Audit: Condos were shoddily inspected

A Norristown condominium building condemned as structurally unsound was so shoddily inspected that its common areas - including the garage and stairs - were never certified for use, an audit found.

The review of the troubled 26-unit building at 770 Sandy Street was ordered after the discovery of serious construction lapses, including wooden fire stairs and hollow load-bearing walls, led to an evacuation order May 4.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Gary Silow is to hear arguments Sept. 1 over whether the court should appoint someone to handle the repairs. The building's developer, R. Bruce Fazio, said in June that he did not have the estimated $232,000 needed to address the problems.

The audit, conducted by Keystone Municipal Services, a Morton-based engineering firm, blames Fazio and the municipality alike, citing a series of incomplete inspections and inconsistencies in the building plans.

The audit said problems began with the initial building permit, filed in 2006, which estimated construction cost at $17 per square foot. International building codes say similar buildings should cost about $94 per square foot.

"We believe that this cost was provided lower than normal to keep the cost of the permit as low as possible," the audit says.

Among other problems: Auditors were unable to find the approved plans for the building; inspections and other reviews were never adequately completed; in some permits, the name of the acting building inspector at the time, Charles Picard, was signed by his secretary.

Picard is on a long-term absence from work because of heart problems, a municipal staffer said Monday. He is quoted in the audit as acknowledging he lacked some required qualifications as a code officer but said he had been grandfathered in under previous state regulations.

Norristown administrator David Forrest said the municipal council has no immediate plans to take action based on the audit. The report says outsourcing of inspections has improved the system since 2008.

Fazio did not return a call, but wrote in an e-mail that he had "very important information" the auditors ignored. He did not elaborate.

Brett A. Berman, attorney for the condominium owners, said the audit's findings are significant. Condo owners are waiting for the Sept. 1 court hearing before deciding on a course of action, Berman said.

"Obviously, the report raises a lot of troubling issues for my clients," Berman said.