BRANDON NEWS BRIEF
updated
Wed, Feb 29, 2012 04:31 PM
BRANDON-The Brandon Lights Committee, a volunteer citizen group,
has assessed all street lighting in Brandon and Forestdale. Their
goal is to improve street lighting quality while becoming more
energy efficient and saving taxpayers significant dollars.
Every street light has been evaluated according to criteria
developed by lighting professionals and adopted by the Brandon
Selectboard. To be retained, all street lights must be in the
public interest for safety or collective aesthetics, as
follows:
1. Vehicular and pedestrian safety,
including:
• Busy intersections
• High-traffic roadways
• Pedestrian crosswalks
• Railroad crossings
• Sharp curves
• Locations of high night-to-day accident
ratios
• Public facilities used after dark such as
public walkways, parks, or recreation areas
• Street-side areas, such as school bus stops or
municipal buildings, where there is a regular congregation of
people after sunset or before sunrise.
2. Ambiance &
Aesthetics
• Downtown business district (general, not
individual)
• Areas with relatively high nighttime pedestrian
traffic such as near parks or restaurants
Lights that do not meet these criteria will be recommended to the
Selectboard for removal. Every light removed will save energy and
approximately $150/year in taxpayer dollars. All remaining lights
will then be changed from incandescent to LED (light-emitting
diode) fixtures by CVPS at no cost. New fixtures will save 50-75%
in energy use and will cost taxpayers 20% less than present lights.
They will also give a "cleaner" and clearer light, with less light
pollution of our night skies.
The Committee is very interested in citizen comment during this
process. The location of all street lights being considered for
removal is public information and may be found in the Brandon
Reporter, February 8, 2012; at the annual Brandon Town Meeting,
March 5, 2012; or in the Brandon Free Public Library. Additionally,
the pole holding each light being considered for removal will be
posted with a bright orange notice.
Tagged:
Brandon, Brandon lights
