1 STAFF REPORT
DAT
E: November 26, 2024
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Mandip Kaur Samra, General Manager, Burbank Water and Power VIA: Riad Sleiman, Assistant General Manager, Electric Services BY: Mina Shehata, Electrical Engineer
SUBJECT: Approval of the Burbank Water and Power 2024 Street Lighting Master Plan
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the Burbank Water and Power (BWP) 2024 Street Lighting Master Plan (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND
BWP operates and maintains the street lighting system in the City of Burbank (City). This includes standards and posts, mast arms, luminaires, overhead and underground wiring, pull boxes, conduits, pedestals, and service cabinets. There are different types of streetlight installations throughout the City. The table below summarizes today’s count of each type of streetlight standard or post in Burbank.
Standard/Post General Locations Count
Concrete Marbelites Citywide – Residential Streets 3,342 Metal Octaflutes Citywide – Major Streets 2,251
Lights on Wood Poles Citywide – On Wood Poles 2,168
Safety Lights on Traffic Standards Cit ywide – Intersections 768 Single-Pole (3-Ring Halos) Downtown Burbank 225
Shakespeares (Low-Level) Ben Mar Hills 199
Underpass Lights Freeway Underpasses 129
Tri-Pole Downtown Burbank 109
Concrete Ameron Delphi Victory Tract, Toluca Lake Area 100 Concrete Ameron Contemporary Round Avion Burbank 53
Single-Pole (Goosenecks) San Fernando Blvd 51
Single-Pole (Low-Level, Lake St) Lake St b y BWP Campus 31 Shakespeares (High-Level) HW Way/Tulare, Olive/Angeleno 11 Paseo Redondo Lights Paseo Redondo 9
Other Light Standards Scattered Locations Citywide 5
Total 9,451
WATER AND
POWER
2 While BWP first developed a Street Lighting Master Plan (Master Plan) in 2009, it is regularly updated to ensure that it aligns with the City’s goal s of balancing reliability, sustainability, and costs. An intrinsic par t of updating the Master Plan involves incorporating economical and practical technologie s and implementing improved illumination industry standards. The plan is updated every five years; the last revision was completed in 2019.
The 2024 Master Plan has been finalized and reflects the plan for future capital improvement projects that in corporate improved electrical safety, roadway illumination, reliability, aesthetics, r educed energy costs, other dep artmental projects, and accommodation of third-party installations.
DISCUSSION
BWP reviewed the 2019 Master Plan and identified several areas of focus to address in the 2024 Master Plan update. A streetlight foundation analysis was performed to address one of the streetlight design standards. The 2024 Master Plan provides an update on the light-emitting diode (LED) conversion program . The 2024 Master Plan also highlights some of the major capital im provement projects (CIPs), su ch as replacing deteriorated fiberglass Shakespeare posts and replacing 240V and 480V streetlight circuits with low- voltage 120V circuits.
Streetlight Foundations
A foundation analysis study of various exis ting light poles was conducted to determine the adequacy of the existing foundation of th e light poles with and without installed banners and wayfinding signages that could be attached to the existing light poles. The analysis considered the effect s of wind, self-weight, and se ismic loading. Streetlight foundations were analyzed for dead loads includi ng pole self-weight, existing luminaires weight, and additional weight of the new proposed signs/banners. Analysis showed that existing concrete foundations are adequate, without additional reinforcement. To minimize wind load imposed on the streetlights, BWP is specifying that all banner installations will be limited to a single banner and utilize breakaway brackets. Additionally, BWP chose to follow industry standards for foundations with minimum reinforcement for the integrity of the foundation.
A rebar reinforcement in concrete foundations for all new installations will be included.
LED Conversion Program
The LED program improved roadway illumi nation and reliability and reduced operation and maintenance costs.
Conversion to LED reduces the electric load from dusk to dawn, shortening the “neck of the duck curve” 1 and ultimately reduces the amount of energy BWP needs to generate in the evening.
