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Annapolis Yacht Club on Fire

  • Thread starter Thread starter ronparise
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 26
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Downtown was/is crazed, total gridlock. Was trying to get to friends boat for the light parade tonight to end a spectacular day. Lot of streets closed so we gave up. Parade cancelled. ho ho ho.
 
Evidently the building is totaled. This according to friends in Eastport. A shame as it had major renovations in 1995 and was really nice inside. Scuttlebutt is that the fire started with a Christmas tree, but I don't know how reliable that is. Really a shame as it will take a long time to rebuild it. And a lot of local people work there- they will be out of work at the worst time of year to lose your job.
 
I heard it was not sprinklered....... To me that's like having no fire suppression in your ER.
 
That may be true. It is mentioned in local newspaper accounts.

The mansion fire that killed six people- a couple and their four grandchildren- last year also occurred in a house without a sprinkler system. My guess is that the Yacht club building, which was old but updated, was grandfathered in without a sprinkler system.

Because we have a lot of old buildings in Annapolis, we have a lot of buildings without modern fire-protection systems. And we have a lot of fires, too. Maybe we need a change in the city codes. Among other reasons, a lot of commercial buildings have residential spaces upstairs from the commercial areas. I don't know what our codes are on fire escapes, but I wonder if they are no more modern than the codes not requiring sprinkler systems.

I'm glad no one was killed in the AYC fire. Two firefighters were injured, the paper says. I just wonder, with all of our old structures here in town, how long it's going to be before a fire kills someone.
 
The rebuild could be a turning point and a mountain to climb. A lot of politics and power will be involved in that one.

News says the governor is touring the site today. Isn't that like going to City Dock for coffee for him??
 
Some of the local food and drink establishments, like Ram's Head, are offering jobs to the folks who now don't have a place to work. That's commendable, to say the least.

I drove past AYC today. It does not look like a total loss to me, but I have no idea what's involved in assessing the stability and strength of a building after a fire. Much of it look rebuildable from the outside. I hope so. I am not a member, but it is an Annapolis landmark and I would hate to see it disappear.
 
jim rosenthal said:
I just wonder, with all of our old structures here in town, how long it's going to be before a fire kills someone.
Click to expand...

So the chance of a fire potentially killing somebody is all that's required to burden society with the huge expense of installing sprinkler systems everywhere? And sprinkler system will guarantee no deaths will occur?? Except smoke usually causes most deaths. Sprinkler systems don't always put out fire, and sprinkler systems do go off or leak and cause tons of damage.

Living requires risks.

You're going to reimburse all the owners for the required upgrades to install sprinkler systems, right?
 
It was unfortunate that AYC burned, but I heard that the Maryland governor has said the state will help any way it can. My first thought was, why would the state involve itself in rebuilding a yacht club. Isn't that what insurance is for?
 
His comment struck me as a bit odd too. I suspect he made it because it's 91) just down the street from his house, (2) the employees a lot of local constituents, and (3) the members are prob big donors.
 
krush said:
So the chance of a fire potentially killing somebody is all that's required to burden society with the huge expense of installing sprinkler systems everywhere? And sprinkler system will guarantee no deaths will occur?? Except smoke usually causes most deaths. Sprinkler systems don't always put out fire, and sprinkler systems do go off or leak and cause tons of damage.

Living requires risks.

You're going to reimburse all the owners for the required upgrades to install sprinkler systems, right?
Click to expand...

It should be a requirement I understand your point about risk, and I should be responsible for the risks I take, but I shouldnt have to suffer the risk my neighbor takes by not protecting his property, abd although these old buildings are privately owned, together they make up the town that we are all part of

If I owned a 200 yo wood frame building next to yours I would want us both to have the protection. Perhaps the best way to do it would be to develop a special taxing district and we all pay according to the size of our buildings.
 
Why add another tax when the private sector (e.g. insurance companies) already factors in things like on-site sprinklers, distance to hydrants, etc. into their calculations?
 
q240z said:
It was unfortunate that AYC burned, but I heard that the Maryland governor has said the state will help any way it can. My first thought was, why would the state involve itself in rebuilding a yacht club. Isn't that what insurance is for?
Click to expand...

Annapolis and its waterfront is a historic gem. and part of what makes the state what it is. The city owns the old market house at the foot of main St. It would have been a gas station without government intervention. Maybe the state could own the property and lease it to the Club... Call it a waterfront park

Ok thats going too far, Im not saying the State should rebuild the Yacht Club, but maybe some loan guarantees and deferred taxes would help

Or just maybe just give the property to Saint Marys, to save on taxes.. That might help
 
"So the chance of a fire potentially killing somebody is all that's required to burden society with the huge expense of installing sprinkler systems everywhere? And sprinkler system will guarantee no deaths will occur?? Except smoke usually causes most deaths. Sprinkler systems don't always put out fire, and sprinkler systems do go off or leak and cause tons of damage.

Living requires risks.

You're going to reimburse all the owners for the required upgrades to install sprinkler systems, right?"



Actually, you don't live here. I do. I have no idea what the codes are in your neck of the woods, but I can tell you (because I live here) that Annapolis has more than its share of very old buildings and that sprinkler system retrofits are apparently not required by law. I think what people have in their houses is their own business, but the AYC is not a house- it is a public place and it ought to be as safe as a modern restaurant or club building. It was remodeled in 1995, from what I can gather from members who are friends, but a sprinkler system wasn't included.

Sure, sprinklers leak, they go off accidentally, etc. All that is true. But since no one can guarantee safety, it makes sense to me that public buildings should be as safe as possible, and fire protection systems are part of that safety. As far as the expense goes, it can be shared- for example, the state of Maryland has required improved septic tank systems for years, which are expensive- but they give you financial help putting them in so that homeowners can afford to do it.
 
As far as rebuilding the AYC building, I'm sure it is insured. Also, the member base of AYC is well-off- they can afford to rebuild it. The people who lose the most are the employees, who now have nowhere to work.
 
My Roamer is an historic gem. It was a fixture in southern MD for decades. Maryland is big on boating, and it's a boat. So...the government should give me grants and loans and tax deferrals.

:cool:
 
q240z said:
My Roamer is an historic gem. It was a fixture in southern MD for decades. Maryland is big on boating, and it's a boat. So...the government should give me grants and loans and tax deferrals.

:cool:
Click to expand...

You have a Republican Governor...probably ought to apply

and you probably know who Im referencing when I say "God Bless you all real good"
 
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