Norwich building official retires citing heavy workload, understaffing and budget cuts

Norwich — Assistant Building Official Greg Arpin had planned to stay in his position for another five years, but a few weeks ago, he abruptly submitted his retirement application citing the increasingly heavy workload, understaffing and rushed inspections.In a letter July 10 to his superior and to the City Council, Arpin complained that inspection and permit schedules are delayed due to a lack of staffing in the department, and he has been dealing with "angry contractors on a daily basis" because of those delays."I am not comfortable signing certificates of occupancy or letters of compliance when I feel uneasy about the work that was performed or that public safety is being compromised," Arpin wrote. "Therefore I will be submitting my retirement papers to Human Resources immediately."The Personnel and Pension Board approved his retirement application July 16, and his last workday was Thursday.Deanna Rhodes, director of planning and neighborhood services, said the department is seeking part-time temporary building inspectors for the summer to assist the two full-time building officials. Code Enforcement Officer Dan Coley will become an assistant building official, and the city has advertised for a new full-time housing-building code enforcement official.Rhodes said she is asking developers and property owners to "be patient" with anticipated delays in inspection scheduling and permit reviews. She said she is aware of Arpin's concerns about staffing and had asked for additional staffing during the budget process, but none was allocated."The department is trying to take advantage of technology, modernize our practices, be more efficient in handling and processing of permits and inspections as much as we possibly can," Rhodes said, "and we're constantly evaluating the processes to provide the best customer service we can with the staff that we have, and I'll continue to request additional staffing and admin staff to continue the work that we do."Arpin complained in the letter that the inspections department has dropped from five to three full-time inspectors during his 19-year tenure. Despite being "busier than ever," the department's administrative assistant/secretarial position was eliminated in the city budget last year, leaving inspectors "answering general phone calls, scheduling inspections, calling permit applicants for information, stuffing envelopes for compliance letters and other duties" the secretary had performed.Arpin noted that in February, Director of Inspections James Troeger met with Rhodes to express concern about staffing with several large projects on the horizon. These include a proposed 151-room hotel at the former Hale Mill in Yantic, a boutique hotel at the former Elks Club on Main Street, large apartment complexes on the West Side and in Taftville, as well as numerous smaller commercial projects throughout the city.No new staffing was approved in the recent city budget. Arpin argued that the building department permit fees "could easily support the cost of additional staff to ensure public safety."According to the city finance office, the entire Planning and Neighborhood Services Department — planning, zoning, housing, building and blight services — generated $524,797 in revenue for the 2018-19 fiscal year that ended June 30, about half the total cost to run the department.Building permit revenues totaled $470,171.63, an increase of about $67,000 from the previous year, and violation citation revenues added another $10,171.Mayor Peter Nystrom said Arpin will be missed as a highly skilled and dedicated building official and acknowledged there have been budget and staffing cuts in the building department and agencies across the city. Nystrom said the city needs to find efficiencies in operations, and he supports the planning department's efforts to do so."The city is striving to do more with less," Nystrom said. "There have been changes all over the city."Arpin, 64, said in retirement, he plans to devote time to his passion of being a blues guitarist, work as a substitute shop teacher at Norwich Technical High School this fall and continue as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals in his hometown of Canterbury.Arpin said he has seen a lot of changes in the city over the years, but mainly, "We learned how to run an office on a zero budget."c.bessette@theday.com