Village of Great Neck Plaza looks to make LED light switch

Matt Grech

Village of Great Neck Plaza trustees voted on Wednesday to approve an authorization to include two new alternative bids on their 2016 street lighting contract that is intended to update the village’s existing street lights to newer LED technologies.

Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender said she would like the town to start swapping out old bulbs for new LED bulbs moving forward.

“I don’t think putting in old technologies and light bulbs is the way we should be going,” Celender said. “I know it’s more expensive, but now is the time to look at the contract to see where we want to go with a plan.”

The village’s current three-year contract with Anchor’s Electric is expiring on Jan. 31.

An increased cost is the biggest hurdle the village faces in swapping out old, standard street lights for newer, brighter, longer-lasting LED bulbs.

Commissioner of Public Services Michael Sweeney said the cost could be upwards of $130 to $230 per bulb, with each light fixture housing three bulbs.

There would be additional expenses to retrofit the old street lamps to accept the new LED bulbs, he added.

“It’s not just like you a screw a bulb in like you do at your house,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney proposed offering two alternative bids to gauge the cost of the project in addition to the renewal of the current contract.

The first of the bids would request the price of converting all of Middle Neck Road to LED fixtures, with the second bid asking the per unit cost to switch all fixtures in the village to LED lights.

These alternative bids will give the village options when it comes to accepting a new contract, Sweeney said.

Despite the possible increased cost, Celender said, she is positive the newer technologies are the way to go.

“The old way we used to do it doesn’t make sense anymore,” she said.

Also at the meeting, the board approved a bid for the pavement of Old Cutter Mill Road through the Village of Great Neck Estate’s contractor.

The two villages share the road, with about one third in the Village of Great Neck Plaza.

The trustees agreed to pay a total of $5,000, one third of the overall $15,000 cost.

The board also approved a conditional-use permit for the Great Neck Kids Learning Group, an after-school, at 25 Cutter Mill Road.

Discussions began on the renovation of the Maple Drive parking lot, which the trustees agreed to rebid in an effort to cut costs.

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