Waterford Pointe neighborhood frustrated with rollout of new solar streetlight program | News | wevv.com

2023-04-16 15:00:14 By : Ms. Eileen Song

The Waterford Pointe mobile home park used to have well-lit streets covered by traditional incandescent light poles. The management company of the neighborhood decided to make the switch to solar streetlights, however the lamps are only about 14 feet tall and very dim, leaving most of the neighborhood in the dark.

Along with the removal of the light poles came the removal of the many street signs attached to them. The lack of lighting and street signs has the neighborhood worried about safety. 44News spoke with one of those concerned residents on Tuesday. Sensor Flood Light

Waterford Pointe neighborhood frustrated with rollout of new solar streetlight program | News | wevv.com

According to Rodney Farmer, a 24-year resident of Waterford Pointe, ”we now have no street signs, and it’s dark out here. I’m afraid that the fire department, the police department, the sheriff’s, or an ambulance can’t find anybody out here.”

A representative of the property management company says 80 more lights will be installed in the next 30-60 days. As well, they said new street signs will be installed within 10 days. While some residents support using renewable energy, they’re frustrated by the rollout of these new lights.

Rodney Farmer says the neighborhood going green with solar lights is costing him. ”I’ve got 80 dollars worth of going green out there to keep me out of the dark.”

Neighbors said that children frequently played around the neighborhood after dark and were safe because it was well-lit. They said that's no longer the case, and if something were to happen, first responders would have difficulty finding their way through the neighborhood.

Farmer told 44News ”I’m 79, and the guy next door, he’s handicapped. There’s a lot of older people here on social security, and I think it’s a safety problem.”

Whether their street lights even work depends on the weather. ”If it’s a cloudy day, my lights burn about two hours a night, and then they go dead because there’s nothing to charge the batteries–the same with these lights out here," Farmer said. "If you have a couple days of rain and clouds, you’ll have no street lights that night. Well, then it’s completely dark out here.”

Waterford Pointe neighborhood frustrated with rollout of new solar streetlight program | News | wevv.com

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