Selectmen decide to wait on light upgrade
People and animals suffered shocks in damp weather from the 15-year-old lights.
By Donna M. Perry
Staff Writer

FARMINGTON – Selectmen took no action Tuesday on a grant application to replace or upgrade 20 downtown ornamental street lights. Instead, they opted to see if repairs made by an electrical contractor would be sufficient to end a shocking situation.

It was discovered this past summer that people and animals suffered shocks in damp weather from the 15-year-old, town-owned lights on Main and Broadway. Selectmen acted quickly to have them repaired, voting to spend up to $1,800.

Moelco, Inc. of Jay took steps to ensure that the lampposts were properly grounded, according to a memo from Tina Riley, an owner of the company.

“We replaced the ground lugs with corrosion-resistant copper lugs, and sealed the connections to further protect them,” Riley wrote. “Because we were unable to duplicate the problem of energized lampposts, there is no way of knowing whether the problem has been corrected. Proper grounding of the metal parts of the fixtures will make them safer, but we cannot guarantee that no hazard exists.”

Riley noted that several of the posts were loose, and any that could be tightened were fixed during the initial inspection. She also noted that the company was unable to secure the bolts on the base of lamppost No. 9 on Main Street, the second post from Academy Street intersection. That fixture does not pose an immediate hazard, as compared to others, she wrote, but it should be considered for replacement soon.

Two of the lights near Liquid Sunshine are not working, she wrote. Employees of that store said the fixtures have been out for several months, so the company did not investigate further.

She said if town officials wanted the company to get those lights working to let her know.

The company charged less than $1,000 to do the repairs.

Town Manager Richard Davis came across a grant/loan program available to municipal service centers that calls for a 50 percent match by the town. He said a rough estimate to replace the lights would be about $50,000. With the grant program, the town would be responsible for $25,000.

Selectmen’s Chairwoman Mary Wright, Selectmen Dennis Pike and town meeting Moderator Paul Mills all remembered that the initial costs of installing the lights, including underground wiring and fixtures, was nearly $100,000.

Mills, also a member of the Farmington Downtown Business and Professionals Association, said the project was approved during a special town meeting in the summer of 1988.

The lights were updated with better bulbs in 1999, Pike said.

Davis said he brought the issue to selectmen’s attention for the board to decide whether they want to continue to put money into the lights or replace them.

Selectmen opted to wait and see if the repairs would be satisfactory to solve the safety problem. If not, the grant is available to pursue another time.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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