Commission schedules lighting site walk Sept. 4; staff sets October completion target

Commissioners and city staff scheduled an on-site walk Thursday, Sept. 4, at 2 p.m. to assess lighting in the Old Webster business district, with staff telling the commission they had given the contractor an October deadline to finish work so lighting will be in place for the holiday season. A city staff member described the problem as uneven lighting across storefronts: some buildings are fully dark, others are only "25% lit" because entire strings or sections are out. The August meeting included discussion of whether the problem was missing bulbs or failing string-light wiring; a business owner described whole strings being out on their block. The staff member invited commissioners to join the Sept. 4 walk and said the contractor estimated an eight-week timeframe to finish, and staff expects the work to be completed by October to ensure the holiday lights are ready. No formal vote or change to the budget was recorded; the item was presented as project management and a contractor schedule that staff will monitor. Commissioners also discussed photographing problem areas at night to document issues for the contractor.