"WORD ON THE STREET"

"Word on the Street" is published weekly in the Sumner Reporter Newspaper.

Issue Date:  August 10, 2008

WORD ON THE STREET

By Shelly Schlumpf, Director SDA 

Since this is my first Word On The Street column in the Bonney Lake/Sumner Courier Herald, I’d like to say “hello” to all our potentially new readers and “welcome back” to those in Sumner who’ve been keeping an eye on me for the last year in the Sumner Reporter. 

As the Executive Director for the Sumner Downtown Association, it’s my job to share our mission to promote the preservation and revitalization of downtown as the heart of the Sumner community.  SDA is currently working with the city to adopt a historic preservation ordinance and we strive for revitalization of our downtown by involving many partners who each play a vital role in its success. 

One of those partners I’d like to focus on this week is the Fire Department.  Specifically, East Pierce County Fire Dept. Chief, Dan Packer and Deputy Chief, John McDonald.  You might think mentioning EPCFD as a downtown partner is unusual, but in the past year I have worked closely with both Dan and John on several issues, including special events, community branding and fire sprinkler ordinances.  Believe it or not, fire ordinances are fairly polarizing topics if you are a property owner in the downtown core.  The cost of maintenance, upgrades and remodels to our historic buildings has a direct effect on rents, and that has a direct effect on whether or not we have empty storefronts on Main Street. 

Both Chief Packer and Deputy Chief McDonald recognize the challenges of public safety vs economics and are committed to our revitalization efforts.  It has been exciting to work with them and think outside the box to creatively merge the criteria necessary for fire safety and historic preservation.  I can honestly tell you that this is not the normal modus operandi for fire or building officials throughout the state or nation.  It is usually an either/or mentality.  

Needless to say, the news of Chief Packer’s recent death was devastating.  To me, Dan and John had sort of become like Batman and Robin or Sherlock Homes and Watson.  It seemed they came as a pair and were my “go to” guys for problem solving with a positive attitude.  They didn’t always give me the answer I wanted to hear, but they provided tools for solutions.  Dan had a real heart for historic preservation, loved talking about the buildings downtown and was eager to hear about our community branding campaign and ask questions about how we were going to implement it.  John I think of as the “Code Man”.  He’s a whiz when it comes to local, state and international fire codes and a great mentor for helping to understand their purpose or intent.

Sumner is very fortunate to have fire officials that care about downtown.  Chief Packer’s presence and enthusiasm will be sorely missed, but I believe he set the bar for excellence in his own organization and Sumner will continue to enjoy his legacy of commitment to community.  On behalf of SDA, “Thanks, Dan.”