Old Farm Subdivision in Fort Gratiot Township may be converting the gas lanterns that have illuminated their streets since the 1970’s to LED lighting. Residents of the “Old Farm” neighborhood petitioned the township to change their neighborhood lighting from gas to electric forming what is known as a lighting district. Fort Gratiot Township Supervisor Rob Crawford said many residents want the changes because of long-term cost savings and maintenance. The township supervisor said, “currently it costs residents $20,000 per year to operate the gas lamps, and the LED lights will cost approximately $9500 annually to operate.” Crawford went on to say that, “installation of the new LED lights would cost nearly $200,000 and would become the largest lighting district in terms of cost that the township has ever considered.” A Street Lighting District is initiated by a resident-petition and created by a local government agency to pay the costs associated with lighting on and around public streets, highways, parks and alleys. In this scenario, residents (per household) would pay, on average, around $400 per year for three years. This would cover the installation and operational costs. After that three year period, the cost would drop to around $45 per household to operate the lights. Currently, residents pay approximately $90 per year to operate the gas lamps. A public hearing is set for October 16th at the township offices.
