The City of Haverhill will save $350,000 on annual maintenance costs following the takeover of approximately 3,800 streetlights previously owned by National Grid. And while it won’t be immediate, Mayor James J. Fiorentini says cheaper electricity bills for residents are on the way.
“Purchasing the street lights from National Grid is something I have been working hard on for several years and I’m pleased to report we have finally did it,” Fiorentini said this week. “It’s going to save us millions over the long-run, first by reducing maintenance costs and then by cutting our electric bill once we get LED bulbs on all of our street lights.”
Haverhill finalized the $218,000 purchase on March 1. The acquisition does not include the 1,000 streetlights fed by underground wires, which will continue to be owned and maintained by National Grid.
Merrimac’s Municipal Lighting Department will maintain Haverhill’s streetlights for at least the next year. Their annual fee is not expected to exceed $50,000.
The city will use an outside company to audit the streetlights this spring in its effort to eventually convert all bulbs to LED technology.
Fiorentini urges residents to utilize the 3-1-1 constituent services hotline to report outages and said the city hopes to fix problem lights within five to 10 days.