SMITHS FALLS — Decorative lighting for the new Confederation Bridge is moving ahead after council received a detailed update on Dec. 8, although not without frustration from at least one member who said the preferred design no longer reflects earlier direction.
Public Works and Utilities director Paul McMunn told councillors the bridge is essentially complete aside from landscaping, pedestal caps and minor touch-ups scheduled for spring. The new railing lights have already been installed and tested.
McMunn said the additional lighting elements, the “value add” council approved earlier this year, have been through several rounds of design work and review by Parks Canada, which governs the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Parks Canada accepted the final design prepared by electrical engineering firm Gabriel Mackinnon, but with conditions tied to bird migration and nesting periods. During those times, the lights must be turned off at 11 p.m. and certain colours cannot be used, except amber. “We do have Parks Canada’s concurrence,” McMunn said. “There are provisions we need to follow, but we have the go-ahead.”
Earlier concepts overwritten by Parks Canada restrictions
Council had previously favoured one of three preliminary concepts produced by StructureCraft, the bridge builder. McMunn stressed those early ideas were conceptual only and did not account for photometrics, light spill or federal mitigation requirements.
When the consultant advanced the electrical design, Parks Canada rejected the earlier options due to light-spill concerns. The accepted plan, shown as Attachment 2 in the report, focuses on tightly directed LED fixtures mounted inside the timber and along the pedestals, along with ground “puck” lights. McMunn said all fixtures were engineered to minimize environmental impact.
Some rough-ins and conduit work were already completed before winter, and the remaining installation will resume in the spring.
Pushback from council over losing the original vision
Coun. Chris McGuire said the shift away from council’s preferred concept was “disappointing,” adding that the current ambient light from the railing may dilute the intended visual effect of projected lighting.
“I just don’t see it turning out the way it’s projected because it’s going to have all that white light polluting it,” McGuire said. He also raised concerns that uplighting conflicts with the town’s dark-sky policies.
McGuire asked whether council could walk away from the decorative package and recoup any costs.
McMunn said some work was already completed, and the only viable design is the one Parks Canada approved. “They didn’t support the other three options … we had to hone in on this design,” he said.
Majority supports moving ahead with Confederation Bridge lighting
Mayor Shawn Pankow supported the accepted lighting scheme, noting its ability to illuminate the timber arches and respond to community requests to light public structures in specific colours for awareness campaigns.
Coun. Jennifer Miller also supported the direction, saying the point had been made and it was time to move forward.
Work on the bridge will resume in spring once weather allows.
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