Commissioners approve parking lot paving, communications and water generators, valve repairs in Freedom District

The Carroll County Board of Commissioners approved four procurement actions Oct. 30 to maintain county facilities and utilities.

Awards approved - Cove Building (Stoner Avenue, Westminster) milling and overlay: contract awarded to GEMS Contracting Inc., $86,320. Funding: FY26 budget. - Mayberry Tower communications generator: purchase, removal and installation of a 37 kW Kohler diesel generator and transfer switch from Fidelity Power Systems, $110,000. Funding: FY26 budget; the tower is important for county communications. - Freedom District valve-bolt replacement: contract to Mid Atlantic Utilities for replacement of cast-iron valve bolts at 33 locations in the Freedom District service area, $116,475. Staff said approximately 30% of Freedom District valves were installed with cast-iron bolts and the project will replace roughly 514 of an estimated 1,100 cast-iron-bolt locations countywide over time. - Freedom District Water Treatment Plant emergency generator: turnkey purchase and installation of a 1,000 kW Relco (formerly Kohler) diesel generator from Fidelity Power Systems, $828,533.60. Staff said the plant is required by MDE to have reliable backup power; the existing generator has had recurring operating issues and parts are increasingly difficult to obtain. Lead time for the new unit is roughly 44 weeks and the contract includes installation, load testing and one year warranty.

All four procurement items were moved and seconded and approved by the board during the meeting. County staff said all amounts are within the adopted FY26 budgets or the applicable enterprise budgets for utility-specific items.

Why it matters: The generator awards address continuity for critical services (communications and water treatment) and the valve- bolt project reduces future maintenance failures in the water distribution system. The pavement project also addressed ADA-access improvements at a county facility.

Speakers -…