This historic Pierce County home is slated for demolition. $2.2 million could save it
Second update: The Sumner City Council unanimously rejected Resolution No. 1685. Each council member took turns explaining their reason for voting against it during the June 3 meeting.
Council member Carla Bowman said the resolution intended to show that the council was listening to the community. The intent was misunderstood, she said.
Council member Barbara Bitetto said during the meeting she is concerned about the “poor state” of the house. Council member Pat Cole said the same.
Bitetto also said she is worried that city services and staff could be cut in the long run to keep up with the cost of maintaining and operating the house if it is rebuilt.
Council member Greg Reinke said during the meeting he had received comments from residents wondering why the city is still spending money on the house.
Council member Pat Clerget said during the meeting the city has spent a lot of time and money on the house, and that there are many more projects that need attention.
Council member Andy Elfers said by rejecting the resolution, he hopes it is no longer a distraction to the community and gets them focused on funding.
Council member Curt Brown was absent.
When asked what happens now, city spokesperson Carmen Palmer told The News Tribune that any changes to the Ryan House are on hold until the city updates its comprehensive plan by the end of the year.
“The City of Sumner does not have the funds required to repair it. The City can still accept donations, but donors should understand that an estimated $2.2 million is needed to likely change the future of the house,” Palmer wrote in an email.
Update: The Sumner City Council did not vote on Resolution No. 1685 Monday. Council members unanimously voted to table the discussion until June 3.
Initial post: Those who do not want the Ryan House in Sumner demolished have about seven months to help gather money to fix it.
The Sumner City Council is scheduled to vote May 20 to adopt a resolution that clarifies the council has paused a previous resolution calling for demolition, and that the city would repeal the previous resolution if the city receives $2.2 million in private donations by December.
The City Council meeting will happen 6 p.m. at 1104 Maple St. and online at sumnerwa-gov.zoom.us/j/82633704258. There is a public comment period. Public comments can be submitted to michellec@sumnerwa.gov no later than 5:30 p.m. the day of the meeting.
The resolution the City Council will vote on, Resolution No. 1685, states that city staff applied for and received grants between 2018 and 2023 to preserve and renovate the house at 1228 Main St.
However, the cost to repair the home turned out to be more than the grant funds the city had available. In September 2023, the City Council voted to demolish the house and turn the space into a park – Resolution No. 1663.
The News Tribune reported in March 2024 that a Pierce County Superior Court judge ruled against the city’s plans to demolish the house because there was not enough public participation, and because the plans conflicted with parts of the city’s comprehensive plan.
A descendant of the couple who built the house, among others, filed a lawsuit that alleged the city violated state law with how it decided to demolish the house, The News Tribune reported.
The judge found that Sumner can’t pursue demolition until the city updates its comprehensive plan, because there’s a goal in the current comprehensive plan to renovate the Ryan House.
‘This is a lot to ask’
Nick Biermann said Resolution No. 1685 feels like an “ultimatum.” Biermann is part of the Friends of the Ryan House, a group advocating against the demolition.
Biermann said the $2.2 million figure is steep. He wishes the city found the minimum cost needed to reopen a portion of the house, and to fix the house in phases.
“This is a lot to ask,” Biermann said.
Biermann said the city still has access to funds that could be contributed to renovations, including a state heritage capital grant. He said he prefers the city to use the grant, which could deduct a chunk from the $2.2 million that is needed.
City spokesperson Carmen Palmer told The News Tribune the $305,000 state heritage capital grant comes with qualifiers. The city would need matching funds to use the money. The city would also need to spend the money on construction by July 2025.
Palmer said the city is already in the process of updating its comprehensive plan. This process includes public hearings, and the public can submit comments in person or in writing. The city is reworking the language for the Ryan House part of the plan by removing references to renovation and by not specifying demolition.
But updating the comprehensive plan does not generate $2.2 million, Palmer said.
“Money was always the issue on this project,” Palmer said, “and it still is.”
Mayor Kathy Hayden wrote in an online newsletter Thursday that there have been many “inflammatory and inaccurate claims and statements” made about the city. Demolition was not what the city originally wanted, she said.
“What’s driving the cost was the discovery hidden in the walls that the house was built wrong in the first place,” Hayden wrote in the newsletter.
Hayden said the city’s money comes from taxpayers. It goes to roads, parks and services such as local police. Draining it in an unstable economy is “a bad idea,” she said.
“Building safety is our responsibility,” Hayden wrote in the newsletter. “The Ryan House is currently red-tagged and not safe for the public to enter or enjoy.”
‘Hard choices’
When asked why the city decided on the $2.2 million figure, Palmer said that was the cost estimate consultants gave the city in September 2023.
At the May 13 City Council study session, council member Carla Bowman suggested raising the figure to $2.5 million or $3 million due to inflation. Council members Pat Cole and Andy Elfers expressed support for keeping it at $2.2 million.
If the public raises $2.2 million by Dec. 1, and if City Council members vote to rescind Resolution No. 1663, the city may contribute $300,000, which was supposed to pay for demolition expenses.
If the city does not receive $2.2 million by Dec. 1., the city will unpause Resolution No. 1663. The city cannot extend the deadline due to “safety risks posed by the structure,” according to Resolution No. 1685.
Palmer said she would not want to guess a specific date the home would be demolished if the public does not raise $2.2 million by Dec. 1. The city would have to go through a process, including permitting and bidding. The city would also have to figure out how to obtain salvageable items from the house, she said.
When asked why Dec. 1 is the deadline, Palmer said it is because the city anticipates passing the updated comprehensive plan by then.
“We really have to make some hard choices right after that,” Palmer said. “It’s not something we can kick the can on.”
The house was built in the 1850s. The city’s first mayor, George Ryan, lived in it with his wife, Lucy Ryan. The house used to be the city’s post office, town hall, library and museum. The city took ownership of the space nearly 100 years ago.
The city has a page online dedicated to the Ryan House, which can be found at connects.sumnerwa.gov/ryan-house.
This story was originally published May 19, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
