Item 4.1 - Additional Material posted 1-15-19City of Poway MEMORANDUM
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
(Agenda Related Writings/Documents provided to City Council or Staff after distribution of the
Agenda Packet for the January 15, 2019 Council Meeting)
DATE:
TO:
FROM:
CONTACT:
SUBJECT:
Summary:
January 15, 2019
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Counci� IllRobert Manis, Director of Development Services f.A/ \,
Melody Rocco, Senior Civil Engineer r 1(l (858) 668-4653 or mrocco@poway.orr'-
Appropriation of Funds for LED Street and Safety Lighting
Conversion Project
Since writing this report, staff received email correspondence from one individual regarding the
proposed LED Street and Safety Lighting Conversion Project (Attachment A). The email discussed
the energy savings, shield installation, and wattage adjustments.
The energy savings for each light individually is a minimum amount, however the City owns and
maintains approximately 3300 lights and therefore there is a savings citywide each year. The ability
to install shields at certain locations has always been an important feature. Shields are installed
when complaints are received, typically by residents, to minimize the amount of light entering
windows on homes adjacent to street lights. During the pilot study, one shield was installed and this
remedied a complaint that was received. Shields will continue to be an important feature with the
LED lights. The email indicated that once the wattage of a LED light was adjusted it would be
impossible to then know the actual wattage. The City maintains a log of all street and safety lights.
The part number of the light will be logged as a part of routine maintenance and for warranty
purposes. Along with that information, staff will log any adjustments made to lights to ensure that
when that light is replaced in the future, it is returned to the same field adjusted level. Field
adjustments will allow for dimming of the light to a lower wattage.
The email included the following recommended alternatives to completing a LED conversion project:
1.Petition Philips to keep making LPS light bulbs. After all, basic economics tells us that when
there is a demand, supply will catch up to it.
2.Buy the LPS manufacturing equipment and make a new factory in Poway. This may se9m
tricky, and it is, but it would probably be good publicity to have a factory to add to the local economy.
3.Instead of LED, get HPS fixtures instead. Believe it or not, they're still available! AEL, GE,
and Cooper Lighting still make them. Also, HPS makes a light that's just slightly whiter than LPS, so
it is one of the less "offensive" options.
1 of 4 January 15, 2019, Item #4.1
Appropriation of Funds for LED Street and Safety Lighting Conversion Project
January 15, 2019
Page 2
4.Install LED retrofits into the LPS fixtures. During the day, they'll still look like the same as
before.
Staff has inquired with the various manufacturers of Low Pressure Sodium (LPS) lights and as
stated in the staff report, they will no longer be available for order after July 2019. Staff did not
inquire on purchasing manufacturing equipment for LPS lights as this is an infeasible option. The
City has not allowed High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights in the City, except under specifically
approved circumstances, since the early 1980s to limit the amount of light in the night sky which
impacted research at the Mt. Palomar Observatory. LED lights have a longer lifespan than HPS or
LPS lights and do not require hazardous waste disposal. The proposed project is a conversion of
the existing street lights from LPS to LED and will make use of the existing street light poles but will
require changing of the fixture. This is the industry standard and will make it easier to find
replacement parts.
Attachments:
A.Email from Jackson Huff dated January 14, 2019
Reviewed/Approved By:
Wendy Kaserman
Assistant City Manager
2 of 4
Reviewed By:
Alan Fenstermacher
City Attorney
Approved By:
��-vO�
Tina M. White
City Manager
January 15, 2019, Item #4.1