Senator Akshar secures $325,000 for the Town of Owego's LED Streetlight Conversion

When Senator Fred Akshar heard about the LED streetlight conversion project in the Town of Owego, he reached out to Supervisor Don Castellucci to see how the state could help.

After discussing the needs of the Town of Owego and the economic benefit that converting to LED lights would bring for years to come, Senator Akshar went to work and secured $325,000 in state funding through the State and Municipal Facilities Program of the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). With the initial cost of the project at $604,000, the state funding will bring the cost for the Town of Owego down to $279,000.\

“We're always looking for ways to make the 52nd District more sustainable - economically, environmentally, and this is a step in that direction. I'm happy to fight for any resources or support for our district that I can, and by working together as a community, improvements like this are possible,” said Senator Akshar.

The project began on July 7th, 2017, and is set to be completed by April 18th, 2018, converting a total of 529 light fixtures to LED. Included in the $604,000 is the cost of purchasing the streetlights from NYSEG, street lighting upgrades, Hickories Park lighting upgrades and town hall exterior lighting upgrades.

"Not only does this project save our community and taxpayers money each year, but Senator Akshar saved us over half of what the project was originally going to cost us. With the help of Senator Akshar and money from the state, we can now move forward with other projects that will benefit our community and residents,” said Don Castellucci.

The new LED have the lowest cost of maintenance, lowest cost of ownership, and highest life cycle compared to other lighting technologies. Lasting an average of 22-34 years, the new LED conversion project will save taxpayers an estimated $64,008 annually.

The LED conversion project will also reduce the Town of Owego's carbon footprint by 129 metric tons, the equivalent of planting 122 acres of trees.

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