Atlas Twp.-By a 4-0 vote on Nov. 18 the board of trustees OK’d $14,500 for Davison-based Mitchell Electric, Inc. to purchase and install a natural gas powered generator at the township hall, 7386 Gale Road. In addition, the board OK’d $1,500 for Consumers Energy to assist in moving the electric meter to accommodate the generator.
The decision to purchase the generator comes after several months of debate.
‘The township office is a designated shelter during power outages or in the time of community needs such as storms,? said Shirley Kautman-Jones, township supervisor. ‘Consider, too, that the Genesee County Sheriff’s deputies work out of these offices.?
Township board members had grappled with the purchase of a generator since earlier this fall, following several power failures.
Jones had contacted Consumers Energy and was quoted $30,000 for a natural gas generator. However, other local companies came in well under that price.
‘The cost of $14,000 is much more palatable,? said Tere Onica, township clerk. ‘Power for the police department is the most needed here. But it’s not like home, where meat is going to be spoiling in the refrigerator.?