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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: October 19, 1999 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 91-e,. <br />SUBJECT: Bid Award: Electrical work to make Stanford Middle School Generator Ready <br />DEPARTMENT: Purchasing & Central Services PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Bid Tabulation Pam Jones , Purchasing Director, ext 2652 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough <br />732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill <br />968-4501 <br />Durham <br />688-7331 <br />Mebane <br />336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider awarding a bid to Pendergraph Electric for re-wiring at Stanford Middle School <br />to make the school generator ready. <br />BACKGROUND: In FY 1997-98 the County opted to pursue making two schools used for shelter sites, <br />generator ready, rather than pursuing the expensive proposition of actually permanently installing <br />generators. The Red Cross will provide mobile generators to the sties as needed. Funds to wire the <br />facilities were included in the Capital Investment Fund. <br />A study group consisting of representatives from Orange County Emergency Management, the Red <br />Cross, both Orange County and Chapel Hill/Carrboro School systems, and other County staff, including <br />the County Electrical Inspector explored possibilities of where and how the emergency power should be <br />provided most efficiently.. After in-depth investigation by the study group, it was determined that the two <br />best facilities for use as shelters were the Stanford Middle School, Hillsborough and the new Smith <br />Middle School in Chapel Hill. <br />The Chapel Hill/Carrboro School system has agreed to include generator ready provisions in the design <br />of the Smith Middle School, which may preclude needing future funding from this account. <br />This bid includes the installation of an entirely new electrical distribution panel that will route power from <br />the generator as well as connecting the new panel to the existing power distribution system. <br />Accomplishing this type of work in an older facility is time-consuming, hence a cost greater than one <br />might expect if this were new construction. Once completed, however, this will allow the cafeteria wing <br />at Stanford Middle School to be powered by an emergency generator brought in as needed by the Red <br />Cross. Heretofore, emergency electrical service may have been available in only limited areas of <br />facilities used as shelters, making optimum operation of the shelter difficult. The generator may be <br />connected to the emergency generator panel and the facility powered within a very short period of time. <br />The amount of square footage that can be powered by the generator will allow a significant shelter <br />operation at this site, including an area for persons with special needs. As the Board may know, <br />individuals seeking shelter may need to bring medical equipment, oxygen tanks, etc. with them. For <br />medical or other reasons, these persons may need an area separate from the general shelter population <br />