Carol Stream gets $350,000 from state for LED street lights

Carol Stream will receive a $350,000 state grant to replace about 65 aging streetlights with energy-efficient LED lights.

It’s part of an ongoing effort to change out high-pressure sodium streetlight bulbs with longer-lasting LED lights.

Village officials say the funding from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development will be enough to cover the replacement of light poles, fixtures, conduit, cabling and related controllers throughout the Spring Valley neighborhood southeast of Army Trail and Fair Oaks roads.

The project is scheduled to begin in March and be complete by August, 2012.

A planned second phase would replace roughly 55 streetlights and poles in the Western Trails area southeast of Lies and Kuhn roads. The $325,000 estimated cost would be funded through the village’s capital improvement program.

That work is expected to take place between March and August 2013.

The village already has replaced 36 light poles around town since crews began a streetlight replacement program two years ago.

Village Public Works Director Phil Modaff said industry standards and reports from other communities have shown the new fixtures will reduce energy consumption up to 50 percent.

Following the village board’s approval of a grant agreement with the state Tuesday, staff members will now solicit proposals from engineering firms for design and bidding services. A construction contract is scheduled for approval in February.