Temple Plaza, the little Downtown urban oasis tucked behind the Shubert Theater and the city’s most artistic parking structure, is going to be more inviting at night.
That’s because a new lighting display — warmer and more ambient — is set to click on soon.
The Town Green District is collaborating with the city’s engineering department to install new LED lights at the plaza.
The new lighting configuration, which follows on other improvements, such as the installation of a turf to promote recreation and commerce, is billed at about $75,000, said Elizabeth Bickley, the Town Green’s manager of public spaces, planning, and development.
She appeared Wednesday night before the Parks Commissioners via the Zoom teleconferencing app to obtain approval for the plan. Nineteen people attended the meeting, which was chaired by the commission chair David Belowsky.
“It’s a ‘warm-it-up’ project,” Bickley said of the proposed new light design, which will “improve energy efficiency, ambiance, and greater nighttime programming.”
The work is to be executed by New York-based Lightcraft Design with the business improvement district paying $32,000 and the balance of the total estimated cost of $75,000 deriving from other grants and funds and contributed services of the city engineering department.
The city engineer’s portion of the work will be to retrofit the current light poles and to replace the bollards or lamp post bases, which under the current electrical system, tend to get hot and are unfriendly to hands that touch them, Bickley said.
During the discussion session about the request for approval, there was only one question from a commissioner: “Will it cost the Parks Department money?”
“No,” Bickley answered.
The vote was taken, and it was unanimous in favor.