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Commissioners approve $1.6M athletic‑field lighting upgrade to replace wooden poles
Summary
The board approved the final phase of a lighting replacement project—purchase and capital authorization for Musco Lighting fixtures to replace aging wooden poles at Hampstead Kiwanis and Penn Memorial Park, with LED fixtures, a 25‑year warranty and an expected spring 2027 readiness.
Pender County commissioners voted July 13 to approve the final phase of an athletic‑field lighting replacement, authorizing capital funding and a purchase order to Musco Lighting to replace deteriorating wooden poles and aging fixtures at fields in Hampstead Kiwanis Park and Penn Memorial Park.
Parks staff said six fields remain in the final phase: one diamond field at Hampstead Kiwanis Park and three diamond fields plus two multipurpose fields at Penn Memorial Park. The presentation described visible safety issues (broken brackets, woodpecker damage to wooden poles) and cited heavy youth participation — staff reported 4,770 participants and about 10,159 hours of field use across the recent seasons — as justification for replacing fixtures as a capital project rather than an operating expense.
Staff said the new package will be LED fixtures integrated with Musco’s Control Link system for remote management and warranty servicing; Musco offers a 25‑year warranty on fixtures. Installation is planned to begin mid‑to‑late October, weather permitting, with the county expecting systems to be fully operational for the spring 2027 season.
Commissioners who questioned the funding source were reminded that the project has been moved from the operating budget into the capital improvement plan and that funds include prior CIP allocations and general‑fund capital appropriations. The motion to approve the capital project, budget‑ordinance amendment and purchase order passed by voice vote.
The board asked staff to coordinate installation timing to avoid interfering with tournaments and to provide additional information on funding sources to any commissioner who requested it.
