CC 10-25-1999 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 25, 1999 7 . Mr. Apple stated that the generator system sits approximately two feet off the ground on a fuel tank system, The air flows from the sides of the unit, across the engine, and is then pushed through the radiator and out of the unit With a block wall structure it will be even more essential that the area be kept clear so snow will not will be pulled into the unit and freeze in the radiator. When the engine is shut down after a short operational period of time, the snow does not completely melt and the fan may freeze, This may result in the belts being spun off the unit and the failure of the unit Mr. Apple stated that he has been involved in the generator business for approximately 15 years and deals with many city applications throughout the upper Midwest. He indicated that aesthetics is a key issue these days and his company has worked hard to develop a generator design that meets the facility requirements, In many scenarios, generators have large muffler units mounted on the top of the units. Over the years the paint chips and the mufflers rust. With the unit being purchased by Midway Bank, the mufflers have been incorporated inside the enclosure. The main reasons for this was to be able to place a unit, painted the same color as the building, using the least amount of space in order to blend the unit into the facade of the building itself. Mr. Apple concurred with Mr. Beck in that a cedar wood fence would be the most viable option. The fence would be very attractive, sturdily built, and painted to match the building, He noted, however, an enclosure will increase the overall footprint of the unit. At this time, the generator will sit entirely on the sidewalk area witbout protruding into the parking lot area. When a fence . or wall is added, there must be at least three feet of clearance. Mr. Apple stated that cost is also an issue. A painted cedar wood fence of high quality is a fairly expensive proposition. A brick wall made to match the exterior design of the building becomes a very expensive proposition, A brick wall would require footings in the ground and would have to be at least 10 feet tall. This will not allow air flow through the enclosure and will cause snow to be trapped inside the wall. Mr. Apple stated that the intent was to meet the requirements of the facility while following the Y2K requirements of the Federal Government Midway Bank was also considering the long- term reliability ofthe generator system on this site since there is a great deal of data processing that is the basis of the facility. Mayor Probst agreed that the behavior of snow through an open fence versus a solid fence is different However, it would be hard to predict which of the options would cause more snow to accumulate around the generator. By allowing no enclosure or a wooden fence the City would be hard pressed to not allow the same thing for other businesses within the community that decide they need a generator. Councilmember Larson noted that the plans that show a cedar fencc and the plans that show a block wall both show bollards, He asked what the purpose of the bollards would be on the block . wall enclosure. Mr. Apple stated that the bollards would be included with the block wall in order to protect the blocks from being chipped if hit by a truck He noted that there currently are