Rotary says Table Mountain Bridge lighting is 'activation ready'; asks SBF for final funds

Dean Gurr, chairman of the Orville Lights project and a Rotarian, told the SBF steering committee that phase 1 of the Table Mountain Bridge lighting is "activation ready,” with LED nodes and flood fixtures installed and testing scheduled to begin as soon as final funding is in place.

"Lights are on the bridge," Gurr said, and asked the committee for roughly $48,719 to complete final commissioning and public programming. He told members the project has raised more than $502,000 to date and that local contractors and donors have reduced construction costs; Rotary estimates the community has returned approximately $2.72 for every $1 requested from the SBF.

Committee members asked about vandalism protections and ongoing operating costs. Gurr said project designers built in vandal‑resistant gates, locked access hatches and hot‑swappable LED nodes to simplify maintenance. He said operating costs remain uncertain until lights are commissioned but that rental revenue from community light‑shows would be used to offset electricity bills.

The panel approved the Rotary activation request as part of a bundled vote of downtown awards; staff will issue conditional award documentation and the Rotary Club plans public light shows timed with Independence Day if commissioning is completed.

Next steps: staff to prepare award paperwork and the Rotary team to provide final commissioning dates and a short operating budget estimate. The committee and project leads discussed a public ceremony following testing and commissioning.