UPDATE: City council approves new lights for East Campus

UPDATE, 11:00 p.m.: The Columbia City Council unanimously approved the lighting plan, including more than 30 new bulbs in the East Campus neighborhood.

Ryan Williams with Columbia Water & Light said he hoped to measure the light output from each pole before and after the change. The results could help the department decide a broader plan for lighting in the area for the council’s consideration.

Sixth Ward councilwoman Betsy Peters, who represents the area, said she looked forward to Water & Light’s work. The time of day and year often affect how well lit the area is.

“I think it depends which road you go down, which street you go down in East Campus, and what time,” Peters said. “And if it’s in the summer or the winter, because the street lights can’t get through the tree canopy in the summer, that’s a bit of a problem,” Peters said.

ORIGINAL: The Columbia city council is scheduled to vote Monday on a measure that would replace 39 street lights in the city. Thirty-six would be in the city’s East Campus neighborhood.

Lighting in area has been safety concern for residents since 2014. For more coverage of previous student and community meetings, click here.

Justin McDonald, a member of the Missouri Student Association, says student and city leaders should communicate more on neighborhood issues. McDonald and members of city leadership put together a report that found some streets were poorly lit to the point where residents felt unsafe.

McDonald said he is working on “creating a committee or student organization that will serve as a liaison between east campus residents and the city.”

Both McDonald and Tim Waid, president of the East Campus Majority Housing Association, say that replacing the bulbs is only the start of their efforts to improve the area. Waid said the area needs additional light poles.

“Replacing that light bulb is a positive,” Waid said. “But the fact is that the spacing of light poles in this neighborhood is inadequate.”

“It’s important for people to understand it shouldn’t stop here,” McDonald said.

(Update: This story has been updated from its original version, titled “East campus proposal would replace over 30 street lights”.)