LED fixtures create brighter future in Lakewood Ranch

Streetlights throughout Lakewood Ranch Phase I soon will be casting brighter light and generating a collective savings of approximately $231,000 annually.

Synergy Lighting, a national supplier of light-emitting diode lighting, on March 20 began converting streetlights in Lakewood Ranch Community Development Districts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 (Summerfield/Riverwalk, Greenbrook and Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club) to LED fixtures.

Lakewood Ranch Town Hall’s operations department expects the changeover, once complete, to save the districts between $2,500 and $32,000 annually.

Savings vary by number of lights within the district, whether the district is serviced by Florida Power & Light or Peace River Electric Cooperative, or both, and according to the service contracts with electricity providers.

Synergy contractors are starting with lights in CDD 1, along Lakewood Ranch Boulevard near its intersection with State Road 70. They have 90 days to complete the installation, although crews expect to be finished in about 45 days.

“It was a long time coming,” said Paul Chetlain, director of operations for the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority. “Everybody agreed it was the right thing to do. The districts are going to save money and simplify maintenance.”

The project was approved in the 2016 fiscal year budgets for the districts, but a request for proposals in January 2016 yielded only one responsive bid.

 IDA’s staff revised its bid request and went back out for proposals in May. Bids came  back in fall 2016, and Synergy was selected as the preferred contractor.

In other business:

The Lakewood Ranch Community Development Districts have taken steps to prepare for the future.

Although the districts already put aside money for future repair and maintenance projects, each district voted to hire Florida Reserve Study and Appraisal to perform a full, independent reserve study.

“This report will enable us to determine the annual contribution we would like to put aside in the budgets,” said Steve Zielinkski, the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall financial director. “It’s going to validate the quality of the assets and the types of assets. It also identifies the replacement value and the life cycle of that asset.”

The study will include assets such as lift stations, sidewalks and other infrastructure.

Zielinski said he hopes the study will be complete by early May, so the districts can use the findings in the upcoming budget discussions, slated for summer.

Each district will pay Florida Reserve Study and Appraisal different amounts: $3,200 (CDD 1); $4,500 (CDD 2); $3,200 (CDD 4); $2,800 (CDD 5); and $2,000 (CDD 6).