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Dear Friend,
I wanted to take this opportunity
to thank you for all the hard work you’ve done as part of the
Governor’s Commission, and to update you on the status of the
Commission’s final report.
As promised, the Governor’s
Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal delivered its
final report to Governor Haley Barbour before the end of the
year that saw Hurricane Katrina devastate so much of
South Mississippi. This undertaking was simply the
greatest outpouring of public spirit and unselfish labor I’ve
ever experienced.
The report is titled
After Katrina: Building Back
Better than Ever. It is 190 pages in length, and it
contains over 200 separate recommendations. It is the product
of three months of intensive research and public discussions.
The Commission called upon the talents of more than 500
volunteers who contributed more than 50,000 hours to the effort.
Dozens of town hall meetings gave local citizens the
opportunity to voice their views of what their region should
become. Eleven committees addressed specific areas of concern
from agriculture and forestry to defense contracting to the
future of tourism.
About content – The final report
presents the committees’ assessment of hurricane damage and
their recommendations for not only restoring what was lost but
for doing it in a way that responds to the governor’s charge to
build back “better than ever.” Among the committees’
recommendations are proposals for at least partially
regionalizing transportation policy, some public services, and
tourism development efforts. There are strong arguments for
building and zoning codes that not only require safer structures
and more storm-aware development patterns but that also
encourage more pedestrian-friendly streets and a better mix of
commercial, office, and residential uses in rebuilt
neighborhoods. The Finance Committee report includes suggested
ways communities can tap into federal, state, and private
funding sources to accomplish some of the report’s goals, and
there’s an authoritative analysis of what leaders and citizens
must think about to prepare for other major storms.
You can read my introduction to
the Commission’s report by using the following link:
www.governorscommission.com/final/Intro.html
With the delivery of this final
report, the research and recommendation phase is over. Now it’s
up to the communities to consider and act on these
recommendations. After listening to all those voices and
embracing their deepest concerns, it would be unconscionable if
their hopes go unrealized because their leaders failed to make
the hard choices and commit the full resources necessary to move
from great ideas to meaningful action.
A few words about distribution –
By midweek next week, the complete report and all supporting
documents will be available on the Commission website:
www.governorscommission.com. In about a week to ten days
after that, printed versions of the Commission’s final report
will be distributed to officials in the hurricane-affected
areas, to Commissioners and others.
I again want to thank everyone who
gave so much to make this unprecedented effort possible. When
people look back twenty and thirty years from now, they will see
a region that is better off due to the work we have all done
together.
Sincerely,
Jim Barksdale
Concrete group adopts position on
statewide building codes
The Alliance for Concrete Codes and
Standards (ACCS) recently adopted a position statement regarding
statewide minimum building codes. The Alliance urges states to adopt
minimum standards based on a national model building code, such as
the International Building Code (IBC) and the International
Residential Code (IRC), with the ability for local jurisdictions to
adopt technical amendments that provide for more stringent
requirements. The Alliance also believes local enforcement
of building codes is necessary to assure quality, durable and safe
construction. ACCS is a coalition of concrete organizations committed
to enhancing building codes and standards to improve life safety,
property protection, and welfare of the general public. Local
promotion groups are encouraged to adopt the position statement
as their own in an effort to promote minimum building codes in
their states.
Click here to download the position statement. For
additional details contact
Steve Szoke or Lionel
Lemay.
Post
Katrina Relief Continues
The 2006 Department of Defense Appropriations Act
(Public Law 109-148) that President Bush signed on December 30,
2005, includes emergency supplemental appropriations to expedite
recovery for the Gulf Coast. The measure includes $2.9 billion for
the Corps of Engineers (for flood protection), $2.75 billion for the
Federal Highway Administration, and $11.5 billion for the targeted
Community Development Block Grants to spur local economic
development activity.
The Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-135) that
President Bush signed on December 22, 2005, creates a new
“Opportunity Zone” in the areas of Alabama, Louisiana, and
Mississippi that were affected by hurricane Katrina. These regions
and local entrepreneurs will now be eligible for a host of special
tax incentives and other benefits.
View White House Fact Sheet on Recovery and Rebuilding in the Gulf
Coast
View the text of these acts
Contact
John Sullivan
Mississippi Commission Report Recommend Statewide Building Code
The ******your
organization*******supports HB 1406 introduced by Speaker Pro
Tempore J.P. Compretta requiring statewide adoption of the most
current building codes. Our organization has joined with a diverse
coalition including building officials, contractors, designers,
insurance companies, and emergency responders in support of this
bill. These codes include the current versions of the International
Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC) along
with other important documents. Our position was recently confirmed
by the Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal
recommending that Mississippi adopt the latest versions of the IBC
and IRC. The bill also establishes a Council that will be
responsible for the statewide building codes as well as provisions
for enforcement.
The current way
of adopting building codes will not move Mississippi forward. This
old way leaves design and construction standards in the hands of
cities and counties. Even on the front lines of hurricane exposure,
some of our coastal counties did not have minimum building codes
requirements in place before Katrina. However, this issue goes
beyond our gulf coast and into every county in Mississippi. In areas
where no building codes are enforced, reputable builders have to
compete with those who are not concerned with minimum standards.
This creates inconsistencies with quality of construction while
penalizing those who want to build to protect health, safety and
welfare of the owner.
Relatively
simple and inexpensive requirements outlined in the IBC and IRC can
significantly reduce damage caused by forces of nature. We can not
prevent the next Katrina or stop the next earthquake or other
disaster, but current building codes can help Mississippi prepare
while protecting the lives of our citizens.
I am available
to meet with you to provide additional information related to
building codes.
Mississippi Officials Push for Statewide Building Codes
The
Mississippi Concrete Industries Association has been actively
involved with the
Coalition to Build a Safer and Stronger Mississippi
in an effort to pass legislation for adoption of statewide building
codes.
Click
here
to read an article on the subject that appeared in the January 20
edition of The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS)
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