State sprinkler law leads to Greek house renovations

With the creation of a state law stating that houses must be equipped with a sprinkler system for safety reasons, some Greek houses off University of Wisconsins campus are opting to take the opportunity for full-blown renovations.

Reporting from theWisconsin State Journal said the concern for fires at Greek houses arose after a fire destroyed the former structure of Sigma Phi Epsilon in 2008. A 2006 state law set the requirement that fraternities and sororities install sprinkler systems by Jan. 1 of this year, according to the story.

Eric Flanagan, a foundation board member for Delta Upsilon, said hes seen no complications with meeting the sprinkler requirements. He said the fraternity learned of the plan in 2006 and took it as an opportunity to update a house that had not been renovated since the 1960s.

At that point we decided we would do a full renovation of the house to coincide with the sprinkler requirements, were doing a full $2.1 million historical renovation of the inside of our house, Flanagan said. The outside of the house, since its a historical building, will remain the same but its a full-gut rehab on the inside.

Flanagan said the money for this makeover was made possible in part by an anchor donor, John Morgridge, who was a UW Alum and a prior president of Delta Upsilon. Morgridge agreed to match any funds raised by the fraternity, Flanagan said.

Currently, Delta Upsilon has raised $1.6 million total, Flanagan said.

Flanagan said the house is currently closed and the renovations will be in full swing from March until August. The house will re-open in time for the fall semester, he said.

Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said cost was a major obstacle in the renovation efforts.

Each house needs to comply with the sprinkler codes, which can cost anywhere from $200,000 to $500,000, Resnick said.

This can obviously be somewhat burdensome to sorority and fraternity houses, Resnick said.However it also does provide not only increased safety for the members but a chance to revamp many of the houses that havent seen some of the TLC that is otherwise needed.

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State sprinkler law leads to Greek house renovations