By Abigail Sterling and Max Darrow

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – Construction work on the leaning Millennium Tower in San Francisco came to a standstill at the end of August because it caused the tower to sink even further. Now it seems that some of this damage could have been avoided.

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Construction is partially back on track with some test drilling underway this week. Engineers plan to drill just two housings using a modified technique that they say causes less vibration.

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“Millennium Partners wanted to finish it off,” said Robert Pyke, a geotechnician and early critic of the current so-called “perimeter pile upgrade.” He says the $ 100 million plan to prop up the sinking tower should have been halted months earlier.

“Of course it was clear by the end of June that the laying of the pipes and piles would result in additional subsidence,” said Pyke.

KPIX asked him to review the engineering logs and internal emails received from KPIX 5. A graph created by the team shows that the accelerated sinking began in mid-May, but work on the project continued through June and July.

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In an email dated July 29th, the city’s Engineering Design Review Team (EDRT), tasked with overseeing the project, warned construction officials: Customs along Mission Street “, but …” this proposal was not implemented and the project is progressing. “

On August 4th, chief engineer Ron Hamburger finally confirmed that “the project has imposed a voluntary moratorium” on the installation of 36-inch enclosures.

But the wells continued in smaller 24-inch piles by August 23, when the Millennium Tower’s general manager announced a two to four week break from construction.

“I owe the EDRT for putting the pressure on, but they shouldn’t have. As I said, any responsible engineer should have stopped by the end of June, ”said Pyke.

Pyke believes the two-month construction work did more damage.

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“Another half to three-quarters of an inch settlement,” said Pyke.

He says the continued drilling may have exacerbated a sewage problem in the luxury skyscraper, described in an August 26 email as “clogged third-floor kitchens.”

“Even a small change in slope can upset the piping for both sewage and sewage,” said Pyke.

In a statement to KPIX, chief engineer Ron Hamburger admitted that some of the sinking and tipping could have been avoided by an earlier construction freeze. In a letter to building authorities, he also admitted that the new test wells that began this week could cause even more subsidence. However, he insists that this does not affect the security of the building.

But one thing is certain: all of the problems on 301 Mission Street appear to be affecting property values. We found ten 10 condos available for sale, all at discounted prices. Zillow estimates that a luxury home priced at $ 1.75 million was worth about $ 1 million more just five years ago.

Some devices have been on the market for months. Unit 14H for a bargain of $ 899,000 has been on sale for almost a year.

Pyke believes concerns about property value could be a reason why the Millennium Tower Association pushed for it to continue.

“That would benefit the existing homeowners and the homeowners association, because after completion and construction there is no question that property values ​​will rise again,” says Pyke.

The Millennium Tower Association, which represents homeowners, still doesn’t comment. Interestingly, however, we found an online presentation Hamburger made to students at the University of Minnesota in February that appears to confirm that real estate values ​​are at the fore. In it Hamburger points out: “There is no structural reason that the building needs to be upgraded. Homeowners needed extensive retrofitting to “upgrade” their units.

No real estate expert wanted to be on record for this story. But one of them pulled up current data for us showing that 13 advertisements in the building have either expired or been taken off the market since January.

Ron Hamburger full statement on KPIX 5:

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“While part of the subsidence and tilting of the last few months could have been avoided by an earlier construction stop, neither the safety nor the functionality of the building was impaired and the project team gained valuable knowledge about the causes of this subsidence as construction progressed. This puts us in a better position to mitigate these effects as the project progresses. The day I recommended stopping the 36-inch pile installation, the Millennium Tower HOA instructed the contractor to stop as recommended. ”

The post Regardless of Warnings, Repairs on San Francisco’s Millennium Tower Triggered Extra Sinking – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

BALTIMORE (WJZ) – More than two dozen schools in Baltimore City currently do not have air conditioning and some of the hotter days have to close or leave those schools early.

When temperatures soar into the 1990s, some Baltimore City schools will be fired early because they don’t have air conditioning or the units aren’t working well.

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“Most of the challenge is having access to the resources to consistently replace systems in the portfolio,” said Lynette Washington, chief operating officer of Baltimore City Schools.

According to Chief Operating Officer Lynette Washington, the district receives approximately $ 50 million from the city and state each year to build schools and it is costly to install a brand new HVAC system. The cost is between $ 15 million and $ 20 million, depending on the school’s square footage.

For the past five years, the school system has installed vertical packaging units to keep each classroom cool.

“As we bring new systems online, do we always consider how to replace our systems that are already in operation?” Said Washington.

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Of the 24 schools with AC, 10 are currently under construction, six are in the design stage and four are in the planning stage, most of which will be completed within the next three years.

As part of Maryland’s Build to Learn Act, the district is receiving additional funding to build new schools to replace old ones, including those with outdated HVAC systems.

The teachers union and Baltimore parents said it was critical to student success.

“I would like the school system to make updating and replacing its air conditioning a priority,” said Diamonte Brown, president of the Baltimore City Teachers’ Union.

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“How can you learn when you have to focus all the time on getting cool? or be hot? Man, I want to drink, you can’t focus on your study, ”said Denishia Demonia, parent.

The post College District To Obtain Further Funding To Improve Outdated HVAC Techniques In Baltimore Metropolis Colleges – CBS Baltimore appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The Alameda Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) has placed an order with New Flyer of America Inc. for 20 zero-emission, hydrogen-fuel-cell-electric 40-foot high-performance Xcelsior CHARGE H2 buses. The purchase was made through California’s State Cooperative Procurement, for which New Flyer was selected as the top-rated approved supplier in 2019.

The bus offers up to 350 miles of range on a single refueling; Refill times range from 6-20 minutes, depending on the bus model and operating conditions. The fuel cell bus uses a battery-dominant hybrid architecture in which the batteries are large enough to meet all of the vehicle’s performance requirements, while the fuel cell acts as a continuous battery charger to increase the range of the vehicle.

The heat dissipated by fuel cells is captured by a heat exchanger to complement the HVAC system.

The contract is funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and follows AC Transit’s purchase of 10 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses and five battery electric buses from NFI in 2019 and has a proven track record of promoting AC Transit’s Clean Corridors Plan through 2023 ).

The Innovative Clean Transit Regulation of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requires all California authorities to switch to zero-emission bus fleets by 2040.

AC Transit, based in Oakland, is one of the largest bus-only systems in America, serving the Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, offering more than 52 million trips annually.

New Flyer is the only manufacturer to offer both a 40-foot and a 60-foot fuel cell electric powered model that is eligible for federal funding.

The post San Francisco Bay Space’s AC Transit orders extra 20 fuel-cell buses from New Flyer appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.