(Addendum, 3/5/14: The paragraph beginning with “Fourth, what about…” was added after this letter was published.)
(Editor’s note: Kanner references a letter to the Lincoln Journal by Margaret Olson for which the link is unavailable, but the Lincoln Squirrel published a similar letter from her on February 23.)
To the editor,
I believe the outdoor lighting issue is a bit more complex and potentially disruptive than Margaret Olson of the planning board suggested in her letter Friday, Feb. 27 to the Lincoln Journal, at the same time as I also support Lincoln as a delightfully idiosyncratic quasi-rural community and share the concern about excessive regional ambient light.
First, what about lamppost lights? And what happens when your grandfathered lamppost light is ruined by the snowplow? Can you replace it? How do you illuminate your driveway entry clearly enough for safety? Downlights don’t serve that purpose well.
Second, 60-watt bulb equivalents (900 lumens, but some are 700 lumens) are dim. Fixtures are expensive. If you wanted to light your patio with 60 watt equivalent lamps, you’d need perhaps twice as many than if you used 100-watt equivalent (1450 lumens or so), which can also be dimmed down if too bright. No one ever dims a 60-watt bulb. Does the formal proposal have any flexibility?
Third, technically 2700K is the old incandescent lamp color temperature, while LEDs and other newer lamps are usually 3000K but may be 3200K, which is essentially the same thing. Are we sure that 3000K is the maximum brightness to be allowed?
Fourth, what about low-voltage landscape lighting for simple beautification that many homes have (full disclosure: we do too) and which may point upward to illuminate selected trees? Where does that illumination fit in, or not? Especially if it’s in your backyard around your pool or patio? We are talking soft uplighting that enhances a beautiful landscape setting that makes living in Lincoln more pleasurable, not garish neon parking light illumination.
Finally, how do we discuss this issue before Town Meeting and an up-or-down vote? I saw other comments elsewhere that raised the lamppost light issue and how to deal with grandfathered fixtures that need replacement.
I hope the Planning Board can clarify and satisfy these and similar concerns, or offer a process to modify their proposal before or at town meeting. Can they offer alternative language for a vote? Working out revised specs at a public meeting is an awkward and time-consuming prospect.
Sincerely,
Steven R. Kanner
12 Bypass Road
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