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(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The city of Graham water treatment plant where three generators will be installed by Groves PK to ensure consistent power at the facility in the event of an emergency. The generators will be purchased using grant funding and from the city’s Lake Fund.
The city of Graham will now be more prepared in the event of an emergency after approving the purchase of three generators for the water treatment plant.
The Graham City Council met Thursday, Sept. 25 and accepted a $859,000 bid from Gromec Partnership, Groves PK, for the installation of three 500KW diesel generators.
The generators will be installed for the water treatment plant, high service pumps and Lake Eddleman lift pump––all located on Power Plant Road.
“Getting these generators will make our water treatment plant more resilient in the event of a power outage, particularly a sustained power outage. We will still be able to provide water to our citizens,” City Manager Eric Garretty said in May. “It’s something that needs to be done. It’s something that most cities already have. ...I realize it’s a lot of money, but it’s an investment in the resiliency of our water system and ensuring the continuity of water service to our citizens.”
The purchase will be made using a grant and funding from the city’s Lake Fund. The Lakes Fund contains all revenue generated from the sale and lease of properties located on Lake Graham and Lake Eddleman.
The fund balance in the Lake Fund is reserved for future projects related to Lake Graham and Lake Eddleman and for projects related to the city’s municipal water supply.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), on behalf of FEMA, issued a grant of $403,719.82 to the city of Graham under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
“(A total of) $400,000 of the total project cost will be offset by the grant, making the net cost to the City $459,000,” Garretty said.
The diesel generators will be placed on six foot concrete pads and contained with a fenced-in roof. The generators will provide continuous power to the pumps in the event of a power failure.
Groves PK stated in their bid that the project would be completed in the fall when the city’s public works department will have scheduled times when the pumps are down.
“All electrical materials are required to be tested to provide a complete function system. The contractor shall ensure that electrical service remains uninterrupted and shall perform all temporary work necessary to maintain continuity of electrical service when connection is made to existing systems,” the city’s bid request stated.
The generators will receive two years of preventative maintenance. Upon completion of the project, work will be inspected, tested and fuel tanks will be filled with 80% fuel.
The city originally bid for the project and received only one bid of $1,093,995 from Ready Power LLC.
The readvertised bids were accepted until Monday, July 28 for installation of the permanent diesel generators, automatic transfer switches and concrete pads with fencing and metal roofing.
The city received bids from Parker Power Systems Inc., Kaiser Electric Inc. and Groves PK. The largest bid was from Parker Power Systems, Inc. of $1,033,455.70.
Kaiser Electric Inc. provided two proposals with one using Blue Star branded generators and another using Generac branded generators. The Groves PK bid was for Cummins branded generators.
The Kaiser Blue Star bid was for $820,344.53 while the Generac bid was for $930,692.77. The city manager said that while Groves PK was not the lowest bidder, research showed the Cummins branded generators to be more reliable.
“City staff research indicates there is a qualitative difference between the Cummins brand generator and the Blue Star generator. City staff concluded that the city will achieve longer service life and lower maintenance cost by selecting the Groves PK/Cummins bid,” Garretty said.
