Marion commission discusses park trail lighting
City asks clubs, individuals to help in funding project
Staff writer
Any Marion organizations, civic clubs or individuals interested in once again having a lighted path on the Central Park nature trail are asked to step up to the plate.
Marion City Commissioners Monday said they were interested in re-installing the lighting on the trail if other groups would help in providing funding.
Commissioners learned the charges to put up new electric lighting would be cost prohibitive, especially under the current budget situation.
All Kansas cities are facing a budget crunch following former Governor Bill Graves' decision to cut the demand transfers to cities and counties.
Commissioners asked Public Works Director Harvey Sanders to examine the cost of re-installing the lights after hearing several requests from city residents.
The gas lights were removed more than a year ago due to the high cost of natural gas, which powered the lights, and repeated vandalism.
The cost of the project would be approximately $10,000 which includes replacing the globes, refitting the posts for electrical power, putting in conduit, and all other various procedures involved. On top of that would be the digging expense to lay the wiring.
"We'll have to go up each light, and back down," Sanders said. "We're going to have to loop it. Then we'll have to put in conduit."
Mayor Eloise Mueller said the cost of electricity would be much less than the gas.
Sanders told commissioners he had picked out a style which he felt would be similar to the lights on the bridge, and would be as high in the sky as possible.
In seeking help from the public, Commissioner Larry McLain noted the posts were already sold once and were purchased either by clubs or as memorials.
Commissioners questioned whether the cost would be worth it considering the fact the first lights were repeatedly destroyed by vandals.
"It's nice to have it. But if it's not in a high traffic area, I don't know what we can do to prevent vandalism," McLain said. "It was a quaint addition to our park. The vandalism upset a lot of people."
Police Chief Michel Soyez said one reason for the vandalism was the perpetrators were breaking the globes to light cigarettes.
Sanders said one answer would be to place the lights as high as possible so they weren't so easy to reach. However, the city would then have to replace the poles, which cost $70 apiece.
"You just have to realize it's going to happen and you'll have to replace them when it happens. You'll be repairing lights from now on," Sanders said. "Bulbs are $35 apiece."
Soyez said it would be impossible to stop all vandalism. "It's just like if someone wants to break into your house. If they want to badly enough, they'll do it."
City Administrator David Mayfield said the city would not be able to tackle the project until 2004 at the earliest, and said that would give residents plenty of time to determine whether they were interested in helping fund the project.
Commissioners then tabled the project pending further interest on the part of citizens.
