Committee to put courthouse electrical upgrades and generator out for bid after Ameren plan explained

Don introduced Kurt, who presented permit drawings showing Ameren would remove the electrical vault-mounted transformers beneath the downtown courthouse sidewalk and install a pad-mounted transformer on the south lawn. Kurt said the county must construct a new electrical service from that pad-mounted transformer back into the building, add a meter and CT cabinet and install an automatic transfer switch so a future generator can be connected without re-excavation.

Committee discussion focused on responsibility, scope and cost. Kurt and other staff estimated the county's portion of the work to bring service into the building could be roughly $250,000; committee members noted that if the county funds that work it must be let for bid. Kurt recommended coordinating timing with Ameren and including stubbed conduits now so later generator installation will be simpler.

Members asked about lead time; Kurt said equipment and transformer lead times were roughly six months, which would push construction into the next year and argued for preparing bids and budget requests now. Committee members also debated the generator's purpose and size. Some members said the generator was intended to run the whole courthouse to avoid court shutdowns; others asked whether the generator could be downsized to supply only essential loads. Kurt and others cautioned that isolating selective loads would require extensive rewiring and drilling through thick masonry, likely increasing costs and complexity and offering only limited physical size reduction.

The county's legal advisor said that if whole-building backup is necessary to maintain government functions, local ordinances may not constrain the county's choice of generator size. Committee members said the mayor had raised concerns about generator size in earlier meetings and asked staff to coordinate with the city and the historical society on possible siting and appearance treatments.

Action: the committee voted to move forward with going out for bids for the courthouse generator and related electrical work and to send the project to the full county board for formal acceptance of bids when received. Members also directed staff to produce alternate bid options for different siting configurations and said they would seek Ameren representation at a future meeting to firm up schedule and responsibilities.

Next steps: staff will refine cost estimates, prepare bid documents (including alternate locations), coordinate with Ameren and include the project in next year's budget process.