Mill Valley council approves $589,920 LED retrofit for library, community center and public safety building

The Mill Valley City Council voted unanimously Jan. 20 to authorize the city manager to sign an energy services contract with SES (Sysico/Sysco Energy) to convert lighting at the Community Center, Public Safety Building and the Mill Valley Library to LED fixtures.

Public Works project manager Andrew Poster told the council the conversion is consistent with the city's Climate Action Plan and state rules that effectively require LEDs for new installations. Poster said the scope includes roughly 1,595 fixtures at the library and other fixtures across the three facilities, and that the city evaluated vendors despite using the energy-savings procurement option under California Government Code §4217.12, which permits design‑build energy projects. Poster said the analysis factored in warranty replacement and expected failures; the equipment life expectancy used in the financial model is about 20 years.

Under the resolution presented by staff, the city found the project’s anticipated energy savings will exceed the project cost. The resolution authorizes the city manager to execute the contract for a total cost of $589,920. Councilmember Carmel and other members emphasized the project is both a facilities maintenance need — some fixtures are failing and cannot be replaced in kind — and a climate-action step. "This is part of the Climate Action Plan we already adopted," Carmel said during deliberations.

No members of the public registered to speak on the item; staff said they reached out to peer agencies while preparing the recommendation. Poster and Gabe Johnson of the vendor were in the chamber to answer technical questions. The motion to approve passed by roll call, 5–0.

Next steps: staff will execute the contract and move to procurement and scheduling. Poster estimated fixture order-to-install timing at approximately four to six weeks after application/approval for the plaques and similar short procurement lead times for the lighting materials; staff will return with implementation details and warranty provisions if needed.