Fort Community Center Gym on Track for LED Lighting Upgrade

By:  David Deschesne

Fort Fairfield Journal, December 24, 2014

   The town of Fort Fairfield, working with Gilman Electric, will be applying for Efficiency Maine grant funds to upgrade the gym lights at the Community Center to LED style fixtures.   Gilman Electric came back with a proposal that underwrote 100 percent of the cost of the lights, which amounts to about $7,800, but does not cover the cost of labor to install them.  In order to encumber those funds before they run out, the town council needed to approve a bid for the installation.  "The Public Works department can go in, remove the old lights and put up the brackets and the lights up but they cannot hook them to power, we have to hire an electrician for that," said town manager, Mike Bosse.  "We sent the bid specs out to three individuals that have master licenses that live here in Fort Fairfield and Suburban Electric, Stev Rogeski was low bidder.  The other two individuals or companies did not respond."

   The installation plan is to coordinate the work so none of the programs that go on in the gym will be interrupted. 

   Rogeski said converting to LED style lighting systems shows a considerable amount of savings over the traditional lighting fixtures.  "Especially in the gym projects, MSAD #20 has seen a phenomenal amount of savings, they've got LEDs all throughout the High School.  They have not upgraded the gym yet, that's on the schedule for next year.  The LED lights are even less expensive to operate than even the T5 or T8s they were using."

   The town council voted to approve the application for the $7,800 Efficiency Maine rebate and to approve an expenditure of $849 to come out of the Recreation Department's Reserve account for the installation of the lights.