Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
City of Ottawa opposes large generator on courthouse lawn; county explores underground and off-site options
Summary
LaSalle County committee and City of Ottawa representatives clashed over a proposed standby generator for the downtown courthouse. The city rejected a large above‑ground unit on the front lawn and offered alternatives; county staff said costs and placement remain unresolved.
LaSalle County’s Public Safety Committee heard strong objections April 11 from a City of Ottawa representative to placing a large standby generator on the courthouse front lawn, pushing the county to consider underground or off‑site options and prepare for higher costs than earlier estimates.
City of Ottawa representative Mr. Gainer told the committee, “There’s no appetite at all for approving a generator that is going to be the size that it is on the front lawn of the courthouse.” He said the city would work with the county on alternatives such as an underground unit or a location in the Cre edon parking lot but would not accept a large above‑ground unit on the lawn.
The county’s project manager (staff member Kurt) and other county speakers said the generator was sized after consultations with judges and other courthouse users who requested that the entire courthouse be able to run during outages so court proceedings and office functions would not be interrupted. Kurt said…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
