Over the past month, the City of Rockland’s Public Services Department has been replacing the streetlights along Main Street with new City owned energy-efficient LEDs. Many in the community have been discussing the new lights, and members of the Rockland Energy Advisory Committee, having been involved in the process of selecting the new lights,  would like to share a few thoughts to address some of the questions that we have heard from members of the community. 

1)    The new lights are approximately 73 percent more energy-efficient than the old lights and are projected to save Rockland around $61,400 per year after recouping the full cost of the lights in 3.6 years.  

2)    The lights are not just dimmable, but in fact can be adjusted remotely or according to a schedule to address public concerns. For example, do the lights need to be as bright at 3 a.m. as at 9 p.m.? The City now has the flexibility to make such adjustments. The control system for these adjustments should be in place by the end of October. 

3)    The Energy Advisory Committee gave careful and deliberate consideration during the design process to safety and consistency of lighting coverage; for example increasing the safety of the intersection at Main and Rankin streets and increasing the visibility of the sidewalk outside the Ferry Terminal. 

4)    The Committee also gave careful consideration to the balance between holistically illuminating a historic downtown vs. creating narrowly lighted “tunnels.” The glass globes of the lights diffuse the illumination so that no one will need to stare directly at a bright LED. 

5)    The lights are capped at the top to reduce light pollution and are equipped with internal reflectors to direct light downwards. 

6)    The height of the lights and poles was chosen to minimize glare in both first- and second-story windows. If the placement of any individual light is problematic, that light can be equipped with internal shields to deflect the light as necessary. 

7)    These lights are a victory for local control: the city, and property taxpayers, no longer need to pay Central Maine Power to lease the lights and city staff can fix them if any issues arise. 

8)    The lights are compliant with the recommendations on color temperature that the American Medical Association adopted in June.  

9)    The City of Rockland purchased the lights from Gilman Electrical Supply, a local supplier, and worked to install the lights with Michaud Electric, a local electrical contractor, boosting our local economy. 

Members of the Energy Committee also would like to express our appreciation to Rockland’s Public Services Department, led by Dave St. Laurent, for the prompt, efficient, and accurate installation of the streetlights. The Committee feels that this has been a model project that has involved several different city bodies (City Council, the Energy Advisory Committee, and the Public Services Department) working together, and we’re very pleased with the result. 

If any member of the public has concerns about the performance or safety of specific lights, please call Public Services at 594-0320.

The Committee requests though, that you wait until the control system is fully up and running, which should be by the end of October. After that, Public Services will be able to adjust the lights based on sensor readings and then make dimming or shielding modifications as necessary. 

Rockland Energy Advisory Committee: Chairman Larry Pritchett, Nathan Davis, Pill Pearce, Brooks Winner