, , Correspondence (2)Been Galvin 86 Beate Kirmse
b 2[g Chuckwagon Rd., Rolling Hills, CA 90274
City of Rolling Hills
Contact: Beate Kirmse By FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel: 310-356-6267
Email: beate(a.tangerinekangaroo.com
FIRST PERMITTED HEMP BUILDING IN CALIFORNIA
Hemp masonry will be used for house renovation in Palos Verdes this August
Rolling Hills, Calif. Owner/Builder Beate Kirmse and her husband, Bern Galvin together with Ryan
Hayes of TerraBuilt Construction will use hemp masonry, or "hemperete", for an extension of their
Ranch style home.
This is the first time hemp will be used for construction in California in modern times. The permitting
process was rather lengthy, since Hemperete is not a certified building material in the U.S yet. But
after 6 months the couple obtained the necessary permits from the LA County Building Department.
"We are avid hemp advocates; nutritional hemp and industrial hemp", says Beate Kirmse, "Our vision
is to create a viable industry for hemp building materials and other industrial applications, like
composites. We decided to use our home extension to learn about the permitting process, how to use
hemperete, live with it and, of course, we want to draw attention to this superior building material."
General construction starts July 14th and the hemperete walls will be built mid August.
A team of hemp advocates together with the owners will build the walls under the supervision of Ryan
Hayes of TerraBuilt Construction.
Interested people are welcome to participate and visit. A thank you picnic will follow (no marijuana
allowed). Please contact Beate Kirmse for more details.
TerraBuilt Construction, based in Arcata, CA focuses on sustainable building practices and uses
hemp as a preferred building material.
Hemperete is a lightweight biocomposite. It is formed by mixing together the shredded woody core of
hemp stalks (known as hurd or shiv), a lime based binder and water.
Hemperete is a healthy, renewable building material that is thermodynamically efficient, is inherently
resistant to fire, pests and mold. Unlike concrete or drywall it is also a carbon sequester.
Check out http://beatekirmse.com or contact Beate Kirmse for more information and updates of the
project. Phone: 310-356-6267 or email: beate5tanaeinekanaaroo.com
Until now all hemp raw materials have to be imported from other parts of the world since industrial
hemp production is illegal in the U.S. But this exceptionally versatile crop is making a comeback in the
U.S., thanks to bipartisan support in Congress. The U.S. House passed the hemp amendment
(section 7606) to the Farm Bill in order to allow research to begin on industrial hemp and determine
whether commercial production of hemp would be beneficial for American farmers and businesses.
• a
C1ty ol,eding Jh/id
June 22, 2010
Mr. Bern J. Galvin, Esq.
2 Chuckwagon Road
Rolling Hills, CA 90274
Dear Mr. Galvin,
INCORPORATED JANUARY 24, 1957
NO. 2 PORTUGUESE BEND ROAD
ROLLING HILLS, CALIF. 90274
(310) 377.1521
FAX: (310) 377.7288
Thank you for your letter of June 13, 2010 concerning the actions of the tenants at 37
Eastfield Drive. While we are hopeful that you and your neighboring property owner
can resolve the problems, please don't hesitate to contact the City should you wish to
discuss the situation further.
Sincere
nton Dahlerbruch
City Manager
AD:hl
06-22-10Galvin-1 tr.docx
c: Yolanta Schwartz, Planning Director
Printed on Recycled Paper
CEO
September 30, 2002
Mr. Bern J. Galvin
2 Chuckwagon Road
Rolling Hills, CA 90274
•
��L1L`•/ZiL1L� INCORPORATED JANUARY 24, 1957
NO. 2 PORTUGUESE BEND ROAD
ROLLING HILLS, CALIF. 90274
(310) 377-1521
FAX: (310) 377-7288
E-mail: cityofrh@aol.com
Subject: Undergrounding of utility lines
Dear Mr. Galvin:
Thank you for you correspondence dated August 25, 2002 regarding your understanding of what
ensued prior to your upgrading of the electrical panel at the property at 2 Chuckwagon Road.
