FROM: W.
Calvin Horton, Town Manager
DATE: December
11, 2000
Adoption of the attached resolution would authorize the Town Manager to begin installing custom street and pedestrian lighting for the section of the 100 block of East Franklin Street where the utility duct bank is in place.
This report concludes:
· That, considering long-range maintenance costs, it would be more cost effective to pay Duke Power Company for decorative poles and fixtures rather than for the Town to purchase and maintain them.
· That the available funding is sufficient to pay Duke Power Company the estimated $125,778 cost for lighting improvements for a portion of the 100 block of East Franklin Street.
· That a portion of the additional $500,000 in bond funding available in early 2002 could be used to complete all sections of Streetscape construction and lighting improvements in the 100 blocks of East Franklin and North Columbia Streets over the next three years.
BACKGROUND
In November 1999, Public Works staff presented a report on downtown street and pedestrian lighting options (Attachment 1). Four scenarios were described in the report together with the advantages, disadvantages, and “ballpark” estimates of the marginal cost increase for each option over what the Town currently pays for downtown lighting. A summary table from that report can be found on page 18, and illustrations of the alternative poles and fixtures can be found on pages 20 - 22. The four alternatives for downtown lighting and their estimated installed costs for the entire Streetscape study including maintenance costs over 30 years for options 2 and 3 are listed below:
1. Duke Power Company standard poles and fixtures: No additional cost
Upon consideration of the staff report, the Council
requested that additional information be developed for options 3 and 4, which
utilize the custom decorative green fluted poles and pedestrian light fixtures
currently in place at Top of The Hill and at the Streetscape demonstration
project on West Franklin Street. Option
#1 did not provide the desired lighting improvements. In option #2, the stock fixtures were less durable and less
attractive and provided poorer lighting uniformity than the fixtures proposed
in options #3 and #4.
The Council also specifically authorized the Town
Manager to seek cost estimates from private electrical contractors for
installation and maintenance of new custom street and pedestrian lights for a
portion of the 100 block of East Franklin Street. This section of East Franklin Street has had the underground
conduit installation necessary to service new fixtures already installed.
The purpose of developing these detailed cost
estimates from private contractors was to determine if long-range savings might
be realized by using private contractors to install and maintain the preferred
decorative fixtures, rather than paying Duke Power Company a one-time fee for
installation and maintenance of these same fixtures. Utilizing a section of the Streetscape project, where necessary
infrastructure construction was already in place, was necessary to develop
detailed comparative cost estimates.
Staff met with several contractors and obtained
estimates for pole and fixture installation from two of them. Updated prices were also solicited from Duke
Power. All of the following estimates
are for the purchase and installation of six 30-foot fluted metal street light
poles with pedestrian lights and street lights, six 15-foot fluted metal poles
with pedestrian lights, and two fluted poles with traffic signal mast arms and
pedestrian lights. A map showing the
locations of these proposed fixtures is on page 19.
Lighting Maintenance Costs:
The Duke Power Company purchase option also includes
ongoing maintenance for a period of thirty years after installation of the
proposed fixtures.
If the poles and fixtures are installed by a private
contractor, maintenance would need to be provided by Town staff and/or a
private contractor. While a portion of
these annual maintenance costs could be predicted for replacing lamps and
ballasts, the exact costs for upkeep of poles, fixtures, arms, and receptacles,
as well as the cost of emergency repairs would remain uncertain. One private contractor provided the Town
with the following range of likely annual contracted costs to maintain the 14
fixtures proposed to be installed on East Franklin Street:
Routine lamp and ballast replacement: $1,250/year
Emergency costs due to storms and/or needed electric
service repairs: $1,000/year
Upkeep costs for painting and fixture replacement
due to accidents etc.: $1,000 -
$3,000/year
Total range for contracted annual maintenance costs: $3,250
- $5,250/year
Using these annual maintenance cost estimates, the
long-range costs for maintenance by a private contractor over the same
thirty-year period covered in the Duke Power Company purchase option would be
from $97,500 to $157,500 in current dollars.
Although costs might be somewhat lower if Town labor resources were
utilized for routine lamp replacements and painting, we anticipate that
long-range costs would likely be in the range provided. Considering this, a thirty-year maintenance
cost of $97,500 is used in the following comparison.
