City, church at odds over sprinkler system

The citys code enforcement office has been at odds with Pilgrim Baptist Church over a new addition the city claims requires the church to also install a sprinkler system in the existing building in order to comply with Newark code.

Members of the church, founded in 1913 and located on Barksdale Road, believe the code is being incorrectly interpreted by city officials and argue that the two buildings are separate, distinct structures.

It was by design that these be two separate buildings, Pastor Lonnie Rector said.

On Tuesday, both parties presented their cases to the Board of Building Appeals with City Solicitor Bruce Herron and Tim Poole, code enforcement officer, arguing in favor of the city, and James A. Landon, an attorney from Morris James, LLP, representing the church.

Three out of the six members of the board were present at the hearing, including Terrance Haskins, Jeff Bergstrom and Sal Sedita.

Work began last year on the two-story, 17,000-square-foot addition to the back of the church for a fellowship hall and additional meeting rooms, classrooms and kitchen, but on Feb. 5, a month before completion, the church received a letter from Planning Director Maureen Feeney Roser stating that sprinklers must be installed in the existing portion of the building.

Feeney Roser explained that the sprinklers needed to be installed before she could issue a Certificate of Occupancy for the addition and gave the church 30 days to comply.

However, on Tuesday, Landon argued that the church is not financially prepared to install the sprinklers and should not be required to do so in 30 days, a time frame he described as impossible.

He added that the church would be unable to hold regular services if forced to install sprinklers in the existing building, as the worship room would be under construction.

Poole explained to the board that the existing church shares load-bearing elements with the new area, which deems it not only an addition, but also a renovation, and triggers the automatic sprinklering requirement. He also noted that the two buildings are connected by a hallway.

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City, church at odds over sprinkler system