Highland Park residents celebrate new street lamps

After years of darkness, the residents celebrated a light milestone in two streets of Highland Park this week when new street lamps illuminated their neighborhood for the first time in five years.

“It was very terrible. Dark. Nothing could see,” said Anita Carroll, resident of Highland Park, and described a recently attempted theft of her car. “When I woke up, I thought I had put the window down. It was broken. I'm glad you didn't take it.”

Carroll's experience reflects the daily challenges of the residents of this Highland Park neighborhood, in which 1,400 street lantern masts were removed as part of a settlement when the city of DTE Energy owed $ 4 million on unpaid invoices.

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The installation of ten solar lights in the streets of Florence and Louise marks a significant turning point for residents such as Sharon Cotton, who lived in the unlit neighborhood with security concerns.

Cotton said it was scary to live in the dark. “Not to know who will run behind you,” said Cotton. “I would run on my veranda and then let the keys fall, and then I have to turn around and look around. Make sure nobody is running on me.”

The residents share photos of their newly illuminated streets on social media and celebrate the return of nightly visibility to their community.

Ken Bates, the chairman of Soulardarity, the neighborhood group behind the solar lighting initiative, emphasizes the broader impact of the lighting project.

“Now you have a well -lit block and nobody can be in the shade to the usual things. It calms neighbors,” said Bates. The organization aims to expand the program in the entire Highland Park and to search for additional funds through grants and donations to illuminate more neighborhoods.

While ten solar lights may appear modest compared to the 1,400 poles removed over a decade before, each installation is the progress of the recovery of the night for Highland Park residents. The success in the streets of Florence and Louise shows a sustainable solution for a long -term infrastructure challenge, which is driven by the determination of the community and the renewable energies.

Soulardarity continues to seek funds from grants and philanthropes to expand the Solar Streetlight program and add to its goal of comprehensive restoration of the lighting in the entire Highland Park.

To donate to the Street Light fundraising campaign, visit here. Visit here.