WILTON – More than half the town’s street lights may be shut off in an attempt to save money.
Town officials are moving toward their final recommendation to voters at town meeting in June; a budget draft that totals $2.73 million in local expenditures. That’s more than a $29,680 cut from the current fiscal year, and $53,300 in reductions from the previous fiscal year.
Turning lights off is one source of those reductions.
A public hearing about recommendations on which lights may be turned off is scheduled for Tuesday, May 18 at the town office. Voters will have the final say at town meeting in June. Until then, Town Manager Rhonda Irish said, “no lights will be turned off.”
A town advisory Street Light Committee has spent the last few months labeling street lights in town where residents, committee members and representatives with Central Maine Power have suggested the lights may not be needed. The ornamental lights on Main Street are not under consideration for shut off.
Last night, Selectman Paul Gooch, who serves on the lights committee, said of the 315 street lights in Wilton, 205 have been considered for shut off. This week, the committee reviewed the numerous comments made by residents on which lights should go and which should stay on and agreed to remove labels on 20 light poles after neighbors said they wanted their lights to stay lit.
Now, the committee and selectmen are considering the remaining 185. Irish said it’s not too late for residents to make recommendations on the light proposal.
All this light work is about saving the town money. Each street light costs $10 to $20 a month.
Currently the town pays $51,197 a year, with $48,197 for street lights; $2,400 for the metered ornamental lights downtown and $500 toward the town’s two traffic lights.
Selectmen are proposing a total of $32,900 for the 2010-2011 street light budget and the Finance Committee is proposing $30,000, for a savings of 16,000 or $18,000 respectively.
Generally, Irish said, residents comments have had to do with making sure certain strategically-placed lights, such as at corners and at driveways, remain on. In many cases, the plan is to shut off every other light along most streets.
“No neighborhood will be left completely in the dark,” Irish said.
Timess are hard; do ornamental lights protect citizeens?
I honestly do not have a problem with this. But some people may want to reconsider shutting off certain lights after seeing what the neighborhood looks like at night. (Can’t really tell til they’re off.) Maybe the Selectmen could give the town a one week “test” period to gauge the newly darkened results?
On my street (which is long, narrow and curving) nine lights are posted to be turned off and only four are being kept lit. It’s difficult to know what it’s going to look like until we see it at night. I think a test period is a great idea.
I agree as far as having a test period. I feel this is the best solution. We also have to remember that in the winter time it gets darker alot earlier then at this time of year. If we have to do this then decorations can be put up, without using lighted ones. I’m all for saving money so lets try it first to test it out.
hey lets put in a solar panel building busness in the old bass shoe building and create some jobs, any one thought about that? out west they are using solar powered street lights, dahhhhhhh