Jackson Township officials say most malfunctioning streetlights reported in November have been repaired, while a smaller number remain pending because they require more extensive work than a simple bulb replacement.
Last month, Mayor Jennifer Kuhn and the Township Council launched an initiative aimed at making it easier for residents to report streetlight outages and track repairs through the township. Council President Mordechai Burnstein said the town chose to take the lead in coordinating with FirstEnergy to reduce the burden on residents and to improve accountability.
“We understand that the residents can self-report to power company, but most people don’t have the time in a day to follow up with them and deal with the back and forth,” Burnstein said. “Because this can become a safety issue, we decided to spearhead the contact with First Energy so we, as a town, know what is being fixed, what’s not being fixed, what’s being delayed and why.”
Kuhn said township officials regularly check in with FirstEnergy for bulk status updates and received a new report this week. According to the company, researching and processing the township’s orders can take time, but all streetlights reported as of December 5 have been repaired.
FirstEnergy provided a list of streetlights scheduled for follow-up work, noting that assignments are made daily depending on weather, emergency work, and material availability. The lights listed for additional work include:
- JC1278JK — 483 E Veterans Hwy (needs head replacement and traffic control)
- JC1198JK — 899 E Veterans Hwy (needs traffic control)
- JC249JK — 66 Butterfly Rd (needs head replacement)
- BT40089JK — 184 E Veterans Hwy (needs head replacement)
- JC6448JK — 740 Brewers Bridge Rd (two lights on pole: one repaired, one needs head replacement)
- JC579JK — 193 New Prospect Rd (needs traffic control)
- BT40247JK — 300 New Prospect Rd (needs traffic control)
- JC6413JK — 352 Brewers Bridge Rd (needs head replacement and traffic control)
- JC6658JK — 515 S Cooksbridge Rd (needs traffic control)
- JC3126JK — 168 S Stump Tavern Rd (needs head replacement)
- JC1254JK, JC1249JK, JK1271JK — 594 E Veterans Hwy (needs traffic control)
- BT1625JK — 574 Hyson Rd (needs head replacement)
- BT1623JK — 552 Hyson Rd (needs head replacement)
- ST61627JK — 22 Kildare Ln (needs head replacement)
- JC1932JK — 293 Bennetts Mills Rd (needs traffic control)
Town officials also noted that requests for new LED streetlight installations in problem areas generally take longer. FirstEnergy told the township that all recently requested LED installations remain with JCP&L Engineering for design, and that installation can take six to nine months from when an order is received.
“We will continue to keep up on the company to make sure that all of the requests for repairs are completed in a timely manner,” Kuhn said, adding that the township will provide regular status updates and asking residents for patience. She also encouraged residents to alert the township if a light is not on the list but has been out for an extended period.
Burnstein urged residents to continue reporting outages, saying the initiative has already produced results. “With your help, we have accomplished a lot in just one month,” he said.
Residents with questions or who wish to report a malfunctioning streetlight can email Burnstein at lightsout@jacksontwpnj.net.