Article Title: New Streetlights Planned for Downtown

Edition: August 2001
Category: City Government
Author: Lauri Scharf
Article:

Sometime late this fall, as the days grow shorter, travelers along Main Street in Montpelier should begin to see a subtle but notable difference in the area's atmosphere: more light at night.

Working with the $215,000 bond passed by voters last March, the city will install seventeen new streetlights on Main, School, East State and State streets with the goal of increasing pedestrian safety while maintaining Montpelier's historic character. The city's planning commission approved the site plan and design review approval on July 23.

Thirty-five Accidents

Although motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians are fairly rare in the capital city (35 in the last 5 years), the poor lighting provided by the current fixtures only heightens the risk.

"We've all been in the situation where a pedestrian suddenly appears in front of us, so there's a certain fear factor of hitting one," explained City Manager William Fraser. Some crosswalks are so dimly lit that drivers must rely on their headlights, but by the time a pedestrian enters their beam, it may be too late for the driver to react.

The streets in question have seen 17 of the city's 35 pedestrian-motor vehicle accidents since July 1996, but only six of those were after dusk, and in only two of those did anyone suffer visible injuries.

Enter the new streetlights. Keen observers will have already noted the presence of one directly in front of Somers Hardware.

One of the 30-foot tall "mongoose"-style lights is perched there to provide a preview of what's to come. It is not complete, however, since the final plan calls for an additional fixture to be attached to the pole for sidewalk lighting. These sidewalk-side fixtures will be identical to those currently in use and will sit at the same height (approximately 13 feet).

Exactly what is wrong with the current lights? Installed in 1984, they were intended to mimic the gas light fixtures found in Montpelier in the early 20th century. While successful in that regard, their ability to disperse light uniformly across the city's wider streets left much to be desired. The alternating pools of light and dark may be reminiscent of the days of the horse and buggy, but today's V-6's traveling at 30 miles per hour are not.

"Mongoose" Fixtures

The plan for the new lights calls for seventeen poles, each of which will bear a 175 watt metal halide mongoose fixture as well as decorative brackets for holiday banners on the street side. The brackets are to mimic those on Langdon Street as much as possible. Thirteen of the poles will include 70 watt metal halide gas-light-style fixtures on the sidewalk side.

The lighting system, designed by J & M Lighting Design, Incorporated, will feature three electrical circuits: the mongoose fixtures, the gas light fixtures, and outlets for special events. The sidewalk-side lights will go off automatically in the late evening to conserve electricity; the brighter mongoose lights will provide sufficient lighting on their own.

The system was approved based on seven criteria:

one, preservation of the area's historic style;
two, harmony of design with other properties in the district;
three, compatibility of the exterior materials with those of other properties;
four, compatibility of landscaping with that of the district;
five, prevention of use of incompatible designs, buildings, color schemes, or exterior materials;
six, location and appearance of all utilities; and
seven, recognition and respect for view corridors and significant vistas, including gateway views of the city and the State House.

Much of the work on Main Street is planned for this year. The State Street lights, which will go as far as Taylor Street, won't go in until next spring in order to coincide with sidewalk repairs planned for that time.

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