Columbia’s streetlights will soon see an upgrade. During Monday night’s Columbia City Council meeting, the council voted to transition the outdated bulbs used in Columbia’s streetlights to LEDs.
Currently, the City of Columbia has 654 streetlights. Of these, 81 are LED lights. This leaves 573 streetlights left to convert to LEDs.
A benefit of LED lights over traditional sodium lights is that LEDs last almost twice as long. LEDs only need to be replaced every 10 to 20 years or so, far longer than high-powered sodium lights that need to be replaced every five to six years. They are also cheaper to maintain in the long term. The city estimates that it will save approximately $1,748 off their electric bill by switching.
The downside is that these savings will not be seen for several years, and transitioning from HPS bulbs to LEDs is expensive.
If the city had opted to transition all remaining sodium lights to LED lights in one lump sum, the total would be $112,973.
Instead, the council voted to move forward with a plan to pay out over 60 months (a five-year contract with KU), which means a temporary price increase of $137 on the bill. The cost for these 60 months will increase from $7,141 now to $7,278 until the 60-month period is complete.
Mayor Hoots said that the switch to LEDs should not increase the cost of any new lights installed by the city.
In an email from a representative with KU, the representative states that the company will conduct an audit of all lights currently in the system. Once the contract is signed, supplies will be ordered and installation work will begin. The typical timeline for converting from HPS bulbs to LEDs, according to the email, is approximately seven months to a year.
Discussing the new streetlight upgrades was the only item on the City Council’s agenda apart from approving the minutes of the Feb. 14 special-called meeting (erroneously printed as the Feb. 3 regular-session meeting on the agenda).
During public comments, City Fire Chief Tyler Solum discussed new fire hydrants being installed.
“They should be good to go,” he stated.
More hydrants are expected to be installed next year, though some locations (such as one on 55) where he would like to see new hydrants may necessitate an upgrade from the four-inch waterline that is present to a six-inch one.
Assistant Police Chief Drew Conn was present at the meeting to say that the new police officer, David Tyler McKinney, was doing a good job and was “proactive” and looking forward to the end of his field training.
Council member Sharon Payne reminded everyone that Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday. She also provided an update on the Trabue-Russell House. During last month’s meeting, the city voted to explore grant and funding opportunities for upkeep recommended by volunteer Mary Anne Loy.
“One of the things that we can apply for is an ARC grant, which is the Appalachian Regional Commission grant. The window for that will open probably late summer of this year,” Payne said. “The estimated cost of what (Trabue volunteers) are wanting done is… you’re looking at about $197,550.”
The total Payne refers to covers updates to the building’s siding, porch, gutters, and more. Councilwoman Rhonda Loy asked if grants could be stacked with the ARC grant to help cover the costs, and Mayor Hoots stated that they could.
Council member Ronald Rogers congratulated the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams for doing well last week in district and advancing to regionals.
By Kenley Godby
kenley@adairvoice.com
