Code office needs administrator as building booms in Wildwoods

By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Atlantic City Press
Published: Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, June 13, 2006

WILDWOOD — The Joint Construction Office of the Wildwoods, or JCOW, is looking for help to manage its daily operations and finances.

In a news release issued Monday, JCOW officials said the office hopes to hire a business administrator and finance officer as part of an administrative-support reorganization.

“Construction activity in the Wildwoods has increased dramatically in both numbers and complexity during the past several years, requiring JCOW to increase the number of state-licensed code officials, inspectors and clerical support staff to meet the demand. However, administrative and financial management support has not been increased to support the increased activity of the office,” the statement read.

Revenues from construction-plan reviews, permits, and inspections, for example, more than doubled from $768,697 in 2002 to $1,680,565 in 2005, an increase of $893,868 or 113%. In the first four months of 2006, revenues from these services increased 84 percent since 2002, according to JCOW.

JCOW's management committee arranged for an independent review of business and financial management procedures this past spring. The leading recommendations from that review were to add the positions of business administrator and chief finance officer, a move unanimously accepted by the committee.

Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr., who heads the JCOW board, said Monday that the office has many more responsibilities than it used to have and that adding professionals to handle the finances and operations was the right step.

“We're trying to create a business side and an inspection side,” Troiano said.

Troiano said he hopes the new staff members can be in place well before the end of this summer.

Meanwhile, JCOW has filed a lawsuit asking a judge to decide who is responsible to fix and pay for repairs to dozens of condominiums that still have building-code violations.

The lawsuit lists 58 condominium associations, and many builders, developers and architects as parties to the case, which involves properties built between 2000 and 2005.

An audit by the state Department of Community Affairs found 79 buildings on the island, primarily in North Wildwood and Wildwood, that did not comply with existing building codes for multi-family properties.

The non-compliance relates to safety issues, including fire separation, fire suppression and egress in the affected buildings.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com