The City of Richmond plans to phase in LED street lights, according to a report from city planners to the public works committee.
Currently, there are 10,000 streetlights in the city, but just 100 are light emitting diode (LED) fixtures.
The LED fixtures use about 40 per cent less energy than regular streetlights. As the costs of LEDs have gone down, the energy savings make these lights more costeffective.
In addition to potential cash savings, LEDs will help chip away at the city's goal of reducing carbon emissions.
However, the energy savings are not yet enough to proactively replace regular lights with LEDs.
"As this technology continues to mature, staff will continue to evaluate locations suitable for the use of LED street lights as well as update our design standards and construction specifications," stated the report.
LED streetlights can be seen on No. 6 Road and a partnership with BC Hydro will see them installed on No. 3 Road, south of Steveston Highway, as well as Westminster Highway, east of No. 6 Road.
Blacksmith at Britannia may have to wait A blacksmith shop and foundry at Britannia Shipyards may still be a few years away.
Marie Fenwick, the site supervisor for Britannia, wrote to city councillors in a report on Tuesday that the shop and foundry is "not recommended at this time" because of other capital projects the historic site is committed to until 2018. In February,
Fenwick had been asked by councillors to explore the feasibility of such a plan.
A trained blacksmith exists at both Burnaby Village Museum and Fort Langley Historic Site. In Steveston, it is believed a blacksmith could be part of summer programming that educates visitors on industrial practices from the turn of the 20th century. Boat builders frequently used the skills of blacksmiths to mold metal parts, such as propellors.
Britannia is a large part of Steveston's historic infrastructure that will be part of a city submission for National Historic Site designation for Steveston from Parks Canada, which is a first step in applying for UNESCO World Heritage Designation for the village.
Last week, city council announced Coun. Linda Barnes will visit Mystic, CT, a historic fishing town on the east coast of the United States, to explore its historic sites and maritime museum, which is the largest in North America. The trip is in addition to other, previously scheduled, civic duties.
City shares land with Sharing Farm Pending anticipated approval from city councillors, the City of Richmond has re-signed its $10 per year lease with the Richmond Sharing Farm Society for another five years.
The society will now be set to farm about three acres of land in Terra Nova Rural Park. Its goal is to promote sustainable, community based agriculture.
The society manages the land for various community groups to use. Each year it sees about 1,000 volunteers pass through, according to a report from city's parks department. Much of the fresh produce grown by the society goes to the Richmond Food Bank.
