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'It's very bright': Chestnut Hill residents battle with the city over brightness of new streetlights
There’s a battle over brightness brewing in one neighborhood. Residents say some new streetlights are way too powerful. The plan was to save some money, but some residents say it’s affecting their quality of life.
CHESTNUT HILL - There’s a battle over brightness brewing in one neighborhood. Residents say some new streetlights are way too powerful. The plan was to save some money, but some residents say it’s affecting their quality of life.
"It was a noticeable difference from what was there before. It is very bright," John Gagehan stated.
He is not happy about the new LED streetlights on Seminole Street, in Chestnut Hill. The warm yellow glow is now a harsh, glaring white light.
"The light is across the street from our driveway," Gagehan said. "You need to close the blinds to avoid the bright light coming in."
It’s part of a citywide LED lighting project to convert 120,000 old streetlights to make them efficient and longer lasting. Residents on Highland Street so upset about the light, the Streets Department lowered the lumen over the last weekend to reduce the brightness.
"Community members are becoming more and more vocal about how concerned they are about it," Executive Director of the Chestnut Hill Community Association Anne McNiff commented. McNiff has fielded a lot of calls in the last week regarding the lights.
"It’s not just the annoyance. There’s all sorts of good science out there about how destructive it is to bugs and wildlife. Good bugs and human beings are sensitive to that kind of light," McNiff added.
Arthur Schmidt and his wife live on Ardleigh Street and don’t want the new lights. "They’re very invasive and they’re much more light than is needed."
The new bulbs are expected to save the city about $5.4 million a year in energy costs and cut carbon emissions.
"Feels like there should be some sort of compromise where you could save energy, but not be quite like an airport runway on the street," Gagehan said.
A Streets Department spokesperson says they only lowered the brightness of the bulbs on Highland Street where residents complained, so it is unclear if they will switch out the extra bright new bulbs on other streets in Chestnut Hill.