Electrical Inspection

Transportation officials have replaced a light fixture in one of the Big Dig tunnels after it was found hanging dangerously from one side.

An electrical engineer spotted the problem on the ramp connecting Leverett Circle to I-93 during a routine inspection Thursday. It was removed immediately and was replaced Friday.

The clips on the right side of the light were not secured and wind from a nearby fan was making the fixture vibrate.

The Department of Transportation says the light does not sit above the travel lane.

An incident report says officials saw some corrosion on the fixture.

Another 110-pound corroded Big Dig light fixture collapsed in February, prompting a system-wide inspection that revealed more corroded fixtures.

Posted: 4:30 pm Mon, July 11, 2011


By  BRIAN JOHNSON
Tags: inspection, Jim Dickinson, Marcia Glick, Robbinsdale, Scott Neal, Scott Nutting, Steve Kirchman, Tom Grundhoefer, Tony Enger

Tony Enger, co-owner of Plymouth-based Harrison Electric, checks a downed power line with a touchless volt meter Monday in the 3000 block of North Zenith in Robbinsdale. Xcel Energy cannot reconnect the power to the home until an electrical inspector signs off on the project, a duty that state contractors performed until the shutdown. (Staff photo: Bill Klotz)

Tony Enger has seen firsthand what the state government shutdown can do to a seemingly routine project.

Enger’s company, Harrison Electric in Plymouth, got a call Monday morning to help a Robbinsdale homeowner who lost electrical power after an overnight storm took down some power lines.

Doing the repairs wasn’t a problem. But Xcel Energy cannot hook up the power again until an electrical inspector signs off on the project, Enger explained.

Like many cities, Robbinsdale relies on state electrical inspection (An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair ofs that have not been available since most state services went dark July 1. So the homeowner was still in the dark and powerless as of Monday afternoon, even though the repair crews acted quickly.

“What do you tell a homeowner who says, ‘My food is going to start spoiling in about two hours’?” Enger said.

Like Robbinsdale, about two-thirds of the cities in the five-county metro area use state electrical inspectors, Enger said.

But the shutdown has prompted some cities to take matters into their own hands. And last Friday, the League of Minnesota Cities told members in an email message how to work around the shutdown.

Under state law, new electrical installations have to be inspected to make sure they are safe for life and property, and the state usually performs such inspections, according to the League of Minnesota Cities.

However, state law also allows cities to pass an ordinance allowing them to take over inspections within their jurisdiction, as long as the inspections are performed by a state-licensed master or journeyman electrician, the league noted.

Minneapolis, Edina and Andover are among the cities that have already passed such ordinances, and others are considering the move.

“I know of a number who were moving in that direction,” said Tom Grundhoefer, general counsel for the League of Minnesota Cities. “The big reason some cities are jumping into it, they have construction projects that are presumably on hold until some of these electrical and plumbing inspectors can get going.”

Marcia Glick, Robbinsdale’s city manager, said the city council will consider an emergency ordinance Tuesday night that would allow the city to perform such inspections in an emergency.

If approved, the ordinance could take effect as soon as Thursday morning, she said.

A sample ordinance from the League of Minnesota Cities includes a sunset provision, but Andover, which passed its ordinance last Wednesday, chose to remove that clause.

“We decided if we are going to go forward, we are going to control our own destiny,” said Jim Dickinson, Andover’s city administrator.

Dickinson said that the city has heard from builders who had projects in limbo because of the inability to get a state electrical inspection (An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of and that future projects are at risk of being held up.

“We also felt it had to do with being competitive. We don’t want to see our contractors picking up and going somewhere else,” Dickinson said.

Edina passed its ordinance June 21, but it did so with the intention of returning to state-issued permits and inspections after the shutdown is resolved.

Edina City Manager Scott Neal said at the June 21 council meeting that the city does not intend to “get into this business for the long term,” at least not yet.

But for now, the shutdown will cause problems for residents, “and this is an easy way to mitigate that problem,” he said, adding that the move would be at worst a break-even proposition for the city from a cost standpoint.

“At minimum, the cost and the benefit will be matched up,” he said.

With a staff of five inspectors who work in the field full time, Edina does 1,100 to 1,300 inspections a month, said Steve Kirchman, the city’s chief building official.

Kirchman said the city will use contract inspectors who worked with the state. The new workload may involve some “extra data entry,” but “other than that it doesn’t really affect our day-to-day operations,” he said.

So far, the city has issued 30 electrical permits that normally would be issued by the state, Kirchman said.

The ordinance, he said, “just enables us to continue to provide good service to the public.”

“In many cases it’s critical that these inspections get done,” he added. “Otherwise people can’t move into their homes, and businesses can’t occupy their space.”

Scott Nutting, president of the Contract Electrical Inspectors Association of Minnesota, said that the state retains 10 to 15 percent of the fee from each inspection it performs and that it will lose that revenue as the shutdown lingers.

