New street lights have been installed along Springwood Avenue as a step in the ongoing beautification plans for the Springwood corridor.
The department of public works [DPW] has installed the lights [pictured at right], city engineer Joe Cunha said, but they still needed to install inner mechanical parts and connect them to a power source as of the Feb. 20 council meeting.
City resident Werner Baumgartner previously suggested the city switch the Springwood lights with the more futuristic silver lights on Ocean Avenue. He thought the silver lights would match the new Springwood Center [pictured in background of photo] better, while the black wrought-iron lights would match the historic waterfront district.
This was not feasible because the silver lights require significant rehabilitation due to Hurricane Sandy, Cunha said, and many need to be sent back. The city can switch the lights in the future if they so choose, he added.
Another reason for keeping the black lights on Springwood Avenue is that residents of that area of town picked the lights themselves, Reidy said. The lights are similar to those found on Cookman Avenue, he added, so they link the downtown to the Springwood corridor.
