Jan. 30—Richland High School and its field house are getting new lights that will save the district tens of thousands of dollars a year.

The school board approved the motion at Monday's meeting to allow the purchase of LED lighting for a retrofitting project at a cost of $48,913.60.

This will be paid for from the capital reserve fund through Scott Electric, which represents a state piggyback contract through COSTARS, Pennsylvania's cooperative purchasing program.

"These are panels that will fit into the existing drop ceiling without any modifications," Superintendent Arnold Nadonley said.

Administrators had considered replacing the lighting fixtures before, but the excessive water damage from a burst pipe in late December expedited the project.

Nadonley said when new LED lights were installed in areas affected by the incident, the administrators noticed how much brighter and better the lights were.

In total, close to 800 fixtures will be retrofitted with the LED flat panels.

That's in the hallways, kitchen, gymnasium and similar common areas.

"The wattage in each one drops down tremendously," Nadonley said.

In the first year, the districts lighting costs will be nearly cut in half from $52,000 annually to $27,000 per year, and in 10 years Richland will save an estimated $256,240.81 because of this work, officials said.

Additionally, Nadonley said, installing the new fixtures is cheaper than replacing the existing lights.

According to the agenda, administrators will solicit quotes based on the state Department of Labor and Industry thresholds to help district maintenance staff with installation.

The purchase of these lights also makes use of special pricing through Richland's electric suppliers.

Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat.