WAPA board approves $1.16M Christiansted streetlight project

The V.I. Water and Power Authority board has approved a series of infrastructure projects, including the installation of 120 new streetlights in Christiansted on St. Croix as part of ongoing hurricane recovery efforts.

The board voted Thursday to authorize a contract with Leumas Engineering for the streetlight installation, with labour costs of $909,142 and materials at approximately $250,000, bringing the total project cost to $1.16 million. The V.I. Public Finance Authority has already approved funding for the work.

Civil Engineer I'Zhaneeh Deterville told the board that the black decorative lights will be mounted on three-foot concrete pedestals designed to protect them from vehicle collisions. WAPA CEO Karl Knight said the design was chosen to complement the historic character of the town area.

Board member Maurice Muia raised concerns about light pollution and protection of the night sky. Knight acknowledged the tension between environmental considerations and public safety, noting that while red lights have been used elsewhere to protect nesting sea turtles, they proved impractical for general street illumination. He emphasized that the primary focus remains adequate lighting for motorist and pedestrian safety.

In other approvals, the board voted unanimously to accept a federally funded contract worth $2.5 million for composite utility poles in the National Park on St. John. Project Management Director Maxwell George said the National Park initially resisted new poles after the hurricanes but agreed to green poles that blend better with the landscape, rather than grey poles being installed elsewhere.

The board also approved a $1.5 million capital budget, the first in years, made possible by negotiating employee health benefits with no premium increase. The move saved WAPA $724,000 annually. Nearly $1.3 million of the capital budget will fund consolidation of WAPA's office operations into a single location at Four Winds Plaza on St. Thomas, reducing seven leased spaces to one and saving $39,047 monthly.

Additional approvals included a $1.6 million waterline improvement project on St. Croix's west end, involving approximately 3,578 feet of new PVC pipe to be completed over five months in coordination with the Department of Public Works.

Knight reported that St. John customers are expected to receive automated meters by year's end, and crews are working to energize a backup distribution circuit between St. Thomas and St. John. He noted WAPA remains under a state of emergency for the water system, particularly on St. Croix, though the boil water advisory has been lifted.