The City of Vicksburg has hired a Brandon electrical contractor to make emergency repairs to about 78 utility poles providing power to the city’s water treatment plant and wells.

City officials accepted a $74,500 bid from Killen Electric Contractors to repair the utility pole problems, which were discovered about three weeks ago after winds from a severe thunderstorm passing through the area temporarily knocked out power to the plant. Killen performed the inspection that found problems.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Sept. 29 declared an emergency to repair the problems discovered by the inspection. Declaring the emergency allowed the city to get quotes from contractors for the repairs instead of going through the bid process, which takes longer.

City purchasing director Tim Smith said Killen’s bid was one of two quotes received. He said B&B Electric, also of Brandon, submitted a quote of $54,287.

Smith said B&B’s proposal limited work to weekends only. Under that schedule, he said, it would take about a month to complete the project, which involves replacing 16 of the 55-foot utility poles and repairing or replacing wires, insulators and other equipment. He said Killen’s quote indicates it can make the repairs in 10 days.

Officials said winds from the thunderstorm blew a loose guy wire from a city utility pole at the treatment plant onto a power line, causing a short that blew fuses and temporarily knocked out power to the plant. Acting public works director Garnet Van Norman said Entergy crews repaired the problem.

Van Norman called the incident a wake-up call, and asked the board to declare the emergency so repairs could be made to the poles and wiring before another severe storm threatened.