HomeMy WebLinkAboutLaurel Urban Renewal Agency Minutes 02.09.2026 MINUTES
h�II r� r �� I CITY OF LAUREL
l j LAUREL RENEWAL AGENCY
MONDAY,FEB 9TH,2026
11:00 AM
CITY BOARDROOM
A LAUREL RENEWAL AGENCY meeting was held in City Boardroom and called to order by Cami Story
at 11:00 a.m. on Feb 9th,2026
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT OTHERS PRESENT
x Judy Goldsby x I Dean Rankin x IDiane Lehm Gaurav Thakur
x Cami Story x Daniel Klein x Forrest Sanderson Triple Tree Brad,Doug&Bruce
x Cheryl Hill x Peggy Pollock x Doug Whitney Steve Solberg
Kurt Markegard
KEY CODE:x-present F1-absent L-late
General Items: Roll Call
Approval of Minutes—All minutes were approved Daniel and 2°d by Judy—all in favor
New Business:
Ditch Covering Task#5—Construction has started. The power will be down this Thurs 121 from approx.9am to
9:30am. They are expecting end of March to be completed for the initial construction to allow to turn on ditch.The
landscaping will continue after that section is finished.
There was a mention from Dean about a ribbon cutting and celebration when this project is fully completed. Details to
come.
Lighting on SE 4th St. Task Order#6—
• Forrest will send the letters and packet to the land owners after some minor changes and additions were
suggested.
• March 11 th 4-6pm will be an open house for landowners
• Cheryl and Cami will work on the details for the zoom
• Forrest will get all the information sent over to Dean. Dean has volunteered to speak to landowners personally
to talk about the project.
Project 1: Bids will be going out the end of Feb 2026. We are still waiting on MDT 100%design approval.
Cheryl and Cami will email Doug and Forrest details bout the upcoming community events that may be impacted by the
construction for this project.
Old Business:
Other updates:
Big Sky EDA& Beartooth RC&D—Space to Place grant is open for submissions.There is a board meeting for EDA
Thursday 2/12 at 7:30am. They also have several job openings and those can be found on their website
Announcements: Next meeting will be Feb 23rd,2026
Adjourn Meeting: Cheryl made a motion to adjourn the meeting Peggy 2"d at 11:52am
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl Hill
Cheryl Hill-LURA Secretary
The city makes reasonable accommodations for any known disability that may interfere with a person's ability to participate in this meeting. Persons
needing accommodation must note the City Clerk's Office to make needed arrangements. To make your request known,please call 406-628-7431,Ext.
2,or write to City Clerk,PO Box 10,Laurel,MT 59044,or present your request at City Nall, 115 West First Street,Laurel, Montana.
LIGHTING SID COSTS - TOTAL VS. PER PROPERTY
PEDESTRIAN LIGHTING FOR SE dh STREET
T
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HARD-WIRED COSTS BREAKDOWN(0-10 YEARS) SOLAR COSTS BREAKDOWN(0-10 YEARS)
0-10 YEARS TOTAL PROJECT ANNUAL SID PER PROPERTY COST 0-10 YEARS TOTAL PROJECT ANNUAL SID PER PROPERTY COST
MAINTENANCE COSTS 12,480 S10.781year MAINTENANCE COSTS $10.540 $4583
UTILITY COSTS S78,100 S7070/year BATTERY REPLACEMENT $142,600 $620
0-10 YEAR COST $20,580 $89.48 1 year I property 0-10 YEAR COST $153,140 $665.831 year I property
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LIGHTING SPECIAL IMPROVEMENTS DISTRICT MAP
PEDESTRIAN LIGHTING FOR SE eh STREET
ST.
City Of Laurel -
PLANNING:628-4796 ✓ ��Q Irk a
WATER OFC.:628-7431 P.O. Box 10 IIIIII 1 IIJJ
COURT:628-1964
FAX 628-2241 Laurel, Montana 59044
Office of the City Planner
February 13,2026
O REILLY AUTO ENTERPRISES LLC
PO BOX 9167
SPRINGFIELD, MO 65801
RE: Proposed Street Lights and Lighting District SE 41h Street.
To whom this may concern,
The Laurel Urban Renewal Agency(LURA) is conducting an Open House to discuss and determine interest in
and support for a project to install streetlights along SE 41h Street as a public safety and security improvement.
The LURA Committee along with staff, and the project engineer will be at Front Porch, 109 West V Street, in
Laurel from 4:00 to 6:00 PM on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, to answer questions related to the project and
anticipated costs to the landowners. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.
The proposal is for the City of Laurel to commit Tax Increment District Funds (TIF) to pay all the costs
associated with the engineering, surveying,design, construction,materials acquisition,and installation required
for the project. The owners benefited by the project would need to agree to the creation of a Special Improvement
District(SID)to pay for the operation and maintenance of the new lights and be willing to grant easements on
their property for the installation of the lighting structures.
Your property has been potentially identified as being benefited by this project, so your opinions are crucial to
further discussions and commitments on behalf of the City of Laurel.
If you have questions about the project, or desire a pdf of the District Boundary or Cost Estimates, please give
me a call or send me an email and I will forward the information to you.
