City asks Mon Power to pause amid pushback over lights
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MORGANTOWN - Morgantown City Manager Jamie Miller said the city has asked Mon Power to pause the conversion of streetlights to 50-watt LED bulbs in residential areas based on concerns expressed by residents.
Some of those concerns were delivered Tuesday evening, when seven speakers representing the 1st, 2nd and 5th wards attended the Morgantown City Council meeting to deliver a simple message.
"The lights are just too damn bright," Micalyn Antonacci said, referring to the converted light fixtures as "mini suns."
As previously reported, Mon Power has been replacing inoperable streetlights with the new LED bulbs for more than a year now in an effort to reduce energy consumption, improve reliability and lower maintenance costs. In recent months however, the conversion has shifted from replacement of bulbs upon failure to a phased, active conversion of all the streetlights across the city.
Camden Street resident Constance Williams explained what that conversion has meant for her.
"It's like a sunny day from dusk to dawn," she said. "I'm dreading every evening because I have to close the shades. I've had to purchase blackout curtains, and I'm getting ready to put blackout adhesives in my back bedroom because it's really impossible to stay in there ... This is a time of year where I like to sit outside and be by my fire pit, but I can't do that. It's affected me emotionally, and I dread nightfall knowing anyone who drives by my home sees that spotlight on everything I have on the back porch, on the side deck."
She was not alone in expressing how the new lights are impacting quality of life by disrupting the enjoyment of property and, most notably, the ability to sleep.
Antonacci questioned the long-term impact of living below the new 50-watt, 4,000 Kelvin bulbs, citing American Medical Association policy indicating anything above 3,000 Kelvin is disruptive to natural circadian rhythm, suppresses natural melatonin production and creates an objective impairment to visual performance.
“Without our knowledge or consent, Mon Power First Energy has put lights outside of our homes that have been shown to be harmful over 10 years ago when this study was published. Did Mon Power even consider this when installing these new lights? Unlikely. Rather, they decided to save themselves on their operating costs and bottom line,” Antonacci said. “They claim that these bulbs are energy efficient. That’s great. I’m all for green initiatives and environmental safety, but not with these bulbs.”
Kelvin is the measure used to determine color temperature, or whether light is perceived as warm or cool by the eye.
Williams was also not alone in reporting her pleas to Mon Power have largely gone unanswered.
Miller said the city leadership met with representatives from Mon Power on Tuesday and asked the company to pause the conversion project for the time being. She also asked residents with concerns to continue making those issues known through the city's Morgantown 311 app and other avenues.
"We have asked Mon Power to provide us with different options, different opportunities to address some of these concerns. Certainly, have asked them to look at the 50 wattage versus the 30 wattage. That is something that they have on their list, as well as the change in Kelvins. That (Kelvins) is one that they did disclose to us that they are concerned about being able to access from a supply chain," Miller said. "But we've asked them to put some information forward to us on what other opportunities and what other options are available."