The Greenfield Water Utility is seeking a permanent natural gas generator for its administration building after receiving approval from the Board of Works on Tuesday morning to solicit quotes.
Currently, the utility is utilizing a portable generator at the administration during power outages that was originally intended to be used throughout the city, such as at lift stations, during emergencies. The request, submitted by Water Utility Manager Charles Gill, referred to the administration building as a “critical hub” and said that the generator needed to be bought and installed as quickly as possible.
When Tropical Depression Helene swept through Indiana in late September, Gill said it showed the utility the need for a permanent generator.
“During the recent storms … there was a circumstance where that generator may have been needed to go elsewhere in the city, and it highlighted the idea that we needed to have a permanently installed generator that can power our facility at Meek Street,” Gill said.
Gill noted that the generator wouldn’t need to be as large as the generators used to run the utility’s main plants, which allowed the cost to remain low enough that the utility was able to seek out quotes rather than go through a bidding process.
As storms continue to get more powerful over time, Gill said that the utility needs to be better prepared for emergencies.
“That [portable] generator is part of our emergency response procedure, so if it was needed to run any number of different facilities throughout the city, it needs to be available,” Gill said. “This hasn’t been a problem yet, but these storms are becoming more intense. Looking at what the future possibilities could be, it’s prudent for us to go ahead and make a step forward to get a permanently installed generator.”
The utility’s request was quickly and unanimously approved by the board, allowing the purchase of the generator to move forward.
“It’s going to be a pretty straightforward evolution,” Gill said of the way the generator will impact the utility going forward. “It’s not going to be a huge outlay, I think it’s just going to be one of those things of timing, how long it’s going to take us to get it.”
