Item 6D - Thomas Drake i T
SOUTHLAKE Public Comment Form
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Public Meeting Date 9/7/2021
Board Meeting* City Council
* First and Last Name
Thomas Drake
eAdress
1212 Westmont Drive
Phone
8172518614
Email
I wish to share my views on an Agenda Item:
Agenda Item No.*
6D
* I will speak in SUPPORT of this item
I will speak in OPPOSITION to this item
• I do not wish to speak,but please record my:
OSITI
N
Signature:*
Pk-tact Otaa?
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Amy Shelley
From: teddrake@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 7, 2021 2:40 PM
To: Place 5; Place 3; Place 2; Place 4; Place 1; Place 6; Mayor Huffman
Subject: Agenda Item 6D, ZA21-0017, City Council Meeting Tonight, Sept 7, 2021
Mayor and City Council September 7, 2021
City of Southlake, Texas
Reference agenda item 6D (ZA21-0017)for tonight's City Council meeting (Site Plan for Central Market Generators).
I submitted a Public Comment Form to oppose this proposal but I wanted to add some context. I would have liked to have
been there in person to speak in opposition but I recently had a surgical procedure that does not permit me to attend.
It's important to recognize exactly what CM is asking for. They are NOT asking for"backup" or"standby" generators. They
are asking for"generators". There is a huge difference. Standby (backup) generators only come on during a power
outage. They monitor the grid power and when there is an outage, the standby generator comes on and powers the
facility. When grid power is restored, the standby generator shuts off.
If this were what CM was asking for, I'd say "okay by me". But that's NOT what they are asking for. CM is asking for
GENERATORS.
The below is from an email from Mabrie Jackson, Director, Public Affairs, H-E-B/Central Market, 3890 W. Northwest
Highway, Suite 300, Dallas, TX 75220, Jackson.Mabrieheb.com. (Copy available on request.)
"The generators provide backup/emergency power to our end use customer when the power grid is experiencing
an outage. When the power grid is available, the generators provide support to the grid during periods of high need or
emergency situations. This can occur approximately 2%-5% of the hours of the year." (My emphasis added.)
There are 8760 hours in a year.
2% = 175.2 hours a year= .48 hours or 28.8 minutes a day (every day)on average.
5% = 437.0 hours a year= 1.2 hours or 1 hour 12 minutes a day (every day) on average.
In reality, they probably won't run much in the spring or fall and probably not too much in the winter(unless there is a
power outage), but they are going to run for several hours every hot summer afternoon.
They do this to save money. Central Market gets a break on their electric bill if they have these types of generators.
Central Market also claims that these generators will help save the grid during periods of stress. This is a gross
exaggeration. The amount of electricity these generators will save is less than a drop in the bucket compared to the
totality of the grid. But this is the excuse that they are using to try to get you to approve these generators.
At the P&Z meeting on this issue, the Central Market representative said they didn't have any noise complaints from the
neighbors behind the Central Market on Northwest Highway. Maybe they should go speak with them. I spoke with the
Anderson's who live at 4222 Rosa Court behind the Central Market on Northwest Highway. They told me the generators
do run a lot in the summer and the noise does bother them a lot.
The P&Z Commission appeared to approve this item based largely on the fact that the City had the capability to monitor
the noise on a real time basis and rectify it if it was too loud. It's a concept that sounds good in theory but does not work at
all in practice. Here's why. During the day, if you call Code Compliance, you don't get a live person, you get their voice
mail. They will return your call usually the next business day. By that time, the noise situation has changed. If you call the
Police, an Officer will show up 30-45 minutes later. But he will not be familiar with the noise ordinance, it's Prima
Facie violations of which the db table is just one of 12, he will not have a noise meter with him, won't know where it is, and
won't know how it works. This has been my experience and I've called several times.
In sum, if Central Market was asking for"Standby" or Backup" generators that only come on when there is a power
outage, I'd be okay with that. But these"generators" that can come on for several hours each hot summer day so that
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Aral Market can save money at the expense of the neighbors quality of life is not something that I can support. We
have enough noise from the parade of delivery trucks as it is. We don't need additional generator noise just so Central
Market can save some money at our expense.
I therefore strongly oppose this issue and ask the City Council to reject this proposal.
Please send a quick"reply" to teddrakeaaol.com to let me know that you received this email.
Sincerely,
Thomas Drake
1212 Westmont Drive, Southlake
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