It was announced in the news that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Great Neck is about to vote to convert all the street lights on all the village’s streets.
This will affect the 10,000 residents of our village as well as those thousands of people from neighboring villages who pass through our village every day. It will include the lighting on about 145 village streets.
The conversion planned is to LED lights.
Because the switch to LED lights will affect our suburban life long into the future, I have suggested two things should happen prior to any vote:
1. The population of the village should be invited to Village Hall by postcard to take part in this conversation about a topic most people have no idea is occurring.
2. The village should do a pilot program on a few streets so that residents may have a glimmer of the future, so they may see for themselves the lighting the mayor has in mind and whether it is acceptable and we agree.
The Great Neck Park District, when considering one kind of LED lighting at the ice rink, first installed a sample.
Before voting to convert all the street lighting for the entire village, the mayor and trustees should respect the community and the process of participatory democracy.
All the constituents of the village should be offered the opportunity to be heard. A pilot program should demonstrate amply what we can expect.
The Village of Great Neck is a municipality, a public entity, a governmental body wherein the elected officials are supposed to include the residents in the process.
The mayor and trustees of the Village of Great Neck should endeavor for transparency.
Rebecca Rosenblatt Gilliar
Great Neck
