The Greenwood County Commissioners revisited the discussion of installing a generator at the Noxious Weed Department during their weekly meeting on Monday, May 5. Road and Bridge Supervisor Allen Greenwood presented three bids for the installation of a generator, with the commission ultimately approving the bid from Thornton Plumbing & Electric of Eureka, for a 22KW Generac at $12,600. The bid narrowly passed, 3-2, with Commissioners Preston Evenson, Ron Mast and Judd Everitt voting in favor and Commissioners Mac Obourn and Roy Ballard voting no. The bid was the middle of the three bids, with the lowest being submitted by Butler REC for a 20KW Cummins at $10,172.63. The third bid was from Cornett Electric, Inc. for a 20KW Cummings at $14,033.92.
During the discussion, Greenwood noted that the Noxious Weed Department had $151,659.69 in their Equipment Reserve account. Commissioner Ballard again noted his desire to obtain quotes to install a transfer switch and utilize the county’s portable generator. “It’s killing me,” he stated. “The whole thing is killing me. You don’t need a 22KW generator to run that shed,” he continued. Commissioner Everitt stated that he was “pro generator” for the facility to maintain climate control for the chemicals, as well as referencing the office for the emergency manager. It was also noted that in the event of a disaster, the facility could also be used as a warming/cooling facility.
