HANCEVILLE — A recently upgraded streetlight became a point of contention between two Hanceville residents Thursday, June 27, as neighbors Rob Fitzgerald and Katie Whitley both presented city councilmembers with their reasoning as to why the light should stay or go.
Whitley was unsure how long the streetlight in an alleyway near Edmondson Street had been there, but was confident it had been there no less than 25 years. Fitzgerald confirmed the light had been there, just beyond his property line, when he purchased his house nine years ago. He said the constant light in his backyard had always been mildly irksome, but the annoyance escalated when he returned from a recent business trip to find the bulb had been replaced with a much higher output LED fixture.
“You can almost count the blades of grass. I can’t even sit on my back patio and look at my fire pit without being blinded. It is like headlights going down the road when somebody left their high beams on,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald requested the light be removed to alleviate his difficulty sleeping, which he said has intensified since the new light was installed. He felt as though the light was not needed as no other lights are in the alleyway between Edmonson and Pine Streets.
Whitley however said she was “proud” of the light and advocated for it to remain in place. She said the light illuminated her driveway from her doorstep to her mailbox and made the women in the area feel more secure at night.
“It was put there mostly for the security of the widowed women who live up and down that alleyway,” Whitley, a former Hanceville mayor, said. “I’m proud of it because you can see to get in and out of my car at night and it gives you that security that you’re not in the dark. Otherwise, you don’t know who could be around you or behind you.”
Mayor Jimmy Sawyer said he had already contacted the Cullman County Electric Cooperative, who replaced the light about a week ago. He was told the new fixtures are the only lights available and it would not be possible to revert back to the previous incandescent bulb.
The council tabled a decision on the matter until more information became available. Sawyer said he is awaiting a response to determine if the new fixtures’ brightness is able to be adjusted.
In other business the council:
— Reappointed Joyce Barnett to the Hanceville Public Library Board.
— Approved the purchase of software to assist in the issuance of business licenses, building permits and city mapping services. The initial purchase amounts to $13,166 for the first year and a $9,866 yearly renewal fee.