A more than $580,000 contract for the purchase and installation of an emergency backup power generator for City Hall is to be considered at a February Apache Junction City Council meeting.
The council meets at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 in the council chambers, 300 E. Superstition Blvd. to vote on the $582,500 contract with Empire Power Systems. The work would be through the Sourcewell cooperative contract No. 092222-CAT.
The diesel 400-kilowatt generator would kick on when electricity from Salt River Project goes out. The generator will last up to two days on a tank of diesel depending on the utility load, Public Works Manager Shane Kiesow told council at a Jan. 21 meeting.
“It is sized to actually run everything — HVAC, lights, everything. All staff, if you’re using this building you won’t know if the generator is on versus what the utility power is going to be. The only thing you might have an indication is the lights may go off for a few seconds as the generator switches over,” he said.
Work is planned to start in February, demolition of a concrete pad is planned in March, an enclosure is to be constructed between March and May, and the generator is to be placed and connected between June and November, he said.
“That cross-connect would be scheduled on like a Friday-Saturday — Sunday possibly — because we’re going to have to be taking all the buildings down, going dark for a couple days to make that crossover to the generator system,” Kiesow said.
The generator is to be installed adjacent to the municipal court at the City Hall Complex, 300 E. Superstition Blvd.
“So when the court was constructed a corral was actually made for a generator,” Kiesow said. “It just looks like part of the existing building.”
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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