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April 7 - 13, 2016 » Page 15A
Dunwoody to spend more than $ 400K on stormwater repairs
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
T he Dunwoody City
Council approved
spending more than
$400,000 on five sepa
rate residential projects re
lated to stormwater drainage,
including pipe, foundation
and sinkhole repairs at two
separate city council meet
ings.
The largest project pre
sented before the council,
amounting to $162,018, in
cluded storm water repairs at
seven addresses along Ver-
mack Road. According to the
document presented to the
public and council from Da
vid Elliott, stormwater man
ager for the city, “Problems
with this stormwater system
were originally located in
2012,” prompting repairs in
2014.
“Several sections of the
pipe system were partially
crushed during installation,
which resulted in a variety
of problems,” according to
the document. “The system
is roughly 40 years old and
beginning to fail from wear in
several areas. The repairs in
2014 replaced the most dam
aged portions of this system
and eliminated the immediate
risk of flooding.”
The $162,018 figure also
includes a 20 percent con
tingency, meaning the entire
amount may not be spent.
At the regularly sched
uled March 14 meeting of
Dunwoody’s city council,
Councilman Terry Nall
brought up the issue of
stormwater repairs during
a discussion about paving.
Dunwoody officials have
stressed in the past that ev
ery road within city limits will
eventually be paved, prompt
ing an opportunity to com
bine priorities.
“I’m all for extra paving,”
Nall said. “But we need to
have a conversation as a
council that when we start
adding a lot more money to
paving, it also impacts the
storm drain work. We always
go in and look at all the storm
drains [when paving], and we
may be pushing some storm
drain projects behind so we
can look at storm drain proj
ects for newly paved roads.
Not to mention, it’s going to
eat into our storm drain fund.”
A project at a residence
along Devonshire Way will
cost the city $72,734, includ
ing a 10 percent contingency.
According to Elliott’s docu
Dunwoody approved moving forward with LED lighting for the entire city, increasing
visibility while lowering energy costs. Georgia Power is set to update Dunwoody’s
lighting from high pressure sodium to light-emitting diode (LED) lighting. Photos by R.
Scott Belzer
On March 28, the Dunwoody city
council unanimously approved an
initiative that will replace 2,221 regular
light bulbs with light-emitting diode
lights (LED) streetlights.
According to officials involved with
the project, the total monthly bill for
such a change will be $24,682.37.
That amount is $230 more per
month than the city’s current lighting
costs. According to Georgia Power
Company officials, no capital costs will
be presented to the city
Jessica Tolley, the LED
roadway manager for Georgia
Power, and account executive Jerry
Cook presented the matter before
Dunwoody’s city council on March
14. The presentation included a
PowerPoint display demonstrating LED
clarity in addition to information.
“Why are we even looking at
changing to LED? The current high
pressure sodium (HPS) lights are lit
by high pressure sodium and emit an
amber glow,” Tolley said. “But LEDs
are bright white light, they’re broad
spectrum so the eye actually sees a
little better.”
Tolley went on to say LEDs use
half the amount of energy of a high
pressure sodium HPS equivalent and
are easier to direct. As a result, she
said, there is little waste. In addition,
the lights have a longer life expectan
cy than normal HPS lighting.
“LEDs are very controllable in na
ture,” Tolley said. “We don’t get a lot of
wasted light. We can put light exactly
where it’s needed on the roadway.”
Tolley said more than 400,000
lights throughout Georgia Power’s
coverage area will be converted to
LED as part of the Georgia Power
LED Roadway Initiative, which be
gan in February 2015. Last year, the
company converted 78,000 lights in
all. The company also will be able to
monitor bulb activity remotely from its
home office.
“This is a voluntary program from
Georgia Power,” Tolley said. “I will tell
you the technology is really moving in
this direction.”
Tolley assured this would only
affect governmental and regulated
lighting. The normal, everyday “acorn
shaped” lights usually associated with
decorative lampposts will not be tak
ing part in the change. Only the “cobra
head” lights will be changed out in the
current changeover.
Councilman Doug Thompson
asked Tolley whether the lighting
change would affect Dunwoody
residents in any way. Currently, as
Thompson pointed out, residents are
required to pay approximately $30 for
street light usage.
“LEDs are more expensive
fixtures,” Tolley said. “While you reduce
energy, you pay a higher fixture charge
than you would on a HPS fixture.”
Thompson said due to the minimal
change in the city’s monthly lighting
charge, residents would in all likelihood
not face an increase in charges.
“This is the way of the future,”
Thompson said. “We’re already doing
it in our houses. The bulbs cost more;
the energy usage goes down; how it
works out in the end, nobody really
knows, but I’m favorable.”
Council member Pam Tallmadge
asked if the lights would have the “blue
hue” normally associated with LED
lighting. Tolley assured her the amount
of energy being used was enough to
assure white lighting. In addition, Tolley
informed the board about shielding
measures such as paint in case
residents are not impressed with the
changeover.
On March 14 the council deferred
a decision on moving forward with
the LED initiative until March 28,
where it was unanimously approved.
Plans to begin the LED switch were
not announced, but Tolley said
Dunwoody was slated to take action
“later this year.”
Stormwater pipe repairs
throughout several Dunwoody
residences will cost the city
more than $400,000. Photos by
R. Scott Belzer
ment memorandum present
ed to the council, a complaint
concerning a sinkhole from a
resident eventually resulted
in the finding of a 300-foot
pipe “deteriorated throughout
its length.”
Another sinkhole com
plaint along Twin Branches
Way in Dunwoody will cost
the city $74,964 with contin
gency. Elliott told the council
via memorandum that this
particular case was caused
by an overgrown root mass,
which has since been taken
care of.
Sinkhole complaints
along Ben Creek Road found
a “failed brick junction box”
and “significantly deterio
rated” pipe located near a
residence. The project, which
will cost Dunwoody $61,809
with contingency, will also re
quire the rehabilitation of two
headwalls. Headwalls are
the concrete portion of outlet
areas where pipes drain and
are typically visible to the
public.
A project that initially cost
Dunwoody $83,100 along
Woodsong Drive will now
cost the city $100,545 follow
ing the city council approval
March 28, making the grand
total for all projects approved
$472,070.
According to Dunwoody’s
proposed 2016 budget, more
than 25 stormwater repair
and replacement projects
took place throughout the
city in 2015. According to
the city’s approved budget
for 2016, Dunwoody spent
approximately $2.1 million
on stormwater projects last
year and has requested $1.9
million for the remainder of
2016.
Dunwoody reserves ap
proximately $3.4 million in
stormwater funds for repairs
and “catastrophic stormwa
ter events.” The city also
sets aside $24,000 for street
sweeping to help combat
stormwater effects such as
debris and flooding.
Dunwoody holds public
city council meetings every
second and fourth Monday at
6 p.m. For more information,
visit www.dunwoodyga.gov.
lighting
Dunwoody begins transition to LED
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com