DATE: March 10, 2025
TO:
AGENDA REPORT
Honorable Mayor and City Council
Item No. 3
FROM: Fermin Preciado, Director of Development Services/City Engineer ws r.
SUBJECT: City Hall Emergency Electrical Service Back-up Generator RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council review and consider the options for an emergency electrical service back-up generator for the City Hall facility and approve the expenditure budget adjustment in the General Fund of $300,000 for the purchase of a mobile/portable generator for the City Hall facility.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
During the week of January 6, 2025, the City of Yucaipa experienced electrical power outages associated with Southern California Edison's (SCE) Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Program due to the high winds forecasted within the City and surrounding areas.
On January 27, 2025, the City Council discussed, reviewed and adopted the City Council's goals identifying and agreeing upon priorities for the 2025 calendar year. One of the five (5) adopted goals was to `Enhance Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Management Capabilities'. Consistent with this goal, the City Council directed staff to return to Council with a recommendation regarding the installation of an electrical service back-up generator at City Hall to be used during PSPS events, power outages and emergency situations when power outages occur.
The Yucaipa Police Department facility constructed in 2013 located next to City Hall has a permanently fixed 188 KVA diesel generator designed and capable of powering approximately 50% of the Police Department building during power outages. The generator was designed, installed and wired to provide electrical power to certain critical areas of the building requiring approximately 150KVA of the 188KVA produced by the generator, resulting in an additional capacity of approximately 38KVA to be used elsewhere at full demand.
As part of the FY25 Mid -Year Budget Update to the City Council on February 24, 2025, staff presented a recommendation to the City Council to approve an expenditure of $300,000 for the purchase of a mobile/portable diesel generator and associated equipment mounted on a trailer that could be stored at the City's Public Works Yard and transported to City Hall in the event of a PSPS event or an emergency power outage situation. At this meeting, the City Council directed staff to research the possibility and cost to connect the existing 188 KVA generator at the police department facility to the City Hall building to power critical areas of both buildings during power outages.
Since only 38KVA of the 188KVA of electrical power produced by the existing Police Department facility generator would be available, this would not be sufficient to provide electrical power to the critical areas of the City Hall building. Approximately 160KVA of power would be required to power the critical areas of City Hall. This means that with a factor of safety for electrical surges, a minimum 375KVA generator would be required to partially power portions of both buildings considered to be critical areas.
The table below compares the cost and lead time for both the mobile/portable diesel generator option and the option to connect City Hall to the existing Police Department facility generator:
330KVA
Mobile/Portable
Diesel Generator
Connection to Yucaipa
Police Department
Facility and 375KVA
Generator Upgrade
Generator
$245,000
$140,000
Fees/Permits/Commissioning
$22,000
$20,000
Concrete Foundation/Pad Improvements
$0
$40,000
Trenching
$0
$80,000
City Hall Panel Separation/Upgrades
$0
$40,000
Disposal
$0
$15,000
Contingency
$18,000
$20,000
Total Estimated Cost
$285,000
$355,000
Lead Time
3-4 Months
12-18 Months
Based on this comparison, staff is recommending that Council approve the expenditure budget adjustment in the General Fund of $300,000 for the purchase of a mobile/portable generator for the City Hall facility.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed recommendation results in a fiscal impact of increased budgeted expenditures of $300,000 in the General Fund.
Approved by: