The City of Port Alberni will be replacing the lighting at the Alberni Valley Multiplex with more energy-efficient LED lighting.
The topic of lighting in the multiplex first came to Port Alberni city council back in Sept. 2020. Parks, recreation and heritage manager Willa Thorpe explained during a Sept. 14 council meeting that lighting in the multiplex’s Coulson Rink has become obsolete, as replacement light fixtures are no longer available.
The Coulson Rink has lighting original to the facility, while lighting in the next-door Weyerhaeuser Arena was upgraded for the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge that the city hosted.
“Staff’s recommendation would be to replace both, because the only way we can be certain that the technology will be compatible is if we replace both at the same time,” said Thorpe.
Although many activities have been halted at the multiplex due to COVID-19, Mayor Sharie Minions said keeping the facility up-to-date is still important.
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“We still want to maintain our assets and we still want to make sure that we’re being as carbon efficient as possible,” she said on Sept. 14.
An RFP was issued in December, and on Jan. 25 the multiplex lighting project was awarded to local contractor Addy Power for a cost of $171,892.35.
Of the total cost, $100,000 will come from the city’s Carbon Trust and the rest will come from the parks and recreation reserve fund.
During the Jan. 25 meeting of council, Thorpe said that the city will be receiving a rebate of up to $28,000 from BC Hydro for this project. She also expects additional cost-savings for the more energy-efficient lighting.
“Until we actually get the new lights installed, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what the savings will be,” said Thorpe.
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