Welcome to N.C.O.B.O.A.
North Central Ohio Building Officials Association was founded November 19,
1996. The founding came when Jack Murphy became the Chief Building Official
for the City of Lorain, Ohio and saw a need for a local chapter. Jack
talked to the various C.B.O.s of North Central Ohio and found that there
was interest and support for an association of this type. He enlisted
the efforts of the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce and the local BIA
to promote continuing education classes at the Lorain County Community
College. At these various seminars the attendees were asked if they
would like to have a local chapter. The response was an overwhelming
yes. Jack mailed approximately 100 flyers to various building departments,
architects and contractors inviting them to attend a chapter membership
meeting November 19, 1996, at the Holiday Inn in Elyria, Ohio. Out of
the 100 invitations mailed, 68 individuals showed up, and paid $18.00
each, plus $30.00 membership fees. John Brandt, Executive Secretary/Board
of Building Standards along with Bruce Larcornb of BOCA International
were on hand to receive the nomination of the new officers and board
of directors. John introduced the slate and Bruce swore in the new officers.
The original slate of officers were as follows:
President: Jack Murphy, City of Lorain
Vice-President: Jerry Chio, Wayne County
Second Vice-President: Ron Schnurr, City of Sandusky
Treasurer: Robert Pryatel, City of Lorain
Secretary: Kenneth Miller, City of Avon Lake
Three-Year Board Members:
Guy Fursdon, City of North Ridgeville
Pete Lorandeau, City of Elyria and Wakeman
John Pasela, City of Broadview Heights
Two-Year Board Members:
Gerald Klein, City of Elyria
James Smith, City of Avon
Norm Wirth, City of Elyria
At the business meeting, it was suggested that N.C.O.B.O.A. apply for BOCA membership, as well as membership to OBOA. With approval of the general membership, the application was sent to BOCA in January 1997 for chapter status.
This was granted on April 6, 1997. Since then, N.C.O.B.O.A. has continued to grow from the original 68 members to over 300 in two years. N.C.O.B.O.A. has offered over 200 hours of continuing education classes, helped the state of Ohio in offering mandatory classes and had several members serve on BOCA committees. They've also had many representatives at the code development hearings in Washington, Costa Mesa and St. Louis, sponsored a tour bus to Pittsburgh and sponsored a $10,000 scholarship to Lorain County Community College in the name of Bruce Larcomb. The scholarship was accomplished in May 1998. In May of 1999, N.C.O.B.O.A. established a student chapter at Lorain County Community College. In January of 2000, N.C.O.B.O.A. hosted Ohio's largest code conference, a joint conference between the Ohio Building Officials and N.C.O.B.O.A. at a projected cost of eighty-one thousand dollars ($81,000). All of this was accomplished in three short years. N.C.O.B.O.A. obtained a charter chapter status with I.C.B.O. on December 11, 1999. N.C.O.B.O.A. has become a viable force in the code industry, striving not to equal but to surpass through teamwork that lets us achieve the extraordinary.
