As of January 2022, there were a few municipalities in the United States that allowed non-citizens to vote in local elections, but no entire states. These municipalities included:
San Francisco, California: Non-citizens are allowed to vote in school board elections.
Chicago, Illinois: Non-citizens are allowed to vote in school board elections.
Takoma Park, Maryland: Non-citizens are allowed to vote in local elections.
It’s worth noting that these policies may change over time as local governments make decisions regarding voting rights. For the most up-to-date information, it’s best to consult the specific laws and regulations of each municipality or state.
“Election Day, 1944” | Norman Rockwell for the Saturday Evening Post
School bond elections — either at county or district level — are processes through which communities vote to authorize the issuance of bonds to fund various projects and improvements in their local school districts. The elections determine the quality of educational settlements –new school buildings, renovating existing facilities, upgrading technology, and improving safety measures. The outcomes of these elections directly affect the quality of education and learning environments for students within the county. Successful bond measures can stimulate economic growth by creating jobs and attracting families to the area.
Community involvement and voter turnout are essential in determining the allocation of resources and shaping the quality of life for its citizens. In recent years, however, voter ambivalence about the education “industry” in general, the rise of home schooling and other cultural factors, complicate choices presented to voters.
In terms of total spend, the US elementary and secondary school industry is about twice the size of the higher education industry according to IBISWorld. About $100 billion is in play every year for both (which we cover during our Ædificare colloquia); with higher education spending only half of what elementary and secondary school systems spend on facilities.
Note that some districts are including construction for faculty housing.
Our focus remains on applying global standard to create educational settlements that are safer, simpler, lower-cost and longer-lasting — not on the hurly-burly of local school bond elections. We recommend consulting the coverage in American School & University for more detailed and more timely information.
When is it ever NOT storm season somewhere in the United States; with several hundred schools, colleges and universities in the path of them? Hurricanes also spawn tornadoes. This title sets the standard of care for safety, resilience and recovery when education community structures are used for shelter and recovery. The most recently published edition of the joint work results of the International Code Council and the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute SEI-7 is linked below:
Given the historic tornados in the American Midwest this weekend, its relevance is plain. From the project prospectus:
The objective of this Standard is to provide technical design and performance criteria that will facilitate and promote the design, construction, and installation of safe, reliable, and economical storm shelters to protect the public. It is intended that this Standard be used by design professionals; storm shelter designers, manufacturers, and constructors; building officials; and emergency management personnel and government officials to ensure that storm shelters provide a consistently high level of protection to the sheltered public.
This project runs roughly in tandem with the ASCE Structural Engineering Institute SEI-17 which has recently updated its content management system and presented challenges to anyone who attempts to find the content where it used to be before the website overhaul. In the intervening time, we direct stakeholders to the link to actual text (above) and remind education facility managers and their architectural/engineering consultants that the ICC Code Development process is open to everyone.
The ICC receives public response to proposed changes to titles in its catalog at the link below:
You are encouraged to communicate with Kimberly Paarlberg (kpaarlberg@iccsafe.org) for detailed, up to the moment information. When the content is curated by ICC staff it is made available at the link below:
We maintain this title on the agenda of our periodic Disaster colloquia which approach this title from the point of view of education community facility managers who collaborate with structual engineers, architects and emergency management functionaries.. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting, open to everyone.
Dr Ajith Parlikad, CSIC Co-Investigator and Senior Lecturer
Mark Enzer, Global Water Sector Leader
Mott MacDonald; Keith Bowers, Principal Tunnel Engineer, London Underground
Ross Dentten, Asset Information and Configuration Manager, Crossrail
Matt Edwards, Asset Maintenance and Information Manager, Anglian Water Services
Jerry England, Group Digital Railway Director, Network Rail
Volker Buscher, Director, Arup Digital
Smart Infrastructure is a global opportunity worth £2trn-4.8trn. The world is experiencing a fourth industrial revolution due to the rapid development of technologies and digital abundance.
Smart Infrastructure involves applying this to economic infrastructure for the benefit of all stakeholders. It will allow owners and operators to get more out of what they already have, increasing capacity, efficiency and resilience and improving services.
