Laserfiche WebLink
CITY OF ARDEN HILLS <br /> MEMORANDUM <br /> DATE: May 11, 2001 <br /> TO: Joe Lynch, City Administrator <br /> FROM: Dave Scherbel,Building Official <br /> SUBJECT: Arden Tower <br /> Request <br /> City Staff requests direction on how to proceed with the Arden Tower located at 1777 <br /> Gateway Blvd. (formerly 14th St.) The Building Official has declared the Tower an <br /> unsafe structure according to the state building code. The Arden Tower was declared <br /> unsafe in a letter to the Tower's owner,Mr. Dan Vaughan, on 12/13/99. Following is a <br /> brief outline of how that determination was made. <br /> Background <br /> U.S. West made application to the City in Planning Case#98-10, to install an antenna <br /> array on the tower at 1777 Gateway Boulevard (formerly 14th Street) owned by Mr. Dan <br /> Vaughan. The application was approved with the condition that they comply with the <br /> Ehresmann Engineering report dated February 2, 1998. <br /> After reviewing the report, staff noted that the report did not include calculations for 1/2" <br /> radial ice as required by the State Building Code. Staff requested additional engineering <br /> that included calculations for %i"radial ice. <br /> Several reports were done, the first one was by Paul J. Ford Company for U.S. West. The <br /> report stated the tower does not meet the State requirement for %2"radial ice and a 69 <br /> m.p.h. wind. In fact, it could only safely withstand a 25 m.p.h. wind,with 1/z"radial ice. <br /> Ehresmann Engineering, at the request of Mr. Vaughan, also did two additional reports. <br /> The first report was done with calculations including '/2"radial ice. This report indicated <br /> the tower does not meet State Code. Another report was done without any calculations <br /> for '/2"radial ice. This report raised serious questions as to the tower's loading and still <br /> failed in several areas. <br /> I have enclosed(highlighted) copies of these reports for your review. Based upon these <br /> reports received by U.S. West, and Ehresmann Engineering, staff concluded that the <br /> tower was an unsafe structure as stated in a letter to Mr. Vaughan dated December 13th, <br /> 1999 (copy attached.) <br />