The Presque Isle City Council voted Wednesday to use $150,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to purchase a generator for the Sargent Family Community Center, which currently has no backup power.
The money will come from the city’s remaining $283,058 in ARPA funds that must be designated by the end of this year and used by the end of 2026.
The generator purchase will allow the recreation center to become a community shelter during power outages. The need was highlighted on Dec. 12, when wind and rain cut power to nearly 70 percent of Versant power customers in Aroostook County. Utility officials at first estimated power could be out for several days, but power was ultimately restored within 12 hours.
“Last Thursday was challenging with emergency power at The Forum and the community Center,” City Manager Tyler Brown said. “There is no backup power at either of these.”
The outage happened when multiple trees fell on a main transmission line in New Brunswick, he said. Though utility workers worked quickly to restore electricity, it could well have stretched into days – and shelters would have been needed.
ARPA funds can be used for emergency shelters and warming spaces, Brown said.
The cost to buy backup, diesel-powered generators for both the community center and Forum would be roughly $150,000 each, which includes installation, Facilities Director Tyler Clark said.
The city had also looked into generators for City Hall and the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library, which would cost about $100,000 each, Clark said.
Though few long-term power outages typically happen in the city, another shelter is needed in case of emergencies, councilors said. Discussion focused on the Sargent building and The Forum because of their larger, open spaces that could hold more people.
Some of the group asked whether portable generators would be feasible. They are more expensive and have much greater liability, Clark said. He recommended permanently installed equipment.
The city’s only designated shelters and warming facilities are the cafeteria at Presque Isle High School and the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Fire Chief Darrell White said.
“The rec center makes so much sense for the city. We own it, we control it,” White said. “This building really needs to be generated and put on the Red Cross list for emergency sheltering.”
The council ultimately approved buying the community center generator and using remaining ARPA funds for paving projects.
