The Relighting of Kalispell, Montana

Abstract

Kalispell, Montana, a city of about 20,000 near the Canadian border, has completed major relighting. Aging mercury vapor lamps along U.S. routes #2 and #93 nave been replaced with low pressure sodium (LPS) fixtures. The downtown also has LPS plus turn-of-the-century style cast iron lampposts with low wattage fluorescent lamps, which provide white light on storefronts and curbside parking. The Chamber of Commerce helped with the purchase of these fixtures, which are lit from dusk to midnight and, in the winter, from 6:00 A.M. until sunrise. Most other areas of Kalispell are lit with high pressure sodium in full cut-off fixtures. City and county officials have calculated that the payback time for the LPS relighting was 40 months.