Wednesday, November 13, 2019

A New Shed Plan is needed ASAP

A New Shed Plan is needed ASAP

Of all the reasons not to approve the current Maintenance facility Hansell design proposal, perhaps the most compelling is how it will make routine operations very difficult. Now that the story poles are erected, you can see what we mean.  Below are three views of the Marinwood maintenance yard and the Ford F250 truck and trailer taken on November 12, 2019.   Note  approximately 400 square feet of landscaping debris is stored temporarily onsite before removal every week.  It is an essential operational necessity.

If this building is constructed according to current design, regular landscaping operations will be extremely difficult and time consuming to perform due to space constraints.



 The Ford F250 and the Trailer are approximately 44 feet long as seen here next to the current maintainance garage.,  The orange fencing is marking the perimeter of the roof line. The area where the truck is now parked will become a grassy area, footpath and a swail for handling water in the Hansell proposal.  All of the landscape debris, material storage and truck parking will occur INSIDE the orange perimeter and a fenced yard (not shown) according to Hansell.



There are many obstructions inside and outside the facility that will make backing up extremely hazardous to pedestrians, workers, and equipment.  The driveway is not straight and backing up a trailer takes skill and practice. Trucks will be moving in and out of this area several times a day.
A Ford F250 truck has a minimum turning radius of 54 feet to turn 180 degrees.  All turns inside the Hansell facility will take careful manuevers to avoid obstructions.  Realistically, the safest option will be to drive through the facility and turn around in the meadow 400 feet to the East.  But this will destroy the meadow and our beautiful nature trail.


This circle shows an approximate size and location of  the truck turnaround in the meadow on the nature path.



The Marinwood nature trail is muddy during rainy season.  We can expect the meadow to have deep ruts from the abuse of vehicle turn arounds.  The trucks must exit the facility EVERY day regardless of weather conditions .

Fortunately, there is a proven solution for narrow lots... a side access garage as is found in EVERY COMMUNITY Maintenance facility in Marin county.  It costs less, provides easy access for vehicles, and vehicles can exit the facility safely without backing up. This is why this practical design is popular.

Here is an example of a 1200 sf garage at McInnis Park.  They have TWICE the number of employees and equipment, manage 450 acres compared to our 14 acres and the building works for them. It was built in 2018.  Why does Marinwood need a custom building TWICE the size?

These types of building are so common that they are available in modular construction for as little as $25k and can be installed on a prepared foundation in a matter of days.

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