County approves ASCO switch replacement plan for courthouse generator

Buchanan County supervisors voted to approve a plan to replace two obsolete transfer switches that serve the courthouse emergency power system, approving the vendor's recommended option and authorizing the chair to sign the proposal.

The presenter warned that the two basement switches are obsolete and that manufacturer parts are unavailable: "Parts are unavailable," the presenter said, noting a potential catastrophic failure if replacements are not planned. The vendor recommended ASCO transfer switches as a more reliable alternative with shorter lead times than the older ABB equipment.

The vendor described the installation process and outage planning: once ordered, ASCO switches would take roughly three to five weeks to arrive; installers would stage temp power and perform a brief outage the morning of the swap. Doing both switches in one day was estimated at about 16 hours; splitting the work into two days would be about 12 hours each. A board member noted the labeling in the switch cabinets is outdated, which complicates isolating loads during work.

On funding, a board member said capital-project funds are available: "You guys budgeted 156,207, but 45,000 of that is what you guys plan to move to the jail's capital project fund," and confirmed the capital account could cover the work. After discussion, S5 moved to approve the recommended option (option 3); the motion received a second and passed by voice vote.

The board also approved a motion authorizing the chair to sign the option‑3 proposal electronically when it is delivered as a PDF.

The decision directs staff to place the order and coordinate scheduling with the sheriff's office and other departments to minimize disruption during the required outages.