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Council approves South Seguin decorative lighting with solar option; TxDOT permit still pending
Summary
Council voted to proceed with decorative lighting on South Seguin, accepting staff recommendation to consider solar fixtures to lower installation and ongoing costs; council also discussed TxDOT permitting and conduit constraints.
The City Council approved moving forward on a decorative lighting project for South Seguin Street and instructed staff to pursue electrical installation with an option for solar lighting and raised‑pole mounting.
Interim City Manager Lanny Lambert outlined estimates and technical constraints: the conduit installed with the road contains 16,848 feet of runs that would require wiring and significant electrician labor, and the conduit layout may require 13 electric meters and meter loops. Lambert suggested solar decorative fixtures as a lower‑cost immediate alternative, noting modern solar fixtures have batteries with multi‑year life and “look just like regular lights.”
Council members discussed aesthetics, maintenance, and permitting. Lambert said the conduits are present but running wiring and tying to CPS (the electric utility) would be costly; he reported repeated contact with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) but said a permit from TxDOT had not yet been issued. The council approved a motion to install electrical lighting with the option of raising poles and using solar fixtures; the motion was seconded and carried.
Councilmembers asked staff to assess pole heights and foundation designs (concrete pillars) to accommodate banners and future needs, and to continue efforts to obtain TxDOT permit approvals for work in the state right‑of‑way. Staff said available funds (cited as roughly $145,467 in a line item) could be used and noted the potential to purchase fixtures at roughly $499 apiece (example pricing shown during the discussion) but that final procurement will follow more detailed design and permitting.
