The city of Columbus is attempting once again to light the historic arches of its Short North district.
According to a press release from the mayor’s office, EG&G designed the original lighting system for the Short North arches. In December 2002, a few days after the first lighting system was installed, the lights showed signs of failure and the arches gradually ceased to remain lit.
Mary Webster, assistant director of public service, said the city hired Ralph & Curl lighting engineers to examine the lighting project and to detect what went wrong. After a long process, the company determined it was a design flaw by EG&G.
“We met with the parties to recover the cost of the failed project and to come to an agreement after we realized the system was not going to work,” Webster said. “Both parties could not reach an agreement so we filed a lawsuit in January of 2004.”
According to the press release, the suit will go to trial in January 2006.
Since the lawsuit was filed, the Short North and the businesses that occupy the area are moving ahead to put in a new system that will work properly, said Mike Brown, press secretary for the mayor’s office.
“The city has experimented with four different lighting systems and tested which looked best to the citizens and which was suited for handling the changing seasons,” Brown said. “We ended up choosing the Light Emitting Diode system, also called LED.”
The LED system is a high-performing, low-energy system and is able to change colors and provide strobe effects. With the new project, the city has to design an innovative power source to light the 17 arches, separate form the street-lighting system in the Short North, which is currently in the design stage, Webster said.
“We haven’t chosen a company to complete the new lighting system yet,” Webster said. “It really is a long process to go through. We come up with a document detailing certain specifications and send it out to the companies, which then bid on the project. We then select the company we want and hire it.”
According to the press release, the estimated cost to light the arches is $1.3 million. The city plans to regain these costs through the lawsuit filed against EG&G and with money given to the project by the Short North businesses.
“The citizens of Columbus and the businesses want the lights up as soon as possible, but have been understanding and are bearing with us,” Brown said.
Brown said many Columbus residents like the decorative arches that line the Short North arts district. He said many people associate them with the old, historic Columbus and the lighting system will only add to the aesthetic quality of the area.
“We have gotten great responses to the arches in the past,” Brown said. “They look great as they are, but the lights really bring the arches to life. We plan on having them up and running by the middle of next year.”
