Saint Joseph parish urges code change after sprinkler retrofit costs stall school renovation

Parish leaders at the Village of Manhattan meeting on an unspecified May date asked trustees to consider a code amendment after presenting estimates showing sprinkler retrofits and water-main work would dramatically increase the cost of a planned renovation at Saint Joseph School.

Father Mike, speaking for Saint Joseph Parish, said the parish is seeking a solution that preserves life safety while avoiding an outcome that would make a modest renovation uneconomical. "Sprinklers, in order to function properly, they need a certain amount of water volume, they need a certain amount of pressure," he said, adding that connecting to the main could require a 2-, 4- or 6-inch line and excavation. Father Mike told trustees the parish’s renovation budget for the adaptive reuse of a 1,140-square-foot garage is $233,000 and that sprinkler- and main-related work could add at least $75,000 to the total project; he said, "On the very lowest end with the most optimistic of attitudes... we're talking at minimum…