HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-07-10 email mcswain to pruitt1
Minyard, Brian
From:Frances McSwain <missymcswain18@gmail.com>
Sent:Saturday, July 10, 2021 5:35 PM
To:Cindy Pruitt
Cc:Director Peck; David Porter; Patricia Blick; Minyard, Brian; Ray Wittenberg;
karolzoeller@sbcglobal.net
Subject:Re: Noise Abatement for HVAC Unit?
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the
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Dear Cindy,
I appreciate your email of June 25th regarding the sound mitigation for the AMFA HVAC cooling tower. I
understand that it is difficult to get a sound reading on the mechanical equipment with the constant
construction noise. We eagerly await the results of the system balancing and installation of the panels that
should reduce the sound heard around our neighborhood.
Aside from the sound disturbance, the reorientation of the service entrance on the Commerce Street side of
the building also brings up several questions concerning traffic flow, site lines from 10 th Street and
enhancement of the corner of 9th and Commerce Streets.
With the future closing of the I30 Cantrell ramp, I understand that 6th and 9th Streets will be the only I30 ramps
between the bridge and I630. Although I do not know which way the traffic will flow on 6th and 9th, I assume it
will be one way.
According to ARDOT traffic studies, 12,000k vehicles per day use the Cantrell ramp. If ½ of those vehicles use
9th Street – that would be 6000 vehicles per day or 250 vehicles per hour. The number of vehicles will most
likely increase during busier times of the day as well as decrease during slower traffic times.
How are visitors expected to enter the site from 9th Street? Will there be a turn lane? If Commerce
Street, how is that traffic expected to flow?
How are service vehicles to enter the site? Since we have experienced much heavy construction traffic
and on-street parking by workers, we look forward to getting our quiet little side street back to normal.
Will there be plenty of room for service vehicles and semi-trucks to make a wide turn off Commerce
Street so that these vehicles will not use 10th Street as a straight route into the service area?
Has the site line from 10th Street into the service area been considered? I understand that landscaping will be
installed on the grounds, but will there be a fence or gates to the service entrance? I assume the trash
dumpsters will also be placed in this area – where will they be sited and how will they be screened?
Would the AMFA be willing to work with the neighborhood to plant trees in the city right-of-way and where
appropriate on 10th Street not only to soften the site line but also to help muffle the sound?
9th and Commerce Streets appear to be the neighborhood gateway to the new museum from the West
(depending on which way the traffic flows.) Two corners of this intersection are eyesores. The vacant property
on the NW corner is unsightly as are the multiple telephone poles and overgrown shrubbery on the SW corner.
There is trash on the streets and overflowing recycle bins are a usual site along Commerce. Except for the 311
requests I continue to submit, how can we as the neighborhood organization help with this area?
Thank you for your attention to this email and again, I invite you to visit and discuss these concerns.
Sincerely yours,
2
Missy McSwain
501.944.1126
On Fri, Jun 25, 2021 at 10:37 AM Cindy Pruitt <cpruitt@polkstanleywilcox.com> wrote:
Missy
Sorry for the delay in this response but getting schedule items pinned down has been a little difficult with some of the
Covid related delays we have been encountering.
With that said I am happy to share what we know so far.
The additional cooling tower temporary blankets for sound mitigation arrived on site this week and the Contractor says
they will have those installed by the end of day today. This should help contain the sound but will not yet be fully
comparable to the final mechanical screen install.
The tree planting on the west parking lot is beginning but the landscape directly west of the tower will be delayed until
the screen panels are installed.
The footings for the dock yard fence that has been delaying the cooling tower panel install are being installed this next
week – the excavation occurred this week so install of those footings should follow. Once that work is complete, Then
the enclosure panels can be installed and we will have better containment of the sound.
In the interim, we have been periodically taking sound readings from the area directly adjacent to the mechanical
equipment and tracking those numbers. Those numbers are a bit unreliable at the moment because they are also
impacted by the Construction noise that is currently taking place on the site. We will continue to monitor the sound
levels as the other containment elements get installed to track any potential sound impact to the surrounding
neighborhood.
Thanks for your patience.
