Hello, I am campaigning to get a few safety concerns addressed and corrected to insure surroundings that are “safe” for the owners and guests who use the roof top pool deck at the Viridian Condo at 415 Church Street. Is this snapshot of the 5 open-sided walking surfaces at the south end of the pool deck at the Viridian high rise in downtown Nashville, TN, taken by a drone's camera, evidence of clear violations of the International Building Code 2000; Code 1003.2.12 Guards: "Guards shall be located along open-sided walking surfaces, mezzanines, industrial equipment platforms, stairways, ramps and landings which are located more than 30 inches above the floor or grade below." And Code 1003.2.12.1 Height: "Guards shall form a protective barrier not less than 42 inches high, measured vertically above the leading edge of the tread, adjacent walking surface or adjacent seatboard."? Please notice, as you look at this snapshot, the 14’ perimeter wall section that is totally open with no safety barriers for a 350’ drop-off and the two inside 14' walls that form the stairs with a 10' drop-off. An object in free fall for 350' would be traveling at 90 - 100 mph on impact! Can you guess the interest, of Metro Health (Pools) and Metro Building Codes, in safety concerns for condo/apartment roof top pools and/or roof top businesses such as lounges? This site has an EXIT sign directing people to steps going down for an emergency exit, and/or to steps, plus an inclined walking surface, accessible to nearly any 4 year old, leading up to the top of the exterior wall, or kite surfing platform. Could the steps leading to the top be referenced as the "Heaven's Gate Portal and/or Kitesurfing Pad?" Did the contractor complete this site, or simply abandon the idea of a kite surfing platform? I wonder, how does this pass codes? Or, what codes apply, or, do we need codes that address this potentially lethal construction? In the lower right corner, is that an angel keeping watch at Heaven's Gate humming "Knockin on Heavens Door?" Where are Bob Dylan or Guns N Roses when we need them? How many passports, through Heaven's Gate Portals, will occur before adequate, corrective steps are taken to correct this potentially lethal hazard? Is the south end of the Viridian rooftop pool deck, in its present form, prima facia evidence of significant corruption in the Metro Codes Department and evidence of possible bribery by the builder and his agents including legal council? See also: www.gatetoheaven.co www.fatalattraction.co and www.safetynow.co
Where is Metro Codes to insure a 42" high guardrail or fence along these open-sided walking surfaces?
Install bullet proof glass in the entrance to help protect the concierges from being shot via drive-by shootings or erratic gunshots on Church Street, The Viridian Board Members of 2016, 2017, and 2018 developed a $1.5 Million renovation plan for the lobby which, in the end, moved the concierges from a station of relative safety to a to a station of 24/7 potential hazards posed by drive-by, or incidental shootings, on Church Street. It needs to also be noted that the Viridian Board NEVER had any open meetings with the Viridian Residents for input into the $1.5 Million renovation. In simple, bullet proof glass for the front entrance would help alleviate some of the dangers created by the design construction flaws unaddressed by the Viridian Board members of 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Metro Government codes addressing this type of safety concern seem to be non-existent. Wonder what moral codes of ethics are "in play" for this construction design flaw! Could foreseen events, due to a "comedy of errors" in the planning of the concierge station, compounded by the ignoring of safety concerns turn out to rival any of Shakespeare's tragedies? Might any victims, or their friends, of this potentially avoidable tragedy revisit and interpret, Hammurabi's Code: "an eye for an eye" to "an "I" for an "I"?
