STREETLIGHT MAINTENANCE NEEDS TO BE A BIT BRIGHTER

Over the last few months I have heard of an increasing number of instances of problems with streetlights being reported and the problem not being fixed or repairs to street lights only lasting for a day or two. Driving around Kanata I have noticed a number of locations where several streetlights need replacing.

My staff and I have been following up on problems we hear about to get the work done. What worries me is problems we don’t hear about or lights that are fixed and then break down within a couple of days.

In one instance, in Katimavik, I was assured several times work had been done. At the same time the resident who was reported the problem was growing understandably frustrated. After I let city staff know that my staff had checked the site and found the lights were still out the problem was finally fixed, but it has left me concerned about the number of other locations where repairs are not taking place or where work is not being done properly.

Problems with streetlights can be reported by e-mailing streetlighting@ottawa.ca or calling 311. Providing the address nearest the streetlight or other information that identifies the location also helps.

If you have reported a problem with a streetlight and it has not been fixed, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

WORK OF STREET LIGHT MAINTENANCE CONTRACTORS NOT CHECKED

Prior to amalgamation, individual municipal hydro companies were responsible for streetlight maintenance. At that time, municipal hydro companies were run as city services so there were no administrative problems.

When council took the decision to run Hydro Ottawa as though it were a private company in 2001, having Hydro Ottawa maintain city streetlights would have required Hydro Ottawa compete for the business in an open market. Instead, it was decided that Hydro Ottawa would maintain streetlights on an interim basis until other arrangements were made.

On September 22, 2004, Council authorized city staff to negotiate a P3 contract to maintain streetlights with a company called Black and MacDonald. That company is currently responsible for maintaining city streetlights.

The expectation was that a P3, or Public-Private Partnership, arrangement for maintaining street lights would save between $520,000 and $700,000 a year. Service standards were not supposed to be affected.

However, what city staff have admitted is that the City does not have a formal process in place for monitoring Black and MacDonald’s work.

If services are contracted out it makes sense to have a monitoring process in place. Otherwise the city has no way of knowing if service levels are met. P3 deals are not good for taxpayers if any savings that are achieved are because corners are being cut.

SAFEGUARDS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THE LIGHTS STAY ON

Based on what I have heard and seen, there needs to be a way of checking that street light maintenance work is being done and done properly. As was clear in Katimavik, without a formal process for checking that work has been done, residents can be left waiting for months for work to be done.

WORKING FULL-TIME FOR KANATA

I appreciate the chance to hear from you about issues affecting our community. You can reach me at 580-2474 (office), 580-2514 (fax), or peggy.feltmate@ottawa.ca