Jenkintown Borough working in conjunction with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Johnson Controls and Uni-Vest Bank has finalized the contract to replace all existing streetlights with energy efficient LED streetlights.
Jenkintown Borough Council approved joining with the DVRPC (Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission) and JCI (Johnson Control Inc.) on the five-county LED street light replacement program. The Borough has completed the extensive application / review process and all street lights are now slated to be replaced with energy saving LED street lights. The installation of the Borough wide LED street light replacements will begin in July 2017. A brief synopsis of the program is that the lighting needs have been reviewed, designed and Engineered. The LED lights will be provided and installed. The cost of the project is offset by Utility rebates and the reduced cost of electricity through energy savings. The design calculations show the project paying for itself in seven years. The lights have an expected maintenance free life of twenty years.
Current Street Lighting operational status update. As you may or may not know Jenkintown Borough along with 13 other Municipalities had been a member of the Montgomery County Lighting Consortium. The Consortium was administered by Upper Moreland Township. Due to an overwhelming demand the Consortium began having issues servicing the communities at the level expected and required. This is not a negative reflection on the Consortium Administrators or employees who did all they could with the conditions presented to them. The Lighting Consortium is now no longer in place.
During this time Jenkintown Borough began exploring other avenues to engage a service company that could adequately serve the Borough’s street and traffic lighting needs.
The Borough has now negotiated a contract with Abington Township to service and maintain all street and traffic lights. This service contract is at a cost savings of $27 per hour compared to the former consortium program.
The Borough has compiled a list of street lights requiring attention from concerns filed by residents, reports from JBPD and personal observations made by PW during periodic nightly inspections. The streetlights that are currently out will be replaced, those that have been out for some time or are creating a hazard will take precedence. Some of the streetlights scheduled to be repaired prior to the Borough wide project taking place are the streetlights at Walnut & Washington Lane, 400 block Leedom Street, 400 block Maple Street, 400/500 block Rodman Avenue (underground wire issue identified) and the 900 block West Avenue. There are also decorative street lights that are not operating, all decorative lights will be replaced with LED lights under this program.
If you observe a streetlight not operating properly, please do not hesitate to notify us at Borough hall so we can add it to our list and address it. We are hopeful you will see an immediate improvement in our response time and look forward to the Borough wide LED replacement program eliminating the large majority of issues that we have been experiencing.
Thank you and please contact Borough Hall with any questions, comments or concerns at (215) 885-0700.