The Town of Sebago has embarked on a program to reduce the number of streetlights in town, partially as a cost-saving measure and partially to reduce over-illumination that contributes to energy waste and light pollution of the night sky. The Town currently maintains 95 streetlights, located primarily at road intersections and crosswalks, and intends to remove 34 of them in the next few weeks. These 34 streetlights have been marked with brightly colored posters. If residents living near one of these lights wish to keep
it burning they may do so by having Central Maine Power (CMP) transfer the maintenance of the streetlight from the Town to their private account.
 Sebago residents have been debating the cost of streetlights in the Town budget for several years. Some have raised concerns about light pollution in our rural town from too many lights. Some voters complained about “streetlights out in the middle of nowhere, with no houses or intersections anywhere near” and wondered why the town was paying for these. This year at town meeting voters approved recommendations by the Budget Committee to slash the Town budget for streetlights from $12,500 to $6,250, a clear signal that changes needed to be made and the number of lights in town reduced.
Town Manager Jim Smith and Suzanne Bussiere, Customer Service Advisor for Central Maine Power, recently completed an exhaustive survey of the town’s streetlights as the first step in reducing the number that the town paid for. Sebago’s streetlights direct light downward and are modest in brightness. None of the 95 lights exceeds 250 watts and most streetlights are 100 watts or less. The majority of the town’s streetlights are installed as “beacon lights” to illuminate street intersections and crosswalks.
Beacon lights provide a modest steady light at the intersection of two roads to help drivers see the location of a side road as they come closer to it and can adjust braking and know where to turn. The lights also help drivers see other vehicles or pedestrians. A beacon light's function is to say "here I am" and even a dim light provides enough contrast against the dark night to serve that purpose. To prevent the dangers caused by a car driving through a pool of light, a beacon light should not shine onto the main road and not brightly onto the side road.
Smith and Bussiere also found, however, a number of streetlights not at intersections or crosswalks, located on isolated poles illuminating nothing but woods or a single residence. Most of these were marked for removal. Some streetlights will be relocated to better meet safety needs. Sebago plans on removing lights beginning November 1, 2009.
The Board of Selectmen is developing a policy that provides guidelines for the location of future streetlights, and plans on adopting it in the near future at a Board meeting.
Bussiere explained that CMP would not charge the town for removing any streetlights that had been in place longer than 15 years, which accounts for nearly all the lights in town. Also, if a resident living near any streetlight wants to keep the light burning and is willing to assume the monthly energy cost, CMP can transfer the light to them.
Residents are urged to call the town office (207-787-2457) or send an e-mail to Town Manager Jim Smith at TownManager@townofsebago.org at their earliest convenience if they have any questions about the Town’s plan to remove streetlights or a streetlight near their home.
If residents would like to keep a light and have it transferred to their private account, they are encouraged to call Suzanne Bussiere at CMP directly. She can be reached at (207) 753-3121 or at suzanne.bussiere@cmpco.com. Please provide her with both the CMP pole number and the street number of the residence.
| 
