Council Backs Lighting New Memorial Bridge

The City Council unanimously backed a proposal on Tuesday night at City Hall from a group of volunteers who want to raise $80,000 to illuminate the new Memorial Bridge.

Ben Porter, a member of the "Illuminating the Memorial Bridge" Committee, said the volunteers hope to raise $60,000 to provide white lighting for the new bridge followed by the remaining $20,000 to provide colored lighting.

By going with energy efficient LED lighting, Porter said they could save city taxpayers $28,000 over 20 years and illuminate the World War I Memorial plaque, which has never been done. He said the lighting could also reflect the tides of the Piscataqua River.

“We’re getting great, great cooperation from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and Archer Western,” he said.

Porter said the illumination that was included in the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge in Boston has been a real boost to Boston’s tourism. They are also working with a consultant John Powell who has helped design the lighting systems for bridges in Boston and Cambridge. Porter also said the illumination project would be “dark sky compliant.”

He said it would cost $700 to $800 per year to run the illumination per year with the costs to be split between Portsmouth and Kittery. He said there is also participation from a broad section of the community such as the Portsmouth Historical Society and the Greater Portsmouth and Kittery chambers of commerce.

“Tonight, what I am asking you is to give us your support,” Porter said.

City Manager John Bohenko said he spoke with New Hampshire Department of Transportation Commissioner Chris Clement who said the state would not provide any state taxpayer or federal taxpayer funding for this at any time.

But Clement said the state agency would be willing to partner with the City of Portsmouth and Town of Kittery, Maine so it could accept the donations raised by the group and use the money to provide illumination for the new Memorial Bridge, which is scheduled to be completed on July 6, 2013.

Bohenko advised the council to set up a trust with the Trustees of the Trust to cover operation and maintenance costs.

“The idea would be to keep it privately funded through this trust,” he said. “There would be no local tax dollars spent on the illumination, no state tax dollars and no federal tax dollars.”

City Councilor Brad Lown moved to give the committee the green light to move ahead. He commended the committee for the idea that will save them money and make the bridge look better as well.

The council unanimously approved the request and directed Bohenko to come back on Dec. 3 with a proposal to create a trust. The committee now has to get Kittery officials to commit to the agreement.