The buzz is some electrical upgrades will make City Hall current

North Bay City Council will be asked to help keep the lights on at City Hall by upgrading outdated electrical equipment, some of which was installed as part of the original build in 1977.

According to the associated staff report, "In the event of a major fault in the electrical system, the parts required to return this equipment to service may not be readily available which could result in several weeks of downtime for City Hall operations."

At Tuesday's regular meeting, Council will vote on approving a nearly $163,000 contract to Electrobauer Systems Limited to upgrade the main incoming electrical services at North Bay City Hall. Eight quotes were evaluated by the City factoring company ability, experience and price.

The report states the City has been approved for eligible costs of up to $260,000 for various repairs, retrofits, and upgrades to the building. The electrical work would be covered by Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP): COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream. 

"The main incoming electrical equipment that is in use today is part of the original construction. This electrical equipment is critical to city operations as all of the electricity used in City Hall passes through this equipment. The equipment has far exceeded its expected service life. Replacement parts are becoming difficult and expensive to source. This project will replace the main incoming electrical equipment with modern equipment which has readily available parts," reads the report.

North Bay City Council will meet for committee and regular meetings, Tuesday, beginning at 6:30 p.m.