BWP has steadily replaced non-LED luminaires with LEDs. To date, approximately 93% of streetlights in the City of Burbank have been converted to LED. In the 2019 Street Lighting Master Plan, BWP i ndicated a target completi on of the LED Replacement
1 The "neck of the duck curve" is the rapid increase in demand for electricity in the evening as people return home from work or school and turn on their appliances.
3 Program by the end of 2024, signaling a 100% citywide LED deployment. Extensive research has been conducted throughout the progr am to optimally choose efficient and appropriate LED products. For each type and si ze of existing old high-pressure sodium (HPS) or metal halide (MH) fixtures, se veral LED equivalents have been tested, and approved as standard the ones that meet Bu rbank specifications and standards. The research and deployment have been completed for all roadway lighting throughout the city, and now BWP has standard products in place for maintaining roadway lighting. This includes metal Octaflute standards, concrete Marbelite standards, and streetlights on wood poles, of which 100% have been converted to LED.
The last main category of lights in the City is decorative posts. By nature, decorative lights require additional research due to the customization and uni queness of each light post and fixture. Decorative standards in the City are of various shapes and heights.
By the
end of 2024, it is anticipated that all streetlights will be converted to LED, with the exception of lights installed on Shak espeare decorative posts (accounting for approximately 2% of all lights within the City). A separate capital improvement project for this work will be conducted.
Replacement of Deteriorated Fiberglass Shakespeare Posts Although installed less than 20 years ago, some of these posts show deterioration, which seems to be accelerated by sunlight. In 2023, as part of the citywide streetlight inspection program, Shakespeare decorative posts showed deterioration for most of the installed posts around the City. Approximately 71% of low-level Shakespeare posts were identified for replacement. BWP determined it is necessa ry to replace this type with one that has higher quality, better life expectancy, and requires less maintenance over time. There are currently 199 of these low-le vel Shakespeare posts installed citywide in multiple areas.
Replacement of these deteriorated posts will require resources and funds beyond the LED program completion target of the end of 2024. BWP will replace 100% of this type of decorative post, along with installing LED lights, over the span of two budget years. For efficiency purposes, BWP will delay the conver sion of these 199 lights to LED to align with the replacement of the posts, avoi ding double work and unnecessary resource utilization.
Replacement of 240V and 480V Circuits with Low-Voltage 120V Circuits A drawback of using 240V and 480V is the safety procedures that crews have to complete to maintain the circuits at higher than 120V. Both 240V and 480V circuits incur increased maintenance costs and pose more risk becaus e of the higher voltage. Over the years, BWP has taken steps to convert these circui ts to low-voltage 120V circuits. Given the priority of this effort, it is recomm ended that the 240V and 480V circuits should be converted to 120V circuits. This will contribute to improved overall safety and reliability of BWP’s streetlight system. Approximately 836 streetlights in t he City, most of which are on arterial and collector streets, receive power at 240V or 480V.
Staff presented the 2024 Street Lighting Master Plan update to the BWP Board on September 5,
2024. The BWP Board unanimously s upported a recommendation for the Council to approve the 2024 Street Lighting Master Plan.
4 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The activities c ontemplated under the S treet Lighting Master Pl an qualify under a categorical exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act for the “operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expans ion of existing or former use.” (14 Cal. Code Regs. S ection 15301(b)).
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact will be positive, and the c ost will not exceed the budgeted amount s et aside in the Fund 129 fiscal year budget. Street light capital improv ement projects are managed based on system needs and available revenue. The full transition to LED luminaires continues to reduce maintenance activities on the s treet lighting system, increase energy-efficient str eetlights, and save on energy c osts for the street lighting system, all without increasing the allocated funds to maintain and improve the system.
With a full conversion to LED luminaires and strategic replacement of deteriorated lighting facilities, the streetlight fund is poised to manage future operation and maintenance costs while achieving energy savings.
CONCLUSION
Staff requests that the Council approve the BWP 2024 Street Lighting Master Plan.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Burbank Water and Power 2024 Street Lighting Master Plan