By Christiana SchmitzThe Daily Northwestern
Although darkness falls earlier each day as winter approaches, NU students and Evanston residents can walk under bright lights late into the night thanks to NU-sponsored construction of new lampposts along the city’s lakefront.
Eight lights were built on Judson Avenue between Church and Clark streets and eight on Sheridan Road south of Clark. There are also two new fixtures outside of the Northwestern Alumni Association building and one outside the School of Continuing Studies building. Installation was completed last month.
“This was paid for by the university and given as a gift to the City of Evanston,” said Andrew McGonigle, manager of construction projects for Facilities Management. “The maintenance will be paid for by the city.”
From initially identifying the problem to actually installing the fixtures, the project took about nine months, he said.
The lighting was part of Facilities Management’s response to concern raised by the Safety subcommittee of Associated Student Government, McGonigle said.
In response to the annual light walk in May, ASG passed a bill proposing that the administration add lights to the lower Lakefill path, the area around Bobb Hall and the southwest side of Norris University Center.
ASG’s concerns were integrated into Facilities Management’s “Chicago and Evanston Campus Lighting Standards” report last spring.
McGonigle said the campus upgrades were recently presented to the ASG Safety subcommittee and that Facilities Management and ASG will continue to meet regularly.
“This was a student initiative,” said Charles Loebbaka, director of university media relations. “That’s how this all happened and why it came about.”
A recent post on the Evanston section of www.backfence.com, a Web site that acts as a forum for cities across the country, complained about the lights. “Lucie” said the new light bulbs are too bright, never turned off and disruptive to the neighborhood.
Other Evanston residents said they appreciated the new lights.
“I think they’re attractive,” said Janet Remen, an Evanston resident who owns a bed and breakfast on Judson. “They’re doing a wonderful job of lighting up the place.”
The new lights were modeled after the traditional Tallmadge-style fixtures and meet the city’s standards for size, style and illumination. The 16 lights on the lake are four feet shorter.
“They are designed specifically for pedestrian-scale lighting as opposed to street lighting,” McGonigle said.
Reach Christiana Schmitz at [email protected].
