PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County is applying for a grant to replace antiquated and failing lighting at Memorial Field.
If the grant is awarded to the county, the new system would be in place no sooner than summer 2017.
“The current system is in a barely usable state,” said Matt Tyler, Jefferson County parks and recreation manager.
“A cowling fell off of one of the lights, and there were two underground electrical faults that we had to fix this month.”
The current setup includes two roof lights and three poles on the home team side and two poles on the visitors’ side.
On Monday, the Jefferson County commissioners unanimously approved an application for a $112,500 grant from the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board. The grant deadline is Monday.
The remaining $137,500 to complete the project, a required match, already has been pledged by several community groups, with the county kicking in some of the funding, Tyler said.
The community group includes three Rotary Clubs — Port Townsend, Sunrise and East Jefferson — along with Jefferson Healthcare hospital, the Rakers Car Club and the Chimacum Boosters.
In the meantime, the lights can be used, Tyler said, although a safety barrier has been put into place at the base of the 100-foot-tall pole from which the cowling fell.
The existing wood poles, ranging from 45 feet to 100 feet tall, are subject to substantial stress from wind shear and are beyond their service life, according to a memo from the Department of Public Works that was discussed at Monday’s workshop meeting.
Within the next two years, the existing lights will need to be removed and replaced with new metal poles, conduit and energy-efficient light arrays, the memo states, with the alternative to remove the old system and poles and restrict team sports and other community activities to daytime hours.
The removal of the current system without building a new one would cost the county $10,000, according to the memo.
The poles are still safe, the memo states, although a test in March revealed the 100-foot pole has only 43 percent of its original strength remaining.
With the grant, the soonest the lights could be replaced is next summer. The grant would be awarded in May.
“It’s too bad that we have to wait until things fall off before they get fixed, but that’s the way it is anymore,” Tyler said.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
