Introduction

Context is everything. This group of audio files contains excerpts from a conversation between Bangor Director of Code Enforcement Jeff Wallace, me, and my father on June 5, 2024. The full audio is also here. I am Ryan Robbins. I live at Bradford Commons in Bangor, a 194-unit apartment complex that underwent a $4.6 million rehab from 2021 to 2022. My father, Remington Robbins, is a retired licensed professional engineer with experience in inspecting buildings and designing stormwater drainage. The Bradford Commons project involved, among other things, installing exterior insulation that doubled as a water-resistant barrier, vinyl siding, new windows, and air sealing. It also involved new roofing for four buildings and adding cellulose insulation to the attics of those four buildings. All nine residential buildings had structural elements removed from roof trusses, which required strengthening the trusses with blocking. Code Officer Wallace never visited the site during construction, even after learning that virtually none of the work was according to the building code. He actually refused to inspect. I provided him with dozens of photographs showing the violations. The conversation with him on June 5 revealed that Wallace has a profound lack of knowledge of basic construction principles and the building code requirements. He does not know the proper way to install exterior insulation or siding. He does not know what a water-resistant barrier is. He admits to not verifying whether any of the materials were installed properly and according to code. He goes so far as saying he doesn't want to read the International Code Council Evaluation Service reports for the materials. The reports supplement the code. These are core duties of a building inspector. There is no excuse for a code officer not to do these things. There was no having a rational discussion with Wallace on June 5. He would have none of it. At one point, he tried to remove vinyl siding from a building with his bare hands. To demonstrate what, I'm not sure. He was loud, abrasive, sarcastic, and belligerent. Wallace's behavior was unprofessional and an embarrassment to his profession and the city. Equally as alarming is that Wallace once oversaw the city of Bangor's housing residential loan program and the neighborhood stabilization program. These programs involve rehabbing homes for people of limited means to purchase. How many of the homes were not rehabbed properly under his watch? Because he doesn't know what a water-resistive barrier is, how to install it, or how to install proper vents in attics. Wallace has made the building code strictly voluntary. Contractors who don't want to follow the code and skimp on proper materials and workmanship now know they simply don't have to call Wallace for inspections. They can do whatever they want. And he will do nothing. And tenants suffer because of it. There must be some accountability.