The Washington City Council on Monday gave the city the go-ahead to spend nearly $24,000 to improve the lighting in the downtown square and two adjacent city-owned parking lots.
Troublesome high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps will be replaced with LED lights in the square and in the parking lots northeast and southeast of the square, after the council unanimously approved the project.
"We've had ongoing maintenance issues with the lights in the square with lamps going out, colors not matching, and ballasts going bad, making lights flicker or just not turn on," said Public Works Director Brian Rittenhouse.
RnS Electric of Washington was contacted by city staff in an effort to find a solution to the lighting problems. The company recommended the LED replacements, and made a proposal to do the replacement work.
"LED lights are more energy efficient, last longer and are more pleasant aesthetically than HID lamps," Rittenhouse said.
"Typically, when a lamp is out, it's either the lamp itself or a bad ballast. LED lights don't require a ballast, so that will eliminate ballasts as a future maintenance item for us."
A ballast is a device that controls the electric current going to a lamp.
Alderperson Mike McIntyre applauded the project, comparing it to the installation of LED lights along Illinois 29 in Creve Coeur that have brightened that community's main business area.
"We just celebrated 200 years and we're doing a lot of stuff. [The square] is a nice area and we want to make sure it continues to look nice," said McIntyre. "I often think about Creve Coeur and how great [Route 29] looks. I drive on that road late at night a lot."
Eleven single-lamp poles, eight single-lamp posts, and five five-lamp poles will be installed in the downtown square. The northeast parking lot will get eight five-lamp poles, and the southeast parking lot will get two five-lamp poles and one single-lamp pole.
The LED lamps the city is getting have a five-year warranty. There's also a one-year installation warranty.
