Great Bend Post
The Great Bend City Council will consider purchasing a $163,107 air burner firebox to take over their tree debris burning at the compost site.
Since the inception of the compost site, on the south end of town, the city has burned tree debris in a berm area. City staff has to pay attention to wind conditions, wind direction and moisture conditions and receive approval from the Great Bend Fire Department.
Depending on the wind, the city can be become inundated with the smell of smoke. The street crew must watch the fire 24 hours while the fire is burning.
With the air burner, the city anticipates being able to burn more frequently, burning approximately three to four tons of material in an hour. The system is an enclosed steel box with an air curtain that traps smoke and increases the interior temperatures to roughly 1,800 degrees. Once the machine is up to temperature, there is no smoke. The city would be allowed to burn during the day and within two hours of the end of the day begin the process of snuffing the fire; thus, under normal conditions eliminating the need for staff to stand by.
At the Monday, April 7 meeting, a motion will be presented to purchase the air burner firebox from Air Burners Inc. for $163,107 and for Hammeke Electric to install an electric box at the compost site for $2,259.12. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.