It brings better performance at lower cost. Gaining more from existing assets is the key to enhancing service provision despite constrained finance and growing resource scarcity. It will often be more cost-effective to add to the overall value of mature infrastructure via digital enhancements than by physical enhancements – physical enhancements add `more of the same’, whereas digital enhancements can transform the existing as well.
Smart Infrastructure will shape a better future. Greater understanding of the performance of our infrastructure will allow new infrastructure to be designed and delivered more efficiently and to provide better whole-life value.
Data is the key – the ownership of it and the ability to understand and act on it. Industry, organisations and professionals need to be ready to adjust in order to take advantage of the emerging opportunities. Early adopters stand to gain the most benefit. Everyone in the infrastructure sector has a choice as to how fast they respond to the changes that Smart Infrastructure will bring. But everyone will be affected.
Change is inevitable. Progress is optional. Now is the time for the infrastructure industry to choose to be Smart.
Perspective: Since this paper is general in its recommendations, we provide examples of specific campus infrastructure data points that are difficult, if not impossible, to identify and “make smart” — either willfully, for lack of funding, for lack of consensus, for lack of understanding or leadership:
Maintenance of the digital location of fire dampers in legacy buildings or even new buildings mapped with BIM. Doors and ceiling plenums are continually being modified and the As-Built information is usually not accurate. This leads to fire hazard and complicates air flow and assuring occupant temperature preferences (i.e. uncontrollable hot and cold spots)
Ampere readings of feeder breakers downstream from the electric service main. The power chain between the service substation and the end-use equipment is a “no-man’s land” in research facilities that everyone wants to meter but few ever recover the cost of the additional metering.
Optimal air flow rates in hospitals and commercial kitchens that satisfies both environmental air hazards and compartmentalized air pressure zones for fire safety.
Identification of students, staff and faculty directly affiliated with the campus versus visitors to the campus.
Standpipe pressure variations in municipal water systems
Pinch points in municipal sewer systems in order to avoid building flooding.
How much of university data center cost should be a shared (gateway) cost, and how much should be charged to individual academic and business units?
Should “net-zero” energy buildings be charged for power generated at the university central heating and electric generation plant?
How much staff parking should be allocated to academic faculty versus staff that supports the healthcare delivery enterprises; which in many cases provides more revenue to the university than the academic units?
Finally, a classical conundrum in facility management spreadsheets: Can we distinguish between maintenance cost (which should be covered under an O&M budget) and capital improvement cost (which can be financed by investors)
“View of the Colosseum” 1747 Giovanni Paolo Panini
Play is the making of civilization—how one plays the game
more to the point than whether the game is won or lost.
The purpose of this standard is to establish the minimum requirements to safeguard health, safety and general welfare through structural strength, means of egress facilities, stability and safety to life and property relative to the construction, alteration, repair, operation and maintenance of new and existing temporary and permanent bench bleacher, folding and telescopic seating and grandstands. This standard is intended for adoption by government agencies and organizations setting model codes to achieve uniformity in technical design criteria in building codes and other regulations.
This title is on the standing agenda of our Sport, Olahraga (Indonesian), رياضة (Arabic), colloquia. You are welcomed to join us any day at with the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
At the April International Code Council Group A Hearings there were three candidate code changes related to the safety standard of care for athletic venues:
These concepts will likely be coordinated with another ICC regulatory product —ICC 300 – Standard on Bleachers, Folding and Telescopic Seating, and Grandstands — covered here previously. ICC 300 is a separate document but some of the safety concepts track through both.
The ICC Public Comment Hearings on Group A comments in Richmond Virginia ended a few days ago (CLICK HERE). The balloting is being processed by the appropriate committee and will be released soon. For the moment, we are happy to walk through the proposed changes – that will become part of the 2021 International Building Code — any day at 11 AM Eastern time. We will walk through all athletic and recreation enterprise codes and standards on Friday, November 2nd, 11 AM Eastern time. For access to either teleconference, click on the LIVE Link at the upper right corner of our home page.
Issue: [15-283]
Category: Athletics & Recreation, Architectural, Public Safety
Contact: Mike Anthony, Richard Robben, Jack Janveja
The International Code Council has launched a new revision cycle for its consensus document — ICC 300 – Standard on Bleachers, Folding and Telescopic Seating, and Grandstands. The purpose of the effort is the development of appropriate, reasonable, and enforceable model health and safety provisions for new and existing installations of all types of bleachers and bleacher-type seating, including fixed and folding bleachers for indoor, outdoor, temporary, and permanent installations. Such provisions would serve as a model for adoption and use by enforcement agencies at all levels of government in the interest of national uniformity.
