MEMORANDUM
to: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
from: George Small, P.E., Director of Engineering
Kumar Neppalli, E.I.T., Engineering Services Manager
SUBJECT: Response to a Petition Requesting Changes to Street Lighting in Gimghoul Historic District
DATE: November 24, 2008
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to provide a response to a petition requesting changes to street lighting in the Gimghoul Historic District.
Adoption of the attached resolution would authorize the Town Manager to implement the following changes to street lighting in Gimghoul Neighborhood:
a) Phase I: Change all overhead utility lines to underground on Ridge Lane from Evergreen Lane to its end. Replace the existing wooden street light pole located at the end of Ridge Lane with a 12 foot black fiberglass decorative pole.
b) Phase II: Replace one wooden street light pole located on Glandon Drive with three 12 foot black fiberglass decorative poles served by underground power lines.
The resolution also directs the Town Manager to submit the above street lighting changes to the Historic District Commission for their review and approval before implementation.
The property owners who are affected by these changes agreed to pay the total cost of the proposed changes including costs associated with the design, installation, and materials. We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution.
At its September 22, 2008 meeting, the Council received a petition from the Gimghoul Neighborhood that the Town approve the following street lighting proposal in their Historic District:
a) Phase I: Change all overhead utility lines to underground on Ridge Lane from Evergreen Lane to its end. Replace the existing wooden street light pole located at the end of Ridge Lane with a 12 foot black fiberglass decorative pole.
b) Phase II: Replace one wooden street light pole located on Glandon Drive with three 12 foot black fiberglass decorative poles served by underground power lines.
Existing street lights are installed with 25 foot wooden poles and locations of the existing street lights are shown on the map presented in Attachment 1. A copy of the petition is provided in Attachment 2. Glandon Drive and Ridge Lane are public streets and are maintained by the Town. The existing utility lines are overhead and the street lights are maintained by Duke Energy.
In the petition, five property owners located in Gimghoul Neighborhood requested that the Town approve the changes to the street lighting and utility lines as presented above because of the following reasons:
The property owners discussed the proposal with the entire neighborhood and no opposition was received. Property owners, Town staff, and Duke Energy staff discussed the proposal. All parties agreed that if approved by the Council and Historic District Commission, the changes could be implemented in two phases as discussed below:
Phase I:
Change all overhead utility lines to underground on Ridge Lane from Evergreen Lane to its end. Replace the existing wooden street light pole located at the end of Ridge Lane with a 12 foot black fiberglass decorative pole. Duke Energy developed the preliminary plan for this phase of work and it is provided in Attachment 3. The estimated distance of underground lines is approximately 280 feet and the property owners agreed to provide easements for construction as required. The total estimated cost of this phase is approximately $27,000 which would be paid by the property owners who live in this portion of Ridge Lane.
Phase II: Replace four wooden street light poles located on Glandon Drive with 12 foot black fiberglass decorative poles. The estimated cost of this phase is approximately $7,000 and the property owners who requested this change agreed to provide the funds.
If approved by the Council and the Historic District Commission, Duke Energy will develop the detailed plans for Town departments for their review and approval before starting the work.
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution that would authorize the Town Manager to implement the following changes to street lighting in Gimghoul Neighborhood:
a) Phase I: Change all overhead utility lines to underground on Ridge Lane from Evergreen Lane to its end. Replace the existing wooden street light pole located at the end of Ridge Lane with a 12 foot black fiberglass decorative pole.
b) Phase II: Replace one wooden street light pole located on Glandon Drive with three 12 foot black fiberglass decorative poles served by underground power lines.
ATTACHMENTS
