By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
If there was ever an emergency, or simply an incident where electricity was knocked out, the Barton County Courthouse is equipped to continue operations. Barton County Emergency Management Director Sean Kelly said staff and crews recently tested the generator for backup power to Courthouse.
"We had to troubleshoot the elevator a little bit," said Kelly. "Luckily they guys that wired the elevator were on site with us. They were able to troubleshoot that and were able to get it going. It was pretty impressive it didn't pull too hard on the generator and everything came up."
Kelly added staff is aware of areas where they can cut back energy if needed, but the test went well.
Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson said former Emergency Management Director Amy Miller started the process of getting backup power to the Courthouse.
"I think it's great for the public to know that the Courthouse can operate even in a catastrophe," said Hutchinson.
"That's the whole goal," responded Kelly.
Not including tax credits, Barton County spent just over $5.1 million for a new HVAC and renovations to the Courthouse. Part of the renovations, allowed for the setup of the generator power.