[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Thanks George. The above is his email for those of us wishing to thank him for good/accurate reporting. (never thought we could use those words together) R/ Matt Matthew J. Willis Living Water Fire Protection, LLC. 1160 McKenzie Rd. PO Box 877 Cantonment, FL. 32533 850-937-1850 Voice 850-937-1852 Facsimile [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- >-----Original Message----- ----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- >[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On ----- >Behalf Of George Church ----- >Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 7:01 AM ----- >To: [email protected] ----- >Subject: Charleston cuts water fees ----- > ----- >Water system extinguishes sprinkler fees By Tony ----- >Bartelme (Contact) The Post and Courier Wednesday, July 25, 2007 ----- > ----- > ----- > ----- >Officials hope move will encourage businesses to ----- >retrofit their buildings ----- > ----- >The Charleston Water System on Tuesday axed its hefty ----- >impact and connection fees for customers who install ----- >automated fire sprinklers in the first significant ----- >policy change by a local government agency since last ----- >month's deadly fire at the Sofa Super Store. ----- > ----- >The utility's commissioners also voted to reduce monthly ----- >charges for customers who already have sprinklers, a ----- >move that will save businesses across the area thousands ----- >of dollars a year. ----- > ----- >"This is a great leadership opportunity for the state ----- >and our country," said Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, who ----- >also is one of the utility's commissioners. ----- > ----- >The Sofa Super Store fire put a spotlight on the ----- >utility's policy of charging some businesses as much as ----- >$100,000 or more in impact and connection fees, among ----- >the highest in South Carolina. ----- > ----- >Fire-safety experts and others said the impact fees make ----- >no sense because ----- > ----- >automated fire sprinklers often douse fires before they ----- >grow into full-blown conflagrations, saving utilities ----- >huge volumes of water. ----- > ----- >The Sofa Super Store, which burned June 18, killing nine ----- >Charleston firefighters, didn't have sprinklers. Water ----- >system officials estimated that firefighters poured more ----- >than a million gallons on the building. ----- > ----- >Riley said the utility's decision Tuesday was ----- >"emotionally driven" but "it's a sound decision, and ----- >it's the right decision." He noted that the utility ----- >doesn't charge anyone when firefighters use hydrants, ----- >and that the same principle should apply to those who ----- >have sprinklers. ----- > ----- >Under the new plan, the utility eliminated impact fees ----- >and reduced monthly charges by 80 percent - or as much ----- >as $2,145 a year for a typical sprinkler line. The ----- >changes go into effect immediately. ----- > ----- >Thomas Pritchard, chairman of the board of ----- >commissioners, said he hopes more business owners will ----- >retrofit their buildings. "We've eliminated an excuse," ----- >he said. "I hope people won't hide behind the cost of ----- >actually installing a fire suppression system." He urged ----- >state lawmakers to provide other incentives to encourage ----- >people to install sprinklers. ----- > ----- >Water system officials estimated that eliminating the ----- >fees and reducing the monthly charges may cost the ----- >utility as much as $3 million a year. David Rivers, ----- >another commissioner, urged the utility staff to "do ----- >more with less" ----- >instead of spreading the revenue loss among ratepayers. ----- > ----- >For years fire safety experts have characterized ----- >sprinklers as one of the most effective ways to control ----- >fires. The National Fire Protection Association said ----- >that they cut the risk of death and property damage by ----- >at least half and often by two-thirds. The group knows ----- >of no fire that killed more than two people in a ----- >building properly outfitted with sprinklers. ----- > ----- >Walter Carr, a business owner in Hanahan, welcomed the ----- >commissioners' vote. ----- > ----- >He said he was on a construction project a few years ----- >ago, and that the building's owner had the choice ----- >between putting in sprinklers or installing sheetrock to ----- >create some fire walls. Carr said that the owner went ----- >with the sheetrock because of the water system's high ----- >impact fees. ----- > ----- >He predicted that more property owners will now install ----- >sprinklers, adding that the utility's move was a ----- >"minuscule silver lining" generated by the Sofa Super Store fire. ----- > ----- >_______________________________________________ ----- >Sprinklerforum mailing list ----- >[email protected] ----- >http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum ----- > ----- >To Unsubscribe, send an email ----- >to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- >(Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
