The installation of the decorative lanterns in the eastside of Santa Monica Boulevard is complete. Well, sort of… West Hollywood City Manager David Wilson reported in a recent update that the lanterns are up and lit, except for a string of lights closer to the West Hollywood Gateway that are blown out, and will remain so until they are fixed in the next couple of weeks.
“The decorative lights on Santa Monica Boulevard on the eastside have been installed,” he said. “While testing the lights, the contractors found out that the routers that were installed at Plummer Park are not communicating with the lanterns of the far east near La Brea Avenue. They had to order another one and that needs to be installed and that will be in a couple of weeks. The lights are up and they aren’t all lit yet.”
Decorative Lanterns on the Eastside – Photo by Paulo Murillo for WEHO TIMES
Decorative Lanterns on the Eastside – Photo by Paulo Murillo for WEHO TIMESThere are about eight strings of light not working at the moment Between Formosa Avenue and La Brea Avenue.
The City of West Hollywood contracted St. Nick’s of T&G Global, LLC, the same vendor the city used to install the lanterns in the Westside around West Hollywood’s LGBT Rainbow District. Those familiar with the original decorative lanterns at the westside are not surprised by the burned out string of lights on the eastside. It seems one string of lights or another has not worked properly at the Rainbow District since the permanent lanterns were installed along Santa Monica Blvd from N. Robertson Boulevard to Hancock Avenue in December 2019.
Decorative Lanterns on the Eastside – Photo by Paulo Murillo for WEHO TIMESOn June 15, 2021, the Engineering Division released a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking a contractor to furnish and install the eastside lanterns.
On August 19, 2021, proposals were received from the following 2 firms:
1. T&G Global, LLC. ($329,114.00)
2. Pro-Cal Lighting Inc ($529,789.00)
Staff determined that St. Nick’s was the lowest responsive bidder that could meet the project specifications, plus it was the firm that installed the existing lanterns in the city’s LBGT “Rainbow District”.
The city is currently exploring to install similar lanterns in mid-city by the Fairfax Avenue area.
Is this the same contractor that was supposed to get the ENTIRE West Hollywood Park open by mid April 2022? Originally 2017 and then 2018, 19 and 20? The City of West Hollywood is all about paying for bad labor and incompetent contractors. The excuses that are handed down to the dim wits in city hall are astounding. If I conducted my contracting and commercial furniture business the same way, I’d be living in a carton behind the old Gold Coast. The excuses are disgusting.
More tax paper money wasted on nonsense. Meanwhile we have drug addicts, alcoholics and the mentally ill laying on mattress all over town. But hey, we have lights that change color over the road. A step in the right direction.