Moreover, the shutdown is setting back an initiative that is designed to streamline and hasten the process of performing electrical inspection (An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair ofs throughout the state.

“I am assuming it is going to set it back three months,” Nutting said.

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) receives about 110,000 requests for electrical inspection (An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair ofs every year and and uses its 14 state employees and 76 contract electrical inspectors to handle those requests, DOLI spokesman James Honerman told F&C last June.

Enger, of Harrison Electric, said the problem goes beyond emergency situations like the one he responded to in Robbinsdale.

Remodeling projects cannot begin or are stuck in limbo, he said. Crews cannot install Sheetrock until they get the electrical work inspected, which leaves homeowners with half-remodeled homes or no certificate of occupancy for a new home, he noted.

“There are so many ramifications,” he said.

The League of Minnesota Cities report is available here. 

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The city of Springfield is taking another look at the Bel-Aire Motel as a Route 66 visitors center and museum, starting last month with an inspection that found structural, electrical and fire-safety violations.

Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe, who requested the inspection, said on Monday that representatives from the city and the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission met last week to discuss the Route 66 project, which was proposed by the late mayor Tim Davlin in 2008.

“We’re trying to put it back on the drawing board,” said Jobe, whose ward includes the motel at 2636 S. Sixth St.

“It’s become somewhat of an eyesore, and it’s obviously an entry and access point into the city,” Jobe added.

If the Route 66 museum doesn’t work, Jobe said he would at least like to see some other commercial development on the site.

Jobe said he believes $600,000 in state funding would be available to purchase and demolish the property, if the group can reach an agreement with the Bel-Aire owners.

The 1960s-vintage motel at 2636 S. Sixth St. has been a residential motel in recent years. Neighborhood groups also have complained to the city about the sale of illegal drugs and other criminal activity at the motel.

Code violations

City building manager John Sadowski said the violations found in June were not considered major, and the owners were given until Monday to make repairs.

“We sent a letter to the property owner. There’s a manager on site, and we sent him a letter as well,” said Sadowski.

Sadowski said inspectors plan to return to the motel next week. Any further action will be determined by the follow-up.

Efforts to reach owner Gopal Motwani, who lists a home in Weston, Fla. in county property-tax records, were unsuccessful on Monday.

There has been little progress toward the Route 66 museum since Davlin floated the idea nearly three years ago. Sixth Street follows one of the corridors taken through Springfield by Route 66, which is now designated a National Scenic Byway in Illinois.

City economic development director Mike Farmer said the group is looking into Illinois Department of Transportation enhancement grants for beautification and restoration projects, similar to money used on the Capitol Avenue beautification project.

“There have been discussions, and we are revisiting the issue,” said Farmer.

If not Route 66, what?

City planning and design coordinator Paul O’Shea said he still likes the idea of the Route 66 museum and visitors center.

As proposed by Davlin, the motel would be restored to its ‘60s look and would serve as a combination welcome center for city visitors and Route 66 museum. The restoration would include a theater, the “seal fountain,” neon lighting and a recreation of a vintage gasoline station.

“All those sketches and drawings that were prepared back at that time, I thought, ‘Man, that really does enhance that area,” said O’Shea. “It would put it into active reuse, whereas if you demolish it, you have another empty lot,” said O’Shea.

Jobe, who said he has not yet talked to Motwani, said he, too, likes the Route 66 museum concept. But he said his major goal in asking for the building inspection was to refocus attention on the Bel-Aire.

“It’s a property we’ve had numerous phone calls on,” said Jobe. “It either needs to be rehabilitated for Route 66, or tear it down and use it for commercial property.”

Tim Landis can be reached at 788-1536.

Violations

Springfield building inspectors found the following violations during a June 13 inspection of the Bel-Aire Motel, 2636 S. Sixth St.

* Carbon monoxide detectors that need to be repaired or replaced.

* Flammable items too close to water heaters.

* Inoperable emergency lights.

* Broken exit lights.

* Residents grilling within 10 feet of the building.

* Weatherproof broken light fixtures.

* Downspouts improperly attached.

* Exterior in need of paint and scraping.

* Rotted wood on the building exterior.

Source: Springfield Building and Zoning Division

Market value

What’s it worth? Estimated fair market value of the Bel-Aire Motel, 2000-2010 (taxes payable the following year).

* 2010: $754,716.

* 2009: $748,131.

* 2008: $852,210.

* 2007: $828,999.

* 2006: $879,102.

* 2005: $865,173.

* 2004: $842,673.

* 2003: $814,098.

* 2002: $797,040.

* 2001: $797,040.

* 2000: $757,209.

