JAY – Thirty-seven residents have signed an application requesting a streetlight on Belmont Drive.
Selectmen rejected an application for the same pole last month that was submitted by Deb Holland and Robert Roberts, owners of a new home on Belmont Drive circle, saying it didn’t meet the streetlight criteria.
The initial application stated several neighborhood members use the circle for recreation and exercise, and that adding a streetlight would make the area “much safer.”
This time a neighborhood is applying for the streetlight.
“The area is used very widely as a walking trail by many of the neighbors. One cannot go out walking after 5 p.m. because the area is very dark and a potentially hazardous situation to say the least. The road is winding and has a sharp curve as you ascend the hill. A very dangerous and dark spot in our estimation,” Angie Holman and Angie Melcher, both residents of Summit Street, wrote in a letter to selectmen.
There have been several break-ins in the area, at least one major accident and a couple was nearly struck by a vehicle while out walking, the women stated. They also said that the traffic flow has increased.
“It’s a well-known fact that a well-lighted area has less break-ins and problems that a poorly lit area,” they said. They say the area on Jay Hill is “very dimly lit.”
There are six homes on this section of Belmont Drive where neighbors would like a streetlight, and by this time next year there will be another home.
“We do qualify for the number of residences on this requested area,” Melcher and Holman stated. The women wrote that, “We would like to say that we would all feel more secure if a street light was put on pole No. 7. It won’t be a cure-all but it would help to alleviate some of the unwanted problems that we now encounter. It’s just amazing what can happen when a little light is shed on the problem.”
The women stated it isn’t about money, nor the cost to have a streetlight installed, it is about “protecting the health, safety and welfare for those of us who live in this area.”
The town financial director, Linda Brundage said Thursday that the town budgets more than $70,000 for streetlights and hydrant rental.
She said Central Maine Power Co. charges per unit for the lights and the cost varies depending on the type of light and it is difficult to determine what the cost of light on Belmont Drive would be. She said a bill for streetlights from the company for one month from July to August was $4,766.
The company does not charge for installation of a streetlight but the town does have to pay the cost of electricity each month. Selectmen are scheduled to reconsider the request Monday.
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