Deadline Detroit on Detroit Street Lighting Plan

[SWMAP]

Its complicated - but Deadline Detroit is linking to an article in today's Detroit News by Kirk Cheyfitz on the Detroit Lighting Plan.

They suggest liking to Cheyfitz' site for more info. Then, in the comments Cheyfitz weighs in and connects the dots. he says:

• Our story on the mayor's street lighting plan includes details of their intent to use tax money now dedicated exclusively to paying for police in order to back new debt for streetlights. And the Free Press says the mayor is simultaneously advocating a new millage tax to pay for police and fire. Interesting, no?

[Detroitnerd]

"Hey, leave Detroit alone on this. There's gotta be some way this benefits DTE. And I'll hold my tongue until I find out otherwise." --Dave Bing

[EastsideAl]

They probably think it's going to be easier to pass a police and fire millage than to pass a PLC one. And they are probably right.

[rutlev]

Maybe the City should have Penske's crews replace light bulbs where they are needed. Some areas do have new lighting, but
bulbs burn out and don't get replaced.

[Detroitnerd]

Maybe the City should have Penske's crews replace light bulbs where they are needed. Some areas do have new lighting, but bulbs burn out and don't get replaced.

It's more than bulbs.

Transformers go out in the head, and are quite heavy and expensive, and you need a good bucket truck to get up there and change those.

Wiring gets stolen from the base of the lamps when they're off, sometimes being pulled out from underground if they can cut it right. This requires a team to blow heavy wire through underground tubes that may be obstructed by garbage, salt, accumulated gunk, dead rats, etc.

Thank goodness Kilpatrick ordered those millions of dollars spent on streetlight shrouds several years ago. Now we don't have any of those problems!

[Funaho]

I've often wondered if it would make more sense to replace the street light wiring with pole-to-pole wires instead of running wire underground and up the insides of hollow poles. It would probably be harder to steal [[at least covertly), and if someone does steal it it would certainly be easier to replace.

[BEEAH]

I've often wondered if it would make more sense to replace the street light wiring with pole-to-pole wires instead of running wire underground and up the insides of hollow poles. It would probably be harder to steal [[at least covertly), and if someone does steal it it would certainly be easier to replace.

Good idea, or wire them so they are always hot and let nature take its course.

[wardwood]

links to articles since OP neglected to provide them:

http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/305/
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...05110329/1008/

[wardwood]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...05110329/1008/

Rep. Maureen Stapleton, D-Detroit
said her bill will authorize the Detroit authority to sell $160 million or more in bonds. This is what Bing has said it will cost to rewire, reconfigure and seriously reduce the number of Detroit's street lights. Not yet finalized are some tough decisions involving where the money will come from to support the debt created by bond sales and to pay for electricity and maintenance.

So Snyder wants Detroit to borrow $160,000,000 more to close DPL and hire DTE? This is on top of the $137,000,000 Detroit borrowed last month to pay it's bills.

If my math is right that is $297,000,000 in additional debt that an already bankrupt City of Detroit is being forced to take on.

Does anyone think borrowing this much money is a good idea?

[stasu1213]

I wonder does solar street lights exists. The lights could feed off the sunlight or daylight and at night they would illuminate. Similar to "glow in the dark" lighting but much brighter. The city should look into that if it does exist. No worries about someone stealing the copper wiring disabling the street light and no worries about money wasted on an electrical bill.

[casscorridor]

Funeral for public services in detroit

rip detroit public schools
rip detroit public transit system
rip detroit public lighting
rip detroit public water & sewage

brought to you by by snyder, bing and co.

Celebrate the wall street takeover of detroit and privitization of the last remaining public services in the city except... Oh wait, we have that too [[robo cop coming soon)

[SteveJ]

Funeral for public services in detroit

rip detroit public schools
rip detroit public transit system
rip detroit public lighting
rip detroit public water & sewage

brought to you by by snyder, bing and co.

Celebrate the wall street takeover of detroit and privitization of the last remaining public services in the city except... Oh wait, we have that too [[robo cop coming soon)

I don't think Detroit has had much of those services in the last 30 years.

[casscorridor]

I wonder does solar street lights exists. The lights could feed off the sunlight or daylight and at night they would illuminate. Similar to "glow in the dark" lighting but much brighter. The city should look into that if it does exist. No worries about someone stealing the copper wiring disabling the street light and no worries about money wasted on an electrical bill.

Good idea but not profitable for DTE so it won't happen.

[casscorridor]

I don't think Detroit has had much of those services in the last 30 years.

Do you live in Detroit? We still have all of these things. They might not all be at the levels of service we want and need but they are still "public". Synder and Bing and Co want it all in the hands of corporations.

[Trumpeteer]

I wonder does solar street lights exists. The lights could feed off the sunlight or daylight and at night they would illuminate. Similar to "glow in the dark" lighting but much brighter. The city should look into that if it does exist. No worries about someone stealing the copper wiring disabling the street light and no worries about money wasted on an electrical bill.

Actually a terrible idea. No storage capability so when you have those endless days of clouds from October to May you have no streetlighting. Of course that's pretty much the case now anyway. Also solar powered lighting is significantly lower in footcandles.

[Trumpeteer]

I've often wondered if it would make more sense to replace the street light wiring with pole-to-pole wires instead of running wire underground and up the insides of hollow poles. It would probably be harder to steal [[at least covertly), and if someone does steal it it would certainly be easier to replace.

Then you'd have another faction bitching about the aestetics [[sp?) of overhead wiring.

[Danny]

"Hey, leave Detroit alone on this. There's gotta be some way this benefits DTE. And I'll hold my tongue until I find out otherwise." --Dave Bing

That would be one of the great quotes from KING BING'S book.