Musco Lighting outlines LED stadium retrofit for Coatesville; operations committee requests cost-of-ownership analysis
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Summary
Musco Lighting presented LED retrofit options for the high-school stadium and baseball field, emphasizing energy savings, reduced glare and remote monitoring. The operations committee asked Musco to provide a cost-of-ownership report showing expected energy and maintenance savings.
The Coatesville Area School District operations committee heard a detailed presentation from Musco Lighting representative Andrew O'Donnell on March 11 about retrofitting the district's stadium and athletic fields with LED fixtures. Brian (district staff) introduced Musco and said the company previously handled the district's baseball-field lighting.
O'Donnell explained the technical differences between the district's existing metal-halide fixtures and modern LED systems, and emphasized Musco's design focus on "spill" (light spilling beyond the field) and "glare" (direct brightness perceived by athletes and spectators). "When I say foot candles, that's how we're just measuring the light... When I say spill, that is the actual light spilling off of the field... and when I say glare, it's what your spectators or your student athletes are experiencing," O'Donnell said.
Musco proposed two field-level options (a 50-foot-candle and a 75-foot-candle average) and noted typical fixture counts needed to reach those levels on the district's existing four-pole layout. The presentation described maintenance and warranty features Musco offers, including remote-driver placement (to keep electrical drivers at a low, serviceable height), 24/7 cellular monitoring (Control Link), and an all-inclusive parts-and-labor warranty that covers lift/crane costs and site restoration.
Board and committee members asked about life expectancy, maintenance, and expected energy savings. O'Donnell said Musco typically offers a 10-year all-inclusive warranty for systems on existing, non-Musco poles and that LED fixtures rarely fail; the driver electronics are the most likely service item and are located to allow low-elevation access. He agreed to supply a cost-of-ownership report if the district provided a kilowatt-hour rate and an estimated hours-per-year of field use. "We could do what is called a cost of ownership report... we show the savings of the life of the warranty," O'Donnell said, and estimated a potential 10-year savings "in the ballpark of $30,000 to $60,000" depending on usage and energy costs.
Committee members also raised concerns about glare and compliance with ordinances; O'Donnell showed examples of installations and explained candela measurements for fixture intensity and how Musco's visor/driver design reduces off-field glare compared with many exposed-LED floodlight fixtures. He highlighted Musco's remote monitoring (Control Link) and the ability to dim lights for clean-up or lower-use events.
No contract decision or formal vote was taken at the committee meeting. The committee requested the cost-of-ownership report and pricing data for inclusion in a future full-board packet; a public commenter also requested that pricing be made available to the public.
