Mayor, Councilman Hope to Restore Streetlights

Mayor Leo T. Fontaine and Councilman William D. Schneck announced their intention to begin efforts to restore street lights throughout the city today.   Schneck will be introducing legislation to the City Council to initiate the process at the Dec 5 meeting.

Approximately 1,200 street lights were darkened or “Red Capped” over the last two fiscal years in an effort to realize temporary budgetary savings during difficult fiscal times. According to a press release from the mayor's office, nearly $200,000 has been saved as a result of the cost-saving measure. First introduced as a Council amendment to Mayor Menard’s budget in June of 2009, the plan was only implemented in 2010 under Fontaine’s administration.  

After the city completed the current fiscal year with a surplus, discussions began with National Grid to develop a plan to restore service from capped lights. These efforts have been coordinated with Schneck, who has consistently advocated for the restoration of city street lights as soon as the city’s financial means allowed.  

“I’m happy we have saved so much through this plan, but we have always indicated that red capping lights was a temporary solution until we were in a better position," Fontaine said. "Even though we still face fiscal challenges, I believe it is appropriate to take these steps to return all street lights at this time.”

Schneck echoed those sentiments, stating, “Turning off the street lights was a difficult decision at the time, but we all understood the need to balance our budget.   I’m just happy that, although things aren’t perfect, we are in a better position to revisit the issue and turn the lights back on.”

An initial hurdle in activating the lights was a R.I. State tariff through National Grid which required a $25 fee for each street light being reactivated. Fontaine has received agreement from National Grid to allow the cost of $30,000 to be amortized over a period of time to soften the initial financial impact.