Residents tell Sumner council they want Ryan House saved, contest city maintenance claims

SUMNER, Wash. — At the Sumner City Council’s April 7 meeting, four residents urged the council to preserve the historic Ryan House, disputed the city’s public accounts of the house’s condition and questioned whether the city has been transparent about maintenance and donation policies.

Why it matters: Speakers said the Ryan House is a local historic resource and that community members have invested time and money in efforts to preserve it. They asked the city to provide documentation of building damage, to accept or clarify the city’s donation policies and to explain why independent engineers have been unable to inspect the structure.

Randall Adams, who said he circulated a questionnaire, told the council that “23.6% of the citizens responded to your questionnaire wanting you to spend extra money from the sale of the golf course to save the Ryan House.” Adams challenged the administration’s public statements about donation acceptance and suggested the council return the property to the Bryant family to avoid demolition costs.

Nick Bierman, representing the Save the Ryan House group, described the group’s float in the recent Daffodil Parade and said community support is real: “The community support to Save the Ryan House truly exists,” he said. Bierman said members attempted to offer a donation to the city to support historic documentation and complained that comments during a finance-committee discussion discouraged the group.

Melissa Fox requested that the city post photos showing the reported attic-floor collapse and said she disputes a city email that said the city performed regular maintenance on the house. Fox also raised concern about an apparent inconsistency in the city’s account: she said the city told the public that an independent structural engineer could not enter the house for safety reasons, yet she observed markings inside the house and asked why anyone would be allowed in if the structure were unsafe.

Tina Burnett told the council she has spent a year talking with residents and businesses and relayed frustration she said she hears in the community. “We’re not going to let the city get away with anything without us saying wait. Stop lying. Stop the secrets,” Burnett said, urging openness and collaboration from the council and staff.

The speakers asked for clearer communication about the building’s condition and about the city’s donation-acceptance rules. No formal council action on the Ryan House was taken during the April 7 meeting; the comments were made during the public-comment period.