ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- The project to replace more than 100 street lights along Highway 59 with new LED energy-efficient light fixtures is nearly complete, it was announced at the Robertsdale City Council meeting on Monday.

The council voted unanimously on Monday with all council members present to surplus the old street lights. City Public Works Director Scott Gilbert told council members that about 75 of the 120 lights have already been replaced.

“Give us about two more good working days and it will be taken care of,” Gilbert said.

The council voted at its meeting March 19 to enter into a contract with Stuart C. Irby Co., to replace traffic and street lights along Highway 59 with more energy efficient lighting.

In November, it was announced that the city had been awarded a $100,000 grant to replace 120 street lights along Highway 59 from Central Baldwin Middle School to County Road 48 with new LED energy-efficient light fixtures.

City Engineer Greg Smith told the Council in November that replacing the lights would save the city on both cost of power and maintenance for the system.

For one of the old incandescent fixtures, the annual cost of power is approximately $120.90 and estimated bulb life is an average of 22,000 hours. For one of the new LED fixtures, the annual cost of power is approximately $39 and estimated bulb life is 50,000 hours. The new lights will utilize less power, thus reducing energy costs and will also require less maintenance and repair. 

Highway 59 is the major thoroughfare for Baldwin County residents and visitors traveling to the beaches. The existing incandescent street lights, located within the City limits, give off poor lighting. The LED lights will cast out a brighter light providing better visibility for motorists along this highly trafficked road.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The council voted unanimously in December to adopt Resolution No. 016-11 approving Premier Grants Consulting LLC as grant administrator at a cost of $10,000, leaving $90,000 for the actual project.

The Council voted unanimously at its regular meeting March 19 to adopt Resolution No. 004-12, accepting the bid of $97,732 from Stuart C. Irby Co.

Three lower bids were rejected, Smith said. A bid of $95,108 by Gresco was rejected because the company did not meet all the bid specifications required. A bid of $86,946.32 from Southeast Gulf Coast Leotek and of $97,454.32 from Southeast Gulf Coast Phillips were both rejected because the bids were submitted past the required deadline. Mathes of Alabama also submitted a bid of $140,572.

The balance of $7,732 would be paid for by the city, Smith said.

Smith said Monday that the city could keep a few of the old light fixtures to use for replacement parts, but that the old lights themselves could not be put back into the system and would have to be sold as surplus items.

In other business Monday, the council voted to surplus fencing materials from property the city owns on East Silverhill Avenue.

The council voted at its April 17 meeting to purchase approximately 9/10 of an acre on East Silverhill Avenue at a cost of $100,000.

The council also voted at the meeting to accept a donation of approximately 2.1 acres on East Silverhill Avenue from the Middleton family.

Mayor Charles Murphy said the surplus materials are part of the chain link fence that covers the front part of the property.