City to discuss street light contract, updates at The Cube

According to the city’s agenda, staff has recommended the Santa Clarita City Council to transition from a private contractor to an in-house team for streetlight maintenance

The Santa Clarita City Council is scheduled Tuesday to consider awarding a near-$2-million contract for streetlight maintenance, as well as possible improvements to the dining area at The Cube.

According to the regular meeting agenda posted Friday, city staff has recommended that the fivemember council award the street light maintenance contract to Taft Electronic Co. for an annual amount of $120,000 plus an additional $480,000 for expenditures related to streetlight servicing and emergencies.

The move comes after a cost-benefit analysis was conducted by city staff, which revealed that the city could save money by transitioning the overall management of streetlight maintenance from the private contractor they’ve had for the last three years, Tanko Lighting, and hand those responsibilities over to an in-house team.

“The transition to in-house management creates additional operational efficiencies, while also

generating annual savings of more than $96,000 by reducing recurring contractual costs,” reads the meeting agenda. “While the management of the streetlight program is now a city function, there is still a need to contract for field repairs in support of the streetlight system.”

In addition to the streetlight contract, the City Council is slated to discuss, and possibly award, a contract not to exceed $353,543 for upgrades for The Cube’s in-house restaurant, known as The Grille, which opened to the public earlier this year and has since expanded to include food and catering from the Maria’s Italian Deli menu.

“The proposed project will provide for the expansion of the kitchen area to include a beverage center, which will accommodate larger groups of patrons and provide new opportunities for additional types of special events,” the city agenda reads. “The upgrades will include a countertop area with seating, new fixtures, lighting, flooring and plumbing.”

The recommendation set to be presented to the council recommends the contract to E.L. Engineering Corp., which has reportedly demonstrated an understanding of the scope of the project and how it plays into the city’s goal of a complete rehabilitation and rebranding of the ice rink to generate tourism and large special events.

The regular meeting for the City Council is set to begin Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located at 23920 Valencia Blvd. For more information about the various agenda items slated for discussion, as well as where to find the live video feed of the meeting, visit the city’s website at santaclaritacityca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Default. aspx.