Detailed Cost Comparison of Private Contractor and
Duke Power Company:
Installation by Private Contractor:
Town purchase of poles and fixtures: $39,390
Installation by “Contractor A”:
$45,600
Total “Contractor A” installed cost (no
maintenance): $84,990
Town purchase of poles and fixtures: $39,390
Installation by “Contractor B”:
$41,500
Total “Contractor B” installed cost (no
maintenance): $80,890
Thirty-year maintenance cost estimate: $97,500
Total cost by Private Contractor: $178,390 - $182,490
Installation and Maintenance by Duke Power Company:
Total cost by Duke Power Company: $125,778
Improvements Available with Current Funding:
In 1996 $1,000,000 in Streets and Sidewalks bonds
were approved for Streetscape construction. To date, $500,000 has been
allocated from bond sales with the additional $500,000 anticipated in early
2002. Of the $500,000 currently allocated, approximately $165,000 has been
expended for two sections of Streetscape improvements in the 100 block of East
Franklin Street. In May of 2000, the
Council authorized encumbering an additional $60,000 in available funds for construction
of improvements associated with the Orange County Skills Development Center in
the 500 Block of West Franklin Street.
The estimated remaining balance from the current appropriation is
$275,000.
A related report, “Downtown Streetscape Construction
Options”, included in tonight’s Council agenda, requests authorization to
utilize an additional $85,000 for construction of another section of
Streetscape improvements by the Town’s Public Works Department in the summer of
2001. If these funds are encumbered, a
total of approximately $190,000 will remain available for lighting or other
Streetscape related improvements.
The $190,000 currently available for
Streetscape improvements is sufficient to cover the cost of providing lighting
improvements for a section of East Franklin Street as detailed in the above
options. Considering the long-range
maintenance costs, we recommend that if these lighting improvements are
undertaken, that they be installed and maintained by Duke Power Company.
Improvements Available with Anticipated Funding:
Once the anticipated $500,000 in additional bond
funding is available, we believe that it will be possible to construct several
more sections of Streetscape improvements and complete all lighting
improvements on both sides of the 100 block of East Franklin Street. Using these funds, we believe that it would
also be possible to provide lighting improvements in additional areas, such as
the 100 block of North Columbia Street and the section of the 100 block of West
Franklin Street where other Streetscape improvements are currently in
place. Detailed estimates for these
possible future projects will be provided to the Council as funding becomes
available.
Consistent with the original Streetscape cost
estimates, it will not be possible to complete Streetscape construction and
lighting improvements to all sections of Franklin Street and other streets in
the Streetscape project area at the anticipated level of funding.
Additional Lighting Issues:
Recent information received from Duke Power Company
indicates that they have revised their policies and will no longer permit
unmetered electrical receptacles on Duke Power Company poles to accommodate
holiday decorations. We anticipate that
the Town may need to coordinate installation of separate electric service to the
new poles if illuminated holiday decorations are to be retained. We will also negotiate with Duke Power
Company to determine if an exception may be possible for the relatively few
fixtures proposed to be installed at this time.
The cost estimates provided by Duke Power Company in
this report are subject to change. If
the Council approves, we will proceed to request the installation of the lights
from Duke Power Company. It is possible
that the final cost for the lighting improvements proposed above could exceed
the current estimates and, if providing metered service to accommodate holiday
decorations is necessary, the total project cost could be around $140,000.
The proposed project includes installing two mast
arm signal system poles at the mid-block crosswalk in the 100 block of East
Franklin Street. This will involve
installing a signal system wire under the pavement to connect the two
poles. Cutting the pavement to do this
installation work will require an encroachment agreement from the North Carolina
Department of Transportation. It is
possible that an overhead wire would have to be installed temporarily until
such time as the encroachment agreement is granted and the underground wire is
installed.
We recommend that the Council
approve the attached resolution authorizing the Town Manager to begin
installing custom street and pedestrian lighting for the section of the 100
block of East Franklin Street where the utility duct bank is in place.
1.
Memorandum
to Council dated November 8, 1999, “Downtown Streetscape Lighting Options;” (p.
7).
WHEREAS, the Town Council adopted the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan as part of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS,
lighting improvements are a fundamental component of the Downtown Streetscape
Master Plan; and
WHEREAS,
$190,000 is currently available from the 1996 Streets and Sidewalks bond
revenues to implement downtown lighting improvements; and
WHEREAS,
long-term maintenance considerations make installation by Duke Power Company
the more cost-effective option for a system of custom street and pedestrian
lighting;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of
the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council authorizes the Town Manager to initiate
the formal process as specified by Duke Power Company to begin installing
custom street and pedestrian lighting for the section of the 100 block of East
Franklin Street where the utility duct bank is in place.
This the 11th day of December, 2000.