Building Official Gillespie discusses 11 years protecting Bloomington residents
The Bloomington City Council heard from Building Official Bernadette Gillespie about her role ensuring that new construction and existing buildings meet safety codes. Gillespie, who has served in the position for 11 years, outlined how her department protects residents and building occupants through inspections and code enforcement.
Gillespie detailed the scope of her department's work, which centers on enforcing the Minnesota State Building Code—the set of rules that govern how buildings must be constructed and maintained. Her responsibilities include reviewing plans for new structures before construction begins, conducting inspections during and after building, and enforcing codes on existing buildings that may not meet current standards.
The Building Official emphasized that her department's primary mission is ensuring life safety for everyone who lives or works in Bloomington buildings. This involves a collaborative approach with developers, contractors, and property owners as the city continues to grow and develop, including ongoing redevelopment in areas like the south loop.
Gillespie brings significant experience to the role. Before joining Bloomington, she worked in similar positions in the Phoenix area and Maricopa County, Arizona. Her background in building code enforcement across different jurisdictions has informed her approach to the work in Minnesota.
When buildings or property owners fail to meet code requirements, Gillespie's department issues official enforcement orders directing them to make necessary corrections. This ensures that safety standards are maintained across the city's building stock.
The council's "At Your Service" format provided an opportunity for community members and elected officials to learn directly from city staff about the essential work happening behind the scenes to keep Bloomington safe and functional.
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Source document
[0:00] (upbeat music)
[0:17] (soft music)
[0:18] - I am Bernadette Gillespie
[0:19] and I am the Building Official
for the City of Bloomington.
[0:22] I have been with the
city going on 11 years.
[0:25] So as the building official,
[0:26] I'm responsible for all
of the code enforcement
[0:29] for the Minnesota State Building Code
[0:30] in the city of Bloomington.
[0:31] And so the team that I work
with, the plan reviewers,
[0:34] the inspectors, they do the technical work
[0:37] of doing plan review
for all new structures
[0:39] that come into the city
[0:41] and then do the inspections
on those structures.
[0:43] We also have a code enforcement
component to our job.
[0:46] And so anytime there's
an existing structure
[0:48] that may have structural failure
[0:51] or they're not continuing
with their maintenance,
[0:54] we may have to write
orders and do enforcement
[0:56] to make sure that they bring it up to code
[0:58] for life safety purposes.
[0:59] So my position is supporting
that team that does that work
[1:03] and supporting the field
staff and the plan reviewers
[1:05] and then also just making sure
that everyone's in alignment
[1:08] with the state building code.
[1:10] I came from a really big
city, Maricopa County,
[1:13] City of Phoenix, and so I was
looking for that same level
[1:17] of busyness, development.
[1:20] And so at the time, 10 years
ago, Bloomington was just,
[1:23] you know, the south loop
was being redeveloped.
[1:25] There was a lot of
multifamily that was going on,
[1:27] and I had always wanted
to be a building official
[1:31] and I wanted to be a plan reviewer.
[1:33] I think my favorite parts are
[1:36] seeing the growth of my
staff and then also the fact
[1:39] that we really truly are
responsible for life safety.
[1:42] And so making sure that people
are safe in their homes,
[1:45] making sure people are
safe in the buildings
[1:47] that they're staying in,
the apartments, the hotels,
[1:49] just makes my job really rewarding.
[1:52] It really truly is like a family.
[1:55] And so being able to lean on each other,
[1:58] being able to collaborate,
[2:00] the city has so many things to offer
[2:03] and so many ways that we can be effective
[2:05] and influence what's going on in the city.
[2:08] And so although I'm in
building and inspections
[2:10] and I'm the building official
[2:11] and I'm in charge of kind
of that code enforcement
[2:13] and life safety,
[2:15] I could also be part of like
the employee resource groups,
[2:18] you know, all of this
other work that's going on
[2:20] that makes your job fulfilling.
[2:22] It's not just the job and
the people that go with that,
[2:25] you know, we work really
closely with planning,
[2:27] work closely with Port
Authority, with HRA,
[2:30] and so being able to collaborate
[2:31] with all of those different groups
[2:33] and have successes come out
of that is really positive.
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