By Michael Rheinheimer
The Westfield Advisory Plan Commission held a public hearing for Grand Park Fieldhouse Amendment III at its June 17 meeting. The amendment would allow the construction of a 19-foot-tall nitrogen tank for the Recovery Room’s cryotherapy program.
In accordance with current ordinance, the tank must be hidden in plain sight behind a masonry wall, solid evergreen screen or a combination of the two. Concerns about cosmetic changes to the building were raised at the June 10 city council meeting.
Konnie Komarovsky, who works at the Recovery Room, represented the fieldhouse at the meeting.
“What we’re here to present today is our solution to the covering of the silo,” he said. “Our intent here is to essentially blend in with the building.”
Komarovsky’s mock-ups proposed adding a logo to the sides of the enclosure. The silo also will be partially enclosed by a chain-link fence which will allow for ventilation. The fence also will be wrapped in the Grand Park Fieldhouse’s logo.
No one spoke during the public hearing.
Commission member Steve Hoover said the proposed covering is an improvement on the original proposal, but he still has concerns about the chain-link fence.
“To me, that doesn’t meet the intent of our ordinance – of our calls for masonry covers,” Hoover said. “It’s difficult for me to envision. I’m concerned of what that’s going to look like.”
Komarovsky said the chain-link is for a specific purpose.
“The reason the chain-link is used on the side, sir, is ventilation requirements that Airgas is putting on us,” he said. “If the solution is for me to print the exact brick pattern (on the fence wrapping), that’s what we’ll do.”
Hoover also requested a sample of the fabric the fence would be wrapped in.
According to Komarovsky, the tank must have 50 percent ventilation. He said the wrap will be opaque enough to allow for the ventilation.
Commission member Bob Smith was the last to speak.
“There’s quite a bit of work that needs to be done with this,” he said.
Since the agenda item was a public hearing, no vote was taken.
