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Council Gives Green Light to Green Lighting

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	City of Tigard 13125 SW Hall Blvd. Tigard, Oregon 97223	Press Release April 15, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact:	Kim McMillan, P.E. City of Tigard 503-718-2642 kim@tigard-or.gov

Council Gives Green Light to Green Lighting
Sustainable LED Lighting for the New Burnham Street Improvement Project

The City of Tigard and Portland General Electric (PGE) will pilot the latest energy saving street lights as part of Tigard's New Burnham Street improvement project. Light-emitting diodes (LED) have been used for the tiny indicator lights in electronics for many years but are available now for lighting streets, garages and parking lots. LED lights use much less power than traditional lights, have a significantly longer life, contain no mercury, lead, or other known disposal hazards and they turn on instantly unlike traditional street lights. Tigard City Council approved the use of sustainable LED lighting for the New Burnham Street improvement project at their February 9, 2010 City Council meeting.

"Preliminary estimates show up to 35% energy savings from using LED lights over standard lighting," reports New Burnham Street project manager Kim McMillan. McMillian says the City of Tigard will install the LED street lights during the final phase of the project in 2011. Portland General Electric (PGE) will maintain and monitor the lighting system.

PGE maintains public street lights in Tigard and the company is interested in piloting LED technology that has proven to save energy in other cities including San Francisco, California and Raleigh, North Carolina. The Tigard project offers the perfect opportunity to install the new lighting system and monitor it over a number of years to benchmark energy savings.

Other green features of the New Burnham Street project include stormwater treatment planters, and new sidewalks and pedestrian amenities that encourage walking.

Representatives from the City of Tigard and the contractor for the Burnham Street project provide the latest project updates to area businesses every Friday at 7:30 a.m. at the Main Street McDonald's in downtown Tigard. "Everyone is invited to attend," McMillan says. "Our goal is to share information, answer questions and get feedback from area property owners and business operators".

In the News: See the related article that was published in the DJC.

For more information, contact Kim McMillan, P.E., Construction Services Engineering Manager at 503-718-2642 or kim@tigard-or.gov or visit the New Burnham Street web page.