A frontage security option that showcases the façade

ANOTHER APPROACH to enhancing security along Main St. is a 6'-high clear glass fence with 3 gates. The main advantage of this design is that it would minimally obscure the view of our historic building.

Here is a rough sketch. (It doesn’t show details involving the gates and planters.)

(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

Below the jump, I describe the features of this design.…

ADVANTAGES:   Relatively unobtrusive. Reasonably secure, in terms of discouraging trespassing and vandalism. Looks the least like a prison. Lowest maintenance.

DISADVANTAGES:   Cannot be opened up all the way. Expensive.

GLASS:   This glass is stronger than plexiglass, and it weathers better. It would be 1/4" thick (double the usual window thickness), consisting of two panes bonded to a plastic film in between them. It is designed not to shatter into pieces if attacked forcefully enough. Rather, a spider-web pattern would develop.

FRAME:   Powder-coated aluminum. This is the lowest-maintenance material for a seaside environment. 

GATES:   Along the steps:  two sliding gates; on each side of the central handrails, half of the length of the steps would be openable. They would slide along small tracks close to the bottom step, so no tripping hazard. The gates’ mortise lock has keycode and fingerprint recognition ability on the outside, and a lever handle on the inside (which meets emergency exit requirement). 

In front of the Social Hall doors: A single pedestrian gate that swings outward. Same kind of lock as for the sliding gates.

PLANTERS:   The fencing atop the planters would be powder-coated aluminum pickets rather than glass. (Less expensive that way.) The vegetation could grow freely between the pickets.

COST:   The estimated cost would be considerably more than the Federation grant funding: $27,600.

GLASS REPLACEMENT:  The vendor says that so far, none of his dozens of (high-end) clients for glass fences/gates have reported the need to replace a panel. Each one would cost about $800 to replace.

ADD-ONS:   A third party could apply an anti-graffiti film on the outside, and a shatter-resistant film on the inside (for additional strength), for an additional cost.