We have researched the information which you have provided, we spoke to Mr. Rafael Bernal of
Los Angeles County Building and Safety Department and visited the site. Based on the
information you have submitted, the inspections by this office and Building and Safety Office, we
have determined that there was a misunderstanding between your contractor, the Con Edison
inspector and the Building and Safety Department. We are therefore, approving your request to
continue the overhead utility lines through September 2004.
During my visit to your property you indicated that you are planning to improve your property
and construct an addition within the next two years or less, and that you will underground the
utility lines at that time.
We urge you to initiate your plans for remodel/addition, so that you can comply with placing
these utility lines underground no later than September 30, 2004. We are ready to assist you in
this process.
Should you wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to call. Thank you for your
cooperation.
Sincerely
7(//
olanta Schwartz
Fj"ranning Director
i,
Cc: Craig Nealis, City Manager
Rafael Bernal, Associate District Engineer, L.A. County Building and Safety Department
Messrs Bern J. GalviltTeri D. Miller
2 Chuckwagon Road
Rolling Hills CA 90274
berngalvin@cox.net, bern@berngalvin.com
tdmiller4@cox.net
August 25, 2002
Mr. Craig R. Nealis
City Manager
City of Rolling Hills
2 Portuguese Bend Road
Rolling Hills CA 90274
cityofrh@aol.com
Dear Craig:
RNIBLIW'l
AUG 2 7 2002
By
CITY OF ROLLING H;L.LS
Pursuant to your request during our conversation on Thursday morning last
I'm sending this letter to set out the circumstances surrounding the electrical
work that was performed at our recently purchased home.
While doing the due diligence prior to closing escrow, I had a couple of
electricians take a look at the fashion in which the house was wired. Both
indicated to me that much of the electrical work, including some of the wiring
in the main panel, was not done to code, and that it was very old and in
some cases might constitute a safety hazard. Both electricians recommended
replacing the panel with a new one and the removal and replacement of
significant parts of the old wiring.
I retained Mr. Jack Eaton of Electric City to perform the work upon the close
of escrow but prior to our moving in.
Jack obtained the requisite permit to do the work. A copy of this permit is
attached. In the process of obtaining the permit Jack was instructed where
he would be expected to position the riser and a representative of the power
company paid a visit to the property (I think he is called a 'spotter') and
instructed Jack where to position the replacement panel. No mention was
made of any underground wire requirement. Any mention of that would have
been inconsistent with the instructions Jack was given as to the positioning of
the riser. Jack did not perform any work on the wiring from the power
company pole to the house, nor was he requested to.
The work was completed in accordance with the permit and the instructions
Jack received.
The week before last Mr. Rafael Bernal from the Building & Safety
Department came and inspected the work. Mr. Bernal stated that the work
was deficient in two respects -
1
Messrs Bern ]. Galvi•Teri D. Miller •
2 Chuckwagon Road
Rolling Hills CA 90274
berngalvin@cox.net, bern@berngalvin.com
tdmiller4@cox.net
1. the power company's wires from the power pole to the roof of the
house had to be removed and placed underground; and
2. the 'cold water ground rod' work was inadequate in some respect that
escaped my understanding.
I took issue with Mr. Bernal's statements explaining to him that though I had
little to no knowledge of electricity or the City's regulations regarding electric
work, if there was a requirement that the power company's wires be placed
underground, that requirement ought to have been mentioned when Jack
was obtaining the permit, not imposed after the work was completed. And
secondly, imposing a requirement that the power company's wires be placed
underground in a situation where electrical repair work was being performed
on the existing structure to ameliorate my safety concerns seems unfair. I
could understand the need for compliance with this requirement in a situation
where new construction was being performed or an existing structure was
being extended. But that was not the case here.
Subsequent to Mr. Bernal's inspection Jack spoke with Mr. Bernal by phone
about his concerns. Jack told me that Mr. Bernal withdrew his objection to
the 'cold water ground rod' work but did not seem to be swayed by Jack's
arguments in relation to the underground wiring requirement.
I'm hoping that we can resolve this problem quickly. Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
fr-l%Ai
Attachment
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