PORT ANGELES — Low-maintenance LED lighting will be installed at Civic Field by Aug. 31, thanks to a lower-than-expected bid recently awarded for a project that could also enhance West Coast League baseball games if the city secures a franchise.
The Port Angeles City Council on May 3 unanimously approved the grant-heavy $562,292 new-lighting contract to the lowest of two bidders, Colvico Inc. of Spokane.
The second bid of $657,391 was submitted by Angeles Electric of Port Angeles and also was lower than the $659,808 engineer’s estimate.
The project, which replaces a 38-year-old lighting system, covers the cost of an improvement voters rejected in 2012 as part of a $4 million bond.
Parks and Recreation Director Corey Delikat said Monday that Colvico owns the equipment needed to do the job, saving the city between $40,000 and $50,000 in rental costs the city would have had to bear separately and can now apply to the state-of-the-art illumination.
Grant funding
The project will be funded with grants of $226,500 and $181,200 from the state Recreation and Conservation Office, grants of $60,000 each from the city and the Port Angeles School District, $81,000 from the city in general funds, $21,000 in leftover capital funds from a City Pier fire suppression system project, and $14,000 in Bonneville Power Administration conservation funds, according to Delikat’s report to City Council members.
Construction will begin July 18 and be completed by Aug. 31, Delikat said.
Less glare
The LED lighting has less glare than conventional lighting by more directly aiming light at the field, city project manager Tim Amiot said Monday.
“The color of light on the field will be brighter and whiter, not blue-green,” he added.
“It’s much closer to daylight.”
Dwayne Johnson, Port Angeles High School athletic director, said Monday that he jumped for joy when he learned the LED lighting will be installed.
“I was joking that I got a concussion because I hit my head on the ceiling,” he said.
“The safety of the kids is No. 1.
“It is so much clearer for your vision at nighttime.”
“The clarity of lighting for being in a situation on the field will allow you to better protect yourself.”
Delikat said nearby residents also will benefit from less “spill light” from the field and onto their homes.
Delikat credited Amiot and Bob Kajfasz, a city commercial and industrial conservation analyst, for project funding.
Less energy
Amiot said LED fixtures of 633 and 394 watts will consume less energy than existing “middle highlight” fixtures of 1,000 and 1,500 watts each.
Delikat said LED lighting also is becoming the standard in stadiums — the first LED lighting installed at a major league baseball stadium was at the Mariners’ Safeco Field in 2015.
Amiot said he knew of only three other high school fields in Washington with LED lighting.
“Strategically aimed LED fixtures improve visibility, allowing for players to clearly see the trajectory of the ball,” Delikat said in his report to the City Council.
“This LED lighting system will last the community for many years to come with little to no maintenance.”
Franchise team
The new lighting also would be expected to improve the Civic Field experience for college-level baseball players and fans if the city wins a West Coast League franchise team that could start calling Port Angeles home beginning in summer 2017.
City Attorney Bill Bloor said Monday that by Wednesday, he expects to complete his review of the city’s portion of a proposed Civic Field use agreement with Matt Acker of Lacey, owner of the West Coast League’s Kitsap BlueJackets.
Delikat said in an earlier interview that the agreement could be ready for City Council review by June.
More cost
The LED lighting will cost about $75,000 more than conventional lighting.
Delikat said that amount would have at least covered the cost of a new sound system that’s needed now that high school graduation ceremonies have switched to Civic Field.
“We’re really focusing on a sound system next,” Delikat said.
In addition, another $30,000 is needed for a new scoreboard.
The bond that failed in 2012 to reach the required 60 percent supermajority citywide would have paid for field turf and a drainage system at a cost of $3.5 million of the $4 million bond.
The improvement would have allowed the stadium to be used year-round.
“We’ve had some really mild winters, so we haven’t had major issues like we’ve had in the past,” Delikat said.
“This drainage issue is going to be year to year.
“I can’t see us going out for a bond anytime soon.”
The bond also would have paid for a new water boiler that was funded for $15,417 in 2014, providing hot water at Civic Field to athletes for the first time since 2007.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.