RMS has provided the funding, but commissioned Palerang Council to undertake the project. As such, it remains Palerang Council’s overall responsibility to deliver the project as specified by RMS. As outlined below, however, RMS remains involved in approving certain stages of the project. Essential Energy, as the ultimate owner of the lighting infrastructure, will also be involved in approvals prior to project completion.

RMS, as the owner of the road, commissioned Palerang Council to prepare a design for the crossings consistent with modern safety standards. This design, which went through a public consultation phase, was for the on-ground works, rather than the associated lighting.

On the finalisation of this design RMS commissioned Palerang to construct the crossings. 

That the project commenced without a lighting-design was partly in response to community expectations of rapid commencement and the expectation that the lighting-design would not be difficult and not part of the “critical-path” of the project.

Back in April Council subcontracted the design and installation of the lights to a specialist company.  The design comprises two parts, namely the design of the luminaires to ensure that there is sufficient light, and then the electrical design required to deliver the power necessary. The contracted lighting company sub-contracted the luminaire design to an RMS-certified designer. 

It is correct to say that at this stage the expectation was the design would not involve much more the floodlighting of the crossings. However, in in early October, Council was advised that the overall street lighting did not meet current standards for the approaches to pedestrian crossings.

Council could not approve the proposed design it received at that time because it involved eleven new poles, some interfering with existing verandas and other features. A further delay ensued while Council negotiated with RMS and the designer to develop a compromise design requiring only two additional poles.

On 17 November Council was advised that the RMS had agreed with the compromise luminaire design. The contractor was requested to lodge the design with Essential Energy urgently. On 3 December the contractor advised Council that the design had not been lodged because the accredited designer’s ‘stamped’ final plan had only just been received and the second stage of the design – the actual details of cabling to deliver power to the luminaires – hadn’t been completed. 

Council engineers will be meeting with the construction company on Monday morning 8 December with the expectation of completing the design and having it lodged with Essential Energy Monday afternoon.

Essential Energy’s only role in the overall project is to approve the final design, and thus they have had no involvement in the project to date.

As a side issue, it is not practical to do the landscaping before the lighting design is at least approved, and really not until the lighting is installed, because the installation process requires trenching in the vicinity of the proposed plantings.

In summary the process involved is as follows:

1.        RMS lets contract to Palerang Council

2.        Palerang Council appoints subcontractors for:

a)        Concrete works

b)        Lighting installation

3.        Lighting installation contractor appoints lighting design subcontractor

4.        Road works and concreting commence

5.        Lighting design subcontractor completes luminary design

6.        Luminary design submitted to RMS for approval

7.        Lighting contractor completes lighting electrical design

8.        Complete lighting design submitted to Essential Energy for approval

9.        Lighting installed by lighting installation subcontractor: The contractor is yet to confirm the expected completion date.

10. Essential Energy audits lighting installation and accepts lighting infrastructure as its assets

11.        Crossing markings and signage installed

12.        Crossings active

13.        Landscaping completed

With hindsight, no works should have commenced until Stage 7 was complete. However, given the pressure to install the new crossings and council’s lack of previous experience in the lighting design process, the individual elements of the project were commenced as soon as possible, with the result that the road works were completed long before the lighting design was complete and the actual crossings could be activated.