Millerton street light replacementis a money-saving work in progress

MILLERTON — The streets of Millerton will soon be shining brightly at night, thanks to an upgrade currently in progress that will update streetlights to more serviceable LED models.

Purchased from Central Hudson Gas and Electric, the new streetlights are digitally controlled through a dashboard overseen by the village. The new lights promise to have a longer lifespan, and less maintenance will be involved in their upkeep. Their lighting is brighter, which means better visuals at night and increased safety for residents. They’re earth-friendly, requiring less energy and leaving behind a lighter carbon footprint, not to mention they’re mercury-free, too.

According to Mayor Jennifer Najdek, while not all streetlights have been swapped out just yet, the cost savings are already noticeable. “The monthly maintenance charge for average usage was previously around $2.400 to $2,900 per month,” Najdek said. “We recently received our first bill, and it went down.” Because the work is ongoing, exact figures for comparison are not yet available, but costs have already been cut more than in half. These numbers should decrease even further with completion of the project.

With the money generated from the switchover, Najdek is hoping to apply these savings to paying down the loans which enabled the town to make this upgrade over the next few years. She’s also hopeful she’ll be able to apply these savings to other areas that will benefit Millerton residents down the road. As Najdek explained, “We may be able to use that money for equipment for the highway department, personnel, and health insurance.”