Glens Falls replaces aging switchgear at wastewater plant; city to seek insurance, ARPA and budget funds

The City of Glens Falls Water and Sewer Board said it completed an emergency replacement of aging electrical switchgear at the city wastewater treatment plant and will pursue insurance, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and budget adjustments to cover immediate costs while seeking grants and bond financing for a larger electrical upgrade.

City Chair (unnamed), Water and Sewer Board, opened the discussion by reporting the new switchgear is operational and that the replacement went “fantastic.” Chris Miller, a water and sewer staff member who presented technical details, said, “This is the old switchgear system. It's 40 years old. There's nothing digital in this. It's electromechanical.” Miller described the new unit as a modern, enclosed system with digital controls and automatic switching capability and estimated the removed unit weighed about 12,000 pounds.

The board said crews craned the old equipment out and installed the replacement in a multi-day operation that included temporary generator connections and five days of running on generators (with diesel deliveries on the first four days). Miller said staff built a new 16-inch frame to align connection points and rewired the plant’s transformer feeds during the installation.

Why it matters: The replacement restores reliable, safer electrical control at the plant and reduces the immediate risk of repeated equipment failures. Chair (unnamed) noted the plant has experienced recurring fuse and panel failures tied to an older electrical system, and that resolving the switchgear issue removes one operational vulnerability while the city pursues a full electrical upgrade.

Board and staff outlined next steps and financing options. The city will: (1) finalize bills related to the emergency replacement, (2) meet with its insurance carrier later this week to determine coverage, (3) apply available 2024 water and sewer under-budget funds and set aside ARPA funds already allocated for electrical work, and (4) if needed, draw from the 2025 budget. Chair (unnamed) said the city does not currently expect to borrow for this immediate work but will finalize funding after reviewing invoices and insurance guidance.

Longer-term planning: Board members and staff said the emergency replacement is an interim measure while the city continues engineering work for a full electrical-system overhaul. Current city estimates for the comprehensive electrical upgrade are about $14,000,000; the board said it will continue to pursue grants and bond financing and has discussed the matter with state officials. Chair (unnamed) said the city has spoken to the governor’s office and has ongoing meetings with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) about related capacity and regulatory issues.

Regional context: The board reported DEC has raised questions about sewer capacity and interpreted existing rules in ways that surprised some regional officials. Queensbury — which the board said purchased 1,500,000 gallons of capacity years ago and now uses roughly half — has also been involved in DEC discussions. Chair (unnamed) said the city has spent more than $30 million over the last 15–20 years on separating storm and sewer infrastructure and has documented those projects for DEC as part of the city’s long-term control plan.

Operational controls and programming: Miller described new automatic-transfer programming changes made during installation. Under the new logic, if the preferred transmission line fails the system will switch to a backup line and remain on that line rather than automatically switching back and forth; there is a 60-second delay before transfers to allow equipment to spin down. Miller said the team tested switching and that alarms notify operators and on-call managers when outages occur so staff can coordinate with National Grid.

Staff and vendors acknowledged the installation was a coordinated effort: Miller and the plant’s maintenance team handled generators and fueling; Jason Bylander and Christian Sikala were cited by staff as part of the response; and a high-voltage electrical contractor performed the removal and installation. The board said final invoices and insurance outcomes should be available within about a month; staff will report back and, if needed, make formal recommendations to the Common Council on how to allocate funds and whether to use bonds or grants for remaining work.

The board did not take formal financing votes during the meeting; the action was limited to reporting the completed installation and outlining next steps for billing, insurance, and longer-term capital planning.