E. City Hall Avenue building
NORFOLK -- Most of us are pinching pennies to save money and changing habits -- turning off light, lowering the thermostat and taking other energy conservation measures. It seems the City of Norfolk isn't being as careful, lighting up the night sky with your tax dollars.
For several weeks, we closely watched the city-owned building on East City Hall Avenue that houses the Norfolk City Public Schools administration offices, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Night after night, well past midnight and into the early morning hours, the lights were on with nobody home. The cost of keeping that building lit up like Christmas tree isn't cheap. According to records provided by the city, the monthly power bill for that building averages $30,000 a month.
When asked why the lights were on all night, several people in city government said "that's a good question" and admitted they've wondered the same thing.
Apparently, no one in the city wondered enough to demand an answer, so we did.
“As you know, when you called us, we got to the bottom of it,” said Terry Bishirjian with the City of Norfolk.
Bishirjian said our call led officials to an oversight in a city contract written in 2004, when the city transferred responsibility for security of the building from facilities to the emergency operations center. In executing a contract with a private security firm, the city inadvertently left out language that requires security crews to turn out the lights at night. It's language that's long been part of past agreements.
"We’re human, David. We make mistakes. We do our best not to do so,” Bishirjian said.
It's a costly mistake, especially in tight budget times. The city estimates it costs $5,000 a month to leave the lights on all night. That's $60,000 a year and $300,000 since the 2004 contract, which the city failed to check the fine print.
Vice Mayor Anthony Burfoot wasn't pleased to hear the news.
"This can it happen going forward," Burfoot stated.
He said it's especially troubling since the city recently hired an energy czar and is committed to saving energy.
"$5,000 is not a drop in the bucket. Over the years, it adds up," the Vice Mayor noted.
City officials say the contract was immediately reviewed and rewritten to require the security firm turn out the lights in the building each night.That hasn't occurred yet. We're told it will take time to train guards on how to throw the main switch each night.
The city said some switches may be hard to find since it's an old building.
Officials also hope tenants will help by using common sense and turning out the light when they leave.
Officials stress they have made strides in saving energy.
There's an energy waster line you can call if you see a situation that should be investigated. It's called Norfolk Cares and dial 664-6510.
The City in October received two awards from the Virginia Municipal League -- a third-place award in the 2009 "Green Government Challenge" and a certificate proclaiming it a "VML-Certified Green Government" at the Platinum level – the highest designation. Local governments earned "green points" by implementing or adopting up to 30 policies and actions divided into 11 categories ranging from energy efficiency and green buildings to land-use and innovation.
