HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-04-06, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017.
Molenhuis proposes LED upgrade for North Huron
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
The streetlights in North Huron
may be replaced with energy-
efficient LED models in the near
future provided council is content
with an evaluation on the existing
lighting systems in its urban areas.
At council's April 3 meeting, a
motion directing staff to execute a
letter of engagement with RealTerm
Energy and Local Authority
Services (LAS, an arms' length
company operated through the
Association of Municipality of
Ontario, or AMO) and for an audit,
design and upgrade of streetlights
worth approximately $530,000.
Director of Public Works Jeff
Molenhuis suggested the funding for
the project will come as an internal
loan from reserves for water and
sewer to be paid back through the
savings realized through the
program. Initial research indicates
that a 65 per cent reduction in power
consumption (from 570,000 kWh to
201 kWh) for Blyth and Wingham
could be realized through LED
lights, resulting in an annual savings
of $70,000, meaning the internal
loan would be paid back in
approximately six and a half years.
Councillor Trevor Seip wondered
how Molenhuis would make sure the
savings would go back into the water
and sewer reserves and Molenhuis
explained that, by council approving
the motion presented, it would be on
the books and force funds to be
directed there.
Seip also wanted to see funds set
aside for the replacement of the LED
lights in the future so that another
internal or external load wouldn't be
necessary when the LED light
system needed replaced. Molenhuis
said that would be a possibility if
council wanted to split the savings
from the lower consumption.
For a good cause
There was plenty to browse at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Recreation Committee's annual
Ladies Night fundraiser on Thursday, March 30. The event included vendors, the silent auction
shown above and special guest speakers. (Denny Scott photo)
Final budget draft
ready for April 18
Continued from page 1
were absent would be unfair to them,
so he suggested that further debate
on the budget could take place at the
April 4 meeting.
However, after years of no
increase (and in some years a
decrease) in the tax rate, some
councillors felt they didn't want to
deplete the municipality's reserves if
the budget called for an increase in
spending.
Jewitt said he was against an
increase if it wasn't necessary. He
said it's a hard time right now for
some people and if the municipality
didn't have to contribute to further
financial burden, it shouldn't.
Without a definitive answer and
with Mayor Jim Ginn wishing to
have all councillors present for the
discussion, council directed Rau to
prepare three different versions of
the budget for the next meeting, one
with no increase, one with a one per
cent increase and another with a two
per cent increase.
At the Monday night meeting,
councillors voted to bring forward a
budget with a one per cent increase
to the public at the final budget
meeting on Tuesday, April 18.
Rau also reminded councillors
that the tax rate increase for local
schools is not yet known. That
figure, when it's finalized, may also
affect the budget and that would be
out of the municipality's control.
The final draft of the budget will
be presented to council and
members of the public at the April
18 meeting, which begins at 5 p.m.
Whether the meeting will be held at
the town hall or at REACH has yet
to be determined, due to smoke
damage at the town hall.
For further details on the meeting,
visit centralhuron.com.
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Councillor Bill Knott asked if
there would be any avenues for
cancellation if, after their initial
review, the project didn't appear as
lucrative as it initially had.
Molenhuis said that, after two -to -
three months, the inventory and
design of a new system would be
available for council to review, at
which point they could cancel or
postpone the project. The township
would, however, owe approximately
$15,000 for the project up to that
point according to the report.
Knott explained he was concerned
as, through his own professional
experiences, he felt the price of LED
lights and systems were set to
drastically fall in the future. He said,
in his career, he had witnessed a 50
per cent reduction in the cost of LED
system components and didn't want
the municipality spending $530,000
if they could save half that by
waiting six months.
Council directed staff to execute
the letter of engagement, making the
funds available for the project and
directing further savings from the
project, after paying back the sewer
and water reserves, to the roads
reserves.
offices will be closed
on
FRIDAY, APRIL 14
for
Good Friday
The deadlines
for the April 20 paper
will be the same
as usual:
Monday, April 17
2 pm in Brussels
and
4 pm in Blyth
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Blyth Brussels
519-523-4792 519-887-9114
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