On Wednesday, February 9, 2011, the Greater Gladstone Civic Association, (GGCA), held an open meeting with Lansdowne Borough Manager Craig Totaro regarding the historic street lights in Gladstone Manor. Forty-three Manor residents attended, while Borough Manager Totaro and Borough Engineer Eileen Mulvena represented Lansdowne, with Ben Mazza of Holophane Lighting, attending as an invited guest of the Borough. The meeting was held at the Twentieth Century Club. Borough Manager Totaro began the meeting by providing basic background information on the topic.
The boroughs of Lansdowne, East Lansdowne, Yeadon, Darby, and Colwyn, were recipients of a cooperative grant totaling approximately $500,000 that distributes federal stimulus money for new lighting in the communities. Approximately $100,000 of this grant has been allotted for the replacement of the original street lights located throughout Gladstone Manor. The purpose of the meeting was to inform residents of the Borough’s plans and to review options and solicit opinions regarding the style of the new lights.
Two types of original lampposts (19 in total) exist in the Manor, the acorn-style (3) and the lantern-style (16). All original lampposts will be replaced with new, more energy efficient lighting designed to model the architecture of the original streetlights. The community members in attendance were shown options for replacement. The replacements were decided upon by popular vote. All acorn-style street lights will be replaced with new lights, also in an acorn-style. The new light posts will be bronze-colored with a bronze-colored spire on the top of each light and a bronze-colored band running around the acorn-bulb. All lantern-style lights will be replaced with new lights, also in the lantern style. These lights will also be bronze-colored.
The grant does not allow for the installation of the new faux-historic lights anywhere in the Manor where lights do not exist. Several residents noted the lack of any street lighting on East and West Windermere Terraces. The borough manager and engineer both noted the possibility of adding non-historic cobra lights (large overhead lights that hang from a telephone-like pole) to these streets after the completion of this project. (The federal grant requires the street light replacement project must be completed by May 2011.)
Lansdowne Borough has decided to offer the original street lights to residents of Gladstone Manor via a lottery to be organized by and held in collaboration with the GGCA.
Any resident, who enters the lottery, and is awarded a street light, will be permitted to install the vintage light within ten feet of the curb on their property. Any resident who chooses to install the light will have the usual Lansdowne Borough permit fees waived, but must work with the Borough to ensure all coding requirements are met. Any resident wishing to install a historic light on his or her property will be responsible for the installation and electrical costs related to the light.
Residents of East and West Windermere Terraces will be given first choice prior to the lottery due to lack of lighting on these streets. Residents of the rest of the Manor will be able to participate via the lottery during a second round of drawings. Information about the lottery for old lights will be posted and distributed at a later time once details are worked out.