County’s new backup generator at KCC to be put into service; Brookside and other facility projects updated

Facilities staff told the committee the new backup generator for the Kenosha County Center (KCC) will be placed into service tomorrow and will back up the entire building, replacing a prior generator that provided only limited circuits. Staff said the generator installation includes a monitoring and communications setup and that bringing the new generator online will allow the county to lock out the old transfer switch; the required transfer work includes a short planned shutdown coordinated with IT and public-safety users.

Facilities manager Matt Serino and special-projects staff reported other work in progress: the PSP elevator replacement was completed and passed state inspection, Brookside apartment window-sill replacement is a multi-phase project expected to continue into the fourth quarter of next year, and a Brookside kitchen-floor replacement bid is due later this month with construction planned before winter if the award proceeds on schedule. Serino said the kitchen-floor work would require removal and temporary storage of kitchen equipment and could cause modified meal service for residents during construction.

Special projects staff also said the new KCC generator will provide additional capacity beyond current needs — roughly 20% excess capacity, staff said — and that once the generator is fully commissioned staff will reconfigure the radio-tower feed to its more reliable line. The generator was tested and parts were installed; staff scheduled a short outage window to complete transfer-switch work and tie in the radio tower after the generator is online.

Staff asked committee members to be notified when commissioning is complete; a committee member asked for an email when the work is ‘‘buttoned up.’’