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$100,000 extra
Turtle-friendly lights cost SRIA
Ft. Pickens Road is getting new lighting. But to make the turtles happy, it will cost the Island Authority $100,000 more than they originally budgeted. The Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) has been trying to choose new lighting for Ft. Pickens Road, which is being rebuilt after the hurricanes. The board had asked the staff to find something more attractive than the plain gray straight poles they had introduced last meeting. So this week the board saw photos of lights with 'skirts' on the bottom of each light. "The original budget for replacement lighting was $250,000," explained staff member Debbie Norton. "But that was when we didn't know we were required to have 'turtle-friendly' lighting. That will raise the cost a minimum of $300,000 - $350,000. But the Fish and Wildlife department has offered some funds to help with the cost." But if the board chooses the skirted lights, then the price goes up to between $350,000 and $400,000. "You also have to decide, do you just want to light the bike path, or the whole road," Norton said. "The skirted lights would only light the bike path, and there are regulations that say if you light the bike path you cannot allow any light to bleed into the roadway. But if you want to light the road, then we need to use the other lights, not the skirted lights." The board voted to use the skirted lights and only light the bike path. The issue of lighting the median of Via de Luna was raised, and the board passed a motion to investigate what it would cost to use the same skirted lighting down the median of Via de Luna. |
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