GUELPH/ERAMOSA - Township of Guelph-Eramosa council has approved a standby diesel generator for the Royal Distributing Athletic Performance Centre in advance of the 2022 budget.
At Monday's council meeting, Robin Milne, director of parks and recreation, reported the need for a backup generator for the Royal Distributing Athletic Performance Centre, which acts as the township’s backup emergency operation centre.
The centre is a designated evacuation centre for a number of schools, daycare and a bunch of other organizations that require a backup designated emergency shelter.
It’s also identified as a warming or cooling centre within the municipality.
“It’s never had a backup generator in the centre,” said Milne.
“Whenever we signed an agreement with public schools, for example, we would disclose with them that the centre doesn’t have a backup generator and they would need to find their own ways of using a different source for electricity and warmth.”
In the late fall of 2020, the federal and provincial governments announced $1.05 billion in combined funding through the COVID-19 resilience infrastructure stream intended to build or renovate health and safety related projects in long term cares, education, and municipalities.
Milne noted that the township submitted an application for this funding in order to install the standby diesel generator.
The township was successful in the application and was granted a total of $123,813.
“We circulated a request for quote (RFQ) for the supply and installation for a standby diesel generator and received two compliant quotes. We received the lowest quote of $178,000 from Arthur Electric, and the department agreed to go ahead with the process with them,” said Milne.
The project will appear in the 2022 budget as a capital item, the municipality will be responsible for the $54,187 difference between the funded amount and the total project cost.
Milne proposed to take the $54,187 from the rate stabilization fund. Council approved.
“I’m a big supporter of backup generators, especially for our designated evacuation centre,” said Mayor Chris White. “It’s unfortunate that it’s quite expensive, but we need it.”
