North Smithfield approves up to $75K for purchase of lights.....

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

NORTH SMITHFIELD – A plan to purchase the town’s streetlights from National Grid moved forward this week when the Town Council agreed to pay up to $75,000 for the asset, and to contract with a nonprofit for future maintenance of the lights.
The decision is expected to save the town more than $100,000 a year, a figure that could be increased if councilors agree to the next step in the process and replace all of the current bulbs in the fixtures with brighter LEDs. That decision, which comes with an initial expense of some $428,000, is expected to come back before the board at a future meeting.
The Partnership for Rhode Island Streetlight Management first brought a plan to purchase the lights to the town last year, and began an audit of the lighting system in October.
The town, PRISM officials explained, has been paying National Grid more than $250,000 per year to operate and maintain the lights, but the cost could be reduced by purchasing the system and converting to energy-efficient LEDs.

On Monday, they told the council that their team found 180 discrepancies between what the town was receiving from National Grid and what it was paying for.
“The lights are older and many of them are smaller than what National Grid was billing you for,” said PRISM Executive Director Jeffrey Broadhead.
While it is unclear yet if the council will move forward on the conversion to energy-efficient lighting, an investment that comes with a larger up-front expense, some of which could be refunded through grants, they have agreed to move to the system with lower maintenance costs.
PRISM’s maintenance plan will come up to just $51,000 a year, placed in a contingency account for issues such as light knockdowns, and the money, they said, will stay in the town’s account if it is not used.
The town is still waiting for National Grid to determine how much it will cost the to purchase the lights, but the expense has been estimated around $48,000. On Monday, the council gave PRISM officials the requested “wiggle room” to make the deal happen, approving spending of up to $75,000.
“When their numbers come in you have to be able to move really quickly,” Broadhead explained.
Phase 3 of PRISM’s plan, which will include exact costs for the conversion to LEDs, is expected to come before council at future date.Source:

SANDY SEOANE, Valley Breeze Staff Writer