Mansfield Lights Turning Back On

Things may brighten up considerably in Mansfield, as the town's light department works to bring back burnt out streetlights. It may also be possible to reverse a three-year-old decision that turned out every other streetlight as a cost savings measure, and light every street fully, but no decision has been made in that regard because of the cost.

Mansfield has 2891 streetlights, 1068 of which have been intentionally turned off, reported light department director Gary Babin to the commissioners last week.

Complaints have been coming in about dark and dangerous streets for some time, but escalated in the fall with the yearly demise of daylight savings time. Light commissioners responded by directing the light department to find all burnt out bulbs and replace them. For almost a month the department has been patrolling streets at night, trying to identify lights that are out because of defective bulbs. The department has identified and repaired 251 lights so far, and responded to another 50 calls from residents about defective lights, repairing those as well.

The board has also attempted to begin a study of individual streets, as some of the outlying original town roads feature stone walls on one or both sides, overhanging trees, and narrow turns, making the lack of light more hazardous.

Wednesday, the board recognized that effort could be more difficult than it seems. "We are trying to say we should look more closely at individual streets," said member Doug Annino. "It's a good idea, but it's very time consuming. Lighting can be more subjective than objective - we can apply our standards, but people also apply their own standards."

"I have not heard from people who say, 'Let's save the money,' noted Town Manager Bill Ross. He noted the upcoming town budget leaves the lights off that are presently off. "It would be $45,000 to turn them back on," he said.

Ross added the light department, even with its accumulated $16 million in reserves, cannot pay for streetlights by law. Rate-payers foot the bill within the town's general fund, and commissioners were cautious about adding another $3800 in taxes a month back into the mix, the cost of re-lighting the town by bringing intentionally dark lights back.

Annino added the town should probably analyze the situation more fully, looking at the overall street lighting situation and taking into account issues like wattage levels, energy efficiency, and the types of lights available. "It seems kind of haphazard to put a light on every other pole," he said. "There are a lot of variables."

Babin noted the department has always applied the traditional rules of thumb when trying to set out and maintain streetlights, but said, "It sounds like you want a little more analysis." He added that kind of process would also involve allocation of staff to do the work.

Annino said the most important issue is the safety of the residents, and any analysis should put that at the top of the priority list.

Babin told the board the ongoing tally of burnt out lights should be complete in the next month, and said the department will continue to be aggressive about the night patrols so that the replacement can be completed.

By the time the budget is completed for the coming year, the selectmen will determine whether to turn all the lights back on, or keep the every-other status intact.