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Monroe SD 1J considers LED lighting upgrades and incentives; board asks for more bids
Summary
Board members reviewed three lighting upgrade proposals with state incentives (SB 1149), discussed a $3,000 approximate upfront cost and questioned the payback for stadium lights; members asked staff to collect additional bids and a lower-cost option for the high school.
During the same work session the board reviewed facilities and energy proposals for LED conversions at the grade school, high school and football stadium and discussed potential state incentive money tied to Senate Bill 1149.
Principal (Speaker 2) summarized three vendor proposals: the grade school bid was smallest because many fixtures are already LED; the high-school and stadium scope is larger. He said incentives could materially reduce net cost but that incentive timing and amounts are uncertain, and that the 'fancier' control systems that maximize incentives also raise upfront costs. "Out out of pocket upfront would be about $3,000," he said for the bundled projects, while cautioning the figure was a ballpark estimate.
Board members asked staff to obtain additional bids and to return a simpler, lower-cost option — for instance, removing ballasts and installing LED bulbs rather than purchasing full control systems. The group discussed the football stadium specifically: because lights are used only a limited number of times per year, the payback horizon could be decades; one member noted a long payback estimate ("34.5 years") for stadium lights given current usage.
The board also discussed practical issues such as the district's ability to change and service large stadium fixtures and whether incentive funds (referenced as roughly 123,000 in discussion) would be available within the district's planning window. Members directed staff to get additional bids, including a not-fancy option, and to bring cost comparisons back to the board.
Next steps: staff will solicit two more bids (threshold rules apply for higher-dollar projects), prepare cost-vs-incentive comparisons, and present refined figures for board consideration before any procurement decision.
