be celebrating Building Safety Month during opening day of the Hillsboro Farmers Market, set for May 20 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. This is the third straight year that the building department will be on hand to sponsor a family-friendly event, hosting activities for kids as well as answering questions from the community.

“They will be there educating children and the community about building safety,” city administrative assistant Whitney Aliff said. “Steve's got lots of fun activities up his sleeve.

“We had a really good turnout last year. We’ve had a lot of good feedback, so we want to continue this event.”

In addition, the city is teaming up with the Highland County Health Department May 20 for a bike rodeo at the farmers market, distributing free bicycle helmets while supplies last, Aliff said. The Highland County Dash for DD 5K run will also be held uptown at the courthouse square, with registration beginning at 8 a.m.

According to the city’s website, the Hillsboro Building Department “is responsible for the enforcement of building, electrical, and mechanical codes,” according to the city website. That includes issuing permits for “all new construction, major repairs, alterations, and additions, which include structural, mechanical and electrical changes” to a building in the city; certificates of appropriateness; certificates of occupancy; and other necessary documents.

Aliff said that the May 20 event at the Farmers Market will be a good opportunity for individuals to meet Rivera and discuss any questions they may have about the Building Department.

“Steve is the one that's out in the field doing all of these things, all of our commercial development,” Aliff said. “This is the guy who's out there maintaining and making sure that all these buildings are to code and compliant with all of the code. If they want to just put a face with a name, get to know Steve, ask him questions, stop by.”
 
Rivera added that anyone with questions is welcome to contact the Building Department at (937) 393-5219 option 4.

“They don’t have to have a permit with the city to call,” he said. “If they have any questions that they’ve been thinking about, I’m available anytime.”

Rivera also encouraged the community to visit iccsafe.org for more information on Building Safety Month and tips for homeowners.

“We’re a proud member of the International Code Council,” he said.

In other upcoming events, the city officials invited local residents to attend their Burgers in the Boro event, a free cookout, on Friday, May 5 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The event will also include cornhole and music, Aliff said.