Categorys
Pages
Linkpartner


    Page 21«..10..20212223..3040..»



    Church admits sprinkler system was to scare away the homeless - March 20, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

    SAN FRANCISCO -

    A sprinkler system at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco has for two years been drenching people who seek shelter there.

    Why the church's leaders installed the sprinklers is drawing criticism.

    The San Francisco Archdiocese says they put in the sprinkler system two years ago to deter the homeless and keep the grounds clean.

    They also admit they never got a permit to install the sprinklers, but now they had to get one to dismantle them.

    Homeless advocates are outraged and church leaders are apologizing.

    "It actually had an opposite effect from what it was intended to do, and for that we are very sorry and apologize," said Bishop William Justice.

    The church says they plan to continue their efforts to feed and house the homeless, pointing out that St Mary's opens its door for shelter and food for three weeks over the holidays.

    View original post here:
    Church admits sprinkler system was to scare away the homeless

    San Francisco Archdiocese removes controversial water sprinkler system - March 20, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Photo: Wikipedia

    The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption has faced criticism for its water sprinkler system that drenches the homeless that seek shelter in its doors.

    The Archdiocese of San Francisco has removed a controversial water sprinkler system installed at its home church.

    The water sprinkler system refers to the system in theCathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption that sprays water from the ceiling 30 feet down into the four side doors of the church. The sprinkler attracted outrage on social media after KCBSran a report on Wednesday with a video showing the sprinkler system drenching the homeless that take shelter in the cathedral.

    According to KCBS, the system sprays water on the church's doors for 75 seconds, every 30 to 60 minutes.

    KBCS claimed a cathedral employee had confirmed that church management had installed the sprinkler system as a deterrent against homeless people who seek shelter in the cathedral.

    After KBCS ran the report, the water sprinker system attracted criticism from residents and human rights groups.

    "It's very shocking, and very inhumane...Certainly not formed on the basis of Catholic teachings,"Coalition on Homeless Executive DirectorJennifer Friedenbach said of the sprinkler system.

    The report also prompted the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection to issue a notice of violation against the Cathedral and gave them a 15-day deadline to have the water sprinkler system removed.

    Bishop William Justice, a rector in the Cathedral, issued a statementon Wednesday explaining the purpose of the sprinkler system. In the release, Bishop Justice said that the system serves"as a safety, security and cleanliness measure to avoid the situation where needles, feces and other dangerous items were regularly being left in these hidden doorways."

    Read the original here:
    San Francisco Archdiocese removes controversial water sprinkler system

    SF Archdiocese apologizes for using sprinklers to deter homeless - March 20, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

    The Archdiocese of San Francisco is removing a sprinkler system from St. Marys Cathedral that was used to try to deter homeless people from sleeping in the churchs doorways.Catholic officials issued an apology Wednesday for the sprinkler system, which was installed about two years ago after the archdiocese said it learned that such a system was being used in the Financial District to keep areas safe and clean. Homeless advocates, however, were aghast to learn of the sprinkler system at the church.Barry Stenger, executive director of the St. Anthony Foundation, which is not directly affiliated with the archdiocese, said he was surprised such a tactic would be used because Catholic churches have long been known to support homeless people. It seems really inconsistent with how Catholics in this city have treated homeless and people who are poor or are struggling, Stenger said. The archdiocese conceded that the method was ill-conceived.For this we are very sorry, said a statement from the archdiocese.Church officials said the sprinklers were meant to keep the area safe. Needles, feces and other dangerous items were regularly left in the doorways of the church, endangering students and elderly residents as they attended school and mass each day, the archdiocese said.When the system was installed, after other ideas were tried and failed, the people who were regularly sleeping in those doorways were informed in advance that the sprinklers were being installed, the statement said. The idea was not to remove those persons, but to encourage them to relocate to other areas of the Cathedral, which are protected and safer.The archdiocese emphasized that the Catholic community, particularly St. Marys Cathedral, has been a strong supporter of homeless San Franciscans by providing food, housing and shelter programs, among other efforts.The sprinkler system also might have violated San Francisco water-use laws, the archdiocese acknowledged. Removal of the system was expected to be complete Wednesday.

    See the original post:
    SF Archdiocese apologizes for using sprinklers to deter homeless

    Cathedral drenched homeless - March 20, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Updated: Thursday, March 19 2015, 12:17 PM EDT

    (AP)- The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco on Wednesday dismantled a sprinkler system it had installed at the city's cathedral during one of the worst droughts in California history to soak the alcoves and prevent homeless people from sleeping there.

