Wichita County Commissioners on July 8 approved a $153,446 purchase of four generators, to be paid from the county's grant fund and expected to be reimbursed under an awarded generator grant.

The purchase covers one 50-kilowatt generator for the county emergency management facility and three 25-kilowatt generators for county radio towers, according to county staff. The county identified the Barnett Road tower, the Wichita East tower by the law enforcement center, and the Owl Park/Bell Road tower as planned replacement sites.

The county sought quotes via the BuyBoard cooperative and selected a Source Blue quote for Cummins-brand equipment that matches the grant's original scope. County staff told the commissioners that the grant scope was changed earlier to reflect fewer required units after other ARPA-funded equipment reduced needs; installation and engineering costs were included in the grant request.

Commissioners and staff discussed repurposing the county's existing trailer-mounted generator for emergency use and reviewing whether older tower generators can be reused. Staff said the trailer-mounted 50-kilowatt unit will be reconfigured for pad-mounted installation at emergency management and retained as a mobile reserve.

County staff also noted one prior generator at the Burt/ Barnett tower had failed after being sized like a residential unit; staff said they would seek electrical-engineering input to confirm re-use potential of replaced units. Maintenance and routine checks for county generators are handled locally, staff said, naming Ben English as the person who performs periodic checks and logs.

The board voted 5-0 to approve the quote. Commissioner Buchanan moved to approve, and Commissioner Beauchamp seconded the motion; the motion carried unanimously.

The generator purchase is part of a multi-year effort to replace aging backup power at county facilities and communications sites. A staff member noted that pursuing grants periodically is necessary because replacement cycles otherwise could take several years.