City council wants to use a new set of lights to commemorate important events and issues in St. Albert, even if the price tag is higher than expected.
City councillors voted 4-3 to double the budget for LED “recognition lights” outside St. Albert Place to $250,000 at their Oct. 1 meeting.
These are the lights that bathe structures in colour: Orange and blue for the Edmonton Oilers, purple for Remembrance Day, and so on. Just check the website of the approved vendor, GVA Lighting: Their work illuminates “world-class” buildings from the Louvre to London's Tower Bridge.
When Coun. Mike Killick proposed LEDs on the balcony outside council chambers, a staff report indicated it could be done for as little as $5,000 to hang a string of lights, or closer to $98,000 to $113,000 for a brick-mounted setup.
The price increase was a gift of time, and chaos: The company the city intended to purchase the equipment from went out of business, casting into doubt whether parts would be available for future maintenance.
The cash will come from the city’s capital reserve.
Couns. Sheena Hughes, Natalie Joly and Ken MacKay voted against. Hughes called the expense a want, not a need.
Joly pushed for a different system entirely, one capable of projecting images or video on a building. She said film festivals in Europe had used them to dramatic effect, and they cost half or less what the flood lamps will.
MacKay said he is all for recognizing events and causes, but not at $834 a square foot. He pointed to the next item on the agenda: A $1 million ask from the fire department for a new truck.
“It’s just a hard sell for me.”
Not for Coun. Wes Broadhead.
“Do we want our building as a world class landmark signature for all of our residents to enjoy?”
Mayor Cathy Heron was also opposed to the opposition.
“We infrequently if ever spend capital dollars on something the entire community can get behind,” she said. “I think it’s about time we were able to say to St. Albert residents ‘This one’s for you.’”
Coun. Killick said staying the course and going toward the lights was the right thing to do. He said the constant colours would have a greater impact in the dark than “splashing changing images on the side of the building.
“I say give the green light for administration to move forward.”