    The archdiocese took down the sprinklers after a barrage of criticism because the system installed at St. Mary's Cathedral was drenching homeless people at night.

    KCBS Radio first reported undeterred homeless people were using umbrellas and waterproof gear, but they were still getting soaked as they slept in the doorways. The sprinklers ran for about 75 seconds, about every half hour, starting before sunset in all four doorways, soaking homeless people and their belongings, a KCBS reporter who saw the sprinklers at work reported.

    The archdiocese, which supports and helps the homeless, apologized and said its intentions were misunderstood. It said the purpose was redirect homeless people to safer areas on the cathedral grounds.

    "We are sorry that our intentions have been misunderstood and recognize that the method used was ill-conceived. It actually has had the opposite effect from what it was intended to do, and for this we are very sorry," said Auxiliary Bishop William Justice, rector of the cathedral.

    The system had been dismantled as of Wednesday afternoon, said Larry Kamer, a spokesman for the archdiocese. No homeless people were using the cathedral's alcoves until recently, he said.

    The sprinkler system was installed two years ago, after the archdiocese learned that kind of system was being commonly used in the Financial District as a safety and cleanliness measure. Feces, needles and other dangerous items were regularly found in the doorways, Justice said.

    "The problem was particularly dangerous because students and elderly people regularly pass these locations on their way to school and Mass every day," Justice said.

    Homeless advocates welcomed the archdiocese's decision to remove the sprinklers, but they said they weren't surprised water was being used to get homeless people to move away from the area.

    Read the rest here:
    Cathedral drenched homeless

    San Francisco cathedral turning off sprinklers that douse the homeless - March 18, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

    A San Francisco Catholic church announced it would remove a sprinkler system that was reportedly dousing homeless people as they slept near the building's sheltered doorways.

    The Archdiocese of San Francisco said Wednesday that the sprinklers outside St. Marys Cathedral would be turned off following a backlash after a KCBS report about the watering system.

    There are several tall doors with sheltered alcoves that attract homeless people at night, KCBS reported. Though there are no signs warning people, the sprinkler system turns on several times during the night, the news station reported.

    Water pours from a hole in the ceiling, about 30 feet above, drenching the alcove and anyone in it, KCBS reported.

    The water runs for about 75 seconds in all four doorways, and KCBS reporters said they watched as the sprinklers soaked homeless people and their belongings.

    Were going to be wet there all night, so hypothermia, cold, all that other stuff could set in, a homeless man named Robert told KCBS. The sprinkler system is keeping the church clean, but it could make people sick.

    The news station said there were syringes, cigarette butts, soggy clothing and cardboard in the area but no draining system, allowing the water to pool on steps and sidewalks. St. Marys Cathedral is the principal church for the archdiocese.

    In its statement, the archdiocese said the sprinkler system in its back doorways was installed about two years ago after other ideas were tried and failed.

    The archdiocese said the sprinklers were modeled after systems in the Financial District as a safety, security and cleanliness measure to avoid the situation where needles, feces and other dangerous items were regularly being left in these hidden doorways.

    The archdiocese said the problems with homeless people sleeping in St. Marys doorways was particularly dangerous because students and elderly people pass the areas en route to school and mass daily.

    Continue reading here:
    San Francisco cathedral turning off sprinklers that douse the homeless

    SF cathederal keeps homeless away with sprinklers - March 18, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

    A sprinkler system at St. Marys Cathedral has been drenching homeless men and women who seek shelter there for two years.

    The sprinkler system was installed after church officials learned that this was a popular method in the city's financial district, according to a statement provided by church spokesman Larry Kramer.

    The system was installed as a "safety, security and cleanliness measure to avoid the situation where needles, feces and other dangerous items were regularly being left in these hidden doorways," the church statement reads. The bishop said he was worried about students and elderly people passing by the church in these conditions.

    WhenSt. Marys Cathedral'ssprinklers were spotlighted in the media earlier this week, the bishop backtracked, and said the church's aim was never to douse people.

    At a news conference Wednesday, Archdiocese of San Francisco Bishop William Justice promised the sprinklers were already being removed at the iconic church on Gough Street, which turned on at least once every hour, spraying those who slept there. The bishop noted the Cathedral is a hub for "hundreds of homeless people," and opens its doors to help those in need "more than any other Catholic church."

    The bishop said that those who regularly slept in the doorways of the church were told in advance about the sprinklers.

    The "idea was not to remove those persons, but to encourage them to relocate to other areas of the Cathedral, which are protected and safer," the church statement read.

    Still, the church conceded that leaders now realized the system needed a permit and "may violate San Francisco water-use laws," and work to remove the system has already started.

