Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large, discusses colored lights under the North Main Street viaduct.

City Council members want more information on proposed lighting for the North Main Street railroad viaduct as city officials continue to push for colored lights under the railroad tracks.

The project was first brought up in June as a way to transform the area under the railroad tracks into a public gathering space and to serve as a “gateway into Jamestown’s vibrant Downtown Historic and Central Business District.” Council members rejected the public parklet proposal in favor of simple white security lighting to help Jamestown police officers better see what’s happening under the viaduct at night.

When the proposal came back before the council for its June voting session it appeared in its full form, with the council again paring it back to security lighting paid for with $45,712.50 in American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The colored lights made a return to the council recently when Crystal Surdyk, city development director, proposed a change order expanding the project again to include colored lights that tie into the Chadakoin Riverwalk lighting system. No additional ARPA money is included in the request, with the remaining $66,163 paid for by the city Board of Public Utilities and existing Community Development Block Grant funding.

Several council members, including Councilwoman Kim Ecklund, R-At Large, questioned the project both during committee meetings and the full council work session, with Bill Reynolds, R-Ward 5, saying he prefers the simple white security lighting rather than the colored lights. Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large, said he plans to talk to Kristopher Sellstrom of the BPU about the project and discuss options as well as looking for a second bid for the project. Councilman Andrew Faulkner, R-Ward 6, agree wtih the request for a second bid as well as options to discuss before Surdyk proceeds.

“Can we see a ballpark idea of what it would cost to have a local contractor just for security lights down there as opposed to everything so we can compare that it’s this much for basic as opposed to this much for everything?” Faulkner asked.

Surdyk told council members colored lights won’t be financially viable if they aren’t installed now because the security lighting would run on a different system than the Riverwalk system. The Community Development Block Grant funding she proposes to use is designated for public facilities, which according to the HUD website can include streets, curbs, water and sewer lines; neighborhood facilities including public schools, libraries, recreational facilities, parks and playgrounds; facilities for people with special needs; energy efficiency improvements and handicapped accessibility improvements.

“We have a significant amount in that public infrastructure right now so there’s not a project it would take away from that’s in the queue,” Surdyk said. “We have a hard time getting through it quickly enough. Every year we’re scrambling to get through to get money spent. We use it a lot of time for road projects and street projects. We have to use it within a certain time frame. We’ve looked into that line item, we have the fudning we have available to use. It would help us meet timeliness required by HUD and be able to complete this project in this way.”

Russell noted the public’s reaction to past colored light projects and asked Surdyk how the council can justify the project to the public. The renewed lighting discussions came the same week the council began discussions of a $6.9 million bond act for several projects that include $1.8 million to replace the municipal building roof and do facade work; $400,000 for security enhancements; $350,000 for window replacements; $500,000 for a Bergman Park waterline replacement; $2 million toward Fenton Mansion Roof repairs; and $1 million to complete the new central fleet garage on Washington Street.

“You understand I’m probably going to speak for some councilmembers, maybe not, but I think some of thier concern is the backlash that often happens that comes from the public when we put up colored lights and we spend a lot of money doing it,” Russell said. “There’s a lot of people that get upset about that. The public, our constituents, ask ‘Why are you spending so much money on colored lighting whern there’s so many other things that need to be fixed?’ You can guarantee if this project goes forward that’s what we’re going to hear. … I don’t disagree with a single thing you’re saying. I agree with you 100%. But ultimately everyone sitting in this room right now works for the public. We work for them. And we have to answer those difficult questions, Why are you doing this?'”

Surdyk replied the colored lights dovetail with previous city efforts on the Chadakoin Riverwalk — including an emergency request to continue Tree-of-Heaven removal and other streambank and debris removal projects — and walkable downtown plans to move pedestrians from Brooklyn Square and the Riverwalk up to downtown.

“I understand that,” Surdyk said. I think when we’re mkaing decisions on projects we have to look at the bigger picture — what’s the return on investment and how does it tie into other projects. All of the efforts we’re puttting into the Riverwalk and all of the other initiatives, it all ties together. Part of it is activating this space. It’s not just this space, it ties into some of the other spaces where we’ve invested a great deal. The more that we make our places (the type of) places that we want to be, the more we get out of them and the more poeple are going to use them. It all comes back together in the end.”