Eureka Springs has a new building official who does inspections to make sure city building codes are being followed. Jacob Coburn started on the job in November 2022, at first shadowing his predecessor, Bobby Ray, for about two months.
Coburn has caused consternation among some property owners who have complained he is making it more expensive and difficult to make repairs. He says he has received heartfelt accolades from residents who are happy to see action addressing eyesores, work to make the town’s buildings safer from fire, mold and renovations that don’t follow the 2021 International Building Code and other regulations such as those under the Historic District Commission (HDC).
“I have to draw the line and put my foot down to maintain safe living conditions for all occupants,” Coburn said. “Some people might not like my method of addressing these properties, but I think the majority of people in Eureka Springs want to address unsafe and unsanitary conditions. I’m passionate about what I do. I care about people’s lives. For any naysayers opposed to minimum guidelines for safety and sanitation, it may affect your pocketbook, but it saves lives down the road and keeps our city in better condition.”
Coburn has issued quite a few Stop Work Orders with some critics saying that it slows up the process of renovating homes and making them available for occupancy during a time when there is a severe housing shortage, especially for workers, and some people are desperate for places to live. But Coburn questions if it is worth it to live in a structure that might have mold, for example, that can cause major illnesses down the road. He said if his inspection finds inadequate construction documentation or that the inspection reveals it is a nuisance structure, he has no choice but to issue a Stop Work Order.
“Work may resume after approval of a written plan of timely abatement or reconstruction that is acceptable to the building official, Planning department and/or the HDC,” Coburn said. “That is in the municipal code, although some of those codes haven’t been followed in many, many years.”
Coburn said he doesn’t like to use the words “code enforcement.” He considers his most important role educating the general public and contractors on the importance of basic minimum guidelines in building standards for safe occupancy.
Recently thousands of people died after buildings collapsed during an earthquake in Turkey. There have been allegations that builders cut corners and didn’t use adequate construction materials and methods.
“You don’t have to look at Turkey, just look at what happened in Ozark, Mo., recently with a brick coffee shop with a structure above it that collapsed,” Coburn said. “People who have an issue with me are looking at their bottom dollar instead of the safety of the people they are housing. We are just requiring a basic minimum for.”
Coburn said he took a pay cut to come to Eureka Springs but moved here because he fell in love with the town. He considers it a necessity to preserve these historic buildings. But there are no free passes when a historic building is being renovated.
“You have to look at life, health and safety more than anything,” Coburn said. “Some building owners are under the impression that because they are in the historic district, they are grandfathered in and do not have to maintain a functioning building. That is incorrect. The HDC has regulations regarding the exterior condition of historic buildings, but the interior structure of those buildings has to meet those basic requirements for minimum building codes to maintain safety.”
Coburn said Eureka Springs has been putting bandages on deteriorating structures for many years.
“Until we follow these regulations and educate everyone about the seriousness of the situation, there are going to be more and more buildings that are structurally unsafe or have major sanitation issues,” Coburn said. “It has to be education with enforcement as the last case scenario.”
Coburn said his department is working to help with the removal of trash, debris and junk vehicles. “People who can’t afford it will be assisted with trash removal to help clean up the city,” Coburn said. “I’m also working to find funds to rebuild the city’s many deteriorating rock retaining walls, making the city cleaner, and removing abandoned vehicles.”
Coburn’s office wall is covered with dozens of certifications he has received regarding residential inspections, exterior conditions, moisture intrusion, electrical, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning, green building and more. He worked with and for city inspectors in Austin, Texas, in the city and county of San Diego, Calif., and in Las Vegas, Nev.
“I’ve been in the building trades for about thirty years,” Coburn said. “I started as a 14-year-old kid hanging drywall with my dad. After I graduated from high school, I joined the Carpenters Apprenticeship Training Center where I attended a four-year trade school to become a journeyman carpenter. Then I went to work building casinos and other commercial properties in Las Vegas. When the recession hit in 2006-2007, half the people in Las Vegas became unemployed. Construction shut down which, and as the father of five kids, that prompted me to find other employment.
“I became a correctional officer for the Nevada Department of Corrections. Then I left that job and went back into construction becoming a foreman and then superintendent for a general contractor in San Diego before I moved to Austin where I worked in construction and then for the carpenters’ union. I was a mentor to many carpenters through second chance programs, including inmates wanting to better their careers and lives.”