Install a 42" guardrail of safety fencing at the south end of the pool deck to eliminate the hazards posed by the Exotic Kite Surfing Launching Platform and 14' of deck boundary with no safety fence. There are 5 open-sided walking surfaces at this border with NO GUARDRAILS. How extraordinary is this construction scheme? There is a flight of steps leading downward for an emergency exit. Then, closer to the outside wall there are steps, plus an inclined walking surface, leading to the top of the outside wall. These 5 open-sided walking surfaces are totally unguarded! Was this construction for ease of access for kite surfing? Where are the safety codes? Metro codes requires at 42" guardrail for ALL open-sided walking surfaces with drop offs greater than 30"! Once a four year old child reaches the top of the wall, a misstep would plunge him/her to a 350+ foot fall into the alley, and they would be traveling at a speed approaching 100 mph at impact! If the unlucky child should land on a 10th floor patio balcony, the drop is only 225' with a highway speed approaching 65 mph at impact! Additional 42" barriers may be needed around the stairwell to prevent our citizens from taking selfies in this area. Observe the Exotic Kite Surfing Launching Pad at the south end of the pool deck with the easy steps and ramp, and 14' of no protective fence or guardrail for easy launching. There is a drop-off of over 350' to the alley below; a falling object, like a bowling ball or marble, would be trekking at about 100 mph on impact! A rumor on the streets says one person has parachuted off the Exotic Kite Surfing Platform at least 3 times! How did the Metro Health (pools), and Metro Codes sign off on this EXTREME HAZARD? How do these specially designed steps and open-sided walking surfaces pass codes? Wonder what it will take to correct these 24/7 EXTREME HAZARDS? We owe a thanks to Galileo, see Apollo 15, feather & hammer drop on the moon on youtube regarding the acceleration of gravity. If this were an active construction site, no doubt there would be a secure safety barrier to keep workers from going over the edge to a deadly fall into the alley or patio balcony below! How interesting!
Take down the Exit Gate into the Alley, or at least modify it's timing so it opens 10 seconds prior to a vehicle's arrival, as this is a PUBLIC passageway and car jackings are crimes of opportunity! Is it a Death Trap, Legal Trap, or BOTH? Is that another visitor from Hades trolling for victims in case of fires, smoke, and hundreds of gallons of water spewing from the sprinkler systems overhead, with an inoperable gate. Survival, including escaping from a burning vehicle, would be doubtful for many of the hundreds potential users. This is a PUBLIC passageway! The style of this drop-down gate is fraught with inherent dangers! Vehicles catching on fire caused by faulty batteries in toys and cell phones or vehicular electronic systems, are just a few inherent dangers to face if/when the gate may NOT operate properly.
Master Deed 14 (e): No Owner, occupant or agent of such Owner or Occupant shall make any alteration which, in the reasonable opinion of the Association’s Board of Directors or its designee, would jeopardize the soundness or safety of the Condominium or any structure created thereon, would reduce the value thereof, or would impair any easement or other interest in real property thereto, without in every such case the unanimous, prior written consent of all members of the Association and their Mortgagees. Is the drop-down-death-style gate a violation of section 14:(e) of the Master Deed as well as a hazardous nuisance as this driveway is open to PUBLIC use, and anyone can enter the driveway front or back? Could anyone put in another gate at the exit, creating a Sally Port style prison vehicular gate? When this gate is raised and lowered, in that 40 to 60 second interval, anyone can step inside, put a small shim in the exit door on the left, and re-enter at will and/or carjack anyone and their car since the driver is trapped waiting for the gate to raise (how convenient)! Wonder how difficult it would be to have the gate activated for exiting about 5- 10 seconds prior to a vehicle's arrival for exiting?
In case of emergencies, if the vehicle exit gate from gated parking is not working, a manual override without needing a key would allow exiting quickly and safely. Should a similar gate at the entrance to gated parking, with a manual override, be constructed, as well? Is this photo, in the foreground, one of Johnny Cash's "Ghost Riders in the Sky" at the exit gate, taking our names, in case: (1) we become incinerated victims during a nuclear winter when no electrical gadgets work, and/or (2) in a disaster, when the stairwell is an inferno, and there is no manual override to get out of gated parking? There is ample room at the far right of the entrance to gated parking to install a small gate with a manual emergency override. Have we forgotten 9/11 of 2001, in New York City, and the twin towers with thousands of casualties?
