2003 Year in Review

Morrison Street Lights

Morrison Corner Street Light

The new street lights of Morrison have caused an untold amount of controversy. But now they are up and lit. Wait a minute; the globes on the corners don’t look right. What now? Ask the citizens of Morrison why they think that is and everyone has an idea. “The City can’t afford to light them,” was one quote or “the City is conserving energy”.

City Administer, Joe Woith, explained the engineers originally designed the light system for safety, not to look like a landing field like the former lights. The main lighting is done by the large globes. The corner lights were more decorative with lower volt 240 volt/60 watt bulbs. The City found this a rare and expensive bulb and wanted a wider choice of bulbs (a standard 110 volt bulb). So the light manufacturers put in transformers to accommodate the smaller size bulbs. The smaller globes gave off a yellow glow when compared with the brighter center bulb. If the same smaller bulb was lit away from the large (like on the antique pole by Wilson’s Greenhouse) it looked white.

Woith said, “this is unacceptable”. He has been working with City employee, Gary Tresenriter, and Whitey Nelson of Nelson’s Electric to find a bulb that would look white alongside the larger bulb. They have tried all kinds of bulbs including a light bulb from the stop lights. The good news is Nelson found a bulb that gives off a white glow; the bad news is they can not locate a supplier for the bulb. But Woith acknowledged he will not give up until a bulb is found.

If you go by after 11 p.m., half the lights are turned off. The engineers decided it would be a money saving feature for the City.

by Barb Benson, theCity1.com
August 29, 2003