HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The purple glow that illuminates Hopkinsville streets at night is not a style choice; it stems from a factory defect that has impacted cities all over the country. During a special session of Hopkinsville City Council on Tuesday, HES General Manager Jeff Hurd explained the issue, and what they are doing to fix it.
Between 2017 and 2018, Hopkinsville Electric Service purchased defective streetlights from ADL during the citywide switch to LED. Hurd explained to the council that LED lights are naturally purple, but factories place a manufactured coating on the lights that make the light appear white. The defect caused this coating to rapidly deteriorate and expose the natural color.
“We will be really diligent now that we have another batch of lights and the weather is getting better,” Hurd told the council.
According to Hurd, HES has replaced around 1,800 purple lights in the last year. They plan to continue the momentum after receiving a shipment of 400 lights. The vendor who sold the lights remains responsible for providing replacements and will be covering labor costs.
Supply chain issues and a local focus on outages and repairs delayed this process, but Hurd told Christian County Now the lights will be replaced this calendar year. HES will focus on main throughfares first like County Club Lane, Pembroke Road, and Fort Campbell Boulevard, and then come back to cul-de-sacs and subdivisions.
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