St. Marys council OKs $1M for substation

ST. MARYS - The Spokeworks Substation near the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and Axe Street will receive more than $1 million in upgrades.

City council members on Monday approved under suspension of the rules an emergency ordinance authorizing a contract for the expansion of the substation with Power Construction Group of Uniondale, Ind., for $1.1 million. Power Construction Group offered the lowest of four bids, safety service director Greg Foxhoven said.

The expansion will allow the substation to receive new switch gears, a new transformer and a building in which workers can safely operate.

The improvements will allow the substation to distribute more electricity to users and fit inside the 2.3 acres of fenced-in area at the location, Foxhoven said after the meeting.

The expansion will be split into two parts with concrete pads for the new pieces poured first, followed by the installation of the units. Work should be completed by the end of February, he said. The new transformer should arrive in January with the others arriving earlier in November.

The decision to upgrade follows the recommendation in a 2012 study by Spectrum Engineering.

"As the system study continued, they determined that we would be able to double the capacity of an existing substation already, which is the Spokeworks Substation," Foxhoven said.

The expansion would negate the need for a fifth city substation. The contractor will pour the concrete and tie all the new equipment into the electrical system, he said.

The funding is covered by yearly appropriations and from the $2.1 million note for electrical projects that council members approved in April, Foxhoven said.

In other action, council members unanimously approved the use of $650,000 in state revolving loan funds to help preserve the Reservoir Mill on High Street.

City officials have said the funds will be used to strip down the mill to its original footprint and renovate exterior walls. Funds for work on the interior of the building could later be secured through other grants or loans.

Officials have said once the interior is restored, it could serve as a banquet hall for receptions and other events.

The mill was constructed in 1847 and is one of the last mills located along the Miami-Erie Canal. Mayor Patrick McGowan said he had received 395 responses from residents favoring mill improvements and 19 opposed.

Council members also,

• approved a resolution congratulating the St. Marys Seahawks Swim Team for the 2016 season.

• heard second reading of a resolution donating the property at 542 N. Front St. to Lots for Soldiers. The home on the property had been destroyed by a fire in April 2015 and the property owner gave the property to the city, Foxhoven previously said. Lots for Soldiers had shown interest in the property.