Gheorghe Mandea, who has been acting head since the death of Bill Zirko, has been appointed permanently to the position. Gheorghe and his family came to America in 1990 from Romania, where he was chief of a textile factory warehouse. Eight months later, he began working at 345, only two months after Bill Zirko joined. Gheorghe has been rated a Class A Janitor since he arrived at 345 and has been serving as assistant head of maintenance since then. Gheorghe shares a love of sports and fishing with his two sons, one of whom, John, also works here.
Another Fire Sprinkler Threat?
Last year Chicago residents protested in such numbers that the governor requested the State Fire Marshal to withdraw his mandate that all pre-1975 high rises in Chicago be retrofitted with fire sprinklers. This year, on March 26, the State Fire Marshal made clear in committee that such a mandate is his ultimate goal. On March 26, the State Government Administration Committee voted 17-2 in favor of moving House Bill 4609 forward for a vote in the Illinois House of Representatives. This bill, introduced by our state representative, Sara Feigenholtz, would create a Task Force on Fire Safety and Fire Prevention Education comprised of 21 members representing firefighters, homeowners’ associations, building trades, and community members. This group would produce a comprehensive report with recommendations to the General Assembly. It would then be the responsibility of the elected General Assembly, not the State Fire Marshal and the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), to adopt any rules requiring the installation of fire sprinklers in any structure.
The next Board of Directors Meeting will be held on April 16, 2014, at 7:00 PM in the Board Meeting Room, West Tower sub-basement.
345 Fullerton Parkway 