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The city says it’s ordering multiple panels at a time to save money and to ensure there are extra panels readily available when damage is discovered.

“We actually do conduct nightly patrols on the bridge — it was through that security patrol that the (recent) damaged panel was identified,” said Charmaine Buhler, a manager with bridge maintenance.

Buhler said the city installed more cameras last fall to try to capture more of the activity beneath the bridge. In the past, the city has had difficulty identifying vandals who evaded surveillance devices by throwing stones at the glass from the banks of the Bow River.

“What we’re trying is just to get more surveillance of the area to see potentially what people are doing, where these acts are occurring, what methods are they using, and that potentially could inform how we address the bridge down the road,” Buhler said.

The procurement request is technically a reissue of one from 2017 that was cancelled. At the time, the city suggested that the limit it wanted to spend was $100,000 for an order of 18 panels.

But at least one city councillor believes it may be time to look at substitute materials to reduce the cost of replacing panels and lights, as well as to decrease need for security.

“I think we had better order Plexiglass or solar LEDs — for safety and practical utility purposes,” Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart wrote in a message to Postmedia on Tuesday.

“Some will think it will bastardize the original architecture, but we need to be reasonable and practical.”