60°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Leaky part delays transformer installation

A faulty part has delayed the installation of Boulder City’s new backup transformer by one year.

A leak in the new transformer was discovered in July, four months after its arrival, and staff contacted the manufacturer, according to Lisa LaPlante, the city’s communications manager.

“One of the manufactured parts needed to be replaced with a new manufactured part, which took several weeks to complete,” she said. “Once the manufacturer received the part, the city was notified the part was incorrect and another one had to be manufactured.”

The new part was installed in January. Staff tested it to ensure it does not leak and the part passed inspection, LaPlante said. Until the transformer was complete and ready to use, the city held on to part of the payment to the manufacturer, Virginia Transformer.

The new transformer, which costs $1.1 million and weighs about 109 tons, will increase the reliability of the city’s electrical system.

“The next step is to complete the bid package for the above-grade construction portion of the project,” LaPlante said. “We are currently completing our 100 percent plans and specifications review and plan to advertise for construction this spring. ”

The new backup transformer is now expected to be operational in October. The delay has not caused an increase in cost.

Though the transformer, which will serve as the backup to the main electrical system, is ready for the next step for installation, the city has chosen to delay the process to get through the hot summer months.

If the existing transformer is disconnected from the Western Area Power Administration and there were any issues installing the new transformer, the city would be left without any backup to its power-supplying system.

In addition to the transformer, the city will be installing a new circuit breaker and other items for the system, which were purchased earlier.

“City staff has determined that starting phase 2 of the project now, this close to summer, is needlessly risky. … The better course of action is to continue to rely on the old transformer for backup power this summer and to commence breaker replacement starting in October 2019,” LaPlante said.

In 2017, then-Public Works Director Scott Hansen said the process to replace the more than 50-year-old transformer would not affect daily service for the city’s electrical customers. It would, however, be critical to serve the community should there be a problem with the city’s primary power source at the Mead Substation.

When the new transformer was delivered in April 2018, Rory Dwyer, who was the city’s electric utility administrator, said the existing backup does not have the capacity to deliver the large amount of energy needed during the summer.

According to LaPlante, the city holds a five-year warranty on the new transformer, which began now that the final payment has been released.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Community pride on full display

A mixture of lime, paint and water was used to touch up the city landmark, which saw the B first painted in 1985 and two years later the C by BCHS students. It had been 10 years since the last time it was touched up. Event organizer Bret Runion said he was pleased with the turnout and hopes to see even more assist in future years.

It’s official: STRs banned in BC

For an issue that has caused so much local uproar for more than a year, the question of whether Boulder City should formalize the informal-but-still-binding ban on short-term rentals (STR) within city limits ended with more of a whimper than a bang Tuesday as the City Council voted 4-1 to adopt text changes to city code clarifying that the practice is illegal and establishing a system of civil fines for STR owners who continue to operate.

A busy Saturday in Boulder City

Saturday proved to be a very busy day in Boulder City as events included repainting of the BC on Radar Mountain (see page 2 for photos), as well as the city’s Easter Egg Hunt at Wilbur Square, Flowfest and the popular goat yoga class at Bicentennial Park and the Injured Police Officers Fund car show at Veterans’ Memorial Park.

To chip or not to chip?

In its second time at the plate, as it were, the proposal by Boulder City Councilmember Cokie Booth to require that pets within BC be microchipped ended up with a lot of people talking about maybe taking a swing at the ball but no one actually doing so.

Council candidate slate set

A total of seven candidates for city council and three candidates for justice of the peace of Boulder Township will face off in the primary election scheduled for June 11.

Ultrarunner to push himself to the limit

It’s not uncommon for friends or even family members to try and best one another whether that be athletics, academics or relationships.

Vets home hit with 18 citations

In a recent unannounced inspection, the Southern Nevada State Veterans’ Home was cited 18 times for issues ranging from verbal abuse of a patient to failing to provide meals at an appropriate temperature, to employees not having keys to locked gates, which would be needed in the case of an emergency evacuation.

BDCU looks back on past year at annual meeting

For more than eight decades, the Boulder Dam Credit Union has been the most popular place for Boulder City residents to do their banking, not to mention see friends and neighbors.

Top o’ the evening to ya

Photos by Ron Eland/Boulder City Review

BC repaint: Countdown is on

It’s almost time to don that old pair of jeans, the ratty tennis shoes in the back of your closet and a shirt you’re not worried about ruining.