    "We are sorry that our intentions have been misunderstood and recognize that the method used was ill-conceived," the statement read. "It actually has had the opposite effect from what it was intended to do, and for this we are sorry."

    The church made its announcement only after KCBS radios Doug Sovern first reported the story, alleging that the church installed the watering system to keep the homeless from sleeping in the Cathedrals doorways.

    Go here to read the rest:
    SF cathederal keeps homeless away with sprinklers

    Morrow approves less strict sprinkler-system rules - March 17, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

    MORROW Council voted unanimously Monday to implement a less-strict sprinkler system.

    Officials previously said the intent of the policy was to encourage economic development in the area.

    Our imperative directive is to try to take off some of the chains in terms of economic development if theyre not necessary, said Interim City Manager Sylvia Redic at the Jan. 27 council meeting where the issue was first discussed.

    The amendment to the fire codes repeals extra code restrictions the city ordinances place on businesses. Instead, the city will follow the less-strict state fire safety codes.

    Right now, Morrows codes require that buildings of any type construction or occupancy shall be protected throughout by an approved supervised sprinkler system. But fire Chief Mark Herendeen and fire Marshal Herb Jones said in at least two council meetings they felt the ordinance was overly cautious.

    When you get into commercial buildings, a lot of them are Type I, Type II concrete block and steel and theres not that need for that level of fire protection, Herendeen said at the Jan. 27 meeting.

    Herendeen and Mayor J.B. Burke implied at that meeting the change in codes could encourage smaller businesses to set up shop in Morrow since they wouldnt necessarily need to pay for the full cast-iron-pipe sprinkler system the city codes require for commercial buildings.

    If the council members vote to change the ordinances, the fire department would need to examine each building and how it would be used and determine by state codes whether it would need a sprinkler system.

    What we need to remember about the state fire code is its not a book its volumes of books, Redic said.

    Sprinkler systems have been a haunting theme of the city since controversy surrounding Olde Towne Morrow, a botched development project the city closed in February 2011.

    More:
    Morrow approves less strict sprinkler-system rules

    High-rise sprinkler reporting bill filed in state House - March 17, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder

    NEWS

    Posted TODAY, 2:27 PM Updated TODAY, 5:40 PM

    SAN ANTONIO - A bill that would require local governments and fire departments to report information on high-rise buildings in their jurisdictions not equipped with fire protection sprinkler systems to the state fire marshal has been introduced in the Texas House by San Antonio Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-District 116).

    HB 4011 would also require the state fire marshal to report that information to the Legislature.

    I filed this legislation to bring the state fire marshal further into the conversation, and to make sure that we have a statewide assessment of all residential high-rise buildings posing this extreme risk to our citizens, Martinez Fischer said in a statement. The goal of this bill is to ensure that local governments report detailed information on the state of such buildings, and encourage them to develop and maintain emergency plans of action and seek retrofit ordinances to retrofit these buildings with the appropriate safety systems.

    In December, a fire at the Wedgwood Senior Apartments in San Antonio claimed the lives of six residents, injured a dozen more and displaced hundreds.

    Though the cause of the fire has been ruled undetermined, the facility was not equipped with a sprinkler system. The Wedgwood did not have a sprinkler system because it was grandfathered in after the City of Castle Hills began requiring sprinklers in 2012.

    According to Martinez Fischer, his bill "respects local control and affords local governments the flexibility they need to address these deficiencies, while enabling the fire marshal to monitor and make additional recommendations to advance this progress."

    Meanwhile, State Rep. Rick Galindo, R-District 117, recently filed House Bill 3089 that require sprinklers in all high-rise residential buildings.

    The bill defines a high-rise as a building reaching 75 feet above the ground or higher.

    Go here to read the rest:
    High-rise sprinkler reporting bill filed in state House

    Major push underway to save people from dying in house fires – Video - March 15, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder


    Major push underway to save people from dying in house fires
    There #39;s a major push underway in Connecticut to save lives with the help of a sprinkler system.

    By: WTNH News8

    Original post:
    Major push underway to save people from dying in house fires - Video

    2521 G Street, Eureka, CA 95501 – Video - March 15, 2015 by Mr HomeBuilder


    2521 G Street, Eureka, CA 95501
    Lovely G Street gem. Award winning gardens featured in Times-Standard Garden Gems. Gumwood woodwork, sunroom with light and warmth, breakfast nook, cove ceilings, formal dining room, ...

    By: HomeTourConnect

    Read more from the original source:
    2521 G Street, Eureka, CA 95501 - Video

    « old entrysnew entrys »



    Page 21«..10..20212223..3040..»


    Recent Posts