LED street lighting has bright future

Lakewood Ranch Town Hall is about to switch to a light-emitting diodes system along local major roads that will collectively save the districts $1.5 million over the 20-year life cycle of the bulbs being installed.

CDDS 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 have allocated $352,621 for the light-conversion project. The project was delayed when Town Hall Operations went to bid for LED lights in early 2016, but only received two responses from vendors. 

“Both requests for proposals were not quite complete,” said Paul Chetlain, Lakewood Ranch's director of operations. “There were only two fixture options and that was not enough.”

Lakewood Ranch Town Hall modified the request for proposals, issuing a new one June 1, and gave more time to vendors to prepare proposals. Vendors were contacted to generate participation. Town Hall received five proposals by the due date, July 27. 

Chetlain said the extra time for the project paid off.

Lakewood Ranch Community Development District supervisors are expected to select a vendor in October, along with a lighting preference for converting street lights to LED fixtures. 

The actual conversion should take less than three months.

Synergy Lighting installed two LED Sigma-brand fixtures to poles along Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, just south of The Masters Avenue, Sept. 20. CDD supervisors, Town Hall staff members and residents can then evaluate differences between the light hues and light distribution of the Sigma fixtures compared with existing lighting from four Cree-brand LED fixtures immediately south.

“We’ll have a side-by-side sample of the fixtures installed on our poles, so we can truly evaluate the product,” Chetlain said. 

LED lights have a whiter appearance than their traditional-bulb counterparts. The change is expected to provide better lighting along sidewalks and roadways.

Although each CDD will approve LED light contracts separately, the hope is that all the districts will choose the same option to create consistency through the districts.

LED lights are proposed for street lights on district properties along Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, roughly from Palmbrush Trail south to University Parkway, along Greenbrook and Balmoral Woods boulevards,  Arnold Palmer Green and the section of Legacy Boulevard, from The Masters Avenue to Arnold Palmer Green. 

CDDS 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 have already allocated a total of $352,621 for the light conversion project.