By KAT HUGHES – Columbia Daily Tribune

To restart the process of citizen input that they said failed in requiring Greek organizations to install fire sprinklers, members of the Columbia City Council voted last night to table the issue until their second meeting in January.

They did so, however, with the clear direction that a stakeholder group will meet in the meantime to discuss issues surrounding the ordinance while also taking a larger look at fire safety in all university-sanctioned student housing.

“This process has been an example of how not to do it,” Fourth Ward Councilman Jerry Wade said. “It’s not enough to advertise the public hearings and move forward saying you did enough; you need to aggressively go out and seek those individuals it affects.”

Although Wade suggested repealing the ordinance to give a stakeholder group a fresh start, other council members voted to keep the current requirement in place until it can be amended.

The council directed Mayor Darwin Hindman to appoint members of interested parties to the group, which will report to the council by the end of November with its findings before the council will consider the law again in January.

The issue started in January 2007, when the city council first passed an ordinance that required all fraternities and sororities to retrofit their buildings with fire sprinklers by Dec. 31, 2012.

Greek organizations protested, saying it would cost them too much and they didn’t have time to discuss the law. In May, the city council sent the ordinance to the Building Construction Codes Commission for further review and to give the Greek community time to give input. The commission voted 7-3 to repeal the law in October, citing Greek opposition and stating it arbitrarily imposed restrictions on one group.

In January, Hindman suggested a compromise that would require Greek houses to install a lifesaving fire sprinkler system as opposed to a more costly property-saving fire sprinkler system.

Last night, public comment remained split, with proponents of the law giving emotional testimony about fire sprinklers’ life-saving benefits. Much of their comments focused on the death of Dominic Passantino, a University of Missouri student who died in a fire at the Sigma Chi house in 1999. Fire sprinklers would have prevented the death, proponents said.

Chris Gaut of the National Fire Sprinkler Association warned the council of the possible outcomes of its decision. “Are you willing to take the gamble and risk that there will never be another fire or fire death in Greek housing?” Gaut asked. “Because then they’ll point their finger back at the city council, saying that you didn’t require fire sprinklers to be installed.”

A few representatives from Greek houses said the cheaper system might be a compromise, but the law still singles out one group.

Speaking on behalf of the Greek community, attorney Skip Walther requested more time for the two sides to discuss the options and possibly come to an agreement.

“What you’ve said assumes that the stakeholder process took place, when in fact, it did not,” Walther said.

Second Ward Councilman Chris Janku said he would support tabling the issue, but he didn’t know how much it would change the situation. “I would be surprised the fire department would consent to anything less than sprinklers, so at the end of the day, I think we still may not have a consensus and we’ll still be faced with a tough decision,” he said.

Wade said he wanted the stakeholder group to examine fire safety in all student housing, which to him is the larger issue. “The basic premise is to take a look at the entire fire safety issue in all multi-unit residential facilities,” Wade said. “Let’s not just start with the Greek system, let’s deal with the whole system.”

To read the full article click here.