Gilford Public Works opts to rent generator for nearly $40K savings

GILFORD — The town Department of Public Works will rent a generator to power its temporary office, also serving as a backup in case of a power outage at the town’s sewer pump station.

The choice to rent rather than buy is a move that will save the town about $38,000, and even though it's temporary, Public Works Director Meghan Theriault felt this was the most economical choice.

Theriault met with the selectboard on Nov. 12, where she gave an update on the progress of the new building, as well as to let them know the plan for a rental that would cost just under $12,000. This is split between two purchases, with the rental costs about half this amount, and an automatic transfer switch installation being the other portion.

Purchasing a new generator would have been $50,000, as was the original intention, but after some research, Theriault thought it was not the best bang for the buck.

“The potential $50,000 for a long-term solution didn’t seem like a good idea for us,” Theriault said on Nov. 13. “When we looked into it further, it didn’t make sense.”

She told the selectboard the generator is needed to power the trailer being used by the department during construction of their new building. When looking at the generators, staff wanted to buy one that could be used in other places. However, after investigating further, she said the size of the generator is small, and not meant for other major uses.

“Say we needed it at the solid waste center,” she said. “In no way would it accommodate helping out over there. So, we feel like the money would be better spent. That’s not a good use of the money right now, and instead we would rather do a rental.”

A generator will be rented from December to April, and will require the installation of an automatic transfer switch on the electrical panel. While staff understand it's a temporary expense, the long-term expenditure did not seem appealing.

Chair Kevin Hayes asked if the rental unit is portable, and Theriault said it will not be. It will only be for the public works trailer and the sewer pump station, which she said is critical.

“We had talked about situations if we lose our power, do we come over here and plant ourselves with computers in this room?” Theriault said. “Turn the faucets on so we don’t freeze the water. But it is the sewer pump station that is run off that panel. That is also servicing this building.”

The public works electrical panel also serves the construction area, and staff said a generator of this size cannot run their site, as well. Theriault said Lyman Construction staff understand they would have to rent one if there was a multi-day outage.

“This is only sized for us and the pump station,” Theriault said.

The rental generator will serve as the main power source for the public works trailer, and also as a backup for the town's municipal complex. The former generator was at the end of its useful life, and often would not work.

“We have experienced not having any power, and that was a much bigger deal when running a garage at this location,” Theriault said.

Theriault told the selectboard that a representative from Bonnette, Page & Stone, the town’s construction manager, sent her an email saying Daniels Electric Corporation of Gilford will be able to install the automatic transfer for just under $6,000. The generator rental will be about $6,000, and BPS is putting this out to bid.

“It sounds like it is going to be about $12,000 between the two,” she said.

Hayes asked that Theriault keep the selectboard in the loop about the rental, and added hopefully there will be no interruptions in power service in the meantime.

“We certainly need to be prepared if we do, and I just think that’s our cheapest option,” Theriault said.

Town policy requires expenditures of $10,000 or higher to be pre-approved by the selectboard, according to Town Administrator Scott Dunn. A vote did not need to be taken, because the estimated cost for the rental will not hit that mark.