Frank McAuley discusses the benefits of the new inductance lamps with city intern Steven Shyun and Chris from Phoenix Electric Company
Photo: ESC
Addressing security concerns with better light quality is only one reason Grand Avenue, and side streets, received an upgrade to the historical lampposts in June. “This new lighting will consume less electricity and save money on operating and maintenance costs” Frank McAuley reports. “We have 42 lampposts in the downtown district which adds up to 84 lights. The life of these new Inductance lamps will be twenty years versus the five years for the current High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps that are in use. Furthermore, electrical costs will drop from $5.51 to $3.16 per month per lamp and it all adds up.”
McAuley, Manager of the South San Francisco Public Works Program, (Signs, Electrical and Fleet Maintenance) is aware of the need to be eco friendly and acknowledges consuming less electricity is not only about cost savings. It is also about leading the way for residents to reduce power consumption when possible and McAuley has made similar changes in his own South City home. “We all have to make the changes where we can and this was a good project for our Department of Public Works to take on” McAuley continued, “Our city was fortunate to receive federal money to help offset the cost of this work and we will continue to save money through the years because of this.”
The 84 lampposts in the downtown district will now have better lighting due to the change from High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps to Inductance lamps
Photo: ESC
The work was contracted out to San Francisco’s Phoenix Electric Company who won the job after going through the cities bidding process. Norma Fragoso, South San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Manager, also interviewed the company to be sure they were in compliance with fair labor practices. The job called for two crews of two men working for two days to complete this project. It also provided insight to Steven Shyun, a University of Davis graduate who recently earned his degree in Civil Engineering. “This has been an interesting experience and I’ve enjoyed working with Frank” Shyun said about his internship with the city. As the economic environment brightens, Grand Avenue looks forward to lighting the way for many new businesses in the near future.
[…] The City of South San Francisco announced earlier this month the street light retrofit project changing approximately 3,600 of our street light illumination to LED across the city. Our downtown Grand Avenue implemented these changes two years ago under the direction of Frank McAuley, DPW. At that time McAuley told us […]