After years of being a vague vision, a new lighting plan for downtown Amagansett, where large trees line Main Street, sometimes blocking out light, is starting to take shape. While design work has yet to begin, the East Hampton Town Board appeared in good spirits last week with a preliminary study by L.K. McLean Associates, the project engineers.
Presenting the initial study was Matt Jedlicka of McLean, which is a first step toward determining cost and lighting options for the downtown area. Roughly 50 “historical style” LED light fixtures, each 12 feet tall and 100 feet apart, would be installed on either side of Main Street, between Windmill Lane and Meeting House Lane. Jedlicka stated, “We estimate, all in, including design, it will cost $1.3 million… We feel the lighting upgrade will greatly improve safety, and using historical-style lights will maintain the historical character of the area.”
Jedlicka also told the board that the new lighting would not require existing trees to be “removed, damaged, or disturbed at any point in construction.”
Current lighting is “cobra head” lights affixed to metal poles, which would be removed, according to Jedlicka, while other lights, attached to utility poles, will remain. The proposed historical-style light fixtures will match those in Sag Harbor and will be “globeless,” said Jedlicka, to help avoid light refraction and uplighting.
Mixed Opinions
Co-founder of the Hamptons Observatory and New York State Representative to the International Dark Sky Association, Susan Harder, expressed worry in an email about the light fixtures.
“There is no indication that these fixtures meet an actual ‘dark sky’ compliance designation, per the Illuminating Engineering Society’s standards for ‘zero uplight,’” she wrote. “That’s the only way to determine the outward light distribution. All commercial light fixtures should have a ‘BUG’ (back, up, glare) designation issued by a third party. Otherwise, it’s not very smart to only have the manufacturer’s word for it. It’s a serious shame that the town is ignorant of the ‘best practices’ for outdoor lighting. The same mistake they made for the LED streetlight conversions: They only heeded the advice of consultants hired by the power authority. That’s like having the fox in charge of designing the henhouse. The town should hire a lighting designer, the same as they would hire an architect for interior spaces.”
However, others are happy to see plans moving forward on the lighting issue. “For over seven years, this project was only a vision,” said Rona Klopman, the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee chairwoman. She applauded Councilman Tom Flight, who is ACAC’s town board liaison, for moving the project forward. “This is going to transform a key part of Amagansett,” she told the board. “We strongly ask for your support in making Main Street safer and more aesthetically fulfilling for the community.”
Other supporters include Dawn Brophy, a co-owner of Bonfire Coffee House in the hamlet, and Councilman David Lys. Both are deeply concerned with the safety issues caused by the current lighting, which has resulted in deaths.
Kinks to Work Out
The plan “still needs to go through a full design process. That’s when you decide the exact fixtures and the accessories you want,” Jedlicka replied. “It still needs to go out to public bid. There is a decent process ahead.”
Jedlicka estimates two months for the design and another two months to collect bids and select vendors but does not want to try to cram the work in before next summer. “We definitely don’t want to be working in the middle of the summer in Amagansett,” he said, believing that starting next fall would be the best plan.
Lys and Councilwoman Cate Rogers believe further lighting should be considered, with Lys stating the town should consider installing a lighted crosswalk at the entrance to the parking lot. Rogers believes that consistent lighting throughout the town will help drivers travel more safely.
