Town Hall

Selectmen Approve $408K to Buy 843 Street Light Fixtures from Eversource

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The Darien Board of Selectmen approved spending $408,282 to buy 843 street light fixtures from Eversource and then replace them with LED lights — an investment that’s estimated to pay for itself in less than three years and thereafter save the town on electricity bills. The town has already appropriated $16,000 for a consulting company, Tanko, to conduct an “audit” of the street lights to make sure the 843 count is correct and to find out additional information about the lights. Work on the audit will start if the Board of Finance approves the request Tuesday night. The Finance Board’s agenda lists the transfer as a “contingency transfer” — a transfer from the town’s contingency fund — so approval from the Representative Town Meeting wouldn’t be needed. In addition to future energy savings, the town would get an estimated rebate of about $85,000 from Eversource once the audit is done and the sale is completed.

Streetlight

Selectmen Plan to Buy Street Lights from Eversource, But Want a Price & ‘Audit’ First

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Town officials expect to buy the 862 street lights in town from Eversource and hire Tanko Lighting Inc. of San Francisco to change them to LED lighting, a change they expect to save money, save energy, provide for better lighting and perhaps other improvements. The town is asking Eversource for a firm price on the street lights, along with 11 poles, which it expects to get in three or four weeks. Eversource previously gave the town a price, which has since expired, Public Works Director Ed Gentile told the Board of Selectmen on Monday night. The Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to approve a $16,000 expenditure to hire Tanko to conduct a survey of the lights in preparation for buying them. The total cost of buying the street lights and replacing the high-pressure sodium bulbs to various kinds of LED lights is expected to be about $380,000.