May/June 2022
Page 3
New Camera Registration Program
Building Inspections Corner
Part of the Community Connect Program How Does it Work? Do you use an external video security system or a doorbell camera such as Ring® at your home or business? If you do, the Community Connect Program through the Blaine Police Department is asking for your help in deterring crime, catching criminals, and promoting public safety. The purpose of the Community Connect Program is to partner with residents and business owners who have video surveillance on the exterior of their home or business. Whether you have a multi-camera system or just a simple doorbell camera, your participation in this program could help in the event a crime occurs in your neighborhood. How Do I Participate? If you choose to participate, registration is quick and easy. Participation is voluntary and you can end your participation at any time. Your information will be kept confidential, secure, and only accessible to police personnel. In registering for this program, you are not granting permission for the Blaine Police Department to access any live or saved footage from any private alarm or camera system. If a crime occurs in your area, officers may reach out to you to determine if your device captured any footage and ask if you are willing to share the footage. Why Should I Participate? The primary goal of this program is to create a partnership between the community and the Blaine Police Department to keep our crime rate low and continue to make Blaine a safe place to live and visit. By registering your camera with us, you are contributing to a database that allows our law enforcement to quickly identify private cameras installed near the scene of a crime. As a part of the Community Connect program, we will provide you with a window sticker that identifies you as a camera registration member. The Blaine Police Department has upgraded the camera registration program. The is a replacement for the old program. Those that created an account in the previous system have been migrated, but if you have made changes to your cameras since signing up, please sign up again. To sign up, visit BlaineMN.gov/CameraRegistration.
Importance of Backflow Devices What is backflow prevention? When the domestic water supply system is connected to any system that has the potential to pollute or contaminate the building or city water supply, backflow protection is required. The type of device installed is determined by the level of hazard and other parameters. Not all residential plumbing systems will have a testable backflow prevention device. Backflow prevention devices will often be found in homes that have a lawn irrigation system or boiler heat. Backflow Prevention Testing
Back Row: Tom Schmolke, Sean Carpenter, Allen Jorgensen. Front Row: Karli Biedermann, Tammy Siemsen, Caleb Hansen, Ben Stream, Dan Hauck, Stan Brouillard, Sean Brown, Jane Gough, Adena Anderson, Rhonda McDonald, Colleen Rybak
Department Spotlight Say Hello to the Building Inspections Staff The Building Inspections team is part of the Community Development Department. The City of Blaine works to ensure the construction of safe buildings and protect community character through zoning and building code regulations. Building Inspections administers these regulations through permits, plan reviews, and inspections. Building and related permits ensure that projects will be constructed according to nationally recognized standards. The standards are designed to protect buildings from collapse and fire, and to ensure the safety of all building occupants. Review of permit applications also ensures that projects meet zoning requirements, such as yard coverage, setbacks, and building height. Over the past five years Blaine building inspectors have performed approximately 118,700 inspections. The combined value of the property inspected is over $1 billion. Also, over the last five years, approximately 1,600 new homes and town home units were built in the City of Blaine. Besides inspectors the team also includes permit technicians who are responsible for the consistent and efficient operation of the front counter and online permit process assisting customers, processing building permits, and supporting the plan review and inspection functions. Permit technicians are also responsible for maintaining building safety records, submitting state required reports, and licensing of contractors. Building Inspections is ready to help homeowners and contractors complete safe and quality projects in Blaine. Learn more at BlaineMN.gov/BuildingInspections.
In recent months, many property owners may have been contacted about testing their backflow prevention devices. In 2015, the State of Minnesota adopted a national plumbing code called the Uniform Plumbing Code, (UPC). Minnesota amendments were created and incorporated into what is now the Minnesota Plumbing Code Chapter 4714, which became effective in 2016. The new code brought significant changes, some of which not only affect plumbers, but also homeowners. While many of these code changes can be discussed as homeowners and plumbers obtain permits, there is also a new requirement for annual testing of testable backflow prevention devices. Individuals performing backflow prevention device testing are required have completed the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) certification and be licensed as a backflow prevention tester, by the State of Minnesota. If the test reveals a need for repair a City of Blaine permit will need to be obtained by an ASSE certified and Minnesota licensed backflow prevention rebuilder with testing to occur again after the repair. For more information, visit BlaineMN.gov/ BuildingInspections.
