It’s soon going to be a bit brighter in downtown Courtenay.
At the May 9 Courtenay council meeting, councillors voted to direct staff to request BC Hydro to install street lights at eight additional locations in the downtown core.
Additionally, the operating budget will be amended to allocate funding for the lights as well as the continuation of nighttime patrols.
According to a report by Geoff Garbutt, the city’s chief administrative officer, the cost of security patrols in the downtown core is $900 per month for the remainder of 2022 while a placeholder amount of $10,800 will be added to the 2023 proposed budget.
While there is no cost to add LED street light fixtures to hydro poles, there will be a monthly charge of $21 per month for power for each light, which adds up to $2,000, he noted.
Garbutt said over the past three years, there has been increasing discussion with the Downtown Courtenay Business Improvement Area (DCBIA) to look for improvements in design and infrastructure to support the public experience downtown.
Staff have undertaken an analysis of the area to understand lighting gaps and met with the DCBIA team to discuss options for lighting and enhanced security.
Coun. Wendy Morin noted while environmental design such as lightning is seen as a crime deterrent, it can actually have the opposite effect.
“Vulnerable people can be more victimized with more lighting. We just need to be really cognizant of that. More light can create more opportunities for vandalism and graffiti - I just want to make sure that we are looking at the balance of that.”
Kyle Shaw, director of public works for the city, explained the lighting will be between Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets and out to portions of Eighth Street to Fitzgerald and Cliffe avenues.
The motion was passed unanimously by council.
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