PUTNEY — Resident Daniel Hoviss is pressing his case for sharp amendments to proposed lighting at the 84-space park and ride inbound for land the state owns near the Putney Fire station and the southbound Exit 4 on Interstate 91.
In a letter to supporters dated April 4, Hoviss calls for letters of support for several proposed lighting options to be sent to Wayne Davis of the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
Hoviss says the issue should be of concern to residents of Dummerston, Putney, and Westminster, and anyone who commutes through Putney or otherwise wants to weigh in.
Hoviss filed an appeal of the town's Development Review Board's approval of the state's plan for the park and ride, and on March 26 saw the Selectboard sign off on a mediated settlement he'd struck with the state, permitting the work to continue with changes.
Projects opponents by petition said said they were surprised by the fact of the project, its scope, its use of what Hoviss characterizes as “baseball stadium brightness,” and its lack of electric vehicle chargers and a covered bike shelter.
Opponents also objected to the DRB's approval of the permit without much in the way of public input, and called for a smaller park and ride - they said 36 spaces, with six reserved for handicapped motorists, would be a better fit for the site - and great reductions in lighting, which at present is planned as intense and always on.
Also sought were four high-capacity 220-volt charging stations for electric vehicles, a larger bus shelter and bike rack, and a sidewalk that connects from the lot to the corner of Route 5 and Alice Holloway Road (near the Putney Food Co-op).
The settlement guarantees the installation of six level-1 electric vehicle chargers, accommodation for up to 12 bikes under a covered shelter, and this satisfied Hoviss enough to withdraw his appeal.
Lighting was left as an open issue following mediation, and it's this front Hoviss is pressing among supporters. He noted in a letter forwarded to The Commons that the state-proposed park and ride lights are three times brighter than the town's street lights, “which are 37 watts each and bright enough according to many residents who use the sidewalk in Putney.”
State-proposed LED lighting, while dark-sky compliant, he said, “would cause a glow well beyond the parking area, especially during snow or wet weather when ground reflections are increased.”
Hoviss added that supporters are concerned about the cost of running the electric lights as well as the lights' imposition as a constant source of visual pollution.
Better, he said, for the state to consider timers or motion sensors, and a revision in lighting that would get the job done while saving taxpayers an estimated $22,500 in energy costs over the 40-year lifespan of the project.
Earlier in March, crews began felling trees and conducting preliminary site work. Hoviss objected and sought an emergency injunction to halt work until after mediation, which was granted.