The Smart Lights for Smart Cities initiative has installed more than 5,000 high-efficiency, LED street lights in 25 Kansas City-area communities with funding from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation grant program. Now the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) wants you to take a look around and tell them what you think of the new lights. For the location of high-efficiency streetlights in participating communities, see the maps at www.marc.org/Environment/Energy/smartlights.htm.
Over the past several weeks, MARC has held public meetings in participating communities to ask community members their opinion of the high-efficiency streetlights, especially light color, brightness and the impact on safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. There is one meeting left in February at the following location:
- Raymore, Harrisonville, Peculiar, Raytown, Oak Grove and Pleasant Hill, Mo.
Feb. 13 at 7 p.m., Raymore City Hall, 100 Municipal Circle, Raymore, MO 64083
Residents may also voice their opinions at www.marckcvoices.com, an interactive, online “town hall” dedicated to gathering ideas to improve the community. The site is a creative and convenient way to share ideas, provide feedback, and make recommendations on a broad variety of sustainability topics, including Smart Lights for Smart Cities high-efficiency streetlights.
Utility providers and the municipalities want to know whether or not high-efficiency streetlights are a promising long-term technology and to be sure that the energy savings and long life that LEDs can provide will compensate for start-up costs. They also want to know if the new lights add to public safety and community character.