Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Shorewood’s streetlight system?

Much of Shorewood’s infrastructure dates to the early 1900’s and our streetlight system is no exception. Approximately 1,500 fixtures light the Village’s roadways, parks and municipal parking lots. These can generally be grouped in two types:

• Commercial/ business district area lights are on 240-volt lines. These areas feature decorative lighting on aluminum poles powered by a cable in conduit, grounded system.   Oakland Avenue lighting was upgraded with the 2007-08 streetscape improvements; Capitol Drive was updated during the 2010 WisDOT project.
• Most of the residential, park and parking lot lights fall on 480-volt lines. The concrete bell-bottom pole style dates to the 1920’s. The system is powered by wires buried directly in the soil with no protective conduit. Records indicate the current wiring was likely installed in the early 1970s and is not grounded per the current National Electric Code.  Residential lights comprise approximately 75% of the total system.

How does the current system work?

• The system is divided into circuits. Power is distributed to each circuit though one of nine lighting control cabinets. Most of these cabinets are from the 1970’s and have reached the end of their useful life.
• The cabinets are controlled by photocells that turn the lights on/off at dusk and dawn. 
• The lights are powered from the cabinets through underground wiring. This wiring was installed as “direct bury” and not encased in any type of conduit (pipe). Though the wire does have a protective coating, that coating deteriorates over time. Moisture coming into contact with the exposed wire results in a fault in the circuit and ultimately causes an outage. Freeze/thaw cycles and periods of heavy rain increase the likelihood of faults. Determining the exact location of a fault is a laborious task and can take a day or more to pinpoint depending on the size of the outage.

 
How will the new system be different?

• The system will still be divided into 25 circuits with power distributed through 5 cabinets. The cabinet locations will be different, with two now located in residential neighborhoods.
• The cabinets will be controlled by photocells. Rather than turning on or off at a specific time of day, the streetlights will power on and off based upon natural light levels – essentially dusk to dawn.

When will the lights in my neighborhood be replaced?

The Village Board has approved a five-year implementation program with the first project phase to be constructed in 2025. Annual programs will continue through 2029. A map of the project areas can be viewed here.

 What should I expect during construction?

 Construction impacts are intended to be relatively minimal to residents, spanning from mid-March until the end of October. All work will be conducted between the hours of 7:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. No work will be permitted from the hours of 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M. or at any time on Saturdays and Sundays except in the case of urgent necessity.

Work will be taking place over entire blocks at a time, with crews working up and down the neighborhoods from day to day. Any excavated or disturbed areas will be covered and made safe until they can be restored as part of the project.

All work will be performed in the terrace or within Village right of way, behind curb and gutter. On rare occasions, driveways may require a pothole be cored to locate a utility line. Any such potholes will be covered and fully restored with the project. 

On-Street Parking may be restricted for short periods of time to allow for equipment access. Access to residences will not be impeded by construction activities at any time without proper communication. Homeowners will be notified 48 hours prior to work commencing at their respective locations.

Streetlight outages should not span more than two (2) adjacent blocks at a time and should not exceed more than three (3) consecutive nights without lighting. Any signage removed with the project will be reinstalled.

 Weekly construction updates will include more detailed and timely information. Sign up at www.villageofshorewood.org/notifyme.

What is the streetlight fee? How was the amount determined? How will it be billed?

The charge or fee will distribute costs for ongoing streetlight operational expenses, which includes electricity costs, substation costs, lighting outage repairs, and replacement of outdated lights and poles as appropriate.  The creation of the special charge represents a fundamental shift in how the Village will pay for streetlight services overall.  It is estimated that this cost for 2025 is $938,500. However, the final charge may be slightly more or less depending on the actual amount expended for providing streetlight services.  Any special charge established must be imposed after services have been rendered to the property receiving the charge.  

Each property owner will be charged an amount calculated by lineal feet adjacent to the public right of way in which their property is addressed, 2025 was approved at $4.46 per lineal foot. Click here to see the current annual charges by parcel.  The charge will be reflected as a line item on the tax bill.

What will the new lights look like?

Any remaining old-style bell-bottom poles will be replaced with new concrete poles which have hand holes to access the wiring for maintenance.  The new light heads will have a similar look and include LED fixtures which are DarkSky- compliant.