ROCKINGHAM — Saving energy takes a lot of energy.
Mike Ghia's all-volunteer, four-member streetlight committee, a subgroup of the Conservation Commission, can attest to that after its members examined every single one of 454 street lights in and around Rockingham.
Their mission: To evaluate which lights the town of Rockingham can turn off and remove, and which are essential.
The four subcommittee members - Ghia, Guy Payne, Rick Holloway and Alan Fowler - took on the project a little over six months ago. Asked how many man hours they had put in, Ghia replied, “Too many.”
But the streetlight committee's efforts to reduce light pollution and save energy have resulted in cost savings to the town of 22 percent of its current light bills.
After Ghia's suggestion at the March 2009 Town Meeting, an ad hoc Conservation Commission was formed the following June. To be official, the committee needed approval from the voters, which came at this year's Town Meeting.
Turning them off
In the town of Hartford recently, 200 of their 600 lights were turned off following a similar investigation. Other towns in Vermont that have taken the same step include Shelburne, Manchester, White River Junction, and Waterbury.
Ghia said that, ultimately, it was up to the Selectboard to accept or reject their findings and suggestions.
The committee members learned early on that streetlights are a subjective choice, as there are no regulations or requirements about their locations.
Interestingly, Ghia said, the relationship between traffic safety and lighting is inconsistent.
“The most consistent benefit is pedestrian safety and crosswalks,” he said. “Improving lighting in these two areas reduces accidents.”
However, roads with changes in horizontal terrain did not become safer with street lighting, he said.
Likewise, Ghia said, pedestrian traffic safety is not benefited where there is inconsistent lighting.
“People's eyes can't adjust quickly enough,” Ghia explained, “and this can cause more accidents than having no light at all.”
And when Ghia looked into security lighting, he discovered that according to the Bellows Falls Police Department and the Vermont State Police, “vandalism and break-ins were reduced when lighting was taken out,” he said. “The highest vandalism area is in the Square which is … brightly lit.”
Ghia emphasized that the committee is not recommending reduced lighting in the Square, but as an example, the data is inconsistent between lighting and security.
Ghia and his committee co-members took a look at every single street light in Rockingham in April to judge its merits.
Ownership of lights in Rockingham looks like this - 454 street lights are rented through Green Mountain Power and 21 through Central Vermont Public Service. The town owns the lights at the Waypoint Center, the Bellows Falls wastewater treatment plant, the school/district office, the Saxtons River and Rockingham Fire Departments, the basketball courts and ski tow at the playground, and the bridge in Saxtons River.
Immediately, it was apparent that a menagerie of ownership issues clouded oversight.
The committee recommended that 116 be removed and 20 changed pending public input.
“Of these 136 lights, three do not exist, and six are on private property,” Ghia said. Three lights that were taken down at the request of private citizens were still on the Green Mountain Power bill, and six lights seem to be on private property and need to be checked.
He recommended that six lights be added as LEDs, and said that the 454 streetlights are turned on approximately 4,380 hours a year.
Other safety measures
Ghia said there were several examples at high visibility intersections where, because of the low traffic frequency, lights could be removed safely and signage put up instead.
“It [is] the signage and reflection of headlights on the sign that [are] of benefit,” Ghia explained.
Ghia said they identified 22 signs “that need to be put up along Routes 103 and 121 …to be safe where lights will be removed,” at $150 per sign. Ghia said the town should plan for a one-time cost of up to $5,000 for signs.
Ghia reiterated that the main focus of the streetlight committee was “to reduce light pollution, waste and cost.”
The committee estimated a net energy savings of approximately 57,093 kilowatts per hour per year, and a net cost savings on light utilities at $19,099 a year at current rates. This comes down to 22 percent of the current $88,000 expenditure a year the town is paying, a substantial savings across the board in light pollution, wastage, and cost.
Ghia said their next step will be mostly gathering public input, and double checking some of the billing issues on private lights.
“We will be looking a little more at motion detector lighting options for certain locations,” Ghia said. “We will also be meeting with [Highway Supervisor] Mike Hindes about proposed road signs where we would remove lights.”
Ghia said the committee would be further “discussing issues around the schools and school bus drop-off locations with school board and the district. We need the public to look at the maps and give us their input, particularly on the lights coded [for removal] as 'maybe'.”
Ghia said that “all the lights are still on the table, including adding additional lights to be removed if the public says that we don't need a particular light we labeled 'keep.'”
“If we get consistent input for keeping a certain light,” Ghia said, “with sound reasoning, we certainly will change our recommendations.”
Ghia said that “there's often disagreement among neighbors about the value of certain lights,” which makes it more challenging for the committee to make its determinations on those lights.
Ghia's streetlight committee evaluations and maps of proposed lighting changes are available both on the town website (under “important municipal documents”) and at the Town Hall.
“Good constructive criticism is welcomed and …we [will be] taking [that] into consideration,” Ghia said.
People can E-mail Kerry Bennett at [email protected] with input if they can't make the hearing on June 23 at 7 p.m.
“The final decision will be on July 6, hopefully,” Ghia said.