Located in Indiana, U.S., Lebanon City Council approved Mayor Sherry Capello’s request to replace sodium vapor bulbs with LED streetlights, reported Lebanon Daily News.
The proposal to revamp the city streetlights was suggested during the Business Improvement District hearings earlier in 2016, said Capello. The lights that are 10 years or older can be upgraded without adding costs to the city.
In total, 20 streetlights have been upgraded in the city, among these 12 had been around for more than 10 years, said the mayor.
About two streetlights belonged to Met-Ed but was upgraded several years ago, and the remaining six that fall under the jurisdiction of the city would cost US $350 each for the upgrade.
Among the scheduled upgrades, 16 city-owned Victorian style streetlights will also be replaced.
“If you drive by and look at all the Victorian lights and look at that one, you will notice almost immediately that it is whiter and brighter,” said the mayor.
The retro-looking Victorian-style streetlights were installed in 1960 in anticipation of a visit from John F. Kennedy, who was a presidential candidate at the time. The lights owned by the city would cost US $260 each to replace bringing the total installation cost to US $4,160.
“We did one to test it but I need to get hold of the property owner because I want to make sure it didn’t cause problems on the second floor,” Capello told council. “I want to make sure it is bright enough but not too bright for the second floor so we don’t have an Annville situation."
The city intends to replace more than 1,900 streetlights, where 1,700 are owned by Met-Ed, said the Mayor. Only 283 of the streetlights qualify for free upgrades, she added.
Replacement of other streetlights would add about US $241,000 to the city’s utilities bill and requires advanced planning from Met-Ed, said Capello.