Beachwood installs 29 ‘green’ street lights to improve safety

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - After decades of darkness, Beachwood residents are looking forward to change with a new pilot program taking off this week.

The pilot program will install 29 solar-powered street lights along Beachwood Boulevard and Ranch Road, partnering with Fonroche Lighting America for installation.

The $114,000 program will be paid for by the city through its general fund.

“I moved here 7 years ago, and I noticed and I thought that the streets were fairly dark,” Resident Rochelle Ehrenreich said. “A few houses have lights around them, and the rest of the block is dark. If the city does it, it will cover most of the area and make it safer for everyone.”

Mayor Justin Berns says that safety is a top priority for his administration, and is a strong reason as to why they brought the lights to Beachwood in the first place.

He hopes that they can make a difference.

“It’s important to note that this is a pilot program, we want to see how well this does – it’s probably gonna take a couple years, we need some winters and cold weather to see how the batteries hold up but we believe we are pioneers in doing this in the state of Ohio," Berns said.

If the program’s response from the community is positive, Berns says they will expand the lights to cover the entire town.