Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna wants the street lights – 17 to be precise – fixed in her ward and it appears she will finally get some answers after pressing National Grid for action at Monday’s Council meeting.
“I can tell you that I’m going to look in to this tomorrow (Tuesday) and find out,†said Daniel A. Cameron, manager of community and customer management at National Grid, in an interview following McKenna’s scathing remarks at the meeting. “I will reach out to Councillor McKenna as well because it sounds like maybe the information isn’t getting to the right channels.
“Certainly if there are 17 lights out, that are National Grid’s responsibility, we will get on that and take care of it right away,†added Cameron.
McKenna, known for her effective, workmanlike approach to issues in her ward during her time on the Council, said some of the lights have been non-functioning for a number of years.
“I gave Dan Cameron the list the last time he was here,†said McKenna. “He copied the list and nothing has been done.â€
McKenna said the unlit areas create a serious safety hazard for pedestrians.
“Most of these streetlights are abutting large crosswalks that pedestrians use,†said McKenna. “And the lights are out. Tomasello Drive is out. The Exxon station is out. The site of the tragedy (on Route 145), the lights are out. There are five lights out on the Rita Singer Bridge. There are residents walking over that bridge, and it’s total darkness. There are 17 lights in a mile’s radius that have been out for a long time.â€
During her interaction with Cameron at the meeting, McKenna stated her frustration over National Grid’s inaction over the past four years.
“No offense to you, respectfully, but every time National Grid is here, my blood boils because nothing gets done,†said McKenna.
The Ward 1 councillor said after the meeting that she has been fighting for repairs for a long time.
“I’ve been fighting for this – and nothing’s getting done,†said McKenna. “And you can ask Councillor Novoselsky the same question and he’ll tell you that he’s been working on the lights since before I was a councillor.â€