Generator purchase approved by Royal council

The long process of purchasing a generator for Royal’s lift station took a major step forward when the city council on Sept. 13 accepted bids for the purchase and installation of the unit.

Power Source submitted the low bid for a 50KW Cummins/Onan diesel generator with transfer switch and the accompanying electrical work. The Alta firm’s total bid was $36,709. Their proposal included a two-year warranty on parts, labor and travel.

Delivery of the generator will take 44-48 weeks. Power Source offered an alternate bid on a 60KW generator, with delivery date of eight to 12 weeks.

“My opinion is to lean toward the Cummins/Onan even with the longer lead time, if the money is still there,” said Council Member Jeff Van Westen.

Council Member Mitch Fahnlander initially proposed to accept the generator bid from Power Source and an electrical bid from Toft Electric, of Royal. Concerns were raised during discussion about breaking bids apart and not accepting the lowest possible bid.

“I bid jobs for a living. Low bid is low bid; public money is taxpayer money,” Council Member Matt Goyette remarked.

The rest of the council concurred and voted to accept Power Source’s entire bid.

The purchase will be paid with a $38,220 grant from the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The application process began over four years ago. After funding was awarded, the city obtained a bid for a generator. Due to increased costs since that time, a new round of bidding was required.

The generator will provide power in the event of an electrical outage at the lift station.

“Having a generator keeps both pumps running and the electrical bypass,” Maintenance Superintendent Sherman Nielsen explained. “If you lose power, you’re using gas pumps.”

• Air conditioner bids, grant funds

Two bids for replacing an air conditioning unit at the community building were reviewed. According to discussion, the current unit that cools the large meeting room is not working. The front of the building, including the library, is cooled with a smaller unit.

After considering several options, the council tabled action in order to obtain one more bid.

City Clerk Barb Fletcher advised the council that other grant funds awarded to the city either had to be spent or designated for use this year. A $5,000 grant from Palo County Gaming Commission is designated for concrete improvements at Memorial Park. The project needs to be completed and funds accounted for by Dec. 31.

The city must designate use for the $17,055 in remaining American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds by Dec. 31. Fletcher said the deadline for expending the funds is in 2024. The council will wait until after the lift station project is completed to determine how ARPA funds should be spent.