Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: JULY 15, 2025
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: STEPHEN BISE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
PREPARED BY: JOE NICHOLS, FACILITIES MANAGER
JEROME JOAQUIN, PUBLIC WORKS ADMIN MANAGER
SUBJECT: $209,531 PURCHASE ORDER WITH FONROCHE LIGHTING AMERICA AND $34,500 PURCHASE ORDER WITH SASCO FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT COMMUNITY BLOCK GRANT SOLAR POWERED LIGHT CONVERSION PROJECT
SUMMARY
Staff requests City Council approve purchase orders to install fixtures for the Energy Efficient Community Block Grant (EECBG) Solar Powered Light Conversion Project to convert 69 high-voltage (series) streetlights to solar technology on the Bastanchury streetlight circuit (neighborhood west of SR-57, north and south of Bastanchury Road).
PROPOSED MOTION
Accept and appropriate receipt and use of $183,850 EECBG federal funds from CIP Project No. 47003 Street Light Conversion to Project No. 47004 EECBG Solar Powered Light Conversion Project in the Capital Project Fund (Fund 74).
Approve $72,400 Gas Tax funds (Fund 30) budget transfer and appropriation for local match and project contingency from CIP Project No. 47003 Street Light Conversion to Project No. 47004 EECBG Solar Powered Light Conversion Project in the Capital Project Fund (Fund 74).
Authorize Administrative Services Director, or designee, to issue $209,531 purchase order to Fonroche Lighting America to procure solar-powered lighting fixtures for CIP Project No. 47004.
Authorize Administrative Services Director, or designee, to issue $34,500 purchase order to SASCO to install Fonroche solar lighting fixtures for CIP Project No. 47004.
Authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute and administer procurement and installation agreements, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
Authorize Public Works Director, or designee, to approve change orders for solar-powered lighting fixtures procurement and installation within the approved project budget.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Approve the Proposed Motion
Reject EECBG grant acceptance and rescind $183,850 grant funds Reject all bids
Other options brought by City Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Proposed Motion.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
The City Manager recommends approval.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statement:
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Solar Powered Light Conversion Project costs $244,031 including solar lighting fixtures purchase and installation costs and a 5% project contingency. The EECBG grant would fund $183,850 of this amount, applied to the solar lighting fixtures purchase from Fonroche Lighting America. The City grant match would support the $25,531 Fonroche contract balance, along with $34,500 for SASCO installation services and project contingency through Gas Tax funds (Fund 30) in CIP Project No. 47003.
The Fiscal Year 2025-26 Adopted Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget has sufficient funding for the project. Staff appropriated the EECBG federal funds in CIP Project No. 47003 as part of the FY 2023-24 budget adoption. The appropriated $183,000 reflects the estimated EECBG formula grant at the time. This $183,850 reappropriation would update the dollar amount to the actual awarded formula amount. Staff recommends $183,850 EECBG federal funds and $72,400 Gas Tax funds budget transfers and appropriation from CIP Project No. 47003 to Project No. 47004.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The City of Fullerton has approximately 51 high-voltage series circuits supporting roughly 3,000 streetlights. Many rely on outdated Southern California Edison (SCE)-owned electrical transformers and City-owned lighting circuits and fixtures, all of which have become outdated and no longer manufactured at scale. This results in transformer failures leading to long-term outages with some lasting up to eight months. City Council approved a pilot program on April 16, 2024 utilizing solar-powered streetlights from Fonroche Lighting America. The new lights installed on the Elm / Flower circuit have proven successful, offering a sustainable solution to enhance public safety with minimal maintenance and no reliance on aging utility infrastructure.
The Bastanchury circuit includes 69 streetlights that experienced prolonged outages due to a failed transformer. SCE informed the City that sourcing a replacement transformer may take up to eight months. In response, staff recommends converting the Bastanchury circuit to solar-powered lighting using Fonroche Lighting America’s solar lighting fixtures. SASCO would perform the retrofit and replace existing light fixtures with solar-powered units while retaining the current poles. SASCO would install adapters to accommodate the new fixtures and ensure a seamless transition with minimal infrastructure modifications.
Fonroche is the only solar lighting provider offering NiMH battery technology built for extreme temperatures, a global monitoring platform and a U.S.-based facility focused solely on solar streetlights. The systems run every night of the year, are easy to retrofit and reduce installation costs. A direct sales model cuts out middlemen and provides full manufacturer support. The City pilot proved the system reliable and easy to integrate. Continuing with Fonroche allows the City to standardize streetlight technology citywide using a single monitoring and control platform that simplifies management, reduces training and licensing costs, lowers long-term maintenance needs and improves operational efficiency – resulting in overall cost savings.
Staff intends to procure solar lighting fixtures from Fonroche Lighting America, Inc. as a sole source provider, pursuant to the Sole Source exception outlined in the City Procurement Administrative Policy No. 4.1.2. Fonroche makes its products in America, which complies with federal “Buy America, Build America” (BABA) Act provisions for this federal grant.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provided most of the funding. The DOE awarded EECBG federal formula grants to state, local and tribal governments to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Staff applied in June 2024 and received the grant in September 2024. The City of Fullerton federal formula award grant totals $183,850 allocated based on population.
Staff anticipates beginning the project in early August 2025 and completion by late October 2025 pending procurement and delivery timelines. Staff would notify the affected community in advance of the project and provide a detailed schedule and project overview to ensure transparency and minimize disruptions.
Staff recommends the proposed motion to accept the EECBG grant, appropriate the funds to CIP Project No. 47004 and award the solar lighting fixtures procurement to Fonroche Lighting America and the installation services to SASCO.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Fonroche Quote
Attachment 2 - Fonroche Sole Source Letter
Attachment 3 - SASCO Quote for Installation
Attachment 4 - Bastanchury Circuit Map
Attachment 5 – Existing and Proposed Condition
cc: City Manager Eric J. Levitt
EECBG Grant and Solar Powered Lighting Conversion Project July 15, 2025 - Page PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 2