Adamczak, Thomas

Adamczak Thomas (1954 - )
Chief building inspector, civil technician
Knowing the "code" can help says Thomas Adamczak, Cheektowaga's chief building inspector.
Polonia Profile by Glenn Gramigna
There is no doubt that Chief Cheektowaga Building Inspector Thomas Adamczak has a lot on his plate right now. Not only is the State of New York expected to come out with an entirely new building code soon but the Walden Galleria is poised to begin a 611 square foot expansion including two giant 4,000 car parking ramps. Then there is the anticipated construction of two new hotels near the airport plus a wave of additional new commercial building in town as well.
Still, no one in Cheektowaga, least of all Tom himself, doubts his ability to do all that needs to be done to get these jobs completed. In fact, his main concern is trying to educate the public about the importance of keeping his department informed of their building plans so they don't suffer many unhappy consequences later.
"If someone is going to build a shed or a swimming pool on their property, it is important that they find out from us before they start what permits are needed," he points out. "If they build something and then find out later they have to move their pool or shed, then that is obviously much more expensive for them and causes a lot of unnecessary work for us too."
Born on the East Side of Buffalo, Tom moved to Cheektowaga to stay when he was in the 2nd grade with his dad, who worked for a bedding company and his mother, an employee of Walden Books. He attended Queen of Martyrs and then Cheektowaga Central where he pursued his interest in all the usual childhood pastimes especially sports.
After graduating from high school in 1972, he went on to Erie County Community College where he studied to be a civil technician. Once he finished his studies, Tom joined the CETA federal training program before joining the town's building inspection department in 1977.
Through the years, before he was named to the top job, Tom did both residential and commercial inspections, experience that prepared him well for his current position. "In recent years, the complaints we get about properties have been going up to about 3,000 per year," he reports. "Plus we got a lot of complaints from the police when they see violations on their patrols. Most of the complaints involve things like debris in the yard or unlicensed vehicles on the property or uncut grass. The important thing we want people to remember is that we don't want to write citations. We would much rather work things out with people.
"We are usually willing to give citizens more time to clear up violations if we can. For one thing, citations make a lot more work for us. But, there are some times when we have to get tough with people and force them to appear in court. The law simply has to be enforced."
In addition to his regular building inspection duties, Tom also runs the town's Neighborhood Wellness program which seeks to maintain the quality of life in all areas of town.
"We maintain a close working relationship with all the taxpayer groups in town," Tom points out. "We have a good rapport with them and they help us out a lot in terms of letting us know about problem properties."
On top of his demanding duties with the Building Inspections Department, Tom also has heavy responsibilities as a commissioner of the Walden Fire District. There as at Town Hall, this 47-year-old father of two has major decisions to make on a regular basis.
"I'm a pretty busy person between the two," Tom admits. "Also my wife of 15 years, Virginia and I have just adopted a second daughter, so there's a lot going on at home too. But, really I enjoy everything I do and wouldn't change any of it for anything... I consider myself to be a really lucky guy."
Source: Am-Pol Eagle, August 23, 2001.