Supervisors discuss backup options for power shutoffs; county facing high equipment costs, delays
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LAKEPORT, Calif. – With Pacific Gas and Electric warning of the potential for public safety power shutoffs this summer, the Board of Supervisors this week discussed backup generators and power infrastructure upgrades needed to keep county facilities going.
As the board grappled with the likelihood of high costs and the possibility of months-long delays in getting facilities prepped for the outages, it became clear that, while some departments – such as the sheriff’s office – will not have their services interrupted, the county has not completed a comprehensive operational plan for what facilities will be able to operate if PG&E cuts power due to concerns about wildfires.
On June 11, the board directed staff to return with information for a discussion on backup power generators, and Public Services Director Lars Ewing on Tuesday said his staff has been “feverishly” trying to size up generators and options for purchases and leases of equipment.
Ewing emphasized that he wasn’t presenting a recommendation, only options. He said his staff has looked at county facilities, and dozens of them don’t have backup generation. One of the questions they’re trying to answer is how to ensure those facilities can maintain operations during a shutoff.
For the Lake County Courthouse, the county government’s headquarters, Ewing said it will require 750 kilowatts of power to keep it fully operational.
While figuring out how much power the county facilities will need is one consideration, there is another necessity that has to be addressed: Ewing said all of the facilities need electrical upgrades in order to use backup generators.
The costs for those upgrades can range from $10,000 for a smaller building up to $75,000 for a larger facility like the courthouse, he said.
A generator sized to run the courthouse is estimated to cost $190,000, plus the cost for the power upgrade, he said.
Not only is the cost high, but there also is a lead time of between three and five months just to purchase such a generator, according to Ewing.
For a more temporary solution, Ewing said the county can rent a large generator on contingency for $5,000 per month, with the equipment available within 48 hours. To rent it on standby would range between $10,000 and $12,000 per month.
“That powers the whole building,” he said.
The county has a cost-sharing agreement with the state for the Lake County Superior Court, housed on the building’s fourth floor. Ewing said that could provide a 30-percent share. Another cost-sharing option is to work with the cell carriers who have tower facilities on the building’s roof to get generators.
At most, Ewing said the county is looking at as much as $300,000 to keep the courthouse running in the event of a power shutoff. He said they could look at paring down certain circuits, running air conditioning less and turning off some lights to use less energy.
Ewing said his staff looked at every building on the courthouse campus, including Victim-Witness, Buildings and Grounds, and the Lake County Courthouse Museum, the latter which runs off the courthouse’s power. With the museum, he said they needed to consider if some artifacts will need power to protect them.
Other facilities reviewed included Special Districts, the Lakeport Library, Lake County Probation, the Agriculture Department, Animal Care and Control, Middletown Library and Senior Center, Behavioral’s Health’s Southshore office, Redbud Library and Child Support Services, he said.
Ewing said all of those facilities would be on propane. He estimated generators would range from $15,000 to $60,000, with installation from $10,000 to $25,000 each. At least a few months’ lead time will be required, and Ewing said both electricians and generator companies are facing high demand. One electrician he spoke to said he was scheduled six weeks out.
“It’s not something that we can pull the trigger on right now and have it done next week for any one building, much less all of them,” Ewing said, adding that his staff doesn’t have the capacity to address those needs right away.
Supervisor Rob Brown said the discussion was becoming much larger than originally intended. He asked about total fees for generators and installation.
Ewing said that, for all of the buildings – excluding the courthouse – it was $380,000 for generators and $160,000 for installation.
Brown said the county will need to let nonessential staff know at some point that if the power is shut off, they should stay home and not come to work. “It’s going to be a real hardship on everyone.”
Department heads report on capabilities, needs
Sheriff Brian Martin told the board that the jail has backup generation and his evidence facility should have a new generator installed soon. At its June 10 meeting, the board approved a $40,000 budget transfer for the sheriff’s office to purchase and install the propane-powered generator to keep evidence freezers and refrigerators operational during a power shutoff.
Martin said his administration office, the dispatch center and the emergency operations center all have generators, and work is under way to get a generator installed at a radio repeater site to back up communications. He said both the sheriff’s office and the Office of Emergency Services should continue operations uninterrupted.
Brown asked if they could start looking at permanent alternatives, spending more to get away from PG&E altogether by using solar, wind or other options. Ewing said they already are looking at solar power.
IT Director Shane French said his department has a backup generator and, to the extent that facilities are online, they will have services and the public will have access to the county’s Web site.
Ewing said he was stopping short of suggesting that certain facilities not have backup power, as he believed that isn’t his decision. Rather, the focus is on looking at what offices need to remain open. “That really is where we are.”
Supervisor Moke Simon said looking at rentals and leasing was the county’s most prudent route, and he suggested looking for US Department of Agriculture grants for help with addressing power alternatives.
Supervisor EJ Crandell said his tribe, Robinson Rancheria, has a generator for its casino that broke during last year’s fire. He asked about a maintenance package or someone on site to make repairs. “When it broke we were stuck.”
Ewing said all current backup generators are on a maintenance plan.
County Counsel Anita Grant told the supervisors that they needed to devise what the county’s operational plan is going to be.
Ewing said there is a lot that’s needed for planning at each location, which would allow him to refine costs.
Grant added that there is no problem having a large overarching plan that’s phased in, and it depends on where the board starts and where you want to end up. “Once you have a plan a lot of this will be easy to see,” as far as alternatives.
Board Chair Tina Scott asked for consensus to run the numbers on the backup generation measure. Brown suggested Ewing also take the consideration to the county’s space committee, which looks at issues surrounding facilities, and then bring back a recommendation to the board.
Offer of assistance
During public comment, Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg said he appreciated the board’s discussion.
“School districts are dependent on the county treasurer, county auditor-controller, as well as IT for a lot of our business operations. I think the fire districts are in a similar boat,” he said, adding districts are dependent on power to make payroll and meet local accounts payable obligations.
He said the Lake County Office of Education is investing more than $100,000 for permanent backup generation, “and by July 1 I can assure you that we will have temporary generation in place so that we’re able to move forward.”
He said he wants to be able to assure our school employees they will get their paychecks on time. “This is a critical situation. It’s a unique situation.”
Falkenberg said the Office of Education is willing to step up to help offset some of the backup power costs – in particular, for the courthouse – so the county can move forward.
Crystal Markytan, director of Social Services, said her goal is to keep staff working in order for benefits to go out for foster parents, aid and CalFresh.
Markytan said the cost for backup generation at the Anderson Ranch offices in Lower Lake is $250,000. She wants to put forward a plan for working in the offices without power, which would be voluntary, adding her staff has some good ideas on how to do that.
Ewing said the generator for Anderson Ranch would be the same size as the generator needed for the courthouse. It would be noted later in the discussion that, since that is a leased building, the county should coordinate backup power generation upgrades with the building’s owners.
County Librarian Christopher Veach said he wants to do whatever possible to keep libraries open, even if the power is out, and he asked for guidelines from the board on how to operate if the power is out for a long period of time.
He said he has surveyed some libraries from around the state; some have backup generation and stay open, some don’t and close immediately.
As the discussion closed, Grant told the supervisors, “I think your board’s made it clear that there’s a lot of planning and work to do to come back to your board with some recommendations regarding short-term and long-term plans using solar, wind and any other alternatives.”
She added, “If that sums it up, we’ll get on it.”
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