A new generator has improved the reliability of the power supply in the City of Lincoln Center.
A basic need of any community is to have steady, reliable electricity. Residents, businesses and visitors all expect and rely upon having electrical power 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
When the City of Lincoln Center was faced with continued problems on its rebuilt electrical power generating engine, the Enterprise, the city knew replacement was the best long-term solution.
The community applied for and was awarded funds from the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce to assist with the cost of the electrical generation upgrade project. The project used approximately $346,000 in CDBG funds. The city contributed nearly $442,000 in City cash and the issuance of bonds.
The older failing engine was replaced with a newer, more reliable engine that will continue to serve the community for many decades.
According to City of Lincoln Power Plant Foreman Jeff Ahring, it was necessary for the city to upgrade the generator. “Prior to the project, in the event that one of our other generators should malfunction, we would not have been able to provide the entire community with enough power to the grid, and as a result, we would have to initiate a “rolling blackout” until the issue was repaired,” Ahring said. “With the addition of the generator this project provided, we are able to provide the power required.”
Now if an incoming utility fails to provide power to the community, the power plant can restore power to the community in a matter of minutes. Ahring also noted the newer engine is a Tier 2, meaning fewer emissions while the engine is producing energy.
NCRPC Community Development Representative Nichole McDaniel administered the project in Lincoln. “The City of Lincoln has been great to work with on this as well as past improvement projects,” McDaniel said. “The recent power plant project has been able to provide the city with confidence that they can provide reliable power to their community.”
There are many great things happening in North Central Kansas communities. Periodically we plan to feature projects from around the region to share ways communities have solved challenges. To view more Project Spotlights, visit https://www.ncrpc.org/tag/project-spotlight/.
This article appeared in the November 2018 NCRPC Newsletter.
