HOMELAND SECURITY AND 9/11
designed to upgrade the quality of building. A 1963 survey revealed that most of the communities in these three counties had no building code in effect, and while a few others had codes expressed in several typed pages, some of these were still based on code formulations dating from 1895. Code enforcement was sporadic at best and in many cases nonex istent. The HBANK proposed and secured adoption of the National Building Code as the uniform code in the three counties of Boone, Campbell, and Kenton. In 1976 the HBANK prepared legislation to establish a state department of buildings, housing, and construction, but the Kentucky General Assembly did not approve the legislation until 1978, after the tragic Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in 1977. The new department then approved a uniform building code for adoption at the local level and developed a mechanism for enforcement. Northern Kentucky cities and counties, at the builders’ urging, adopted the statewide building code, which was placed in effect in August 1981. The One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code and the Building Officials of America Code became the statewide building code adopted at the builders’ urging by Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties and their cities. Also endorsed was centralized building inspection in Northern Kentucky, but this was not directly related to the planning process. Builders throughout the state successfully challenged the state plumbing code in a dramatic confrontation with suppliers and labor. Legislation was adopted in 1966 that opened the way for use of updated materials, notably plastic pipe, in one of the HBANK’s most significant and successful endeavors. But bureaucratic delays made the industry and consumers wait five years before the new technology could be implemented. Because construction standards, a mechanism for handling consumer complaints, and stringent requirements for builders and remodelers were needed in order to maintain good consumer relations and enhance the industry image, in 1990 the HBANK adopted the Registered Builder/Remodeler Program. It requires builders and remodelers to meet a strict set of qualifications, including business ethics, customer references, peer review, and financial integrity. The program includes professional contracts incorporating workers’ compensation and liability insurance, a one-year limited warranty, and a complaint-handling procedure that has proved to be of great value to buildersremodelers as well as new owners. A builder’s or remodeler’s failure to meet these standards is cause for censure. The expansion of building in the 1960s created an increased demand for tradespeople, so it was necessary to train new people to fi ll the jobs. The HBANK in 1967 began its Apprenticeship Program, which has been expanded from carpentry to include electricity and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). It is offered in both English and Spanish. The HBANK sponsors several consumer events each year to show new homes and products: The Northern Kentucky Cavalcade of Homes, begun
in 1963, is an annual spring showcase of new homes of various price ranges in locations scattered throughout Northern Kentucky. Homefest has displayed new homes in one location each year since 1974. Citifest is an annual showing of upscale homes in older cities, particularly in Newport, that started in 2002. The Home Products Expo, begun in 1974, is an annual exhibit of products and services for new and remodeled homes. Previously held at either the Drawbridge Inn in Fort Mitchell or the Crestview Mall in Crestview Hills, it now occurs at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington. The home builders’ association’s television show, My New Kentucky Home, first broadcast in 2000, regularly appears on Insight Communications (ICN 6) in Northern Kentucky. It features interviews with builders, remodelers, and suppliers and commentary on home products and ser vices. A strong demand for apartments was evident in Northern Kentucky by the end of the 1960s. In response, builders sought information on apartment construction, sound control, financing, and management through the Northern Kentucky Apartment Council, established as an arm of the HBANK. Its purpose was to provide a forum for education and information and to inform the public and local governments of the need for this type of housing. Apartment construction has continued to flourish over the years. In 1988 the council merged with the Greater Cincinnati Apartment Association. In 2006 the HBANK moved to new headquarters on Circleport Dr. in Erlanger, where it has administrative offices, training facilities, and classrooms, as well as an events center that can accommodate more than 200 people. Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky. Industry Standard. Fort Mitchell: Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky, 2001. Wiedeman, Donald M. Milestones and Memories: The Heartbeat of Housing in Northern Kentucky. Fort Mitchell: Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky, 2001.
Donald M. Wiedeman
HOMELAND SECURITY AND 9/11. On September 11, 2001, America found itself at war with neither a country nor an alliance of countries but with a multinational ideology, often divorced from the ruling government of any nation, which proclaimed that the United States was a great evil, to be destroyed by any and all means available. The attacks on the United States and its interests overseas had started years earlier: the USS Cole, the U.S. embassies in Africa, and individual U.S. citizens. But those events had not been given credence by the U.S. government as a coordinated attack against the nation and its citizens by those adhering to a violent Islamic ideology. On September 11, 2001, four airliners were hijacked in the United States and used as flying bombs. Three of them hit their intended targets. Two airplanes hit the World Trade Center in New York City, and another crashed into the Pentagon, in Arlington, Va. The fourth aircraft failed to hit its
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target when passengers fought back and caused it to crash into a remote farm field in Pennsylvania. Brian Williams, a native of Northern Kentucky, died in the attack on the World Trade Center. The immediate result of these aerial attacks was a shutdown of air transportation within U.S. airspace for two days as the federal government made sure no other aircraft hijack plan was in place and updated the nation’s air-transportation security procedures. During the days immediately following the attack, citizens within Northern Kentucky, as elsewhere, took part in church memorial ser vices and vigils remembering those who had been killed. State and county governments opened their emergency operation centers, and law enforcement officers throughout Kentucky were placed on overtime, patrolling areas considered as targets (see Civil Defense). As a result of the attacks, known now as “9/11” because they occurred on September 11, the lifestyles of U.S. citizens changed. The federal government created the Department of Homeland Security, which established an advisory security system. Using the color codes of green, blue, yellow, orange, and red to represent ascending threat levels, Homeland Security warns citizens regarding the likelihood of terrorist attacks. Among the major impacts 9/11 had on everyday life in Northern Kentucky was that friends and family members could no longer greet or say goodbye to one another at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport passenger gates. Airports throughout the nation suddenly increased these and other security procedures. Citizens who enjoyed watching and taking pictures of aircraft, trains, and towboats now had to consider the risk that such activities might make them suspect as terrorists. Government offices became inconvenient to visit because of newly established security policies. Background security checks on individuals became more common, as did the thorough uncovering of false claims regarding a person’s education level, employment, military ser vice, and outstanding warrants. New restrictive regulations were implemented by the federal government controlling the movement of cargo by barge, aircraft, train, ship, and truck, while industries were required by various levels of government to upgrade security at their facilities. The open military base, one permitting free admittance without checking, became a thing of the past. All of these changes came at a cost passed on to U.S. citizens through higher prices for goods and curtailed governmental social ser vices. Through July 1, 2004, some $85 million had been spent in Kentucky by the federal Department of Homeland Security, and this figure did not include funds spent by other federal agencies to increase Kentucky’s ability to detect, deter, respond to, and recover from a terrorist attack. “Federal Money Covers Wide Range of Local Safety Needs,” KP, May 23, 2005, K1. “Ham Radio to the Rescue,” KP, June 25, 2005, A12. “Terrorism 101,” KP, January 24, 2005, K1.
Charles H. Bogart