Plans for Gold Run reconstruction will include new sprinkler system
Renovations for the Gold Run apartment complex, which caught fire on Oct. 26, 2007, will include a new sprinkler system.
Dave Martindale, the property manager of the Gold Run complex, said that the building that was burned down will be reconstructed to include a new sprinkler system, smoke detectors and fire alarms that abide under the current Boulder municipal fire code.
Martindale said that special emphasis will be placed on the new sprinkler system.
Since sprinklers were not required by the fire code when Gold Run was originally built in 1980, the buildings did not include sprinklers. However, because of an upgraded fire code, the renovated buildings will be required to have a sprinkler system that meets fire code standards.
“The new building will be required to be built according to present safety codes, not the codes the building was initially built under,” Jeff Long, Assistant Fire Marshall for the Boulder Fire Department, said.
There is not a set date for when the renovations will be completed.
Long also said the building will be continuously inspected throughout the duration of the construction process to ensure that fire safety standards are met. Yet, he said no special attention will be placed on the building because of its fire history.
“The code is something that is taken seriously and applies to all buildings the same,” Long said.
Although the soon-to-be reconstructed building will include sprinkler systems, the other remaining original buildings in Gold Run will remain void of any sprinklers.
“Today, any new or renovated buildings are required to institute a sprinkler system, but no action is needed for the existing old buildings,” Neil Poulsen, Boulder’s chief building official said.
While these sprinkler-free buildings may be in the clear as far as fire codes are concerned, many student residents living in the complex express some unease.
Jared Gutierrez, a junior psychology major, lives in the apartment complex across from building that was destroyed in the fire. He said he has asked his landlord to consider implementing sprinklers in his building.
“The fact that my building doesn’t have sprinklers does concern me,” Gutierrez said, “I was told that the sprinklers could have prevented a lot of damage from the other building.”
Most of the burnt remains of the building are still standing.
Poulsen said despite the lull, plans for renovation are in the making.
“The last I’ve heard, they’ve been in the making of design plans for a new building,” Poulsen said.
Poulsen also said that everything but the building’s foundation will have to be demolished in order for the new building to be constructed under modern architectural standards.
“It is almost as if they have to build an entire new building from start to finish,” Paulsen said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Sara Fossum at sara.fossum@colorado.edu
