By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

VERSAILLES — The Versailles Village Council discusses power relocation and transformers.

Discussion about the Versailles Schools relocating their primary power supply took place. Assistant Village Administrator Kyle Francis said as most are aware the school is moving forward with its expansion project.

“They reached out earlier this summer to discuss relocating their existing electric facilities that feed the school power,” Francis said.

He said the past fall, a layout had finally gotten hammered out. Since the existing electrical feed will have to be completely removed and replaced, “they (the school) will be responsible for the cost to put a new service back into the school.”

“Typically with schools, you don’t see them expand out of the mechanical end, but ours is just because of the nature of what they are adding,” Francis said.

The cost to relocate the power is $47,752. 82 and would be responsible to the School Board. Francis said the village’s linemen would be the one to pull the cable, terminate, get it powered backup and remove the old facilities. This cost was not planned in the original CIP for the year, so the village will have to re-appropriate money to offset costs.

“What we will do is the school will get an invoice upfront for half of the $47,752.82, they will pay that, and we will order all the materials, and we will send them a final invoice once construction is complete for the remaining balance,” Francis said.

Even though the school is paying for it, the village will have to account for the remaining balance. The council voted to support the agreement and the school will sign it before the Fiscal Officer Kathy Ording compiles an amendment to the budget that the council will have to approve.

Francis also advised the council about a potential inter-governmental agreement with the Village of Waynesfield for the sale of four total, 69 kV x 4kV substation transformers from the East Water Street Substation that are no longer needed for any municipal purpose.

Over the last several years the village has converted the last four remaining interior circuits to 12 kV. Francis said they have stripped out and scrapped some of the components already.

“Those that are left are likely from the 1960s. We tried to feel out selling them for scrap or reuse, and we got little to no interest,” Francis said.

He said they reached out to the typical transformer vendors, and they couldn’t really get anything out of them. Francis said the village was looking at $10,000 to $15,000 in rigging costs to get a crane in to get them out, loaded, and off sight.

Waynesfield is looking at having to change their substation, and they are interested in the villages transformers. Francis advised the council that the village “would be in a better situation to just give the transformers to Waynesfield and make them pay for all the rigging, transportation, removal, and coordination costs.

“We are not going to get anything for these units for scrap or resale,” Francis said. “I personally feel it would be better to let them take them, and we just get rid of these liabilities because we have nowhere else to go.”

Francis said in the long run, this will save both Versailles and Waynesfield a bunch of money.

The next Versailles Council meeting will take place Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, at 7 p.m., in EMS Building, 320 Baker Road, Versailles.

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].