LEBANON — Few residents took issue on Monday night with the city’s plans to turn off about 90 streetlights throughout Lebanon.
Some of the dozen people who attended a forum on the proposal at City Hall worried that shutting off about 10% of Lebanon’s lights could discourage pedestrians and increase incidents of “deer dodging” on rural roads, while others lauded the effort to reduce energy consumption, which cuts down greenhouse gas emissions.
“We have a lot of people now with dogs and children that are walking,” said Guyer Street resident Ruth Russell, who worried that without sidewalks or a streetlight, the intersection of Young and Worthen streets would be made unsafe. “It’s pretty dangerous there, and it’s downhill.”
Meanwhile, Alan Schnur encouraged officials to keep pedestrians in mind when determining which streetlights to decommission. Cyclists and those walking at night should feel safe, he said.
“I think in this case we also need to consider the quality of life in Lebanon,” Schnur said.
Lebanon’s streetlight decommissioning project is the first part of an energy program that city leaders hope will lead to replacing the remaining lights with energy-efficient LEDs. The five-part project would also install ornamental lights downtown and in West Lebanon, as well as replace the ski lights at Storrs Hill.
Streetlights were targeted for decommissioning based on their proximity to crosswalks, intersections and municipal parking lots, officials said. Distance from other lights and traffic patterns also played a factor.
Many of the streetlights slated to be turned off are at the end of dead-end roads or cul-de-sacs, such as those on Barrows, Eldridge and Clark streets downtown.
Others are in rural or lightly traveled areas, including more than 10 lights that would be decommissioned on Route 120 between downtown and the line with Plainfield.
There are also a few places that could see added streetlights.
Those include the area in front of Lebanon Middle School on Route 4 and the crosswalk in front the new LISTEN store on the Miracle Mile.
“That’s a very busy street that people often speed on so it should be lit with a streetlight,” Tad Montgomery, Lebanon’s energy and facilities manager, said of the Miracle Mile spot.
The City Council allocated $920,000 in its budget to fund the project, which could entail purchasing the LED lights from Liberty Utilities. The power company owns about 800 of Lebanon’s roughly 900 lights.
By turning off the lights, city officials predict Lebanon could save as much as $80,000 a year on a roughly $155,000 energy bill, while also reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and light pollution.
“One of the main purposes of this whole project is to save the city money: money and energy,” said Montgomery.
Once some lights are decommissioned, the city hopes to install new lights that are “dark sky compliant,” meaning they would cut down on light pollution and improve views of the night sky, Montgomery said. Also, warmer hues mean people won’t see streaks or need to squint as much, he said, and the LED streetlights are associated with better sleep schedules.
The city hopes those lights will be part of a “smart network” that will not only be capable of dimming lights but also could tie into electric meters, parking sensors, traffic lights and electric vehicle charging stations, Montgomery said.
“That’s what the (City Council) paid for, is to have smart street lights,” added City Manager Shaun Mulholland. “The city’s plan is to have that technology, that meshed network.”
Monday’s forum was the first of two that city officials planned to hear resident input on the streetlight project. The second event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Mount Lebanon School.
People can also find out more about the city’s plans at LebanonNH.gov/Streetlights. The website includes a map of lights slated to be turned off, as well as a form residents can fill out to provide feedback.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.