Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories

Wheatfield board offers updates on LED switch

by yarger
Thu, Dec 20th 2018 07:00 am

By David Yarger

Tribune Editor

For months now, the Town of Wheatfield Town Board has discussed switching the town’s light standards to LED.

The effort, which has been spearheaded by Wheatfield Supervisor Don MacSwan and Councilman Curt Doktor took a step in a positive direction Monday night.

The board approved a supplemental agenda item to authorize National Grid to provide three sample LED street lights to fixture at the Town Hall campus. As said in prior meetings, Doktor announced the three different LED lights would be placed at different locations across the Town Hall campus to be used to study if LED is the way to go throughout the town.

The estimated cost for the three installations is $348.20. The authorization also does not tie the town down to future agreements – the item was approved strictly for the three sample fixtures.

At the meeting, Doktor said one of the fixtures was already installed near the back of the Town Hall parking lot, but he felt the public should investigate it before he commented his opinion.

Doktor added that all three sample lights will have different features and will be labeled for comparison at Town Hall.

In a separate meeting with MacSwan, he said LED could benefit the town in the long run.

“We will probably have to take out a loan to do this and probably spread it over a 15-year period, like through a bond. And if we do that, not only will we have a savings the first year … approximately $45,000 a year savings … but at the end of this 15-year period that we take this loan out, it’s money for the town – big money. … The taxpayers would save at the end of the 15 years, because we would physically own the lights,” MacSwan said.

In other news:

•During the Planning Board report by Tim Zuber of Wendel Engineering, Zuber announced that the Niagara International Sports and Entertainment project combined with the Big Thunder Brewery and sports bar/dinner theater project and is now called Summit Outlets.

The two projects have been in talks for some time at the vacant Summit Park Mall.

In the report, it reads, “Phase 1a of the project will be the sports field houses (2-96,000 square foot metal buildings with connecting corridor) and phase 1b will be the brewery and sports bar/dinner theater (conversion of Toys R Us area, updates to building façade, outdoor volleyball courts, outdoor patio, and outdoor lounge house/bar).

“The applicant was advised of many items required for site plan review. As the combined project now exceeds 10-acres of disturbance, it is considered a Type 1 actions and must proceed with a coordinated review under SEQR (state environment quality review). The Planning Board motioned to begin the coordinated review upon receipt of a full Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) and an overall site plan. No other action was taken.”

•The Town of Wheatfield Town Board will host its reorganizational meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. The first regular Town Board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 7, 2019.   

 

Hometown News

View All News