Supervisors accept bid for electrical work

MARENGO — Supervisors accepted a bid from Timm Electric in Brooklyn last week for installing electricity to a container in which the county will store seed.

“We need to maintain our seed better,” said County Engineer Nick Amelon. In order to put an air conditioner and dehumidifier in the building to prevent loss through heat and humidity, the county needs to run electricity to the building.

Alliant owns the current electrical lines, said Amelon. “We could move the meter and put in our own line,” said Amelon, but Alliant said it would be best to start at the county’s meter and bore to the container. Alliant would continue to own the infrastructure.

Timm Electric submitted two bids. One was to cut the wire and put in a new meter and bore to the shed. “Alliant says we can’t do that,” said Amelon, so that bid was dismissed.

Timm also submitted a bid for $3,179 for boring and $1,970 for installing wiring and outlets on the exterior and in the interior of the container. The total $5,149 was lower than the bid from Joe Meade Electric in Parnell for $7,900.

The county received only two bids on the project, though Amelon said he made about eight phone calls asking for bids from other companies and didn’t receive any.

After the electrical work is completed, the county will apply foam insulation to the building.

“We’re going to be up around $20,000 by the time we’re done,” Amelon said.

Supervisor Alan Schumacher asked if the project was worth the cost.

The cost is about the price of the seed, said Amelon. The County loses about 10% to mice every year and additional seed to other conditions.

The building has additional space I which the county can store mulch, chemicals and equipment, such as chain saws, said Amelon. A second door was installed last week, he said.