In October 2022, the City provided a video on the City’s Facebook page in response to questions about why some streetlights look purple. According to the manufacturer, the original coating delaminated from the LED causing the lights to appear purple.
Per Public Works Director Steve Schuller, “There were no safety concerns with the streetlights. The public was curious about the color choice, prompting City staff to provide more information about the color and what staff was doing to correct it in the future.”
Currently, there are over 1,000 streetlights in the City of Oak Harbor. Light poles are owned and operated by the City and Puget Sound Energy (PSE). Some of these lights with the purple hue were installed in 2016, and others in 2019 using a grant from the State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB).
“When City staff started researching the issue, they found that multiple cities in the United States and Canada were experiencing the same issue. However, due to the warranty, we had to schedule the repairs with the vendor and wait our turn,” said Public Works Director Steve Schuller.
Based on the response on social media, it appears the community is excited about the repairs.