Maintenance staff told the board that ComEd is recommending a larger transformer for the county’s new court facilities after recent load testing, a change that shifts the next steps to the utility and could delay installation until after winter.

Eric, a maintenance department representative, said ComEd’s recommendation would effectively double the transformer capacity (from roughly 250 kVA to about 500 kVA) and that “the ball is in ComEd’s lap” as staff await the utility’s timeline. Eric said he has not yet received final confirmation and that staff are “hoping to see this done before spring.”

If the transformer upgrade proceeds, Eric said the work will require shutting down the entire building for several hours. Staff described contingency plans to preserve critical refrigeration for the health department: first, run the building generator during the outage; if that is not possible, use a smaller external generator and run temporary power leads into the building for a limited time.

The transformer recommendation follows electrical load testing of panels and circuitry in the new court area, per Eric’s presentation. He asked the board to note that scheduling and final approval depend on ComEd’s staffing and project timeline and that staff will notify the board when they receive more information.

The maintenance report also noted interior work timed around the project: the 4th floor has been repainted and is being finished for a planned Dec. 3 open house, including installation of a vinyl wall and court seal in Judge Ackard’s courtroom. Eric said staff will try to coordinate any shutdowns to limit disruption to those openings and to courthouse operations.

The meeting adjourned without other formal actions on the transformer; staff said they will update the board when ComEd provides a schedule.