On the right of this picture, notice the distance of a drop of 225' to condo patios, or over 350' to the alley below where vehicles exit into the alley. Can anyone guess why Metro Health Departments Codes (Pools), or Metro Codes, allowed this hazardous construction? Should Metro Health (Pools) and Metro Codes have issued a permit for this rooftop pool deck before adequate codes were written and enforced for rooftop pool decks? And, how did this construction pass Metro Codes? According to the International Building Code 2000; Code 1003.2.12 Guards: "Guards shall be located along open-sided walking surfaces, mezzanines, industrial equipment platforms, stairways, ramps and landings which are located more than 30 inches above the floor or grade below." And Code 1003.2.12.1 Height: "Guards shall form a protective barrier not less than 42 inches high, measured vertically above the leading edge of the tread, adjacent walking surface or adjacent seatboard."
Notice the open-sided walking surfaces with no 42" guardrails or fences for safety! Landing speed for the 225' drop to a condo balcony is about 65 MPH, and the vertical drop to the vehicular alley is about 350' with a landing speed of about 100 MPH! Metro Codes requires a 42" guardrail for an open-sided walking surface with a drop off greater than 30" from the grade below as Metro Codes follows these International Building Codes: According to the International Building Code 2000; Code 1003.2.12 Guards: "Guards shall be located along open-sided walking surfaces, mezzanines, industrial equipment platforms, stairways, ramps and landings which are located more than 30 inches above the floor or grade below." And Code 1003.2.12.1 Height: "Guards shall form a protective barrier not less than 42 inches high, measured vertically above the leading edge of the tread, adjacent walking surface or adjacent seatboard."
Newsflash! Breaking News! Newsflash!
Tragedy strikes local condo a 2nd time in as many days at 1:00 AM today . . . . . The concierge at a local condo was killed by a GSW from a stray bullet fired from the street. She was sitting at her “hazardous duty” workstation, located at the front entrance of the “downtown window-glassed” condo. She was found with her hand near a panic button under the counter top. The newly Modernized Entrance was being touted by the Modernization Committee as having up-to-date architectural features with great work flow, life safety, and 24/7 availability to condo residents. Editor’s note: The design seemed to totally and callously ignore the 24/7 “hazardous duty” placement of the concierges. The concierges' much lower risk workstation had been in a much less visible space with much better security in place. The Modernization Committee Report, and subsequent Board passage on October of 2016, was compiled without promised resident input and discussion. The Board and Modernization Committee had been cautioned about their own self-inflicted GSW (gullible security web) as well as a GSW inflicted from the streets during the late night or early morning hours.
Death Trap Death Trap Death Trap Death Trap Death Trap Death Trap
When will the following story be a Future Newsflash?
Tragedy at local condo alley access.
The newly “modernized” alley access gate into the alley with a “drop down death trap” turned out to be a “death trap” for at least two unsuspecting local travelers who entered the “bird cage like trap” as they were exiting the building. While waiting for the overhead garage type gate to open they were caught in their burning vehicle with no way to escape as the gate was not working due to an intermittent electrical short. Without warning, a fire broke out in the back seat of their car. The cause of the suspicious fire is now under investigation. Was it their new cell phone battery, a short in the electronics of the new onboard guidance safety features, or a faulty smokeless cigarette? Editor’s Note: The fire retardant bars of the "drop down death gate" are not shown, in the pictures to the right, in consideration of the Modernization Committee’s request to not reveal the secret “security features” of the design of the bars. The name of the local condo where this tragedy happened has also been omitted due to the intense publicity generated by this event and the wish for protecting the privacy of the traveling visitors. (It should be noted that one of the fatalities was a mother who was wheelchair bound and unable to get out of the burning car before it was totally consumed by flames.) The Board and Modernization Committee had been cautioned about this type of gate being a "death trap" due to the possibilities of gate malfunctions due to (1) electrical failures such as intermittent electrical shorts, or (2) mechanical failures caused by such events as alley traffic accidentally backing into the gate and causing it to jam and become inoperable! Would signs posted on the gate telling the driver to "Drive through the gate in case of an emergency" have helped to avoid this preventable tragedy?
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