Milton council approves Rails to Trails lighting bid

Milton Town Council unanimously approved a $111,000 bid by Maryland-based Barnes Electric to install conduits and lights along the Rails to Trails extension from Federal Street to Lavinia Street.

Town Manager Kristy Rogers said work could begin as soon as the week of June 18 and will likely last through the summer until Sept. 15. Project costs will be covered 50/50 between the town and the state, $55,550 apiece. 

The project had been bid as two separate contracts, one for installation of conduits and the second for installation of bollard lights from the trestle bridge to Lavinia Street. Barnes Electric was the low bidder on both contracts. 

Construction of lighting along the trail extension is a project many years in the making. Lighting the trail met with resistance from residents of West Shore Drive in Wagamon’s West Shores, whose homes back up to the trail. The residents argued that the lights would encourage 24/7 use of the trail and shine into their homes. 

Town council eventually tasked an ad hoc committee chaired by Councilman Sam Garde to formulate a plan, which breaks down trail lighting into three sections.

From Federal Street to the trestle bridge, the committee recommended installing four lights, supplied by Delmarva Power, consisting of three GranVille-style, acorn-shaped lights, and one shoebox-style light. The first light would be 80 feet from the trail entrance, with other lights placed 150 to 176 feet apart. The shoebox fixture would be closest to the bridge and would include additional shielding to keep the light from shining too much in the direction of homes in Wagamon’s West Shores.

At the hill where the trail splits, the committee called for five lights – four acorn and one shoebox – again supplied by Delmarva Power. The shoebox fixture would be closest to the bridge followed by three acorn lights between 136 and 160 feet apart. The last acorn-style light would be across West Shore Drive in front of the trail entrance. The fixture would be shielded to cut down on the amount of light shining toward nearby homes. 

Finally, from the hill to the end of the trail on Lavinia Street, there would be a series of bollard lights, which are low to the ground and can be shined directionally. The lights would be positioned to shine downward toward the trail and shielded to prevent light behind and skyward. While a specific number is not called for, the bollard lights would be 60 feet apart and no higher than four feet tall.

The committee decided to contract out the bollard lights, with the contractor responsible for installing the conduits, and supplying and installing the lights. Delmarva Power would install three connection boxes for the lights in existing utility easements. 

Town officials had received a $97,500 grant from the state for the project, with a planned budget of $197,000. However, the bids came in far lower than the town had anticipated. Rogers said there are two possible reasons for this: First, the economic conditions following the COVID-19 pandemic are much different from the pre-COVID conditions when the project estimates were made. And second, the use of bollard lights for the entire trail section from the bridge to Lavinia Street, recommended by the committee,  was less expensive than the initial idea for a mixed variety of lights. 

Rogers said the state grant is specifically for the trail lights, so the town cannot use any excess funds on other projects. She said the grant is structured as a reimbursement, so the town will only be able to get what it spends on the project.