(2/23) The Town Council accepted Catoctin Lighting’s bid of $59,415 to replace 85 streetlights in the Gateway Subdivision. Most of the funding for this project will come from a Smart Energies Community grant.
Replacing the streetlights was part of the updates started in 2016, according to Town Manager Jim Humerick. The Town has already replaced half of the streetlights in the subdivision in 2023 and replacing the remaining 85 lamps will finish the project.
During the meeting, Humerick clarified that the cost includes replacing the entire fixture or "top half" of the light, not just the light bulb itself. The new fixtures are expected to last 11-15 years.
According to Humerick, residents have complained to the Town about the previously updated lights, citing the brighter illumination and LED lighting array as their concerns. While the Town requested exact replacements, providing product numbers, they did not function the same way.
Electric Utility Director Tyler Hubbard did not speak at the meeting, but Humerick said that he researched the lights before accepting bids to ensure they were similar to the previous lamps. The Town also confirmed the correct lights with the vendors who submitted bids for the projects.
Commissioner Marty Burns was the only one of the Council to vote against the motion, citing the budget as his concern. While the Town will use a Smart Energies Community grant toward replacing the lights, it will only cover $53,010 of the project, leaving Thurmont to cover the remaining $6,405 of the expenses, which will come from the electric budget.
To ensure the Town stays within budget, Burns suggested replacing only the number of lamps covered by the grant, which Humerick said would be 76 lights. Burns suggested the Town could wait for the next fiscal year and the new budget to purchase the remaining lights.
Other commissioners were concerned about potential price changes if they were to wait for the next fiscal year to buy the remaining lights. "I understand what you’re saying here, and I can’t say I disagree with you," Commissioner Bob Lookingbill said to Burns. "I just think, we’ve got a good price here, we better jump on it and take care of the whole development and be done with it."
Humerick stated that in conversations with Hubbard, they agreed to start with replacing one light to ensure there are no issues before installing the rest. If the new lights are still different from previous versions, the Town will make every effort to return them and continue their search. "I think we have to be 100% satisfied this time before moving on with the project," Humerick said.
Mayor John Kinnaird suggested purchasing only one lamp for now, but Humerick said it wouldn’t be cost effective to do so.
