By JONATHAN SNYDER
River Road Residents have retained counsel over the River Road lighting project, the Bluffton Common Council announced in their Tuesday meeting.
Council member Scott Mentzer reported the update to council during their meeting Tuesday. Mentzer stated that, on advice from City Attorney Tony Crowell, no public comments will be made at this time regarding the situation.
On March 20, the Board of Public Works and Safety announced that new street light materials were purchased for lighting River Road and the Rivergreenway. This purchase came with the help of a grant from the Caylor-Nickel Foundation, which was rewarded back in September of last year. In a survey from the Parks Department, over 165 people stated that lighting the rivergreenway was either “very important” “important” or “somewhat important”
On April 19, a letter to the editor was sent in by residents of River Road, citing concerns about the aesthetics of the lights, the legal documentation of city rights-of-way and the alleged lack of communication. A petition was also sent to Mayor John Whicker’s office.
Common Council member Scott Mentzer and Whicker later advised they would meet with the petitioners to discuss the legal documentation and address their concerns, but noted that mentions of the project date back to 2021.
An additional letter to the editor on Aug. 21 restated the concerns of the River Road residents. Council member Chandler Gerber also posted on his facebook page on Aug. 22 calling for a stop to the lighting project and for full transparency on the issue, a statement co-signed by council member Blake Fiechter.
jonathan@news-banner.com