Cindy
Cindy Pruitt, AIA
3
Principal
Direct: 501.367.2241
Office: 501.378.0878
Mobile: 501.831.4503
www.polkstanleywilcox.com
Find us at our new address:
801 South Spring Street | Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
From: Frances McSwain <missymcswain18@gmail.com>
Date: Monday, June 21, 2021 at 11:37 AM
To: Cindy Pruitt <cpruitt@polkstanleywilcox.com>
Cc: Capi Peck <peckcapi@gmail.com>, David Porter <dporter@polkstanleywilcox.com>, Patricia Blick
<patricia.blick@quapaw.com>, Minyard, Brian <bminyard@littlerock.gov>, Ray Wittenberg
<raywittenberg@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Noise Abatement for HVAC Unit?
Dear Cindy: This email is to ask if you have had a chance to collect the information you referenced in your earlier email
about the HVAC system and to ask if you would be willing to meet me on site for a quick talk about another issue? I am
curious about any plans to enhance the site line looking East on 10th Street into what is now the service entrance of
the AMFA? I have a few ideas. Again, you may have covered this in your presentation to the LRHDC, but I was not in
attendance. My phone number is 501.944.1126. Best, Missy McSwain
On Mon, May 24, 2021 at 12:53 PM Cindy Pruitt <cpruitt@polkstanleywilcox.com> wrote:
Missy
I just wanted to quickly reach out and acknowledge your email and reassure you that I will be gathering some
additional information to send in the next few days regarding the noise mitigation and projected schedule for
completion of those items -This it will take me a little time to get accurate information pulled together so bear with
me for a few days while I work on this.
4
As far as the current status, you are correct that only the steel frame for the Cooling tower is installed. The wall
panels that surround the tower are not yet installed, so blankets have been added to temporarily mitigate the noise,
but obviously those don’t provide the same containment as the final wall. We are also only in first process of the
system start up so the equipment is running at full speed and has not been tested and balanced yet. This should also
help in reducing the sound output.
In addition to the enclosure panels we will also have two rows of tree planting in our parking area and an 8ft band of
shrub plantings to help buffer between the mechanical enclosure and the surrounding area.
I will get with the contractor to pull together a more detailed schedule projection of when you could expect to see
those additional measures completed and also visit with them to see what additional temporary measures may be
available to help in the short term.
We do understand the inconvenience that those living closest to site have had to endure during this process
and are grateful for the understanding and tolerance our neighbors have shown during this evolution.
That said, I appreciate you reaching out and I will be back in touch shortly with more information.
Cindy Pruitt, AIA
Principal
Direct: 501.367.2241
Office: 501.378.0878
Mobile: 501.831.4503
www.polkstanleywilcox.com
5
Find us at our new address:
801 South Spring Street | Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
From: Frances McSwain <missymcswain18@gmail.com>
Date: Monday, May 24, 2021 at 9:18 AM
To: Cindy Pruitt <cpruitt@polkstanleywilcox.com>
Cc: Capi Peck <peckcapi@gmail.com>, Joe Stanley <jstanley@polkstanleywilcox.com>, Patricia Blick
<patricia.blick@quapaw.com>, Ray Wittenberg <raywittenberg@gmail.com>, Minyard, Brian
<bminyard@littlerock.gov>
Subject: Noise Abatement for HVAC Unit?
Dear Cindy,
I live in Kadel Cottage 1 (c. 1853) at 407 E. 10th Street (three houses West of what is now the service entrance to the
new AMFA) and I am the president of the MacArthur Park Neighborhood Association. The residents in our historic
neighborhood have endured intrusive noise, heavy traffic and pervasive dust and trash from the AMFA construction,
but we know there is an end to this project, and we believe the final result will make all this disturbance worthwhile.
Several weeks ago the HVAC system was activated. The huge outside unit is so loud it can be heard for more than a
block on 10th Street. I can hear it in most rooms of my little home. Unfortunately, this penetrating sound is not
something that will eventually turn off – this is something that will go on indefinitely.
With this in mind, might you tell us the noise abatement plan for this system? I believe the steel framing around the
outside unit will be sheathed with some sort of material. To what extent will this material muffle the sound? You may
have covered this question during your last presentation to the Little Rock Historic District Commission hearing,
unfortunately I was not in attendance.
Thank you for your attention to this email.
Yours truly,
6
Missy McSwain
407 E. 10th Street
Little Rock, AR 72202
501.944.1126