Comments are due December 4th. The document is free. You may obtain an electronic copy from: https://www.iccsafe.org/codes-techsupport/standards/is-ble/. Comments may be sent to Edward Wirtschoreck, (888) 422-7233, ewirtschoreck@iccsafe with copy to psa@ansi.org)
* With some authority, we can claim that without Standards Michigan, many education industry trade associations would not be as involved in asserting the interest of facility managers in global consensus standards development processes. See ABOUT.
The Robie House is maintained and operated by the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the works of Frank Lloyd Wright. The trust focuses on the restoration, preservation, and education related to Wright’s architectural legacy. The Robie House, located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, is one of the trust’s key properties.
Building codes for houses and museums may have some similarities but also key differences due to the distinct functions and occupancy types. Building codes are typically established to ensure the safety, health, and general welfare of the occupants and the public. While some requirements may be consistent, the specific regulations can vary based on the use and characteristics of the building. Here are some general considerations for how building codes might differ between houses and museums:
Occupancy Type: The primary factor that influences building codes is the occupancy type. Residential houses are generally classified as Group R (Residential), while museums might fall under Group A (Assembly) or Group B (Business). Each occupancy group has specific requirements related to fire safety, egress, accessibility, and structural integrity.
Fire Safety: Museums often house valuable artifacts, and fire safety is a critical concern. Museums may have more stringent fire protection measures, such as fire suppression systems, fire-resistant construction materials, and specialized storage requirements for certain materials. Residential homes also have fire safety requirements but may not have the same level of protection as cultural institutions.
Accessibility: Museums, as public buildings, are usually subject to more stringent accessibility requirements to ensure that people with disabilities can navigate the space. This includes features like ramps, elevators, and accessible restrooms. Residential buildings have accessibility requirements as well, but they are typically less extensive compared to public spaces.
Structural Requirements: Museums may have specialized structural requirements to support the weight of exhibits, particularly for large and heavy artifacts. Residential homes, while still subject to structural codes, may not have the same load-bearing considerations unless they incorporate unique features like extensive libraries or art collections.
Zoning and Land Use: The location and zoning regulations can also impact both houses and museums differently. Museums might be subject to additional zoning requirements related to cultural institutions, parking, and public access.
Energy Efficiency: Both residential and commercial buildings are subject to energy efficiency codes, but the specific requirements may differ. Commercial buildings, including museums, might have more extensive requirements for HVAC systems, lighting, and insulation.
With acoustic considerations a substantial contributor to the effectiveness of learning spaces — classrooms, lecture hall, performance arts and athletic venues, etc. — we follow action in the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) suite of ANSI-accredited standards.
For example, building codes in the United States identify horizontal and vertical acoustic insulation between floors and between walls, respectively, as design considerations. Section 1206.2 of the International Building Code deal with horizontal and vertical wall sealant applications for “airborne sound” mitigation, for example. Fire protection and mass notification systems identified in NFPA 72 and UL 2572 depend upon alarms actually being heard by the occupants underscore the importance of acoustic design. When lively art spaces are also instructional spaces we seek to understand the standard of care for acoustic design of classroom spaces. Of particular interest to us in the ASA bibliography is the title linked below:
This is a fairly stable standard; though other sound related technologies we cover in other sound related technologies (ISO TC/43 Acoustics and IEC Electroacoustics TC 29). Last year’s update was required by ANSI and we had no comments to submit; absent queries from students, faculty and staff. It is wise to keep it on our radar, however, given the step-change in education communities owed to the pandemic.
On your own you may communicate with Caryn Mennigke at ASA: (631) 390-0215, asastds@acousticalsociety.org. The ASA uses ANSI Standards Action for issuing live public consultation notices.
Since acoustic technologies cut across many disciplines we maintain it on the standing agenda of our Construction, Lively Art and Nota Bene teleconferences. See our CALENDAR next scheduled meeting; open to everyone.
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwBpic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
