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<br />Ms. Bonnie Johnson <br />County Administrator <br />211 9th Street South <br />Fargo, North Dakota 58103 <br /> <br />Fos <br /> <br />Architect <br />&Interiors <br /> <br />October 16, 2008 <br /> <br />.1,...:I,F(: :~~C\ .::,~'{ ;i:.,' ,;.:,..- . - x,.~. :~:',".\';:i;.';.~~; <br /> <br />Re: #0509, Cass County Jail <br /> <br />Dear Ms. Johnson: <br /> <br />I believe there are 2 items on the Commission Agenda for Monday October 20th that you <br />have requested my presence for. As conveyed immediately after receipt of the Agenda for <br />the Commission meeting. I indicated that I will be out of the office from noon that day until <br />possibly the 3m of November. With that being the case, I am writing a brief response as to <br />our understanding of the concerns regarding the cooling tower and generator exhaust being <br />drawn into the fresh air intake of the recent addition. <br /> <br />Item #1 - the cooling tower; this particular piece of mechanical equipment was a part of the <br />original jail project, likely installed in 2001 and all related project materials and labor placed <br />into warranty upon notification of substantial completion in August of 2002. Therefore with <br />the exception of the roof membrane, all other warranties related to the cooling tower have <br />long since expired by some 5 plus years. This makes it difficult to get all the contractors <br />who were involved in the project at that time to willingly step forward and take on the task <br />of repairs without knowing exactly the reason for the problem, the solution and if there is <br />any financial responsibility on their part. From the standpoint of design and engineering of <br />the curb and equipment, the method used is one of the industry standards for this <br />application. From our initial observations, it appears that there may have been a leak around <br />the anchor bolts which may be a result of a sealant failure or lack of sealant at the <br />appropriate locations. The infiltration of water at those anchor locations may have been the <br />cause for the structural failure of the wood material in the curb and below the roof <br />membrane, therefore allowing settlement of the cooling tower. Of course until such time <br />that the equipment is lifted and the roof membrane pulled back this is an assumption and <br />additional inspection my suggest something totally different. To assist Cass County with this <br />problem, we offer our staff and that of the Engineers of record to help coordinate the <br />necessary contractors who can make the repairs, we will provide options for making the <br />repairs in the most sensible/safe way in the shortest amount of time found acceptable to <br />Cass County. We also will evaluate and offer options for re-anchoring the cooling tower <br />which doesn't allow for a reoccurrence of the material failure. If upon observation of the <br />situation during the repair process it is found and documented that some or all of the <br />responsibility should be that of others even though outside the warranty period, we will then <br />assist in pursuing monetary participation in the repair of the problem by who ever is clearly <br />identifiable as that party. <br /> <br />www.fossarch.com <br /> <br />810 Rrst Avenue North <br />Fargo. North Dakota 58102 <br /> <br />Phone: 701-282-5505 <br />Fax: 701-232-5338 <br /> <br />info@fossarch.com <br />