NASHUA — City officials will have their first opportunity this week to review bids for some of the $2 million renovations planned for downtown.

The aldermanic Finance Committee will meet Wednesday, at which time it will be presented with proposed contracts for new street lights and the installation of new traffic signals on Main Street, just a portion of the improvements about to get underway downtown.

The city is replacing 12 mast arm-mounted traffic signals along Main Street, spanning from Amherst and Lowell streets to East Hollis and West Hollis streets. The new, decorative mast arms will be King Luminaire, LED pendants that will be placed over the roadway and sidewalk areas.

“LED lighting has been proposed on the mast arms in an effort to reduce the overall number of street light poles needed to light Main Street,” Robert Gabriel, purchasing manager, said in a memo to Mayor Donnalee Lozeau and the Finance Committee.

LED street lighting is also expected to offer the most cost-effective lighting over the long term, according to the city's senior traffic engineer.

The cost to replace the 12 existing steel mast arms, poles and foundations on Main Street with new, decorative poles and mast arms is estimated at $140,200, according to a quote from New England Signal of Northwood.

There are also nine new decorative street light poles that are proposed along Main Street in front of Saffron Bistro, Daryl's Music and the Temple-East Pearl Street block.

The cost to replace the street lights is about $56,637, according to a quote from King Luminaire of Jefferson, Ohio, whose bid is being supported by Gabriel.

“Use of a direct purchase from King Luminaire will also provide the City with an approximate savings of 5 percent versus use of a material bid/procurement, where wholesalers and distributors would purchase the materials from King Luminaire and provide the City with a mark-up price,” said Gabriel.

Funding for the mast arms and new street lights — in total about $197,000 — will come from the city's general fund escrow account, according to the initial proposal being presented to the Finance Committee on Wednesday.

Ten blocks along Main Street are expected to undergo major improvements in the next three years, a project with an estimated price tag of about $2 million.

In addition to installing new street lights and traffic signals, city workers will improve all of the downtown sidewalks, correct drainage problems and install new benches, trash containers and newspaper boxes, according to Lozeau, who said previously that every tree along Main Street will be removed and then new trees will be planted with root barriers so they do not destroy the new sidewalks.

“This is not just a sidewalk project,” Lozeau said earlier, adding every crosswalk will be easily accessible for wheelchair use, new bike racks will be installed, recycling bins will be added and new tree grates will be constructed.

Work has already begun in the downtown, as members of the Public Works Department have been busy installing new sidewalks along both sides of the Main Street Bridge.

The Finance Committee will also be presented with a separate proposal Wednesday to replace about 28,500-square feet of carpet at Nashua City Hall for about $116,000. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. inside the aldermanic chambers at City Hall.

khoughton@newstote.com