A ‘Dark’ Look To Help With The Springs Budget Cuts
Anders Nelsona.nelson@krdo.com
COLORADO SPRINGS – With a $28 million gap in the budget for 2010 the City of Colorado Springs has decided to turn off the lights. Colorado Springs Utilities will begin turning off 8-10 thousand lights throughout the city beginning February 1st.
The City estimates that the moves will save around $1.245 million.
A task force partnering CSPD and Colorado Springs Utilities was put in charge of overseeing the program. They decided to turn off the lights with the least efficient light bulbs, lights in areas that have high ambient light around them and half of the downtown streetlights.
Dave Krauth is a City Traffic Engineer and says, “Our intention is to turn off every other light.”
This has some locals worried about safety.
“Is it safe? Streetlights were put there for a reason in the first place, not to just hang streetlights. One would think they were for safety.” Andrea Carlin is a concerned Springs resident.
Currently the City maintains 24,512 streetlights, which cost them $3.22 million a year in energy costs, not to mention the replacement of bulbs. The City has begun a change from 1000 watt mercury vapor bulbs which cost $42.41 per month to light, to 100 watt high pressure sodium bulbs that cost $5.87 a month to light.
As of now it is unclear how long the lights will be turned off but the City said that they would reevaluate the Cities finances every year and decide whether to keep them off.
Colorado Springs Utilities will be changing out the blue sensors on top of the lights with red ones and an orange band will be put around the pole. This way you will be able to tell if the light has burned out or needs repairing.
Colorado Springs Utilities and Police say that intersections with traffic signals, mid-block crosswalks, school areas and hospital emergency approaches will most likely be left on.
If you have questions about lights that may be turned off, you can send Colorado Springs Utilities an email at askcity@springs.org.