Source: Sangamon County Assessor’s Office
 

Posted on: Monday, 11 July 2011, 15:15 CDT

MILPITAS, Calif., July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Today KLA-Tencor Corporation(TM) (NASDAQ: KLAC), announced a new generation in the Surfscan® family of wafer defect and surface quality inspection systems: the Surfscan SP3. As the first unpatterned wafer inspection platform to incorporate deep-ultraviolet (DUV) illumination, the Surfscan SP3 systems feature dramatic advances in sensitivity and throughput over their industry-benchmark predecessor, the Surfscan SP2XP. The Surfscan SP3 platform is also designed for extension to the next wafer size: 450mm.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110711/SF33096)

“Launching a new Surfscan platform is an exciting event for KLA-Tencor,” said Ali Salehpour, senior vice president and general manager of the Surfscan / ADE division at KLA-Tencor. “The visible-light Surfscan SP1 and the UV-illuminated Surfscan SP2 were well received by the industry; in fact, Surfscan tools can be found in every leading-edge substrate and chip manufacturing facility. Now we’re announcing the first DUV unpatterned wafer inspection platform, to satisfy the industry’s need for increased sensitivity at production speeds at the 28nm device node and below. We believe that the Surfscan SP3 will carry the Surfscan reputation for excellence in substrate and integrated circuit (IC) process tool qualification into the next generation.”

The Surfscan SP3 system is designed to help develop and manufacture substrates for < 28nm devices that are nearly atomically smooth and free from polish marks, crystalline pits, terracing, voids or other defects that disrupt the electrical integrity of the transistor. Because these defects cannot be reliably detected by current-generation inspection systems at production speeds, substrate manufacturers have had difficulty achieving satisfactory yields with these top-grade, next-node wafers. KLA-Tencor’s engineers have built the Surfscan SP3 inspection system with the DUV sensitivity and throughput needed to reliably identify critical defects and surface quality issues inline during substrate manufacturing.

In the IC fab, manufacturers must also be able to monitor rough and smooth unpatterned films after deposition and chemical mechanical polish (CMP) to ensure that process tools are not adding defects. The Surfscan SP3 leverages its unique DUV wavelength, special apertures and multiple illumination and collection channels to address stringent 28nm node requirements for defect detection and classification on blanket films at production speeds. The SP3 also offers a module that inspects the back side of wafers for defects that might deform the wafer shape during photolithography.

The extensive capabilities of the Surfscan SP3 are enabled by the following new features and improvements over the current-generation Surfscan platform:

• Powerful DUV source and DUV-optimized optics, to help capture critical defects affecting devices at the 28nm node and below;
• New stage and new image computer that, together with algorithm improvements, enable increased production throughput;
• DUV-specific apertures that enhance defect capture on blanket films;
• Integrated, high resolution (~100 mega-pixel), full-wafer SURFmonitor(TM) haze maps, providing automated capture of ultra-fine slip lines and scratches or maps of surface roughness, grain size and other process parameters; and
• Defect coordinate accuracy improvements that enhance re-detection and speed of defect review and classification on KLA-Tencor’s eDR electron-beam review tools, allowing engineers to track down the source of a defect excursion quickly and disposition wafers accurately.

Surfscan SP3 tools can be matched among themselves and correlated to the factory’s existing Surfscan SP2 and SP2XP baselines, to enhance fleet flexibility and factory productivity. To maintain high performance and productivity, the Surfscan SP3 tools are backed by KLA-Tencor’s global, comprehensive service network.

Surfscan SP3 systems have been shipped to leading substrate and chip manufacturers in Asia, the United States and Europe for use in advanced development and production lines. For more information on KLA-Tencor’s unpatterned wafer defect inspection systems, please visit the product web pages at: http://www.kla-tencor.com/front-end-defect-inspection/surfscan-series.html.

About KLA-Tencor:

KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC), a leading provider of process control and yield management solutions, partners with customers around the world to develop state-of-the-art inspection and metrology technologies. These technologies serve the semiconductor, data storage, LED, photovoltaic, and other related nanoelectronics industries. With a portfolio of industry-standard products and a team of world-class engineers and scientists, the company has created superior solutions for its customers for over 30 years. Headquartered in Milpitas, California, KLA-Tencor has dedicated customer operations and service centers around the world. Additional information may be found at www.kla-tencor.com. (KLAC-P)

Forward Looking Statements:

Statements in this press release other than historical facts, such as statements regarding Surfscan SP3′s expected performance, trends in the semiconductor industry (and the anticipated challenges associated with them), expected uses of the Surfscan SP3 by KLA-Tencor’s customers, expected extendibility of the Surfscan platform to accommodate new functionality, and the anticipated cost, operational and other benefits realizable by users of the Surfscan SP3 tools, are forward-looking statements, and are subject to the Safe Harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current information and expectations, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in such statements due to various factors, including delays in the adoption of new technologies (whether due to cost or performance issues or otherwise), the introduction of competing products by other companies or unanticipated technological challenges or limitations that affect the implementation, performance or use of KLA-Tencor’s products.

SOURCE KLA-Tencor Corporation

Source: PR Newswire

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