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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-07-31 NP services chief retires after 26 (Palm Beach Post)`QUINTESSENTIAL BUILDING OFFICIAL' TURNS IN CODE BOOK JOHN J. LOPINOT/Staff Photographer Charles O'Meilia, the North Palm Beach public services director, helped the building industry improve the Southern Standard Building Code. North Palm services chief retires after 26 years Charles O'Meilia, 71, has become known as the dean of building officials. By JOE BROGAN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer NORTH PALM BEACH — As the man who guided growth and development in the village since 1968, Public Services Director Charles O'Meilia spoke softly but carried a big code book. His slightly built frame barely hit 5-foot-5, but when he spotted some- thing amiss on a job site, builders and contractors scrambled to make it right, fellow inspectors say. O'Meilia's strictness on building codes was legendary, and for years an "Eleventh Commandment" sign hung in his office that warned, "Thou Shalt Not Build Without a Permit." And heaven help those who cov- ered up framing before inspection. "We make them take it all down so we can see it," he said. "Codes are to ensure a minimum factor of health and safety." After 26 years of overseeing ev- erything from pothole patching to construction of the towering Old Port Cove condominium project, O'Meilia retired Friday, turning over the Pub- lic Services Department to Deputy Director Tom Hogarth. Despiteverns o his O'Meilia didn't view Florida and a -the- Code, which hos of other stat s in ction in book approach, himself as an adversary of builders. the Southeast Tangaye,c h'ef executive offi- "The great majority of contrac- tors are right up front," he said. cer of the Southern Building Code Congress International Inc. in Bir- mingham, Ala., said last week, "I've been at this for 24 years, and he's the quintessential building official." O'Meilia was asked by the organi- zation's board of directors to be chair- man of a committee that would write standards improving the ability of • "They're well - trained and they know what they're doing. If we have a prob- lem, it's usually with a subcon- tractor."Leaders in the building field say structures to withstand high words, he's far more than a small-town code Tangaye said. enforcer. They point to O'Meilia's "There was, brutal opposition years of service in helping improve from the home builders, and Char the Southern Standard Building lie walked through a minefield," Tangaye said. "It took four years to get it done. But Florida adopted the standard and now the American Society of Civil Engineers has asked us to talk to them about it." Scholarship named for him The Southern Standard Build - jag Code Congress has recently "'- tablished an annual scholarship eA O'Meilia's name. The North ,aim Beach Village Council voted Thursday to name the municipal lianblic services building for O'Mei- « ia. High -profile recognition isn't something O'Meilia seeks, Tan- ;gaye said. "There was a move to :pominate him for our board of +directors, and he would have been Aelected hands down. But he de- :clined and said, 'If I run for the 'board, I'll have to give up my technical work and my ability to speak out,' " Tangaye said. If O'Meilia has a fault, Tangaye thinks it's being a stubborn Irish- :man."I guess you've probably heard he'll argue with a fence post," he said. CHARLES O'MEILIA PERSONAL: Age 71. He and his wife Mary have five grown children, Tim, Charlie, Frank, Marianne and Christine. HIS STORY: U.S. Navy Submarine Service veter- an of World War II and chemical engineer. Came to North Palm Beach as temporary head of public works division in 1968. ■ Was asked to stay and became head of the Public Services Department, which oversees village maintenance, trash collec- tion and all building codes. ■ Well-known building codes expert, with a specialty in how high winds affect structures. Retired last week after 26 years of ser- vice. QUOTE: 'Codes are to en- sure a minimum factor of health and safety.' PALIM 13 C H I`LST" icigLL v r Retiring building chief gttii of peers, employers Dean of building officials Dominic Sims, Palm Beach County's Building Division coordi- nator, said, "I've looked up to Charlie as a mentor who has gained a lot of recognition in code enforcement for Palm Beach County all over the Southeast." Hurricane Andrew, which struck Dade County with such destructive force in 1992, had one positive effect, O'Meilia said. It resulted in code upgrades, such as improved nailing of wood- en sheathing, to better protect buildings from high winds, he said. As dean of northern Palm Beach County building officials, O'Meilia is proud of a host of accomplishments during his ad- ministration, but dearest to his heart is what some would consider mundane — the village's five -day - a -week garbage and trash collec- tion. "We have the finest refuse collection system anywhere in the world," he said. "We collect it at the back door, and hopefully it will always be that way." Without backdoor collection, unsightly garbage cans stacked in front of homes would detract from the village's appearance, he said. Another obvious point of pride is development of the village's commercial strip along U.S. 1, which is dotted with tasteful archi- tecture. "I don't think you'll find a nicer commercial area on the whole "I - 1`,/ 3i/ I'm an old, dyed-in-the-wool Eisenhower Republican, but I think there are just certain things that are absolutely municipal functions. ' CHARLES O'MEILIA coast," he said. "It's well done, right down to the landscaping." Formidable opponent Although he frequently de- ferred to others, O'Meilia was a formidable opponent if he felt strongly about something, said for- mer Town Manager Ray Howland, who worked with him for 10 years. Years ago, it was suggested that garbage collection be taken over by a private company as a potential cost -saving measure, Howland said. "He was adamant it wasn't going to happen," Howland said. "He stood up for his people; he won and I admired that." O'Meilia justified his stand this way: "I'm an old, dyed-in-the-wool Eisenhower Republican, but I think there are just certain things that are absolutely municipal func- tions." 'You could count on him' Howland said he never had to worry when he assigned a tough task to O'Meilia. "Charlie was married to the job," Howland said. "You could always count on him to get things done. "Even on Sundays, after he was done passing the collection plate at St. Clare's (Catholic Church), you could find him in the office working on something." Village Manager Dennis Kelly, his last boss, said simply, "He's been my right arm since I've been here. He worked with me and the other department heads in such a way he practically taught us." Although he had unsurpassed knowledge of the village, O'Meilia wasn't inpatient or overbearing, Kelly said. "He has the unique ability of acting dumb like a fox." Baseball, trips top list The big concern is what will he do in retirement, Kelly said. "Charlie doesn't fish or play golf. Work is what he does." Except in April. Baseball is O'Meilia's other passion. If he couldn't be reached at his office, it was understood that he was watching the Montreal Expos in spring training at the West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium. O'Meilia, 71, said he plans to stay active in the Southern Build- ing Code Congress International to help with the constant amend- ing of model building codes. His retirement plans call for closer attention to the baseball season, travel to Ireland and New Zealand and some local code con- sulting, he said. A chemical engineer and World War II submariner, O'Meilia only planned to be here for six months in 1968 to shape up the public works division. But the work is never quite done. Last week, as he left a job site for probably the last : time as a village official, he noticed the spreading leaves of a huge ficus tree were about to obscure a street light. "I'll have to let the boys know about that," he said. "It's due for a trim."