City Considers Replacing Lights With Longer Lasting LEDs
By Ryan Schlehuber

There are about 100 city streetlights on Mackinac Island. If the city chooses to replace them with LED lights, the cost could be as much as $250,000, depending on what features the city chooses.

Changing the lighting and design of Mackinac Island's 100 lamp posts may not sound like big news, but what one company has to offer in light-emitting diode (LED) features has impressed the city, which expects to save thousands of dollars on energy output and maintenance.

Tim DeWitt, a representative of Carrier & Gable, which produces traffic control and highway

safety products, spoke with several members of the city council at a special meeting Tuesday, August 19, urging them to join several other Michigan communities in installing LED lights.

Since Monday, August 18, a sample LED light pole has been installed on the boardwalk near the corner of Market and Main streets for city politicians and residents to see. Carrier & Gable, of Farmington Hills, plans to keep it up for viewing until October.

"It's definitely different," said Mayor Margaret Doud at the meeting. "I had to get used to it, but it gives off a good light, I'll tell you that."

At right, LED lights are mounted on four panels and can be dimmed by a wireless control.

Councilman Mike Hart suggested that if the city were to replace its lights with LEDs, the intensity of the lighting may need to be adjusted, which Mr. DeWitt said is possible.

LEDs reduce lighting energy requirements by 50% or more and last much longer than conventional bulbs, which, in turn, reduces labor and maintenance costs, said Mr. DeWitt. One LED saves nearly two metric tons of annual carbon dioxide output and is equivalent to taking a car off the road for one year, he noted.

Another LED feature is that the lights are directed only in one direction, and do not contribute to "light noise," allowing people living near the lights to enjoy the night sky without the obstruction of artificial lights.

LED lights diminish in intensity over time, rather than burn out.

Mr. DeWitt explained that communities like Ann Arbor, Benton Harbor, and Detroit have replaced their incandescent lights with LEDs and have been able to amortize the change in less than five years.

On Mackinac Island, the cost to replace lights and posts is estimated to be $250,000, or $2,500 per light, depending on design and extra features.

Add-ons include remote control of the intensity of the light and a transmitter that notifies the city of a burned out or damaged light. The city could also have the ability to make a single light flash on and off to signal an emergency in that area.

Many times, light posts are not as noticeable unless there is a problem with them, said Mr. DeWitt, however, Mackinac Island's lights are decorated with flowers and flags and he suggested the city select a pole design that will be appealing.

There are various designs for the light post, the globe, and details to the pole and the globe, such as adding color stripes to represent a season or an event, and designs that represent the Island's historic theme, said Mr. DeWitt.

The company also offers ornaments to be placed on top of the bulbs, or decorations on the post themselves, like a city crest or street sign.

The city believes that the technology will be compatible with the Island's National Historic Landmark status, said Mayor Doud's assistant, Kelly Bean.

"The National Park Service knows that historic places like Mackinac Island still have to deal with advanced technology," she said.

Mr. DeWitt will return to the Island in October to try to sell his lights to the city.