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City Officials To Ask State To Change Statute

According to state law, the plumbing inspector for the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities has to be a master plumber who lives in the city.

Jamestown officials would like to change this state statute because the BPU is having a difficult time finding a master plumber who works part-time and who lives in the city.

On Monday, Sam Teresi, Jamestown mayor, said the BPU has asked the Jamestown City Council to pass a resolution to ask the state Legislature to pass home rule legislation to change the occupancy statute for the BPU’s plumbing inspector.

Marilyn Fiore-Lehman, former city corporation counsel, said exceptions have been made by the state Legislature for other cities in the state. She said the BPU plumbing inspector has to be a master plumber who is not working full-time. She said the BPU is having a difficult time finding a master plumber in the city who would want to leave their full-time business to be the BPU’s part-time plumbing inspector. Teresi said that there are only two master plumbers living in the city and both have their own full-time business.

Fiore-Lehman said the current BPU plumbing inspector, who has already retired from his full-time plumbing career, would like to leave the position and become fully retired. If the council approves, she said city officials would ask the state Legislature to change the occupancy standard to allow anyone living in Chautauqua County to be the part-time plumbing inspector who is a master plumber for the BPU. She added the council will vote during its regular voting session meeting Monday, April 29.

The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities plumbing inspector office is located at 92 Steele St. BPU officials ask that people needing the services of the plumbing inspector call at least 24 hours prior to inspection at 661-1654. Office hours are from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.

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