'Pearls' to shine for Buffett crowd

Omaha's damaged "String of Pearls" lights along Abbott Drive will be repaired by April — in time for Omaha's annual Berkshire Hathaway stockholder extravaganza.

With the Berkshire meeting scheduled May 5, city officials outlined a timetable for completing repairs nearly six months after a severe hailstorm pummeled the Omaha metro area. The storm ruined 276 fixtures along the approximately 700-light chain.

The Peter Kiewit Foundation originally funded the $8.8 million project to install the lights and to plant hundreds of trees along Abbott Drive. Largely completed in 2003, the project was intended to spruce up the city's primary gateway to and from Eppley Airfield.

The damaged fixtures will be replaced with energy-saving LED bulbs — a change that officials say could save up to $150,000 in annual energy costs. The city hopes to replace all the string's bulbs with LED technology within five years.

"I can't think of a better way to set an example for the rest of the nation than by greeting travelers with a beautiful row of efficient, LED bulbs," said Mayor Jim Suttle during a press conference Tuesday on the repairs.

The new fixtures will cost about $200,000, city engineer Todd Pfitzer said. Installation costs will add to the project's overall price tag, but the city now anticipates spending less than the original estimates of $500,000 to $600,000.

Officials also originally estimated repairs would be completed by late March or sooner, but the work was delayed as the city researched and tested LED bulbs, Pfitzer said. Now ordered, delivery of the new equipment could take eight to 12 weeks.

"You add it all together and that's why it took so long," Pfitzer said. "We felt it was more important to get it right."

While a timetable for completing the project is now more clear, discussions are ongoing on how to pay the bill.

Officials are still talking with the city's insurance provider about the damage. The city's claim for the damaged lights is among many submitted after the Aug. 18 hailstorm and record flooding along the Missouri River.

"This may be covered by insurance," Pfitzer said. "But we're not sure yet."

The Kiewit Foundation has expressed interest in raising funds for the project, if needed, but officials said no commitments have been made.

Also Tuesday, Suttle praised the city's Public Works Department and private snowplow contractors on what he billed as a successful snow removal operation after last weekend's storm.

In all, 18 private snowplow contractors helped clear residential streets and 85 trucks and other pieces of equipment tackled thick, wet snow that clogged area roadways.

Resident complaints to the city have been minimal thus far, officials said. An exact tabulation of how much the weekend's snow fight might cost won't be completed for another couple of weeks.