Greenwich Gifted $250K Worth Of Light Poles For Glenville Project

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Representative Town Meeting on Tuesday night approved a gift from a private family foundation that will bring 36 decorative light poles valued at $252,076 to the Glenville corridor, which is set to receive major upgrades in the coming months.

According to the project web page, the corridor spans approximately 1,500 feet from the intersection of Glenville Street and Glen Ridge Road to the Glenville Road and Weaver Street intersection.

Upgrades will include widened roads, new sidewalks, new traffic signals, realigned crosswalks, and more. The project aims to reduce congestion and improve air quality and safety for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

The Greenwich Department of Public Works expects to start the project this spring, with work expected to be complete by December.

Funding for the project is being provided under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) with 100 percent federal funds administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

The Belpointe Foundation, which was created by the Lacoff family to give back to the community, gifted the light poles to the town after several donors purchased them, according to RTM Budget Overview Committee Chair James Waters.

The Glenville Neighborhood Task Force worked with DPW on additional improvements needed to beautify the project area while maintaining pedestrian safety, but several items were not covered by state and federal grant funding, RTM documents explained.

A $500,000 public-private partnership was created to fund a portion of those items, with Greenwich matching 50 percent of any private funds, according to RTM documents.

"The main focus of the donors was installing decorative street lights along portions of Glenville Street, Glenville Road, Riversville Road and Pemberwick Road," RTM documents said. "In addition, the town funds of the matching $250,000 will be utilized for the installation of wood guide rail and landscaping."

Once the light poles are installed, they will fall under the purview of Eversource, and, as is the case with all street lighting in Greenwich, the town will be responsible for monthly electrical costs, RTM documents noted.