Offering expanded safety features, including residential sprinklers, in new downtown Beaufort housing will create a safer community, said Beaufort Fire Chief Sammy Negron, MidTown Square developer Steven Tully and builder Allan Patterson.
The design would feature recessed sprinkler heads throughout the living area of the homes now being constructed at Bladen and Adventure streets.<!--more-->
“When we can create interior residential sprinkler systems, tied in with active alarms and a highly-trained, well equipped fire department, we create a safer place for people to live and a safer city because of reduced risk of fire,” Negron said.
The expected cost of the residential sprinkler system in the MidTown Square homes is approximately $2 per square foot, Tully said.
While the engineering and designs are well under way, challenges remain, Tully and Negron said.
High ceilings require a larger, one-inch water meter per house, upgraded from the 3/4–inch version that Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority typically approves. Adding the larger-flow water meter brings an added cost from BJWSA.
“It is our hope that we can demonstrate to Beaufort-Jasper Water that this upgrade is for the safety of the residents and the safety of the neighborhood, and that they will waive the increased fee for the larger water meter,” Negron said.
State law prohibits water utility companies from charging more than actual costs for taps and equipment related to residential sprinkler systems.