It has now been more than two years since Churchville and Riga leaders began their fight to keep the Interstate 490/NY State Route 36 interchange lit.
The situation was discussed again recently during a joint meeting of the Village of Churchville and Town of Riga boards on May 18.
Village DPW Superintendent Paul Robinson reported to leaders regarding the possibility of the village restoring and maintaining 18 of the original 68 streetlights at the interchange.
Superintendent Robinson detailed a three-year project at a total cost of $45,000 that would include repairs necessary to the 18 lamps – six on the Route 36 bridge over I-490 and six lights on each of the two exit ramps.
In 2013, municipal leaders met with officials from the Monroe County Department of Transportation, National Grid, the NYS Department of Transportation, and a representative from Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s office, regarding the lighting situation after NY State and National Grid informed the village that the two entities wanted to turn off the lights at the interchange. Mayor Nancy Steedman explained the situation to residents in a village newsletter at the time. “They feel the infrastructure is old and needs replacement, that there is not enough traffic to require lighting for safety reasons, and no one is stepping up to make the needed repairs to keep the lights on,” she wrote.
The interchange is unique. According to minutes from a March 2013 meeting which included county, state, town and village officials, it is the only expressway lighting in Monroe County within National Grid’s territory. National Grid owns the wiring and fixtures, the State owns the poles, arms, bases, conduit system and pull boxes, and Monroe County pays for energy and maintenance costs.
Municipal leaders say residents have expressed a desire to keep the interchange lit and Mayor Nancy Steedman has said the lighting should be maintained both for safety reasons and for the viable economic development of the community – to create a welcoming gateway at night.
In 2013, the Village Board passed a resolution encouraging all involved parties to “keep the lights on.”
In a letter dated March 12, 2015, National Grid consumer representative Laurie Mastin informed the Monroe County DOT that only 16 of the original 68 lights (installed in 1965) at the interchange are still operating.
“National Grid has determined that the customer-owned equipment has attained its end of useful life and requires extensive maintenance,” the letter states. National Grid offers three options in the letter, all of which include the six existing wooden poles on Route 36 being served overhead by National Grid and stated the next steps:
“•Service to the remaining lights will be discontinued on or around June 12, 2015.
•Per the existing service agreement, an invoice for the amount of $13,902.51 will be issued for the termination/removal fee.
•A meeting with all interested parties to discuss the options set forth may be
advantageous.
•Once a service option has been determined, appropriate sample resolutions will be provided.”
At the May 18 meeting, Steedman indicated the county might continue to pay costs for a year while the situation continues to be worked out.
During the discussion, Riga Supervisor Bob Ottley said it might be worth approaching Monroe County again. “I get the feeling if we went back to the county, they might be willing to try the six lights on the bridge. I like the idea of lighting the bridge,” he said.
