Josh Barkley may be a new face in Jacksonville, but he’s not new to construction.
The City of Jacksonville’s new building inspector grew up in Georgia and started his construction career right out of high school, taking a gig as an electrician that put him on the 45th floor of the then-named One Peachtree Center in Atlanta on his first day (it’s now called Truist Plaza and is the second-tallest building in the city, for those keeping score).
“I’d never been that high up in my life,” said Barkley, who is now a resident of Lineville and resides on a family farm where he and his wife and three now-adult sons get together to hunt and fish and spend time.
But it’s in the phone calls Barkley takes while being interviewed for his February employee spotlight story that his knack for safety and foresight are illuminated: An eager apprentice contractor has started work at a Jacksonville residence without his master contractor on site, which Barkley rightly calls out as against the rules.
The apprentice is installing a water heater and wants to negotiate with Barkley about choices that will make the installation simpler. Barkley’s mind goes straight to the residents — he recites a list of unfortunate consequences these choices could lead to, including a flood from inside the house itself. A lifetime of experience hasn’t given him psychic powers, but his sense of prophecy is sharp all the same.
“I basically went from one side of the fence to the other,” Barkley said, after a few phone calls with the apprentice had settled the matter. “My focus is on protecting the homeowner.”
Barkley spent his adult life in construction, most recently leaving behind his work as a contractor to become Anniston’s building inspector, before taking up the mantle left by former Jacksonville inspector Mark Williams in January. During his time as a contractor, he learned what was expected of a trustworthy builder and made a point of creating safe structures.
“When someone walked onto one of my jobs, I wanted them to know who did that work,” Barkley recalled. “Being on this side is sort of different; I didn’t realize there were that many people who didn’t care about their work. There are some great builders, but there are some who are maybe not so great.”
Asked if there was anything he’d like to say, Barkley wanted to make sure Jacksonville residents know to give him or assistant building inspector Rob Foster a call if they’re unsure about a contractor or a safety issue. The easiest way to get in touch is to call City Hall at 256-435-7611 and ask for the Building department.
“I want to encourage people with any questions to call me or contact me; I can help them try to figure out what they need in any kind of building they’ve got,” Barkley said.
