When the park surrounding Los Angeles City Hall reopened after eight months of repair work, sustainability and energy conservation were among a variety of articulated criteria for its restoration. City Hall Park was cordoned off by chain-link fence last year after police cleared hundreds of Occupy L.A. demonstrators who had camped on the lawn for nearly two months.
“We were presented with a choice—Reinvest in a park that is greener, smarter, and more sustainable,” proclaimed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the official reopening ceremony in July.
The nearly $1 million in renovations included a smart irrigation installation, water retention schemes, turf reduction, replanting with water-stingy native vegetation, and investing in “energy-efficient LED lighting,” said the mayor.
Located around the tree-lined pathways and stairs of the 1.7-acre park are 13 lampposts whose ballasted 130-watt high-pressure-sodium post-top bulbs have recently been replaced with 27-watt LED lamps from LEDtronics, Inc., of Torrance, California.
Apart from the energy savings of 103 watts per unit, the LED lamps offer much longer product lifespans than HPS or Metal Halide, resulting in reduced replacement and maintenance costs; improved visibility, enhanced night vision (as compared with high glare from HID lamps), and reduction of hot-spots, all helping with crime prevention; reduced light pollution, because light can be directed where it is needed and not into surrounding office buildings; instant illumination with no delay in re-strike; and no ultraviolet emissions that attract insects.
The installed warm-white LEDtronics acorn-style LED30HPS-600-SIW-002 series of post-top LED lamps operate on a 100-277VAC wide voltage range and provide a uniform pattern of light. The ETL-listed units feature a ventilated assembly that maintains a cool-running lamp, and an optimized circuitry that corrects the power factor for maximum efficiency. They are made in the USA from imported parts and meet Buy American requirements within the ARRA program. The lamps come with a five-year factory warranty.
Similar LEDtronics post-top LED lamps have been installed in neighborhoods all around Southern California, including the Pasadena Civic Center and its residential streets; Mountain Gate Park in Corona; all along Linden Avenue and the Metro station in Carpinteria; Library Park in Monrovia, and streets in Santa Ana.
For over eighty years, the park surrounding the main City Hall building has served as a gathering place for the community and elected officials in the urban center of Los Angeles. With its latest rehabilitation with environment-friendly landscaping, water conservation and energy-efficient lighting from LEDtronics, the park has also become, as Mayor Villaraigosa indicated, a “symbol of sustainability.”
