City of Ottawa opposes large generator on courthouse lawn; county explores underground and off-site options

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 initial cost estimates made about four years ago were roughly $250,000 but updated pricing now puts the generator and associated work “more in the $450,000 range” and possibly as high as $500,000–$600,000 depending on siting and required electrical upgrades.

Why it matters: the courthouse’s existing electrical layout would require a larger generator if the county wants the whole building powered rather than only life‑safety systems. That increases equipment size and transmission needs (larger cabling/voltage upgrades) when the generator is placed farther from the courthouse. County staff said lead times for generators are long, and ordering timelines will depend on a chosen location.

County and city officials discussed three broad alternatives: 1) underground installation near the courthouse lawn (the city suggested this as one option), 2) placing the unit in a city‑owned lot (the “Creedon” lot) or a nearby private lot owned by CL Enterprises, or 3) siting the generator farther away and running conduit and larger cable to the courthouse. Kurt said the county already has two conduits under Court Street installed during recent road work; those could shorten the required run if a parking‑lot location is used, but longer runs would force upsizing equipment and raise costs.

The committee also heard that Ameren intends to remove the power transformers currently in the courthouse basement and place them above ground; county staff said Ameren has indicated that moving the transformers would impose no cost on the county. County members expressed urgency about arranging that work for safety reasons.

Committee next steps and uncertainties: county staff said they will: - Continue discussions with the City of Ottawa on acceptable locations and zoning/building‑code requirements; Mr. Gainer emphasized that the courthouse sits inside city jurisdiction and must comply with local codes. - Ask the county state’s attorney to provide a written opinion on zoning authority and any legal limits the county faces for siting mechanical equipment. - Get firm engineering cost estimates for each siting option (including trenching, directional boring, easements, and voltage upsizing) and confirm lead times if the county orders equipment now.

Committee members also proposed an on‑site review of candidate lots. Several members said they would prefer to move forward on Ameren’s transformer removal immediately and to continue exploring generator siting so procurement can begin once a location is chosen.

A county staff member summarized the programmatic reason for the generator’s size: judges wanted the ability to continue court operations during outages, which pushed the design toward powering the whole building rather than only life‑safety circuits.

The committee did not choose a final site or approve funding at the April 11 meeting. Members agreed to continue technical work, consult legal counsel, and present formal recommendations at a future meeting.