Correction
West Prince town’s old unit gave out during December power outage
The meeting held on Jan. 24 about business opportunities in relation to the Congrès mondial acadien will be held at 7 p.m., not 9 p.m., this is a correction to the item that ran in the Journal Pioneer on Monday, Jan. 14, on
O’Leary town council has voted in favour of purchasing a new generator to power the O’Leary Town Complex.
The old generator gave out during an extended power outage in December, prompting council to move quickly to find a replacement. They accepted a quote from Tri-County Marine to supply the unit. Finance chair Darren MacKinnon, sitting in on the meeting by phone, said the offer was regarded as the best of the options received.
The new generator council voted on Thursday will cost $30,532, including electrical hookup and taxes.
The town will be able to recover the taxes and it is hoping to get one-half of the remaining cost covered through the Rural Growth Initiative’s Community Revitalization Program. The town had initially considered purchasing an engine and compatible flywheel to run the old generator, because councilors thought it would cost at least $40,000 to replace the entire unit.
“It’s an actual generator, it’s not a jerry-rigged diesel?” councillor Kevin Maynard asked.
Mayor Eric Gavin said it’s a complete unit.
“All you have to do is put the fuel to it and the battery to it and it should start.”
He said it is comparable to the unit it’s replacing.
Chief administrative officer for the town, Bev Shaw, pointed out that in addition to the lower than expected cost, there’s the benefit of a warranty in purchasing new.
“It was really no big decision to make,” she said in choosing to buy a new generator. If a provincial grant is obtained, Shaw said council should be able to pay off a loan over five years at approximately $3,800 per year. MacKinnon said he’s very comfortable with those figures. “It gives us a new, reliable source of generation which meets our needs.
“I’m very happy with it.” Councillors acknowledged it was necessary to act quickly, as the complex is used as a community warming shelter during power outages.