The open house will be available on Zoom Meetings; you may need to re login every 40 minutes. Here is the
Zoom Meeting link.
https:Hus04web zoom us/i/77047109854?pwd=IgJgaha42gxGL8Hbzg2htQlyLNhrfL.I
Meeting ID: 770 4710 9854
Passcode:ygx33n
Regards,
Forrest Sanderson
TIF District Coordinator
ACE ;° INC
ASSOCIATED • CONSTRUCTION • ENGINEERING
2040 Harnish Boulevard,Billings,Montana 59101
406-245-0136(phone),406-245-2084(fax)
RE: LURA SE 41h ST — Solar vs Utility powered lighting
From: Bruce Hill
Date: 11/12/2025
A.C.E. job#6113.002 Rev 1
Summary of Solar-Powered vs. Electric Utility-Powered Street Lighting
This evaluation compares the costs and performance of solar-powered and electric utility-powered LED
streetlights for a proposed city lighting district along SE 4th St. (2,540 ft, 50 poles on one side of the street).
The analysis covers initial costs, 5-year maintenance costs, 5-year utility costs,and lighting impact.
Assumptions
• Project Scope: 50 lighting poles spaced—50 ft apart on SE 4th St.from S 1 st Ave.to Bernhardt Rd.
• Lighting Type: Both systems use identical pole configurations with LED technology.
• Electricity Cost:$0.1075/kWh(Northwestern Energy rate).
• Operation: 12 hours/day, 365 days/year(4,380 hours annually).
• Wattage: 80W for electric LED lights; solar LED lights have equivalent output with no grid electricity
use. For the solar powered lights on the short winter days, reduced lighting will occur.
1.Electric Utility-Powered Street Lights
Initial Cost:
• Fixture and Pole: $8,000/unit(includes pole,fixture, mounting bracket).
• Installation: $4,580/unit(trenching, pole base,wiring, labor).
• Sidewalk Removal/Installation:$4,478/unit(5'wide per 50 linear feet).
• Total Initial Cost: $17,058/unit x 50=$862,900
5-Year Maintenance Costs:
• Bulb Replacements: None needed(LEDs last--50,000 hours,exceeding 21,900 hours in 5 years)
• Wiring/Infrastructure Repairs:2%failure rate, $330/unit=$80/year X 5 years=$400.
5-Year Utility Costs:
• Electricity Consumption: 80W X 4,380 hours/year x 5 years= 1,752 kWh/unit.
• Cost: 1,752 kWh x$0.1075/kWh=$188.34/unit x 50=$9,417.
Total 5-Year Cost(Electric):
• Initial: $852,900
• Maintenance: $400
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• Utility:$9,417
• Total:$862,717
2.Solar-Powered Street Lights
Initial Cost:
• Fixture and Pole:$11,400/unit(includes pole,fixture, solar panel,batteries, mounting bracket)
• Installation: $2,000/unit(pole base only).
• Total Initial Cost:$13,400/unit X 50=$670,000.
5-Year Maintenance Costs:
• Battery Replacement:2%failure rate,$600/unit=$600.
• Solar Panel Cleaning/Minor Repairs:2%failure rate,$250/unit=$250.
• Total Maintenance Cost:$850.
5-Year Utility Costs:$0(no grid electricity).
Total 5-Year Cost(Solar):
• Initial:$670,000
• Maintenance: $850
• Utility:$0
• Total:$670,850
3.Comparison Summary—1 to 5 years
Category Electric Utility-Powered Solar-Powered
Initial Cost $852,900 $670,000
5-Year Maintenance Cost $400 $850
5-Year Utility Cost $9,417 $0
Total 5-Year Cost $862,717 $670,850
4.Maintenance Cost Comparison Summary—5 to 10 years
Category Electric Utility-Powered Solar-Powered
Increase to 10-Year Extended $0 $30,000
Battery Warranty
5-Year Maintenance Cost $400 $850
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5-Year Utility Cost $9,417 $0
Totals-Year Cost $9,814 $30,850
4. Battery Replacement
When purchasing the solar system, there are two battery options a battery that has a 5 year warranty
or a battery that has a 10 year warranty. The following cost to replace the batteries after the warranty
has expired.
Cost to replace the battery with a 5 year warranty
• Material$1,400 x 50=$70,000, Labor$300 x 50=$15,000.Total$86,000
Cost to replace the battery with a 10 year battery
• Material$2,000 x 50=$100,000, Labor$300 x 50=$15,000.Total$115,000
5. Lighting Impact of Solar-Powered Lights
• Operation:
• Dusk to 3 hours: Full brightness.
• 3 hours after dusk to 2 hours before dawn: 30% brightness.
• 2 hours before dawn: Full brightness.
• Reason: Solar panels and battery storage add weight, requiring reduced light output to maintain
battery capacity overnight.
• Reliability: Solar lights are immune to power outages but rely on sunlight availability, necessitating
sufficient battery backup in low-sunlight regions.
Key Observations
• Initial Costs — 5 year battery warranty: Electric utility-powered lights have a higher initial cost
($862,717 vs$670,850)due to the installation costs of electric wiring and sidewalk replacement.
• Initial Costs — 10 year battery warranty: Electric utility-powered lights have a higher initial cost
($862,717 vs$700,000)due to the installation costs of electric wiring and sidewalk replacement.
• Battery Replacement Cost:Total battery replacement after 5 years$85,000(5 year battery warranty),
battery replacement after 10 years$115,000(10 year battery warranty).
• Maintenance Costs: Solar lights have slightly higher maintenance costs ($850 vs. $400) due to
battery replacements and panel cleaning.
• Utility Costs: Solar lights incur no utility costs,saving$9,417 over 5 years compared to electric lights.
• Total Costs: Solar-powered lights are cheaper overall ($862,717 vs $700,000) over 5 years,
additionally solar lights offer long-term savings beyond this period due to zero utility costs.
• Lighting Performance: Solar lights dim to 30% brightness for most of the night to conserve battery,
potentially impacting visibility compared to consistently bright electric lights.
• Reliability: Solar lights are more resilient to grid failures but depend on adequate sunlight and battery
performance.
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