Albany LED light installation progressing

ALBANY — City of Albany officials said that 2,391 of some 12,500 new LED street light fixtures, representing slightly less than a fifth of the lights scheduled to receive the upgrade, had been installed by Friday of last week.

The city’s light superintendent, Renee Nickles, said the more environmentally friendly lights will have an impact on the community.

“These new LED lights do make a difference,” Nickels said in a news release. “If you have traveled down a street in the morning with the mist and fog, these lights do stand out and provide more light, which in turn increases safety. I can tell the difference in the volume of street light repair requests that we get from our customers.”

The city began the rollout of its $6.5 million lighting project in early January, replacing lights at strategic locations in all six wards throughout the city. The LED lights offer greater illumination and have fewer maintenance requirements than the older lights in the city, many of which have been out of service for extended periods.

Albany’s MetroPower is making the lighting changeover throughout the city, and the city’s contract with the company includes a 10-year warranty. Scott Williams, a department manager for MetroPower, told the Albany City Commission that the company would begin making any repairs of faltering lights within 24 hours of receiving notice. If the light’s failure is related to workmanship or the product, repairs will be made at no cost to the city.

If MetroPower fails to respond within the 24-hour time period, the company will be penalized. If the repair is not related to workmanship or equipment failure, the city will pay a $210 repair fee to the company.

The city is in the process of securing an installing a $25 million-plus advanced metering system that will allow the new lights to be automatically monitored for outages and other issues.