Let there be new light

As the Pink Floyd song title says, “Let There be More Light.” And 
hopefully, that’s exactly what will happen in Blissfield by the end 
of this week or the beginning of next.
      According to village administrator Jim Wonacott, the wiring for 
new LED street lights is taking place “as we speak,” and the new 
lights will be installed from the U.S. 223 bridge all the way down to 
Lena’s restaurant.
      “It’ll make things a little brighter, a little prettier,” 
Wonacott said.
      The lights are more energy-efficient than the street lights 
currently being used in Blissfield and will therefore save the 
village money in electrical costs. According to Wikipedia, “An LED 
street light based on a 901 milliwatt output LED can normally produce 
the same amount of (or higher) luminance as a traditional light, but 
requires only half of the power consumption.”
     And there are other advantages as well. Wonacott said that 
according to reports he received from the Michigan Department of 
Transportation, the brighter an area is lit at nighttime, the slower 
drivers tend to drive.
      After the initial installation of the LED lights on U.S. 223, 
the village is intending to see if the current lights in use on Lane 
Street and elsewhere can be retrofitted with LED technology.
- By Mike McHone