35 Charles Generator Replacement: Planned Power Outage

Please be advised that 35 Charles will experience a planned power outage to facilitate work related to the generator replacement project. This is the final shutdown related to this project. This shutdown will allow us to tie in our new emergency generator and replace existing emergency power equipment. This shutdown will be approximately 8-10 hours and has been scheduled for Monday March 17th starting at 8:30pm to Tuesday March 18th at 7:00am.

At the beginning of the outage, full building power will need to be shut down to isolate the emergency power equipment that is being replaced. Starting at 8:30 PM, all electrical services in the building will be affected, including all units, elevators, lighting, and the mechanical plant (heating and hot water). We anticipate that the equipment isolation will take approximately one hour, after which we expect to restore normal utility power to the building by 9:30 PM. Once utility power is restored, in-unit power and mechanical systems (heating & hot water) operation will be restored. Elevators, and lighting in the corridors and stairwells will be back online via the use of a temporary emergency generator which will be operating outside of the building.

At approximately 5:30 AM on Tuesday, March 18th, full building power will again be shut down to bring the new generator equipment online. This will result in a brief interruption of all electrical services, including power to the units, elevators, corridor lighting, and the mechanical plant, for approximately one hour. Full power is expected to be restored by 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM.

Please be aware that this outage will also affect the building’s FOB system and garage doors. To accommodate residents, the garage doors will be opened and powered off prior to the shutdown to allow for entry and exit. Security will ensure that these areas remain secure while managing access to the lobby and providing a fire watch. All residents will need to enter the building through the main lobby entrance and may still exit through the exit stairwells.

We want to assure you that our team has worked closely with the contractors involved in this project and taken multiple steps to ensure a safe and efficient process. Earlier this month, an overnight test shutdown was conducted to simulate the full outage. Temporary power was secured for the elevators, corridors, parking garage, and stairwells to help limit disruption during the replacement of the emergency power equipment. We have also arranged for electricians, elevator technicians, generator technicians, UofT Engineers, and additional security personnel to be on site to assist throughout the shutdown.

The timing of this work has been carefully planned to minimize disruption to residents, with the majority of work occurring overnight and in the early morning hours. A vacant apartment in 30 Charles will be made available should residents of 35 Charles wish to make use of it for brief periods. Requests to access the unit should be made directly to Security, who will provide access on a first come first served basis. UFH will also host a family movie screening in the Activity Room and Meeting Room at 30 Charles. The doors will open at 8 pm and the movie will start at 8:15 pm. Light refreshments will be served. For more information and to register, please visit the events page on our website.

The UFH Operations team will be on site and closely monitoring the shutdown. This scheduled work is subject to change depending on factors that arise during the scope of the work, for which we will do our best to communicate updates. 

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we complete this essential work to improve the building’s infrastructure. If you have any questions or concerns, please email our Operations team at operationscharles.ufh@utoronto.ca or reach out directly to Vithusan Ranjan, Assistant Manager, Building Operations & Services, at vithu.ranjan@utoronto.ca. 

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