It’s official: all new residential construction in the city of Bonney Lake will have to include a home sprinkler system.
The city council June 22 passed the new ordinance by a vote of 6-1, with only councilmember Mark Hamilton opposing the measure.
Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman led off the discussion for the council, proposing to remove an exemption for homes under 5,000 square feet that was suggested by East Pierce Fire and Rescue, who brought the measure forward.
Swatman said such an exemption would mean that the vast majority of homes built in the city would still not have sprinklers. With “thousands of homes” set to be built in Bonney Lake in the future, Swatman said it made more sense to put sprinklers in every new home.
“It’s really not something you can do again,” he said Friday about adding sprinklers. “You have to do it up front.”
Swatman also said the life-saving capabilities of a sprinkler system made it worth the cost.
“Absolutely, positively, beyond a shadow of a doubt it will save lives,” Swatman said.
While in favor of reducing the exemption from 5,000 square feet to something that would include more homes, Hamilton said he was opposed to an “all or nothing” ordinance because it would set the city of Bonney Lake apart from all other municipalities in the fire district, potentially making Bonney Lake less attractive to builders by adding the additional cost of sprinklers.
“In the economic times we are in, it’s totally impractical to do that,” he said. “The building trades have been hit enormously in this recession.”
“You’re burdening people that have already been hit hard,” he said.
According to East Pierce, the addition of a sprinkler system adds $1.62 per square foot, though according to the fire district literature, the cost should decrease as more homes install the systems due to increased know-how and economies of scale.
Councilmember Laurie Carter agreed with Swatman and cited the safety concerns.
“I think having sprinklers in all homes is a life-saving measure,” she said.
“It’s a matter of safety, it’s a matter of health,” agreed Councilmember Donn Lewis.
Mayor Neil Johnson on Friday said the ordinance would make the community safer.
“I think Bonney Lake is taking a big, bold leap looking at safety,” he said.
Johnson acknowledged that adding sprinklers could increase building costs and said the administration is considering ways to help reduce those, perhaps through “safety credits” or keeping water meter costs at the low price point instead of the increase that might come with a sprinkler system.
Swatman also acknowledged there might be an increased cost to builders, but again said it would cut into their profits, not necessarily be passed on to buyers because the price of homes is set by the market, not necessarily construction costs.
Besides, he said, it is a safety concern.
“In the end, hopefully it’ll save someone’s life or their pets,” he said.
