Light shed on new fixtures

Barbara Diamond

South Laguna will have distinctive -- and more costly -- street

lighting fixtures than other parts of town.

The City Council voted 3-2 on May 3 to uphold an April 7 Design

Review Board approval of the copper-clad fixtures, which are not the

fixtures recommended citywide by the Public Works Department.

The street lights are part of a long-awaited overall streetscape

improvement project for the area that includes sidewalks, bus

shelters, medians, new eucalyptus trees and landscaping in the

commercial district on Coast Highway from Catalina Avenue to Circle

Way.

“I appealed this,” City Manager Ken Frank said of the DRB decision

on the lighting fixtures. “We should require what we have required of

everybody else.” Frank said the area should have fixtures owned and

maintained by the utility company, which would save the city money.

The staff-recommended fixtures are from San Diego Gas & Electric

stock. The company will not maintain non-stock fixtures.

SDG & E serves South Laguna. The rest of Laguna is served by

Edison, which offered similar fixtures for projects in other areas in

town, and maintains them.

“The purpose of the lights is to give distinctive character to the

South Laguna commercial area,” said former Mayor Ann Christoph, who

lives and owns a business in South Laguna. “SDG& E [stock] does not

fit the bill. One is unattractive and the others shine in people’s

homes.”

The lighting fixture proposal came out of a subcommittee that was

asked by the DRB to work on the project.

The 20 Teka fixtures have tapered aluminum poles with stone bases

and copper “top hats” that direct light downward and will acquire an

attractive patina, city-hired landscape consultant Jim Docksteder

said.

Public Works director Steve May said stock SDG&E; fixtures could be

shaded.

South Laguna Civic Association member Greg O’Loughlin said

Victorian-style fixtures -- used in other parts of town -- do not fit

the character of South Laguna.

“The [preferred] lamps give a ‘there’ there,” said Driftwood Drive

resident Jean N. Bernstein.

The estimated cost to install and own the non-stock fixtures is

$10,815 per fixture, compared to $7,700 per fixture installed and

maintained by SDG& E.

“What I most admire about small communities in Europe is that they

have a unique character, which creates collective memory and

consciousness that I think is positive and you can’t put a price on

that,” said Councilman Steven Dicterow, who upheld the Design Review

Board approval of the pricier fixtures.

Primary costs of street lighting are power, maintenance,

replacement and liability.

Risk cost is inherent in public works asset ownership, although

the cost cannot be readily quantified, according to a report by

Community Development Department Director John Montgomery. Potential

liability would come from pedestrians and motorists who might run

into the light or by some other event that could occur in the

darkness if the lights failed.

Owning the lighting system also obligates the city to maintain it

and replace it if necessary. Some years ago, Victoria Beach decided

it wanted distinguishable lighting fixtures and paid for what the

residents wanted. The fixtures rusted out and now the city has to pay

for replacement.