Coulee Dam to get LED street lights

A project to replace some 300 streetlights in Coulee Dam should get started in about a month, public works director Barry Peacock said last Friday.

The town awarded a $118,246.25 contract to Northwest Edison, a Seattle firm, as the result of a 100-percent grant received from the Transportation Improvement Board.

Coulee Dam is one of six communities in the state to receive the grant. When completed, just over 300 LED (light-emitting diode) street lights will save the town about 60 percent in energy costs, plus additional maintenance savings. The lights stand to last some 20 years, compared to five years with the present lights.

Four firms bid on the project. The town selected Northwest Edison, with the second lowest bid, because its bid was the most complete, according to city officials.

The project covers new lights for the main street lights, but not any alley lights, Peacock stated.

The maximum allowance for the project, according to the TIB, was $252,000. The bid was substantially lower.

In other council action recently, the town voted to award Deckwa Construction a fence railing project around the Melody Restaurant area. Deckwa, a Quincy firm, bid $7,499.15. The fence will address safety concerns. The town owns the building that houses the Melody Restaurant.