Saturday, March 31, 2007
Editorial: Ballroom is saved, but dangers remain
A Fire Board of Appeals ruling allowing receptions to continue at the Corinthian was fair. But legitimate safety issues should not be ignored.
From the RoundTable blog
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Two mental images -- one unpleasant, one ghastly -- were conjured by Thursday's marathon hearing of Roanoke's Fire Board of Appeals.
The first image was of the Corinthian Ballroom in downtown Roanoke abandoned and decrepit, home to flocks of pigeons rather than host to glamorous wedding receptions. The second was of one of those receptions ending in tragedy, as hundreds of guests attempt to flee a fire down the building's lone staircase as it fills with smoke and deadly fumes.
The board's early morning decision to reverse a fire marshal's citation requiring a second exit to street level makes the first vision unlikely.
But the very real dangers illuminated by the fire marshal's report remain.
Victoria Longley and Gary Peck, co-owners of the Corinthian, made some excellent arguments in their case.
They purchased the building in 2002. The city never discussed the need for a second exit. The facility passed a 2004 fire inspection without a single violation. Even though the former Mason hall was often used for wedding receptions before Longley and Peck bought it, the issue of a second exit was never raised then, either.
Longley and Peck argued that the cost for a second exit would be prohibitive. They would be forced to give up the business and abandon the building.
They brought in an expert to testify that the building is essentially fireproof, though Roanoke Fire Chief David Hoback noted that carpets could burn and that the florist on the first floor stores combustibles. The owner' attorney also argued that state law prohibits holding the older building to more stringent safety standards adopted in recent years.
The Fire Board of Appeals apparently agreed. Board members ruled that the events now held at the Corinthian were not different enough from those hosted by the Masons to constitute a "change of use." They did ask for several less costly safety improvements.
But still, that image of guests attempting to flee a fire and getting caught up in a "pinch point" at the stairwell is hard to ignore. If tragedy ever strikes, everyone will know it could have been prevented.
Public safety, even in older buildings, cannot be ignored. But the fire marshal's approach was fundamentally unfair. The city should try to work with the owners on further ways to address legitimate safety concerns without putting them out of business.
