Building Operations
State Fire Marshall Withdraws Sprinkler Proposal
State Fire Marshall Withdraws Sprinkler Proposal August 2, 2013 On August 2, 2013, Illinois State Fire Marshal Larry Matkaitis withdrew his controversial proposal to update the Illinois fire safety code, which would have required the installation of fire sprinklers in all high-rise buildings and new homes. Due to the withdrawal of this proposal, the public hearing…
Read MoreBOMA/Chicago Opposes Proposal to Extend SSA #1 Taxation to New Parcels; First Committee Hearing April 30
BOMA/Chicago Opposes Proposal to Extend SSA #1 Taxation to New Parcels; First Committee Hearing April 30 July 13, 2015 The BOMA/Chicago Board of Directors recently adopted a position to publicly oppose any attempt to renew the State Street Special Service Area (SSA) if the proposed renewal adds any additional taxable parcels not taxed under the…
Read MoreChicago’s Proposed Energy Benchmarking Ordinance: Our Support for Energy Intel, But Opposition to Public Disclosure
Chicago’s Proposed Energy Benchmarking Ordinance: Our Support for Energy Intel, But Opposition to Public Disclosure By Michael Cornicelli On June 26, 2013, Mayor Emanuel unveiled an energy benchmarking ordinance that, if passed by the City Council, would require municipal, commercial and residential properties over 50,000 square feet to track and publicly report their energy usage.…
Read MoreDisastrous Due Diligence, or Due Diligence pre-Disaster?
Disastrous Due Diligence, or Due Diligence pre-Disaster? By the BOMA/Chicago Business Continuity and Resiliency Committee Chicago building owners and managers wouldn’t wait for June to make plans for spring landscaping or December to plan for snow and ice. Yet still, many property managers wait to connect with a building restoration contractor until an actual property disaster hits –…
Read MoreWhen Disaster Strikes: Have a Plan Ready
When Disaster Strikes: Have a Plan Ready By the BOMA/Chicago Business Continuity and Resiliency Committee If recent events during the past year have taught us anything – Hurricane Sandy, wildfires, earthquakes and seemingly dozens of harsh winter storms, to name a few – it’s that natural disasters and severe weather emergencies can hit anytime, anywhere, and with little to no…
Read MoreThe Creepy, Crawly Facts about Bed Bugs in Office Buildings
The Creepy, Crawly Facts about Bed Bugs in Office Buildings By Carla Wagner, Operations Manager, Canine Detection & Inspection Services One would think that the potential for bed bugs in office buildings would be extremely low, given the lack of, well, beds. Unfortunately, that’s not what pest professionals in the field are encountering. In fact, a 2011…
Read MoreLook Up, Out and Around to Determine Best Time to Replace Office Building Window Caulking
Look Up, Out and Around to Determine Best Time to Replace Office Building Window Caulking By Steve Riggio, Principal, RiggioBoron Ltd. Property managers today have a wide range of resources to help determine whether their building is operating at peak efficiency. For example, building managers determine power and energy usage in HVAC and lighting systems with gas…
Read MoreTaking a Bow for BOMA International Award for NATO Summit Communications
Taking a Bow for BOMA International Award for NATO Summit Communications Rarely do we make efforts to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. But here we’re making an exception. Last month, BOMA/Chicago earned a “2012 Best Practices Award” in the Marketing Communications category for the concerted program launched to provide BOMA/Chicago Building Members – comprised…
Read MoreA Key Discussion: Appearance and Reality with Building Security Keys
A Key Discussion: Appearance and Reality with Building Security Keys By Tom Glavin, President of Glavin Security Specialists If you’re a property management professional, you surely spend most of your time managing operating funds, allocating staff and vendor resources and responding to a wide range of tenant service requests. But one other key responsibility is to maintain the…
Read MorePhase Two: Bringing Two North Riverside Plaza to LEED Standards
Phase Two: Bringing Two North Riverside Plaza to LEED Standards Visitors to the Two North Riverside Plaza website learn that we market the 83-year-old Art Deco office property as “A Current Classic.” And, we should. Two North Riverside, which commands a prominent location along the Chicago River in the West Loop, was designed by the legendary architecture firm of Holabird…
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