As part of the overall bond program, the existing field lighting at Bellevue West was recently upgraded. The existing light fixtures were replaced with new state-of-the-art LED fixtures to bring the light levels on the field up to current recommended standards, but also provides a net utility savings to the District from the use of the lights. The design of the new system was coordinated with Musco Lighting and a contract was awarded to Musco to provide the new lighting system and poles for the project with the installation completed by ProTech Electrical Systems.
Positives resulting from this project include the following:
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- Lamp Life: The existing HID lamps being used at the field are rated around 15,000 hours of average lamp life. The new average LED lamp life expectancy is rated over 50,000 hours.
- Energy Savings: Based on anticipated yearly use, it is anticipated that the new LED fixtures will save approximately $1,000 per year in utility costs.
- Musco provides a full 25-year maintenance package for the new LED fixtures with the installation on the new poles. If anything happens to these fixtures during this time, Musco handles all of the repair/replacement work at their expense. This equates to an average $2,000 to $4,000 annual savings to the District in light fixture maintenance costs.
Games at the field for the last half of the football season were held under the new lights and made a significant change in the lighting appearance on the field. The life expectancy of the new lights/poles, the energy efficiency of the new lights, and the reduced maintenance for the fixtures will be an economic savings to the District over the coming years.
Bleachers
With some significant ongoing maintenance issues with the existing gym bleachers at Bellevue West, the bleachers in the main gym at West were replaced in the Fall of 2018 prior to the start of the basketball season.