ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- The Robertsdale City Council voted Monday to enter into a contract with Stuart C. Irby Co., to replace traffic and street lights along Highway 59 with more energy efficient lighting.

In November, it was announced that the city had been awarded a $100,000 grant to replace 120 street lights along Highway 59 from Central Baldwin Middle School to County Road 48 with new LED energy-efficient light fixtures.

City Engineer Greg Smith told the Council in November that replacing the lights would save the city on both cost of power and maintenance for the system.

For one of the existing incandescent fixtures, the annual cost of power is approximately $120.90 and estimated bulb life is an average of 22,000 hours. For one of the new LED fixtures, the annual cost of power is approximately $39 and estimated bulb life is 50,000 hours. The new lights will utilize less power, thus reducing energy costs and will also require less maintenance and repair. 

Highway 59 is the major thoroughfare for Baldwin County residents and visitors traveling to the beaches. The existing incandescent street lights, located within the City limits, give off poor lighting. The LED lights will cast out a brighter light providing better visibility for motorists along this highly trafficked road.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The council voted unanimously in December to adopt Resolution No. 016-11 approving Premier Grants Consulting LLC as grant administrator at a cost of $10,000, leaving $90,000 for the actual project.

The Council voted unanimously at its regular meeting on Monday to adopt Resolution No. 004-12, accepting the bid of $97,732 from Stuart C. Irby Co.

Three lower bids were rejected, Smith said. A bid of $95,108 by Gresco was rejected because the company did not meet all the bid specifications required. A bid of $86,946.32 from Southeast Gulf Coast Leotek and of $97,454.32 from Southeast Gulf Coast Phillips were both rejected because the bids were submitted past the required deadline. Mathes of Alabama also submitted a bid of $140,572.

The balance of $7,732 would be paid for by the city, Smith said.

The Council also voted unanimously Monday to approve Paul Hollingsworth as a voting delegate at the 2012 Alabama League of Municipalities Annual Convention business session, which will be held May 19-22 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center.

Council member Sue Cooper was selected as first alternate, while Mayor Charles Murphy was selected as second alternate.

In other business, the Council:

• Approved a measure to help provide city water service to Under His Wings ministry, a program for teenage girls who are facing life-controlling issues. The state funded program will be located just outside the city’s limits. The city agreed to provide labor and equipment and waive tapping fees for the project, while the city will be paid for the cost of materials estimated at $4,008. The measure was agreed to at the Council’s March 5 meeting, but no formal action was taken at that time.
• Approved the purchase of two mowers and one tractor for the city’s Public Works Department.
• Approved an advertising donation request from the Robertsdale High School golf team in the amount of $100.
• Adopted Resolution No. 003-12 adopting a sales tax holiday for school supplies the first weekend of August.
• Approved a deed from Cardinal Hills for the use of  1 ½ acre of property, approximately 120 feet by 621 feet, located off of U.S. Highway 90, for use as a detention pond for the Under His Wings facility.