By John Bolingacade Inspections
Members of the IIBEC Mid-Atlantic Chapter joined with IIBEC Director of Government Affairs John Boling on April 7, 2025, to brief a commissioner with the Baltimore Department of Housing & Community Development on the importance of facade inspections and the need for a citywide ordinance.
Chapter members Frank Krech and Mark Howell, both of BECS, a Lerch Bates Company, led the discussion with Housing Commissioner Alice Kennedy while also providing their insights into the general condition of many buildings in the city. Krech and Howell also gave several reasons why Baltimore should consider a facade inspection program, including projects they had been a part of in the city within the last 8 years. Additionally, they referenced ordinances from cities that have established façade inspection programs. Boling rounded out the discussion by highlighting potential allies of any effort to implement a facade inspection program in Baltimore.
Krech initiated the meeting after reading about IIBEC’s October 7, 2024, letter to city officials in Wilmington, North Carolina, on the topic after several facade incidents. The IIBEC article “Periodic Inspection of Exterior Building Facades and Appurtenances” was also shared with the Commissioner detailing specifics of masonry façade failure statistics and ASTM E2270 “Standard Practice for Periodic Inspection of Building Facades for Unsafe Conditions” which is created the framework of multiple city facade ordinances.
