'Illuminating the New Memorial Bridge' to go Before Council

The City Council will consider partnering with a group of Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine residents who are mounting a campaign to raise $80,000 to illuminate the new Memorial Bridge with energy-efficient LEDs.

Peter Sommsich of Portsmouth serves as chairman of the Lighting Committee that is working with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation Community Outreach committee on this issue. He said recently that the group is scheduled to make a presentation to the City Council when it holds its next regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 13.

Sommsich said that his group is required by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to partner with a municipality or other official entity before they can donate any money they raise to the DOT officials to do the lighting. If the council were to partner with them, Sommsich said it would cost city taxpayers nothing and would allow the lighting campaign to go forward.

Sommsich said the campaign has raised up to $6,000 in pledges from Portsmouth area residents toward their goal.

The committee offered to raise the money to add the lighting to the $81.4 million Memorial Bridge project that is scheduled to be completed on July 6, 2013.

According to a flyer the committee distributed at the Portsmouth Democratic Committee banquet on Friday, by Oct. 30 so New Hampshire DOT and Archer Western Contractors will incorporate illumination into the bridge project.

Besides adding some aesthetic beauty to the new span at night, Sommsich said the committee is also proposing that New Hampshire DOT officials add energy-efficient , dark sky LED street and accent lighting that will actually reduce the state agency’s electricity costs on the new bridge by 20 percent per year.

The committee’s fundraising campaign marks the second time that Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine residents have tried to get the state to add lighting to the new Memorial Bridge.

Last year, Portsmouth architect Lisa DeStefano conducted an online petition drive to get state lawmakers and the state agency to add some lighting and aesthetic cables to the Memorial Bridge design, but the petition was rejected due to the cost.

According to the Lighting Committee, pledges should be mailed to Rose Eppard, 129 Daniel St., Portsmouth, NH 03801. The committee will only request checks once the pledges exceed $55,000, which is the first option for bridge illumination.