Kodiak is replacing hospital power switches nobody makes parts for anymore

The four switches that throw Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center onto backup power are about 27 years old, and nobody manufactures the parts for them anymore. The borough is replacing all four. Its Health Facilities Advisory Board reviews the design on Sept. 15 at 1:30 pm in the Providence Barometer Conference Room.

The emergency power system gives the main hospital four days of standalone electricity. The project would put up an outbuilding beside the hospital to house four replacement automatic transfer switches and a generator distribution switchboard.

Doing that without closing a hospital sets the terms. Under design documents dated Aug. 7, contractors have to give at least 30 days' notice before shutting down any branch of the electrical distribution system, and keep a backout procedure ready in case power has to come back immediately. The hospital stays operational throughout, and access to the north side of the building has to remain open at all times.

Two other transfer switches, feeding two elevators, will be demolished rather than replaced. The documents call them redundant and an unnecessary added cost.

Design services carry a fee of $151,155 in borough money. The board has cautioned that hospital spending may need phased review given the age of the campus. At an Assembly meeting in April 2025, Lori Riddle said the buildings are aging and "many of the building components have reached the end of their serviceable life."

Also on the Sept. 15 agenda: the reverse osmosis and steam generator project, Rural Health Transformation funds, a chiller update and Kodiak Community Health Center updates. Public comment is limited to three minutes a speaker.