A pair of Davis cities are taking a new approach to energy efficiency, which in turn could possible save some money as well.
In Bountiful, the city council approved a move to purchase 140 new induction streetlights for $35,100, in an ongoing effort to help the city upgrade its lighting.
In action taken recently, the council voted unanimously to purchase 50 of the 85 watt streetlights at $225 each and 90 of the 150 watt lights at $265 each from Tanko Lighting.
Funding for the purchase comes from a $177,100 federal stimulus grant the city received to upgrade the efficiency and quality of street lights.
Induction streetlights use approximately half of the power of the old high pressure sodium lights, according to Allen Johnson, director of Bountiful City Light & Power.
And in Syracuse, city officials are considering a proposal for the city to purchase 358 street lights, owned by Rocky Mountain Power, within city boundaries and to convert lighting throughout the city to more efficient, energy savings lighting.
City Manager Bob Rice has been meeting with an official from Siemens in effort to address the lighting issue. RMP owns 358 street lights in the city, for which the city pays .32 per kilowatt hour while Syracuse owns the remaining 390 street lights, which they pay .06 cents per kilowatt hour to turn on.
Mark Cram, an account executive with Siemens, has proposed a plan to allow the city to buy the RMP lights, change to a more efficient lighting system, and do it without paying any additional money out of pocket. Cram says some new lighting options, including induction lights, can cut energy costs in half and greatly improve the lighting.
Cram outlined a plan to address lighting in the city at a recent council meeting.
There has been no timetable discussed for the city council to potentially formalize an agreement with Siemens to initiate the program.
Rice estimates the city spends approximately $84,000 a year for street lighting.
In other news across Davis county:
• In Bountiful, eliminating sidewalk hazards will be an ongoing emphasis for city officials.
The city council voted 5-0 recently to extend the contract to remove trip hazards on local sidewalks with Precision Concrete Cutting of Provo for approximately $18.90 per inch foot of cut, or a maximum of $100,000 for the year.
Paul Rowland, city engineer, noted this is the 11th year the city has put an emphasis on sidewalk maintenance and he said eliminating the hazards has saved the city on potentially costly sidewalk repairs and also removed potential hazards.
• In Centerville, the city made another step toward a cooperative effort to improve the water system for an upcoming development.
The city council has authorized an easement to contain a waterline loop through the Legacy Apartments, which will provide fire protection for the project. It will also contain meters and fire hydrants needed for these apartment buildings.
The Legacy Crossing developer is required per a development agreement to pay for most of these water system improvements. However, several hundred feet of water main replacement on 1250 West are outside the scope of developer expectations.
The city council already previously gave its approval for the project. There were three bids for the project, with a low of $103,750.50 from Kapp. The city council voted to award the bid to Kapp Construction.
The city will pay $24,522.50 and the developer $79,228.
• In Syracuse, reporting a crime in this city has never been easier.
Police Chief Brian Wallace recently outlined how people with mobile phones can now utilize new software to text possible complaints or crimes. The new program, known as TipSoft, is being described as a digital neighborhood watch for people more included to text than call the police.
To use the program, local residents can text 274637 or “crimes” and include the city code as the first word in the message. The Syracuse Police city code is SYRPD.
Android and iPhone users also can download a free app, which can process video and photo tips and will automatically route information to the correct agency.
“We’re trying to keep up with what future generations will be talking to,” Chief Wallace said of the new software.
“I think this will be a good program,” Wallace said.
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