North Union Township supervisors approve conversion to LED streetlights
The North Union Township supervisors approved an agreement with West Penn Power on Tuesday to gradually replace streetlights with more energy efficient LED lights, and said the fees for streetlights will probably increase.
There are more than 400 streetlights in the township and most are 250-watt mercury vapor lights, which use about $11.48 worth of electricity a month, said Thomas Kumor, chairman of the board of supervisors.
A 90-watt LED light uses about $6.94 in electricity a month and a 130-watt LED light costs about $7.38 a month, Kumor said, citing information from West Penn.
He said he would check out 90-watt LED lights being installed in other municipalities to see if they are bright enough.
West Penn crews will start working in the area of Cycle Park and Repprt Boulevard. Converting all the lights in the township will take three or four years, Kumor said.
In addition, fees that residents pay for streetlights near their homes will probably have to be increased, he said.
The current fees aren’t enough to cover the electric bill, and the supervisors have to borrow money every year to make up the difference, he said.
“We won’t have enough money to pay the bill in January,” Kumor said.
The $41.40 annual fee for a standard streetlight would increase to $50, the $48.30 fee for decorative lights would increase to $58 and the fee for lights at vacant property would also increase, he said.
In other business, the supervisors:
n Announced that Jay Stutler was hired as a part-time code enforcement officer.
n Approved a final payment of $325,095 to J5 Construction of Houston for the Yauger Hollow flood damage repair project.
n Agreed to allow Advanced Disposal to change the garbage pick up location from alleys to streets because trucks have difficulty driving in alleys. The company will notify residents about the change.
n Announced that West Penn Power will be cutting and removing trees damaged by emerald ash borers in the Hopwood and Philips areas.