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Committee orders engineering study for courthouse generator after Cummins analysis
Summary
Committee voted to fund an engineering study and to draw on the generator reserve after Cummins Northeast’s load analysis indicated the courthouse generator is undersized.
The Facilities & Capital Committee voted to commission an engineering study and preliminary design for a new or reconfigured courthouse generator after a Cummins Northeast load analysis showed the existing unit is undersized.
The committee approved a motion directing Aaron Lewis to assemble engineering documents, cost estimates and a schedule for procuring a replacement or reconfiguration; members agreed the study can be funded from the existing generator reserve. The vote carried without a recorded roll-call tally.
Cummins Northeast sales engineer Mark Koff presented the technical findings. "Based on review, it was established in courthouse for Chrysler generator capable of supporting a load of 62 o 8 kilowatts based on the highest peak demand for 3 phase service," Koff said. He said the firm recommends adding 25% capacity for transient performance and liability, which "puts the recommended generator size at a hundred k w. Currently, we have 70." The committee heard that regularly the building runs near the generator’s capacity, creating strain.
County staff said the current generator dates to the 1990s and was installed by Midcoast Electric and Solar. Committee members discussed alternatives including a diesel unit vs. propane or adding two smaller generators; Koff and staff explained tradeoffs in fuel storage, efficiency at 100 kW and automatic transfer complexity. Koff warned that propane and natural gas lose efficiency at larger sizes and that diesel units can be more compact for high kilowatt needs.
Members repeatedly emphasized the need for independent engineering rather than a single-vendor estimate. A committee member recommended commissioning an electrical engineer to produce firm specifications so the county can solicit multiple bids and ensure the installation is properly designed and permitted. Staff said a single-source quote had been provided earlier by Cummins but advised the committee that engineering and re‑wiring could materially affect total cost.
Committee discussion also covered temporary mitigation: renting trailer-mounted generators during emergencies, linking a new pad location to existing propane tanks, fuel stability concerns for diesel, run-time estimates and elevator certification requirements if the building is to remain open during outages. Staff said the county has about $35,000 in the generator reserve and that reserve money could be used to pay for initial engineering.
The motion to have Aaron Lewis complete the engineering study and prepare bid-ready documents, with funding authorized from the generator reserve, passed by voice vote.
