MINUTES OF A TOUR OF THE UNC BOILER PLANT

FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1995 AT 3:15 P.M.

Mayor Ken Broun and Council Members Pat Evans and Rosemary Waldorf were present for the tour. Town staff was represented by Town Manager Cal Horton and Deputy Town Clerk Joyce Smith. UNC officials in attendance were Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management Bruce Runberg, Cogeneration Facility Manager Ray DuBose, Director of the Physical Plant Herb Paul, Associate Director of the Physical Plant Jim Mergner, and UNC Special Projects Associate Director John Masson.

Mr. Runberg gave a brief introduction and stated the purpose and objectives of the tour, which were to give those present a clearer understanding of the facility, in particular the ash loading operation.

Mr. DuBose provided a slide presentation of the boiler plant. He discussed key technologies, the cogeneration concept, the University's efforts to minimize nitrous oxides and sulfur dioxides, and explained how the boiler system operated.

Those present were then taken on a tour of the facility, which included the coal unloading area, the coal crusher building, the coal silo, the heat exchanger/ventilation chambers, the ash silo building, a demonstration of ash being loaded onto a truck for transportation to the landfill, the induced draft building, and an explanation of noise abatement efforts.

When the tour concluded, Mr. Runberg gave a brief wrap-up of the tour, mainly focusing on the ash loading operation. He said the Special Use Permit required that the ash loading operation be conducted in a closed facility. Mr. Runberg said he believed the demonstration had proven that the facility could operate adequately with the doors open. He stated the University did not wish to spend $150,000 to $200,000 to install a ventilation system which would only vent upward through the roof, exactly what is now going through the open doors. Mr. Runberg remarked that the Council would be asked to consider that the conditions of the Special Use Permit were being met even without a completely enclosed ash-loading facility.

Mr. Dino Cervigni, a neighbor of the Boiler Plant, commended Mr. Runberg and the University on their efforts to address the concerns raised by neighbors. He commented that noise from UNC Hospitals after 5:00 p.m. is louder than the noise coming from the boiler plant.

Mr. Runberg responded that the noise Mr. Cervigni referred to had been identified as coming from two ventilation fans located on Bowles Drive, and the University was working to abate this noise.

The tour was concluded at 4:30 p.m.