Phase 1 of the West University Place Street Light Improvement Program is complete, and all that remains is some tweaking of the 644 decorative lights.
City employees are in the process of adjusting the circuits to a few lights that were not working, repainting fixtures that were scraped during installation, leveling the ground around lights and trimming trees around the fixtures. About 50 of the lights are missing “handhole” covers, but the replacements are on order and expected within the next couple of weeks.
“We are talking in a matter of a week or two it will be wrapping up or done,” said Dave Beach, general services superintendent for the city.
The program was approved by city council to replace the existing Cobra Head lights. The city paid for the lights and installation, but maintenance and repair will fall under CenterPoint Energy.
Beach says few problems were encountered during the installation, but the city will adjust how the trees are trimmed during Phase 2. In Phase 1, city employees used a 15-foot pole to determine what foliage to trim – during the next go-around, Beach says they will wait until the lights are installed to trim the trees, other than in areas where there is an obvious obstruction.
Phase 2, the final leg of the project in which more than 900 additional lights will be installed, is in a holding pattern due to funding. According to City Manager Michael Ross, money was taken from the general fund to temporarily fund the drainage project on College Street.
Beach says residents will be notified when Phase 2 begins.
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