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BRADLEY – Things are about to get brighter in Bradley elementary schools.
The Bradley Elementary School District 61 Board this past week approved going out to bid for a project to replace light fixtures at two of the district’s schools.
Superintendent Chris Hammond said the district has been looking into the costs associated with finishing the replacement of light fixtures at Bradley West and beginning and completing the process at Bradley Central.
The light fixtures are being replaced with brighter, more energy-efficient LED bulbs. The process already has been completed at Bradley East along with the district’s administration building and training building.
“The fixtures are easy to purchase. You are looking at [using] a school maintenance grant for that,” Hammond said. “That’s the easy part. The harder part is the labor and install, and getting it done in time.”
The district has been replacing lighting in its buildings in smaller sections and taking the project a year at a time, so it hasn’t had to solicit bids until now.
The quoted estimate to complete the lighting project was about $133,000.
“With the opportunity to apply for the grant, then we were like, ‘OK, we can get part of it paid for and just get it done,’” Hammond said.
Finance Director Nicole McCarty said the district applied for and was awarded a School Maintenance Project Grant through the state of Illinois in the fall.
The district received $50,000 from the grant and is required to match the state’s dollars spent on the project.
“We are getting a large chunk of the project funded by the state, and they’ve actually already sent us those funds,” McCarty said.
Through a ComEd rebate program, the district also is able to purchase about $47,000 worth of lights for $26,000.
“It’s good timing for that,” McCarty said. “It’s going to save us money on that end. We don’t always know how long those rebates are in effect.”
Companies’ bids will be due July 2, with board approval expected July 10. The project window will be two weeks before school starts.