Building department 'art wall' is visitor friendly

David Galassi, building official/director of Marion County building department, adds a few things to a shadow boy while putting the finishing touches on his "work of art" Monday morning.

When remodeling contractor Mike Pryor visited the Marion County Building Safety Department on Monday morning to get a permit for a window change-out job, he was met with a surprise.

Now that makes it feel like the building department, said Pryor, who operates American Remodel and Tile in Ocala, as he looked at the recently completed 30-foot long trade themed wall mural in the client waiting room.

A vintage Yankee mechanical hand drill, a stick ruler, several types of circular saw blades, an antique caulk line and a level thought to be about 100 years old are a few of the tools that are arranged in wood framing and shadow boxes in an artistic tribute to the building trades.

Most people dont want to be here, but getting a permit is a necessity and we try to make being here more pleasant. Were charged with making sure state building codes are followed to ensure life safety, said David Galassi, the department director and a building official.

Galassi, head of the department for two years, was a building contractor in Chicago for 25 years. He is experienced in Victorian renovation and has worked on a Frank Lloyd Wright home.

Several employees worked on the mural over the last two weekends in July as volunteers. The tools were donated by employees. The adjacent wall is done like a wall framing job, with a window and a site sign for a fictitious contractor showing what should be on a site sign, including the contractors number, Galassi said.

The waiting room also features a television tuned to the Home and Garden TV channel and a status board that displays appointments and other information.

David Doolittle with Sunshine Pools was at the department Monday, accompanied by his grandchildren Hailey Doolittle, 6, and Dylan Doolittle, 7.

As the youngsters looked at the mural, Doolittle said he has to pull permits in five surrounding counties in the course of his work.

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Building department 'art wall' is visitor friendly