CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council on Thursday selected the design of new street lights coming to the city through a Pacific Gas & Electric street light replacement project.
PG&E estimates the cost of the project at $167,000.
Public Works Director Doug Herren said there may be some costs to the city if, once the project begins, it is determined that a pole must be relocated.
He said any such cost is expected to be minimal and would be covered by the gas tax fund.
The council chose Charleston poles with tear drop light fixtures, as recommended by staff.
The poles are 16 feet tall with a 5-inch diameter, black in color and fluted, rather than smooth.
PG&E identified 37 center bore utility poles for replacement in its project, which it is conducting at its own expense while providing the city with cost-free design options.
PG&E Representative Robert Cherry worked cooperatively with Herren throughout the past several months surveying the light district, identifying utilities poles in need of repair and presenting the council with options for those to be replaced.
Options were described to the council in a PowerPoint presentation at the end of May.
PG&E representative Mark O'Leary said during the May presentation that decorative utility poles with either single or double light fixtures are replacement options eligible to the city at no cost.
O'Leary said the new fixtures have better optics and the poles are shorter – 14- or 16-feet – than those to be replaced.
“Closer to the ground, means more light on the ground,” O'Leary said.
Herren said Thursday that staff's recommendation is compatible with the new corridor plan, the Lakeshore Drive sidewalk conceptual improvement plans, and the Vision Task Force and its design guideline plans as well as the options offered by PG&E at no cost.
“These are $2,000 units and we're getting them for free,” Herren said.
Staff further recommended using single fixture lighting along the corridor and double fixture lighting in the park areas.
Corridor lights will use 70 watt bulbs and 100 watt bulbs will light the parks, he said.
Herren said the utility poles include shields that can be installed should any complaints about the lighting arise.
The cost to operate a 70 watt bulb is $11.92 per lamp, per month; 100 watt bulbs cost $13.58 per lamp, per month, according to Herren.
Herren said double fixture lights do not double the use cost. However, they do add to the cost at two-thirds the rate of the bulb, he said.
LED lighting is available at an additional expense to the city, according to Herren.
He said PG&E currently is undergoing similar LED upgrade projects within it system.
The street light replacement project currently is in San Francisco now and will make its way to Clearlake eventually, Herren said.
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