LIGHTS UP.

Suburban Park and Recreation Center with Metal Halide 

The City of Lyndhurst, a northeast suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, fits the ideal image of the suburban lifestyle. In this serene, rustic community, the neighborhoods are quiet, private, and safe with winding streets that invite little roadway traffic to disturb the peace. Lyndhurst homes are carefully maintained, charming and picturesque without being pretentious. This small city of approximately 16,000 residents has no major shopping centers or heavy commerce, but it's close to major roadways leading to business and entertainment centers. In spite of the area's small size and population, the schools, libraries, and recreation facilities are comparable to those found in larger residential communities.

The Park is a Busy Hub

Lyndhurst boasts a landscaped park surrounded by natural foliage and a new community center, both located along its most busy thoroughfare. The park attracts bike riders, joggers, and casual strollers, as well as basketball players and bocci enthusiasts.

An annual "Home Days" event draws thousands of residents and visitors to the park. As a result of all this activity, the park and adjacent community center parking lot are busy places where people of all ages congregate day and night. A good electric power system is essential to support special events and nighttime activities and to promote safety.

Pedestrian and driver visibility and safety depend on appropriate, efficient lighting. The existing lighting system used high pressure sodium lamps that produced an unappealing dim light with a yellow cast. The original service panels that distributed power to various areas in the park were inadequate, and many were in disrepair. To provide supplementary power, extension cords were connected throughout the park. The additional power they supplied was not only insufficient; the cords were unsightly and created a potential hazard for passersby.

Lyndhurst's service director, William Moviel, wanted to install an improved electrical supply system to accommodate daily activities and special events. He also needed better, brighter lighting to enhance visibility and safety in the park. To achieve these goals cost-effectively and to maximize energy savings, Moviel contacted NightVision Lighting Services in Cleveland, Ohio, a program offered by FirstEnergy, to plan and implement the improvements.

A New Power System and Bright New Lighting

In the park's retrofit project, which was designed and managed by Jerry Dideon, lighting designer for NightVision Lighting Services, an underground power system was installed that met the park's power requirements and virtually eliminated the use of extension cords. From his work on other local outdoor lighting projects, such as Portz Parkway in the neighboring suburb of Solon, Ohio, Dideon knew about the bright white light of metal halide and the energy savings to be gained by using Uni-Form[R] pulse-start technology from Venture Lighting International in Cleveland, Ohio, a metal halide lighting manufacturer recognized internationally as the world leader in advanced metal halide technology.

The company focuses exclusively on metal halide lighting and has introduced 90 percent of the metal halide lamps currently used today. Its Uni-Form pulse-start lamps provide superior performance compared to older metal halide technology. The new lighting is more efficient and offers better color uniformity and faster warm-up and restrike due to Venture's unique formed body arc tube design.

"We selected Venture's 150-watt Uni-Form pulse-start metal halide lamps to emphasize the natural park setting," said Dideon. "These lamps provide the long life and low maintenance that Lyndhurst required."

The high performance 150-watt Uni-Form pulse-start metal halide lamps deliver the same initial lumens, yield better maintained lumens, and provide 50 percent longer life than standard 175-watt metal halide lamps.

"The lamps illuminate the true colors of the park's landscape," according to Dideon. "They provide the right amount of light for after-dark security in the community center parking lot, and there is excellent visibility for nighttime activities in the park."

An Ornamental Addition

For the fixture style, Dideon selected an inverted refractive globe luminaire mounted on an ornamental "shepherd's crook" arm. ZED, Inc. of Quebec, Canada, a subsidiary of Thomas Lighting Group, Louisville, Kentucky, and a provider of decorative urban lighting equipment, manufactures these luminaires. The lighting assembly was mounted on an ornate black concrete pole manufactured by StressCrete Limited in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, who are manufacturers of concrete decorative and ornamental lighting poles for street and area lighting.

"This luminaire assembly provides an attractive and elegant appearance with a low brightness and a controlled metal halide light source mounted on a vandal-resistant, distinctive concrete pole," said Dideon.

Moviel added, "The overall reaction from the community has been very positive. The nighttime setting has changed from a cluttered, dimly lit yellow scene to one that complements the green grass and trees in the park while reinforcing a sense of safety and security."

BE FIT WHILE YOU SIT

Sitting is one of the most frequent causes of back pain. Proper back support, combined with regular exercise to strengthen your muscles, will help alleviate tension and pain. The American Council on Exercise suggests using a rolled towel or a small pillow to support your lower back and to avoid leaning and cradling the phone between your ear and shoulder to protect your neck. Periodic walking and stretching also will help you keep a straight spine.